Home

Well, I've arrived home for a brief pause in my travels and it's definitely a little strange.  Welcome is seeing the fam again, my own bed, and my shower.  Inconsistencies of the last 2 can take their toll!  It's also nice to use a computer that isn't slow as hell for a couple of days!  It also will be nice to rip the CDs I've picked up along the way to my computer and actually be able to hear what they sound like.

The air in Toronto is thick and heavy.  It's like nothing I experienced in the last 2 months, and a little bit a rude reminder of how humid the T-dot gets.  I went for a run last night, and while it was only about 25 degrees (Celsius for all you American out there), the humidity made it much stickier than a comparable temperature in Europe.  I kept telling the Europeans that the heat in Toronto was different because of the humidity, and feeling the air last night totally backs up my statements!

I haven't written about my experiences in London and that will probably come soon, but KlezFest was great.  It's a very warm, welcoming group of people, and there seems to be a very active klezmer scene over in England.

I also haven't written about my wonderful experience with Easy Jet, who conveniently forgot to load my bag onto the plane from Dubrovnik, and kept me waiting until Thursday (5 whole days) before I could get it.  Fortunately, I had my clarinet and computer with me, but just about everything else (clothes, notebooks, audio recorder, glasses, toiletries) were in my bag.  And yes, I know you shouldn't leave your glasses in your checked baggage.  Now.

Anyways, I will definitely talk more about klezmer and KlezFest soon.  But being a musician as well as an academic, I leave for KlezKanada tomorrow, and in the interim, I have many things to prepare for a series of gigs that I have in the weeks following my return!