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Taking Risks: Part One
It began at the Skylark Café in West Seattle.
My first impression was great.
Low lighting with a pinkish tinge (HUGE fan of low lighting), clean, pink, green and blue neon signs, lava lamps and a hipster crowd that was pleasing to the eye (straw hats, short angular haircuts, elvis sideburns).
The plan that night was hatched by my therapist friend Claire who said she wanted to be “transported by music” out of her daily (satisfying) yet encompassing work life.
I concurred.
We decided to go hear Rat City Brass described by a friend as a Herb Albert Cover Band.
You heard me.
A Herb Albert Cover Band.
Actually they're SO much more than a cover band (they do their own songs too)
We loved them.
We school girl giggled while noting we recognized most of the songs. Claire said the whole thing made you expect Goldie Hawn to pop out from behind the band.
Picture four guys standing in front of podiums a la a big band vibe, decked out in simple but classic suits, two well quaffed women – one tickling the ivories, the other on electric guitar with two other guys on other chachacha instruments. As the next tune starts up, the front men simultaneously start swaying back and forth (seemingly totally unaware) which flash-backed me to the 80s and Robert Palmer's back-up dancers doing the side to side groove.
Only it was four groovin’ men.
Totally adorable.
For a glimpse of Rat City Brass, click here.
Some bands make me grin goofily and this was one of those.
I leaned over to Claire and whisper-shouted in true bar fashion “how great is it that these they thought ‘Yeah what the world needs is a Herb Albert Cover Band!”
I mean “Come ON!”
This is not something I think of as an obvious choice.
Which is why it seems so perfect.
The plan of being transported was immediately accomplished.
Claire noted at one point how she felt “enveloped” by the music. An apropos revue.
I felt transported Potter Floo-style into Tijuana in a side cafe.
OK but this is not a revue for the band (although I can’t help but making it partly that).
This is the gift of trying out new things.
Claire and I are not exactly big risk takers but even trying out a new band at a new location was a risk for us and turned out to be a blast. Plus I noticed something Julia talks a lot about – how “the quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight. The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.”
There is something for me about going to new places, trying new things that gets me to pay attention in a new way … it’s the thing that renews my capacity for delight. I think this is why when I travel I often marvel at clouds like I’ve never seen them before or find myself smiling whether I'm walking down the Protestant Shankill road in Belfast, climbing the steps in Santa Monica or heck even visiting a new club (for me) in West Seattle … color me delighted with the newness.
Taking Risks: Part Two
The paying attention continued with me leaning over to Claire and saying “look around and see how many women have pigtails.” We counted three.
I lamented that I longed for pigtails – not sure if it is a Pippi Longstocking hangover or what, but said to Claire I wasn't sure I could carry it off.
She did a double take, looked at me like she saw me for the first time and said a definitive “No.”
“No.” hmmmmmm.
“No’s” can send me in the other direction … but in a good way. Thank YOU Claire!
I woke up in the morning with pigtails on my mind.
So I went to my dressing table and started playing with pigtails.
But don’t think this was just a sudden fall into hair insanity. I’d had them on my mind long before that night.
Another Freehold student (shout out to Lori!) had been wearing them for months. I had been finding myself staring, internally drooling at her pigtails like they were the sparkling, fancy new shoes in the Cole Haan store window I had to have.
As I goofed around with different styles, I thought
“I’m TOTALLY going to do this.”
Annnnddddd, Taking Risks: Part Three
Then more newness inspiration … I got the idea “not only am I going to wear pigtails but I’m going to ride a razor (skooter) while doing it.”
Now before you call the “normal” police ...
This razor scheme is on the heals of a dream where I was told I should get a razor and write it around town. How funny … I meant to write “ride” it around town but maybe I’m supposed to do both! So I called my dear friend Tanya who has a similar “indulge the inner child” streak who had bought an adult size one so she could ride with her kids (yeah, ssssuuuuuurrreeee that’s why) and offered to loan me it.
It’s been sitting in my car for days not ridden.
So this is the day.
Then I flip to see that the chapter this week in our Artist’s Way class is on Taking Risks.
THIS does not surprise me.
“I’ll look like an idiot,” we say, conjuring images of our first acting class, our first hobbled short story, our terrible drawings. Part of the game here is lining up the masters and measuring our baby steps against their perfected craft. We don’t compare our student films to George Lucas’s student films. Instead we compare them to Star Wars.
How about you? What risk is calling out to you today?
Best,
Kate
Postscript artist date:
Four things to know about razors:
1) a 6 year old getting on his bike after seeing you going by on your razor may shout out to you in a very concerned voice "you should be wearing a helmoot", 2) Riding a razor competes with lunges for the best quad work-out EVER 2) They should have kickstands 3) It hurts really really badly when you hit a flying razor at the back of your heel and 4) they are a total HOOT to ...
Get your motor (or scooter - lyrics added) runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space
I like smoke and lightning
Heavy metal thunder
Racin' with the wind
And the feelin' that I'm under
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space
Like a true nature's child
We were born, born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die
Born to be wild
Born to be wild
Oh, no, now we're out there as Tijuana Brass groupies! Well, it WAS transporting and enveloping. Their PR people should track us down!
ReplyDeleteI take issue with one thing. That you're not a big risk taker??? Changing careers, solo travel abroad, and taking up acting do not count as taking risks? Not to mention I cannot think of one single time I have seen you take the path of least resistance or the easy way out.
But I agree that small risks and disruptions of your routine can have surprisingly big emotional payoffs. Such steps can seem trivial and the benefits unlikely when you just contemplate them. The power is in the doing.