Finally! I've been writing for the past hour and a half and finally made it to today! I thought I'd never catch up. We checked out of the hotel provided for us at noon and just finished a crazy drive through the mountains. It was hot outside when we left. By mid-mountain drive, everything was covered with snow. That's how high up we drove! woah. I took some pretty great pictures that hopefully capture some of it. But man, there's noting like going through it. We were so high up and there were no guard rails for part of it. AND there was a toll stop inside this enormous tunnel. ...Thanks Italy.
Anyway, now we're en route to...Carpi? Remini? I'm not really sure. I haven't been very clear of our route this whole time. I just kind of get in the car each day. Nicole is asleep to my right, and Travis is gazing out the window. He's still a little sick. Agh, sickness and touring are not fun, that's for sure. The front seat chicos are pretty chill and we've been driving without music for a little bit after a run through a grouper album.
I'm really excited for some Italian food.
Oh yeah, we blew a fuse trying to dry clothes with our hair dryer. It was plugged in to our converter too. weird! So no computer charging for a while. Expect some Touring Tales delay. we're all doing well. Healthy (save for Travers' throat), emotionally/mentally well and no swine flu. Is it as crazy in the U.S. at it seems according to the New York Times? Or are the journalists just going nuts and creating a frenzy (If i learned anything from J school, its that journalists tend to do that)? you tell me. If it really is crazy, be careful my friends, as well we.
ciao for now!
-Aisha
Takin notes and keepin tabs on the road with Balmorhea from 2008-2013. Check out the archive for Aisha's previous European and American tours.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
April 29 - wedesday - Lausanne, Switzerland
Back to Switzerland! this place is so awesome. Everything looks really nice and well designed, I thought. And the scenery is fantastic. Enormous mountains and deeply blue skies compose the Swiss skyline. We were in Lausanne, Switzerland at a venue called Buzz Club. It looked pretty cool inside. In European fashion, our promoters had a table full of sandwiches, snacks and water for us. Truly do they know how to take care of musicians here.
After a pretty lengthy soundcheck, we hung out until dinner. Our friends from the band Henry Almond were opening, so I hung out with Jacque for a while (I hope I spelled that right...). We worked out a song in the stair well to play together, but because all three sound checks took forever, they got cut short. Three bands in three hours after things get started late is sort of a pipe dream. Anyway, our show went really well! We felt great and the crowd seemed to enjoy it all. We played a new song we've been calling "the christmas song" for our encore annd then i dashed away for the merch booth. I hate awkwardly lingering around the stage right after I play. But I found Jacque and his sister, who i got along with really well, and hung out with those two. All in all, pretty fun! Kiiinda wish I lived in switerzerland.
After a pretty lengthy soundcheck, we hung out until dinner. Our friends from the band Henry Almond were opening, so I hung out with Jacque for a while (I hope I spelled that right...). We worked out a song in the stair well to play together, but because all three sound checks took forever, they got cut short. Three bands in three hours after things get started late is sort of a pipe dream. Anyway, our show went really well! We felt great and the crowd seemed to enjoy it all. We played a new song we've been calling "the christmas song" for our encore annd then i dashed away for the merch booth. I hate awkwardly lingering around the stage right after I play. But I found Jacque and his sister, who i got along with really well, and hung out with those two. All in all, pretty fun! Kiiinda wish I lived in switerzerland.
April 28 - Tuesday - Lyon, france
Lyon! I don't feel like saying much about this day, because we didn't have a very great show. We did however get to play on a boat. Yes, on a boat. That part was pretty cool. Our promoters were young, but really nice and made us quiche! We met up with Ora, who we met and befriended back in Madrid. She's been really great to be around. The show itself was not worth mentioning, other than we all messed up all over the place. I left feeling a little defeated.
We picked ourselves up though and headed to this old business building that Nicole said was given to our promoters for them to work. It looks like those cool artist warehouse places you read about, where people just take them over until the gov finds out and takes it away. Except the government apparently gave it to them..maybe? it's called ground zero. There were ex-office, now pseudo artist hotel rooms for us. Pretty. cool.
We picked ourselves up though and headed to this old business building that Nicole said was given to our promoters for them to work. It looks like those cool artist warehouse places you read about, where people just take them over until the gov finds out and takes it away. Except the government apparently gave it to them..maybe? it's called ground zero. There were ex-office, now pseudo artist hotel rooms for us. Pretty. cool.
April 27 - Monday - Ballicasim to mount pillier
Second day off in a row! We drove back to France to stay in the Primier Class hotel we slept in a week ago. On the way, feeling starved, we had lunch at a Mc Donalds, which they call Mc Drive here. Ordering in a strange dialect of Spanish was interesting...I had a McRoyal with cheese. Pretty good for as good as McDonalds can get. However, I'm currently reading Fast Food Nation, and my disdain for the company (which was already rather strong from a nutritional standpoint) is growing exponentially. Talk about cheating your way to the top. Anyway... Oncewe arrived Mount Pillier, France, we stopped at grocery store for dinner. Ready for our menu? Bread, Nutella, bananas, red wine, crackers, cheese, and salami. Yesterday was gormet. Leave us to our own devices and we eat like stray cats.
We took everything to the beach and ate. We jumped around, laughed a lot, had a rock throwing contest, and all agreed that we were happier playing music and living this way than waiting for the weekend working a 9 to 5. good times.
Back in the hotel, we watched episodes of Tim & Eric Awesome Show and Freaks and Geeks while drinking cheap boxed wine.
We are so rock and roll.
We took everything to the beach and ate. We jumped around, laughed a lot, had a rock throwing contest, and all agreed that we were happier playing music and living this way than waiting for the weekend working a 9 to 5. good times.
Back in the hotel, we watched episodes of Tim & Eric Awesome Show and Freaks and Geeks while drinking cheap boxed wine.
We are so rock and roll.
April 26 - Sunday - Bellicasim, Espana
So that last entry was rather hefty. How do you feel about a bullet point recap? Good? good.
-woke up after five hours of sleep for free breakfast. I will do a lot for free food. Serendipitously, Michael had just sat down, so I joined him.
-took a nap, then lounged out on the beach for an hour. No one was there! it's the tourist off season I think.
-Had lunch with Nicole, Mikey and Hauschka. then sangria with the boys.
-Hauschka's show! But not before Nicole and I see-sawed on a playground definitely made for 5 year olds.
