Josh Ritter: Mind's Eye

Hobbiton and The Shire?

After our picnic at the Rollright Stones, we stopped off at a nearby farm shop for ice cream and a chance to pat the baby water buffaloes.


Then we drove to the town of Burford, a very charming place indeed. I popped into quite a few shops on the main street and found a sweet sleeping hedgie statue for my collection. The flowers on the stone buildings were magnificent. Tabs found some very cute summer shoes in one of the shops. I heard requests for more ice cream, but Joanne seemed to remember that some had already been eaten; drat.


Then we drove on over to Oxford for a quick look around. The colleges were all closed for the day, but we strolled around the streets outside, past several colleges and the Bodleian Library. I was thrilled to see the pub where J.R.R. Tolkien and his colleagues used to hang out.

If I had been alone, I probably would have gone inside and ordered a pint, then sat there dreaming of being a hobbit or something equally "me."

After that, we had to get back to Watford so the kids could get into bed - school the next day. It had been a beautiful day out in the English countryside - just what I had wanted, so I went to bed tired and satisfied. And full of pudding, too.

like a pendulum do

From Dublin we flew back to Gatwick, where Lydia helped me get my ticket for the correct train to Watford. Her train was leaving just before mine from the same platform, so we had a few more minutes to chat. She got an ugly dirty train. I got a shiny green pretty one. Hah!

At Watford Junction I was met by a speeding Max and laughing Tabs, followed by their dad. When we got to their home, I was greeted by a wet tongue in my ear. Joanne should have been making dinner, but.... oh, right, the tongue was Amanita's, never mind. We had the first in a series of yummy dinners, then were off to bed so we could be ready
for a busy Saturday.

Around noon on Saturday we were ready to head into London to see the first stage of the Tour de France. I know next to nothing about bicycle racing, but it was fun to be in the crowd of spectators watching the cyclists in their brightly-colored spandex whizzing past. After we had had enough of that, we set off for the Victoria and Albert Museum, only to arrive right after they had closed for the day. Undaunted, we dashed across the road to the Natural History Museum instead. We only had about 15 minutes there before they closed.



We hadn't been able to take the train to London because of station closures, so we got back to the car and drove home.


On Sunday morning we set out in the direction of the Cotswalds. I had wanted to see a standing stone circle and Mike had suggested the Rollright Stones. Little did we know at the time that the reason he knew about these stones was that they're mentioned in a Half Man Half Biscuit lyric. *insert eye-rolling smilie here* Anyway, since I wasn't being picky, they were dandy standing stones for a visit. When we arrived there (near Chipping Norton) we got out our picnic and had lunch near the stones.


We noticed a silver-haired man standing in the center of the circle with his hands on a woman's head, rocking her back and forth. There was some other odd activity going on - a guy with some metal rods sort of wandering around with some concentration. After our picnic, the man saw the kids and asked if they'd like to learn to use his dowsing rods. Of course they were eager to give it a try. They picked it up immediately and we successfully commanding the rods in no time.











Next Joanne had a try, then me. I wasn't very good at it at all. The man said I was trying t0o hard or something. Oh well, I did get the rods to move some of the time. It was fun to mess around with them, anyway. Mike got them to move by saying "ghostbusters" instead of "thank you". There was a beautiful patch of red poppies growing in the field just past the stones. It made me wish Zannah were there to enjoy them with me.

had a fever

After the 4 July "not a show" we (me, Lydia, WH, WVO, and the Cresswells) met up with Astrid and wandered into a pub for a drink - shortly before closing time, but I was totally exhausted and Lydia wasn't feeling well, so we needed to get back to the hotel soon anyway. It was great to finally meet someone I've known only online for, gosh, about 4 years now, and who knew Jess before that. On the morning of the 5th, we overslept and missed breakfast at the hotel. Oh well. Our plan was to visit the National Museum, just across the road from the hotel, and we found a coffee shop (with chocolate croissants and diet Coke!) around the corner. We'd been in the museum only a little while when WVO caught up with us, so we toured together. He wanted to take the Jameson Whiskey Distillery tour, so we three walked across the river to the Smithfield area and embarked on the tour. As we were purchasing tickets, we saw that there was a nice discounted family rate, so we entertained the notion of claiming that we were Wim's lesbian mothers. Oh well, at least he got a student discount. The tour was pretty interesting and at the end we had samples of the whiskey. I got the one mixed with cranberry juice, and have to admit it was fairly tasty that way. After that, we strolled back to the Temple Bar area and had dinner (seafood pancakes) before making our way once more to the Olympia. It was another magical night of rocking music from an enthusiastic band for an equally enthusiastic audience.



