Flamenco Night in a smoke-free Cafe Citron. January 15, 2007
Mariya in tientos. January 15, 2007 8:13pm (photo by Keith)
It's 8:49pm on Wednesday as I type these words. Last night's show at Las Tapas was cancelled which was sort of expected on account of the three day weekend. But the flamenco gods are looking out for me cuz as luck would have it, I had a private guitar lesson scheduled that day and I made some money anyway. So between teaching a few compases of toque and having my friend treat me to some Italian at nearby Maggiano's after the lesson, it turned out to be a very satisfying afternoon.
I slept in late again today (Wednesday) to rest up, boost my immune system and avoid the bitter cold. I felt a bit of a cough coming on--of course, I've been especially careful lately but a lot of my friends seem to be sick too so I may have caught the virus unintentionally. I spent most of the afternoon working on search engine optimization stuff, published a contest promoting Lisner's Flamenco Festival (see main page), chatted online with friends and got an invite to a last-minute get-together which just got cancelled. It's OK. Just one of those nights when I'd rather stay at home anyway. I'll make up for it this weekend though. 
So this past Monday the weather was unbelievably warm: in the 70's! Turnout was decent at Citron although there weren't as many of my friends in attendance as I would have expected on such a perfect evening to go out. Saw a couple of friends I hadn't seen in a while: Cynthia, Ernesto, Eric, Esin and Ayhan.
Here are a few pics...
January 15, 2007 8:13pm (photo by Keith)
January 15, 2007 8:15pm (photo by Keith)
Note the congregation of smokers just outside the club...
Mariya in alegrías. January 15, 2007 9:17pm (photo by Ayhan)
January 15, 2007 9:18pm (photo by Ayhan)
January 15, 2007 9:19pm (photo by Ayhan)
We used one stage light again and of course just like on Saturday at Tapeo, it made the show more visually dramatic. But we really need at least one more stage light to illuminate us musicians.
Closeup of Gerard Moreno. January 15, 2007 9:20pm (photo by Esin)
Miguelito and Gerard Moreno playing a rumba. January 15, 2007 9:23pm (photo by Ayhan)
Closeup of Miguelito. January 15, 2007 9:28pm (photo by Esin)
Although her dad has been here for flamenco night a few times, it was Esin's first time to come to Citron to see my show. Thanks to the holdiay weekend they were able to come, but it'll be awhile before we see them here again. Ayhan plays flamenco guitar. His wife Bedriye studies flamenco dance and Esin their daughter majored in film in college. Very cool: an artistically-inclined family!
Esin and Ayhan Ozdag. January 15, 2007 9:45pm
Of course, as a non-smoker myself, I'm happy that smoking is banned in most of the places I perform now (my gigs in Virginia are the only execptions) but call me strange: as unhealthy as cigarette smoke is, it did add to the ambience to the club. It just seemed a bit odd to be able to see clearly across the room for a change...
Smoke free bar! January 15, 2007 9:52pm
Well now I can go home at the end of the night and not have my clothes (and guitar) stinking of cigarette smoke not that I really complained much before. Guess I just got used to it. Didn't realize how bad the stench was until one late night I had to crash at a friend's place, and two seconds after entering the apartment she started spraying Febreze on my clothes without asking which took me a bit by surprise. But I thought to myself, "Oh yeah. It's the smoke." Then just when I thought she was done, she sprayed my hair! 
I had to shrug it off and chuckle to myself realizing that I'm so used to being around smoke that I didn't really know how bad it was.
Keith, Cynthia, Ernesto and Mariya. January 15, 2007 9:54pm
January 15, 2007 10:30pm
Nothing deep or insightful in today's blog. But it doesn't have to be like that every time. This is my day-to-day account of real life--there are ups and downs. It's kind of like surfing (and I yeah I did surf a little as a teenager growing up in Southern California), when the wave (of creativity) hits, you ride it while it lasts. In the meantime you keep on paddling so you'll be ready to catch the next one. 
Ciao for now!
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