-His show was great. He plays with a prepared piano, meaning there are all kinds of things taped to the strings to alter the sound (i.e. plastic, paper, bottle caps, beads, etc.). Was pretty cool, although the silent b&w film, "Vampire" was confusing and hard to follow.
-After the show, we went back to that awesome restaurant for round two. It was just as great, and hanging out with Hauschka and hearing his stories was so fun. He's incredibly nice and down to earth and pretty fun to hang around. New Balm friend.
until next time,
adios
-woke up after five hours of sleep for free breakfast. I will do a lot for free food. Serendipitously, Michael had just sat down, so I joined him.
-took a nap, then lounged out on the beach for an hour. No one was there! it's the tourist off season I think.
-Had lunch with Nicole, Mikey and Hauschka. then sangria with the boys.
-Hauschka's show! But not before Nicole and I see-sawed on a playground definitely made for 5 year olds.
-His show was great. He plays with a prepared piano, meaning there are all kinds of things taped to the strings to alter the sound (i.e. plastic, paper, bottle caps, beads, etc.). Was pretty cool, although the silent b&w film, "Vampire" was confusing and hard to follow.
-After the show, we went back to that awesome restaurant for round two. It was just as great, and hanging out with Hauschka and hearing his stories was so fun. He's incredibly nice and down to earth and pretty fun to hang around. New Balm friend.
until next time,
adios
April 25 - Saturday - Ballicasim, Espana
So again I have waited too long to update and have probably forgotten some valuable details. I can't even remember what it was like getting to Bellicasim except that we were all extremely pleased with the theatre we'd be playing in. We sound checked and ran into Hauschka, the pianist playing the night after us, and walked back the hotel. oh, the hotel. It is situated right along the beach, the most quiet beach of endless blue that I've ever seen. But just as soon as we arrived and marveled over our four star accommodations, we had to walk back towards the dinner for another ridiculous feast.
The promoter took us all out, along with Hauschka, and a student helping with the show. There were at least three different equally delicious-looking appetizers, a basket of bread, and bottle of read wine-- for each half of the table. Then, entire time. I got a rather large and crowded vegetarian pizza, and swapped my half for part of Nicole's salami and three cheese pizza. A thing or two about pizza here: 1) they don't seem to enjoy pepperoni. Everywhere we've been offers a bunch of meat that I don't think about putting on menus, like sliced salami and ham with cheese for breakfast. They like Salami on pizza, and to my dismay, never pepperoni. 2) There's never any sauce! Trust me my friends, you will never realize how much you appreciate that pizza sauce until its suddenly absent and your pizza experience feels incomplete. Savor it! Someone, go have a slice at East Side Pies for me right now. And someone, be ready to go there with me when I get back.
Anyway, enough. I don't know what everyone got and you probably don't care, just know that it was fancy. Like putting walnuts in pasta with Alfredo sauce fancy. Then there was a pretty (in the literal sense) chocolatey desert, complete with bits of cakes, tarts, fruit, ice cream all arranged like an edible 3D collage, castle thing. If food could be Legos this would be that sweet giant castle thing that looks so cool you never want to take it apart. We took a picture and then dug in. After dessert, everyone gets a round of coffee or tea. And after THAT you get a shot of some liquor thats supposed to help you digest everything better. I was glad they realize that they eat an extraordinary amount of food at one sitting.
--The Show--
Feeling stuffed, we marched back to the theatre, warmed up and sat down to play. This show was part of a series where musicians play a live score to a film. We used three short films by Jared Hogan that featured a few of our songs, and played a few pieces in between. This was the only time in a long time that I felt nervous. I'm usually very calm, but we opened a new song that we've never performed and that I've only previously played on Viola, not violin...so that got my nerves goin a little. Then we had to alter most songs slightly to fit in the context of the film. We sat on opposite sides of the stage, as to leave the film unobstructed, and watched the giant projection behind us for cues and timing. Naturally, the audience was incredibly quiet. It felt like a classical setting, which always gets my nerves going, and i was overly conscious of trying not to screw up, for the film's sake, which was nerve racking as well. Stressful. BUT really cool thing to do. Afterward, we walked along the beach to a bar that stayed open late. I got a glass of wine for 1.50 euro. nice.
Okay. this is gross detail. Let's wind it down shall we? Post bar hangout, Travis, Nicole and I hung out on the beach until about 3:30 am. The beach at night is so daunting and completely mysterious. I felt like it could swallow me if I dared to come into it. And the sound is so loud amidst the quiet.
perfect.
The promoter took us all out, along with Hauschka, and a student helping with the show. There were at least three different equally delicious-looking appetizers, a basket of bread, and bottle of read wine-- for each half of the table. Then, entire time. I got a rather large and crowded vegetarian pizza, and swapped my half for part of Nicole's salami and three cheese pizza. A thing or two about pizza here: 1) they don't seem to enjoy pepperoni. Everywhere we've been offers a bunch of meat that I don't think about putting on menus, like sliced salami and ham with cheese for breakfast. They like Salami on pizza, and to my dismay, never pepperoni. 2) There's never any sauce! Trust me my friends, you will never realize how much you appreciate that pizza sauce until its suddenly absent and your pizza experience feels incomplete. Savor it! Someone, go have a slice at East Side Pies for me right now. And someone, be ready to go there with me when I get back.
Anyway, enough. I don't know what everyone got and you probably don't care, just know that it was fancy. Like putting walnuts in pasta with Alfredo sauce fancy. Then there was a pretty (in the literal sense) chocolatey desert, complete with bits of cakes, tarts, fruit, ice cream all arranged like an edible 3D collage, castle thing. If food could be Legos this would be that sweet giant castle thing that looks so cool you never want to take it apart. We took a picture and then dug in. After dessert, everyone gets a round of coffee or tea. And after THAT you get a shot of some liquor thats supposed to help you digest everything better. I was glad they realize that they eat an extraordinary amount of food at one sitting.
--The Show--
Feeling stuffed, we marched back to the theatre, warmed up and sat down to play. This show was part of a series where musicians play a live score to a film. We used three short films by Jared Hogan that featured a few of our songs, and played a few pieces in between. This was the only time in a long time that I felt nervous. I'm usually very calm, but we opened a new song that we've never performed and that I've only previously played on Viola, not violin...so that got my nerves goin a little. Then we had to alter most songs slightly to fit in the context of the film. We sat on opposite sides of the stage, as to leave the film unobstructed, and watched the giant projection behind us for cues and timing. Naturally, the audience was incredibly quiet. It felt like a classical setting, which always gets my nerves going, and i was overly conscious of trying not to screw up, for the film's sake, which was nerve racking as well. Stressful. BUT really cool thing to do. Afterward, we walked along the beach to a bar that stayed open late. I got a glass of wine for 1.50 euro. nice.