Afterward, I was able to meet AH, a member of both Murmurs and the Moby board. She and her husband are a charming German couple. Since pubs were closing and I missed Astrid suggesting a club, we went to Eddie Rocket's for diner-style stuff, which was just as well. Lydia and WVO had a good opportunity to visit, and Astrid spoke German with AH & hubby. They're funny and cute and I was glad to meet in person.

So ended our second night in Dublin. Determined to get our hotel Irish breakfast on our last morning, we put in a wake-up call and arose at 8 a.m. on Friday. After enjoying our breakfast, we checked out and got Paddy to store our bags so we could do some shopping before our flight back to Gatwick. Despite repeated text-message efforts to find The Boys, we ended up shopping on our own and only seeing them for just long enough for goodbye hugs by the Molly Malone statue.

Don't even get me started on the Ryanair experience at Dublin airport. Feedlot without the feed. Mass confusion. Delayed flight, of course. Our "gate" was assigned to our Gatwick flight as well as a flight to Oslo, so the line was a huge mess.

Next entry - on to jolly old England.

streets broad and narrow

So. 4 July, 2007. As I was saying, we (me, Lydia, WH and WVO) went to dinner in the Temple Bar area; no, I don't remember the name of the place, but I had some lovely chicken and mushrooms. No pear cider, but the apple was nice. After the meal, we ambled down the narrow lanes back to the Olympia to take our seats: first circle, row D. WH was several rows behind us, and it turned out that J&M were almost directly in front of us. It was grand to have a chance to visit with them a bit before the show.

Opener was Via Rosa, otherwise known to the memory-impaired as Viagra (because, as Lydia said, they helped Robyn hitch his cock). Their music is okay, nothing special. After a couple songs from them, Robyn Hitchcock joined them. Then the Viagra guys left and Robyn was joined by two of the Venus Three - Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin. Robyn is so bizarre and so entertaining..
Then finally, R.E.M. (+2) took the stage for the "working rehearsal". Mills used the bullhorn to make certain that everyone knew "This is NOT a show". No, it wasn't a "show". It was something far better - an opportunity to see the guys relaxed and happy, in "making music for the fun of it" mode instead of "performing because we have to" mode.

There are reviews of the "shows" elsewhere. For me personally, much of the evening was spent thinking how much Jessica would have loved to have been there. Yes, it would have fed her obsession with JMS, but seeing him enjoying himself, smiling, relaxed, would have meant the world to her.

singing cockles and mussels

Dublin. July 4-6. Left DFW July 3. Of course the flight was delayed, as were almost all flights during this period of unusual (for Texas summer) daily thunderstorms. I knew I would probably be late arriving at Gatwick, so carried on both my bags for the trip. Got to Gatwick around 11 Wednesday morning instead of 8, as planned, so dashed through immigration and over to the other terminal, searched high and low for the Ryanair desk, got checked in, hustled through security, and made it to the departure lounge with minutes to spare. After a quick stop in the ladies room, I was wandering back out to look for Lydia when she serendipitously found me. Of course, our flight to Dublin was delayed (the story of my summer travels) but we made it there around 4 p.m.

As we were riding the bus to our hotel, Lydia got the first of many text messages from friends we were meeting: "Where are you NOW?". We both cracked up. Fortunately, the bus dropped us off just across the road from the hotel, and I immediately saw WH out front waiting for us. Hugs all around. Eventually he got hold of WVO and we all walked together over to the Olympia to pick up our tickets for the 4th of July "working rehearsal" of R.E.M. Tickets in hand, we chatted to a couple of people in the queue for standing spots, then continued on to dinner.


