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

August 11, 2013 - 10:47 a.m.

Blue Canary in the Outlet

The fact that I have so much to write makes it harder for me to write. This is one of my archetypal anxieties, I have to decide what to keep and what to throw out. I could just write two entries but I rarely can do that. It usually takes me more than an hour to write one of these things. I love doing it and it relieves more anxiety than it causes but it takes something out of me

I did something last night that I HAVE to write about so I'll do that and write as much as I can about Falcon Ridge as I can afterward. I'm not going to fool myself into thinking I can be more ambitious. If I can I will but I am not going to depend on it.

I will leave out my dreams so you won't hear about how mean Carey was to me or how I wasn't sure If I had not recognized Jay after talking to him for an hour.

Last night I went to see They Might Be Giants at the Prospect Park Bandshell. I can miss TMBG. I can miss them in Brooklyn. I can miss them doing a free show. But I can't miss TMBG doing a free show in Brooklyn.

I'm not a hard core fan but I have been friends with hard core fans and I have always seen them with hard core fans. That's part of the fun. The thing is though that the only local that still keep in contact with regularly is Marti and she couldn't go. Now I know other friends of mine are fans and even hard core fans but they were not the front of the line crowd I used to hang with. I never saw them with them. I didn't even know them back when I was seeing all of TMBG's local shows. But you have to try new things. I didn't want to go alone and I didn't want to just run into the old crowd, There was only one that I really would enjoy hanging out with. So I wrote to Mark and asked him. I knew that would be a lot more relaxed than my usual TMBG experience. Mark and Carolann would bring their son and sit in the back on the grass. That was fine with mek perhaps preferable. Then I had my pre-falcon ridge anxiety and froze up when it came to making actual plans. I'm a bit proud of myself for how I handled it. I just waited till I saw Carolann last night because I knew talking in person would be easier. It was,

There were several confusions. TMBG posted the wrong time for the show on their Facebook page 7:00. That meant I wanted to get there no later than 6:00 and more like 5:30. I saw a post on Facebook from David saying he was on his way. I said I'd be leaving soon. Then I realized he lives in Brooklyn. If he were on his way I should be too. I looked at my watch and saw that it was 5:40. I was home when I wanted to be there. I raced to get ready and was out by 5:50. Good thing it doesn't take that long to get there even though it's two trains and a half mile walk I got there and found out the show was at 7:30 and they hadn't let people in yet.I got on the south line thinking that was where Mark and Carolann would be but didn't see them. They texted me that they were on the North line and I went to join them. When I looked for them on the South line I thought I saw Peter and went to say high. It wasn't Peter but right in front of him and not as easy to see from where I was walking I found Elisa and Jon. Elisa is in the Chicks with Dip with Carolann and Jon plays in the Blue show. It is a very small world. I thought they might even be joining us, or us joining them and their friends, but they got there early to get seats down front.

I texted Carolann that I was at the back of the south line and she texted back that of course they were on the North line so I went and joined them. Wow 740 words and doors weren't even open.

I found Carolann and Mark as the line started to move and we found our spot. I even remembered to bring one of my stadium seats. I decided to get food early before the lines got bad. That was a good choice and the food was great. I recommend the griddled chicken sandwich and the upstate fries with cheese. I then saw a bean bag toss where you can win a beer. I'm very good at bean bag toss and won. I gave it to Mark. I had a really good beer the night before and that's enough for me. I didn't need to have something from Annheiser Busch. They had better than Bud but still not working drinking for.

I wanted to go to the show with a group and I did and I even knew everybody. Richard Carolann's bandmate from CC Railroad, Kirk, and Scott. Kirk and Scott I see often enough that I accused them of stalking me but I haven't seen Richard in years. I met him at the Budgiedome when Carolann camped with us. My Gentle Readers might know him as they guy that gave me the magic purple hair elastic that made me irresistible to women.

Poor Carolann, she was not just the only woman, well except for Richard's young daughter, but to give you some perspective I was the least nerdy guy there. Hey we were seeing TMBG what do you expect? I of course was with my people.

I didn't see any of my old TMBG crowd. The only people I saw that I knew after we went in were Jonathan Coulton who was opening for TMBG the last time I saw them and Sam. Carolann or Mark spotted Jonathan before I did before the show. I went over to say hi and found that he was doing exactly the same thing we were. He was sitting on the grass because the was there with his wife and two kids. Great minds think alike.

My mind doesn�t work at all. Phil had given me a copy of his new CD that include a cover of Birdhouse to give to the Johns. I didn't know how I could do that then it hit me that If I ran into Jonathan he could give it to them. Then I realized I left the CD at home. I'm an idiot. Sorry Phil. Jonathan didn't know if he'd make it backstage anyway because of the kids. So maybe it's not all my fault.

Sam must be Sam the Eagle. How they hell did he find me. it was right before the encore and he came over to say hi. It was dark. When he went back to where he was sitting I couldn't find him. I'm glad he came over to say hi.

The opening act was shall we say not good, No I'll say painful. I am pretty sure I ran into these guys socially and they told me they had a band. The name was familiar. They did not play music, they made loud noises with various horns including a bass clarinet. There was no melody or harmony, or much of anything else. The plus side is that meant I had a really nice talk with Carolann.

Wow 1291 words and the show hasn't started. But that's fine I don't know how to write about a TMBG show. I don't know the new material. I never had an encyclopedic knowledge of their oeuvre. I just stood with their fans that did. I knew their hits and loved their creative nerdiness and insanity. The best radio interview I ever heard was when Vin Scelsa talked to them for over two hours and I couldn't believe how much they reminded me of me. They come from exactly the same place. So during the show when they did the songs I know I sang along.. Everyone stood so I did too and once I did I danced. Well I sort of moved my body. When they finished with Birdhouse I jumped up and down like I always do. I had a ball. I got nostalgic. I have weird nostalgia. When they did Anna Ng I thought about Carey almost fainting at the 9:30 Club in DC. I kicked myself for not suggesting to Spuyten Duyvil that they include Istanbul on New Amsterdam. I took a break during a song that I didn't know and sat down and talked to Mark and Carolann's son. OK it is really awkward calling him that and not by his name but I worry about name checking a child. I'll err on the side of caution. In any event I love nameless child he is so much fun.

After the show we headed in three directions. Richard and daughter to his car, Carolann and family to the bus, and Scott, Kirk, and I to the subway. I could have walked to the train at Grand Army Plaza like I came but I took the with Kirk to the Pathmark in Fort Greene in search of U-Bet to make egg creams. They were out the other day when I was there. I told them that I lost all respect for LORi when she made one with hershey's. They understood. They were still out I'm going to have to walk over to the Hassidic neighborhood not far from me and pick some up today.

So no Falcon Ridge today. We'll make believe I might write more late but we won't count on it.


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 August 11, 2013
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