Friday the 13th

Today was an absolutely amazing day of busking.  The kind of day that rearranges the best days of busking I've ever had.  Way up there.  I honestly think there was some sort of magic in the air; an absurd amount of good things happened.  Maybe the busking fairies come out?  I didn't even realize it was Friday the 13th until I got home.  As a generally lucky person, such a day could have the opposite effect on me (but it didn't make Lorna's hen party tip me).

I wasn't planning to busk.  I was going to rehearsal for the Theatre Tasters, and afterwards I figured I would come back, do yesterday's blog post, and get started on Flaca's contraption.  Save my wrist for tomorrow, which is Saturday after all!  Butttt I threw my dress in my bag just in case.  

The decision to play was quite spontaneous.  I decided against it, but it was relatively nice out as I was heading home so I figured an hour or so wouldn't hurt.  I got to the Mile and had my pick of spots.  A perk of showing up at 5:30.  Tom was just starting a show.  I secretly changed and got to work.

I didn't really feel like I was truly busking, since it was so impromptu.  I had my dress, but I hadn't brought my purple jumper, so I looked a bit unkempt in my ratty old blue one.  And I didn't match Flaca.  Wore my boots, usually I wear my Mary-Janes.  Wrong earrings.  Little things like that.  No makeup.  Forgot Flaca's box, so she just sat in my box.  But it mattered not.

You will soon see all the fun interactions, but mainly everything was so damn positive.  People were smiling, tipping, being respectful.  Just such a nice vibe in the air.  Everyone was getting business, too.  The ghosts tours going by were packed, and Jackie constantly had some hair to wrap.

In conclusion (well, of the introduction), I'm so glad I decided to go out.  And here is exactly why (scroll to the bold one if you get bored):

Friday, 13 July, 2012
1. It all started with three Russian youths, sisters, I reckon.  They tipped me so much.  The oldest dropped in a £10, and the others left showers of coins.  The youngest had union jack nail polish, well played.  This was the first indication that there was magic in the air, I rarely get bills here, let alone two-digit ones.  They asked if I was Russian and confirmed that they were.  I told them I know one Russian song, and played the Tetris theme.  (Ohhh so bad, but it's originally a Russian folk song called "Korobeiniki," so I can go with that).


2. A girl about my age dropped something in, and said, "It's not much, but I hope it helps you with your loan!"  Again, not a demographic that usually says much to me.  Something was seriously up tonight!

3. Some folks came by and tipped.  The man was holding flowers, and I jested, "Oh, you brought me flowers too??" and they politely chuckled.  But I'm trying to joke more so even a lame one I can and will recycle is progress.

4.  Here is the one negative comment.  Sometimes I'll mention how it's annoying when people absentmindedly jiggle the change in their pocket while walking by, but not tip.  Well today someone went as far as pulling it out to look at it without tipping!  Come on.

5. I got some applause for "What is Love?"  That is all.  Exciting since it's new again.

6. So on Canada Day I played "O Canada" for every Canada shirt I saw.  Well, I still see Canada gear, and I realized there's no reason to not always strike up that song.  So I did today, to a boy with a Canada sweatshirt, but totally started in a bad key and messed it up.  But it was recognizable and the mom liked it.  Will have to try that again.

7. I guess my sign is persuasive, since a guy tipped and said, "I have 26 grand in student loans, why am I giving you 50p?"

8. Someone called "The Final Countdown" "Brilliant."  Yeahh, glad these pop songs are working out!

9. Every once in a while, when people are posing for photos with me, I'll encourage them to put a hand on the keyboard of the accordion for the shoot.  But today, a man had the same idea himself!  Cool.

10. The main event for today.  The event that warmed my heart, broadened my smile, and made me glad I didn't have eye makeup on.  I don't want to go into too much detail, since this was so deep and meaningful and I feel bad categorizing it with the trivial things that happen.  Also, on the offchance that the person involves winds up seeing this, I don't want him to think I interpreted it lightheartedly.


Anyway, a fellow walked by a few times, stopped to listen, then handed me a folded paper.  What was written on it was a really nice note, thanking me for my contribution to the world, basically.  But, like, really nice wording, and corny, in a good way.  And perfect spelling and grammar, which is a good way to win me over.  If anyone's truly interested, I'll be happy to share the wording in a private message.  Also, the note contained some paper money.  Very generous of him.  I'll be honest, he's super cute and I was disappointed that there was no phone number, but even without it I was bursting with joy.  Giving people notes is MY thing, it's awesome to be on the other side of it for a change.  Going to keep this one safe. 

11.  Almost equally heartwarming was how many Asians tipped me.  I know it's terrible to call this "news," and some Asians do tip, but the vast majority of the people who interact with me through photos, smiles, gestures, and waves, then don't tip, are Asian.  Especially photos.  But an actually surprising number of Asians did take their wallets out right away today, even without photographing.  Good work, magical busking fairies.

12.  Speaking of which, I really wish it was easier to know for certain who is Japanese!  I really want to impress them with my phrases/songs (I have a bit of a background with Japanese culture), but I don't want to offend Koreans, for example.  If I hear them talking to each other it's in the bag, but that actually doesn't happen much.  Maybe someone will wear a Hiroshima Carp [baseball] jersey.  Then I can actually do their rally call!

13. Bills.  I mentioned this, but I'll give it its own number.  At home, it's not rare that I'll bring home a $5 bill.  But here, it IS rare to get a £5 bill.  It happens maybe once or twice a month.  But today was just absurd, the £10 from the Russians, the bundle from the stranger, and four other fivers!  Really surprising.  And two of the fivers were from Asians!!  (Please let me know if my blog is offensive to any racial group.  I try to point out these things sensitively, but I can't judge my own apparent sensitivity.)  (Also, I try not to talk about money in the posts.  Obviously, talking about the bills I got does confirm some of the earnings I made, which makes today an exception.  But today was such an abnormal day!)