(more later....eyes are tired)

shuffle off

How sad is this? I need to finish writing about the New York trip so I can move on to the Dublin and Watford trips.

Okay, so after Book Expo I met up with friends Lydia and Nicky, from England. I was the first to arrive at our hotel, which Lydia had booked, accompanied by John. As the car pulled up to the hotel, we saw a giant inflatable rat tied to a pole outside the entrance. There was a labor protest going on. I thought the protesters were very rude, and I knew Lydia had pre-paid for the room, so I went on in and checked in. The room was gorgeous! After a while, Lydia and Nicky got there and called from the lobby, wondering if we should stay there or not because of the labor situation. We decided to stay.

Anyway, enough of that! The days in NYC were great! Sights: Empire State Building, Bronx Zoo, harbor cruise in the evening, MOMA, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim, Natural History Museum. Food: too much to name! We ate a couple of times at the restaurant where John works - complimentary mimosas on Saturday from our handsome waiter (another friend and her husband met up with us that day).



Chocolate cheesecake so big that I couldn't finish it.


Of course it wasn't all food food food. We strolled through Central Park. We tried to visit St Patrick's Cathedral but made the error of attempting that on the day of the Puerto Rico parade. Couldn't get across 5th, and were pressed in enormous crowds for a good while.

I fell completely in love with John's Yorkie, Parker.
Snatches: mariachi buskers on the subway; breakdancers in the station; Dominican food in John's neighborhood; yorkie fashion show; cheap jewelry; silk wrap skirt; morning run for diet pepsi.

a brilliant night, I'm still awake

I'm going to include some extraneous details here because there are things that I'll forget, which I want to remember, so bear with me, please.

For the Book Expo, I stayed first at the Hotel Metro on W. 35th St. It was pretty good, except the AC wasn't adequate. Then I spent one night at an official conference hotel, Holiday Inn Midtown. It was very nice, had good AC, large room, and was affordable because of the conference rate.

After the Expo ended, I went to visit my young friend John at his apartment on the upper upper west side, in an old building with a marble and tile lobby and marble staircase. He lives on the second floor with Bridget the cat and Parker the yorkie, along with a human roommate or two. I totally fell in love with Parker and want a yorkie of my own now. What a tiny sweetheart!

It was wonderful to be able to spend so much time with John and catch up on his hectic life. We went for a stroll with Parker, went out to eat at his neighborhood diner, made a trip to the dollar store down the street. It was all fun. He even came along on some adventures with me and my friends later in the week.

"she is too fond of books, and it has addled her brain"

How awesome was the New York trip? Empire State, Guggenheim, Bronx Zoo, MOMA, Natural History, Met. Harbor lights cruise. Time with John.

Book Expo America:
http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/App/homepage.cfm?moduleid=42&appname=288

I attended this with another librarian from my district; we got along well, both willing to be together or go separately to do our own thing. We adventuresomely went to Kmart, since she hadn't packed enough undies; who knew there was a Kmart in Manhattan?

At the Expo, I went to three informative sessions - the best was about how to plan author visits. I traipsed around both levels of the Javits several times, becoming more and more laden with free tote bags, advance reader copies of books, pens, pins, bookmarks, you name it, I got it. Crazy.

The best thing about the Expo (well, in addition to the free totes) was the opportunity to just run into authors. I went to the booth of the publisher for Jan Brett because I had seen people carrying a tote with the art from her Three Snow Bears book and I wanted one, and when I got there, she was there too. Jan Brett. Just hanging around. We chatted about hedgehogs. Another time I noticed John Green so I waited til he was free and went to tell him my thoughts upon finishing An Abundance of Katherines.

Friday night during Expo, we went to a concert by the Rock Bottom Remainders. http://www.rockbottomremainders.com
How amazing that was! Stephen King, Amy Tan, Mitch Albom, Greg Iles, Scott Turow and others, playing like a garage band. Frank McCourt came out and played harmonica (a little, bless his heart). Lesley Gore sang with them. Then they brought out Roger McGuinn; what a dream come true for a long-time Byrds fan, to be singing along with Roger McGuinn, in person, in a small hall. I'm so glad we decided to go to that concert.

