Pleasant

Hello from sunny Baltimore! It's a beautiful day. Even the hallway in my apartment building smelled like spring when I walked outside. So what am I doing inside blogging when I could be enjoying this weather? The answer is not that exciting. For one, I just got back from a brunch/networking meeting and so I'm letting my food digest. And for two, yesterday I play frisbee for the first time in months and pulled my hamstring with the first lunge. Awesome. And ouch. But I must give a shout-out to my favorite over-the-counter drug, Aleve. This morning I woke up with a headache (hangover) and throbbing leg. One pill of Aleve, back to sleep for an hour, and on the second try of waking up, I was healed. It's a miracle. Aleve may in fact be the answer to all of life's ills. Malaria? Aleve. AIDS? Aleve. Cancer? Aleve. If only. But pulled muscle and too much wine last night? Aleve, indeed!

What, you may ask, was I doing last night that caused me to wake up with a headache? Duh, I was drinking. But, I was doing it at an event that was yet another pleasant Baltimore surprise. It was a benefit for El Rancho Grande, a weird arts collective/music space, a place and concept that can only be described as "so Baltimore." It's basically a hole in the wall joint owned by a former banker/aging hippie who lets local artists come in and play. Everything's free. Including the coffee. The benefit was at an art gallery, not at the Ranch. About 10 musical acts performed. You know when you go see a random, or friend's, band and you expect them to suck? Well, I didn't expect much from this show. But holy shit, I was surprised. Act after act, I was impressed. I can't remember the last time I saw a musician randomly, or not intentionally, who I actually liked and was inspired by to buy the album. Thumbs up for Baltimore's music scene (I think Rolling Stone rated Bmore as the best music city of last year, or something). Basically all of the Baltimore indie/alt-county/folk/rock scene was there last night and although they were all incredible talented, it was a very friendly intimate vibe. Nothing like I've experienced in NYC or LA. Very cool indeed.

Okay, that's enough of that. Time to get outside and enjoy this weather before it disappears.