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

January 30, 2015 - 10:42 a.m.

All in the Thompson Family.

I know my life doesn't go like other people's lives. So yesterday I posted on FB that I was listening to a Richard Thompson album. Two Letter Words. Shortly after that Connie posted a comment offering me her ticket to see RT that night at City Winery. I of course jumped at the chance. Turned out she couldn't go to the show and didn't want it to go to waste. So she called up and told them to put it in my name.

That's one of the quicker venues for me to get to. Google maps said I could make it in 37 minutes if I took the best option. There are several ways I could go and it depends on the timing of the train.

I got there just when I wanted to, 15 minutes before show time. Since I had a seat there was no reason to get there early. The show started at 8:10 so I still waited 25 minutes. Next time I arrive closer to the announced show time.

There are problems with City Winery. One is the food is expensive, but as they don't make you order I'm fine with it. The other is harder to deal with, bad sight lines. It's criminal to charge full price for where I sat. a column blocked the middle third of the stage. Yes the middle! Now this was a special Richard Thompson Family Band show so I could see RT but I couldn't tell if it was his ex-wife Linda or their daughter singing lead on the second song. So I got up and stood behind a column with my head sticking out. It was his daughter. Turns out that Linda wasn't at the show. It was probably because of the snowstorm. They were in England and they all just flew it as their flights were canceled. There was a lot of jet lag.

I spied some empty seats and was planning on moving to them in a few songs when I saw that the couple that originally sat next to me took two. So I joined them. It's near where I sat when I was comped by Red Molly and my guess was this was the comp section. The show was sold out and that area had the only empty seats in the house.

The show featured Ricbard, his two songs, Teddy and Jack, his daughter, his son-in-law, his grandson, and his son-in-law's sister. I've only seen Teddy before. He totally inherited his father's wry sense of humor and did most of the talking. Of course they are not as good as Richard. The Son-in-Law had one great song and so did Teddy. A few others were good but it was the Richard Thompson songs that were special.

I am not sure but I think Richard gave his baby blue electric guitar to his grandson. That's been his primary as long as I've been seeing him. Richard had a red one last night. I don't have any pictures as I'm an idiot. I left my phone at home.

When they did his greatest songs like Tear Stained Letter or Persuasion or Wall of Death I got totally lost in the music. There is nobody like Richard Thompson. He's as good as it gets. Even though it was the only show I ever saw by him where he didn't perform either "1952 Vincent Black Lightning or Beeswing

The only one I knew at the show was Barbara. When I was still in the obstructed view seats she came from behind and tapped me on the shoulder. I was during a song and we couldn't talk. I didn't see where she was sitting and couldn't find her after the show. So for once I made a quick getaway.

Because I didn't have my phone I had to guess which way to go home. It's the to the or the to the . No way of knowing which will be faster because it's about the connections. I went for the latter as the transfer is far easier and it wasn't bad. Even if not ideal I bet I didn't lost more than 5 minutes.

To see the show I had to miss another that I've been looking forward to since November. Three of my favorites musicians and singers shared a bill, Kat Quinn, Dan Rauchwerk from the Lords of Liechtenstein, and Alex Mallett. Kat and Dan performed as a duet! I hated missing that. And this morning I saw that Katherine posted pics so I would have had a friend to sit with. I hated missing that. I'd only do it for Richard Thompson

In my last entry I hinted that I was not happy. I spent most of the day in existential angst. To fight it I watched two episodes of the New Doctor Who, the first two with Matt Smith. I can watch it now but I still want to throw things at the screen. Some things are so stupid. A giant space whale? If you want to do that in a farce that's fine but in something that's supposed to be serious and dramatic? the entire episode was based on people acting horribly for no reason other than to set up a dilemma for the Doctor and Amy.

In the first episode there was a terrible piece of writing that I don't get at all. This isn't about science or plausibility. It's about people not acting like people. A nurse calls the doctor (not THE Doctor) because he says all the comatose patients were calling for her. She berates him for being ridiculous as they are comatose. Then all the patients start calling "Doctor." She's of course taken aback. The nurse then says "that's not all, I have pictures of patients walking around town." And the doctor acts berates him again for being ridiculous. It's like the last bit never happened. What the hell are the writers thinking?

I gave up reading Dead Souls and switched to the one writer that can always make me feel better Terry Pratchett, The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents. I read it on the subway and as long as I was reading I was happy. There's nothing like putting myself in Discworld, a world that makes sense. Where a cat and some rats become intelligent from exposure to the high energy magic lab at the University and start a pied piper con game. Now that makes sense. That's a world I feel at home in.

My mood went in and out at the concert. During the best songs I was great and dancing as usual. I got melancholy at others.

When I got home I didn't feel comfortable going to sleep. I would be alone with my thoughts and I didn't want that. So I ate half a box of Trader Joe's chocolate truffles. That did wonders for me. I relaxed and could sleep in peace.



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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 January 30, 2015
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