TGIF

Oh, what a week it has been. I started working on a new project, doing some developmental editing for one of my former employers. Fortunately the author can write. For the most part, I’m reading for logic and honing the audience, which is pretty broad at the moment as the author is attempting to include everyone. Sadly I’ve lost my work ethic and my ability to concentrate is sorely tested, but when I manage to focus, I am able to develop a rhythm in the reading and thinking and collating notes—and that makes me feel so happy. I feel alive again!! Earlier this week, I was sitting at Dunn’s, flipping through the manuscript pages, and the guy sitting next to me asked if I was an author. I proudly answered, “No, I’m an editor.” Deep sigh of relief.

The best part of the week has been spent recuperating from having attended my twentieth college reunion, the same weekend that I hosted a rock concert in my living room. Since January, John has been playing drums in a garage band. In fact, shortly after he was gainfully reemployed, John bought an electronic drum kit…a totally awesome thing to have on hand. Our friend Tom, who plays bass, has a coworker, Matt, who, not only plays guitar, but also has a boatload of equipment…amps and equalizers and gear for which I don’t even have the vocabulary. So they’ve jammed for months and were feeling good about that, then decided they needed to set a new goal: play for other people. The trio game themselves a name—Edward Upward—and set a date, June 20, for a friends and family concert.

Edward Upward rocked. The party was haphazardly planned—I won’t go into it, but suffice to say, I had nothing to do with the planning. But I did clean the house. Don’t ask. Also, suffice to say, this concert was a dry-run—we’re definitely doing it again, but I’m planning the whole gig. The logistics, the guest list, and so on. The guys did great establishing a playlist and practicing. And, lord knows, Matt has all the gear necessary to pull this off. And they sounded awesome! I am so proud of them for making something out of months of Friday night practices. Here’s the playlist:

Alternative Ulster (Stiff Little Fingers)
Brand New Cadillac (The Clash)
Freak Scene (Dinosaur Jr.)
Bad Moon Rising (CCR)
Breaking the Law (Judas Priest)
Cars (Gary Numan)
Brown Sugar (Rolling Stones)
Surrender (Cheap Trick)
Strychnine (The Sonics)
Last Night (The Strokes)
Night Time (George Thorogood)
Ever Fallen in Love (Buzzcocks)

Two sure signs that the evening was a success: none of our neighbors called the police and a surprising number of guests expressed an interest in playing an instrument/listening to more music OR getting a hobby of some sort.