Overheard at Booth 4: Timmy to Tammy

Keiko Rajo: You wouldn't beLIEVE what my little Timmy said the other day!

Jean Guate: Omigod, what?

Keiko Rajo: We came out as TRANSgender.

Jean Guate: How's THAT for being super-smart?  And he's only four!

Keiko Rajo: Actually, three and seven months.  But isn't it BRILliant?  I mean, to be so certain at that age!

Jean Guate: You must be so proud!

Keiko Rajo:  He said to me, "Mom, I won't be a boy any more!  I'm gonna be called TAMMY."

Jean Guate: They are so CERTAIN these days!  So SURE of them selves.

Keiko Rajo: Yes.  We start the surgeries on Friday.

Jean Guate:  No time to waste!  Life is short!

Keiko Rajo:  It sure is!

Overheard at Booth 2: Granite Flats

Clare O'Casey: So what'd you think of that new show on Netflix last night?

Dever Dodd:  Weren't you there?

Clare O'Casey:  I fell asleep, remember?

Dever Dodd: Well that's always a good indicator.  But you were spot on.  That show is a good example of how NOT to script a television series.

Clare O'Casey:  From what I watched everyone seemed a little like they didn't really want to be there.

Dever Dodd: Neither the actors or the people watching it.

Clare O'Casey: So that means tonight we can go back to watching Las Aparicio?

Dever Dodd:  [sigh]  Yes, I guess.   If you HAVE to!

Poem of the day: Old Boston, memories of...

We ducked the serrated winds of November
by cramming ourselves through the door
of the Firehouse Pub.
Laughing, we shook the cold
into memory and
found ourselves up against
last call.

Two brothers,
looking like they had been
twins since the world was new,
stood and stooped at the
open mic and piano,
playing old Billy Joel songs,
(but only those from The Stranger
thank
God!)

With your freshly-ex's credit card
We bought a round for everyone
And we closed that bar down that night
Singing, "Only the Good Die Young."

Overheard at Table 1: Tired of the Duggars

You know what?  I'm tired of hearing about the Duggars, and mainly it's not the whole son-molester bit, but I really get torqued when I read all this smack about the Duggar woman being all ANTI-feminism by asking girls to dress nice.   Like all us Christian women are so uptight and moral and have no sex and don't want anyone to enjoy it or whatever.  Look, I'm a Christian woman and I LOVE sex!  Sex is fantAStic and I thank HOLY GOD, but if I could write for one of these magazines, I'd say this...

I'd tell 'em, listen.  I'm not for what this Duggar woman does, with the no-fixing-up-your hair and the Pentecostal jeanskirts, but listen, my daughter's about ready to wrap up her senior year in high school and this year has been HOLY HELL living with her!  She needs to be saving up money for college, because we can foot the bill for the classes but we just can't afford the dorms.  But instead of saving any money for her dorms, she just went out and blew $256 on disposable contact lenses.... DISPOSABLE!  These things won't last her 6 months!

And the clothes she suddenly got into this year!  Oh - my - GOD!  I'm all for free expression, but we've had some serious conversations over these skirts she's wearing.  It's like she's put a sign right across her butt saying TOUCH THIS.  

Again, we were never like the Amish and I'd never be for putting our girls in burkas or anything, but there is a point where modesty comes into play here.   You know, less is more, right?   Well, she's showing more and more and she looks less and less classy.

So on that level, yeah, I'll admit, I agree with the Duggar woman.  Not saying that any woman deserves what she gets, because that's a load of crap, but at some point there has to be a balance between looking good and looking cheap.   It's called modesty.  Doesn't mean you're wrapped up head to foot, it just means you wear clothes that are nice, nice fitting, nice compliment to the shape, and not have your T-n-A spilling out all over the floor!

Overheard at Table 2: Musician Jokes

"My friend Bethany asked us today who we thought was the best rock bass player in the world was, and it reminded me of a few of my favourite jokes about musicians, like

"How many guitarists does it take to change a lightbulb?   Seven.  One to change the lightbulb and six to stand around saying, 'I could to that.'

"Or there's this one: What's the difference between a bass player and a fourteen inch pizza?   A fourteen inch pizza can feed a family of four.

"Then there's my favourite: a guy is out in the jungle and he's never been there before and he has this guide showing him around, and he hears these drums from somewhere far away, and they don't sound like they're stopping, and he asks the guide, 'So what do the drums mean?' and the guide says 'Aw don't worry about the drums.  The drums are fine.  When the drums stop, then worry.'

"These drums go on for days, and days, and every once in awhile he'll ask the guide, 'Seriously, man, what's the deal with the drums?' and the guide will reassure him, 'Don't worry, my friend.  The drums are fine.  When the drums stop, then you worry.'

"Finally, after days of this, he's about to ask the guide again, when suddenly the drums stop.  He looks to the guide, who has thrown himself on the ground and looks like he's trying to hide himself underneath a rock.  He says to the guide 'What's up?!  What's going on?'

"And the guide looks at him with a face of sheer terror and says ...   'BASS SOLO!'"

Live at the Z&T: Pat Metheny "Last Train Home"

For Pat, any train will bring him home to the Zen and Tao Acoustic Café!

Thank you, Mr Metheny, for sharing your genius with the world...

Sufjan Stevens and Rose Thomas at the Z&T

So proud to have had them both on the same stage that one night...

Both of them are simply geniuses, and the world is very fortunate to be blessed with their talent!