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

September 23, 2016 - 12:38 p.m.

Fan Appreciation Night.

I have to leave here in less than an hour and I'm not dressed yet. That means this will be very short. First off mea culpa and you need to mea culpa too. I titled my last entry Hyperbole Has Three Syllables. The entire point was that I know some people say hi-per-bowl instead of hi-PER-bo-lee. But of course that has four syllables. Yet only Jo caught that and told me. I rely on all of you to be my editors. Wise Madness is a group effort. I just take all the credit.

Once again I didn't leave the Island yesterday, I didn't even leave the apartment. When I do that the most interesting thing I do is eat. Yesterday I made Buffalo chicken wings for the first time in ages. I tried something new, "Frank's Buffalo Sauce" instead of the usual hot sauce. It wasn't very different. The wings didn't come out as crispy as I like. I think this oven's thermostat reads higher for a given temperature than I'm used to. It might be right and what I'm used to wrong. In any events I'm going to add 20 degrees next time. Even with the skin not crisp it tasted great. Having a dishwasher is an amazing luxury. That means I don't worry about the worst part of cooking, the cleanup. If you have one I hope you appreciate it. What's the point of luxuries you don't appreciate? Right now I'm appreciating my slipper socks, my laptop, and the AC.

I did laundry yesterday which reminds me of another luxury, having a washer and dryer in your house or apartment. My Co-op had it in the building but it was in the basement and that's not the same thing at all. But I appreciate that as it's better than when I lived in Crown Heights and had to walk to the laundromat.

OK I guess I'm writing about things I appreciate today. The Mets won in extra innings last night! I can't believe people are critical of Terry Collins. He's holding this team together with duct tape and they will probably reach the post-season. They never give up. The most important thing a manager does is get his players motivated. He does that.

I watched Stranger Things last night. I'm getting more into it but I still find some of the characters annoying and some of the dialogue totally unbelievable. The kids' science teacher was explaining traveling in different dimensions seriously even when the kids said, "evil dimensions." But still the show is sucking me in. Now I can get a bit meta. I appreciate that I get to watch it on Netflix. I appreciate even more that a friend cared enough about me to give me her Netflix password. I get to watch HBO because another friend cared enough about me to give me her password for that.

I appreciate that I am now loving Doctor Who. That is how the world should be. When I didn't there was an imbalance in the Force.

I appreciate that right now I'm sitting on a cozy couch with my feet up blogging instead of being in a homeless shelter. Thank you Bernie and Jane.

I listened to a great new album today, Wise Awake by House of Hamill. If I weren't in a rush, I'd review it. You can listen free on their website. HoH is the duo of Rose Baldino of Burning Bridget Cleary and Brian Buchanan of Enter the Haggis. As you might guess it's Celtic but with influences from all over. I'll play something from it next time I'm on WFDU with Brian Norton. I have to arrange to do that soon. I haven't been on in ages. Getting to play DJ is another thing I appreciate.

Now I have to get going. I'm off to see a play, Crackskull Row with Honor. She's not in it, she's in the audience with me. That's something else I appreciate. Tonight the Calamity Janes are playing a Square Dance in Bryant Park. I'm going to try and go to that too.

I have lots of problems, very serious problems, mental health problems, but by appreciating the good things I remain relatively sane.

Oh, one more thing I appreciate. I came up with something to write even though I sat down with nothing planned. I'm actually good at this. Damn, one more thing I appreciate; you, My Gentle Readers.


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 September 23, 2016
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