(no subject)

[chelseagirl]

African music at Satalla ("The Temple of World Music", it rather pretentiously calls itself) Saturday night, with Risa, Bo, and some of Risa's friends. They were from Senegal and the music was mostly drumming -- there was an electric piano but he mostly played chords in a percussive manner so not really so different from the drumming only . . . on an electric piano. At first I wasn't so sure I'd make it through the first set, but it's the kind of thing that grows on you. Also, there was some very cool African dancing going on -- people jumping into the ring and doing these very frenetic, very jerk-y but yet beautiful solo dances. I took off well into the second set at 2 am as it was now Easter so I wasn't going to be able to sleep in.

Holy Trinity had exceptional music that morning. Also, it was packed; I arrived about my usual time and there were no seats left on the center aisle. I don't think I've mentioned here that I am now on church council there; less a matter of running and more of not running away when asked. It just sounds oddly grownup and respectable. queenofthorns knows H.T. through its amazing music program; it is also the church the Staypuft Marshmallow Man squashes in Ghostbusters. (Seriously. Bill Murray then says, "Nobody steps on a church in *my* town" and goes after SMM.)

Discovered that Easter is a big secular holiday in places that aren't the U.S., in the same way that Christmas is. M. planned a special day, with his beef Wellington for dinner. Apparently his family always made a big deal. (My family goes to church a lot -- Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday -- and then passes out on the couch Sunday afternoon. Then my exhausted mother grills a ham steak. I stopped visiting them at Easter years ago because it was pointless . . . ) Someone at H.T. informed me that she'd just come back from Scandinavia for the same reason -- nothing was open, no point in being on a business trip. And G. tells me that it's the same in Canada.

Comments

[ajinamoto.livejournal.com]

I made Jell-O! :)

[chelseagirl.livejournal.com]

With fruit and marshmallows in?

[ajinamoto.livejournal.com]

Nope, just plain old raspberry jello. I was bored. :)

I don't like stuff in my jello.

[silme.livejournal.com]

I went through culture shock here. What is Easter Monday, I asked Ian my first year here. :)

On the other hand, last Thursday was Maundy Thursday, but I knew it was Purim also. Only one of my students, who is Jewish, knew that. I think we were in a secret conspiracy; I wished her a Happy Purim, and she gave me such a huge smile in return. (She's eleven.)

Sometimes I miss Boulder, such as the day before Winter Break (not Christmas Break) when my 9th graders were wishing each other Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah (started that night), Good Ramadan (we were in the middle of it), and Happy Yule to the Wiccans. Then they all looked at Peter, the only Buddhist in the class. They thought he must feel left out, so they asked him if there wasn't a Buddhist holiday coming up soon. :)

[chelseagirl.livejournal.com]

I was actually shocked that the NYTimes was about a third of its usual Sunday self. I'm just so used to it being Not A Big Deal. (Except when I was singing in choir and had to go to all those services . . . )

[silme.livejournal.com]

Funny that since the Observer was the usual weight. Who knows?

[chelseagirl.livejournal.com]

Uh, they figured people needed something to read on Easter Monday? ;-)

Since most of my friends are Jewish or have drifted away from their childhood religious practices, I'm used to "oh, it's Easter *this* weekend?" when I tell them I've got big deal services and can't do x or y.

[tv-elf.livejournal.com]

Heh, I've avoided church council by sheer luck. Of course, I schedule the woship assistants and run the Web site and am part of the book club, the drama group, and some other stuff, so I'm still busy.

[chelseagirl.livejournal.com]

At St. P's, where I was heavily involved, I refused to run for vestry. Here, since I'm new and haven't found it that easy to get to know people, I figured what the heck.

Although it sounds much less cool to be a church council member than it does a vestryman/vestryperson. Oh well.

[nycdeb.livejournal.com]

Satalla! That's where we are going on the 3rd! You'll be a regular by that time :-)

[chelseagirl.livejournal.com]

*sigh* Still getting the hang of gmail. I think I just emailed you but not sure . . .

They were really nice at the door, too. I had to leave before the band finished (my friends stayed behind) and they were all like "oh, do you have to leave?" and handed me all kinds of invites to subsequent events.

Not the attitude you get at *every* NYC nightspot.