Today I was mostly in the conference so I didn’t take many pics. Patrice Rushen was our first speaker and she opened by playing “All Blues” on the keyboard. She’s my new hero. She is one of the most gracious, accomplished, smart, humble and talented women I have ever met. I was really looking forward to this one.
I was also sitting next to a man who complemented my leopard coat, Jorden Smith. He is partially paralyzed from a brain injury and is confined to a wheelchair. He’s studying to get his masters at Berklee and is a guitarist. He plays guitar with one hand. He started an educational organization in Colorado called Positive Note teaching music to kids with disabilities. It was really interesting to hear his about his experience at Berklee and in this city dealing with his disabilities and the logistics here. It was very eye opening since most of the other students seem to be young and pretty well off, not having to worry about much. That’s the general vibe at this campus. It kind of put me in a certain headspace the rest of the day hearing his story.
I wanted to go out to eat dinner at a certain place but they were closed. It’s been pretty cold at night and i don’t want to try to find my way around without a specific destination in the evenings so i ended up at El Reno (the deer) cuz it was close and it was open. It was a meat house that I stumbled on near my hotel. It was pretty expensive and not really what I was craving but it ended up being really good! Papas bravas and grilled pulpo plus homemade bread and a cheesecake dessert. I left fat and happy and slept like a baby.