I saw Alex for the first time in two weeks the day after I posted that blog (another coincidence). He didn't want to talk to me until we were both trapped at the same table at the Welcome-Back-To-School festival. Why should he want to otherwise? For that matter, why should I? we have nothing to relate about anymore and therefore nothing to talk about. He did say that perhaps he hadn't made it clear on the night of the last Gin Circus show but he has been slowly developing pretty bad tendonitis in his left hand. As a result he's going to cut back on live performance for a while. I don't really have a comment about it since by that time I'd already decided even if we got offered thousands of dollars to perform as Gin Circus I'd decline. Seeing him that day and seeing his friends who used to be my friends around and not talking to them reminds me of my least favorite fact of existence: relationships are fluid and people do not always stay. I suppose I'm still coming out of my childish notion that friends are friends forever. All I have to do is think of the hundreds of people I've met through classes and summer camps and long bus rides to remember that some people only come into your life for a brief minute and then don't come through ever again. It's just harder when I see those people in my daily life still and don't want them to think I'm an utter bitch if I don't say hi, it's just that I reluctantly accept that we are people who have nothing in common now, not even friendship.
Things are going fairly well for me musically and personally. I've been dating Jason for about three weeks now and could not ask for a better boyfriend or best friend. I look back at the night I met him and actually paid attention to him and I'm amazed that we talked at all. I look at the things that lined up so we'd start talking and it does hurt my mind a little bit. We'd actually been in the same place at least three times before (maybe more but we've only discovered three) and in some cases the literal distance between us was quite small but we had not talked before that night. Thanks to Jon Donnell's photographs I also see that Jason's band played on the same bill as me during the first Gin Circus show. It was the band I'd walked out on because my boss spilled beer all over my lap and I spent the rest of the night sulking in the lobby because Alex left without a word to go get drunk with Matt Erickson. In other words, a typical situation for me. I don't remember seeing his band, but here we are nontheless on the same stage on the same night:
He's the bass player on the far left in his photo. Also- hot damn Alex and I look different. Well, I look different. I know that much.
This blog is very text heavy at the moment. Let's fix that. I went to Boston to visit my friend Elisha and her mother, who were there tourist-ing it up. They fly back to Ireland today and once Elisha uploads her pictures I'll have some photo evidence of it, including my initiation into the Lie Down Game near a Smoot mark on Harvard Bridge.
I'm moved into the Dooryard now, for the most part. Which is exciting considering I've been there for about a month already. Proof:
PICNIC was yesterday and did not disappoint, although it rained in the latter half of the day. I stayed over at Jason's house so we could sleep in and walk down to the park just before his band went on. I felt like Penny Lane, mostly due to the very Almost Famous coat I was wearing but also due to the fact that I was a good little road wife and brought cupcakes that were eaten by most of the bands I knew who played and a few friends. It was a nice feeling. I also played photographer with my horrid little digital camera (I used to like it but after seeing how grainy some of these photos were I'm beginning to become dissatisfied with it). Here's Rotundo Sealeg, comprised of (from left to right) Mike, Nate, Tony, and, of course, Jason. I love this photo and especially Tony's expression. That band's music is just made of 100% Cyndi Lauper-esque joy:
Here's Mark Summers. You remember them from the Gin Circus blog, right?:
The rain made people for the most part run for the shelter of the trees, but there was still a fair sized crowd by the time Marie Stella played at 2pm. Here's the wet crowd:
and here's Marie Stella (if you don't know, they are, left to right: Matt, Sydney, Katherine, Jon, and Bryan):
There are better pictures I took of them but not all of them include Jon Donnell there in the back. I feel I have a weird relationship with Marie Stella. I was there at their first show (I think I was still dating Matt then and since he was in the band I was excited about being there), remember the filming of a video they did for a song they no longer play, and designed a pin for them that they're still using as part of their merch. They played at the release party for the literary journal I work for and I've grown to be both jealous and admiring of them. The members of Marie Stella straddle both my new and old friend groups so I've been a bit concerned about how I would interact with them now but yesterday showed me it's fine-- they're good folks and I'm very happy for their success. They're playing at the CMJ Marathon Showcase in NYC on October 24th. You should go see them if you're in the area then. If you see a pin that looks like this at their merch table, get it because it's my design and I'm proud of it:
Things look promising. That's the one thing I've gotten out of this week. It's going to be difficult, but ultimately the future looks bright. I'm seeing the Decemberists this Friday and exploring Orono while I'm there. I also have a roll of film to develop from my fisheye camera that includes pictures from PICNIC. Should be exciting and hopefully I held it at the right length from my subjects and the people in the photos won't have flash-face. In the meantime, here's Jason and me mimicking the expression of this sheep animal cracker:
-Aubin
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