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

October 12, 2017 - 11:01 a.m.

Music, Baseball, and Food

I'm starting to write before 10 like I'm supposed to. It's my own arbitrary rule and I hardly ever follow it but it's still a good thing. Now if I only had a notion of what I was going to write about. What I haven't been good about is taking note of the ideas I have during the day on my thoughts. They sell body cameras, somebody needs to invent the mind recorder.

I decided to explore Spotify. I listened yesterday so I could hear the Hadestown: The Myth. The Musical. I should listen to that again today. And again, and again. I also listened to everything on Spotify by Rhiannon Giddens. Today I went through what my friends were listening to in order to discover new music. Jordan was listening to Mike Barnett. I love it. It's also scary, some of my friends listen to things that make me cringe. I'm talking about musicians that play music I love. I have a hard time dealing with the ads, Public and internet radio has spoiled me. I also like having DJs curating what I hear. I listen to WFUV when I wake up to play the Question of the Day and to keep track of what the station is up to. On Sundays I listen for the music I love. The rest of my radio time I listen to classical music on WQXR, and folk on WUMB and Folk Alley.

I watched the Yankees win last night; I was rooting for the Indians to win the World Series. Now I have to figure out who to root for the rest of the way. Obviously, I'll root for the Astros over team of pure evil but what about the NL? My general rule is that I root for the better team. Too many teams get into the playoffs, Hell, baseball shouldn't even have playoffs, just the world series. I have even rooted for the hated Yankees when they are clearly the best team. By that logic I should be rooting for the Dodgers. Fine, that's who I will root for but I won't feel bad no matter who wins the NL. In the World Series I'll root for the Dodgers if they are in it otherwise the Stros. I don't feel strongly about any of this and it could change as I watch the games. I have reasons to like every team still in it, yes even the Yankees. I like the way they built the team. Judge, Sanchez, and Severino, could be three quarters of a new core four.

The WFUV pledge drive starts on Friday. I'm using that as an excuse to not leave the house till then. I won't have much time at home after that. I'm lucky that my plan for Friday night is seeing Carolann Solebello at the Starving Artist, all of three blocks from here. Not that it will be an easy day. I'll be at the station from 6 AM till Noon, then head up to Harrison for therapy then back down to City Island. I'll hang with Carolann and watch her show. That will be good. Sunday is the tough day. Saturday night I'll be out late, Red Molly is playing at Irvington Town Hall. Fortunately, I'll be getting a ride from Fred. Still I have to be at FUV at 7:00 the next morning for my 13-hour shift. I have a feeling I'll miss some days writing.

Here's a mystery, I love cooking but when I cook enough food for two meals I like that. Yesterday I made ham steak and gnocchi. Tonight, I'll be eating the leftovers and I'm looking forward to not cooking. For years I wouldn't make enough for two meals. I would have cut the steak in half before I cooked it. I wanted my food fresh and the pleasure of cooking. That hasn't changed but I now see the good side of leftovers too. I made the white sauce particularly well. Somewhere along the way I learned that in Italy, they never put the sauce on top of the pasta, they put the pasta into the sauce. I have no idea why that's better but it's what I do. I'm being traditional even though I make the white sauce in the microwave. Hey, it works and it tastes great. Who knows me well enough to know my secret ingredient? That's right, garlic. I had garlic bread on the side. I did not make the sweet garlic sauce for the ham as I often do.

I usually have trouble starting my blogs, today I don't know how to end it. I know.



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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 October 12, 2017
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