More on New York to follow.

Books

Oh dear. I've dreadfully neglected this blog. I suppose there's been nothing blog-worthy going on, but now that school is almost over for the year, I can begin getting excited about some trips.

Next week I'll go to New York City, first for Book Expo and then to hang out with some friends from England who are coming over. The Book Expo is huge, at the Javitz Center, and from what I've heard, I'll be hauling home tons of freebies, including advance readers copies of book. I'm especially excited about the chance to get an ARC of Libba Bray's new book. On Friday night, my colleague (elementary librarian) and I will go to a concert, The Rock-Bottom Remainders (Stephen King's band). All good.

After Book Expo, I'll stay a couple of nights with a former student, a total sweetie. Then I'll meet up with the Brits for a week of frivolity. We have tickets for Inherit the Wind and The Pirate Queen on Broadway. We've researched restaurants, museums, all the things we need to see and do and eat.

More adventure previews later, with reports to follow.

halfway to the stars

Taken by surprise sometimes, at odd moments. Yesterday afternoon I was enjoying my ADK chapter's 50th anniversary party. We had a singer performing the music of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, and it was lovely. He has a great voice and we were swaying and chorus-lining and having a grand old time. Then he started singing "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and I had to go hide in the ladies room so no one would noticed the tears. I still can't listen to the tape of Jessica singing that song, made only a couple of weeks before her death. I tried once, couldn't do it. Maybe someday, but the association of that song with her is too much.

I'll remember your song

I am dealing with the approaching anniversary by keeping as busy as possible. Spring Break this past week was good. A friend from England came to visit and we spent the latter half of the week in Austin for SXSW, along with another friend. We made a good threesome, all got along and enjoyed one another's company. Also went to Dallas Blooms (see above). Now I'm pretty much worn out, and have lots to do at work the next couple of days, and at home as well, so there'll be no time for melancholy. Time for reflection, I hope, but not enough time to dwell on the "what ifs".

Pictures from SXSW:

the broken heart that's lonely's only thought

Feeling weepy today, thinking too much. Sometimes I just want it to all be over.

meanwhile, back in London

I believe I left off as we were going to the Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 show. That was fun as well as interesting. The venue was basically a largeish room with bars on either side and a stage at the front. It was already fairly crowded when we arrived, so there was no chance to get to the front, which was just as well. We quickly found Ll & H, and then AP; 'twas good to see her again, though briefly. We couldn't chat because the opening band was too loud, of course, and she had a seat in a roped off area to the side at the front. Everyone else was standing.

We sort of staked out our turf midway back, off to one side a bit. Eventually some very very tall men got in front of us, which was a tad annoying. The concert was very good. I'm not very familiar with RH's music, but it was a good and fun show, and nice to see PLB and SM and BR looking like they were having fun. Pretty near the end, Z and I needed the loo and once we went back there, we found that the back part of the room was much cooler than the front, so we stayed back there, could hear fine and see almost as well.

The funniest part of the evening was when the concert ended. Our normally genial host seemed to be in a big hurry to leave, practically bolted like a bunny. I was ready to get home anyway, so that was fine with me.

Friday J took us to nearby St Albans. It was a cool, windy, dampish day. We walked past the ruins of a Roman wall and went to visit the very large cathedral. www.stalbanscathedral.org.uk. After touring the cathedral, we wandered around town a bit and found a pub for lunch. Starving by then, we were!

arriba

Before I return to the Tale of Engalond, I must take a detour through Mexico, where I was this past weekend. As the school sponsor of the Interact Club, I went along with 12 of our students and members of the local Rotary Club for a service project across the border in Ciudad Acuña, Mexico. We stayed in a motel in Del Rio, on the Texas side of the river, and drove over the bridge for dinner Friday night, our work day on Saturday, and then back over for shopping and dinner Saturday night. It was a really good experience for the students, and I enjoyed myself very much. I helped with the painting of the school a bit, and took lots of photos to share with everyone. I rode down with the Rotary sponsor for our club, and enjoyed getting to know him better. Also was glad to get to know the other gentlemen of the local Rotary; all seemed to be very nice men. One guy, about my age, kept calling me "ma'am" which made me feel really old or something. Another man asked me to dance at the Friday night dinner, do I did! Explained that I haven't danced in years. It was kind of fun.

sticky

Back to the Chicago trip.

