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 11, 2013 - 3:42 p.m.

Blip on the Radar

I have once again managed to waste 45 minutes before I start writing. Now I'm rushed to write if I want to eat before class.

I did manage to do my laundry yesterday and I did something I've been meaning to do for years, I bought a shopping cart. It makes things so much easier. I had one but it was too small. It might be in storage but it might not be. Either way it was not adequate. I waited a long time between laundries, too long. But on the other hand it saves me money. Now that I have a cart the weight is only a factor going up the stairs. I can throw the laundry bag down.

Now let's see if you have been paying attention. It was the second Tuesday of the month, where was I? Why do I always see the same hands? Fred, Lori not LORi, you were there. That's totally unfair. OK, you in the back with your hand meekly raised just high enough for me to see. Where was I? John Platt's On Your Radar. The guests were Ariana Gillis, Brad Yoder, and Cary Cooper.

It only takes me about half an hour to get to Rockwood, sometimes less, when things go well. I left a bit later than I usually do, 5:45. I like to get in before doors, grab a table for the usual crews, and when I know the performers like I did last night, hang with them before the show starts. The problem were the trains were screwed up. The sign said there were delays on the . The doesn't even normally stop at the station. It platformed but the doors didn't open. In the meantime a came. It runs local in so I usually wait for an express but as the express was delayed I took it. Huge mistake. The was delayed, and delayed, and delayed. It never went above 20 MPH and it get stopping between stations. In the meantime three of the "delayed" express trains passed us. I actually got to the show early, 6:30 before doors opened but only barely. I didn't get to save seats so Lori not LORi, Joe, Rona, and Bob couldn't sit with me. To make things worse the one person who I will NOT sit with grabbed the seat next to mine. I ended up grabbing a seat at the end, not by the stage, at John's table along with Coco & Bruce, Dan, Ihor and Marisha. Then I ended up not sitting there. Katherine was a bit late and sat at a stool in the back. Normally I won't sit on stools as there's no back support but this was against the wall so it was fine. Mark sat back there too. A nice thing about sitting at the back is that I can flit about a bit and socialize. When Catherine, not Katherine, came in during Cary's set I went over for a hug. Instant hug gratification is pretty much what my relationships with Catherine and Jay are about.

I knew with Cary performing I'd have plenty of friends around. I became online friends with Cary before I had a real life conversation with her because we know so many of the same people. The chicks were out in force with Meg, Honor, and Allison S there in addition to Catherine. Yes that's three more hugs. Jay showed up later so there were was one more. The usual OYR crowd was there, Fred, Damon, Gail, Kay. I could have called Kay, Kathryn but that's just too confusing. What would she be, Kathryn not Catherine or Katherine? For the first time since we moved to Rockwood Brian made an appearance! Don't let him know I used an exclamation point and was excited. He's from New Jersey so I'm not sure if he's literate enough to read this.

Why is anyone my friend again?

Speaking of which Lori not LORi hates me. That's old news so I'm not going into it.

The only disappointing part of the entire show is that I did not have much quality socializing time with the performers. I had a nice talk with Cary when she was getting ready and a few words with Brad, a few less words with Jason, he is the 2 in the Brad Yoder 2, a few words less than that with Jagoda who played drums with Cary and Brad, a wave at Ariana. I didn't even get a wave to David, Ariana's father and banjo player.

As for the music, well that was great. Have I said this before? Listening to Cary's music is just like talking to Cary. She makes it totally personal and since she's charming and funny and smart, the songs are charming and funny and smart. OK it doesn't really work that way with cuteness. I mean she's cute, and her songs are cute, but I am pretty sure there is no cause and effect there.

Brad does as good a job as making the audience part of the band as anyone I know. He had two sing-alongs. The first was pitched way too high for me and I didn't attempt it. Katherine could do it. I couldn't hear if Mark did but if he did I�m impressed. Based on their voices you wouldn't guess Brad and Mark were the same species. The wonderful thing about music is that they are still both wonderful singers. On the other song I could sing along and the song wouldn't work without the audience part. That's what I love. The audience provide a countermelody. If we didn't sing along I don't know what they would have done. I guess Jason and Jagoda would have had to sing loudly enough to be heard.

I was delighted that Ariana did something I never saw her try before, start out solo and then have the band join her. She's still experimenting, That's a good thing.

After the show Katherine and I hung out a bit then faced our usual dilemma, where to eat. She's a vegan and I'm a meatarian. Actually I'm more extreme than that, I'm a meatan. We ended up where we usually end up the Italian place down the block. I really need to do some research and find another option. Not that I'm complaining, I had an Italian bacon pizza. No sauce though. There were two kinds of cheese, one wasn't melted. But it tasted good. We at al fresco. Al didn't seem to mind. We stayed till they close. Yes that's what I do when I have to get up the next morning to teach. That's what I do when I have to make sure to get in extra early the next morning to make up a quiz. That's just what I do. Post-concert meals are the best. The pizza is just an appetizer the conversation is the main dish. Well that and Al.

When I got home I couldn't resist going online. Out of nowhere I lost my internet connection and got a notice that there were no wireless networks available. My phone was connected to the networks I knew that wasn't true. I did a reboot to no avail. I ran a virus scan to see if could find something and went to bed. I woke up in the middle of the night and the scan found nothing and still wasn't connected. I thought I might have to bring my computer in but I reached into the one-size-fits-all toolkit and brought out the hard reboot. I unplugged the computer and yanked out the battery. When I restarted everything was copasetic. Any guess what happened?

OK I have to grade quizzes and prepare a lesson so I'll post this and get to work.


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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 11, 2013
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