The exciting news is that Flaca is now on pulleys! That was the original plan for the design but I couldn't find them in my quick Scottish construction days. I finally got two little brass pulleys from Cowls and some thicker cord (the regular cord slid off and got stuck). I was pleased with myself for getting the pulleys attached on my first attempt (nails, duct tape, brad fasteners, staple gun), and they make such a big difference! Rather than Flaca's strings going through eyelets which are jerky and cause the strings to erode and snap every couple weeks, the strings now slide beautifully through the pulleys. Her dancing looks noticeably more dramatic, even, and overall better. I also poked a new hole for the bell, which she hits consistently. I'm feeling good!
Also, I pulled out the ol' poster board and paint pens to make a new sign directing folks to my Facebook pages. I no longer display the big Sophie's Smokin' Squeezebox sign and my business cards have been disappearing quickly, so I decided to try this. Here it is:
There are four super-subtle homages to 2012 in the border, as I like to do. They are "KAIHO" written on top, a tiara (for the queen) and an erupting mountain range (for Iceland) in reference to my travels last year, and there is a T with whiskers and fangs for Tallulah, the new cat. We'll see if this works!
So out I went Saturday, and got my spot. It was colder than I expected it to be, and I had to wear gloves. Boooo, this is late March! Here we are:
Saturday, March 23, 2013
1. The highlight of the day was seeing some of my favorite relatives, the Minnicks of Connecticut. I hadn't seen them since the Fall of 2011, although I almost ran into Scott in Paris last spring! They are intrepid travelers, so we always seem to be in touch, which is nice. So great to see them!
2. I was also greeted by a group of travelers from Japan. Their local liaison explained that they're here doing a documentary and that they don't speak English. They took some photos of me. Now, a lot of people don't know my Japan connection because it was before the years of Facebook/rampant internet connection. Amherst has a sister city in Japan, Kanegasaki, and there was a student exchange program for many years. I went to Japan in eighth grade, and we hosted numerous teachers and students from that town in my youth and teenage years. Therefore, Japan has a special place in my heart, and I still remember a few phrases. Throughout this interaction I uttered a few Japanese phrases, including my favorite, "Do itashimashite." I also attempted to play "Sakura" for them, the traditional Japanese song I used to know every word to. They liked it :)
3. A punky teenage girl sat down with her friend in front of Faces, and asked if I could play "Carry On My Wayward Son." That's a new one!
4. There were a lot of funny overheard statements today, and my favorite was "The last thing I need to do is go COMPLETELY insane. Mild insanity I can deal with." Wise words.
5. A man I recognized walked by an said something. I didn't quite catch it, but it might have been, "Puppet's good today." I really hope so, because she was!!
6. A guy walked by reading a book. Then he walked by again reading a comic book. I hoped he would walk by a third time, reading something even smaller, like a leaflet on famous Jewish sports legends (anyone??). He did walk by twice more, though, once drinking coffee and once eating a clementine, so at least we have for different activities.
7. A car behind me was honking. I had no idea why the person persisted. Finally I turned around, and the old man inside was waving a dollar out the window? Awesome!
8. I was talking to another busker when two cops stopped by. They lingered a few feet away, then came over to me. Uh-oh. One asked if he could see my permit, but it turns out he was just explaining protocol to the other cop. He asked the other if he had seen me play, and he said, "No, but I work midnight to 4:00 AM." There we go. He showed him the proper way they like to have permits displayed. Glad we're keeping everyone up to the task!
8.5. A guy named Zach (?) stopped and explained that he works for a non-profit, and his task that day was to stamp people's money. He asked if he could stamp mine, so I granted him access to the few dollars currently in my box. The stamp was large and read, and said "Not to be used to bribe politicians" with some fine print. I meant to keep one, but it seems they're all in the bank. Cool!
9. I finally quit because I was cold, but I still had a half hour until I had to leave to babysit. So I went to get a warm drink, and ran into Dan, a "regular." He joined me for a beverage, and suggested I learn "The Universe Song" by Eric Idle, made famous in The Monty Python's "Meaning of Life." He thought it would be a crowd-pleaser. I'm not super versed on my MP, but I'll give it a try! Dan and I also discussed gadgets, because I showed him my not-quite-patented accordion gloves. He thought I could do a whole heated chamber that covers the whole keyboard (aw look at that, he's seen me play enough times that he has faith in my not needing to look at the keys). We also discussed an idea I had once, of using the air flow from the bellows to power something else, like lights. He suggested using a CBI (three letters, not sure what) fan to collect the energy. Cool! Always nice talking to the people I see a lot.
