so far behind i will never catch up now

oh, hello there again...
so many things i have been wanting to write about now for quite some time...the rest of the czech trip, our fabulous show in firenze, the car show in siena, the return to blonde hair, the quarter-century mark...and it seems they'll all get meshed into one big bloggy mess....

so i am going home - weird word, home - in a few weeks... i will be in texas and louisiana for 2 weeks in october, playing a few shows, going to the state fair, overeating on fajitas and cheeseburgers and dr. peppers - the usual whirlwind trip to the states. i already have shows lined up in austin, dallas, college station, and shreveport...if anyone out there in h-town wants to do a house concert, let me know. i just didn't get the booking ball rolling fast enough this time around, and all my favorite places to play were already spoken for...

the 31st of August dawned sunny and hot as all get out. the 31st ended in a blaze of glory and fun as all get out. we were in Firenze, in the completely and utterly fairy-tale lovely Piazza Santissima Annuziata, where we did an end-of-the-summer show...such great fun. There are pictures here:
http://www.icecreamonmondays.com/sights.htm
I sincerely could not have asked for a better audience - they danced, they sang along when they could, they catcalled and whistled and shouted bravissima. what more could I have asked for? There was a sweet little old lady, maybe missing a few cards from the deck, who danced in front of the stage the whole night, peeling off layers of clothing as she went and picking a young Neopolitan as her more-than-willing dance partner. Terribly charming and amusing all at the same time.

what else? 6th of september, free Wilco concert in Milan. A blast, a concert played to perfection. They were nothing short of awe-inspiring, as was the way that 8 of us managed to sleep on 4 beds in Juri's flat. Thanks to Juri and his flat mates for being willing to house us.

Today, the 16th of September. 25 years, or as my little sister put it, nearly 30. She is more willing than I am to just jump over these next 5 years.

I found an old journal entry the other day in which I mused to myself whether I would ever have the courage to chuck my 9-5 job and throw myself into music, whether I should go back to grad school...I said to myself, well, maybe I could give it till I am 25 and see where I am...this was 3 years ago, maybe 4...I dawdled around for 2 years, gathering courage, and now 2 years later, I am hanging on by my thin thread...but still hanging on, which is all that matters. And I have to say I am glad I scraped together the courage, and I hope I can hold on to it a bit longer while I try to make this work.

Aaron, kickass-webmaster, is busying sorting through sound files that Anne, kickass-friend, recorded while we were in the Czech Republic. There are tons of live acoustic versions of 5 or 6 of the new songs that will be on Little Films...as soon as he is able to make heads and tails of everything, it will be on the website for your listening pleasure.

I am at the hair salon, actually, with one of those funny old lady caps on my head. My hair, enlivened by brassy red tones for these last six months, are now beginning its slow march back to blonde. Will I even recognize me?

Thanks for listening, thanks for playing. Playing is good for you.
happy friday,
vanessa