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

April 02, 2007 - 1:32 p.m.

All We Want To Do Is Eat Your Brains

It has been ages since I updated so I bet start writing. Funny thing if you don't start something you never finish it.

On Friday Lena and I had lunch at Uncle Jack's. As I always say that is my favorite restaurant. Lena loved it. If you visit me and we have lunch in the area that is where we are going. Everyone needs to experience it.

It is right by the Bayside train station. After lunch we got on the train and went into the City. Our first stop was Aroma Espresso Bar on Houston Street. It is the first American franchise of a successful Israeli chain. I had what they called Aroma coffee which was coffee, chocolate and whipped cream. It was as good as it sounds.

We then walked up to the Cutting Room. We were doing merch for Paul and StormLena hadn't seen them in almost a year. They told us sound check was at 6. We got there a bit early but they had already started. We said our hellos and grabbed out table right down front. It was a co-bill with Jonathan Coulton. We he arrived I introduced him to Lena. Jonathan had a ukulele player, Kristen with him. For reasons I'll explain later she is my new fiancée. Anyone not there for the sound check missed the best part of the show, a rendition by all of them of Eye of the Tiger. If DVN ever plays again that is going to be my song for Request-o-Rama. I'll have to make sure that Kristen is there to play the uke part.

When doors opened we were joined by Lena's friend Dan. The room was packed with a good audience. The show did not disappoint. Paul and Stormed have really hit their stride. The topical songs they do for the Bob and Tom show are just what the needed. It forced them to come up with new material. Paul's explanation for Easter is my favorite.

As always I'm exhorting you to see Jonathan while you can still see him at a small venue. He is amazing. He sang my favorite, Mandelbrot Set. Yes he writes songs about fractals. He also has a song about Pluto's moon Charon. I enjoy singing along to Re Your Brains far too much. Am I a zombie wannabe?

Heya Tom, it's Bob from the office down the hall
Good to see you buddy, how've you been?
Thing have been OK for me except that I'm a zombie now
I really wish you'd let us in
I think I speak for all of us when I say I understand
Why you folks might hesitate to submit to our demand
But here's an FYI: you're all gonna die screaming

All we want to do is eat your brains
We're not unreasonable, I mean, no one's gonna eat your eyes
All we want to do is eat your brains
We're at an impasse here, maybe we should compromise:
If you open up the doors
We'll all come inside and eat your brains

I don't want to nitpick, Tom, but is this really your plan?
To spend your whole life locked inside a mall?
Maybe that's OK for now but someday you'll be out of food and guns
And then you'll have to make the call
I'm not surprised to see you haven't thought it through enough
You never had the head for all that bigger picture stuff
But Tom, that's what I do, and I plan on eating you slowly

All we want to do is eat your brains
We're not unreasonable, I mean, no one's gonna eat your eyes
All we want to do is eat your brains
We're at an impasse here, maybe we should compromise:
If you open up the doors
We'll all come inside and eat your brains

I'd like to help you Tom, in any way I can
I sure appreciate the way you're working with me
I'm not a monster Tom, well, technically I am
I guess I am

I've got another meeting Tom, maybe we could wrap it up
I know we'll get to common ground somehow
Meanwhile I'll report back to my colleagues who were chewing on the doors
I guess we'll table this for now
I'm glad to see you take constructive criticism well
Thank you for your time I know we're all busy as hell
And we'll put this thing to bed
When I bash your head open

All we want to do is eat your brains
We're not unreasonable, I mean, no one's gonna eat your eyes
All we want to do is eat your brains
We're at an impasse here, maybe we should compromise:
If you open up the doors
We'll all come inside and eat your brains

After the show Lena and I sold the merchandise. This was difficult as we had a very small table to work with and it was dark. We asked them to turn up the lights but they didn't do it until we were packing up to leave. It is really hard to read the size of a t-shirt in dim light. Things got hectic but it was still fun.

I talked to Kristen after the show and I told her about my plan to audition to play the National Anthem at a Met game on the kazoo. She then told me about The Electric Kazoo!!!! Who is going to get me one? This is why she is now my fiancée.

I of course took pictures.


Lena Studying During Soundcheck

She is going to kill me for posting that one.


