Current mood: determined
Category: Life
I got my power back on yesterday afternoon! I also have decided that I should not own a home. It seemed like a good idea at the time, investment, retirement, future, blah blah blah. It's the classic Pope quote: "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing." The key being "a little." I know just enough to be dangerous to myself and my home.

My Friend-with-a-Smart-Car drove me by the house to check on it (my car has been stuck on ice for the past few days), and I noticed the next-door-neighbor had power. I also noticed my porch light was not on. I was in a sour mood anyway, so I trudged inside and flipped a bunch of switches, none of which worked. Then, Friend-with-a-Smart-Car, went inside, determined that the main switch was off, and restored my power. I would never had thought to check for that. (Again, I should not own a home.)

After turning the water back on, he then discovered some of my pipes had frozen. This angered me because I'd shut off the water supply AND had drained the pipes. (Thinking I was doing the responsible homeowner thing.) How annoying.

Anyway, condensed version: he thawed the pipes and got things working again, but the sink was clogged somehow. I own an auger, but that didn't do the trick. And alas, I do NOT own a monkey wrench.

The Monkey Wrench is my favorite hangout in Louisville, and I knew there had, at one time in history, there had been a tool and/or a quilt of the same name. But when I think Monkey Wrench, I think Fried Green Tomato Veggie Burgers or Bluegrass Brunch or Brigid-You've-Got-a-Drink-in-the-Well.

So later that night, when Friend-with-a-Truck picked me up, and I told him about my need for a Monkey Wrench, he completely blew my mind. We were stopped at a stoplight on Bardstown Road, and I was complaining about how I'd spent my youth reading Shakespeare and practicing the piano, when I should have been learning about plumbing. He then reached his left hand behind him and somehow managed to pull a Monkey Wrench out of his truck without missing a beat. He also said something about plumbing manuals being written in iambic pentameter. Friend-with-a-truck-AND-a-poet!

I wonder if he has dental.

Anyway, I now have in my possession a red monkey wrench. And I'm going to go home shortly and rip that sink apart.

Plumbers: stand-by.

Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=19356498&blogId=468771782#ixzz0tgu3znah

Category: Friends
I was unsure what to write about today. I thought about writing about how completely stubborn I am and how the most frustrating thing about still having no heat or electricity is that I've had to rely on other people for basic needs. Not being able to take care of myself is making me crazy.

Then I started thinking about my fantastic friends who have been there for me the past week (and really, who have been there for years), and I was just amazed at how incredible these people are.

So today's blog is about my cool friend, Peter, who is one of those people who is good at everything. You know, he'll just decide he's interested in something, give it a go, and suddenly he's the #1-ranked tennis player in Kentucky in his age division. (I might have gotten that fact wrong, but, he's some superlative.) We all know he's a great singer and songwriter and cellist and plays just about every other stringed instrument too. But he's also a great painter. Check out his MySpace to see the adorable paintings of his kitties and doggies that he did. And he makes a hell of a Taco salad.

Recently, he decided to try his hand at video production. As a former professional TV producer, I am giving a mostly non-biased opinion, that his new video is fantastic. He teamed up with Chris Witzke and produced a video for his song "In the Morning," that looks smokin' hot. Thought I'd share:

Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=19356498&blogId=468569381#ixzz0taxnROdv

Current mood: moody
Category: School, College, Greek

The InKY Reading Series is throwing a party on Saturday night in Louisville, and I agreed to make an appearance. I'm not going to be singing or playing. The theme is "High School Journal" and the organizers asked a few local writers to read from, yes, their high school journals. Why did I agree to do this?

First, I tore my old bedroom apart looking for any shred of writing. I found thousands of reading notes on Faulkner and Fitzgerald and every note I took in college. I found boxes of photographs and perfect attendance awards certificates. But I couldn't find my journals.

To be honest, I never really kept a journal. I wrote some bizarre combination of partly-truth and party-fiction (Cue: Kris Kristofferson), thinking that I would eventually write a novel. Of course, I had absolutely nothing of import to say, and I was strangely aware of that at the time. Every fifth sentence is something like: "Wow, I can't believe how insignificant my problems are." It's horribly painful to read. I haven't decided which entries I'll be sharing with the audience on Saturday.