Okay. this is gross detail. Let's wind it down shall we? Post bar hangout, Travis, Nicole and I hung out on the beach until about 3:30 am. The beach at night is so daunting and completely mysterious. I felt like it could swallow me if I dared to come into it. And the sound is so loud amidst the quiet.
perfect.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday - Bellicasim, Espana
y
e
s
.
I have just had probably the best couple of days I could ever ask for. This weekend has been incredible, and I have so much I want to tell you! But, alas, it is 1:15 in the morning and I need a good night's sleep. However, I'll leave you with these great teasers:
-film scoring
-four course meal
-the most beautiful dessert my eyes have ever seen
-beach front hotel
-beach front hotel
...did i mention beach front hotel? :)
e
s
.
I have just had probably the best couple of days I could ever ask for. This weekend has been incredible, and I have so much I want to tell you! But, alas, it is 1:15 in the morning and I need a good night's sleep. However, I'll leave you with these great teasers:
-film scoring
-four course meal
-the most beautiful dessert my eyes have ever seen
-beach front hotel
-beach front hotel
...did i mention beach front hotel? :)
Friday - april 24 - madrid
There is just too much I could say about the next few days. Yet again, I am attempting to play catch up. And, yet again, it's wearing me out a little bit. But! here goes:
Friday- April 24. Somehow, we managed to all get up and out on time. We had some breakfast and watched some very sophisticated music videos on TV including "I want you" by Savage Garden and "Hot & Cold" by Katie Perry...yeah.
After our shortest drive yet (2.5 hrs), we pull up to what looks like a semi-deserted part of Mexico...I'll admit I was expecting something a little flashier for the one Spanish city everyone said we must go to.
Nevertheless, we walk inside and are immediately assaulted by the smell of fresh paint. There are guys on ladders hanging lights. There are guys running around yelling in Spanish at a dizzying pace. And then, there is us: six really confused and admittedly slightly startled Americans who are wondering where the hell they are about to play.
The mood was a bit tense through our soundcheck. And it wasn't until the doors opened and people filled the room that I was convinced things were going to go well. However, before then, we met some great people. Ora Cogan and everyone from Icy Demons were so friendly and nice to be around. Bruce, Nicole and I went for a walk with Ora to a nearby park and got some much needed air. Afterward, all three bands hung out and enjoyed the free food in the greenroom until things started going on stage.
Everyone's set went really well. The crowd seemed really enthusiastic about Balmorhea. They were clappers too, perhaps rivaling the Don Benito audience. Spain, man, they know how to clap with some gusto here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=es&v=9HrxRuXWB_8&gl=ES
After the show, we stayed with our promoter in her ridiculous apartment. so big! Girls had their own bed. Great sleep. Good night.
Friday- April 24. Somehow, we managed to all get up and out on time. We had some breakfast and watched some very sophisticated music videos on TV including "I want you" by Savage Garden and "Hot & Cold" by Katie Perry...yeah.
After our shortest drive yet (2.5 hrs), we pull up to what looks like a semi-deserted part of Mexico...I'll admit I was expecting something a little flashier for the one Spanish city everyone said we must go to.
Nevertheless, we walk inside and are immediately assaulted by the smell of fresh paint. There are guys on ladders hanging lights. There are guys running around yelling in Spanish at a dizzying pace. And then, there is us: six really confused and admittedly slightly startled Americans who are wondering where the hell they are about to play.
The mood was a bit tense through our soundcheck. And it wasn't until the doors opened and people filled the room that I was convinced things were going to go well. However, before then, we met some great people. Ora Cogan and everyone from Icy Demons were so friendly and nice to be around. Bruce, Nicole and I went for a walk with Ora to a nearby park and got some much needed air. Afterward, all three bands hung out and enjoyed the free food in the greenroom until things started going on stage.
Everyone's set went really well. The crowd seemed really enthusiastic about Balmorhea. They were clappers too, perhaps rivaling the Don Benito audience. Spain, man, they know how to clap with some gusto here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=es&v=9HrxRuXWB_8&gl=ES
After the show, we stayed with our promoter in her ridiculous apartment. so big! Girls had their own bed. Great sleep. Good night.
April 23- Thursday - Don Benito, Espana
We woke up, and walked to a cafe for breakfast in Valladolid. bread, ham, cheese, coffee, juice for all for about 44 euro. We passed a giant book fair going on that stretched for almost an entire block. Behind it were giant moon bounces, booths and games. It was a holiday for everyone. Lots of cute little kids and old men slowly strolling together through the town. Lots of old people out and about here. They're not put away as in America. I think I would like to grow old in Valladolid.
Man, so our promoter for this show is pretty awesome. She had so much energy, was incredibly friendly, and, for lack of more sophisticated language, just soo cool. She told Nicole and I about her travels around the world, learning different languages, and living as a surfer girl in Mexico. Oh, and she gained major points for playing Al Green followed by Dirty Projectors from her itunes as the house music in the bar. It's been really strange but comforting to hear music that we're all into in the U.S. in such unfamiliar places on the other side of the Earth. Anyway, you'll never hear about the show if I continue at this rate. We had dinner on the patio of a restaurant annnd were served another multi-course meal. People in Spain truly know how to do dinner! Man! We sat outside for a couple of hours, our surprised expressions increasing with each new course. Let it be known that I tried shrimp and raw salmon for the first time. This is a big deal for me. I've been captain of the no raw sea food club for oh, over a decade. I'll say that I wasn't pleased; no me gusta. But again, this has nothing to do with the story.
The point is that we were stuffed full of goodness and red wine, and then played a really great show. The crowd was loud and drinking at first, but we managed to shut them up. They were into it. ..Really into it. This crowd in Don Benito was the first to voluntarily clap along (and whistle annnd chreer) to the clapping part of settler. The energy was great, and probably partially because we were trapped on the stage and had no where to go after our last song, they clapped us into an encore and played one more song.
Then Nicole and I had a dance party upstairs in secret.
