New Adventure #16: Poetry Reading

You know how sometimes you have a picture of what something should be like? Maybe you've heard stories about it or seen it in a movie or just dreamed it up. But then when you finally experience it, it's nothing like your idea and you're terribly disappointed?

I was so anxious that that's what attending a poetry reading would be like. I must have seen bits about poetry readings on TV as a kid and thought they must be the coolest, most sophisticated events in the world, with the most interesting and eclectic collection of writers. Experience cautioned me against this over-the-top picture, but to my surprise and delight, the real thing fulfilled every expectation and imagination. 

The event was the Dig's Poetry Night at OBERON. It was a mix of featured performers and amateurs from the audience, and there was a bit of everything. Structured rhyming poems and free form ramblings, rap and song, stand up comedy, a poem composed from flame wars on Craigslist politics forums, reflections on the Marathon bombings, and thoughts about love, sex, parenthood, politics, addiction, god, nature, mythology, and growing up. Performers ranged from the librarian-looking girl who recited earnestly and softly, to a trio of rappers who came down from the stage and danced among the audience, to the anxious-looking guy (one of my favorites) whose hands were shaking but voice was strong as he spoke about addiction and perseverance and hope. 

I was most impressed by Jade Sylvan, a TALENTED person who wowed me with this poem and a couple others and would have made the whole event worth going all by herself. 

She and the other performers have fanned my interest in poetry and in writing. I spent my lunch break the next day scribbling, and maybe one day I'll write something worth reading at a similar event. It's certainly a new dream of mine <3

New Adventure #15: Boston Independent Film Festival

I read Roger Ebert's memoir last year, and it inspired a strong desire to attend a film festival. I was delighted to find that Boston has its own, the Boston Independent Film Festival, which ran April 24th-30th this year. I was even more excited to find that Joss Whedon (creator of "Buffy, "Angel", "Firefly", etc) had an entry, an adaptation of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing". Check out this trailer.

It was simply incredible. Possibly the most enjoyable film I've ever seen. I'd expected a remake with modern dialogue, but it was the original word for word in a modern setting. I'd never properly appreciated Shakespeare before this. The whole thing was hilariously funny, both the dialog, where I finally felt like I got all the jokes I would have missed in text, and the physical comedy so characteristic of Whedon. The audience was in stitches for much of the movie, and I missed hearing whole verbal exchanges because we were all laughing uproariously. I've never enjoyed myself so much at a movie.

The theatrical release is coming up, and you can see it at the Coolidge Theater starting on June 21st. Tickets go on sale a few days before. I can't recommend this show highly enough!

New Adventure #14: Zweifachers, Breton, and Scottish Dance

I'm an avid dancer, as most people know, so I was delighted to get to try a number of new kinds of dance at the NEFFA folk festival recently:

The zweifacher is a German folk dance. It is danced by couples in a close position to allow for the quick waltz and pivot steps. Each dance has a set choreography that ranges from reasonably simple and easy to remember to quite complex. I happened to jump in for a complicated one and had a difficult time following, despite a skilled partner. It was really fun though!

Scottish country dance is a social dance performed in sets of 3 or more couples. It bears some resemblance to contra dance, but with an added element of precise footwork. I was more-or-less able to keep up with the figures, but my footwork needs some practice! I'm hoping to make it to the lessons and social dancing at Springstep soon.

Breton dancing is a folk dance originating in the French region of Brittany. It is performed as a group, with everyone joining hands or linking elbows (depending on the dance) and performing a short sequence of steps again and again while moving around the room. There was wonderful live bagpipe music. I just love bagpipes! Here's a short video:

New Adventure #13: Electronic Show

I went to my first electronic music show recently. Bonobo, a downtempo/trip hop/electronic artist, was playing at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. He was joined by a full band and a vocalist, Andreya Triana, with a beautiful, compelling voice and a great stage presence. There was also a neat light show going on behind the band.

I was surprised by how packed it was. The Paradise is a fun venue with standing room on the floor as well as a balcony with a low ceiling, and both were packed. I was pleasantly reminded of The Bronze from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". I had a great time closing my eyes and grooving to the music with the feeling of people all around me. What a great feeling.

New Adventure #12: Flavor Tripping

Have you heard of Miracle Berries? I thought they were a myth when I first heard of them. They're a funny little fruit that, when eaten, changes your perceptions of flavors such that sour foods taste sweet. 

You can get them in convenient tablet form here. (And they're perfectly legal and safe, nothing shady!)

I got to try them when some friends had a "flavor tripping" party. You just roll one tablet around on your tongue until it dissolves and then taste away! It was great fun trying different foods after my sense of taste was altered. Lemons were my favorite. The sourness wasn't completely gone, but they tasted like the most delicious sweet lemonade. 

Be aware that only your taste-buds are affected, not your tummy. If you drink a bottle of lemon juice it will taste delicious, but the miracle berries won't protect you from the stomach ache after.

New Adventure #11: Casino Trip

I always imagined casinos to be glittering, luxurious, otherworldly places. I pictured sparkling fountains, exquisitely dressed dealers, and sequined lounge singers. Well perhaps some casinos are like that, but Delaware Park casino and slots parlor is much more of this world.

Before my trip, the extent of my gambling experience was playing poker with my siblings, using our Halloween candy for stakes. Given my luck on this trip, I should probably stick with that in the future. I didn't try any table games, but my luck with the slots wasn't stellar.

I learned that different machines have different costs and stakes. Some are $1 a spin, or $5 or $20 or $0.25 or $0.05 or even $0.01. I decided I like the nickle machines best. You can play the penny machines forever without using up all your money, but you also never seem to make any, even if you get lucky a lot. The dollars and quarters are too prone to wild swings up and down, but with the nickles you can win enough to feel substantial without losing it all too fast.

I started off with a $20 bill and resolved not to spend more than that. As probably won't surprise the wise, I promptly lost it all and broke my pledge by starting another $20 bill. I had a run of luck and managed to win back my losses. I called that good enough and cashed out my $40.

All in all, I don't think this is a pastime for me. Pulling the lever on the machine was sort of fun and felt like being in a movie, and some of the graphics were amusing, but the sheer randomness of the pursuit started to get to me pretty quickly. I couldn't discern that there was any skill involved, except noticing which machines had slightly better advertised odds than others. People watching was more interesting. A few people were very excited, and it was fun to watch them cheer their wins, mourn their losses, and encourage their machines, but most people seemed a lot like robots - staring blankly at their screens and mechanically pressing buttons.

I'll certainly try another casino if I ever find myself in Las Vegas, but otherwise I think this experience was quiet sufficient.

My Little Garden

The first 60 degree day of the year always puts me in a fever of excitement for being outdoors: picnicking, swimming, playing, and gardening.

I love a garden. As a child we had a wonderful big one with tomatoes, peas, beans, carrots, zucchini, eggplants, parsley, strawberries, peppers, and probably more. I started one last year, but ended up letting it die of thirst. I expect this was mostly a case of out of sight, out of mind. This year I put my garden right next to my door so I can't fail to feel guilty if I neglect it. Here it is:

Okay, it's a modest little garden, but it's mine and I love it. There are snap peas in back, strawberries in front, and two kinds of tomatoes on the right. If I don't manage to kill them, I'll write later about how they get on :)