In honor of High School, I thought I'd fill out one of those silly MySpace surveys that high schoolers do:

1. What are you wearing? A t-shirt and a hoodie and jeans, and plastic target bags around my cowboy boots. It's been my outfit for the past week.
2. What did you do last night? Cooked Thai food at my current shelter and went to Highland Coffee to write a blog. Played my ol' Gibson Archtop on the couch.
4. Last gift recieved? A wooden spoon. It's like a tiny little present.
(for the record, the myspace survey mispelled "received," not me)
5. Describe the last picture you were in? Someone at Highland Coffee this morning took a photo of my feet wearing my Target bags.
6. Last thing you ate? Leftover Thai food.
7. Last thing you drank? Water.
8. What kind of underwear are you wearing? Red.
9. What was your best vacation? I don't really take vacations. I tour a lot though, and my favorite one was the UK tour with Peter this fall. Second-favorite was Scotland with Lyzz when I was in college.
10. What are you most looking foward to in the next vacation? Texas Stonehenge just outside of Kerrville.
11. What is happening around you? Other people without power are on their laptops, just as I am.
12. What is your shoe size? 6.5, extra wide.
13. Last event you dressed up for? New Year's Eve.
14. Biggest pet peeve? When people get in the left lane and are secretly planning to turn left, but don't put on their turn signal until after the light changes to green. And when concerts don't start on time.
15. What is the most expensive thing you have on right now? My cowboy boots. Although, the Target bags might have cost more when you add up all that money you somehow end up spending when you go to Target.
16. What is your favorite smell? Garlic and onions sauteeing in the house. And Oriental lilies. But not together.
17. Is there something you really want to buy right now? The Roland midi accordion.
19. What are you nicknames? My parents call me "Red." (imaginative) Peter calls me "BK." Most people just say "hey."
20. Funniest thing said today? Today has not been funny. My car's stuck in the ice and my back hurts. I am not laughing.
21. What are your plans for today? Taking the bus back to my place to see if the power's on.
22. Describe your myspace picture. I'm holding a saw and violin bow quite majestically, if i do say so myself.
23. What did you do this weekend? Lived like a vagabond, flitted and fleeted around the city, wrote songs, hung out with some great friends. I had a lot of fun, considering I've been without power for a week now.
24. Favorite brand of clothes? I'm not a shopper. I'm a thrift-store girl.
25. What is your ringtone? the classic Old-Phone Ring that everyone with an iPhone has. And for a few select people, it's "Dream Weaver."


Info on the High School Journal Party, from InKY's website:
Featuring performances by adventurer and university administrator Tori Murden McClure, WFPK's Laura Shine, novelist Brian Leung, musician Brigid Kaelin, writer Crystal Wilkinson, The Courier-Journal lifestyles editor David Daley, music journalists Peter Berkowitz and Jeffrey Lee Puckett, with music courtesy of the Bourbon Brothers (Charles Spivey and WFPK'sMichael Youngof Roots n' Boots). Plus free food and drinks.
Tickets are a $30 tax-deductible donation to InKY (or 2 for $50)
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The Green Building
732 East Market Street
Louisville, Kentucky
7:30PM

Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=19356498&blogId=468335888#ixzz0tavldg7P

Current mood: adventurous
Category: Life

I still have no power at my house.

When the power was out for eight days in September, it was actually a beautiful week. The sun didn't set until 7:30, and the neighbors hosted many a Scrabble tournament and hootenanny in their front yards. The weather was a perfect 72degrees, and everyone was in a good mood.

Losing your power in January when it's 20-30 degrees outside is not quite as pleasant, but it has been maybe even more fun. Since last Tuesday, I have slept in five different houses, moving before overstaying my welcome. I left my bag of organic carrots at Erin's house. I left my Ben & Jerry's at Peter's studio. I'm sure I've left many a long-red-hair on various floors and couches and guest beds. Sorry, folks, I tend to shed.

