I became insane with long intervals of horrible sanity.
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.
Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so
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 ...
March 20, 2014 - 11:28 a.m.
It's 9:40 AM and I haven't posted yet but only two fewer people have read Wise Madness today than yesterday. What's with that? Yes I posted my usual five and ten year ago entries but usually few people read them. I must have written a great blurb.
So what brilliant thing was I planning on writing today? I really had something. Well I'll start with my day and move on from there.
I bought bagels. We finally got a toaster that can fit bagels so I went out and bought a dozen. I ate one and froze the rest. The place is only two and a half long blocks from here. Just about the same distance as the bagel store I grew up going to. It's in the Hassidic neighborhood. I figured they'd be great. Imagine my shock to find they were goyisha bagels! You know those soft light things they sell to people that don't know better. I bought them so I'd have bagels in the house but I'm not happy with them. Next time I'm at Chris and Seth's I'll have to buy a dozen at the great place near them. It's cheaper too. I miss Main Street Bagels, they are the best.
A few days ago I went to Pathmark and saw they had a great sale on New York cut steaks. I bought a pack. But then I had to cook them so I bit the bullet and bought another cast iron stove top grill. Yes I have one in storage but I'll never be able to find it. Yesterday's expedition was going to Bed, Bath, & Beyond to buy it. Wow my mind is going. Something worth writing about happened on the trip but I forgot what it was.
Anyway I got it came home and made the best dinner I've had in ages. I made the steak perfectly and I made the hasselback potato perfectly. And I bought apple sauce so I got my fruit fix. I should have taken pictures. Then I had an egg cream for dessert. If that doesn't spell me being happy what does?
Writing that reminded me to take some chicken out for tonight's dinner. I'm going into the City for Therapy, Coming home and eating dinner. Then going back to the City to hear Mike & Ruthy with Miss Tess. Good thing I have a monthly metrocard.
In the last week I tagged the 2500 or so pics that I have on this computer. I should be more accurate. The facial recognition software found 2500 faces that I hadn't already tagged and I tagged those. And that lets me post my top ten list. The people I have the most pictures of. Well almost that. So here's the top ten. Not surprisingly they are all musicians. The number after the name is the number of pictures. Band names are in parentheses.
- Katherine Etzel (Bobtown)� 185
- Jean Rohe � 151
- Karen Dahlstrom (Bobtown)� 141
- Honor Finnegan (Chicks with Dip)� 116
- Carolann Solebello (Chicks with Dip)� 108
- Kat Quinn � 88
- Kristin Andreassen � 81
- Beth Kaufman (Spuyten Duyvil)� 80
- Katie Graybeal (We're About 9) � 77
- Sam Reider (The Amigos) � 75
There seems to be a gender bias here. I know some of you are thinking "of course." but on my old computer with far more photos over many more years the top six were split evenly between men and women. One thing that goes on is the imperfections of the facial recognition software. I pretty much guarantee that I have as least as many photos of Brian Gundersdorf from We're About 9 as I do of Katie but the computer only recognized 56. It found only 18 photos of Mark Miller of Spuyten Duyvil.
The people that jumped out at me as missing on the top ten was the members of Pesky J. Nixon. I have see them so often. And this is purely the software's fault. It found 38 pictures of Kara who wasn't even with them every show and only 23 of Ethan and 17 of Jake. I think it has a problem with beards. Mark, Ethan, and Jake are the clearest undercounts. The other one is Jen from Bobtown, she "only" has 61. Now I have taken fewer of her than Katherine and Karen as I have seen them outside the band but it shouldn't be half as many. It has a lot to do with stage positioning too. It always found less photos of Laurie than the other members of Red Molly and fewer of Maura Kennedy than Pete.
But it is a good reflection on who I have been seeing. Bobtown and Jean Rohe are the acts I see most often. I am a bit surprised at the showing the Amigos have. Of course it can't find Justin with 41 pics even though I see him more than I see Sam as he plays with Tara O'Grady and Sasha Papernik too.
I thought another Chick might break the top 10 as I've seen the Blue show so many times and I see them on their own too.
The friend with the most photos none of which are on stage is LORi with 7. I always say I need to take more pictures of my friends. I really do.
And now for something completely different. As you know I've been reading The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss. I'm on book 2, Wise Man's Fear. It's so good that I keep almost missing my stop on the train. If I'm sleeping I always wake up in time. But I get so involved in the reading that I totally lose track of where I am. They are of a rare subgenre. There are a lot of Science Fantasies, books that have the trappings of science fiction but take place in universes without natural laws. Think of the Star Wars series where there is no attempt to explain how anything works and the central idea is The Force which follows no rules, it's magic.
The Kingkiller Chronicles might be called Fantastic Science. There is magic but it follows all the ordinary laws of physics. Conservation of energy and momentum are often invoked. Magic is a science, actually several sciences, sympathy, alchemy, and naming to name a few. It's taught at The University and requires lots of math. The only other books that I have encountered that fit the genre are Larry Niven's Warlock short stories.
The social setting is also unusual. The civilization is about at the level of the Enlightenment. They have things like pocket watches. They do not have electricity or guns.
It's so geeky with lots of science and music in it. I'm pretty sure that Rothfuss wrote the books just for me. If you enjoy them you should thank me.
OK now I have to eat breakfast and set up a Facebook event before therapy. Boring old poached eggs and taylor ham this morning. I'll have a bagel too.
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 March 20, 2014
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