After a couple more free drinks and some chit chats with people at the show, we packed up our things, and walked 10 minutes to our fancy hostal/hotel for the night. Good. Times.
Man, so our promoter for this show is pretty awesome. She had so much energy, was incredibly friendly, and, for lack of more sophisticated language, just soo cool. She told Nicole and I about her travels around the world, learning different languages, and living as a surfer girl in Mexico. Oh, and she gained major points for playing Al Green followed by Dirty Projectors from her itunes as the house music in the bar. It's been really strange but comforting to hear music that we're all into in the U.S. in such unfamiliar places on the other side of the Earth. Anyway, you'll never hear about the show if I continue at this rate. We had dinner on the patio of a restaurant annnd were served another multi-course meal. People in Spain truly know how to do dinner! Man! We sat outside for a couple of hours, our surprised expressions increasing with each new course. Let it be known that I tried shrimp and raw salmon for the first time. This is a big deal for me. I've been captain of the no raw sea food club for oh, over a decade. I'll say that I wasn't pleased; no me gusta. But again, this has nothing to do with the story.
The point is that we were stuffed full of goodness and red wine, and then played a really great show. The crowd was loud and drinking at first, but we managed to shut them up. They were into it. ..Really into it. This crowd in Don Benito was the first to voluntarily clap along (and whistle annnd chreer) to the clapping part of settler. The energy was great, and probably partially because we were trapped on the stage and had no where to go after our last song, they clapped us into an encore and played one more song.
Then Nicole and I had a dance party upstairs in secret.
After a couple more free drinks and some chit chats with people at the show, we packed up our things, and walked 10 minutes to our fancy hostal/hotel for the night. Good. Times.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
April 22 - Wednesday - Valladolid
speed post! I'm writing this a day later and, we're about to go to dinner and my battery has only 9% power left! So, here goes!
This day was great! We were off and had time to explore and relax. We woke up and got breakfast from a grocery store down the street from our hotel. I started may day with a bottle of water, a banana, and some bread. Three dollar breakfasts are the best; you have no idea. haha.
Started morning in Bilbao
Guggenheim museum afterward, which was completely amazing. The architecture of the structure was beyond words on its own. And the artists showcased inside were so great. David Serra was on the first floor along with some video installations. Holzer had a few things as well. And i can't remember the other two artists, but man, it was good. We all felt pretty energized afterward, and felt happily bombarded by creativity.
- then short drive to Valladolid, Espana.
-show was great. really fun crowd who had no clue who we were but were definitely the most excited crowd. young drinkers. But the chanted "balmorhea--Balmorhea!" aftewrard which was preeeeeetty exciting. We've been playing encores. This is weird!
-Aisha
This day was great! We were off and had time to explore and relax. We woke up and got breakfast from a grocery store down the street from our hotel. I started may day with a bottle of water, a banana, and some bread. Three dollar breakfasts are the best; you have no idea. haha.
Started morning in Bilbao
Guggenheim museum afterward, which was completely amazing. The architecture of the structure was beyond words on its own. And the artists showcased inside were so great. David Serra was on the first floor along with some video installations. Holzer had a few things as well. And i can't remember the other two artists, but man, it was good. We all felt pretty energized afterward, and felt happily bombarded by creativity.
- then short drive to Valladolid, Espana.
-show was great. really fun crowd who had no clue who we were but were definitely the most excited crowd. young drinkers. But the chanted "balmorhea--Balmorhea!" aftewrard which was preeeeeetty exciting. We've been playing encores. This is weird!
-Aisha
April 21 - Tuesday - BilBao, Espana
This day was funnnn. We drove for most of it. And I know i'm capable of going into gross detail about it all but meh, it's not that interesting. Once we got to Bilbao and coped with the fact that driving here was just going to be crazy at evvvery city we encountered, we finangled our way into a parking spot and settled in at the hotel. Twas nice. hard wod floors, wooden shutters, and a pristine looking bathroom.
Afterward, we went for a walk in the downtown area, passing shops and bars and very stylish looking Spanish people. We were starving and all we could find in our price range was a Chinese restaurant. ...Yes, we sure did eat Chinese food in Spain. The menu was hilarious(!!), featuring items like "fried greeness," "ants on a tree," and "rice with three delicious." Most of it turned out to be pretty unappetizing except for my pollo con limon, or lemon chicken. Yeah, the menu was translated from chinese to spanish to english and breathtakingly hilarous. We had sooo much fun just laughing at it. It's the little things, right?
After sharing our food, we went back to the hotel, watched some Tv and capped the night with an episode of "Are You Afraid of the Dark." Perfecto.
Afterward, we went for a walk in the downtown area, passing shops and bars and very stylish looking Spanish people. We were starving and all we could find in our price range was a Chinese restaurant. ...Yes, we sure did eat Chinese food in Spain. The menu was hilarious(!!), featuring items like "fried greeness," "ants on a tree," and "rice with three delicious." Most of it turned out to be pretty unappetizing except for my pollo con limon, or lemon chicken. Yeah, the menu was translated from chinese to spanish to english and breathtakingly hilarous. We had sooo much fun just laughing at it. It's the little things, right?
After sharing our food, we went back to the hotel, watched some Tv and capped the night with an episode of "Are You Afraid of the Dark." Perfecto.
april 20 - Monday - Mont Pelier, France
So we ate Italian food...in France. We were lured by the convenience of the tourist trap. Driving our sprinter through tiny european streets has proven to be quiet difficult, and parking is much worse. Though the downtown (or as the signs read, "city centre") was beautiful, made of stone and looked like the stuff of dreams, the poor little (well, large) Sprinter waddled tightly through the roads. Annnd we definitely did drive up into a walkway unknowingly. I mean really, if the streets are going to be cobble stone, just as the walking areas, someone should consider some signage. I'm just saying...Anyway! That crazy episode, paired with short spurts in the wrong direction down one way streets led to our forfeit and retreat to the tourist snarls.
Horrible. I'm talking personal pizzas at the equivalent of $13! But it was good. We split a bottle of wine and a basket of bread and had a nice time, with Nicole serving as our talented French translator. Afterward, we went back to our boat hotel. I call it such because the rooms were tiny. Three beds (with one top bunk), a bookshelf and a bathroom stuffed in a tight space. There was about 1 foot between the edge of the beds and the wall. yeah. That, plus the little circular mirror on the bathroom door that looked like the round windows on a cruise ship made us feel like we were in Camp Balmorhea at Sea. Pretty fun though. We capped off the night by watching the cheesiest episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark. It's only slightly disappointing that that show isn't as frightening as I remember.
