In today's chapter of Brigid Remains Completely Culture Shocked by America...

Businesses around America (my own included) have been warned that, by the beginning of this month, we could be held liable for any transactions we do via magnetic swipe cards. By October 1, we were supposed to be set up to take the new EMV aka "chip" credit cards.

My faithful readers in Europe (about 30% of you) may spit out your tea or whisky at the thought that America -- yes, America -- is only just now, in October of 2015, switching to the Chip readers.

You see, it's been at least 15 years since Europe made the switch to those credit cards, while America has continued to swipe and sign. When travelling abroad, you'll even find that some places don't accept the swipe cards at all (generally because the shopkeeper has no idea how to complete such a transaction). If you do figure out how, you have to sign the slip. You had better have signed the back of your credit card and have your passport with you as ID, or prepare to have your card cut up and receive dirty looks as if you might be a criminal. (Personal experience.)

The chip & PIN cards are, indeed, more secure than the magenetic swipe & sign. When you "pop in" your chip card in Europe, you are prompted to then enter your PIN. Only then will the transaction complete. With the old swipe card, you can sign "Elvis" on the screen, and you can still completely your purchase (Again: personal experience.)

Anyway, the switch should be a good thing, overall, considering if someone steals your wallet, they theoretically wouldn't be able to go buy $700 worth of junk at Target because they wouldn't know your PIN!

Except here's the insane thing: the Chip card readers in America (at the four different establishments where I've used my new card) haven't actually asked for my PIN at all!

I have asked the store clerk, "Where do I enter my PIN?"

They either have looked at me blankly or replied, "You don't have to enter or sign anything."

I am generally a huge proponent for change, but ?!?!?!?!?


In happier times, I stopped doing my Saturday classes at Mama's Hip because I need my weekends back. But I'm still there on Wednesdays ... bring your littles in for some egg shaking and dancing:

Some links! Because ... FRIDAY.

Nicola Goodall's TEDx Talk: Reframing Birth. 
We had one of those posh things called a doula when we were in Scotland, even though the entire birthing process is a thousand times more humane than it is in America. Her name is Nicola, and she is brilliant. Here she is giving a TED talk that I just adore:



Just for fun, here she is chillaxing on the couch, quietly knitting a cap, while I'm in the birthing tub, you know, birthing and stuff:



But where do you get your protein?
In light of yesterday's blog about my vegetarian child, I actually get this question twice. It still annoys me, mostly because doesn't everyone know how to Google things? And so, if you ask me this, it seems like you are choosing not to Google and instead to poke and prod at my lifestyle choices ... but then my head tells me that's my defensiveness, which I am working on, talking and not necessarily the intent of my inquisitors. Anyway, Google away. I found this one right away, from Harvard. They know stuff at Harvard.   And another one. 

GeoGuessr - my favorite thing on the internet.

I spent a week this summer completely obsessed with this game. It somewhat satiates my travel needs, though when it shows me a castle in Scotland, I melt with longing. Seriously, this game shows you a Google street view of ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD and you have to guess where it is by dropping the pin on the map. The closer you guess, the more points you get. I think my top score was, like, 13,000 or something this summer. It can be very tough, but it's fun to explore.

The wee boy has had a rough few weeks. He's okay, but we had a scary ER visit because of a bad head wound caused by another child hitting him with a toy. Most recently, someone unwittingly gave him a hot dog (I'm sure this person feels guilty enough; this post isn't meant to shame anyone -- just inform others).

Now, I know it's common knowledge among vegetarians that you'll likely get sick if you haven't eaten meat in a while and you revert. I also know there are some people with magical intestines who aren't phased by meat at all, no matter how long it's been. I also know that most of the non-vegetarians of the world think this illness is completely psychosomatic.

Wee boy walking the Labyrinth to do a little soul-searching after a rough week.

If that's your thinking, let me tell you that you are WRONG. 

My poor boy -- who has never had any kind of meat (nor did I ever eat meat during pregnancy, and he's still on the high end of the growth curve, so hush your judgmental mouth about if he's getting enough protein) -- had just a few bites of a beef hot dog last week, before noticing it "tasted different than my vegetarian hot dogs, so I threw it away." And I have never seen him so sick. So sick. Both ends. Off and on for hours. Ugh, I get angry and weepy just thinking about it.

I've been giving him probiotics to help out his poor little gut, and some of the rage has left me (I was on fire with anger, even though I know it was an accident). Mostly, the wee boy feels sad and guilty because "a cow died for me" (my main reasons for being a veggie are environmental, but the wee boy's are a mixture of "what's good for the earth and for the 'aminals'") Ugh.

