Another Wasted Day

Sorry about the lapse in blogging. There just hasn't been much to write about, and I've misplaced the cord to my camera and I can't down-load any pictures. It's probably in one of the many purses I've switched to in the past month.

It's been raining here since Thursday night. We were needing the rain, but just like it always turns out in North Texas, we end up with too much too soon. Now we are having flash floods.

Friday was Homecoming for Allen, that's a big whoop-ti-do for me. I'm not a football fan, but that didn't mean we stayed home. We decided not to go to Garland and just hang out at the house. Then my friend D sent me a text message and invited us to her house to play pool. Jody was up for it as long as he didn't have to put his shoes on. We hung out playing pool at their house until they had to go pick up their kids at the football game, which with all the rain delays before the game it was about 11:30 when we got home. It was fun and got us out of the house. Allen won, something like 36 to 7.... Allen was State Champion last year.

Then it rained all day Saturday and I was beginning to wonder if we'd even go to Garland at all this weekend, but Mark called and said we should come on out and in his words "we'd just take over the coffee shop once we got down there." This was going to get ugly.

When we arrived on the square it was lightly drizzling. No one was on the square, but there were a bunch of people in the Sandwich Shop on the corner and we headed over to check it out. The people that own and manage this little establishment have the opportunity to make a fortune off the people who frequent the square on the weekends, but they choose to close at 9:00 and when the weather is good they keep the A/C on so cold you can't stand to be in there. Then on nights like last night when they could have had every table filled, serving coffee, ice cream, cookies, or even sandwiches up until at least 11, they decide to turn the air up or maybe even off, so people would leave. It was stifling in there. I don't know why they don't just close at 7 and get it over with. They didn't even want to make coffee for us.

We decided to sit outside, we could clearly hear the music coming from inside and we could see people showing up at the Generator Coffee Shop just across the street and 3 doors down. It was starting to rain a little by this time and the wind was kicking up, so I soon needed more than the knitted shawl I'd brought and I told Jody I was going to get the fleece jacket I keep in the truck. He leaned over and whispered "go to the Generator." Which meant, he'd make a break for it shortly.

If you are into people watching and studying Egos, Saturday night on the Square is the place to go. I'm not against a person needing their ego stroked, that's what keeps us going, getting positive strokes if we need them or not. It's just some people really need it more than others and they are like a neglected bird dog about it. First you have these people who are playing musical instruments in public, to me that's a form of the person getting their ego stroked. Aren't they asking for someone to say "oh that was very good!" and people are not going to stand there and say "eww that sounded like crap!!!" No, they are just going to walk away. I haven't really ever heard any group of players on the square that truly sounded like crap, they are all pretty good, it's just some play different styles of music, country, folk, bluegrass, take your pick and take up residence next to the group that plays the kind of music you like.

Then there are those who are craving the strokes so openly they become hogs about it. "Let's play my number one hit on You Tube." is what one guy says, and he says it 4-5 times a night. Always waiting on someone in the crowd to say "what do you mean????" then he loudly announces how many hits his video on You Tube has received. This is a Ego Bird Dog. Have you ever seen a bird dog go nuts when you pay him any attention? He'll wet himself he's so excited you actually looked his direction, his body is all contorting he's wagging that tail so hard. Slobber running out of his mouth, he'll start whining and barking so loudly you just have to walk away, it's painful to watch. Don't get me wrong, some of these people are happy not playing or singing, sometimes they have to be begged to join in. Evidently they are NOT an ego bird dog, some of them are so good they are happy just watching others play.

So this is why we travel in pairs. This is a polite way of one at a time slipping away unnoticed to go listen to someone else and we don't hurt anyone's feelings. I went to claim a spot down at the Generator while Jody hung out in front of the SS for a bit longer talking to two older women who's husbands think they are Earnest Tubb (Mr You Tube) and Porter Wagoner (I can sing louder than a train.) Jody would hang out here while I made a break for it and head down to let Mark (who'd just arrived) know that we were there.

I've bragged about Mark before, he has become one of Jody's dearest friends. They talk to each other daily. Mark is the biggest kidder I've ever met. He is so funny and has the best stories about growing up in East Texas. He's also probably one of the best Flatpicker guitar players in the world, and this isn't just my opinion. This is a true fact. He's known by many all over the country. He want's Jody to play in their jams so bad.... Jody isn't in need of that ego stroke.

