pick me ups

It is funny how little things can change my mood in one direction or another. I don't know about everyone else, but I usually maintain an even keel ... until a series of events pushes me in one direction or another. If I'm having a regular day and then something good happens, followed by another good thing, followed by yet another good thing, by the end of the day I'm irrationally exuberant about the world and my place in it. Similarly, if I start from a position of calm and average mood, then something happens that is bad, followed by more bad and more bad, I'm ending the day in a dark and down mood.

Yesterday was one of those bad and more bad days, which came a day after another day filled with mostly negative developments.

By 8:30 I was pondering between just going to bed or sticking with my plans and checking out the show at the Beachland. I went with the Beachland because (a) I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep in that mood anyway and (b) because I needed Miracle Whip, which I could get at Dave's, where I could also ask for cash back to pay for my cover and a couple beers, since I had no cash on hand.

Make sense to you? It probably shouldn't.

Anyway, I get the Miracle Whip (and a bag of generic Cinnamon Toast Crunch) and drive over to Collinwood, feeling sorry for myself the whole way. I get there, park, walk over to Music Saves to see what is new, pick up copies of the new Bears and Dreadful Yawns albums, and then head over to the Beachland moments before the first band, The Climates, kick off.

The Climates were good, a talented instrumental troupe, though I was only paying about 25% attention. I was sitting at my favorite loner stool, at the far end of the bar, digesting the recent issue of the Scene, pausing only to clap between songs and sigh. I know, so fucking emo. I felt like Stan Lee's role in Mallrats, wandering around forlorn, admiring the casual affection between young couples and the glee on the face of dancing hipsters, while hunched over in my own world of wah.

The second band, Antenna Shoes, starts up and I start paying a bit more attention, both because they are good and because when the singer introduced the band it sounded a lot like "tennis shoes." I'm guessing that was on purpose, right? Clever. Anyway, the band was good, and I found myself pondering whether to get a copy of their cd or another beer -- I only had enough cash left from my Dave's score for one or the other but not both, and I didn't feel like starting a tab.

As I sat pondering and pouting some scraggly bearded guy walks up and says, "Hey, great tattoo, man," smiles and walks away. A short while later I realize this guy was with the band on the bill from Austin, TX, which makes sense as the image was inspired by a mural on a former record-store exterior wall there.

That gets me a little out of my reverie, and as I turn back to face the bar I see the bartender pointing at me from the other end of the bar. The point lasts a split second and he turns away -- apparently I caught the tail end of the point. A short time later he walks down and asks if I want another beer (decision made - I shall not be purchasing a cd this evening), and I say I do. He says he had just executed a cross-bar point to see if I needed a refill but I hadn't noticed. "Oh, but I had" I protested and complimented the style. A couple chuckles and I'm a bit sunnier than before. The freshly cracked beer probably helped with that, too.

Following Antenna Shoes, Oh No! Oh My! takes the stage and was wonderful. I'd have definitely bought their album, but my cash reserves had sunk under $10 thanks to beer #2. (I really have to start asking for more than $20 cash back when I go to Dave's before heading to a show!) They finish their set moments before I finish my beer, feeling a little less morose. I decide to head home for bed and don't even stay to see the Royal Bangs. At that point, I would've just been waiting for them to finish, which seems a waste.

Anyway, here I am, mid-morning Saturday. I need to go to the market to get some stuff for a bbq with friends on Tuesday (think anyone else will like the recipe for goat tacos I found?), work on a project that I've fallen a couple days behind on, and then head out to the Beachland again.

Great local show(s) tonight, by the way folks. The Dreadful Yawns are having their album release party in the Ballroom, with openers Pale Hollow, while three NEO acts -- Beardo Bandini, Good Touch Bad Touch, and Dinomania -- are playing a free show in the tavern.

Maybe I'll see you there.