In good news, his reaction seems to confirm that no one else has given him meat sneakily before. And it also warns future meat-givers that any attempts will be busted.

A little deep thinking now, extrapolating from this teeny incident: it irritates me to no end that people still brush off vegetarianism. Gluten-free people get more of a pass these days, at least in America (I mean, there's a gluten-free cafe at Churchill Downs, but no vegetarian one). Maybe you're thinking that gluten is an allergy, and vegetarianism is not. But tell me -- would you feed a rabbi's child bacon, or a Hindu a cow? brushing it aside as a preference rather than an allergy? And also, vegetarians can get very ill indeed from eating meat, which might as well be an allergic reaction.

Grrrrrr. Anyway, he's fine now. I am getting over it. I know it won't happen again, at least not from this person. And before you jump down my throat, yes, if the wee boy chooses to eat meat on his own one day, that's totally fine. He can do anything he like when he's older. For now, our family doesn't eat meat.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

Maybe I'll watch this video I made of Scotland to remind me of simpler times.

I was live on the radio this morning with my friends Laura and Su and Duke and Dennis! You can hear us chat and sing two old-timey tunes in 3-part harmony here:
 
I'm itching to plan a Europe tour so badly ...  maybe we should take The Birdies on the road instead of my cheeky solo stuff? Book us, and we will come.

It's a weekend of music in my world:

Brigid Kaelin Band 
Saturday, October 10
6:15pm sharp at the Douglass Loop outdoor stage
Belknap Fall Festival
Free, all ages, outdoors.



The Birdies
Sunday, October 11
Sunday 9:20pm (sharp, I hope!) at Art Sanctuary
Louisville Outskirts Festival


I'm working on a few other projects here and there ... in fact, I'm going to sign off from here right now, so I will stop stalling on editing this podcast I've put together. I swear, I thought podcasts were so 2006, until I realized that apparently they are so 2014. I should really stop being so dismissive. Anyway -- cheerio, friends!

Rather than complaining about how far behind I am in everything (including email, text, basically all forms of communication with everyone I have ever met, not to mention business things AAAAACK!), I am instead going to focus on some links I like today. You know -- direct your attention elsewhere.

Article: "The Secret to Making Your Life a Hundred Times Better"
I could have written this myself. But of course I didn't because I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHERE THE DAYS GO ANYMORE. I loved this though. It's about giving in to little conveniences, like online grocery delivery, but -- and this is the hard part -- not letting the guilt take hold. 

How many earths would it take to sustain lifestyle if everyone on the planet lived like you?
This is one of my very favorite online calculators. Take this test, and try to tell me I'm crazy for not using paper towels.

The Mama's Hip Online Community
Basically, the only sane internet moms' group that I have ever been a part of. It's a paid thing. That keeps away the trolls. Because trolling should be free, you know? Anyway, if you're new to Louisville, or new to parenting in Louisville, and you are tolerant of people different from you, then hop on over.

And now, a selfish link:

The Birdies
"Like" our Facebook page, won't you? Then people will know we're legit. Catch us live on WFPK just past 8:00am Eastern this Friday. Anyway, please like that page ... it seems like it doesn't make a difference, but it's one of those small ways you can support indie artists. You know, since music is free these days and all.

While I was in Nashville working, my wee boy turned three. No guilt trips, please. I am still wrenching from having had to leave him at 9am on his birthday, don't worry.

Two cakes for the birthday boy. I baked and frosted from scratch, but had no energy left to paint ships and submarines. Instead, we printed out some images and put them on with toothpicks.

We didn't do a big bash, but some family came up from Texas to have a taco party. It was going to be a Dragons Love Tacos birthday party, but at some point the Wee Boy decided he needed to have another Yellow Submarine birthday cake. Then he also wanted a "Captain Ahab's Pequod Big Ship" cake, and because that is the cutest request ever, I baked him two cakes. I mean, how can you say no to a 3-year-old in a dragon costume?


The boy wore his dragon costume all the day long, just like you should when you're turning three. He played with the neighbor and opened some big gifts from grandparents. We got him two apple trees -- exactly what he asked for. I swear, this perfect little boy wants a Moby Dick cake and apple trees as a present. Could he be any cuter?












