Violin Performance

Concurrently with my art show there was violin performance and exhibition by Suzuki Violin Studio run by my friend. Suzuki method of teaching kids playing violin seems pretty awesome - kids learn by playing games, singing songs and imitating adults playing violin. All kids that performed seemed to have a lot of fun, which I think is very important. Needless to say, I also had a lot of fun watching the kids perform. They were super-adorable and professional at the same time.


A few photos from the performance and violin exhibition:

Kristina plays at Cafe Revolution

usually on Saturday afternoons

Rupa & The April Fishes

On Wednesday evening I went to Yoshi's for an absolutely fantastic concert of the band called Rupa & The April Fishes. They were recommended to me by Shiva, the Wonder Woman with the Lasso of Truth, whose recommendations are always worth following - thank you darling :)

It is really difficult for me to describe what kind of music they play as almost each single one of their songs is in different style, so I recommend that you go to their webpage and check them out for yourself. And if you like them, go to one of their concerts! Rupa has an absolutely mesmerizing stage personality and she will make you fall in love with her music in a split second. The band will be touring through US and Canada this fall and they will also have a serious of concerts in Germany in March next year. They will be back in SF on December, 6th, and if I have nothing better to do then, I think I will go for their concert again. And if I ever have a wedding party, they will be playing there :)

The Dresden Dolls - "Shores of California"

he's been trying with limited success
to get this girl to let him get into her pants
but every time he thinks he's getting close
she threatens death before he gets a chance

and that's the way it is in minnesota
and that's the way it is in oklahoma
that's the way it's been since protozoa
first climbed onto the shores of california

and she's been trying with limited success
to get him to turn out the lights and dance
cause like any girl all she really wants
that fickle little bitch romance
that fickle little bitch romance

and that is why a girl is called a tease
and that is why a guy is called a sleaze
and that's why god made escort agencies
one life to live and mace and GHB

and that's the way it is in minnesota
and that's the way it is in oklahoma
that's the way since the animals and noah
first climbed onto the shores of california

must not be too kind
stop thinking love is blind
clench your fists yeah write
“she's just not my type...”

why all these conflicting specifications
maybe to prevent overpopulation
all I know is that all around the nation
the girls are crying and the boys are masturbating

and that's the way it is in minnesota
and that's the way it is in oklahoma
that's the way Aristophanes and homer
wrote the iliad and lysistrata (not in that order...)

and that's the way it is in minnesota
and that's the way it is in oklahoma
that's the way it's been since protozoa
first climbed onto the shores of california

copyright 2005 amanda palmer

wicked game; chris isaak

The world was on fire
No one could save me but you.
Strange what desire will make foolish people do
I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you
And I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you

No, I don't want to fall in love
[This love is only gonna break your heart]
No, I don't want to fall in love
[This love is only gonna break your heart]
With you
With you

What a wicked game you play
To make me feel this way
What a wicked thing to do
To let me dream of you
What a wicked thing to say
You never felt this way
What a wicked thing to do
To make me dream of you
v And I don't wanna fall in love
[This love is only gonna break your heart]
And I don't want to fall in love
[This love is only gonna break your heart]

{World was on fire
No one could save me but you
Strange what desire will make foolish people do
I never dreamed that I'd love somebody like you
I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you

No I don't wanna fall in love
[This love is only gonna break your heart
No I don't wanna fall in love
[This love is only gonna break your heart]
With you
With you

Nobody loves no one

my girls

"We stepped into a Greek magical land with soulful music and centaurs running around..."

This is how Shiva described our last night's experience. I decided to quote it here, because I doubt that I would find myself a more accurate description of the amazing evening that Shiva, Lilyana and I had yesterday.

We met in Parea, a Greek wine bar, unaware of the fact that it was a special evening there. Every third Thursday of the month SF Greek community organizes at Parea a "Greek night". The bar offers then a special Greek menu, special Greek wine, Greek music, Greek dances and many many Greek people. Think about "My Fat Greek Wedding" and you will get a pretty good idea of the place that we found ourselves last night. It is very likely that three of us (plus waitering staff) were the only non-Greek (or Greek-related) people there. At least at the beginning of the party. Because by the end of it Shiva and I (Lilyana had to leave earlier) were kissing and hugging everyone around us. We also ended up dancing traditional Greek dances without any prior knowledge of how to do it. And apparently, we were not that bad at it! They said that we would need two more lessons and we would be as good as Greek...

Experiences like this make me love San Francisco. It's so easy here to truly feel citizen of the world and part of one big human family.

But I am also convinced that there are many people living in San Francisco that never experience anything like this.

There is just something magical about me meeting with Shiva. We never plan anything, but we always end up having the best time ever. Good things happen to us all the time, but when we are together they seem to magnify even further. We also always seem to perceive the outside world in the same way. For example, within the minute that I thought that yesterday's evening was magical and that I started feeling like all those Greek people there were my family - Shiva said that aloud. The same was in Mexico. At certain moment when we were sitting in the car driving away from the airport - we looked deeply into each other's eyes - and we said: "It's perfect. It couldn't be better. Whatever happens, we will have the best holidays ever." And we did.
We also realized yesterday that we both share this deep feeling that good things will happen to us in our lives and that we do not have to worry about anything. And it seems that at least so far, we were right.

I have no photos from yesterday evening, so instead I will post a few old photos of me with Lilyana and Shiva, that you can see how beautiful and shiny they are!

Here, now relatively old, photo of Lilyana and me at the gay pride parade in SF last year:


And here are few more photos from my recent trip to Cabo Pulmo taken with Shiva's camera. First, the two of us on the first evening in Mexico:


And that's a photo of Shiva and me taken in our favorite restaurant (At The Beach, or La Playa, if you prefer) on our last afternoon in Cabo:


As you can see we were huge fans of local Margaritas...


... as well as chips with salsa and guacamole:

Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd, Blue Monika

So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell,
blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

I wish I could.



We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year...

It will never stop surprising me that nobody else can hurt us as much as we can hurt ourselves.

Les Marionettes

movie: La doble vida de Verónica - Krzysztof Kieslowski
music: Les Marionettes - Zbigniew Preisner