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 29, 2014 - 11:52 a.m. Once again I the starter turned over and I began writing. Not sure what I'd do if it didn't.. You might have to scrape me off the floor. Yesterday I took Heather on an expedition to Queens to the Goodwill outlet store. The clothes are unsorted and you buy it by the pound. I was her native guide. It's in Long Island City not far from the Executone factory where I did inventory during winter break in college. If you ride the you know it as the building with the big IDCNY rooftop sign. I didn't realize that was where it was till we got close. Google changed its mind on how to get there after we got off at Court Square. It said to take a bus from there but once we arrived it said the 7 train. As we were already down from the station we walked. I loved when we got to my old haunts. I get nostalgic for Queens now and then. It proved fortunate that I helped Heather with this as my plans for the evening were to go to Jalopy. From my house I'd take the B 61 bus from Borough Hall. Thanks to a run it was rerouted. From Williamsburg I took the and walked. I love that walk too. I was at Jalopy to see Brother Sun and Evie Ladin & Keith Terry. Guess who was merching. Come on guess.. Humor me. Yes it was me I have known Brother Sun since before their first show. Pat Wictor was all excited about the new trio he was forming with Joe Jencks and Greg Greenway. I met Evie at the Budgiedome and I wasn't sure about that till I talked to her. She's one of those musicians that I knew I met at Falcon Ridge but didn't remember the circumstances. That's what happens when you meet a lot o people and have had very little sleep. But I knew if I friended her on Facebook I thought she was good. When I got there I saw Pat, I saw Pat's wife Ellen, I saw Greg, I did not see Joe. Why? There was a fire at the Chicago air traffic control center. An employee set it. That grounded flights and backed everything up. Guess where Joe lives. So this was two thirds of Brother Sun. It's must be related to the missing solar neutrinos. I know none of you got that but trust me it was hysterical. At one point I knew every single person in the audience. That's because Aviv was the first to arrive. I knew one out of one people. Still I knew only one other person there. That's not right. Where were you people? When I posted a pic Abbie saw it and said she was around the corner but the show was over. Too bad. I bet she could have filled in for Joe. First time I met her she was filling in for Pat Klink with We're About 9 Pat and Greg carried on tike troopers, Starship Troopers. Hey the sun's a star. OK enough of the solar puns. I can't help it. I'm so bright my mother calls me son. Is anyone still reading this? Even two thirds of Brother Sun has better harmonies than most quartets. They know what they are doing so can adjust even to losing a major cog like Joe. I will remember this as the Joeless Shoe Jackson show. I had a great time. It sounded like everyone else did too. Evie was up next. So remember I said that I knew she had to be good or I wouldn't have friended her. I was wrong, she and Keith were great! They totally blew me away. So what do they do? I guess you can throw them in the progressive blue grass pile but that's wrong. Playing banjo does not make something bluegrass. It's more akin to old time but Keith's background is in jazz and what they do is take what they want from where they want and make great music. Evie plays banjo and guitar. Keith plays bass, cajone, and lots of toys. He had me at toys. One was something he thinks was from the guts of an accordion. It has accordion reeds which are the same as harmonica reeds and he blows into it. Most of his toys are percussion, bamboo spoons, this thing, And these African bells. As they progressed it started to hit me that something about Evie reminded me of Kristin Andreassen. You know how much I love Kristin. Then she did both did body percussion. They she clogged. Her songs are nothing like Kristin's songs but her approach is the same. After the show I asked her if she knew Kristin. She has known her for year and said, "Kristin is the East Coast me." They live in Oakland. They made it very clear it wasn't San Francisco. They made the kind of music I like best, good music, ignoring artificial boundaries. I went to see her because she was playing with an act I love and because I knew her personally. It's always great when chance leads me to hear great music. Sturgeon was right 90% of everything is crap. But that makes finding something great by serendipity even sweeter. I hung out quite a bit after the show. That can be tough as it isn't easy to get home from there. But I got lucky. I didn't wait too long for the bus and only 3 minutes for the subway. I don't seem to have plans today past therapy. I'll play it by ear. There's always buying bagels and therapy food I signed the Pro-Truth Pledge: please hold me accountable.
Memories: Not that Horrid Song - May 29, 2018
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