He's also one of the most dynamic mandolin pickers too. He's only played the mandolin a few years compared to playing the guitar all his life. He once told us how he acquired his mandolin, at a Flatpickers contest that he and his wife had gone to just to watch. He hadn't planned on competing in the mandolin competition but at the last minute he decided he really wanted the prize mandolin that was probably worth several thousand dollars. He started asking around the crowd if anyone had a mandolin he could borrow, yeah.... he didn't even have is own. So sure enough someone said "here, use mine." This was a $60 mandolin! What was he going to do other than stroke this guys ego and say thank you I will. Mark is very polite. If you don't know anything about guitars and mandolins or any musical instrument, just remember... you pay for what you get. Long story short, Mark gets on the stage and wins the prize mandolin by using a borrowed $60 mandolin. The other competitors remarked "I didn't know you played the mandolin... I thought you only played the guitar!" To which he said "I don't play the mandolin." This guy has a fantastic ear for music, and he can imagine what sound he wants to come out of an instrument and it happens. No ego attached.... he's just as content sitting on the sidelines chatting to elderly women and men or taking time to show a kid how to play certain cords on their guitar or rib me about my knitting and what Crocs I'm wearing. I've seen him walk over and shake hands with a person or hug someone during a tune while someone else is taking their musical break, then he just joins back in. Many people come to the square just because of Mark. He's the Ambasador.

The Generator Coffee Shop was almost as packed as the SS. Mark, Gary, Michael (who is currently the Texas Flatpicker Guitar Champion and 18 years old) and a bass player are all standing outside patiently waiting and chatting. Jody is still stuck down at the SS. Mark waves at him and motions him down, giving him an opportunity to excuse himself from the wives of Earnest and Porter who are stroking their egos by propositioning strokes for their husbands.

Everyone is chatting and I'm being asked by each player individually what I've baked and brought to the square until finally Gary announces to the crowd that I didn't bring any food and threatens to throw me out in the rain. I guess I better not show up empty handed again. Then just like that they decide the store front of the quilting shop next door has enough space under the awning to stay out of the now pouring rain, and they tune up and start jamming. We've done this before many times and I wiggle into my spot in the back up against the shop door and 'cop a squat' on the sidewalk. I'm within 2-3 feet of Michael's size 13 boots and I have to sit Criss Cross to keep my toes out of his way. I pull out my knitting and go to town on the sock I'm working on. I keep it sort of low under my bag in my lap.... I don't need anyone wanting a lesson or an explanation of why I have 4 needles and it's in the shape of a tube, I just need to get these socks and 4 more pair finished before Christmas. I like this.... I can see under the storefront lights and I'm knitting to the music so I'm really making progress. From time to time I notice Jody looking at me through the reflection in the plate glass window and he makes the little OK sign with his fingers.... Yeah I'm great. I'm probably the only one out of the rain for now.

Eventually we all had to move inside because of the blowing rain and I took up residence on one of the couches in the Generator where I was able to drink cappuccino and knit at bluegrass speed. The groups would form and when one group in the back would finish a song another group up near the front would start up immediately, then when they finished another group in the middle of the room would start not missing a beat after they finished. That was wild. No one tried to drown anyone out. We stayed until the Barristias started putting the chairs up on top of the tables around 11:30 (the sign says they close at 11) and then went back outside to play under the Quilt Shop awing. But Mark notices that the sidewalk is totally soaked and I can't sit ini my little spot anymore so Mark, Jody and I decided we will go on down to the Beef House, it's not even smokey when you get there before 2AM. I could see from the front door to the back, it even looked cleaner and there were fewer people passed out in the booths! It' wasn't bad.

It was a rather slow night for the Beef House too, the rain I guess. So when Mark tells us a childhood story about his dad and a new Polaroid camera, he has all the surrounding tables listening in and giggling as they are trying not to be noticed eavesdropping. It doesn't matter, Jody is laughing so hard he's crying and I'm beginning to have a tiny asthma attack from laughing so much. We are past the point of worrying about who hears this. He has some of the best stories. Jody and I laugh about it again on our way home. I wish I'd had a video camera, we could show it on You Tube!

So that brings us to another rainy wasted day. We need to go to Home Depot, I need to go to the grocery store (I hate being out of cream) and Jody can hear the grass growing and he really likes to get the mowing done on the weekend. But it's not going to happen. None of it. I'll just stay inside finishing laundry and cleaning the house. Yeah right, as soon as we've had lunch we'll start an old movie and nap.

Another wasted day. Maybe I'll look for my camera cord, maybe not.