Despite having a splitting headache, sore throat and heavy chest, I really enjoyed the concert. I couldn't yell, or sing, or go "woot", but I could listen and smile.

After the concert, B went to get out coats while I went to the merch table to get a Jiggs cap for T. After I bought it and walked out to the lobby to find B, I realized that Josh had come out to the merch table. Much as I wanted to go back in for a hug, I really didn't feel up to it. We decided to splurge and take a taxi back to the hotel instead of waiting for a bus in the cold.

I was feeling pretty bad by this time, so went straight to bed. My chest was so congested and I felt that if I could only cough, I'd feel better. Sometime during the night, I woke up as I coughed, and, okay this is graphic and gross, but a wad of phlegm came up from my lungs and lodged in my windpipe and I couldn't breathe. I was having to struggle to get even a little air. It occured to me that I could pass out and die and no one would know, so I manage to whisper B's name. She had told me she could sleep through anything so I was afraid she hadn't heard me struggling to breathe. Turns out she had, and watched with concern as I sat up and continued to work to pull in air. In a few moments, the blockage subsided and I was able to breathe again. Propped up on extra pillows and managed to get back to sleep.

Monday morning we knew we had to head out to the airport, but first we set out in lovely snowfall to find the Belgian waffle restaurant we had spotted our first night in town. We knew what street it was on, just a few blocks north of the hotel, so we walked up that way. Couldn't find it. Decided it might be on another street, walked over and down: couldn't find it. Damn. No Belgian zucker waffles for us. We went back to the hotel in defeat and ate donuts instead.

Clever girls that we are, we checked out and took the bus to the train station, then took the train back out to the airport. Discovered that our flight was showing "delayed", said delay stretched into two hours. We had gotten to the airport early anyway, so were there for a very long time. Shared a plate of bbq wings with carrots and celery. B had a nice Long Island iced tea. Finally boarded, flew home uneventfully, were picked up by T and taken home. Poor B then had to drive back to her place, so she didn't get home til 11 p.m.

Overall, an A+ trip with the exception of me becoming ill. If I had felt better, it would have been totally excellent.

William

Last night T mentioned that it was exactly 29 years ago that my father died. February 20, 1978. I hadn't thought of it. For 29 years I guess I've been an orphan, though I don't think of myself that way. Mostly I think of daddy when I have my colonoscopy (he died of colon cancer) or when I see Lawrence Welk, or someone balancing something. He was 64. My husband is now older than that. Weird. Dad was very funny; I wish I had appreciated him more.

face forward in the wind

Mmmm, hot dogs, that's where I left off. Hot dogs on buns with mustard, onions, relish, tomatos, pickle spear and picled peppers. Crispy fries. Suitably warmed, we again struck off for the Water Tower. It turns out that we were only a few blocks away by then. We took some pictures, then dashed inside the fragrant Hershey's shop. Not that Hershey is my favorite chocolate by any stretch of the imagination, but it was close, warm, and smelled soooooo nice.

The next scheme was to catch a bus back to our hotel. I am still amazed that we managed to do so. Chicago is laid out in such a simple grid and has soooo many bus lines that it's really easy to get around. This bus went up Lake Shore Drive through Lincoln Park and let us out on Diversey just to the east of our hotel. We wanted to relax and rest before the concert Sunday night, so went to the hotel. By this time my headache was throbbing and my throat was more sore than ever. I plopped down on the bed in exhaustion. Sweet B got a blanket and covered me but I just couldn't manage to feel warm. A very very long hot bath worked wonders; I emerged warm and breathing.