I think it's safe to say that we all feel like we've seen so many incredible things already. It's so hard to believe that we've only been gone for a week. So many more days to gooooo.
Anyway, until next time,
au revoir!
Horrible. I'm talking personal pizzas at the equivalent of $13! But it was good. We split a bottle of wine and a basket of bread and had a nice time, with Nicole serving as our talented French translator. Afterward, we went back to our boat hotel. I call it such because the rooms were tiny. Three beds (with one top bunk), a bookshelf and a bathroom stuffed in a tight space. There was about 1 foot between the edge of the beds and the wall. yeah. That, plus the little circular mirror on the bathroom door that looked like the round windows on a cruise ship made us feel like we were in Camp Balmorhea at Sea. Pretty fun though. We capped off the night by watching the cheesiest episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark. It's only slightly disappointing that that show isn't as frightening as I remember.
I think it's safe to say that we all feel like we've seen so many incredible things already. It's so hard to believe that we've only been gone for a week. So many more days to gooooo.
Anyway, until next time,
au revoir!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Day something - Sunday - Luzern, Switzerland
Hey!
OH man. I can't believe it's Sunday already. I haven't written in a while, but i have a feeling it just might be this way for this tour. There's just no time, and we haven't really been getting internet consistently.
I think the last show i wrote about was Wednesday. Here's a recap: (P.S. that picture will make sense in about four paragraphs)
Thursday: Berlin, Germany
Before the show, we got to see the most beautiful cathedral i've ever encountered (only rivaled by the one in Reims). We walked around to the touristy areas, checking out some historical landmarks. Back at the venue, Shocolate (I know I mispelled that), we were greeted by a former Chicago native who booked the show. As far as the show is concered, there was a crazy sound situation and the most, shall we say, through soundcheck of my life. There could possibly be more to that story, but I will leave it at that. We had some strange buzz from the electric guitar that we couldn't get rid of. Little did we know this would become a running theme. Anyway, we delt with it fine. Holms, the other band, was great. Folk rocky. Made us feel like we were back in Texas again, which was nice. Post show, we went to bed annd the end!
Friday: Duisburg, Germany
Fun show. Really nice guys in other band!! They are called Scraps of Tape. We've been so lucky to meet nothing but extraordinarily nice people who seem so genuine. The people at the venue made us dinner (twas a baked pasta dish...aka my favorite. it's like they knew me or something). Anyway, the show was fun. It felt really great and there as a pretty big crowd. We sold a good number of cds and wound up autographing a few. that's still weird to me, but you give the people what they want, right? Anyway, after the show we stayed at the apartment of these two girls who were at the show. It was really nice! They had mattresses set out for us and everything. I cuddled up on the couch voluntarily since I'm the smallest and fell asleep almost instantly. That is, after sitting out on the patio and video chatting with mi madre. Skype is a wonderful thing. Its weird talking to someone who's in a completely different point in their day on the other side of the earth. It's weird talking to someone on the other side of the earth period.
Saturday Remins, France: Strange sound situation. pretty good sized crowd. made us keish. Were stuck bumming around in the theatre for approx. 3 hours before the show. Remins is the city where champaign was born. We definitely had some of that. Stayed in a really awesome apartment courtesy of a guy who worked at the venue. "Sweet action," as my dear friend Laura Tucker would say. There was a furry taxidermy surprise in the room Nicole and I stayed in. You should check out that picture.Today! Sunday!
We are in Luzern, Switzerland. The show was alright. I felt weird the whole time in a way that I can't really explain. I was just really emotionally deatched, I suppose. Usually I get pretty involved musically and this time I just felt like my mind was everywhere the whole time. Oh welllllll. Anyway, they fed us a great dinner before and the venue is pretty cool. I wish I'd taken some pictures, but I've been very camera lazy on my past few trips. We met the guys from the band who played before us, and they were pretty cool. We'll be playing with them again about 10 days from now, when we're back in Switzerland. Lets see, aside from all this:
-I had a Capri Sun in France today! Tastes the same, but looks way cooler.
-We went to a French gas station that had a dine-in buffet and sub sanwhiches for sale!
-passed some amazing mountains in Switzerland, probably the largest I've ever seen
-saw an incredible cathedral in Remins, France after breakfast (see photo above). I remember studying it in Art history. It's the most popular one in france, I've heard.
-ummm...Europe is cool. I am sleepy. we just put our clothes in a washer that literally takes several HOURS to wash. geeze. Have the next two days off. write later. g'night!
-Aisha
Friday, April 17, 2009
Day 3 - Thursday - April 16
We are in Berlin! I am amazed by how many cities I have seen just in the past few weeks. About a week ago, I returned from a 5 day tour with the Trapdoor Band through the south. I was inundated by history then and I am still. I am in Germany. Germany. This trip could not have happened for me 60 years ago. Mike has driven the whole time so far. People drive ridiculously fast here! I won't tell you the numbers on the speed limit signs that we saw. We are well rested, well fed and in good spirits.
Wed. April 15 - THE SHOW
The show was great. Our newest German friend, Ena, who worked at the cafe came and hung out with us! She's so nice. We played in an art gallery/cafe/bar. Peter Broderick was there with his friend Nills and together they opened for us. Nills was great. He played solo piano pieces, which Mike said were all improvizations on a theme. Our set went pretty well for an opening show. People were so quiet and attentive! It's nice to play to silent crowds in quiet spaces because I feel like so much of our music values the interaction between silence and sound. It definitely needs a silent canvas for it to work in the best way...but thats just my opinion of course. Playing wise, I felt a little rusty and things weren't 100% spot on, but it was a solid start. The crowd was really into it. They clapped forever, even after we'd walked out of the room. No, there was no encore. By the time we'd decided to possibly go back, they'd given up. Perhaps tomorrow.
The post show hangout included all of us, plus Peter, Nills and our promoter Patrick, who was incredibly nice. We sat outside and drank free beer (as much beer and food as we desired on behalf of the venue! so nice!), talking, laughing, wikipedia searching whether hamburgers really had anything to do with Hamburg. You know, things like that.
