My extended weekend.

I went to see Slim Twig---bizarre, then awesome; Miracle Fortress---different than expected, with wonky sound, but good; and Born Ruffians---fun, even if I had to leave part of the way through their set at Lee's Palace on Saturday night. I met Paul and some of the kids from Ruby Coast and this guy, all whom were up at the front. I was, for most of the night, front row centre. It was a fun time. The crowd seemed a bit sparse (for a sold out show, probably due in large part to the TTC strike), but once the headliners came on everyone moved forward and it felt much more like a proper rock concert.

Maybe a third of the way through Born Ruffians's set, I had to dash off to the Horseshoe. I had hoped to see everything, but the show wasn't running on time, and I'd promised The Schomberg Fair guys that I'd make an appearance at their CD release party. I got there at the right time, and had a fantastic end to my night. It was a shame I had missed Tin Bangs, but MB danced hard enough for the both of us. And then he walked me home (again). Stupid strike!

The strike continued to cramp my style and make my feet hurt on Sunday since I had to hike down to Kensington Market for an afternoon birthday party. A clump of us celebrants then made our way to Soundscapes to catch the Born Ruffians's in-store performance. I missed most of it, but had a good time chatting with QuadB and Tom the teenage scenester as the guys were setting up. KH and I had ice cream down the street while they played. It was lovely.

The rest of my day was taken up with more walking, dinner with a historian friend of mine, and then Gather Round at the Boat. The music---especially Malcolm Bauld and Hamilton Trading Co.---and company was amazing! I had a blast, and everyone there seemed to be thoroughly enjoying her- or himself too. I even got up the nerve to finally introduce myself to LV. The strike ended Sunday afternoon/evening, so I was able to get home safely and relatively cheaply.

Monday morning I got up early so MB and I could drive down to Pittsburgh to catch Woodhands play the last show of their North American tour. Yes! It was a total blast. It being the whole two-days we were on the road, hanging out with PB and DW, and checking out MB's old haunts. It was fascinating to catch a glimpse of the music scene in a much smaller city. Although MB and I are so completely not uber hipsters here in Toronto, we were pretty nearly the coolest kids at the Monday night show. It was strange. The Pittsburghers kinda didn't know what to make up us. Especially when Woodhands started playing and we let loose. Funny.

And now it's Wednesday and I haven't managed to do any dissertating yet this week. Life keeps getting in the way. But I'll get back to it in short order . . . or, well, maybe next Tuesday, once I'm back from San Francisco. Ah, life. It's so fun sometimes!