This is the first year that both of the colleges I work for had their spring breaks line up. Since I work seven days a week, these five days were the only that I have had off (not counting one snow day) since classes resumed in January. Rather than create stress by planning for an expensive vacation to some warmer place, I decided to stick close to home. Real close.

When taking a break from painting the kitchen and living room, I managed to find plenty to do nearby. On Friday night String Theorie performed at La Paloma Sabanera. The music is hard to describe and I would say not among my favorite bands I have heard play in the area, but it was an experience and the venue was packed, standing room only.

Up in the Air screened at Cinestudio on Saturday evening, which we walked to in the pouring rain. Driving would have only spared us half the distance, so it seemed pointless. Trinity students played up the air travel theme by handing out boarding passes, greeting moviegoers as if they were in fact boarding the plane, and then creating a short campy film in which they instructed the audience how to not use the seat cushions as flotation devices. So what if they sell popcorn and soda…major cinemas are never this fun.

Before the film, we checked out the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the steady drizzle. We capped the parade off with a visit to the Red Rock, hoping for Irish coffee and potato skins, but settling for curly fries, since they had a limited special menu. This was the post-parade hangout for some of the guys from the iron workers union. We caught a bit of the live music. People were having a good time, but it was not an out of control mess, as I’m sure some of the clubs downtown were.

On Sunday I visited with my lady friends at the home of one of Live in Hartford‘s bloggers.

Monday was devoted to painting and house projects. The rest of the week I split my time between relaxation and house projects. Tuesday evening I went to the third meeting of the Greater Hartford Photography Club. We made plans for upcoming photography outings and shared pictures taken in the last month. Their next meeting is on April 20th at 7:30 pm.

On Wednesday, I wandered downtown to enjoy the nice weather and try to take care of my GHPC homework. I took photos, but none on the assignment given.What I did find was a statue of Mark Twain outside of the library, as well as a flooded Riverfront.

To celebrate actual St. Patrick’s Day we watched a free screening of The Secret of Roan Inish at La Paloma Sabanera. Every month Kino Kafe shows a free movie there.

The weather was even more fantastic on Thursday, so I did some garden clean up and more wandering around the city, including a stop at the Ancient Burying Ground and the Marriott. Yes, I walked into a hotel. Because it was there. I really was curious about the Starbucks there because I had heard it existed but since it’s not visible from the street, sort of doubted it was real. It’s real. The local coffee shops are much closer to my heart, but walking through the impressive hotel lobby to get to the coffee is a neat experience I’m glad to have had. On my way home I stopped at the Farmers’ Market at Billings Forge for bread and apples. A friend‘s band was playing, so I ended up staying much longer than I planned to. I also popped in to the opening of the Home Is Where ♥ford Is exhibit at La Paloma Sabanera. A trend I am noticing is this: art openings at places that are not actual art museums (i.e. coffee shops, libraries, etc.) are actually really fun. The artists are ecstatic to have their work on display. The grandiose showy morose faux artiste atmosphere is totally absent.

And Friday? Tonight Underscore Orkestra plays again at La Paloma Sabanera starting at 7pm. They should not be missed!

Cost of local Spring Break: Less than $25.