The week ahead, 2/23-3/1

This week is coming to an end. Thankfully. It has been one of those toughies. My assistant threatened to kill herself, I had to get a tow truck to come jump my new (used) Jeep twice, the weather got in the way of a planned gathering at the Obi Best/Muttering Retreats show, and I had a couple "bad stomach" days that kept me from doing otherwise fun stuff.

However, good stuff happened, too. I knocked a couple of big projects off my evil list of things to do that had been lingering in a sort of overbearing way, I got a big professional opportunity that looks like it will open even more doors down the road, and I had a TERRIFIC Saturday.

Saturday started a bit late and without coffee. While I was in the shower I'd all but convinced myself to cancel all plans and go back to bed, but fortunately a cup of coffee at the Cedar-Lee Phoenix knocked the sense back into me and I hit up the Arts Collinwood volunteer meeting as planned. I also stopped into a couple of my favorite commercial joints in town, Shoparooni where Steve yet again showed me cool art on the internet and sold me another mini-Munny and Music Saves where I picked up the new Vetiver album. (If you ever pick that up, check out "More Of This" - I really dig it.) The meeting at AC went cool and I'm excited to be more of a part of that group. After it ended I hit up another cafe, finished off some work, and wandered on a whim into a gallery/frame shop to inquire about prices for getting a lithograph given me by Ducky framed. The price was right (a rarity in the framing racket), but better yet I stumbled onto some wonderful unframed mid-sized paintings by Joe Grand that had been recently dropped off and splurged on one for myself. After that it was off to the Pub on Lee where I enjoyed happy hour beers till 9 pm (on a Saturday!) and devoured the recent edition of the Scene. Then it was back to Collinwood (I swear I should move there) for what was one of the most fun shows I've been to in a while. It was a local get-down, with a bunch of familiar acts, including a cd release for Blake Miller and a wonderfully light-hearted set by Tom and Leia of Afternoon Naps. I couldn't stop smiling during that last set and headed home in a grand mood. Today's Jeep difficulties dampened things and, worse than that, got in the way of my plan to bring a paper I needed to read to Beachland for a solo brunch, but so what.

Now I'm going to do my taxes. (Yesssss.)

But after that it'll get cool again. Hopefully my mechanic takes pity on me in the morning (anyone want to offer odds on that?) and the rest of the day is full of actually important meetings. Tuesday, though is both the Obama faux-SOTU and a Juana Molina show at the Grog. Wednesday is the day the cleaning service comes to rescue me from my own filth and the monthly iteration of the Fourth Wall Film Night at Visible Voice. Thursday, if you didn't already know, is Pride in Cleveland Day and, maybe ironically, a great night to check out Akron, as Maps and Atlases will be playing a gig at Musica there. Friday is a big night on Waterloo Road, with a buddy's band playing at the Beachland, the newest opening in the Shoparooni annex, and a good time to check out the Lottery League exhibit at Arts Collinwood's cool gallery. Saturday is Truffaut at the CIA and Don Caballero at the Grog and Sunday Tokyo Police Club and the Harlem Shakes play the same venue. Plus, of course, there will be brunch at the Beachland. As always, holler if any of the above sounds cool. I'll either be glad for the company or pretend I didn't get the email/see the comment. I'm shady like that. Pathetic and desperate, too, though, so your chances are decent.