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

November 24, 2017 - 3:21 p.m.

Thanksgiving and the Computer Crash

Dateline Van Merc Hill: I'm safely ensconced at my Thanksgiving sanctuary in Southborough Massachusetts aka Joe & Emily's house. There were misadventures on way. I am good with travel timing. My bus left at 2:30 and I had to be there 15 minutes early. I planned on getting there half an hour early. There are a lot of steps on way, the first is getting to the New York City bus, I had to make the 12:31. There were unexpected delays in the house. I left a tiny bit late, and got to the stop at 12:32, the bus had left. The next was not for half an hour, I had to call Uber. I hate using Uber. I was going to use Gett, but they merged with someone else and I would have needed to download and install the new app. So, I went to Uber and had to enter a new credit card. I got it done but the cab took a little longer than expected to arrive. When he did he asked how I was; I said, "I'm late and in a rush." He then drove slowly, we were being passed on the right. When you call for an Uber you say where you are going, for me it was the subway station. When we got close he made a turn he didn't have to make. He said, as if he didn't know, "You are going to the subway station?" Then he went to the wrong side of the street. Then he took forever to pull over. Then he didn't unlock my door. I knew from the subway app the train was about to leave. I was frantic. I had to make it. I ran up the stairs. The sign said there was 0 minutes till the train left. I saw it. I ran to it. My backpack buckled became undone and It fell off me. My computer was in the backpack. Arrgghh! I did make the train.

I got to Grand central station and had to walk to 1st avenue and 39th street. I walked along 42nd street till I hit Lexington. There was a red light, so I went south to 40th street. I headed west. I don't know that area well. I didn't know that 40th street doesn't go to 1st Avenue. It deadends in Tudor Village. I had to walk back up to 42nd Street, then down 1st Ave. I still made it on time. I have an A ticket, so I boarded first. I got a nice window seat. I took my computer out. My plan had been to watch Legends of Tomorrow on the way down. I turned my computer on, it wouldn't boot. It couldn't find my hard drive. NOOOO! That's what happens when you drop a computer, even one with a brand new hard drive. I didn't cry. I texted Joe and hoped he could fix it when I got there. I hooked my phone up to the Wi-Fi and plugged it in to charge. The outlet was broken. The one good thing is that I have Amazon unlimited for three months, so I had something to listen to the trip up. I napped. I read the Times. I kept Joe and Emily abreast of my progress. When I go to Boston I had to Uber again. This driver was much better.

Things got much better once I arrived. I love Van Merc Hill. I have Joe and Emily. I have hot and cold running children, they have one less daughter than Tevye. That means they have four. They have two dogs. They have chickens. They have hot and cold running bacon. There is homemade chocolate Irish crème. It was wonderful.

The Thanksgiving morning Joe asked to look at my computer after breakfast. I brought it down from my attic eyrie. Joe turned it on. It booted. He cured it by magic. I'm writing on it now.

There was a smaller than usual Thanksgiving crowd, we were joined by Garth and Shelly or perhaps Shelley and their teen children Aiden and and and her name begins with a B, or maybe some other letter. I can see her. I talked to her. I used her name. I'm an idiot. I'm pretty sure she has a name. I'm almost certain they have a daughter who is starting college next year. This might all be wrong and I'm still in New York and this is just a delusion.

Thanksgiving dinner was wonderful. There was leftover pulled pork, I had that instead of the turkey. Shoot me, I'm not a turkey fan. I'll eat it but never love it. I was thankful for the pork. I was thankful for the potatoes. I was thankful for the chocolate cream pie that Garth brought. I hugged him and told him I loved him. Give me chocolate, I'll do that. I had chocolate Irish crème in my coffee. I had it straight. It reminded me of the name of Garth and Shelly's daughter. It's Bailey. I told you it started with a B. Why did you doubt me? It's Thanksgiving so I'll forgive you. I played Honor Finnegan's Jesus' Birthday for everyone. Why? People kept on saying it was Jesus' Birthday. This was an exceedingly silly Thanksgiving.

There was a floor show. Joe and Emily's kids can do pretty much all of Hamilton. Joe found the music online, and they do all the lyrics. Sure, the Broadway cast has blacks and Latinos playing the founding fathers, but it doesn't have girls aged 7-11 in the roles.

Today's plan is to take things easy. We are going to watch, Star Wars the Force Awakens. Emily says we watched it last year. I don't remember any of the plot, I suspect we started to watch and something happened. I could check my blog to find out. If I did see it I obviously can stand to watch it again as I have no memory of it. Then I'll be prepared for whatever Episode 8 is called.

The question now is do I go downstairs and be social after posting this or take a nap. The meds are still hitting me hard, the nap will probably win. I just closed my eyes. That felt good.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I'm not going to make a big deal of it this year, but this is the first day of Festivus. I owe everyone a big holiday greeting.

Whee Festivus!



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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 November 24, 2017
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