Things I've learned this week:
1. Plastic grocery bags (I absolutely detest them and am a canvas-bag shopper) are perfect to wear around your cowboy boots to make them waterproof. I'm currently sporting Target bags. I can step in all kinds of piles of snirt.
2. Snirt is a word I'd forgotten about. You know, when the snow stops being all pretty and gets mixed in with the dirt. When I was a kid, I thought I'd invented that word.
3. It's great to have a friend with a truck. My car was buried under an ice tree, and I had to haul my equipment (keyboard, guitar, accordion, cables, saws, etc) to a show last night. Thanks, friend-with-a-truck. I had no idea how fun it is to drive through snow in a truck.
4. There is nothing better than music and friends to keep your spirits high when your house is 30 degrees. I know I sound like a Hallmark card, but seriously, I have had so much fun this week running around like a hobo. I danced to Johnny Berry, danced to the Muckrakers, wrote songs with one of my awesome friend Shannon, played a show with my other awesome friend Peter, roved around town, and laughed harder than I have in ages.
5. I think I secretly like power outages. It reminds me of being on the road. A different bed every night and good good music all day long.

thanks, Charles, for letting me use your internet.

brigid

Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=19356498&blogId=467979724#ixzz0tavAF1Hz

i'm blogging from kyle's phone so pardon my lack of proper punctuation. the muckrakers are currently onstage having a contest to the fans to see who can do the best impersonation of an rous dying. I that's rous as in "rodents of unusual size" from "the princess bride." so tonight's last minute under the wire blog is about a few of my favorite things: my favorite movie: the princess bride food: watermelon pat morita/jay leno movie: collision course book: the great gatsby kitchen utensil: the wooden spoon

Current mood: jolly

My faithful blog readers know that my survival skills are limited and that I would not survive a zombie war. The past few days have proven that I rely heavily on my MacGyver-like friends who have taught me things such as: wearing plastic bags around my shoes to keep them from getting wet. (I don't own snowboots.)

It was bizarre timing for a week of songwriting. Shannon Lawson and I have been trouncing through the streets in our double-bagged cowboy boots, scurrying from shelter to shelter, writing songs as we go. We've got the essentials: a guitar, a fiddle, a laptop, an accordion, and everything we need to make nachos.

Last night we ended up at Peter's house. Peter, as in Peter Searcy. He and his lovely wife were hosting a few other vagabonds, so we thought we'd impose a little. We arrived just in time to find Peter whipping up a Thai peanut vegetable stir-fry (mmmmmm).

Then we were transported back in time a hundred years when I found Peter's grand piano. I sat down, opened up a songbook from the 70's, and everyone stood around the piano and sang along. Imagine me on piano, and Peter Searcy and Shannon Lawson grabbing guitars singing "American Pie" and "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" in three-part harmony. And yes, we sang every single verse to "American Pie." It was unbelievably fun, and we must have sang and laughed and entertained each other for hours.

So it turns out that my survival skills aren't really all that bad. I can't start a fire, but I can entertain and keep people from turning into cannibals. (And the nachos were pretty great too.)

Category: Music
I stopped by my house this afternoon to get my instruments out of the cold, and the thermostat read "41 degrees." The power is still out, and there's no sign of them fixing all the downed power lines any time soon.

Apparently, over 600,000 Kentuckians are without power. I am one of them.

My songwriting partner and I (who came up from Nashville to write with me this week), and I have been traveling around crashing on couches, writing a song when our fingers warmed up enough to make a G-chord.

That's all I've got today. It's really getting to Armageddon-land on my street though. My house is empty. The neighbors have taken their valuables and left their homes. As have I. Kind of scary, but I'm still enjoying the adventure. I'm lucky to have Twitter on my phone and friends who can update when they have power. What are the old people doing? Being very very cold and sitting in the dark, I guess.

Wrote a song yesterday, recorded it on a laptop, and emailed it to the radio station. They played it. Cool.

