i met him at work last autumn, and over the course of few months, we became friends – finding a million little things that we had in common. Too many to ignore. At some point, we both knew it was inevitable, and finally admitted that we needed to take this just a little further… To find out if there really is something there.
But it was still awkward to be alone together for the first time. Prepared? As much as schedules and life would allow. There was goofy, nervous chatter when i arrived at his house last night. “You want a beer?” “Oh, god, yes! Thank you! Absolutely!”
A quick tour of the downstairs of his partially restored 1880’s farmhouse. Chit-chat about this odd object, or the eleven-foot ceilings. A few moments of awkward silence as i took off my shoes. It was time to get to it. The moment at hand… Don’t think. Just go…
We started slowly. First me, then him. And the moment we joined together. No matter how many times i’ve done this, it’s always rough at the beginning. Tested the waters, tried a little of this and a little of that… touch and response. Nervous laughter. We found more than a little bit of resonance.
Then it started to become natural. Finding the perfect chord that triggered a flood of memories, and launched us in a new direction. Another beer, another round – this time more comfortable and relaxed. And just damn fun!
By the end of the evening we were tearing it up like two adolescent demons – inhibitions forgotten, getting hopelessly lost in the moment. Will we do this again? No doubt about it. There is something there. Something that must be indulged. That magical combination of “common ground” and “new territory”.
i have, at last, found what i was looking for… Never expected to find him at work. Never in a million years did i expect to find such a good fit.
This guy plays guitar like the bastard child of Jimmy Page and Segovia, cross-bred with the spooge of Steve Howe and Jack Johnson. We know much of the same eclectic (and seemingly random) stuff – and put together a list of 12 “must do” songs.
And yes. As a matter of fact, i did smoke a cigarette on the drive home…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CLARIFICATION: Not a raucous tryst, folks. Guitar jam. i’ve been looking for a band, or some way to reinvigorate my music. He’s delightful, but we’re not doing the nasty… i don’t blog that stuff. My kids already have bad enough trauma knowing that i get laid.
Trailer Park Refugee 
I’ll sleep soundly in my bed just knowing that a long time friend has a smile upon her face, and ash upon the carpet of her car. But why is it that a part of me longs also to be part of her while I listen as she plays with her guitar?
Woohoo!! Clapping and cheering loudly from Canada …
You description of “that magical combination of “common ground” and “new territory” … made me smile and brought back of flood of not-too-distant memories. You’ve summed it up perfectly. 🙂
jimmy – “i’ve always been a sucker for boy with a guitar and a drink in his hand”. maybe you share the same fantasy? in any case, glad to help you sleep…
tNb – ummm… just talking about a guitar-playin’ buddy. i’m still dating aggressively (trying to “collect the whole set”). this is musician lust!
I’m saying nothing… but it’s no a boy that holds my fantasy together hen!
damn, sugar! y’all had me goin there…bless your heart! xoxoxox
Great big grin on MY face today, babe….
It’s true, it turns up in the most unlikely places. YourZ and I knew each other for 23 years before taking THAT step, and it’s still going strong eight years later.
I wish you only the best with it
why is it after reading that that i want a cigarette?
jimmy – so noted… it was simply another musical reference. i don’t suppose you are a fan of “P!nk”. Ummm… the singer….
savannah – just messin’ with y’all! he’s a lovely man – and cute as hell, too! but is somewhat entangled with a ladyfriend. never mind the fact that he’s too nice to hang out with the likes of me!
mine – glad to make you grin, and send you tripping down memory lane! we’re ‘guitar jam’ buddies… i’ve been looking to find a band for several months now, and have had a couple of false starts. the groove was never quite right, the styles/interests diverged, or something just went wonky. he and i are of complementary styles, vocal and musical, and he’s been looking for someone to push him out of his comfort zone too. musically.
kono – because you were playing along, dear! the grin on my face as i drove home after this session was close to the grin i wear after [ahem] non-musical sessions with other friends… all about the music. the sound. the ‘push’…
suh-weeeet!
I raise my glass.
Oh, yay! How wonderful! I’ve been having a similar tremendous suprise (for the first time in years!).
ahhhh! I LOVE….love, er at the very least toleration and like!
I hope you used a plectrum ………
ha! I had to reread it it to understand you weren’t talking about fucking… damn, for a minute there…..
Oh poop. I got over excited. Still, I am still having a tremendous surprise of my own.
jenuine – thank you! finding a ‘guitar’ buddy is almost as hard as finding a good lover!
syncopated eyeball – happy that you found some unexpected magic. me? i really NEEDED a guitar buddy. other buddies may come and go, but this is hard to catch…
carlae – sorry to have mislead, but i’m still a happy free agent. but damn, i really needed to find him. was frustrated with several false starts with other attempts…
DP – absolutely! never, ever take chances without one… i could catch a nail fungus or something.
nursemyra – i don’t blog that. my kids are already freaked out when momma’s got a booty call. they don’t need additional trauma at the moment… guess i took a page from the ‘jimmy bastard riddle-writing’ book!
syncopated eyeball – it really is just as happy for me!
