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 ...
October 01, 2016 - 2:49 p.m.
It's Saturday and I last wrote on Wednesday. I don't think I have ever gone so long without writing when I was home. So how do I organize this? To make that harder I'm writing this while watching the Met game. I'm trying something new. It's a Fox game so I have it playing on my computer and have Word open in a small window. That takes a little getting used to.
This is how I decided to organize this: I'm abandoning chronology. It's by topic; Idiot stories, volunteering at WFUV, and then the The Sea The Sea.
I'm leading with everyone's favorite, me acting like an idiot. I won't remember all of them. Why? I'm an idiot. Pay attention guys. Way back on Wednesday I had therapy, that means taking buses and the MetroNorth railroad. It was the last day my monthly MetroCard was good. This is confusing if you aren't from New York, the MetroCard is for the buses and subway, not the MetroNorth. For MetroNorth I buy ten trips as I only use it once a week. I can't refill the MetroCard on the bus and I wasn't planning on taking the subway but I could stop at the Pelham Bay Station on the way home and refill the card. I just had to remember to go there. It's not the most direct way home. Remembering that was what I concentrated on when I left the house.
Jane gave me a ride to the MetroNorth station with excellent timing. I waited about five minutes and boarded the train. As I boarded the train I remembered that I used up my ten-trip the week before. I can't buy a ten-trip on the train and there is a significant penalty for buying a one-way ticket on the train instead of at the station, The trip is so short sometimes the conductor doesn't get to me before I reach Harrison, my destination. My plan if he did come was to hand him my Harlem line ten-trip which is not valid on the New Haven line I was on. Then I'd act all surprised when he said it was for the wrong long and I'd say, "Damn, I grabbed the wrong card when I left the house;" in the hope that he wouldn't charge me the buying on board penalty. The conductor came, I reached into my wallet and handed him the ten-trip. Without a hitch he punches it and hands it back to me. I look at the ticket. It's the one to Harrison. The idiocy was that I forgot that I hadn't been an idiot and bought my new ticket last week. This is meta-idiocy.
Therapy went very well. The therapist is wonderful. I always feel better after I finish. She makes me feel uncomfortable in the constructive way. She doesn't let me get away with hiding things or changing the subject.
On the ride home, miracle of miracles I remembered to go to Pelham Bay station before going home. Yay me!
On Thursday I went to WFUV at 6 AM. Jane is a saint and got me there by 5:45 like I like to so I can help with set up. I stayed there 12 hours till 6 PM. Then I headed into the City to see the Sea the Sea. I usually just walk to the 
train but this time I checked the times and decided to take the BX 12 bus to the station. It would save me some time and effort. I had great timing, the bus arrived just about when I did. I got on the bus and inserted my MetroCard and it came back, "Insufficient Funds." So you know how I remembered to stop at Pelham Bay to get a MetroCard? That was only half true. I stopped at the subway station and then forgot to refill the MetroCard. I'm an idiot. Don't argue with me. That proves it. I said, "Damn, I forgot to refill it" and know what the bus driver did? He let me ride! Is this white privilege? Quite likely but not for sure. I got to the subway and went to the MetroCard machine to refill it. The one and only machine was broken. Arrgghh! I had to find another entrance to the station. It was three blocks away. I found it and bought a month worth of rides.
There were other idiot stories but I won't go into details. They mainly involved misplacing my travel coffee mug at the station. I drove everyone crazy.
Now on to volunteering. It was an odd pledge drive for me. I usually go in very early every day, as close to 6AM as possible. But I kept going out at night and as I need some sleep I only went in super early that one day. The others I got there at 9 AM. I was going to say this was bad planning on my part but I went to three shows that I was not going to miss. Dar, Anaïs Mitchell, and The Sea The Sea. It was just bad timing.
The station has a new pledge form which had some growing pains. I actually enjoy that, Jim and I took notes of all the things that need or would be helpful to be worked on. Some were taken care of during the drive. I also had to train everyone on the new form and tell them the work-arounds for the glitches. I like that as it makes me feel useful. I also get to spend time with lots of friends, volunteers and people that work at the station. I got to torture Jim. I went on Facebook to fix something on the John Platt's On Your Radar event for October. I was doing WFUV work. I'm a good boy. When I got to the site I saw that Jim had logged on, just for his own amusement, and didn't log off. So this is what I posted as him on his profile. No! That nogoodnik deleted it. It was something to the effect of; "I'm an idiot that left myself logged onto Facebook on a public computer. No wonder Gordon is my boss." Lori not LORi told me that it made her laugh out loud.
Speaking of Lori. I went to her surprise birthday party three weeks ago. I gave her a special present. For her entire birthday month, September, I would not say that she hates me, as I usually do. Instead I have been saying that I love her. I said it here, I said it on Facebook, and I said it in person. I made her a name tag for the drive that said, "Lori loves Gordon." The next time I made a fancier one with hearts. She made a sign and put it up in the phone room that said, "Lori loves Gordon." I told her the present runs out with the month but I'm giving her a bonus, at least till I finish writing this.
Last night was the last one of the drive and before I left Sam came in. Sam is the volunteer coordinator emeritus. The coordinator is always a student at the station. She graduated years ago but still comes back but usually I miss her. Last night we were there the same time. I missed Kathy coming in, another student who was there even before Sam. But I had to get home. This has been a long drive.
Now on to The Sea the Sea. As I said I headed down from the station. I was doing merch so I got there early but not as early as Fred who was the first one on the line. I went in to talk to Mira and Chuck. I was my first time seeing them since their wedding in August. I couldn't make it; it was in West Virginia. So I went in and said a quick hello to them but they had to prepare for the show. I got my requisite hugs. Then as there was a very loud band in Rockwood 2 before them I went out and joined Fred on the line. When they let us in we grabbed our standard Statler and Waldorf seats on the mezzanine. Someone I didn't know took a picture of us from behind and captioned it, "We're sitting behind Statler and Waldorf." Scott commented that we were friends of his and said nice things about it. Chris tagged me and asked if I was Statler or Waldorf. I never know the answer to that one. I sat on Fred's left, so which was I? Or is this more a matter of appearance?
The Sea the Sea tried something new; they performed as a harmony quartet! They were joined by a male upright bass player and a woman singing vocals. So now there always brilliant two-part harmonies were now expanded to four-parts. It worked, I knew it would. They are brilliant harmony arrangers, as good as anyone I know. They are also great songwriters. You want to see them.
Fred and I were joined by Gene and Isabel. I expected that. Chuck and Mira have played their house and they are close. This was clearly a home game for me.
That's not too bad, only 1958 words so far. Tonight I'm going to MUSIC OF LINDA RONSTADT: A Benefit For Parkinson's Research at Irvington Town Hall. Carter put the show together and loads of great performers including many of my friends and favorites are playing. The lineup includes:
Featuring:There will be a really sexy guy doing merch. There's great music and it' raising money for an important cause so you want to go. There are still a few seats left. I want that to not be true at show time. If you love me and can make it, you'll be there. So of course I should expect to see Lori.
Vance Gilbert
Abbie Gardner
Bobtown
Ana Egge
Matt Nakoa
Jim Gaudet
Sarah Milonovich
Abby Hollander & Andrea Asprelli
Spuyten Duyvil
Steve Addabbo
The Mets are winning 4-2. Let's Go Mets!
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 October 01, 2016
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