Later I got up to go inside, stuffed my hands in my jacket pockets, not knowing I was about to do something very stupid. I walked up to the stairs, where a few guys were sitting, the cold and my shyness burying my chin down into my jacket. I walked staring at the ground, not knowing I was about to do something quite embarrassing. I took two steps up to the giant glass sliding door that, in my defense, had been open ALL day, and well, it went something like this: step, step, SMACK!! Yup. That's right. I definitely walked very swiftly into a giant glass door. And I definitely had a giant unicorn knot on my forehead to show for it. The guys on the stairs who saw it all grabbed my hands in concern, asking if i was okay. I laughed, explained that I didn't realize it was closed annnnd then laughed the whole way to the bathroom. Nicole was sweet enough to come check on me and make sure I didn't have a concussion...apparently it was pretty loud. !! I can't believe I did that! I walked back outside, dreading 8 guys laughing at me for being like those oblivious birds on the Windex commercial. I took a bow, continued laughing, showed off my unicorn horn and all was fine. What is it with me creating memorable moments on the night of the first show on tour?? in August, it was the Miss Ohio singing incident. This year, it will definitely be, hey remember that one time Aisha walked straight into that glass door?!"
We went home, Peter and Nills stayed over and we all hung out for a while before calling it quits. Nicole and I had some sleepover style, girl chit-chat time in the dark before falling asleep. I can't believe we still have 30 more days of this. I still can't believe I'm on the other side of the world...
The post show hangout included all of us, plus Peter, Nills and our promoter Patrick, who was incredibly nice. We sat outside and drank free beer (as much beer and food as we desired on behalf of the venue! so nice!), talking, laughing, wikipedia searching whether hamburgers really had anything to do with Hamburg. You know, things like that.
Later I got up to go inside, stuffed my hands in my jacket pockets, not knowing I was about to do something very stupid. I walked up to the stairs, where a few guys were sitting, the cold and my shyness burying my chin down into my jacket. I walked staring at the ground, not knowing I was about to do something quite embarrassing. I took two steps up to the giant glass sliding door that, in my defense, had been open ALL day, and well, it went something like this: step, step, SMACK!! Yup. That's right. I definitely walked very swiftly into a giant glass door. And I definitely had a giant unicorn knot on my forehead to show for it. The guys on the stairs who saw it all grabbed my hands in concern, asking if i was okay. I laughed, explained that I didn't realize it was closed annnnd then laughed the whole way to the bathroom. Nicole was sweet enough to come check on me and make sure I didn't have a concussion...apparently it was pretty loud. !! I can't believe I did that! I walked back outside, dreading 8 guys laughing at me for being like those oblivious birds on the Windex commercial. I took a bow, continued laughing, showed off my unicorn horn and all was fine. What is it with me creating memorable moments on the night of the first show on tour?? in August, it was the Miss Ohio singing incident. This year, it will definitely be, hey remember that one time Aisha walked straight into that glass door?!"
We went home, Peter and Nills stayed over and we all hung out for a while before calling it quits. Nicole and I had some sleepover style, girl chit-chat time in the dark before falling asleep. I can't believe we still have 30 more days of this. I still can't believe I'm on the other side of the world...
Day 2 - wednesday - April 15
Just so I don't confuse anyone, I'll say that the date in the title of each blog denotes what day I'm describing and is probably more important than the date at each entry's end. The latter shows the day I've actually posted what you're reading, which, more than likely, I have posted very much after-the-fact. Anyway, just thought I'd restate that to avoid confusions! Now that we've got that all settled, lets move on, shall we?
Wednesday! I woke up to sunshine painting the walls. I promptly buried my face beneath the comforter in an attempt to deny the morning, but the window was open and the birds were so freakin loud that I decided to forfeit and embrace 9am. Guten tag. (two days in germany and I still probably spelled that wrong).
We had breakfast together in the cafe downstairs. The food was good I had 2 croissants with nutella and jelly, fruit and orange juice. I learned that water is nearly always served with gas, meaning carbonated. Pierrier style I suppose. And they charge you for it! We really need to learn how to say the equivalent of "tap water." We found an internet cafe across the street and set up camp, emailing, facebooking, skyping etc. And theeen we found this:
We are on the front page of Blogotheque! No, the video is not up yet but there's a pretty nice review of "All is wild, All is Silent." ...Well, I think its pretty nice. It's written in French, so I actually have no idea what it says. But I overheard Mike and Rob reading it and they looked like they were reading nice words, so I'll take that!
After we probably wore out our welcome, we walked back down to the Thomas Kirche (Kirche means church i believe), where Bach and Mendolsson conducted and did a great deal of music writing. It was beautiful, exactly what you'd imagine an old German church to look like. It felt slightly ordinary walking through it and taking pictures, until I remembered that Bach walked down the very same isles. Stood where I stood, and saw what I saw. That was overwhelming to imagine. I feel like there are few places in America where I have stood and been completely amazed by whose feet were there before mine.
After leaving the church we walked through different areas of town, passing shops, trains and standing in roadways that looked like sidewalks and spotting cars that thought otherwise. They are paved in the exact same cobble stone! How people know when they're leaving pedestrian space and entering a roadway is beyond me. There were children in swimsuits playing in a huge fountain and teenagers dipping their feet in, which is good use for a fountain I'd say. Otherwise what's the point really? I've always wanted to jump in, so I'm glad somewhere in the world it's not frowned upon. A good number of people sat in the square, hangin out. Rob mentioned how the US lacks public space, or at least, lacks the people that want to use it. During the past year, publicly and through my own life, I've realized how individualistic we are. I think it's very evident in the way most people live their lives. I've realized how lonely it feels ad how much I detest such a way of living. To me, it is no way to live at all.
FOOD
On the way back to the hotel/apartment, we ate at a place called Aladdin kabob. I ate a "Doner Kabob," knowing nothing other than it was bread filled with salad and lamb! Lamb! I never thought I'd ever eat lamb. I've always thought them too cute to eat, but I was hungry and couldn't understand anything else on the menu. There was this big rotating cylindrical slab of cooked meat, and they just shaved off thin pieces and packed it into the pita bread. so strange. the whole thing was good but honestly grossed me out a little when I remembered that it was a cute little lamb in its day...anyway, more to come!
Wednesday! I woke up to sunshine painting the walls. I promptly buried my face beneath the comforter in an attempt to deny the morning, but the window was open and the birds were so freakin loud that I decided to forfeit and embrace 9am. Guten tag. (two days in germany and I still probably spelled that wrong).