And then I babysat in Northampton for one of my favorite families, spent the night, and headed out again Sunday afternoon!
Sunday, March 24, 2013
The striking thing about Sunday was the warmth! The sun was out and the air felt great. This meant a ton of buskers were out too: a steel drum player, Downtown Dan and his guitar, a new human statue, the two girls from Smith who fancy my spot, the other guitar player Dan, and Jesse the harp player. I had to settle for a spot outside the Main Street Cleaners which was okay because it was in the sun and the shop was closed so people could stop and watch in its alcove. I would have much preferred my normal spot though. I was in the direct line of sun, and sure enough, I stripped down to just my dress. Wow! I had forgotten what my arms looked like! You won't believe this, but I actually have a sunburn on my back from it. I really need to find more fabric and make a new dress for the summer that covers my back.
I was greeted with a surprise when I unpacked everything: a little round plastic red thing. What could it be? I had no idea! Finally I realized it was Flaca's nose that had come unglued. That had never happened before! Lacking glue, I folded some duct tape to adhere it temporarily, but it didn't look great.
Here's what happened:
1. I talked to a man I've talked to before, and he told me to Google him to find his music online. Jimmy Sizzle. He said there were many Jimmy Sizzles online, and that sort of amused me.
2. Many people referenced the large number of buskers out, and one specified that he chose me to tip because of the dress. Woo-hoo!
3. I had a bit of an awkward moment. A high school classmate and his girlfriend walked by and stopped to talk. We were catching up a bit, and I made a lame joke*. They politely smiled, but this random guy who walked by behind them, walking the same direction as them, cracked up. So I pointed to him and said, quietly, "That guy LOVED it." But since I was pointing to him, I was also pointing in the direction these people were walking in, and it seems they interpreted my pointing as me sending them off! They were like "Cool, nice to see you!" and took off. Oh no! Hopefully they didn't think I was totally rude...
4. A guy stopped: "...Russian? Or........Czechoslovakian?" I haven't gotten this in a while! Hey, at least the guy knows about the Czech marionette tradition. "100% American."
5. I played for a nice family, and they wanted to hear one more song. I asked what they wanted to hear, and a woman said, "Fiddler on the Roof!" A man said, "Something Italian!" I'm not sure how this happened, but they compromised to "Chim Chim Cheree" which is convenient, of course, because I already play it. After, the man sang, "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie..." and his wife nudged him and said, "Give the lady a break!" Ha.
6. A couple walked by and stopped and listened, then continued into Synergy. I guess the wife was taking a while, because the husband kept popping his head out to listen. At one point I saw him appear as I was playing a certain Rolling Stones hit, and afterwards he declared, "I came out for Paint it Black!" He could hear it inside!
7. An ancient couple maneuvered out of their car and hobbled by. They seemed like the types to love the accordion or even puppetry! Unfortunately I was playing "Dynamite," of all songs. It was too late to change it, but the lady deemed Flaca "cute" anyway.
8. I recently started putting stickers on my accordion box, originating with one from the Lübeck, Germany marionette museum. It's a round white sticker with a colorful jester marionette in the middle. A man who I see all the time noticed it. He pointed down and said, "What's that?" The answer could have been any of "my set list," "pizza," or "concrete," but he specified the sticker. He recognized the jester because he has his sister's "treasure box" which included all sorts of things. (I'm imagining the one in Amelie that she finds). One of the sister's "treasures" was a card with a jester on it that looked just like mine. Hmm. I hope he brings it to compare!
*Bonus: my lame joke! Like I said, I was down to just my dress. Everyone was ecstatic about the sun, so when people mentioned it I said something like, "Yeah, I had forgotten what my arms look like!" or something. I delivered it a few times, and, as you know, it was VERY well received by one passerby.
I decided that I'd be better off doing Friday nights and Saturday mornings, like I've done in the past, to get the prime dining/shopping crews. Then I have some weekend time for myself! I have something this Friday night, but I'll see you Saturday morning :)
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