Category: Life
Quick blog today, as I'm writing from the neighbor's house. I have no power, much like 200,000 other Kentuckians. All night long, I heard giant tree limbs cracking and falling and fire trucks crawling along the roads.

All because of snow!

My power is out. THere are lines down all across my backyard. I failed to get bread and eggs, and for the first time in years, I am craving bread and eggs. I think it's just what happens when you're snowed in. French toast!

The good thing is that the rest of this week was earmarked for writing time. So I'm holing up in my cold cold house (no heat either) with my guitars, pianos, accordions, mandolins, fiddles, and dulcimers, and writing.

But I was determined to blog-a-day.

Stay warm, folks!
brigid

Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=19356498&blogId=467000483#ixzz0taucQeBs

Current mood: creative
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities



In May of 1996, I announced my decision to attend New York University. Most of my friends were excited about making their escapes from Kentucky, so they were happy to hear I was NYC-bound.

The next day in school, I was bombarded with, "You can't go to NYU! You're going to form a prostitution ring and be murdered!"

I thought that was pretty weird, but really not that weird. My relatives were worried about all kinds dangers I'd face in The City. It was just odd that so many different people were telling me the exact same plot: that to earn money at NYU, I'd be forced to become a Lady of the Night and would subsequently be murdered.

It turns out that everyone I knew had watched Law & Order* that night. And in a huge coincidence (maybe), the episode was about a college student at some fictional New York City university had indeed become a hooker and was murdered. The victim's name? "Bridget Kaylin."

No joke.

I never saw that episode, but every six months or so for the past twelve years, someone calls me and says, "Dude! I was watching reruns of Law & Order, and you'll never believe this, but the victim was Brigid Kaelin! They said 'Brigid Kaelin' repeatedly all through the show!"

Believe it or not, I've never sat through an entire episode of Law & Order. That could be because I have trouble sitting still for any length of time, or more likely, that I just don't really get into crime dramas.

Today, however, someone actually had the forethought to call me and tell me the episode was on TNT at that very moment. (Why has no one done this before?) I watched it, and it was really really really bizarre to hear them saying, "Admit it! You murdered Brigid Kaelin!" or "You were having an affair with Brigid Kaelin!"

Neither one of my names is particularly common. I think the screenwriters probably took that year's list of NYU's matriculates, and borrowed the one from Kentucky's name so-as to frighten her away. Obviously. Too bad she doesn't watch Law & Order. Maybe if she had been a Saved by the Bell character or something, I would have gone to Northwestern instead.

Thanks to my Uncle Billy for letting me know it was on. It was nice to finally see it.

* Link to Law & Order episode #6.20: "Girlfriends"

Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=19356498&blogId=466839812#ixzz0tauTj3JS

Current mood: determined
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes

Ok. I mentioned that I'd wanted to borrow a New Year's Resolution from Rob of The Muckrakers (sounds like an ancient fanciful name, like Helen of Troy or Jesus of Nazareth): to write a blog a day.

Then I remembered that I don't do New Year's Resolutions. And then I read Rob's blog on Sunday, and he suggested that I take up the blog-a-day challenge.

I'm working on being less flighty and more sturdy, so this will be my big commitment for the year.

Of course, I missed January 1, and the Jewish New Year isn't until fall. But lucky me: today is Chinese New Year. What's more sturdy than an Ox?

I'm going to write some sort of blog every day in the Year of the Ox. Join me, if you will.

Here's the link to the A Prairie Home Companion (note that the oft-omitted article "A" is part of the title) program:http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/2009/01/17/, if you missed it.

This week's reminder: Louisville show on Saturday January 31. With none other than The Muckrakers. At Gerstle's. I'm starting at 9:00. You know I will.

brigid



Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=19356498&blogId=466552251#ixzz0tauJofEv

Current mood: accomplished
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes
I wanted to write this on Sunday morning, the day after the live broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion, so I could write with the same exuberance I wrote my Elvis Costello blog. When I woke up on Sunday morning, I knew it wouldn't be quite the same because I actually got a great night's sleep. Playing with Elvis Costello was so unexpected that I was buzzed for three days straight after he called me.

