I became insane with long intervals of horrible sanity.
Edgar Allen Poe

The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.
- H. L. Mencken

Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so
-Bertrand Russell

What I have been telling you, from alpha to omega, what is the one great thing the sigil taught me — that everything in life is miraculous. For the sigil taught me that it rests within the power of each of us to awaken at will from a dragging nightmare of life made up of unimportant tasks and tedious useless little habits, to see life as it really is, and to rejoice in its exquisite wonderfulness. If the sigil were proved to be the top of a tomato-can, it would not alter that big fact, nor my fixed faith. No Harrowby, the common names we call things by do not matter — except to show how very dull we are ...
-James Branch Cabell

September 01, 2015 - 1:37 p.m.

Happy Thoughts and Happy Food

Yesterday was another Monday without therapy. As usual I went to the same neighborhood to buy half priced bagels. As usual I forgot to freeze them. I am such an idiot. I do this so often. I think of it when I'm busy doing something else and tell myself I'll do it when I'm done then forget about it. I have to acknowledge that I'm an idiot and will forget if I don't do it and stop what I'm doing and do it. But of course then I'll forget what I was doing. There's no getting around that having a brain is useful and not having one is difficult.

OK I was just good. It's 11:53 and I started to read the Times, I can do that after I write. I have to write, cut bagels, then eat. Yes I am putting off cutting and freezing the bagels but I always remember that after I write about it.

So back to yesterday. After getting my bagels I went to Union Square to buy blue potatoes. The problem was that blue potatoes cost twice as much as some of the others. I can't justify it. They don't even taste better, it's just fun eating blue food. I did get some fun looking tiny Irish potatoes. Then I went to my PO Box then went straight home. That's not much. I didn't see Tara O'Grady because I wanted to take the time to make myself a good dinner. I was also feeling pretty good, I didn't need music therapy. I don't know why I was feeling good but I was.

Looking at pictures just reminded me of something that made me feel good.

When crossing the Manhattan Bridge on the many people, think of it as an opportunity to get a cell signal and use their phones. I have to admit that I sometimes do that. That little girl knew what was important. She looked out the window at the view. I was hazy yesterday, the view wasn't the best. It's why I didn't take any pictures of what I saw, but it's still better than my cell phone. It brought me back to being a kid when a ride on the subway was exciting. Anyone who crosses the bridges on the subway gets a spectacular view of New York, one of the wonders of the world; take some time to appreciate it. I also love watching kids being excited. So it was one great thing getting me to pay attention to another.

It was still Monday and I have to have some sort of therapy food. When I got off the subway coming home I stopped at Dunkin' Donuts to get this:

That's a "Reese’s® Peanut Butter Square: Chocolate frosting and Reese’s® Peanut Butter buttercreme, is there anything better?" Sadly there are things that are better. There was more buttercreme than peanut butter to the flavor. Skyler suggested just getting a double chocolate doughnut and treating it like a bagel, cut it in half an put on a schmear of peanut butter. Even better Alex who apprenticed in baking this summer, offered to make me a peanut butter doughnut if she gets the chance.

I did make that good dinner, barbecue chicken and Shai-hulud potato, that's what sane people call Hasselback Potatoes. I wonder if you google Shai-hulud potato you'll find Wise Madness. You do but it's not the first listing. It should be as the first two don’t mention potatoes and the third does not use the exact phrase. So you should do the search, without quotes, then click on my blog so it gains priority.

They didn’t have Cheez Whiz the other day so I bought ground parmesan. I know that seems like an odd alternative but I wanted that anyway. I tried using that instead of Cheez Whiz on the potatoes. That is actually what the original recipe called for. Know what? It's better with Cheez Whiz. OK stop the presses. I just looked at Wikipedia article on Cheez Whiz; there is bacon Cheez Whiz! Why have I never seen it? It's all I am going to eat for now on. Why is there no bacon peanut butter? The world is clearly imperfect.

I watched Last Week Tonight with John Oliver for the first time last night. Why haven't I been watching it? It's a lot of fun. Not sure if I'd say great but it might be. Certainly very good.

So far it seems like I'm mainly writing about food. Well I'm feeling good so that makes sense. I was thinking about something else that makes me feel good. There are times when you are with a person and that person will say something that even when there are other people around say, "you and I share this special thing together." It can be insignificant in the great scheme of things but it's important because it's something that two people, and just those two people shard. It doesn't even require saying something. Somebody else says something and the two of you look at each other because you know you are both thinking the same thing. You don’t have to be in the same room, it can be in an online discussion or even a public message board. I was going to say that we all experience this but I'm not sure we do. There might be some people that never get to. There might be some people that don't want to. And how would I know, they wouldn't be people to share that.

Today is for happy thoughts. I'm seeing Isle of Klesbos tonight with Jill Sobule then checking out a Harry & Ida's, a restaurant that Beth recommended to me on Sunday that's half a block away, great pastrami.


I signed the Pro-Truth Pledge:
please hold me accountable.





Memories: Not that Horrid Song - May 29, 2018
Wise Madness is Now In Session - May 28, 2018
The NFL and the First Amendment - May 27, 2018
On The Road Again - May 26, 2018
Oliver the Three-Eyed Crow - May 25, 2018



creative commons
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Horvendile September 01, 2015
site search by freefind advanced


Follow on Feedly



about me - read my profile! read other DiaryLand diaries! recommend my diary to a friend! Get your own fun + free diary at DiaryLand.com!