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 18, 2013 - 4:50 p.m.

She is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley

I'm getting as very late start writing today, 3:35 PM. Someone from IT finally came to update Flash and install picasa and dropbox on my school computer. I have waited over a year for this. They didn't know that I had to be logged in to make it work. And despite that I lavishly thanked the guy that did it. I just can't resist gushing. When somebody makes me happy I let them know it. Musicians often thank me for expressing here how much I love them. That's totally unnecessary as it would take an effort for me to not be effusive. In other words I gush and that's how it feels This stuff fills my head and wants to get out for the whole world to see. Of course sometimes what has to get out is critical thus my curmudgeon status on the WFUV Question of the Day group. Remember that there are songs that weren't released when you were in high school or college. But back to appreciating things. I can now listen to the WQXR Operavore channel.

I had no plans for last night and then I saw that Sharon Goldman was giving a full band show at The Living Room. She said she announced it earlier but I missed it. I'm glad I finally noticed as it's been too long since I've seen her. Not only that but I knew I'd have friends in the audience that I wanted to see. I was right there was Coco, Kay, Carolann, Allison S, Elisa, Honor, and of course her husband Shannon. See I wasn't the only man in the audience. I also knew two members of her band, Jon, and Chris.


Jon, Chris, Sharon, guitar player whose name I don't know, Amy

I love Sharon but then she made me mentally rewrite this entry in the middle of her set. There I was minding my own business and planning on a new way to say, "Listening to Sharon's music is just like talking to Sharon; Since I love Sharon that's a good thing." Then all of sudden instead of being ms sweet, funny, adorable, vulnerable singer/songwriter girl she became a Prog Rock Goddess. There's some debate on whether I should say prog rock. It makes Sharon think Rush. I never liked Rush. I was thinking Renaissance, Yes, Fairport Convention, Emerson Lake & Palmer. I used to call it Art Rock. I think I'll go back to that. Sheena is a Punk Rocker and Sharon an Art Rock Goddess. The difference of course is that this was a full band show, and that's not what I've heard her do before. And unlike so many others, she doesn't just add a band, so she can say she has a band or to sound more impressive. She adds a band so she can do things that she can't do solo. And those are good things. She clearly hears the songs this way in her head.

She also faced the problem she never has solo what to do with her hands when she isn't playing. She only did that on one song but she handled it with aplomb. I didn't even think about it till we talked after the show. But I know it is a problem for guitar players.

What was striking is that her personality becomes bigger with a band. To me her signature song is "short brown hair" about being the forgotten sister. It's a song about fading into the woodwork, a song of being meek, but with the band she is not meek. She swaggers.

Stop blushing Sharon. I can totally see her reaction to this. No I am not nuts, I'm perceptive. Just because others might not see something doesn�t mean I'm hallucinating.

I had work and shopping to do and I wanted to get some sleep for a change so I had to rush out after her set. OK who knows me so little as to think that really happened? Coco who I sat with had to leave but nobody else did and we all wanted to stay and watch the next act, Old Man Luedecke (lou-deck-ee). I had seen him at Caramoor and liked what I saw but for reasons I forget to not see most of his set. And of course even if I didn't want to see him think I could walk out on sitting with so many friends?

Old Man Luedecke is not old but he is a man and I'll take his word that he's a Luedecke. I always want to call him Lukey, like the guy with the boat in the Great Big Sea song. I mean he is an Atlantic Canadian and there aren't that many of them. He's from Nova Scotia. He is also officially a character. He's funny and weird with a bit of Ashley MacIsaac about him. He plays the banjo so you know he isn't quite right in the head. My plan was to leave as soon as I was overwhelmed by hunger but I was having too good a time so I stayed for his entire set.

At least I made a quick getaway after his set. Please don't tell me you believed that. I had too many lovely people to say goodbye to. Of course I'll be seeing the Chicks and husbands again on Friday when I see the Blue show for the umpteenth time. I've seen Carolann three times in eight days. Honor three times in what 10 days? That's how the world is supposed to work.

When I got home I did not prepare the quiz I needed to write. I did that this morning when I got to school. I guess I should grade it when I'm done with this. I could go home but it hardly seems worth it when I am going to Joe's Pub tonight to see Barnaby Bright. I'll have lots of friends there too. I hope I can't sit with them. I'm doing he merch so didn't buy tickets with them. If it's sold out I'll have to stay in the seat I'm giving and I want it to be sold out.

Now I'll do the grading and figure out what special thing to do for dinner. I could even go to the movies. That's tempting. I'll see how things go.


I signed the Pro-Truth Pledge:
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 18, 2013
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