To stick with the taco party theme, I also cut out bunch of new cloth napkins with some festive Day of the Dead and Chili Peppers prints for all to use. (I absolutely despise paper napkins and paper towels for so many reasons -- another blog about that someday.) Anyway, it was a fun afternoon and kinda-sorta made up for the guilt I still feel about missing his actual birthday. Next year, NO WORK ON BIRTHDAYS!

Stitchfix! I have been really bad about updating you on my fixes (and about everything on the blog. New Season's resolution: be consistent here). I've gotten three new ones since I last checked in, but one was all the way back in February before my United Kingdom tour. Another was an accidental shipment (or rather, I totally forgot it was coming, and therefore forgot to update my style profile or let my stylist know what I needed). Even though summer technically ended last week, I'm going to review my most recent summer shipment. If you'd like to sign up to try out your own personal stylist, pretty please use this link? I get a credit towards my next fix, and that would make it seem like I make money on my blog. It would also make me happy.

To remind you: I hate shopping. I'm also not really interested in style or the latest trends. I love pretty dresses and cowboy boots. I love bootcut jeans and vintage t-shirts. I don't work in an office, so I don't have to wear business casual (whatever that means). To be honest, 95% of my wardrobe for the past 15 years consists of hand-me-downs (albeit really nice hand-me-downs) or Goodwill finds. I didn't know I liked "boho" until I filled out the style profile and was apparently drawn to that stuff.

Anyway...

I will spoil the blog and tell you straight up that I kept everything. This was on the heels of me returning everything in a previous box, so it's not always a bullseye. I think the key is making sure you give your stylist enough feedback on previous shipments and regularly update your style profile.

For this box I was after some specific pieces, so I made sure to add a note. I decided this was the summer to upgrade my summer wardrobe. I generally rotate 3 sundresses and 3 swimsuits with a few knit tank tops. I asked my stylist to give me some tank tops appropriate for walking in the Kentucky heat that weren't Old Navy knits. This fix arrived on my birthday, so I also asked for something festive.

My stylist sent 3 sleeveless shirts, none of which I would have ever picked up off a rack in a department store. David, my trusty husband and the stylish one of the two of us, loved each of them and insisted I keep them. I wasn't sure, but my husband will be looking at them more than I will.

First was a white collared tank with black polka dots. It had a very rockabilly feel, and the knot in front was actually cute and not loud at all like I was expecting. Who knew?

Next up was a multi-colored but mainly pink tank top that flowed very nicely and had a super cute zipper in the back, not to mention blue ribbons for straps. I liked this one because I don't have to wear a bra with it, but it still seems a step or two up from my usual go-to-tanks. I paired this (I learned to use the phrase "paired with" from my stylist's postcard, which, by the way, always has too many exclamation points) with nice jeans and a necklace, and I looked like I was actually put-together.

The next shirt was another multicolored tank. I loved the turquoise straps, and David just thought it looked great. "Yep, keep it."(I'm pretty sure he was actually interested rather than just trying to get the Fashion Show over with.)























Another specific request was a "loose-fitting summer dress a step up from my usual knit strapless sundress." We walk everywhere, so I needed something that I wouldn't sweat through by the end of the block. I believe David's comment upon seeing this was, "Buy one of those in every color." It is super flattering, has nice detail, nice enough to wear to a cocktail party, but somehow unbelievably comfortable.


The fifth item surprised me: it was a purse. I recently unchecked the "don't send me handbags" option, but had forgotten I'd done it. For most of the last 37 years, I've carried a Crown Royal bag with my wallet in it. I've really been trying to get into purses since the Wee Boy was born and, you know, act like a grown up and say "paired with" and stuff. This bag is a nice addition. The color is bright enough for summer, but warm enough for autumn. I love the secret compartment on the flap -- perfect size for my Kindle or Moleskin. Purses aren't something I ever think about when I'm shopping, so it was really nice that someone else chose it for me. It was more than I would have paid (though still less than fifty bucks), but I got a 25% discount for buying all five items.

All in all, a great fix. I still love that I would never have chosen any of these items if I were picking clothes off a rack in the store. It's not always a home run, but it's fun, exciting, and totally worth it to not have to bother or waste my time at the mall. I think my favorite part of all is that I never have to hem dresses or pants -- it's in my profile that I'm a shorty.

Anyway, if you're at all interested, give it a shot. There is a $20 styling fee for each box of clothes, but it is credited towards buying the items (so you get the money back if you buy even one item). I swear one of these days I'll post photos of me in the clothes.

Tyra, if you're still reading this, then I still want to challenge you to a local StitchFix box;) I am sure you'd be better than my stylist.

