Especially in recent years, I’ve enjoyed everything about the number 13. Probably not for any reason in particular, but I don’t buy into the unlucky connotation it carries in the US. Friday the 13th and 2013? Bring it on. And I must say, if the first month and a half of the year are any indication, triskaidekaphobia (fear of 13) is absolutely no part of my being.
I rang in the new year with my dearest friend in Thailand and proceeded to spend the entire month of January doing as little as humanly possible. Coming back to the States, I find myself surrounded by family and friends. I’ve been to three states since being back and have already made more wonderful memories than any one person could ask for. I feel insanely lucky for the people, places, things I have come back to and am thankful to feel welcomed back with open arms and hearts.
The fate of this blog is still undecided as I’m not sure what would be as interesting to share as the stories these past two years, but life has a way of surprising us. Which brings to mind a quote from a movie I recently watched on some transcontinental flight:
Most times real life doesn’t measure up to what’s in our heads, but every now and then it comes pretty close. -The Magic of Belle Isle
Yeah, that.
Now, halfway through February, I’m getting back into the swing of things at work – a new job at an old company – and making plans for fun adventures in the coming months. So far that’s one of my favorite parts of being back – getting to make plans for the future, knowing where I’m going to be and who will be around. I look forward to making a home for myself somewhere, to settling in a bit, to planting some roots in the ground for a while. It’s you and me 2013, let’s do this.
Finally, the answer to the question:
Q: Why did two Americans and a Canadian cross the border?
A: There’s this band…
This was one of the funniest and most memorable conversations during my recent 10-day trip to the US and Mexico. But as usual, let me start at the beginning.
With family and friends spread across the US I knew it would be impossible to visit everyone during my trip at the end of 2011 so I did my best to guestimate how much time I could spend each place. As it turned out, only 2.5 days in California with my dad’s side of the family wasn’t enough so I quickly decided I’d come back mid-year 2012 for a longer stay. It just so happened that one of my favorite events of the year also falls during the summer months so two birds, one stone and all of that. Barely into 2012 I had set my dates and began planning a trip to California and Mexico for June.
The time in California was exactly what I needed. Over five days I was able to visit with family, catching up on what they’ve been up to and vice versa. I was able to disconnect from work, relax and enjoy that California sun. As I thought back, I realized I was so immersed in this whole experience last year not knowing how long it would all last that I didn’t allow myself to think too much about what I was missing on the other side of the pond. After the visit in December and once I got over things like having to drive everywhere and everything being so big I realized what I missed – family, friends, familiar landscapes, sunsets, etc. I’m not sure I could have made it through 2012 without a visit and without getting homesick.
Once again it took a couple of days of readjusting to the American way. For example, living in Amsterdam there are so many languages spoken around me all day long that it’s easy to tune out side conversations, radios, advertising, all of the noise going on around me. When I do hear someone speaking English, especially with an American accent, my ears perk up and I look around to find out where the familiar voice is coming from. Going back to California and immediately out into the public I felt overwhelmed by everything going on around me. I found myself alert and attentive to the conversations of strangers, understanding far more than I was used to in the background. It was exhausting. It took a couple days to get used to everyone speaking English and to tune out the background noise. This was something I hadn’t anticipated, just one of those funny little things I guess.
After time with family, I hopped down to Phoenix to meet up with a group of friends and spend a long weekend in Mexico for a music festival on the beach – Circus Mexicus hosted by Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers (RCPM). Seven of us flew in from all points (including a Canadian living in Vietnam – my people!), converging in Phoenix on Thursday evening and driving across the border Friday morning, once arriving immediately dipping our toes in the sea then ordering tacos and beer. Ah, Mexico!
2012 was my ninth year making this pilgrimage (2011 was the first I’d missed) and I’m continually amazed by how fun it is, how much it grows each year, and how it nourishes my heart and soul. When I’d say I’d drive three hours or fly away for a weekend for a concert to see a band no one has ever heard of, people thought I was crazy crazy. Now make that a flight from Amsterdam plus a drive from Arizona to Mexico and it isn’t hard to see the question marks floating above most people’s heads. But it isn’t just me. I’d guess about 5,000 people made the journey down south that weekend from all over North America, at least another one from Europe and one from Vietnam. The people, the music, the atmosphere – it’s such an amazing feeling of community to be a part of this group and this event, it’s near impossible to describe. It’s not for everyone, but the people who get it just get it. And thank goodness for that.
