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 06, 2015 - 11:48 a.m.

Clownie Pants

I've been up two hours and I'm just starting to write now. Part of the problem is that I went to sleep at 2 I did not want to get up before 8, but I did. I put WFUV on so I could listen to A Thousand Welcomes and tried to go back to sleep listening to it but it didn't work. I'll pay for this later. Hell I'm tired now. I could get up and make coffee now but that would mean getting up.

I'm getting bad, my photo backlog is growing so this will not be an illustrated edition of Wise Madness; on the bright side I made some progress on my emails. I need to celebrate my small victories.

The change in the WFUV changes the entire feel of my Saturday morning. I listen to Folk Alley. I just gave Folk Alley a macro to insert the link. My guess is that I'll be referring to it often as it is now my default listening along with WQXR which also just got a macro. Neither is as satisfying as WFUV used to be. Some people were criticizing people who don't like the changes. That's just ridiculous, the changes make a difference, that's why they made them. They are now appealing to people with different taste than mine. That's not morally wrong. They are doing what they think they have to do. But it's also fine for me to not listen anymore and to be unhappy about it. As My Gentle Readers know the station held an important place in my life. There were times I listened 30 hours a week. I'd have liked to have listened to more. Basically if I were awake and not doing something else that required my ears the station was on. It was the soundtrack to my life. I'd turn it on the instant I got up. I'd keep it on till I left for school. I'd listen on the LIRR till it went underground. I'd get to school and turn it on my office computer. Between classes I'd get back to the office and turn it on again. I'd listen on the commute home once I got above ground and I'd turn it on when I got home unless I was watching TV or on the phone. Now I listen from when I get up to the Question of the Day is over and sometimes I don't do that. I just listen when they play the QotD set.

OK enough of that lament. I almost said sad lament, but all laments are sad and I hate redundant language. I cringed the other day when someone announced a short ten minute break. If the words add no meaning don't use them.

Last night was a dinner failure. I took a hamburger out too late for it to be defrosted at dinner. I should have just left it frozen. I can cook a frozen burger but I don’t know how to cook a partially frozen burger. So I ended up eating the only thing I had defrosted, hot dogs. I have been having them too often.

Then I went off for the night's musical adventure, M Shanghai and The Lords of Liechtenstein at Jalopy. I usually complain about how hard it is to get to there but yesterday it only took half an hour. I had no wait for the bus and it hardly made any stops on the way; it can take over an hour at times. The show as 9 and I arrived at 8. I was doing merch and wanted to be there before doors to set up. I was there no only before doors but before the band or Ernie who was doing sound. You can tell that Jalopy is a home game, I am on a first name basis with the sound guy. I didn't know the bartender/doors guy so I introduced myself. He's Aymar. I did know him. We had whole discussion of his name, it's Basque. I'm always an idiot but forgetting someone I've had a conversation with at the same place we were talking is a different kind of idiocy than usual. I find it disturbing. So I have to mention a little victory. I remembered to bring my official Lords of Liechtenstein argyle sweater-vest.

The entire evening was delayed a bit as everyone seemed to come late. The audience seemed to know this better than me. The place was empty till just before the Lords took the stage. Then in five minutes the place was packed. The only ones I knew were the Lords, Dan and Noah's parents Michael and Star, and Dan's friend Jordan. Always fun when there's a Gordon and a Jordan in the same room; the confusion is comedy gold! Well it should be in real life it wasn't even confusing. But I can quote some comedy gold from the Bob Newhart Show. Bob an Emily's next door neighbor was Howard Borden. They discussed his brother who was a wildlife official in the Middle East, Gordon Borden the game warden in Jordan.

When we were talking before the show for some reason we can't remember, I mentioned my clownie pajamas I had as a kid. Dan thinks this is the greatest thing ever and wants to call me clownie pajamas now. He thinks my pen name should be C.P. This has become a running theme. Dan also likes Dawes so we know there's something wrong in his head. Right Gene? I promised that I'd show him a pic of me in the pjs. This is the only one I have.


You just said "awwww." Fess up. Some of you are saying, "You were so cute! …. What happened? From bottom to top that's my sister Sue, me, my sister Alison, and my cousin Phillip. I remember this pic being taken. I was excite because I got to wear my pajamas outside. But I look like I'm two and a half. Can I really remember that? I've always said my earliest memory is from when I was three and I said that when I was five. And this isn't my earliest memory, it's taking the car on the Staten Island Ferry. Of course how the hell would I know the chronology? I'm sure even when I was five my parents and my sisters wouldn't have known. What I remember is thinking my earliest memory was taking the car on the Staten Island Ferry. There was ice cream but they only had vanilla. I was disappointed. Yes even at three I was pretty much the same as I am now. What I remember is the food and commuting. That just hit me. Wow that's scary.

I've written 1140 words and the music hasn't started yet. Good thing the Lords of Liechtenstein suck and that since I'm nice person if I have nothing good to say about someone I say nothing.

You know that's a joke right? I love the Lords. That's why I keep seeing them. But I'm still not ready to talk about the show. I just remembered that I followed Dan and Noah into the basement. I've been upstairs at Jalopy but never the basement. I didn't know there was a basement. It looks like a typical home basement. It looked like my basement growing up; except that they have a giant version of the Thomas Jefferson bust that sits on the stage. I'm also pretty sure there are dead bodies there.

What was I writing about? Oh yes, a concert. About three songs in, in the middle of the song, I sneezed. Without missing a beat Dan or Noah said "gesundheit Gordon." I get strange name checks. Then I sneezed again, and again. I did the finger on the upper lip thing. That really works but it only slowed these sneezed down. As soon as the song ended I ran outside where I could sneeze with impunity and get it out of my system. I must have been highly allergic to something in the basement. I should have mentioned that there was intense smell of must. Is that a word? Does musty mean something smells of must? What is must? Misspelled dust? Misspelled Dust is the name of my Kansas tribute band.

When I came back in they were singing my song, Girlz with a Z. It's about how all girls are mean to Noah. I can relate. They are all mean to me too. I did stop sneezing and got to hear some new songs. They will have a new album out soon; I think the release is in January. They did not listen to me and title it Gordon. Look how well that worked for Bare Naked Ladies.

I don't see M Shanghai as often as I should. They play once a month at Jalopy and always pack the place and for good reason. They are great. There are another 8 thousand piece string band, Dan thought I was exaggerating and said "eighty thousand" but I was honest, it's only eight. They actually only had six members there and the banjo player was at a wedding so missed the start. Insert your own banjo joke. They are a string band but they are not your typical string band. They have great quirky lyrics more typical of a quirky singer/songwriter about whom I'd be saying "he's not just another sensitive guy with a guitar." They are musically great and delightfully weird and that's high praise.

The show started an ended late. It was easy to get there but not so easy to get home. My app showed that the bus was 2.3 miles away and not moving. I've seen that happen late night. Michael, Dan and Noah's father couldn't fit everyone in his car but he ferried the people that needed the subway, Dan, Rachel, Jordan, and me to the subway. I went to a different subway than everyone else but the two stations are not far. They are the two stations I've taken going to Trader Joe's. I'm going to resist giving the details even though I know there's nothing you are more interested in that which trains from which stations people took. I was lucky I had a 20 second wait for the . Hey I had to tell you which train I took; it's in my contract.

OK now it's time for breakfast. For the first time in ages I remembered to take out a frozen chocolate croissant before I went to sleep. I will have breakfast dessert!


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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 06, 2015
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