Weekend awesomeness!
The albany lindy cookout was soooo good! I just got out of work and am really too tired to be writing a journal entry about it, but I'm gonna do it anyway. =)
At around 3pm on Friday, Alex picked up me and Ken, and we hopped on the Mass Pike and drove to Albany. Upon arrival, we ate dinner at a tapas place, where I got a super yummy Mediterranean salad with grapeleaves/eggplant/artichokes thing. After eating, we went straight to the first dance, where the Junior Mance Trio was playing (so good!!!!!). Not only was Junior Mance (the piano player) fantastic, but the drummer and bassist were, too. The bass player used the full range of his bass, and he did it soo well. Saw lots of faces I recognized on the dance floor, but mostly ones I didn't. A lot of people travelled for the weeekend, making it really feel like an exchange!
After the dance (midnight-ish), a bunch of us went to a diner, where I didn't buy anything because I forgot my wallet at the venue. Ahhhh stress! We got to the late night 10 minutes before I had to volunteer (close to 2am...the concept of volunteering for a dance at 2am made my mom laugh...har har). Fortunately, a wonderful girl grabbed my wallet and jacket from the previous dance, phew! Volunteering went by quickly, a few people visited and hung out. Afterward I danced the last hour (3am-4am), during which I continued to meet/re-meet cool people, like Will from Skidmore and such. At around 4:30, Alex, Ken, Evn and I all went back to Leslie's for sleep (yay Leslie!). I didn't really sleep, unfortunately, because I was busy being meowed at all night (morning?) long by Leslie's fluffy kitty.
We "woke up" at around 11, because Leslie had to set up the cookout, so we were the first ones there. We had it at a pavillion on a crazy island park thing! The cookout was so chill, yummy food (fresh watermelon and Josh's homemade veggie burgers, mmmmmmmm! is there anything he's not good at??), good cookout-y music & dancing, tree climbing, mulberry picking/eating, and other such awesome things. Rockin'!
After the cookout we did a quick clothes-changing stop at Leslie's, then headed out to a Korean/Japanese restaurant that took ridiculously long to serve everything. The only things I got were 6 small avacado sushi rolls and a bowl of miso soup because I was tight on money, and also because there were very few vegan options. Anyway, because of the aforementioned longness that everything took, I ended up being 50 minutes late to my second volunteer shift. I felt really badly, but unfortunately, with no car to drive, it was completely out of my control. That ended up putting Leslie under some stress because she's volunteer coordinator and had to find someone to cover for me, but we got a girl to do it and I ended up working the door from 8:50-9pm (hah).
The band for the night, the Cangelosi Cards (joined by Gordon Webster on piano!) were so, SO amazing!! They did a lot of early swing and blues, and ragtime, and they did it better than anyone I've yet to see. The entire band was incredible, but the vocalist was especially mind blowing. I am for serious so in love with her. The things she did with her voice, body, and vibe were so, so awesome. This was hands down the best weekend of music-for-dancing I've experiended so far.
Many fun and silly things happened throughout the night, including Aggrevated Assault Lindy Hop featuring Ian and Evn (choreograph assistance by Alison, Will and Carolyn), spreading the word of the awesomeness that is only-right-arm-led swingouts, joke-telling circle, learning the polka, hanging with sweet gals and guys, tomato and basil wheat thins, secret fusion (argentine tango&blues dancing) with fellow secret tangueros, and generally lots of yummy, yummy dancing. Actually, I danced almost nonstop, with random chill out breaks, from 9pm until around 4am (or whenever the music ended). Mmmm, can't get enough. I got to enjoy a really good dance to Gordon Webster with Dan Amores from Toronto, former 2-time American Lindy Hop Champion. Booyah, I claim bragging rights. :)
I met a few people this past weekend that make me wish I lived closer so that I could hang out with them and dance with them on a semi-regular basis. Alas, the bittersweetness of travelling.
Then again, Albany's not even that far anyway, so, pshhhh.
After saying goodbyes, we went back to Leslie's, crashed, and got up around noon to head out. Alex, Ken and I went out to brunch with Leslie, which was a nice end to a really, really awesome weekend.
Leslie is so fly, I heart her. She's given me such good advice for my dreads, too.
After getting dropped off back in Boston, it was Natalie's birthday(!), so I hung out with Natalie and Missy in JP! Fallon came by later, and we enjoyed a great girltastic night that involved Jesus comic books, BDSM discussions, and sexual harrasment (learning about & partaking in, hahahaha).
My CISPES interning schedule keeps getting screwed up because of work, and I'm really behind on convention stuff. Arrrg, this must get worked out soon. I think I'm going to end up in the office tomorrow and Wednesday, hopefully.
