insider

still feeling exceptionally happy after last night's gig. surely it has something to do with my new keane t-shirt? still, t-shirt aside, it was amazing how alive and purely content i felt listening to them belt out their songs. it really shouldn't surprise me every time this happens, but it does. it's like being reminded of something crucial that you forget on a regular basis - this is what i am most passionate about, and these are the moments where i feel most inspired and alive. so why am i doing the phd and not writing music? it really is a mystery to me sometimes.

thursday is practice at HH, and we had fun rushing through a couple of songs for Sunday. i think we'll make it, despite the fact that i'm in charge this week. the highlight of my afternoon was avoiding my grading chez b, watching a very funny documentary on seinfeld, my newest favourite sitcom. the perfect way to put off going back out into the snow. later i had coffee with dc at ambrosia, which left me feeling much happier about the slow progress i am making with the writing. sometimes you just need a little caffeine and reassurance. we also talked bands and cool venues which was funny. my professors are way too hip.

dinner tonight at grizzly peak with mm and friends. today has been good. even with the snow.

posted by Joanna Ruth @ 4:21 AM

keane rock. just back from the gig at the Michigan Theater ... after an hour standing outside without a ticket (next to guys offering $200 for tickets) i plucked up the courage to actually start asking people if they had any spares, and found a family who sold me theirs for $21. better than ticketmaster. i sang so much and so loud i may have lost my voice. but no matter. right now it wouldn't take much to get me to leave the PhD behind in search of a rock band of my own. this is the place where i can be really passionate. and that - from me - is saying something.

posted by Joanna Ruth @ 3:56 AM

freezing rain has turned to heavy rain... michigan is warming up at last. for a while at least.

well valentine’s day turned out to be much more entertaining than anticipated, with the arrival of 12 red roses at my doorstep. but no name, so i have absolutely no idea who they are from. just a very short message which is lovely but gives nothing away. i suppose i shall just have to enjoy the romance of it. things only got better, as an american in paris was wonderful, despite the sometimes entertaining cardboard sets. there were enough shots of the city to leave me feeling a little sentimental about it, but since there were also plenty of shots of gene kelly looking rather lovely, i was quite happy. the theater was packed and judging by the applause after the songs, i wasn’t the only one enjoying it. one of the best things about the michigan theater is the live organ music they have before and after the films – we were treated to some of the gerschwin numbers from the film as we were walking out – really lovely.

today i’ve been working on a song of my own, for the gcf coffee house on saturday. I managed to find a piano tucked away in one of the back corridors in the pierpont commons where hopefully no one can hear me. so much better than the practice rooms at the music school where i’m sure i’ll be kicked out any moment for serious lack of technique.

the guy on the radio has just referred to “the late great van morrison”. did i miss the death of my favourite singer, or was that a huge mistake?

speaking of singers, i’m still hoping – quite pathetically actually – to win tickets to the keane gig tomorrow night at the michigan theater. It’s sold out and i so so so want to be there. one can but hope...

posted by Joanna Ruth @ 12:44 AM

8:15am on Valentine’s Day and i am dragging my heels about leaving the apartment. this is mostly related to my reluctance to stand in freezing rain at the bus stop. to my mind it’s no way to begin what is meant to be a day of romance. not that french 231, a pile of books on Camus and a trip to kroger promise much romance, but one can hope. i’ve decided that if i behave myself today, i’ll go and see an american in Paris which is showing at the michigan theater this evening. musicals are a good thing on rainy days in february. as it would appear, i am still looking for ways to distract myself. despite the fact that i have survived a number of months back in the midwest, i haven’t rediscovered a great deal of fondness for my way of life here. i know i have plenty to be grateful for, but there are precious few moments in which i feel truly happy here, and a lingering dissatisfaction about community. still, i am reading and writing (almost) to my heart’s content, and i persist in believing i am in the right place for the moment. just looking forward to the next one too, wherever that might be.

the most exciting thing about this week: new laptop is on its way. currently in Phoenix. funny to find i am one of those people who track the travel of their purchases ... wanderlust perhaps?

posted by Joanna Ruth @ 1:31 PM