I planted myself at the computer in the back and basically surfed the Net until the lesson was over. I was a little annoyed that I couldn't go to my room--actually I could have but that would've interrupted the lesson. I decided to pass the time browsing friendster and myspace for people interested in flamenco so I could add more friends to my profile. La de da de da.

Anyhoo, little by little I was seduced by the sound of tango music. It was playing on a tiny boombox with low-quality speakers that actually enhanced the tango experience. I could hear the crackle and pop that's typical of vinyl records giving the recording a nostalgic kind of feeling.

Although this was a private lesson, I was surprised to hear very little teaching going on. Must've been an advanced student cuz I imagine he had the basics down cold and was just focusing on subtle style improvements as the teacher made non-verbal corrections. No foot stomping of course, but I could hear the creak of the floor as they tango'd around the studio.

Occasionally the teacher would mutter some instruction but I didn't try to listen. It was followed immediately by some laughter. They were having a good time. Nice. I love living here. There's always something artistic going on...from my mambo dancer roommate upstairs practicing to my artist roommate working on his latest painting.

So fast forward to Friday...I decided to make some quality time for a dancer friend and get some lunch in Georgetown. We checked out this place called Bangkok Joes just around da corner from Cabanas. My friend and I are both on artist budgets, but we're not poor. This place was perfect cuz the prices were very reasonable, the service was very attentive and the ambience was chic ('cept for the un-Bangkok-like American pop for background music, ugh).

The hostess sat us in one of those two-person booths (see above pic) which were raised above the floor so that you had to place your feet on a footrest underneath the table. It was like our table was one car in a train on an amusement park ride without the seat belts. :-) So began our little culinary journey to Thailand...

My friend ordered the Thai iced tea--a perfect choice for a humid day. My instincts told me to order somethin' else just to be different but the thought of sipping something cool and refreshing with a touch of the exotic won me over to my friend's choice. Minutes later, our server brought us two glasses filled with iced tea and to my surprise a little glass of condensed milk and a sugar syrup kettle. That's classy.

It took us a little while to decide on our entrees. We were a bit distracted by the decor and couldn't help looking around and comment on the design. Our server was patient with us, though. Nice.

My choice for lunch: Drunken Chicken--stir fried sen-yai (fat noodle) with chicken, sweet basil, chili and garlic sauce. This one had three pepper icons--I like it spicy! It was served in a white porcelain bowl with a peculiar design: high on one end and low on the other as if to frame it at the perfect angle for the diner's view. Kinda made the portion look small though, but it was big on taste and those big fat noodles are very filling!

She got the Thai Chicken Salad--grilled chicken and mesclun tossed with sweet and sour vinaigrette and crunch rice sticks--and seafood lemon grass soup.

The latter an excellent choice for someone just getting over a cold--lotsa liquid to cleanse the body plus citrus and pepper for boosting the immune system. The combination of the presentation and the aroma so enticed me that I quickly flagged down our server and ordered a bowl of the same for myself!

Seafood lemongrass soup. Mmmmm! May 26, 2006 12:40pm

My friend had the afternoon free, yay! As for myself I dropped off my sound system and guitar at Cabanas so I wouldn't have to go back home. A smart idea, cuz that freed up my schedule big time. Although it was cloudy day, it was still pleasant enough to enjoy walking around Georgetown. So we basically just wandered the streets and found ourselves walking along the C & O canal.

Stairs leading down to the canal. May 26, 2006 2:30pm

Love this place for its historic feel. Back in the 1800's this canal was used regularly by boats drawn by horses on this very trail! What's surreal is that a mere hundred yards away is M St abuzz with cars, suv's and trucks but you can't really hear them.

May 26, 2006 2:31pm

I'm always thinking of scenes I could manipulate with Photoshop--I'm such a geek in that way. Here's one that originally had me jumping on the dirt path, but thanks to my Photoshop skills I made it look like I was jumping in the canal. Pretty cool, no?

View of the canal from a footbridge. May 26, 2006 2:41pm

Crossed over to the other side and found ourselves wandering around the grounds of an architectural firm which had waterfalls galore. Kinda cool place to hangout and read a book. For me, there's something soothing about the sound of running water.

Looks like path on an amusement park water ride, no? May 26, 2006 2:44pm

Um, this is a waterfall. May 26, 2006 2:44pm

Waterfall with flash. May 26, 2006 2:45pm

No flash. May 26, 2006 2:45pm

Fast forward a few hours later...I'm at Cabanas hanging out with dancers Ginette Perea and Mariya between shows. Didn't have my usual photographer in the audience so you'll have to settle for this one pic. It's a nice one though.

Mariya and Ginette. May 26, 2006 9:49pm

My dancer friend Monica (used to dance at Columbia Restaurant in Tampa) came out all the way from Stafford with her husband Joel to celebrate his birthday and squeeze in some flamenco. Thanks guys. I used my connections to get them a table in front of da stage. hehe.

May 26, 2006 9:50pm

At da end of the night, I was walking a dancer friend through Georgetown and we passed by Hu's Shoes on M street and this window display caught my eye. Definitely flamenco-themed. Like it?

May 26, 2006 11:57pm

When I got home, I found a package waiting for me in front of my door. Turned out to be an advance copy of Sarah Bird's latest book: The Flamenco Academy, yay!

May 27, 2006 9:57am

Excerpt from the book jacket:
From the author of the widely praised "The Yokota Officers Club," a superbly alive novel about two young American women caught up in the fevered excitement of the flamenco revival sweeping the Southwest.

The place is Albuquerque. Cyndi Rae Hrcnir, called Rae, seventeen and shy, is twice spellbound, first by high school bad girl Didi ("Dirty Deeds") Steinberg, already embarked on a search for stardom, then by a devastingly handsome young flamenco guitarist, Tomás Montenegro. Soon the girls are in college, where they abandon themselves to the disciplines and demands of the university's flamenco academy and to the hypnotic storytelling of their teacher, Doña Carlota, Tomás's great aunt...Locked in a volatile triangle and driven by obsession--Didi's with stardom, Rae's with Tomás, Tomás with his mysterious heritage--these three emerge as the brightest stars on the New World flamenco scene, while secrets and desires, longings and betrayals pulse just beneath the glittering surface of their compelling performances...

It's Saturday and Anna Menendez's class at American Dance Institute was cancelled for the Memorial Day weekend. So I'm getting out of the house, finding myself a comfortable seat at the nearest Starbucks and read for a few hours.

Personally, I'd love to write a fiction book drawing upon the real-life soap opera of the DC flamenco scene, but omigod I would get in so much trouble! hehe. You'll have to settle for my tame but very very fascinating blog. :-)

Anywayz, Sarah Bird's book is scheduled for release to the general public on June 6. For those of you going to Albuquerque this would make for the perfect reading on the plane. For those of you not going, this'll be a fictional version of the Albuquerque experience. Anywayz I'll have a review as soon as I'm done. Oh yeah, the author, Sarah Bird, is doing a book tour and will be in DC on Tuesday June 20th. I'll have the details as soon as they're finalized. Ciao for now!

P.S. Just heard that for this Monday May 29th only, the Memorial Day holiday, the flamenco show at Cafe Citron is cancelled. :-\ Oh well. So what to do? Hmmm..I wuz thinking of checking out the Monday night salsa party at Clarendon Grill.