Edmonton Part I
Aug. 16th, 2009 07:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vinceconawayRobert A. Heinlein once wrote that the key to happiness was in finding something you loved to do, and then working yourself to death doing it. In many cases his ideas were full of hot air (or even less savory things), but I think this one he nailed.
I've been striving for a good work-life balance lately, finally reaching the point where I can take things easy when they aren't going as well as I'd like. The flip side to that, however, is that when things are going well I hit it with all cylinders firing. Yesterday was that kind of a day.
Things started off a little rocky when in my first set some punk stole a $20 bill from my hat. I didn't let it faze me because I get to be me while he has to be him. On the upside, I figured, there had been a $20 bill in my hat to steal.
Other than that it was a lovely day. I'd kept really good records from my last busking adventures here so I had a pretty good idea of when the lulls were that could allow me to skip back to the hostel for a rest, which helped a lot. Otherwise I played pretty heavily from noon to eleven, performing at least ten half-hour sets and possibly an eleventh. I lost count.
The audience is very responsive, and I love the multiculturalism of Canada. I've been talking a lot about the dulcimer's various cousins from around the globe, and I love igniting a spark of recognition when I make a judgment based on accent or ethnicity and say "you might also know it as the cymbalom/santoor/yan quin".
I'm still tired as I start my day, but I'm eager to get back out playing again!
I've been striving for a good work-life balance lately, finally reaching the point where I can take things easy when they aren't going as well as I'd like. The flip side to that, however, is that when things are going well I hit it with all cylinders firing. Yesterday was that kind of a day.
Things started off a little rocky when in my first set some punk stole a $20 bill from my hat. I didn't let it faze me because I get to be me while he has to be him. On the upside, I figured, there had been a $20 bill in my hat to steal.
Other than that it was a lovely day. I'd kept really good records from my last busking adventures here so I had a pretty good idea of when the lulls were that could allow me to skip back to the hostel for a rest, which helped a lot. Otherwise I played pretty heavily from noon to eleven, performing at least ten half-hour sets and possibly an eleventh. I lost count.
The audience is very responsive, and I love the multiculturalism of Canada. I've been talking a lot about the dulcimer's various cousins from around the globe, and I love igniting a spark of recognition when I make a judgment based on accent or ethnicity and say "you might also know it as the cymbalom/santoor/yan quin".
I'm still tired as I start my day, but I'm eager to get back out playing again!
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Date: 2009-08-16 03:45 pm (UTC)That's awesome. Is it yours?
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Date: 2009-08-16 04:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-16 04:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-16 10:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-08-17 01:11 am (UTC)Waves hello
Date: 2009-08-24 05:33 am (UTC)the key to happiness was in finding something you loved to do, and then working yourself to death
Very very true. I never knew that was Heinlein...I'd heard the line (or near variations on it) many times over the years, and once on a very wise calendar of quotations in 1992-ish, but never knew the source. Grazie!