Also: If anyone local to Louisville is reading, Wednesday & Saturday Morning this week means FAMILY MUSIC JAM at Mama's Hip! 1559 Bardstown Road. 10:30am. no signup required. Only $10/family. Best deal in town, and a trained teacher/musician:) 

Don Henley at the Ryman. This one's for my dad.

It's been a week. Some sad family things that I'm not going to write about on the blog (believe it or not, I don't actually tell you everything that is going on in my life). Some happy family things. Some things that have compelled me to be contemplative and keep to myself. It's not particularly good timing, but then when is it ever?

I'm down in Nashville for the first time in so many years. Five maybe? I can't recall. I used to come down here once a week, do session work, write songs with people, play utility man in bands, go to Loser's at 2pm and find accordion work. Nashville (and 90% of the people here) seems to have had its teeth whitened a few times since then, and I barely recognize the place. Buildings and storefronts have come and gone since the 2007 era (remember that season of Nashville Star when I was a semi-finalist? Ha ha, I had forgotten too! Hey, lookie at that list, Kacey Musgraves was a semi-finalist too that year.).

But Noshville still has challah french toast, and it's still worth the 175 mile drive from my house.

Challah french toast, a Kindle, a blank notebook. Solo time.

The Americana Music Association conference has also changed quite a bit since the days when I was a regular delegate. The enthusiasm is still there, but the music has enjoyed such mainstream success that the conference seems huge now.

I'm not one to roll my eyes at anyone or anything who has success. But popularity, combined with difficulty in flipping on the extrovert switch (I swear, I used to be able to just take that deep breath and introduce myself to strangers), has made this year's conference somewhat uncomfortable for me.

Part of me feels irrelevant. Part of me feels like I've been doing it right all along. Like, the panels are about self-releasing and how you don't need labels anymore, which is, um, what I've been saying for a hundred years? Because labels rarely do any of the work for you any more, so then why would you share the profits? Especially in an time when there ARE no profits? So unless you have a trust fund, or you're living with your girlfriend rent-free, then you kind of need to pay the bills.

Anyway, it's funny when I go to a panel that suggests doing things that aren't related to music in order to stay engaged with your audience. "Start a blog! Post pictures of your pets or breakfast on Instagram!"

I still haven't been able to answer the question I came down here with, however, which is: how does an indie artist do a self-release in 2015? I knew how to do it in 2008. I knew how to do it with small EPs designed only for small tours in Europe. But I'm working on a full-length recording that I hope to finish very, very soon. What do I do with it? Specifically, what are the steps? Do I bother hiring radio promoters? I had tons of "adds" on the last album, but none of those adds translated into sales. Do I just hire a booking agent and tour like crazy? That means hiring a tour nanny because no way can I leave my kiddo for long periods of time.

Anyway, I start babbling about the music industry on my blog, and that means my loyal blog readers flip over to their Pinterest pages ... so I shall stop here.

Houndmouth at the Ryman.

Keb Mo at the Ryman. With Lucille, BB King's guitar.

I went to a lot of AMA UK events because I am obsessed with the UK. As you know. But this is an American band, the Wild Ponies. How do I get on the AMA UK roster???? I loved seeing this band because it was the only time at the conference I saw an unestablished woman artist who was over thirty performing. She was awesome.

A panel at the AMA conference. Singer Amy Black, on the right, offers excellent advice.

Buffy St. Marie singing "Universal Soldier" at the Ryman.

I have a love/hate relationship with the bus system in Louisville. It is the worst public transportation system of any city I've lived in, BUT when it works, it works so well. I was at my destination less than two minutes after hopping on the bus this morning. Granted I was only going a mile and a half, but, still, it was quick and efficient.

Beth gave me some swanky gin and even swankier tonic water for my birthday, so it was about time I busted it out. I'm going classic here with the weekend's Signature Cocktail. I'm also satiating the part of me that can't see all that bolted basil in my garden go to waste. Once the basil shoots up flowers (bolts), the leaves get a bitter flavor that just isn't good enough for pesto or caprese. But even though it's September, I can't bare to cut down the basil plants; those bees need a place to frolic!

I decided that using the late-summer basil leaves to infuse a simple syrup was a perfectly good function for them, and, truly, the syrup did not taste bitter at all.

So.

The basil gimlet!


First: The Basil-Infused Simple Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1.5 bunches of basil leaves (a large handful), finely chopped
• 3/4 cup of water