The speakeasy variety show Friday and Saturday nights was really fantastic. It was lovely to be part of a show that people put so much work into putting on. There were singers and jazz bands, and some independent films, and a running mob/prohibition-themed story with the MC & hosts. I went on at the very end on Friday and played 6 songs, and apparently blew people away, and last night just played 3 and people were similarly into it. I finished with "Bad Romance" last night which I thought I'd retired, but I made an educated guess that it would go over well and I was right -- about five people (hosts & some other friends) jumped on stage and danced to it while I played. I didn't know many people there very well, but it seemed like a great scene.

Doc just bought a battery-powered amp for doing his iPhone/iPad music with & he performed at the Boing Boing picnic yesterday, inspired by my breaking out of my shell for PSWED. I was so so proud! And for today he had the brilliant idea that we should do a set together for Sunday Streets, which would be going on just down the street from us (and elsewhere in the Mission as well.)

So we just had time to drop our stuff off when we got back from the East Bay, pick up other stuff, and head to the corner of Valencia and Hill. We played in the little yellow alcove on the Thomas D Harvey office building. We played a bunch of songs together that we'd never played together before. He threw down beats while I played some of my songs, and I played cello over some of his songs. Lots of people including some blogger-photographers stopped and listened. I talked to a 6-year-old girl who just got her first cello. I handed out postcards and am hoping to get at least a couple downloads (for $5, of my 16-track album. It's kind of amazing how few downloads I'm getting while giving out so many postcards & writing about it so much!) The music itself was good, I think, though since we were playing some songs together for the first time, and we were outside and party bikes were riding by occasionally, there were some moments of serious chaos!

At 2:00 a very very loud rock band started up in front of Ritual so we had to move, and I was feeling hungry and cranky so I packed it in. Doc and friends crashfaster and Starpause moved down the street and pumped their beats through Doc's amp. I met up with them a bit later and good times were being had.

I'd felt bad, a little defeated, when I skipped PSWED on Thursday (and really on Wednesday too -- playing Bach for a flock of turkeys in my parents' back yard really doesn't count) However I was reminded of my favorite paradox when I was 3 (totally blew my mind when my dad told me it): if God is all-powerful, can he make a rock so heavy that he can't lift it? (This type of thing is necessary when atheist parents occasionally send their small child to church to please the grandparents.)

Meaning, I can choose to be proud that I made a challenge for myself that was actually challenging, that I may not be able to win at every day. I lost at it a few days last week because I was sick, but I went back out today and won. Tomorrow I hope to step out the door around noon with my cello & stool and find somewhere *actually weird* as in weirder than a BART station to play.

Reminder: download full-length album Casualties for just $5 with discount code "pswed" at http://unwoman.bandcamp.com/! This is the perfect occasion to tell your friends about me, so please share the info!