I have to type this so I can believe it: Saturday night, I played a sold-out show at the Palace Theatre. My favorite venue. Wow. That felt good.

Granted, the show was mostly sold-out before my appearance was announced, so I'm well aware I wasn't the star attraction.

But looking out into those lights, singing my original music, looking over my shoulder to see Guy's All-Star Shoe Band reading charts of songs I composed, and hearing almost three thousand people laughing at my lyrics (laughing where they are supposed to laugh), was an absolute dream come true. I looked over at Garrison Keillor during "Future Mr. Used-to-Be" and saw him dancing and watching me sing.

Several things about A Prairie Home Companion make me happy. The first is the mere fact that it exists. It overjoys me that over four million people tune into a weekly two-hour variety show on the radio. The show is so simple. Great writing, intelligent humor, Fred Newman's uncanny sound effects, Garrison Keillor's hilarious novelty songs, Susan and Tim's ability to imitate anyone, and the unbelievable skills of Guy's All-Star Shoe Band.

I've listened to that show for years, and I've always thought my music would be a good fit for the APHC audience. My songs are a little, um, quirky, I suppose, much in the same way that APHC sketches are. I couldn't have been happier when I got a call from them.

Tech rehearsal on Friday was glorious. I brought my own upright bass player, Louisville's own Danny Kiely, but was supposed to use Guy's All-Star Shoe Band for the rest of my accompaniment. They were all monster players and had perfectly arranged charts to my songs ready to play. The songs sounded amazing on the very first run-through, so really we just relaxed and had a good time playing on-stage at the Palace.

The Palace is my favorite place to see a big concert because it feels intimate. It's an intricately-designed baroque style theatre that looks like an Italian Villa on a starry starry night. From stage, the sculptures and planetarium are still visible, but you suddenly realize how huge the theatre is. There are almost three thousands seats and the balcony is far far away. I remember looking over at Shannon Lawson, who sang a duet with me, and just grinning wildly and saying, "We're playing the Palace!" Then I thought: wait, this guy has played arena tours as a solo artist; he's probably not impressed. But there's something magical about the Palace, and there's something magical about A Prairie Home Companion. He was smiling as big as I was.

Let me know move on to another favorite topic of mine: catering. Throughout the two-day rehearsal/performance, there was Vegan Butternut Squash Lasagna, Vegan chili, cajun tofu sandwiches, vegan cookies and brownies, and all kinds of fruits and veggies. I was almost brought to tears thinking that my friends at the radio station must have remembered my strange veggie eating habits. But of course, it wasn't for me ... it was for a cast member who also eats no meat. He and I bonded over that for a while, and I pigged out, relishing the fact that I wasn't going to eat a tomato sandwich and a salad like I usually have to do in these situations.

After rehearsing with the Shoe Band, I sat around and jammed with them a bit on the musical saw. We played a bit of "The Swan" from Carnival of the Animals. Then we played "Over the Rainbow" and entranced the whole crew in the Palace. I had a bit of deja vu from when I soundchecked with Elvis Costello there and the crew did the same thing -- basically a collective "what the hell is she doing with that saw??!?!"

Though I had originally rehearsed four songs for the show, when Garrison heard me playing "Over the Rainbow" on the musical saw, the decision was made to cut an original and play that instead. It turned out to be a big hit of the show, so that goes to show you the wise man that Garrison Keillor is.

Speaking of Garrison, people keep asking me about him, and I don't quite know how to describe him. The best way, I think, is that he's like that strange but brilliant boy in class who always says just the right things, but whom everyone else thinks is a bit kooky. I like the strange but brilliant ones. I liked Garrison.

Patty Loveless and her band also played the show. They were great fun to hang out with backstage. We had to drag Shannon away from Patty's guitar/fiddle player, Garry. Those two toured together back during Shannon's arena-touring days, and they were reminiscing about days on the tour bus singing old-timey bluegrass songs. Patty was extremely gracious and sang her tunes brilliantly. What a voice.

