The Fifty-One Diner

Tonight, I am going to the 51 Diner over in Perryville, MO. I heard from a friend that they host a bluegrass jam every Tuesday night so I thought that this would be a good location to pick up some more information and possibly some interviews. I do not know how many people will be open for an interview, but based on my recent experiences with this subculture, I believe that I will get at least one interview. The jam starts at around six-thirty and hopefully my friends will be there. I am looking forward to tonight and will definitely post the results of my endeavors.
I still have not been able to get in contact with the bluegrass band that I was hoping to interview, but I am still going to try, even if it will have to be an over-the-phone interview.
On another subject, I still cannot decide how to order my essay. I have several subheadings and am working on a few more sections, but I still have no idea how to order them. Hopefully the suggestions posted on Blackboard today will help a little bit. A new subheading will include a short description of a bluegrass museum in Owensboro, KY.

Thanksgiving

I would have to say that this has been one of the most eventful thanksgivings that my family has ever had. For one thing, we had nineteen people in our house for the meal. Now that may not seem like a lot, but when you have to cook and clean for that many people, in a small kitchen, it begins to be quite the project. we started with the cleaning as soon as I got home from SWIC on Tuesday and on Wednesday, we started with the cooking. We made pies, casseroles, set up chairs and air mattresses and I even made my special cinnamon rolls.
The next morning went smoothly since we had done most of the cooking the day before and we only had fifteen people in the house at this point. After the tables were pushed together and the paper plates and plastic utensils were brought out, we pulled the cinnamon rolls and egg casseroles out of the oven. Believe it or not, things that come out of the oven tend to be extremely hot. I learned this the hard way as I was transfering the cinnamon rolls to a platter. Some of the gooey sugar and cinnamon dripped onto my thumb and I could not get my hand to the cold water fast enough.
After breakfast, it was time to the dishes; not too hard because we used paper plates. We then proceeded with the preparations for the Thanksgiving dinner. We ate around four or five and afterwards the dishes had to be done. I was definitely thankful for a dishwasher this weekend. The last of our guests are leaving tomorrow and I will finally have a chance to work on my homework.

Unexpected Encounter

I was walking toward the SWIC Library here at the Red Bud Campus and after setting down my violin case and backpack, I was approached by a lady wearing a polo shirt with the SWIC emblem on it. She had a smile on her face and asked me if that was a violin in the case. I answered her saying that it was and she said that she played as well. She asked how long I had been playing and I told her that I have played for the past 9 years or so, but that I had just recently started lessons with a professional teacher. I then told her that I also was involved in the Southern Illinois Civic Orchestra at SIUC. She said that she also had played in an orchestra but that she was now teaching bluegrass music at the Bluegrass Shack in New Athens, IL.
We talked for a few more minutes about technique and styles before we started to close our conversation. She said that we should get together and play sometime or meet at the Bluegrass Shack. We shook hands and gave our names, but I'm embarassed to say that I forgot what her name was.
When she had first walked up, I was sure that it would be a waste of my time to talk to her, but I now see that it was actually very helpful. I never would have guessed by her appearance or style of speach that she would play bluegrass music, let alone teach it. It really showed me that even though I know that the stereotypes are inaccurate, I still let myself put her into a category based on what I saw. I'll definitely be more on guard with myself at my next encounter and I look forward to my next visit to the Bluegrass Shack.

An Abundance of Artifacts

I have been trying to set up the interview with a band in my subculture, but so far it is not working out. Instead of putting an interview in this section of the paper, I will put in some more information on the other instruments or artifacts that my subculture employs. Thankfully, there are several to write about so there shouldn't be any problem with meeting the length requirement. While I am thoroughly enjoying this class, I will be relieved when it is finished. I know that I will have a greater appreciation for those who make writing their profession. I know that I probably could not apply myself to that sort of work, but a writer might say the same thing about practicing an instrument for a living.
On another topic, I have been teaching myself Hebrew. It is not as difficult as I thought it would be. My only problem is that I am reading the language as though I were just learning how to read, but in a way, I am. I really like the language and I love to say the words out loud. I hope to also learn some Jewish songs for my violin playing.

New Information

I still have not been able to set up an interview with people from my subculture. However, I was able to pick up a new source of information. At the 51 Diner in Perryville, MO, there is a bluegrass jam every Tuesday night. Some friends of mine told me that they go there and play their instruments and sing. I hope to get there next week as I have other obligations tomorrow.
Speaking of tomorrow, my rough draft of paper three was all ready to go and when I went to put it on my flash drive for tomorrow, I couldn't find it. So, I have been frantically trying to remember what I wrote and I'm determined to stay up until I can finish it again.
I think that, of all the papers so far, this paper is the most difficult. I am a little uncertain as to what I need to write about, but I will do my best. I will look forward to finishing this essay and class. I have thoroughly enjoyed it but I will be glad to not be so stressed about this class. I also will appreciate the input on my paper tomorrow. Any corrections will be welcome.

Slow Week

This week has been going very slowly with the academic side of things. While the classes are moving right along, I feel as though I am not keeping up. I do have several resources which I have been reading through but beyond that, not much has been happening. I did send a request for an interview with a bluegrass band in this area. I know the family that has the band so I should be able to get an interview fairly soon.
I have been putting together a glossary of words that some people may have questions about that I will be using in my paper. Some of them I have not used yet, but that I know will come up sooner or later. I am primarily focusing on getting all the required citations and finding out about some famous names in bluegrass history. I found the Internation Bluegrass Music Assosciation's website and this should provide me with some interesting and useful facts about the founding of this organization as well as bluegrass history in general.
I hope that I can get this interview before the deadline of the rough draft. I may just have to add it to my final draft of the paper. I will post more updates as I get them.