We had breakfast together in the cafe downstairs. The food was good I had 2 croissants with nutella and jelly, fruit and orange juice. I learned that water is nearly always served with gas, meaning carbonated. Pierrier style I suppose. And they charge you for it! We really need to learn how to say the equivalent of "tap water." We found an internet cafe across the street and set up camp, emailing, facebooking, skyping etc. And theeen we found this:
We are on the front page of Blogotheque! No, the video is not up yet but there's a pretty nice review of "All is wild, All is Silent." ...Well, I think its pretty nice. It's written in French, so I actually have no idea what it says. But I overheard Mike and Rob reading it and they looked like they were reading nice words, so I'll take that!After we probably wore out our welcome, we walked back down to the Thomas Kirche (Kirche means church i believe), where Bach and Mendolsson conducted and did a great deal of music writing. It was beautiful, exactly what you'd imagine an old German church to look like. It felt slightly ordinary walking through it and taking pictures, until I remembered that Bach walked down the very same isles. Stood where I stood, and saw what I saw. That was overwhelming to imagine. I feel like there are few places in America where I have stood and been completely amazed by whose feet were there before mine.
After leaving the church we walked through different areas of town, passing shops, trains and standing in roadways that looked like sidewalks and spotting cars that thought otherwise. They are paved in the exact same cobble stone! How people know when they're leaving pedestrian space and entering a roadway is beyond me. There were children in swimsuits playing in a huge fountain and teenagers dipping their feet in, which is good use for a fountain I'd say. Otherwise what's the point really? I've always wanted to jump in, so I'm glad somewhere in the world it's not frowned upon. A good number of people sat in the square, hangin out. Rob mentioned how the US lacks public space, or at least, lacks the people that want to use it. During the past year, publicly and through my own life, I've realized how individualistic we are. I think it's very evident in the way most people live their lives. I've realized how lonely it feels ad how much I detest such a way of living. To me, it is no way to live at all.
FOOD
On the way back to the hotel/apartment, we ate at a place called Aladdin kabob. I ate a "Doner Kabob," knowing nothing other than it was bread filled with salad and lamb! Lamb! I never thought I'd ever eat lamb. I've always thought them too cute to eat, but I was hungry and couldn't understand anything else on the menu. There was this big rotating cylindrical slab of cooked meat, and they just shaved off thin pieces and packed it into the pita bread. so strange. the whole thing was good but honestly grossed me out a little when I remembered that it was a cute little lamb in its day...anyway, more to come!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday Night - April 14
We walked and walked and walked some more after arriving at our hotel and unloading. A woman named Ena handed us our key, and it unlocked a door through a stone hallway,into a courtyard and four stories up. There are three bedrooms and one bathroom and large windows all about. Nicole and I are in a room together, as you might have guessed. And my bed is big enough for about three of me. I am going to make a very purposeful effort to roll around obnoxiously and take advantage of it.
After some coffee and realizing that we must look very obviously American, we decided to get to know Leipzig a bit. We walked to an old church that Bach and Mendolsson conducted in for several years. It was huge! Stone gothic looking structure with dungeon-type doors and gargoyles all around. We played our tourist cards and took pictures everywhere. By this point, it was nearly 6pm and we were starved. We settled on outdoor seating in a cafe near our rooms that very suddenly became packed as a futbol (or soccer) game kicked off. Through this time I learned a lot about Leipsig culture:
1) I am probably, currently, the only black person here. Everyone is staring at us in general, but I think my melanin heavy nature might have something to do with it. I haven't seen another person that wasn't white the whole time we've been here. Which, i suppose in the big scheme of things, hasn't been a long time and we haven't walked through a large area, but still! Also, my hair is crazy. I think I would stare at my hair if I weren't me as well. I'm not uncomfortable really, though this is Germany after all, but it's just something I think about. You can't drive through this country and escape from the history. It's all around. In castles, in stone buildings, in the mere existence of highways. While walking down cobble stone streets, we incessantly remembered that the 40s were not so long ago...
2) Wveryone rides bikes. All over! And they have these contraptions that seem to channel power from their peddling to illuminate rear reflector lights. way cool.
3) Dinner moves much slower. Granted, the cafe seemed to be understaffed and over-crowded perhaps due to the football game, but goodness, it took forever for us to just get the water we ordered. And it's probably a good thing I didn't have a watch between the times our drinks arrived and when our food actually came. It felt like forever. But i think it's good. I've always had this idea about European dinners, in that they moved slower. I assumed that people actually intentionally took the time to just sit and be with each other. To live life together, enjoy each other's company and connect with what's going on in the lives of the people around them. We completely take this opportunity for advantage in the US, and are slaves to our bussied lives, while we pencil our friends in to our schedule. I dont like that at all. So, the slowness was fine for me. If we can't learn to pass the time now, we're gonna be in trouble down the road when we've seen each others faces and heard each other's voices for 25 days plus. I really do feel lucky to travel with such great people. I'm not sure i'd want to tour in many other ways.
Despues dinner (yeah, I know that's not German, but I feel more intelligent around such multi-langual people if I can speak some other language), Nicole and Travis tried out the instruments they rented. Everything seems great so far, besides the fact that Travis' end pin won't come out. We'll work on that tomorrow. We went downstairs for a drink at the bar just below us, and hung out with the woman who greeted us today. She's cool, an artist it seems. She sat with us and soldiered through our questions about europe and the german language. Very nice. Never before have I felt so satisfied and relaxed from just one drink. I think I was a little on edge before, but this was good. Anyway, it's 12:49am and time for bed. Free breakfast in the morn!
-aisha
After some coffee and realizing that we must look very obviously American, we decided to get to know Leipzig a bit. We walked to an old church that Bach and Mendolsson conducted in for several years. It was huge! Stone gothic looking structure with dungeon-type doors and gargoyles all around. We played our tourist cards and took pictures everywhere. By this point, it was nearly 6pm and we were starved. We settled on outdoor seating in a cafe near our rooms that very suddenly became packed as a futbol (or soccer) game kicked off. Through this time I learned a lot about Leipsig culture:
1) I am probably, currently, the only black person here. Everyone is staring at us in general, but I think my melanin heavy nature might have something to do with it. I haven't seen another person that wasn't white the whole time we've been here. Which, i suppose in the big scheme of things, hasn't been a long time and we haven't walked through a large area, but still! Also, my hair is crazy. I think I would stare at my hair if I weren't me as well. I'm not uncomfortable really, though this is Germany after all, but it's just something I think about. You can't drive through this country and escape from the history. It's all around. In castles, in stone buildings, in the mere existence of highways. While walking down cobble stone streets, we incessantly remembered that the 40s were not so long ago...
