Taking a break...

Things progressed at a rapid clip with the new place, and I'm busy packing and getting things organized. Got all the utilities seen to, need to see about the bank accounts, get a new library card, etc. I'm to have moved out of my current place by the 30th, and have been moving stuff up to the new place in dribs and drabs, throwing one of the more portable pieces of furniture in the back seat and loading up the rest of the available space with boxes. So if you'll excuse me, I'll go back to packing and wondering why I still have 2nd Edition AD&D manuals, and sorting through the nerd detritus, as I've just dubbed it. I'll be back in early October; internet should be up and running at the new place when I move in but you know how these things go...

A quick announcement

It looks like I'll be moving house in a few weeks, from Takoma Park to Catonsville. That means I may be not be blogging for a while until I get internet up and running. If all goes right, I'll be moving into that former dentist's office I mentioned in the calendar. So be warned!

Dust & Corruption Calendar for September 2013

Sorry I'm taking so long with this, folks. As you know, I've been apartment-hunting and yesterday saw a good one, so I've been filling out applications and doing research. It's in Catonsville, a suburb of Baltimore, is huge, and amusingly is a former dentist's office. Good location, reasonable rent, lotsa space...here's hoping. I also got word that Dad is improving; it seems the tumor isn't growing after all, but the dozen medications he's on are causing disorientation and trouble with movement, so he's experimenting with the cocktail, and has been able to stop using his walker and just gets by with a cane. Last weekend I was at a steampunk croquet picnic (a blast) and then at the Takoma Park Folk Festival, and was too exhausted to even think. It's been a busy month so far.

Anyway, here's some fun stuff going on this month.

As always, the Observatory in Brooklyn, NY, has a schedule of fascinating talks and workshops.

And Atlas Obscura always lists interesting things in different cities.

Saturdays: Speakeasy Saturdays continue at The Big Hunt; shows start at 9:00, and every Saturday is something different.

9/13 - Friday the 13th! Have a drink, watch a movie, walk under a ladder, break a mirror, whatever. Defy bad fortune! 

9/14 - GiGi Holliday present Zou Zou Revue, Bisou Edition. My pal GiGi does her monthly burlesque/comedy revue, inspired by Josephine Baker. With Deanna Danger, Cherry Bomb, Heart O. Harkness, Mab Just Mab, Maki Rolle, Maria Bella, and Vera Valentinaa. The Bier Baron, 1523 22nd St NW, Washington, DC. Showtime 8:30; tickets available here.

9/18 - Staxx Hot Happy Hour Revue. Burlesque and belly dance with an early-evening happy hour twist. With Shortstaxx, Mourna Handful, GiGi Holliday, and Alyssum Pohl. Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St NW, Washington, DC. 5:30; free admission.

9/20 - Le Bon Ton Circus Extravaganza. Burlesque (from GiGi Holliday, Rev. Valentine, and Cherie Nuit) and sideshow (from Charlie Artful and Alex Doll), hosted by my pal Hot Todd Lincoln. The Black Cat, 1811 14th St NW, Washington, DC. Two shows, 8:45 and 11:00; tix $12 advance, $15 at the door, available here.

9/21 - The Autumnal Equinox! Summer is finally over. Have a dinner party, get together with friends, gather leaves, say a prayer or have a ritual if that's your thing. Do something fun to mark the day. (I'll be at a friend's birthday party.)

9/28 - Hot Todd Lincoln's Fall Extravaganza! My pal Todd is at it again, bringing burlesque and comedy, with Mavi, Valeria Voxx, The Red Huntress, Cherie Nuit, and Cherry Bomb. The Bier Baron, Washington, DC. Door 8:30, show at 10:00; tix $10, available here.

That's all I have right now...as always, if anyone knows of anything, give me a yell.

September at the Phantom Concert Hall!

It's a cool night in early September, and we're all dolled up in our best bohemian finery and out at the concert hall again. Tonight, we thrill to a soprano's rendition of an aria from a Hungarian operetta...

This is the opening song from "Die Csardasfurstin," the most popular work from Hungarian composer Emmerich Kalman, and I find it a delight. The title translates to "The Gypsy Princess" although she's not actually a gypsy, or Romani as some prefer, but a cabaret singer in the midst of romantic misunderstandings. I'll have to track down a recording of it sometime.

How have I been? I survived my birthday, and visited the family. My niece was in town so we had a get-together, as heaven only knows when we'll see her again. (She's a chemical engineer in the Navy.) Dad was hobbling along; I saw him using a walker for the first time which was damned alarming. But now word comes from his doctor that the benign tumor they thought had grown actually hadn't, and the problems he's having are really due to the medications he's on. So they're adjusting the cocktail and tracking the results. Work has kept me busy in the meantime.

I hope to have the calendar done tomorrow night. Sorry to be lagging behind but I've had a seriously insane week. Just groove to that aria and dance a little if the spirit moves you.