Oh. Em. Gee.

The week needed a good note to end on.

Both of us had more than our shares of stress at work- Eleanor facing a lot of coworker turnover and training (not in her job description, but so what?), me with multiple court appearances throughout the week, both of us running into general asshattery at various turns.  Plus, oh, the pain, the pain- my ankle settled down after whatever had set it off, but there's still more pain than usual in the left leg in general, and Eleanor had a trifecta of visits to a massage therapist, a physician and a chiropractor in her never-ending quest to make her owies go away. (Also, I needed a prescription refill the other day, and hit my PA's outside limit for How Not To Be Seen, so I have an 8 a.m. checkup next Wednesday to begin what will likely be a 13-hour day by the time it ends in a Grand Island traffic court.)  As for the other kind of pain, it cost just over $100 to have Father Jason, from Our Lady of Non-Perpetual Appliance Repairs, come out and administer the last rites to our dryer yesterday; replacing it will be at least another $500 (thanks, tariffs!, which raise the price even though dryers aren't on the tariff list:P)- after an unexpected vet visit for Zoey earlier in the week.

But all that faded to the background when we heard the news:

Emily had entered an art show called Paint Out Lynchburg- they call it "plein air painting," which is a fancy way of saying you Van Gogh Outside and Just Do It like Vinny did (the painting, not the other things).  She was largely inspired by Mom's first entry into a juried exhibition earlier in the spring. We knew she'd been doing this; we did NOT know, until she told us, that her painting, titled "Cathedral," had taken first place in the exhibition:)  The show's site does not yet have the names or paintings of this year's winners up, but last year's are, as is the bio of the judge, a regular author and curator in the state's arts community.  We also didn't realize this event took in artists, not just from the immediate area, but from the entire state.  She took home a $350 prize for the effort, and was already at Michael's today, buying her next canvas.

Just as she made Mom's Day last month, it's a week early but she's already made mine:)

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Sports and games have been good for everyone around me except the Mets:P

Toronto, the longest-suffering hotbed of hockey fans, is one win away from its first-ever NBA title, which it can win on its own floor on Monday night.  NHL news is also looking up, as the Sabres just signed their second-best player to their second-biggest contract in their history, and the plucky St. Louis Blues, last in the league as late as the end of January, are one win away from winning Lord Stanley's Cup on their home ice tomorrow night.

I'm also on a minor personal roll. Last year, I was invited into Learned League, a weird but compelling knowledge test, and began its 81st season by forgetting to answer the email with the questions. That's a forfeit, which is bad.  I then proceeded to suck for the first several games I did bother to play, and was Dead Last in my group of 30. Yet somehow this week, pluckiness has rebounded, I've won four straight matches, am back up to .500 and am nearly in the top half of the standings. Not bad for an old guy. 

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I mentioned having a Very Long Day ahead of me on Wednesday. It's actually not that bad, since there's not much between my last Rochester appointment at 11 and having to be on Grand Island by 6:30.  Thursday will have a later start but probably a much later finish.... and a good one. I have invited my recovering-alcoholic brother-in-law to meet me at a bar- and he knows exactly why:)

Abeline is the wonderful Rochester venue where I saw, if not the best, certainly the most intimate concert I have ever attended- Spin Doctors frontman Chris Barron soloing on acoustic detail, in the corner of the bar's foyer, for exactly eight of us. This event got me on their mailing list and liking them on Facebook, and through the latter, earlier this week, I saw this post:

****Not our usual Facebook post...and we know it's a little long...but please read on****

About a year ago, I visited the the Crisis Nursery on Genesee Park Boulevard.

Run by the The Center for Youth, the Crisis Nursery offers free, temporary child care for parents who have no other safe place to leave their babies or young children during a crisis.
Open 24/7, the nursery has been a refuge for little kids whose parents are dealing with unexpected emergencies, mental health problems, domestic violence, homelessness and other issues. Every year, more that 1,000 kids are welcomed here.

I held a young baby in my arms, a baby whose mother truly was in crisis….and I was profoundly moved….and knew then that this was place worth telling people about…and fighting for.

The Crisis Nursery and Owen’s House, a second location in the Beechwood neighborhood, keeps these kids safe, healthy, happy and removed from chaos and trauma. They are clearly loved by the staff and volunteers, who also help parents find permanent solutions to their crises.

It is such a warm and compassionate place that I left feeling the desire to support is good work.
I decided to do that through music, with the help of Abilene Bar and Lounge's loyal customers—definitely a warm and compassionate bunch.
So, here’s how this ongoing fundraiser is going to work:
1)Join! Become a member of “Project 153.” There’ll be three annual membership levels…and minus the small PayPal processing fee, your entire, tax-deductible contribution will directly support the Crisis Nurseries.

2)Reap the benefits of Project 153 membership. Twice a year Abilene will be hosting intimate shows featuring national acts . All levels of membership will include free and exclusive access to these events. There’ll also be the opportunity to meet and greet the musicians, receive commemorative Abilene merchandise and more.

Simple, right?!
But it will make a big difference for so, so many young people in our town.

Okay, you’ve heard my spiel….Now I’d like to invite you to a super casual kick-off Happy Hour next Thursday, June 13, 5:30pm at Abilene Bar and Lounge…There’ll be drinks, some food, music by the Charlie Mitchell Group…and an opportunity to find out more info about Project 153…and at that time we’ll announce the first exclusive show we’ll be hosting. I hope to see you all at 153 Liberty Pole Way.

Thanks much,
Danny Deutsch
Abilene Bar and Lounge

I will be back there for court that morning, and how can I not become a part of this?  They've hosted many "national acts" which are, or have become, quite big- Lake Street Dive played their first Rochester Jazz Festival gig on the Abeline stage, before returning to headline at the Eastman Theatre last year.  And in these troubling times, where religions and "faith based" charities continue to assert their "sincerely held religious beliefs" to marginalize LGBTQ people and criminalize reproductive freedom, it's a BAR that gets the message right.  THAT's something I can believe in.