November 14th, 2005.

Connecticut’s been a really good time. Lovely state. The driving takes too long, and the crowds are too small, and no-one anywhere can pay us what we’re worth, but I Love the people.

I tried to explain on Saturday night, that Connecticut is the South of the North. That the people in Connecticut have just treated us sweeter than any other place we’ve been in New England. People looked at me like I was crazy, and Heather gave me that “you’re talking too much and absolutely NO-ONE GETS WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT” look, but I felt that on some level the sentiment penetrated their brains.\

Friday night we headed out to Putnam (the haven home of every antique store on the East coast, or so it would seem) and played the Victoria Station Cafe. We had a great time playing Scrabble with the employees at the beginning of the night, and then afterwards we hung out for a while with Dave (the owner) and his nephew, just listening to music and slowly packing the car.

Somewhere in there we played a show. My mucous membranes were better controlled at that point and allowed me to get some non-croaking in. We ended a little earlier than we otherwise might’ve, but really had a good night. I even made up a pretty decent Christmas song that may or may not have encouraged people to tip better. Someone even scrounged us 11c from the couch!

A scarecrow lounging and picking up women in Putnam, CT.
A scarecrow lounging and picking up women in Putnam, CT.
The owner of the Victoria Station Cafe, Dave, and his daughter. You know, makin coffee n stuff.
The Victoria Station Cafe in Putnam, CT IS Christmas. Beautiful lights and friendly people.
The Victoria Station Cafe in Putnam, CT IS Christmas. Beautiful lights and friendly people.

We left with a bag full of cookies and lemon squares and some containers of soup. Dave somehow became very grandmotherly upon our departure, loading us down with food for the next couple of days. We were pleased.

After the show we stayed with our friends Mike and Ari, who we met at the Desert Rain open mic a couple of nights before. They were awesome and had offered us their place to crash for the night. I’d fallen in Love with their couch that first night, and went back expecting more of the same.

We came back to the clogging.

The bathroom at the Victoria Station Cafe. Note the two toilets for buddy action, the big table for nefarious purposes. Looking the opposite direction there's a big golden couch.
The bathroom at the Victoria Station Cafe. Note the two toilets for buddy action, the big table for nefarious purposes. Looking the opposite direction there’s a big golden couch.

We’d been warned that the upstairs neighbours were weird and made a lot of noise. When we pulled into their parking lot Friday night, we thought we had it all figured out, as we saw two people we didn’t recognize doing some sort of cloggingish dance through the window. We thought we had the answer to the secret… But no. We went upstairs to find Mike playing some V-drums and Ari and a bunch of friends playing some bizarre dancing video game. Our friend Renee (from New York) had showed up to the gig at the Victoria Station Cafe and then came back to Mike and Ari’s with us. I felt bad – with my cold-deepened voice and fatigued sense of humour, I just wasn’t the fun rob I should’ve been.

First frost in Putnam, CT!!
First frost in Putnam, CT!!
Heather and Ari playing some bizarre dance game. I tried it under great pressure and harassment. I didn't do very well and have determined that my feet want the controller to work pilot-style.
Heather and Ari playing some bizarre dance game. I tried it under great pressure and harassment. I didn’t do very well and have determined that my feet want the controller to work pilot-style.
Ari and her friend Dorris film the inflation of an air mattress. Oh, and then they deflate it... and inflate it again. Sigh - the battery was dead when we thought about filming our show the next night, but man - we've got the inflation of that air mattress on tape! It WAS funny at the time.
Ari and her friend Dorris film the inflation of an air mattress. Oh, and then they deflate it… and inflate it again. Sigh – the battery was dead when we thought about filming our show the next night, but man – we’ve got the inflation of that air mattress on tape! It WAS funny at the time.

Hrm. Unfortunately, we’ve now run into the situation where Heather’s turned on Star Trek and I can’t really focus on the Journal since Doctor Bashir has just asked Odo for “some goo. No, a little more than that. I’ll give it back.” More writing later, I suppose.

 

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