I became insane with long intervals of horrible sanity.
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.
Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so
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 ...
August 01, 2012 - 12:48 a.m.
Let's see what I can remember about Friday at Falcon Ridge. No matter how late I stayed up I was up between 7:40 and 7:50 every day. The advantage of that was it was that I arrived at the porta-potties the same time the cleanup truck came. I was the first to use them.
I always planned on going back to sleep but that never happened. Instead I'd put the tarp down by the main stage. This was after the land rush but I was able to get a good spot every day. The key was making it easy to find so I could tell other people camping with us how to find it.
My next stop was the Budgiedome and talking to whomever else was up. On Friday that was Steve. Then I was off to the Steeple Tent for breakfast. I don't remember how I became friends with its inhabitants. I asked if anyone there remembers and all I got was that it had something to do with bacon. That's the running joke. That I only love them for their bacon. It isn't true. But the bacon does help. The conversation helps more. And then there is the singing. Joe made a songbook with lyrics and chords. We started singing "Stand" by the Kennedys and that brought the books out. When we were done I said, "John Platt and I picked the same two greatest songs of the millennium; one is "Stand." What is the other? Joe immediately said, "Gentle Arms of Eden" by Dave Carter. He was right and he agreed. It's just the right answer. They are the greatest two songs of the millennium. After that we had to sing it. By we I mean everyone at the camp. There's Joe, Emily, Sarah, Drew, Liz, and Carolyn. I was talking to my shrink today about how extraordinary the people I meet at FRFF are. The Steeple Tent Crew is a microcosm of that. There were four small children camping with them and they somehow avoid chaos. They take to heart that it takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to keep me fed and entertained. They do both.
After breakfast I was off to the Emerging Artist Showcase. I had many friends in it this year, as I usually do, but as usual managed to miss many of their performances. It's my first day to really wander the festival and see people and I take time to do that too. I saw most of the friends I missed at the Budgiedome and or the Lounge Stage. Thanks to Dan Tappan I was able to go backstage to talk to Budgiedome performers and point out to them how to find us.
After Honor's set I went to visit the WFUV booth. I had wanted to help them set up but the race against the rain on Thursday prevented that. When I got there I hung out with Linda and signed up for a shift manning the booth on Sunday. I used to do that the first day of the festival, Thursday when it started then and Friday when they cut back to three days. It always makes me think of Jack Hardy. If he saw me at the booth he'd come over to talk to me and do the curmudgeon thing. The majority of the conversations I had with Jack were there. I was always surprised he knew who I was.
After the WFUV booth I swung over to Acoustic Live to talk to Richard. I see Richard all the time in the City but he's someone I need to talk to at music events. He's a kindred spirit and we compare notes. Our interactions are a mixture of mutual teasing and mutual admiration society.
My mean free path at Falcon Ridge is about 20 paces. In other words that's how far I walk before meeting somebody I know. I played social pinball as I crossed the festival. That's what led to me missing many of my friends in the workshop.
That night we had a scotch tasting at the Budgiedome. I don't drink but as I invited people I felt I had to be there. By the time I arrived the tasters were shall we say a bit happy. We invented a new drinking game. You take a drink every time Steve says "peaty"
I was going to head over to the lounge stage for dinner but that's when Burning Bridget Cleary showed up so I hung out with them instead. I finally got to know he newest member of the band Deirdre. I met Lou, Cheryl, Rose, and Gen at NERFA 2010 and immediately bonded with them. I love when that happens. Gen left the band earlier this year and was replaced by Deirdre. I met Nate the bodhr�n player last time I saw them in Garden City.
I meant to go down to the Main Stage to see Storyhill and Frank Solivan but ended up socializing instead. The only main stage act I saw was Eilen Jewel. This was the second time I saw her and she impressed me as much as the first time. She's a can't miss act. Did you miss her? Don't let that happen again.
After Eilen I went back to the Budgiedome to prepare for the night's music. I'm going to leave it off here and pick up with the Budgiedome Friday night next entry.
I signed the Pro-Truth Pledge:
please hold me accountable.
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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 01, 2012
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