Raw for Lent: Day 31-32 (Chicago, Ohio and Brooklyn)

Day 31:

So I drove down to Chicago Raw  in the French Market.  The French Market is AMAZING.  It's such a total tourist trap and I do not even care because I loved it.  Chicago Raw had the best raw "veggie burger" ever.  I tried that as well as their "egg salad," which ended up making me a little road sick. I also, of course, picked up a tira misu.  All the nuts I've been downing through all this stuff has been making me feel a little funny in the tummy, though.  Too rich or something.

I'm listening to a really amazing book on tape right now called The Pillars of the Earth that my friend Tom lent to me.  It's pretty nerdy-- about building a Cathedral in Medieval England, but it is a total suspense page turner.  Might be the best thing I've listened to since Ready Player One.  (Which is about 80s video games) This may in fact be the nerdiest paragraph I've ever written on this blog.  I promise, I also read and listen to nonfiction and best sellers and classics.  Apparently I just don't enjoy them as much as I do books that make any reference to D&D or activities that inspired D&D.

Anyway, I rolled up to Columbus Ohio, which is basically Ohio State with some housing nearby.  I stopped at Whole Foods and ding ding ding we have a winner.  Worst Whole Foods ever award goes to Columbus, Ohio.  Sorry y'all.  Didn't even have a prep foods section.  Did have a beer bar.  Well, not so much a beer bar as 3 taps.  Bought some Kiwi berry things (seriously, why are these not the most famous and best loved fruit in the world?) then hit up the Worm Zone.

The Worm Zone was an odd place.  The owners were puppeteers (are we noticing a pattern on this tour?) and had a lot of cool art on the walls.  It was raining pretty much the whole drive from Chicago to Columbus, so we didn't get to check out the Ravine like I'd hoped to.  The bands I played with were definitely the most eclectic of tour, and the audience...

I'll say this, it's usually tough to get people to participate in dancing.  These guys were just like, mirroring everything I did from the minute I started dancing, so when I actually gave them moves, they were getting sweaty and stinking up the place like a middle school gymnasium.  Seriously, best crowd of tour award goes to COLUMBUS.  You rule, Columbus!  Videos of Columbus bands will be on Youtube shortly-- without the joy of a decent wired connection or the luxury of 8-9 hours to sleep and let things upload...not a whole lot has gone up.

After Worm Zone, I headed to Marty (a Durham friend)'s apartment.  She had made up a blow up bed for me with sheets and a blanket and comforter and EVERYTHING, and her sassy cat Sebastian -- (Sea Bass) who is SO FAT and I don't even really like cats but we are in love and going to get inter-species married and kill mice together-- slept by my side all night.  Marty also bought me some bananas and avocado for the road which was super sweet.  We watched a few episodes of Archer (I feel like all I do on this tour is watch Archer on other people's netflix, hang out with Puppeteers and stalk whole foods) then passed out.

Day 32:

Off to BROOKLYN. What should've been a 10 hour drive was accomplished in just under 8.  So having arrived early in Brooklyn, home of the hipster and vegan supposed mecca, I hit up a raw vegan place.  Which was closed down.  No big, tried another.  Also closed down.  Last attempt (which was hard, apparently at rush hour the traffic situation gets a little tricky) was CLOSED by the time I got there.  MISERY.

I just decided to throw in the towel on the whole awesome meal right then thing and wait until I got home (FORESHADOWING!).  I arrived at the PW house very early...before even most of the roommates at the house were due home.  No matter.  I sat down, I ate celery.

I was lucky enough to perform with WOJCIK again.  For those who forgot, she plays grungy 90s style guitar rock with a pretty rich alto on top.

Lisa Liu performed as Magnetic Islands, and was an AMAZING guitar player, technically stunning.  The songs were reminiscent of meandering jams, but well constructed, at least at the beginning.  It bore some resemblance to free jazz and made me super happy and stimulated and alive feeling before my set.

While at the party I also ran into Nikki McCleod, who plays steel drums and played with Pink Flag last year at the Tom Tom magazine party in Brooklyn.  The crowd was subdued, particuarly compared to the down for whatever kids in Ohio, but I was grateful to be home and even more grateful to be able to pack up and be at the crashpad by midnight (rest for the weary!).  Of course, a lot of the awesome got murdered by the fact that when I walked into my parents house the refrigerator, usually overflowing with produce I can't afford was BARE.  There was half a banana and a mealy looking apple in the fruit bowl.  Oh, mom, we gonna talk.

Til soon, kids.