However, now be nap time.
At around 3pm on Friday, Alex picked up me and Ken, and we hopped on the Mass Pike and drove to Albany. Upon arrival, we ate dinner at a tapas place, where I got a super yummy Mediterranean salad with grapeleaves/eggplant/artichokes thing. After eating, we went straight to the first dance, where the Junior Mance Trio was playing (so good!!!!!). Not only was Junior Mance (the piano player) fantastic, but the drummer and bassist were, too. The bass player used the full range of his bass, and he did it soo well. Saw lots of faces I recognized on the dance floor, but mostly ones I didn't. A lot of people travelled for the weeekend, making it really feel like an exchange!
After the dance (midnight-ish), a bunch of us went to a diner, where I didn't buy anything because I forgot my wallet at the venue. Ahhhh stress! We got to the late night 10 minutes before I had to volunteer (close to 2am...the concept of volunteering for a dance at 2am made my mom laugh...har har). Fortunately, a wonderful girl grabbed my wallet and jacket from the previous dance, phew! Volunteering went by quickly, a few people visited and hung out. Afterward I danced the last hour (3am-4am), during which I continued to meet/re-meet cool people, like Will from Skidmore and such. At around 4:30, Alex, Ken, Evn and I all went back to Leslie's for sleep (yay Leslie!). I didn't really sleep, unfortunately, because I was busy being meowed at all night (morning?) long by Leslie's fluffy kitty.
We "woke up" at around 11, because Leslie had to set up the cookout, so we were the first ones there. We had it at a pavillion on a crazy island park thing! The cookout was so chill, yummy food (fresh watermelon and Josh's homemade veggie burgers, mmmmmmmm! is there anything he's not good at??), good cookout-y music & dancing, tree climbing, mulberry picking/eating, and other such awesome things. Rockin'!
After the cookout we did a quick clothes-changing stop at Leslie's, then headed out to a Korean/Japanese restaurant that took ridiculously long to serve everything. The only things I got were 6 small avacado sushi rolls and a bowl of miso soup because I was tight on money, and also because there were very few vegan options. Anyway, because of the aforementioned longness that everything took, I ended up being 50 minutes late to my second volunteer shift. I felt really badly, but unfortunately, with no car to drive, it was completely out of my control. That ended up putting Leslie under some stress because she's volunteer coordinator and had to find someone to cover for me, but we got a girl to do it and I ended up working the door from 8:50-9pm (hah).
The band for the night, the Cangelosi Cards (joined by Gordon Webster on piano!) were so, SO amazing!! They did a lot of early swing and blues, and ragtime, and they did it better than anyone I've yet to see. The entire band was incredible, but the vocalist was especially mind blowing. I am for serious so in love with her. The things she did with her voice, body, and vibe were so, so awesome. This was hands down the best weekend of music-for-dancing I've experiended so far.
Many fun and silly things happened throughout the night, including Aggrevated Assault Lindy Hop featuring Ian and Evn (choreograph assistance by Alison, Will and Carolyn), spreading the word of the awesomeness that is only-right-arm-led swingouts, joke-telling circle, learning the polka, hanging with sweet gals and guys, tomato and basil wheat thins, secret fusion (argentine tango&blues dancing) with fellow secret tangueros, and generally lots of yummy, yummy dancing. Actually, I danced almost nonstop, with random chill out breaks, from 9pm until around 4am (or whenever the music ended). Mmmm, can't get enough. I got to enjoy a really good dance to Gordon Webster with Dan Amores from Toronto, former 2-time American Lindy Hop Champion. Booyah, I claim bragging rights. :)
I met a few people this past weekend that make me wish I lived closer so that I could hang out with them and dance with them on a semi-regular basis. Alas, the bittersweetness of travelling.
Then again, Albany's not even that far anyway, so, pshhhh.
After saying goodbyes, we went back to Leslie's, crashed, and got up around noon to head out. Alex, Ken and I went out to brunch with Leslie, which was a nice end to a really, really awesome weekend.
Leslie is so fly, I heart her. She's given me such good advice for my dreads, too.
After getting dropped off back in Boston, it was Natalie's birthday(!), so I hung out with Natalie and Missy in JP! Fallon came by later, and we enjoyed a great girltastic night that involved Jesus comic books, BDSM discussions, and sexual harrasment (learning about & partaking in, hahahaha).
My CISPES interning schedule keeps getting screwed up because of work, and I'm really behind on convention stuff. Arrrg, this must get worked out soon. I think I'm going to end up in the office tomorrow and Wednesday, hopefully.
However, now be nap time.