Saturday Stuff

Last night Peter and I met up after work and ate some delicious burgers at Silver Spurs before heading over to Webster Hall to see Shakedown at the Majestic perform in the US finals for the Emergenza Music Festival. They put on a great show, but were ultimately conquered by a girl band with a hard rock/country style called Lily Sparks. Meh. But it was fun to see all the different bands perform. I was pleasantly surprised by Preacherman and the Revivals, a psychedelic gospel group. I might even go so far as to say they were brilliant. Dollhouse Murder, a hip-hop group with a heavy rock backing, was not bad, but was just way too loud and a bit obnoxious. Then this band called Open Till Midnight came onstage and when they started to perform the crowd went wild. Girls were on guys shoulders cheering, people were waving lighters in the air, everyone loved them. And they sounded horrible! Like Green Day or a wanna-be Matchbox Twenty. The singer just jumped around with the microphone, shaking his long blond hair and high-fiving people in the crowd and everyone loved his really boring mundane songs. I must have been making faces, because Peter started laughing at me. I said to the Shakedown guys, "This is what is wrong with America!" Everyone loves really bad music. How are good bands supposed to get anywhere when everyone loves bad music?

On Saturday, I went to the Harlem Knitting and Crochet Meetup group, which meets in the upper rooms of the Harlem Branch Library about once every three weeks or so. I've missed the past one or two meetups, so I had to show them the skirt I'd finished. I love those ladies. I was the only white girl there, and only one of two people under 40 probably, but the women are so friendly and welcoming, and interested in what I'm working on, that I feel right at home when I go there. It's a wonderful group. We watched the segment of knitting-instruction video that About.com filmed of our group. I started work on a new project, a bedspread, which will probably take me a few years to make at the rate I've been going these days. Some of the women had brought in completed projects to show Njoya, the group's leader, who wanted to photograph them. I got some good ideas for more things I want to make!

It was a beautiful Saturday. I bought fruit from a sidewalk vendor near the Apollo Theater, where people continue to pay homage to Michael Jackson. A huge wall serves as a place where people are encouraged to write messages or draw pictures that pay respect to the late king of pop.

Later, E and I went downtown to try out the donuts at The Doughnut Plant, which we'd heard so much about. It is just a tiny place, but the donuts really are amazing! I had a blueberry glazed donut, which may have been the freshest, tastiest donut I've ever had. From there we went down the street to Economy Candy, a little store packed floor to ceiling and bursting at the seams with all the candy you could ever imagine. They even have Sixlets. And chocolate covered sunflower seeds. And gummi bears the size of your head. And old-school candy cigarettes. And dark chocolate covered orange peel! I didn't buy anything, but at least now I know where to go when the need arises.

Later, I had the elders over for dinner and fixed them a nice big meal. It was fun to sit and eat and talk with them and friends. After they left I worked on some sewing and watched a lightning storm roll in, and went to bed much too late.