Paul and Storm


Paul, Jonathan, and Storm


Jonathan


Kristen, Jonathan, Storm


Storm, me, Lena, and Paul

You can see the rest of the pictures here.

We hung around with Paul and Storm for quite a while after the show. When I told them I wrote an entry about he difficulties of having a 6000-mile-long penis they immediately started to discuss the consequences. We crawled out from under the same rock.

After we said our goodbyes Lena and I walked down to Max Brenner: Chocolate by the Bald Man at Broadway and 13th Street. We told Paul and Storm where we were going and invited them to join us. They said they might. When we got there the place was packed and was told there was a 45 minute wait. We decided to not wait. When we got out there was Paul and Storm coming out of their car. When we told them about the wait they decided that was too much so none of us ended up going. I am going to have to go there. It looked wonderful.

On Saturday morning Lena and I drove down to Virginia via Philadelphia. The stop in Philly was to see Rebecca. We lost over an hour in traffic on the NJ Turnpike extension from the Holland Tunnel. That was bad as we were pressed for time. With the help of my GPS we found Rebecca's parents house in Yardley and went to Reading Market in downtown Philly. We parked in a lot and went to eat. We all ended up splitting a few pounds of chicken wings. I really pigged out and had Bassett's ice cream and a soft pretzel for desert. We didn't have time to drive Rebecca back north so she took SEPTA back and we headed down south.

Once we hit the Delaware rest stop I let Lena drive. She doesn't have a car in Israel so this was a treat for her. We made good time getting to her house. We said hello to her parents. As we were about to leave her sister and brother-in-law showed up and we said hi to them too.

Then we were off to the Birchmere for the Mid-Atlantic Harmony Sweeps, the a capella music contest. I'm not a big fan of a cappella but it was still fun. The best band, Double Shot, actually swept all the awards, best arrangement, audience favorite, and overall winner. They now go on to San Francisco for the National Championship. Double Shot had a real DVN approach to a cappella. In other words they didn't suck. They were really silly and so much fun. They also have real talent. Their singing and arrangements were the best.

The other act that impressed me was Euphonism. They generated real heat in their performance. This was not your typical a cappella group. We could tell by the crowd reaction that Double Shot would win the audience favorite but we thought that judges might choose Euphonism. Double Shot did win but we were shocked when the totally forgettable Top of the Seventh came in second and Euphonism only third. I think somebody was paid off. Generally in a talent contest it is just a matter of taste but in this case there really was no contest.

On Sunday morning we went to a diner for breakfast. The first one we went to had a line out the door so we went to another one. That one too had quite a wait for a table. Palm Sunday is apparently a big dinner day in Northern Virginia. Breakfast was good but once again I was disappointed because we got there too late to get grits. I think I might have to find a place that sells them in New York.

When we were eating we got a call from Lena's mother. Lena's friend Bethany aka B was at their house. She lives in Winston Salem and was in Richmond for a marathon on Saturday. She drove up to Vienna just to see Lena. We didn't know what time she was coming. We raced back to see her. She is totally my kind of person. We found ourselves talking about Neil Gaimmon and Terry Pratchett in the first minute. She is going to Dragoncon this year and wants me to go too. I really wish we could have had more time to talk. Instead I left Lena to play with B and I drove back to New York.

The return trip went pretty easily and I made it home at a decent time.

This trip triggered a lot of nostalgia for me. I was at the Reading Market when I was in Philly for the North American Bridge Championships in 1997. I have so many good memories from the Birchmere. I showed Lena where Bernie put the marshmallow peep in the grillwork there the next time we saw DVN there six month later.

Once I hit Baltimore I started thinking of all the times I drove home from there. I even stopped at the same rest stop on the Jersey Turnpike that I always used. When I saw the machine that lets you make medal out of a penny I couldn't resist. I used to always make them for Carey and Shelly.

Oh yes to cap off the trip down memory lane I finally got a photograph of a monkeypants!

monkeypants
Monkeypants on the Jersey Turnpike

This one is unusual as it is on the side of the road; most are on the median. So does anyone know what it is for?

I bet I'm forgetting lots of things I should write about. Oh well that's what happens when you don't have a brain. The zombies ate mine.

Today I'm off to Connecticut for the Seder.


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



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Horvendile April 02, 2007
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