Day 30: Rest & Jazz

Today I went to the Blind Boone Ragtime Festival in Columbia. There ain't no moldy fig like a Raggie, baby, an old vaudeville theatre full of Capital-M Moldy Figs! I had hoped to be able to attend all the events (I had even had the two days approved for vacation), but given my lack of job, I decided it best to only attend the free portion of the festival. That's right - part of it is FREE. And, frankly, the free part seems way more awesome than the pay part.

I particularly enjoyed a sneak peak of a documentary on Ragtime that Reginald Robinson is filming, and a story he shared..Reginald looks to be in his late 30s, and he is a ragtime composer/performer/documentarian. So, clearly, when he is in the car, he is blaring Ragtime music. When he pulls up to a stop light, no matter where he is, no matter who is in the next car, he gets the crazy looks. He wants to bring the story of Ragtime to everyone, so that people will show it the respect that it deserves. He thinks that people should think it no crazier that he'd be blaring Ragtime than if he were listening to later jazz, or any other form of music. To complete the project, he's looking for help in the form of anyone who has any stories about Ragtime performers, or any pictures or other memorabilia of the era. With my large Raggie following, I'm sure someone can help?! Anyway, his email address is on that link to his website if you, or someone you know, would happen to be able to help.

In addition to Reginald, I got to see and hear Bob Ault, Tom Brier, and Frederick Hodges in a very informal showcase of their mad, mad skills. (There were others, but I didn't catch everybody's name.) I am definitely going back tomorrow. And next year. I love it. I. Love. Ragtime.

After the free events today, I drove part of the 10K route that I wasn't clear about. I'm actually less clear about it now, but I have confirmed that the pedestrian bridge at the top of the giant hill has both stairs and a ramp. Woohoo! I guess I'm going to have to contact someone about the route, or else just be surprised..

I wanted to walk/run the 10K route tomorrow after the free portion of the day ends, but severe weather is predicted, so I may actually pay to attend one of the formal events tomorrow, instead. My plan is to be up early enough to get my run in before we leave for Columbia, before it starts raining. It is easier for me to get up in the morning when I have a day full of awesome ahead of me...I've just found that running in the morning is harder for me and something tells me the huge Mexican dinner I had tonight isn't proper "carbo loading." Regardless, somehow, sometime, somewhere, tomorrow I will be adding three total minutes to my run time.