2) Wveryone rides bikes. All over! And they have these contraptions that seem to channel power from their peddling to illuminate rear reflector lights. way cool.
3) Dinner moves much slower. Granted, the cafe seemed to be understaffed and over-crowded perhaps due to the football game, but goodness, it took forever for us to just get the water we ordered. And it's probably a good thing I didn't have a watch between the times our drinks arrived and when our food actually came. It felt like forever. But i think it's good. I've always had this idea about European dinners, in that they moved slower. I assumed that people actually intentionally took the time to just sit and be with each other. To live life together, enjoy each other's company and connect with what's going on in the lives of the people around them. We completely take this opportunity for advantage in the US, and are slaves to our bussied lives, while we pencil our friends in to our schedule. I dont like that at all. So, the slowness was fine for me. If we can't learn to pass the time now, we're gonna be in trouble down the road when we've seen each others faces and heard each other's voices for 25 days plus. I really do feel lucky to travel with such great people. I'm not sure i'd want to tour in many other ways.
Despues dinner (yeah, I know that's not German, but I feel more intelligent around such multi-langual people if I can speak some other language), Nicole and Travis tried out the instruments they rented. Everything seems great so far, besides the fact that Travis' end pin won't come out. We'll work on that tomorrow. We went downstairs for a drink at the bar just below us, and hung out with the woman who greeted us today. She's cool, an artist it seems. She sat with us and soldiered through our questions about europe and the german language. Very nice. Never before have I felt so satisfied and relaxed from just one drink. I think I was a little on edge before, but this was good. Anyway, it's 12:49am and time for bed. Free breakfast in the morn!
-aisha
Euro Tour - Day 1 - Tuesday - April 14
Day 1 ? - Tuesday - April 14
Welcome to the Balmorhea European tour portion of the blog. The line up includes: Rob, Mike, Nicole, Travis, Bruce (from Mom), and myself, little ishtar. Welcome back. Please feel free to blog stalk us, and leave comments if you've got some words of wisdom, encouragement or um, a comment. Alright! Here we go!
-------------------
Germany! I'm writing this in the backseat of our Sprinter ( the strangely tall white van that we'll be getting comfy in for the next 30 days), in hopes that we'll reach an internet connection in Leipzig. After spending over 12 hours on a plane we are finally here! That is of course, only after the following occurred:
-a half hour flight from austin to Dallas
- a surprise greeting from Mike's mom in the airport holding a sign that read: "Balmorhea: Number one fan!"
-(She contributed: lots of motherly/ex-flight attendent-y advice, a McDonalds lunch for all, and lots and lots of excitement. That would've been a dull layover if not for her)
- a 2 hour delay after boarding the plane because a few dogs were mistakenly or incorrectly loaded into the wrong cargo area...(yeah, weird. i thought so too)
-dinner-free movies/tv shows on our personal screens, breakfast and a smoooth landing.
We are en route to Leipzig, with an eta of 3:45ish. I am having a hard time remembering that it is tomorrow, that is, tuesday. I got out of my bed at 8:05am. Boarded the first plane at 10am and the second at 3pm. I missed the sun set, missed any sign of night. After an uncomfortable jagged sleep, I woke up at 8am again, still on the same plane. Now, it's 1:30 in the afternoon. It's felt like one long day, but I suppose we'll call this day one. First show is tomorrow. The German countryside is beautiful, full of trees all abloom. White and golden flowers and leaves peak through the green and we're surrounded by hills and mountains. Goood start so far, I'd say.*
*save for the fact that the van is standard and we asked for an automatic. After calling the guy, he said there were no other free vans to rent...so we're just gonna soldier through. Moms/gfs, don't fret; Travis, Mike & Rob know how to drive standard. Also, the GPS was pretty crazy initially. German highways are strange to me. sooo many signs and colors. We've turned around three times already, haha. Leipzig, here we come!
-aisha
Welcome to the Balmorhea European tour portion of the blog. The line up includes: Rob, Mike, Nicole, Travis, Bruce (from Mom), and myself, little ishtar. Welcome back. Please feel free to blog stalk us, and leave comments if you've got some words of wisdom, encouragement or um, a comment. Alright! Here we go!
-------------------
Germany! I'm writing this in the backseat of our Sprinter ( the strangely tall white van that we'll be getting comfy in for the next 30 days), in hopes that we'll reach an internet connection in Leipzig. After spending over 12 hours on a plane we are finally here! That is of course, only after the following occurred:
-a half hour flight from austin to Dallas
- a surprise greeting from Mike's mom in the airport holding a sign that read: "Balmorhea: Number one fan!"
-(She contributed: lots of motherly/ex-flight attendent-y advice, a McDonalds lunch for all, and lots and lots of excitement. That would've been a dull layover if not for her)
- a 2 hour delay after boarding the plane because a few dogs were mistakenly or incorrectly loaded into the wrong cargo area...(yeah, weird. i thought so too)
-dinner-free movies/tv shows on our personal screens, breakfast and a smoooth landing.
We are en route to Leipzig, with an eta of 3:45ish. I am having a hard time remembering that it is tomorrow, that is, tuesday. I got out of my bed at 8:05am. Boarded the first plane at 10am and the second at 3pm. I missed the sun set, missed any sign of night. After an uncomfortable jagged sleep, I woke up at 8am again, still on the same plane. Now, it's 1:30 in the afternoon. It's felt like one long day, but I suppose we'll call this day one. First show is tomorrow. The German countryside is beautiful, full of trees all abloom. White and golden flowers and leaves peak through the green and we're surrounded by hills and mountains. Goood start so far, I'd say.*
*save for the fact that the van is standard and we asked for an automatic. After calling the guy, he said there were no other free vans to rent...so we're just gonna soldier through. Moms/gfs, don't fret; Travis, Mike & Rob know how to drive standard. Also, the GPS was pretty crazy initially. German highways are strange to me. sooo many signs and colors. We've turned around three times already, haha. Leipzig, here we come!
-aisha
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