Adventures with Dr. Lady Cutie Troublemaker

When I moved to Raleigh, I knew one person: Christopher Thurston. He and I dated in 1987/88 when I was living briefly in Athens, GA (Which is why I always call him “my ex from the 80s.” I left Athens for Oberlin College in Ohio, and as these things often go, he and I broke up soon thereafter. We lost touch for years, but reconnected when online social networking was young – I think on Friendster, if memory serves. Back in the day, music was a huge part of our relationship. I was young and interested, and he was a little older and knew stuff, and in our short relationship, I soaked up a lot of new information and favorites. He’s the one who turned me on to The Velvet Underground, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and my favorite band of all time, Throwing Muses. He and I have both changed in lots of ways, but we are both still VERY into music. I went and got that degree in Vocal Performance at Oberlin Conservatory, but that’s not what I’m really talking about. I’m talking about myself as a music fan. I’ve never stopped listening to new music and going to gigs. “Gig girl” has been a central part of my identity since I was about 12, and not much has changed. It’s the same for him. He’s continued to participate in musical projects of all kinds playing both bass and double bass. He does some DJing, too. Xopher is the one who hosted me when I came to check out Raleigh as a potential place to live, and when I got here, I lived at his place for the first few weeks. He’s one of my best friends now – as is his mom, as a matter of fact!

Back in the day:

Now:

Me and Xopher’s mom, Margaret:

The day after Valentine’s Day last year (2/15/2007), I stopped into King’s Barcade (R.I.P.) to see a performance called Love Hangover. There were pairs of performers – usually a man and a woman – singing duets. A friend of mine named Billie sang that year with a guy named Roger Gupton. Their performance that night really blew me away, and I was so happy I’d decided to stop by before heading over to The Pour House to see The Old Ceremony. I met Roger that night. After some months and another performance or two, Roger became a regular reader of (and commenter on) this very blog. He dropped in around the time of the baby birds on the back porch and a period of illness, when he introduced me to the neti pot. He and I became friends, and we decided to spend some time together rehearsing. He sings and plays the guitar. I do both as well. He has more guitar experience. I have more voice experience. That project has been a little backburner lately, but I’ve not lost hope that we’ll get it done.

And so anyway, a little while back, on the day of Katy’s wedding, I ran into Roger at The Borough during the wedding’s reception/after party. He told me that he was trying to get together a new band and was looking for a bass player. I looked across the table and said, “Roger, you need to meet Christopher.” And apparently, Air Croatoa was born. I got to see them for the first time weekend before last. What a success! I’m so pleased that the world remains so small.

And so let me present to you Air Croatoa:

• Roger Gupton – guitar & singing
• Gina Dalmas – guitar, singing and assorted instruments
• Jubal Creech – percussion
• Xopher Thurston – double bass

(Speaking of small words, check this post by my friend Hugh from yesterday.)

I’ve met some really fine photographers through Flickr since I’ve moved here. Chris’s pictures consistently impress me, especially his portraits. I keep looking at the one of me above and wonder if he retouched my skin, or if it really has gotten that much better since I moved here. Chris, his wife Taryn, Brian and Shannon (another married couple in the group who like going to gigs like me), plus a whole host of other Flickr folks are very social. When I’m out with them, I can ask them how they have their camera set for different light. It’s ideal for me: I’m learning how to do something better while I’m meeting great people. I love it! What was really cool was that I went to Sunday’s bout with Xopher, ran into Drew who was filming, and also saw all these Flickr people I know. The world here is starting to get smaller and more manageable. It’s what I was hoping for. I had so much fear before I left Boston, but now I really think moving here was the right thing to do.

While my social life here is going very well, I’m still not making enough progress in the job hunt/unpacking area. To that end, my mother has come to visit. For the next several days, we will be running important errands, prioritizing, making plans, and generally getting things done. I’m happy to have the structure of another person who knows me well. I need it. I get pretty overwhelmed when I look at the big picture. This is one of those times I need help, and SUPERMOM is here to do just that!

A little rollerderby for those who’ve never seen it. Not my greatest work, but it’s interesting if you’ve never been:

Carolina Rollergirls, Opening Night 2007 Bout on Vimeo

Time to ramble!

I was feeling just fine a few hours ago, but now I have a stomachache, a headache, and a toothache. None severe, but all annoying. The toothache has been brewing, and I’ve been hoping that it might go away on its own, but I’m afraid it is not to be. Usually when I go to the dentist, my parents are out a couple thou!

Yesterday, everything I own arrived at my apartment. I unpacked several boxes today. As a result, I just ate pasta from a REAL BOWL! I mean, I guess the other bowl I bought it real, but it’s not ceramic. It’s some plasticky substance you can throw at the floor, and it doesn’t break. Having one bowl, one plate, one glass, and one mug is not as fun as you might think.

I’ve decided that jewel cases take up too much space, and since I have probably about a thousand CD’s to house, I’ve decided to throw all these unnecessary jewel cases away. I’m jettisoning the part of the paper that is encased in the back of the case – takes too long to take the case apart. Anyway, nowadays, the pyooter just tells me which track is which. Honestly, for the discs I really love, either I know which tracks I like OR I like the whole thing beginning to end. Over the years, I have gotten rid of many of the discs that had only one song I liked. My solution: I’ve ordered a pack of 1,000 ricepaper sleeves for $40 and 4 heavy cardboard CD boxes for $3.20 each. Not bad, huh?

I know this is dull, but I’m usually such a regular blogger, and I’ve been a little “off” lately, not sleeping well, and not exactly sure what to do next. That said, I’m pretty happy socially. I’m meeting new people and am remaining in touch with the old favorites in Boston. That’s what I was hoping for, and so far, so good. I just wanted to stay in touch with my readers and satisfy those who have been whining about the excessive number of tech posts. You know who you are, LOOZAHS!!!

Today, a truck arrives from Boston carrying everything I own! If anyone from Raleigh is bored this weekend and wants to spend an hour or two helping me unpack, I will cook you food and owe you one. 😀