Too many groups

I've been busy! Went down to the Portland the last 2 weekends to play with the Lions. Always a thrill to play with them, of course, and, just as exciting, there's now a great pagode scene in Portland - a great little band (Eleven O'Clock train) that has somehow, miraculously, started to pull a crowd that is a 50:50 mix of American and Brazilian. There was a shared birthday party last week (for Derek the American, and Amaro the Brazilian). Amaro brought all his Brazilian friends, Derek brought all the Lions (mostly Americans) and it was a wonderful mix. All the Americans were playing, all the Brazilians dancing and singing along. The Brazilians had of course brought an insane amount of food and stayed singing and dancing till 4am. So fun.

It was such a keen pleasure to hear and speak Portuguese again. I didn't realize how much I'd been missing it.

I got inspired about lessons; I tried to line up a repinique lesson with Derek, but our schedules didn't line up - I'll have to catch him next time he's in town. (I also am hoping to track down Randy). And it sounds like Amaro might start teaching! Pandeiro & pagode. That'd be fantastic for Portland.

Back in Seattle the next week, I got excited and started far too many things simultaneously: (1) Teaching a little low-key all-levels class on Mondays, (2) teaching a little bit for VamoLa Thursdays & Sundays, (3) Starting a new band on Saturdays... plus (4) my 80-hr a week teaching job at UW and (5) signing up to volunteer with the raptors at the zoo on Fridays. what am I, nuts? The Saturday band and the Friday raptor job are going to kill me. But I am so excited about both of them. Yesterday the tiny, new Saturday band had its first little practice, which went SO well and was SO fun that I was bouncing off the walls for hours after practice. I was so full of energy I could not stop playing! I practice Ramiro Musotto's repinique roll solos for hours, till I strained my thumb. So fun. More on the Sat thing & Ramiro's repinique stuff later.

But, ironically, most of my musical concentration right now is going to VamoLa. I once swore I'd never work for VamoLa again, because VamoLa has a 100% history of tearing me apart emotionally, to the point of fleeing the entire city and sometimes the continent. But so far it has actually been pretty fun. I got on surdo again today - and chocalho - and shekere. And danced a tiny bit. And had a good time. Until people started talking about Tom again afterwards!