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Finally, for the payoff – Why did two Americans and a Canadian cross the border? This is the question asked as we drove back from Mexico to Arizona on a Monday afternoon.
I used to get nervous when handing my passport to the boarder guard, but after 18 months of passport control on a near weekly basis it’s become old hat. This time, as the driver, I collected our passports and handed them to the guard. Mine, thick from travel around Europe, full of stamps and extra page inserts. Kaysi’s with stamps and visas from recent trips to South America. And Jenny’s, the most impressive, with visas and stamps from all over most of the seven continents. These were not skinny, crisp booklets.
The guard took our documents into his booth and before long looked into the car with a questioning gaze. First he asked where I live to which I provided a brief explanation. Then he asked if we all work together. No? How do you all know each other? Jenny replied: There’s this band… We all laughed. He continued to flip through each of our three books looking at the stamps and trying to make the connection. I must say, he looked utterly impressed. Most people cross the AZ/MX border with an empty passport only used for this drive, some with only a passport card (cheaper and quicker than a full passport and good only for driving across the border). To see three well traveled girls in one car with no obvious connection must have been a first for him. We drove away smiling and laughing. I will remember that for a long time to come.
I could have easily been just another American with an empty or near-empty passport crossing the border that day. I was that person just two summers ago. But somehow life presented me with an amazing opportunity to grow and develop professionally and (more importantly, personally). In that moment, crossing the border I felt the significance of the past 18 months and it felt great. Not just the stamps or pages, but the life experiences, stories, people, memories that have come as a result. I could easily be the same person I was in October 2010 but I’m not, I’ll never be that person again and I’m good with that. Just so long as this new person makes her way down to Mexico again in 2013. Somehow, as great a time as I have every time I make this trip, each year somehow manages to be better than the last.
If you’ve made it this long I’d like to leave you with one last thing. I’ve written about RCPM more than once in this blog and will likely incorporate them somehow at least once more. There’s a good reason for this and I’d like you to find out what it is for yourself. These guys are constantly touring so if you’re lucky enough to be in a city where they’ll be making a stop, I highly encourage you pay the few bucks and catch a show. They are not to be missed.
After three weeks of visitors (which I still need to write about and share photos of) and disappointing weather in Amsterdam, summer is finally here. Since last Sunday afternoon the weather has been warm non-stop. That’s summer here and I have this suspicious feeling that this week was the longest stretch we’ll get.
When the warm weather comes, the city completely changes. People move out of doors as much as possible. Not only are they wandering around the city or enjoying coffee on a terrace, they set up little tables outside their front door to soak up the sun, they take their boats out on the canals, they lay out a blanket and a picnic in the park. Amsterdam knows how to enjoy sunshine. Anticipating that we may not see days like this again, I did my best impression of a Dutch person this week and did most everything you should do.
Boat on the canal? Check.
Picnic in the park? Check.
Bike ride with friends to the beach? Check.
Oh, and in between all that fun stuff I started packing for my upcoming trip to the US. I’ll be stateside for 11 days splitting my time between visiting family in California and soaking up the sea, sun, and sweet sounds at Circus Mexicus – a four day rock & roll weekend put on by Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers (RCPM) in Mexico.
Only four short working days stand between me and vacation number two of three this summer. Maybe if the weather turns this week I’ll have enough time inside to catch you up on my visitors and my cruise with Mom.
Full disclosure: This is not the happiest of stories and has almost nothing to do with me. At the end I will provide a link to donate to an absolutely worthy cause. If you are not interested I won’t hold it against you to move on. Otherwise, please continue.
While in the US over the Christmas holiday, I got one of the worst phone calls a person can get. A friend I was about to hop on a plane to spend the weekend with in Denver called to tell me that we’d lost a mutual friend the previous day. The news was completely unexpected and shocking. Our friend Lucinda, a music lover and mother of two wonderful children, was gone. As a fellow Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers (RCPM) fan, I met Lucinda through mutual friends and spent time celebrating life through rock and roll with her on multiple occasions.