Good for you Daisy, I have been looking for the same thing for ages now. Have fun.
I have a bad case of GAS too. I’m gonna get a new Collings soon.
Congrats on finding a new partner. Sex is one thing, but music is personal.
Shared passions are so easily misunderstood from the outside. Finding a passion-mate is special.
What a lovely post. I haven’t danced the dance of new exploration in a long, long time. I forget how nice it can be. Hope you get many miles out of this.
I always thought I should have taken guitar lessons. It the best aphrodisiac ever invented. I lost someone to a guitar player once.
Wow, pretty cool stuff girl… is this guy my long lost twin… page eh! How excitingly romantic! x
you totally deserve it.
something more or not, happiness is what you totally deserve.
I feel kinda dirty … I want to watch.
(I can’t play a note, but I LOVE watching those who can)
Print Your Blog Day:
I think you should use this article.
It would be perfect over a urinal.
Whew. For a minute there you had me really going. . . Jamming is great, glad you are finding a great partner. Good luck for the future of music.
Isn’t it amazing how making music and making love share so many of the same metaphors and feelings?
reminds me of a similar e-mail i sent to my girlfriend…will have to dig that one up and share. i was told her first reaction to reading it was “Shit!”.
dai – i’m lusting for a hollow body electric. but the gibson is only a year old, so there is no GAS for me…. Collings? Nice…
chris – exactly. finding a decent fuck buddy is relatively easy compared to finding the right jam buddy. they are one in a million…
archie – “Passion mate”. i like that very much… and know exactly what it means…
unbearable banishment – no need for lessons, just play. i’ve only had a couple lessons along the way, and found them only marginally helpful… it’s the jam buddies that push me into new turf…
Bb – “babe i’m gonna leave you” and “ramble on” are on the list… he’s good, and can pull it off. now, can i sing like robert plant? will find out.
stephanie – thanks! it was a bright spot in a dark week, that’s for damn sure!
blazingscarlet – there are times when other folks are playing that i can get just as lost as a spectator. michael hedges (r.i.p.) was mesmerizing…
writerdood – i could print it and leave it in a church lobby. that would make me happier!
healingmagichands – for me, the two things are closely coupled. connection, intimacy, pleasure (aural or sensual)… have rarely found a way to combine the two, but i suppose that would launch me into the stratosphere!
gnukid – you should totally publish that! passion is passion…
Whew! I was totally shvitzing there for awhile. Nice to read about a passion that doesn’t have anything to do with sex, though.
Hurrah for you! Congrats on reinvigorating your music, something I’ve not done for a long time. Hope you have fun with it!
Sounds like the two of you will be making some beautiful music together. 🙂
i was almost getting ready to start touching myself inappropriately until you spilled the beans about the post being about a guitar jam.
how about posting those 12 songs? or give us a teaser on a couple?
texastrailertrash – “shvitzing” is my favorite new word, and i’m going to make an effort to work it into conversation at least once a day! not directly about sex, but very similar. at least to me…
s.le – and now? to actually work on it… our schedules are both tough, and it’ll be april before we can get together again. need to stick with it… and not just practice the day before we play again.
fragrant liar – he’s pretty amazing. undergraduate degree in classical music performance, and THEN he went on to become an engineer. i don’t feel worthy, but he says i’m a great fit for what he likes to play…
dave – sorry to have tempted you with self-abuse. some on the list? “High and Dry” (Radiohead), “Do You Realize” (Flaming Lips), “Running on Faith” (Clapton), and the two Led Zepplin songs (“Babe I’m Gonna Leave You”, and “Ramble On”)…. and a few more. These are fairly easy ones – that at least one of us knows – to get started…. oh, and i’m going to have to sing. which should be pretty damn funny…
(clap, clap, clap) Brava! You had us all going there for a while, plucking our strings, playing us like a long-necked instrument. Glad you’ve found someone to strum with.
squirrelqueen – and i hope you laughed a bit, too! sadly, i have YET to pick up my guitar since last wednesday night. hope to remedy that tonight…
Oh man you had me going. I was about to comment how in awe I was you could blog so delicately yet profoundly about…. oh wait. It was guitars. Huh.
Well there are many different ways to make beautiful music together. Glad you found one!
babs – Sorry about that…. unfortunately, one of my gentleman friends read it and had the same reaction. Good thing i’d put in that clarification, or there was going to be some ‘splainin….
Fucking party.
rassles – i actually can’t wait to see this guy again! counting the days… that’s just scary!