Woke up early … again. 0500. Tiptoed into the living room to watch some tv. But I forgot something in my bedroom, and as I tiptoed back in, JLITH was coming out of the bathroom. Ridiculous to both be awake when there was no where to be. JLITH fell asleep watching HGTV, and I crept back into bed for some more reading. Went out for some more Vitamin D at 0830. Walked and talked in the mild sunshine that’s peculiar to Los Angeles winters. Got over to Clementine’s, and realized I’d forgotten my wallet.
Returned to apartment and drove over to The Massage Company for our 1000 appointments. A deep tissue massage for me, with Lupe; and a Swedish massage for JLITH, her very first ever professional massage. Since Lupe knew me, she had me go back and get ready while JLITH was finishing the new client form. Sixty minutes later, some pretty intense knots having been worked loose, I emerged into the bright foyer to find JLITH perusing a magazine.
“So, how was it?”
‘Well … Lisa just got here ten minutes ago.’
“What?!?!?!?!”
‘Apparently there was some family emergency. And she just got here.’
“Are you kidding me? And she didn’t start your massage immediately?”
‘Well, we’ve got all that other stuff to do. And you can get 50% off the next time you come.’
“But the whole point of coming was to get you a massage!”
And so on. Huge disappointment. Lisa is blackballed in my mental filofax for not notifying the office until 1030 that she was going to be late, not arriving until 1050, and not starting immediately on JLITH. Suzie always taught us that if you’re going to be 10 minutes late, to always call ahead. It’s the polite thing to do.
Day got better after that. Drove out to the Third Street Promenade. Parked and walked down to the end of the pier because JLITH wanted to see Big Wave Jump Jump. Something so exceptionally soothing about large bodies of blue water. Lunch at La Salsa.
Back at the apartment, I jumped in the shower while JLITH indulged in some more home decorating shows. Was so relaxed after my shower that I indulged myself with a short nap. Or was it a long nap? Anyway, we left for the homestead later than I’d anticipated. No time for a Franklin Store visit. Got home with about 10 minutes for changing and primping before I had to leave for Arcadia.
Speakeasy moved the week before to the Arcadia Blue’s Café. The only thing I’d heard is that the floor was small, but that didn’t seem like a large impediment, especially since the Derby has a front dance floor the size of a handkerchief. Arrived just about on time, and pretty soon Socrates rambled down the street to join me.
Xray and Katherine taught a beginning blues lesson. Interesting to see how they explain the technique, since I’ve never really taken a “blues” class. Socrates picked up the material easily, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. And then Teddy Lee Hooker was playing, and his fabulous sound was filling the space. And it quickly became apparent that this venue was drastically different than Yesteryears. The crowd moved and swayed, but stayed glued to their seats. It was the queerest thing … like the time Wonder Woman, White Boy and I went to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at the House of Blues. The band was putting out tune after tune of fabulously danceable music, and people just didn’t dance. Incredibly bizarre. There was one older couple who danced everything from west coast swing, to rhumba and cha-cha. And there a pair of girls who danced with each other and a smattering of random guys. But even Xray and Katherine didn’t dance much. Socrates and I danced a bit, but I didn’t want to push him to dance a lot in front of a crowd, since I know it can be uncomfortable.
Did one fast song with Xray, and I queried him about the transition from Pomona to Arcadia. Sad to say, turns out that one lindy dancer had been very disappointed in the venue, and sent around a mass email saying that ABC was awful, and that lindy dancers shouldn’t waste their time. Ouch. So incredibly short-sighted and mean-spirited. I felt bad for Xray, since he’s put so much effort into building a blues dance community here.
Coco Montoya was the headliner band of the night. I didn’t think it could get much better than TLH, but Montoya was amazing on the guitar. I would love to hear him again, especially when he isn’t hobbled by a sore throat.
So, Speakeasy. Yes, I’d still recommend it. The lessons are well done. The bands are amazing. Food and drinks are available. And people can dance if they have a partner with them, and the moxie to dance in front of a bunch of non-dancers (not that I think ND’s care at all). So, if anyone is itching to dance on a Saturday night, and you’ve got some friends to bring along, I’d recommend the Speakeasy. And even if you’ve only got one friend, I’d still recommend it. Especially if the company is as congenial as … well, you know who.
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