Funny, it didn't occur to me that I was sharing a stage with Patty Loveless until after the show when people asked if I was nervous to follow her. Either I'm overly confident or my mind was just a blur. Or maybe I wasn't nervous because it's not a competition. Or because I was on-stage doing what I'm completely comfortable doing: playing music and singing for a crowd. If you'd asked me to stand on my hands or recite the quadratic equation, I would have been nervous. But ask me to sing my own songs for a crowd of three thousand and four million more radio listeners? Cake. I can do that.

Highlights:
- Playing a musical saw solo on "Powdermilk Biscuits"
- Standing in the green room with Patty Loveless, both of us with tepid tea and clueless as to how to open the microwave door. Thanks, Charles, for opening it for us. We were just testing you, really.
- Looking down from stage to see my friend Allison sitting in the absolute front row center. How did she get those tickets? Even my parents were Row K.
- Playing the gorgeous 9-foot Steinway concert grand piano.
- Telling Garrison on-air that "Future Mr. Used-to-Be" is "Not about you, I promise." I am such a flirt.
- Going out with some of the cast afterwards and watching my Louisville friends accost Fred Newman, Mr. Sound Effects with various sound challenges. My favorite of all was Dan who said: "Ok. A cat and a pickle jar going through a wood chipper." Fred stared at him, and I was slightly embarrassed. But then he started making bizarre sounds that sounded like, well, a cat and a pickle jar going through a wood chipper. He then commented that my friends are smart.
- Seeing my name on a private dressing room door. No gold star, but it still made me happy.

I actually think my favorite thing of all was that I think I represented Louisville well to the APHC crew and audience. We're a strange town, but we know how to have fun. And I'm a strange girl, but I know how to have fun. I think Garrison and the gang picked up on all of that.

What's next? I've got several projects up my sleeve, including a couple of new records and lots of touring.

In all seriousness, I would love to do a house concert tour. Or maybe a tour of small non-night-club venues. I like the Prairie Home crowd ... a listening room. Please message me if you're interested in hosting a house concert in your town, no matter where you live, big or small.

You can hear the broadcast on the Prairie Home Website, where my name is currently misspelled, but I'm hoping they fix it: http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/2009/01/17/


Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=19356498&blogId=465051619#ixzz0tau6zDB0

Current mood: giddy
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes
One of my favorite blogs is on The Muckrakers' MySpace page. It's mostly Rob's doing, but occasionally Brian will sneak in a political or do-gooder post. It's always entertaining. Anyway, last year Rob's New Year's Resolution was to blog every day, a goal that pretty much only natural disaster or natural miracle (windstorms and childbirth) kept him from attaining. (Congrats, Rob!)

I thought about stealing that resolution for 2009, but then I remembered I don't make New Year's Resolutions.

It's not any sort of attitude problem that keeps me from from making them, although I assure you I do have an attitude problem. It's just a deadline thing for me.

With big lifetime goals, I work much better without pressure. With banal everyday things, I work much better with deadlines. I can write a song without a deadline. I cannot seem to get to the post office without ten Post-Its on various notebooks and steering wheels.

I can lose my cell phone without freaking out (New Year's Eve), but I scream at PhotoShop with all my lungs (this morning). I am ridiculous.

I do, however, seem to check off major lifetime goals.

And if I actually kept a list of such goals (it's in my head), I'd grab the biggest sharpie I could find to cross this one off: be a musical guest on A Prairie Home Companion.

Yep, lookout Garrison: Brigid's coming to hang with you this weekend.

Patty Loveless is also on the show. My good friend Shannon Lawson will be there as well, singing one song with me and wearing a big hat.

You can probably hear the live broadcast on your local NPR station, wherever that may be. You and ... four million other people will be listening! Tee hee hee, I'm giddy already.

I am stoked out of my mind. I've been fixing my website this morning, so if you notice that some of the links don't work or something, please let me know.

Okay, back to screaming at Photoshop...

Brigid

P.S. If you're in Louisville and need a photographer, check out www.sniperphotography.com. Ryan Armbrust just took some great shots of me. He's fantastic.

Read more: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=19356498&blogId=463556512#ixzz0tatxEn4B