November 2009: Post-RCPM show in Denver (Lucinda in black)
Once the news about Lucinda spread through the Peacemaker community via emails, phone calls, texts, Facebook and Twitter, a small amount of light began to shine through the darkness. So many people who knew her or knew of her as part of the RCPM family or the other musical circles she ran with came together to send messages of support, to inquire as to how they could help her family, especially her children.
It was immediately clear that the people who travel across the country or around the world to see RCPM anywhere and everywhere do so for more than just the music. They – okay, we – do it to be with our family, with the people we understand and who understand us, to reunite and celebrate life as part of a community. Through the sadness I was filled with warmth that weekend in Denver as I saw people supporting one another in such a difficult time. The support has not yet stopped.
Shortly after her passing, a friend of Lucinda’s took custody of her children so that they would not be pulled from their home and school in the middle of the year. Friends and family gathered together for a memorial service. And now, a quarter of a year later, many of the people Lucinda knew through her love of music are coming together again to put on a benefit for her children.
The Benefit for Lucinda’s Kids is a concert on Sunday, April 29th at the Bowrey Electric in New York. The show will feature sets by Marah, Jesse Malin, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Petter Ericson Stakee of Alberta Cross and many special guests. An auction will also take place during the event with items donated by friends and artists. All proceeds raised from this event and any donations submitted online will be put into a trust for her children.
Please take a moment to visit the Facebook page or event and consider attending if you can. Donations can also be made for those outside the New York area through Fundrazr. At the very least, please spread the word and pass on information about this event to others.
Whoever you are, wherever you are, there are people out there who love you. We are all here for each other through good and bad. It’s a shame that it often takes tragedy to bring us together, but here we are and please don’t forget it.
I’ve been in a funk lately, and it’s only now that I’m coming out of it that I notice. Between the cold weather, short days, friends moving away, too much travel, and time spent thinking about home the odds have been stacked against me so far this year. This time last year everything was so new – the city, the job, the people – that it was all an exciting adventure. This time around I’m all settled in and traveling 2-3 times as much as before meaning I’ve had some long days and have to fight to find personal time for errands or dinner with friends.
My hope is that with spring on its way and my travel schedule getting a little more organized my mood will brighten with the sky. I think it will. Spring and summer in Amsterdam completely changes the city. People are outside from the early morning to late in the evening. The canals are full of boats, the parks are covered with picnic blankets and the narrow streets are crowded with people and bikes. The warmer months will also bring home to me and me to home.
April will bring friends from the US who are coming for their first visit to Amsterdam over Queen’s Day weekend. That alone will be quite an experience for them. In May my mom will be back for another visit. This year we’re going to Venice then catching a week long cruise to Croatia, Greece and Turkey. A slightly different view of the Mediterranean than I had last summer. A month later, I go back to the US for 10 days to spend time with family in California, then to meet a group of friends for a few days south of the border for a weekend music festival of sorts. It’s Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers’ annual Circus Mexicus celebration, an annual event I’ve participated in for 7 of the last 8 years. After missing out in 2011 I vowed it wouldn’t happen again. (See the short video at the end of this post for a small taste.)
The weather is already significantly better than two weeks ago and I’m hoping it stays on this track. It’s time to get back into a fully positive state of mind and be ready for all of the wonderful things the warmer months have to offer here because I have absolutely no idea where I’ll be this time next year. And while that may sound scary to some, I spend (too much) time thinking about all of the wonderful options that affords me.
This post has absolutely nothing to do with Amsterdam, Europe, travel, or really me for that matter. No, this is a quick post about someone else. Four other someone elses. Roger, Jim, PH, and Nick. If you don’t know these names, you should. They’re the four members of my favorite band – Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers (RCPM).
These four hard rocking fellows released their latest album today: Unida Cantina. It’s already at #4 on the iTunes rock chart and climbing quickly. I’d like to recommend that you give a listen and if you like what you hear to pick up a copy. No stealing! And if you’re in the US, check out their tour schedule. They spend almost all year on the road and their shows are not to be missed.