Cleveburg.

So I am adjusting to Cleveland. I signed a lease on my new apartment today (see the gorgeous sunroom below and also the outside of the apartment building, built in 1917). The landlord is a young, hip dude (seriously. He's a DUDE.) and is pretty easy-going. The location is superb: two blocks from Lake Erie, 10 blocks from a gorgeous park, 6 blocks from a grocery store, 1 block from the strip with all the restaurants and stuff, and the bus stop that goes STRAIGHT to the Rock hall is right in front of my front door. It has two bedrooms, a new kitchen (with marble countertops), a dining room with built-in bookshelves with leaded glass doors, a big living room with a mantle, and a SUNROOM. Heat is included, and the windows are energy-efficient anyway. Oh, and there's a bathroom. It's on the third floor and it's a quick 25 minute bike ride to work. Wow!



































Work is good. I rode my bike to work today, and it was a great ride. Half of it is along the lake and while it's windy around there, it's gorgeous. I got to work nice and early and got ahead of some stuff for today. A big funder came to observe our classes today, so we really had to do well and be efficient. Everything went smoothly. This is seriously a dream job: ethnomusicology, rock and roll, design, education, organization, cool people. What else could you possibly want? If it had a glass studio and was located in Austin, it would be heaven. My coworkers are SERIOUSLY awesome. My boss is great, and funny, and really genuine. We get along very well. I feel like I've been working here for ages. And there are perks too: Matt Pinfield is giving a talk tomorrow night and I get to meet him. Cool!
















Here's a picture of the Rock Hall. This is actually the back, but I like the angles a lot. The view from the hall is gorgeous. It's literally built into the lake, so you can see water for miles. And it's right downtown so you can really see the neat, industrial, neo-gothic architecture at every turn.

I'm doing well but I can't WAIT to get back to Austin on Saturday night for Michael's party. I miss everyone so much. And Friday is the anniversary of my mom's death, so clearly I would rather be with my friends in Austin. Although that will partially come true: I see Emily Pinkerton on Friday evening. Hooray!

All Growed Up

So this morning, I got up at 7am, took a shower, got dressed, and walked to the diner down the street to buy orange juice (ok, maybe I'm not THAT grown up) and then crossed the street to the Rapid station to wait for the train. The train came, I listened to Willie while looking at Cleveland as it whizzed by me, and then I got off at the Tower City stop in the middle of downtown. I walked the seven or eight blocks from the stop to work, down Superior Avenue, east on St. Claire, north on E. 9th until I got to the Rock Hall around 8:30am. I walked in, activated my badge and went to my office space (more than a cubicle, less than an office) and set up my rockhall account. I accompanied Susan, the education programs director, up to the auditorium where we set up the hall for the lecture that would first be 5th and 8th graders and then would be 7th graders at a later class. She lectured; I watched. I walked to lunch at a place called The Galleria where I had carrot curry soup and a mediterranean salad with freshly baked bread while I read the NY Times. I walked back to work, organized my office space, finished signing all the insurance forms and whatnot and then had a meeting with my boss Jason about the lecture that I'm going to give tomorrow (hooray!) and then I met with the human resources girl, Holly, who tried to explain the retirement plan they have that I only kind of understand. At about 5:45 I deactivated my badge and walked to the Rapid station. I hopped on the train, looked out the window and talked to Karla on the phone, and got off at 117th and Madison. I swung by the Dollar Store to buy some shampoo and then walked back to Jeremy's apartment. We drove my rental to Nature's Bin to go grocery shopping and then stopped by a Lebanese joint for falafl and babaganouj (yum!). We ate, drank some wine, shot the bull and then I called about apartments. I checked my email and now I'm going to bed (at 10:25pm).

This is currently my life.

Last name throwdown again...

I found THIS to be very interesting.

Changes Part 2

I am moving to Cleveland, Ohio to work at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (the funny-shaped white building a little to the left there) teaching rock and roll. I will do my best to stay with my boyfriend, Nik, during this process and we'll see what we can work out. I go to Cleveland this coming Monday for 2 weeks to get oriented to the job, I get back here on May 24, go to a few weddings, start packing, and then on June 9 I go to India for three weeks with Meera. I get back from India and move to Cleveland during the 4th of July weekend. And then I will be an Ohioan again.

Wow.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

1. I love Austin (no change there, it's just related to the below changes and potential changes)

2. I may move to Cleveland for a cool job.

3. I have a dating associate. Aka "boyfriend."

Wtf?!?!?!?! When it rains, it pours.

Pro-Crast-I-Nation!

I guess I blog to procrastinate. I need to be writing more. Bad text is better than no text, says Robin Moore. I think he's right. This stuff needs to happen. It needs to FLY. I need a rigorous schedule during which nothing but WRITING happens.

Good news: I set up a phone interview with Ruth Karina, the first major cumbia star from Iquitos!
Hooray! Of Euforia fame, she drove Amazonian cumbia to the top of the charts (and actually, there are no charts, but it's the best analogy I can think of) and she is SUPER important in the short history of tecno-cumbia, toadas, and chicha. And I get to interview her this weekend! Hooray for me!

The Pope

OK, I'll admit it. I was raised Catholic. And I play the Catholic card when in South America...it often helps. I still believe in God, although I have serious issues with the Catholic Church and only go to mass...well, when I'm playing a wedding. Or attending a wedding. And occasionally for the music, if it's gonna be good.

But I never held stock in the Pope, and this one far less than the last. And here he is, in all his hypocritical glory, trying to make it look like he sympathizes with these victims of sexual abuse, when a lot of those priests never even got fired in the first place - they were just moved to other dioceses far away! Can you believe that? And he makes it look like he's all supportive and whatnot. Are you kidding me? Why is it that most child molesters end up in prison and have to live a good 2 miles from a grade school and these guys just get to start over, albeit in Nebraska or something. My proposal for the Catholic Church? (One among many, but my beef today will be brief.) Let priests get married or cohabitate with their partners. And let women be priests. No small task, I know, but jeez louise!