14. Since we're on the subject, one of the Asian men who left me a bill asked where I study.  I said, "The United States," and he said, "Oh," in a sort of disappointed way.  Damn, maybe I should have said, "Edinburgh."

15. Some people stopped, and the tall guy looked vaguely familiar.  He held up a pound, and put it in the box.  Okay.  Then said, "You played the Wedding March for us yesterday."  So I had!  My favorite Edinburgh newlyweds!  The groom had worn colorful Converse sneakers the previous day, and today he wore yellow ones while his wife wore light green ones, I think.  I asked them how many pairs of Converse they have between them, and they said, "too many."

16. I stopped and stretched for a minute, and some people clapped.  Hmm.

17. It was reeeeeally cold!  11c now, so 51f, and not much warmer before.  I just had the one jumper, and it wasn't enough!  I had to rub my hands together and breathe on them, and even took a break to do jumping jacks at one point.  If anything is eerie about the day, it was that.  Except not, since it's been like that all "summer."

18. I also got hungry, since I hadn't planned for dinner, and the only food I had on me was frozen berries that I had bought thinking I was going home.  Just sort of funny because when you're freezing and hungry for dinner, frozen berries are literally the last thing you'd want to eat.

19. I recycled my new hair wrap joke.  If a person (usually little girl) has long hair, she's naturally at Jackie's hair wrap stand for a while.  So when the family gets up and walks by, I compliment the hair wrap.  Today it was two little girls with long hair, so I asked them if they thought I should get one.  This is, of course, a joke, because I recently cut off all my hair and a hair wrap would look quite silly.  The dad played along, suggested I get a few orange ones to look like fire.  But Jackie caught me totally recycling this joke from a couple days ago, so I had to come clean that it wasn't the last time she'd be hearing it either.  I love her, for the record.

20. A man with an American accent asked how to get to Sandy Bell's.  We actually talked quite a bit, about renting a car and driving on the wrong side of the road, buskers in Galway, etc.  Turns out he's from Hartford, and now lives in Sonoma County in California.  So we're neighbors on both coasts!  Pretttty cool.

21.  "Was that the Stones?"  Indeed it was, young man!  "Paint it Black" has generally been getting a good reaction, mostly through facial expressions, but it was nice to have a verbal acknowledgement!  I told this guy about the "Hey There Delilah" comment from yesterday, and he was rightfully outraged. 

22. Here's a musical/technical note: I realized today that an octave on the accordion keyboard is, in fact, smaller than an octave on a piano.  Because the keys are smaller.  So I realized both that I can land the octave on my fourth finger, or just sneak a finger down in the middle to make it much easier to progress through octaves, as I do on occasion.  Coooooool.

23.  On Tuesday, was it?  Wednesday? (I don't usually busk this much, all the days are running together!) I ran into a family from my hometown.  And now I keep running into the son!  I saw him yesterday, then again today.  Even cooler than running into an Amherst person once is running into one repeatedly.  I'll probably see him a few more times.

24.  A man said something that was clearly French, and not something I knew.  Sounded like "Saint-Säens."  So my obvious response was "Oui."  But then I realized the guy had just said "sounds good."  Probably with only a Scottish accent.  And I had said ''yes."  What a douchie response!

25.  Guess what today was?  Friday!  So I didn't have to skip over "Friday" on my set list!  Played it loud and proud, and one girl officially recognized it (more than just nodding or smiling).  Commented on it being an appropriate song for today.

26. I played "Oh Danny Boy" and a man sang along, a little bit.  An American.  We talked quite a bit, and it was clear that he hadn't picked up on my nationality.  "......., that's an American movie..."  "I'm from Virginia, in the United States."  Yup, that's where it is.  Thought that was funny.

27.  I noticed a lot of people wearing the typical tourist sweatshirts, saying "Edinburgh" or just "Scotland," or "Edinburgh University."  I didn't think much of this statistic until I started shivering and remembered that this is people's summer holiday.  They probably all overestimated the temperature and had to buy warm things here!

28. There were lots of ghost tours, since it was the evening, and I realized there are probably "ghost" songs I can be playing.  Anything come to mind?

29.  Sorry Tom, maybe one day you'll say something and I won't put it in the blog!  Tom stops by to chat after his shows, and I always forget where in the set list I had been when it's time to get back to it.  I ask Tom what I had been playing, explaining that I must determine what comes next, and his answer is always, "Paint it Black!"  It's never where I was, but I love his enthusiasm for the new song, and I love playing it so much that I do it anyway.  It's such a fun song that I can't imagine Jackie minds breaking the rotation.

I think that's it!  I was so euphoric as I packed up around 9:00.  I felt so great about busking, so proud of it and inspired by it and so NOT bored of it, for a change.  The note on its own was enough to achieve this sentiment, but the other tips, the smiles, and the general reaction all boosted my morale even more.  I sort of felt like Jimmy Stewart at the end of "It's a Wonderful Life."  Having a big day like today was so worth not getting Flaca ready, not opening my accordion to blow on the F and D and hope they tune themselves, nor resting my wrist.  Right, I could have kept going to get the drunk crowds, but my arms were killing me.  Oh, you should see my arm muscles.  I've never played as much accordion as I'm playing now, and it's paying off.  Back out tomorrow for a big Saturday!  Time to get some sleep.