The Nutshell

So this week in a nutshell. . .
I began training for my new job and I really think I am going to love this job. It's basically doing mental activities with kids. These activities are supposed to teach the kids how to focus, recognize spelling patterns, memorize, reason, use logic and all that good stuff. So it is basically like I am doing things of the same nature as crossword puzzles, logicproblems, acrostics, cryptics, etc. AKA Things I like to do in my spare time anyway. So getting paid to do these activities with kids is fine by me. I can't wait to really get started.
I played at the Blue Horse Music Hall's open mic this week. It went well. Here again the booking guy wasn't there that night (seems to be the story of my life), but one of the other guys that works there took my info and said they might want to have me come back and be an opener for somebody else. We shall see. Anyhow, this is a really good place to play. They have a studio in the same building and they record everything, so at the end of the night I gave them $10 and they gave me a cd with my two songs on it. Pretty spiffy if you ask me.
Last night I went back to the Fox's Lair so that the lady that does the booking could hear me. I don't think she liked me. I played about 8 songs and when it was over I went to the bar. She told me I had a nice voice and asked me if I wanted a drink. I got a miller lite and that was the end of our conversation. It was a little discouraging, but whatever. I'm going to still keep showing up at their open mics from time to time. I know my guitar playing needs to improve before I can really be good. So maybe if I keep practicing like a crazy person it will eventually get there and they will all be like "Oh my gosh Dottie you have to play here every night and we have to pay you lots of money!" Just kidding, but I do have alot to learn and get better at.
The really nice thing about the two places I played this week was not the music, but the people. At the Blue Horse I hade a small group of friends that came out to hear me and hang out. It was good. And at Fox's Lair my friend Pat was the only one that came with me. He got up and played too and it was wonderful (despite whatever he might say). He played one of my favorite Counting Crows songs and that made me smile. Also at the Fox's Lair, I made friends with this cute little borderline old guy. When he first started talking to me I was a little hesitant. It would not have been the first time an old man hit on me. But this dude was openly talking about his "life partner" so I knew I had nothing to fear (but fear itself). I sat there and just let him talk. It was great. I got like his whole story about struggling with owning a business in Augusta and fighting cancer and losing his parent's and how great his son is and everything. I love this guy. I hope to see him again sometime.
So that was a big nutshell, but that was my week.