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 19, 2015 - 4:20 p.m.

Avi Maria [there's no Maria]

It's 2:10 and I'm just starting to write. There world is out of kilter. What can set things right again? Superman will have to fly around the world in an easterly direction and make time go backwards. No the Doctor cannot use the TARDIS that would violate the laws of time and I'm having none of that. But if at the end Clara goes on a date with me that would be nice.

Yesterday I did something I haven't done in ages. I went to the American Folk Art Museum for Free Music Fridays. My school was just five blocks from the museum so it was natural for me to go there after class. I could at least see the first artist, there are three, before doing whatever else I had planned. But now it's out of the way, … except it is near my PO Box. So when I saw that the avuncular Avi Wisnia was playing I decided to go. To be honest he's not particularly avuncular though I'm pretty sure he'd be a super cool uncle, I just like the alliteration. I also just like Avi too and it's been far too long since I've seen him. The series is curated and hosted by the lyrical Lara Ewen, a singer-songwriter in her own right who I have heard such good things about yet have never managed to see perform.

I meant to get there early so I could hang with Avi but there was train trouble so I only got there a few minutes before show time. Being blind I couldn't spot Avi so I just took a seat down front. Avi was on second. When Lara was introducing the first artist she mentioned Avi and pointed to him. I turned around and saw a blob that looked vaguely like him in the back. Everyone is a blob at a distance to me. Between songs I went back to say hi to him.

If you asked me to write a short blurb for Avi it would be "the nice Jewish boy who plays great Brazilian influenced music on the piano." He's still a nice Jewish boy and he still plays great piano but only one of his songs was Brazilian sounding. Sinatra could have done his first few songs which made me think, how come there aren't more piano players singing that style? The piano is the natural accompaniment. Looking at him you'd never think he could pull it off. He has one of those smiles that lights up a room, gives away kazoos, he's silly, he's my people. How can he transform himself into a world weary crooner? Somehow he manages it. Of course he did get a Brazilian tune in too and one that's rock or rock pop or something that isn't folk but could get played at a folk venue and it has a good beat so you can dance to it. Yes I'm a brilliant music critic.

I didn’t stay for the third act because I hadn't eaten dinner. Instead I went up to Trader Joe's and got some things I needed. What did I forget? I know I forgot something. Oh right. It wasn't from Trader Joe's, it was from the Duane Reade next door. I am out of Nasal strips. I was very lucky I was able to sleep last night without one. Most nights it keeps waking me up and I wake up feeling like something died in my mouth.

I'm up to page 216 in Maskerade. I love that I'm back to reading every day. I read every night in bed before I go to sleep. Then I post my progress on Goodreads. I love Goodreads. It not only has a list of what I've read but also list of what I want to read.

I had my favorite dinner, sweet garlic chicken and Shal-hulud potato. What I did differently is that I cooked them in my brand new pyrex dish. It was on sale at Pathmark. I usually use disposable foil serving trays. That's not very environmentally friendly but there's no cleanup. I thought the cleanup would be easy on the pyrex but it wasn't. I have to figure out how to do this without having to scrub very hard after each use. Anybody know the secret? I soaked it before I started but that wasn't enough. It did come out great.

Then I watched something I'm very excited about Blake's 7 I discovered you can watch The Entire Series on YouTube. This ran from 1978 to 1981 in England. Not sure when it was shown here. It was created by Terry Nation who also created Doctor Who. I see I've written about it before because I had recorded it on VHS and watched it. I thought it might be gone forever but now I can watch again. If you like Doctor Who or Firefly give it a whirl. Count how many elements of Firefly were taken straight from it.



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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 September 19, 2015
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