Back in the balmy fall when we planned this trip, I chose this hotel partly because it seemed to be within walking distance of the concert venue. And it would have been, easily, if I had not been ill and the temp had been above mid-20s. We decided to walk down Clark and find someplace for dinner, then take the bus down to Armitage and the venue. This worked out well; we hadn't gone too terribly far when we came across Oodles of Noodles, where B got a huge plate of pineapple fried rice and I had some very nice noodles. Thus fortified, we found a bus and arrived at the venue easily. We were a little later than planned but there wasn't a line for coat check so we got rid of our heavy coats right away. I made a beeline for the merch table, only to find that the tour shirts were already sold out in every size but small. Very sad, but I consoled myself with the Idaho/piano shirt instead, and a "Jiggs" hat for T., so when we go out together it'll be Me and Jiggs.

We went on into the concert hall, stopping to get a drink for B., and checked out the set-up. Right in front of the stage they had smallish tables, about 15 feet long, perpendicular to the stage. Those seats seemed pretty crowded, but we went on down and actually found two seats slightly to the right of center and only three chairs from the stage. Awesome. We got a guy across from us to take a picture of me and B together - can't wait to see it, because I suspect I looked as bad as I felt, despite being invigorated by the anticipation of my first time to see Josh headlining.

More to follow.

man ray skies

Continuing . . . Saturday evening after we ate it was just too cold to do much of anything so we huddled in our hotel room watching Daytona 500 qualifying races. Did I mention that B is a redneck? ;) We remained so full of pizza that we weren't interested in going out for dinner even. During the evening, I realized that my chest was beginning to feel congested and hoped it was due to the cold air or second-hand smoke or something other than a virus.

Sunday morning dawned, err, cold. We breakfasted in the hotel on cereal and yogurt and such, plenty to get us going. Ever the intrepid explorers, we decided to set out for the Art Institute using public transportation. Once again, we got on a bus going the right direction and alit at the L station. B was soooo cute about all this, being unaccustomed to it. We took the Brown Line to the Loop and got off at the right stop (notice how delighted I am with our success on public transportation? This relates to issues faced last year in NYC, going the wrong way on subways).

The Art Institute was as wonderous as I remembered it. Huge, meandering, treasures at every turn. Unfortunately, by then my throat was hurting along with my head, so I didn't feel up to staying as long as I would have liked. Didn't take the time to track down American Gothic. B and I took a break at the Institute cafe for a coke and a conference with our map. We decided the best course of action would be to walk up Michigan Ave. toward the Water Tower, hopping a bus along the way. The best laid plans . . .

Of course by this time we were very hungry, having used our meager breakfast calories to keep our bodies warm all morning, so we were sort of looking for a place to get a Chicago hot dog as we, err, strolled. We happened upon Millenium Park so stopped to watch ice sculptures being created (we had seen a story about that on the news the night before).
It was really interesting to stop and watch. There's a very cool sculpture at the park as well, Cloud Gate. We continued our northward trek, stopping to take pictures as we crossed the frozen Chicago River. Hungrier and hungrier, we plodded ever onward. Finally I realized that we weren't going to be finding a hot dog stand on Michigan Ave., so we diverted ourselves a couple of blocks to the west and fairly soon came across Portillos, across the street from Hard Rock Cafe and the rock & roll McDonalds. Warmth, seats, dogs and fries soon revived our flagging spirits.

My kind of town

Abandoning in mid-stream, so to speak, though it reminds me of a urine sample, my attempt to detail the London trip, I must move on to Chicago while it, at least, is still fresh in my mind. How much can I say in the ten minutes available tonight?

Last Saturday we left balmy Texas for the frigid north. B and I arrived at O'Hare and delighted ourselves by finding a machine at which we could purchase CTA cards good for the next three days on all buses and trains. Wheeeee! We promptly took the train into town, then a bus (even going the correct direction) which dropped us off half a block from our hotel. Delightful. Hotel, built in 1913, was a little shabby but perfectly acceptable and offered coffee and tea in the lobby at all times, essential for rewarming ourselves when coming in from the cold. That day I think the high may have reached 9 F. Maybe.

So anyway, we checked in then went in search of pizza, which we found at a little place a few blocks from the hotel. Not bad at all, though it looked like roadkill in the cellphone picture that I sent to Z.

Not enough time for details, so for now, let me remind myself that I left Chicago even more in love with the music of Josh Ritter than ever before. (I'm reminding myself because I'm the one who reads this, self, in case you/I have forgotten)