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
January 17, 2014 - 11:25 a.m. Let's see how much of what I wanted to write I can remember today. I really need to start taking notes again. I actually met a friend of coffee yesterday. You know I always appreciate getting together with someone for the sole purpose of seeing each other. There's pretty much just one person I do that with. I could not get it together enough to get my laundry done in time to leave here by 4:30. That's pretty sad actually. I'll try and do it today. After the coffee I headed up to Village to see Tomoko Omura again. This time it was with her trio. It's a totally different act than I saw on Monday with her quintet. They play a different style of jazz. Not that I know what's what, I just know that they sound different. I had an awkward amount of time before the show that I totally wasted. She played at Caf� Vivaldi. They don't serve my kind of food so I wanted to eat someplace else first. But I couldn't decide where and walked around and around then went to Papaya Dog which was too fast and of course not the best food. I should have just sat down at the Slaughtered Lamb pub down the block and eaten pub food and not worried about getting to the show early. She went on at 8:30 and I got there at 8:15 and the guy before her was still playing. I walked around the block and came back at 8:25 and he was still playing. I figured he had to be just about done as he had to clear the stage and she had to set up. I went in and put my coat on a chair right up front but I didn't sit down as he was playing a song and I didn't want to disturb him. Of course the song seemed to go on forever. When it was one I sat down and he said, "This is my last song. As Tomoko was supposed to be on then I thought that was pushing it. He did it. Then a friend of his asked him to do another song. He did something he shouldn't have done, put Tomoko on the spot and asked her if it was OK. Not many people are going to say no under than circumstance. Someone from Vivaldi should have told him no. It wasn't fair to me and the other people there to see Tomoko. She OKed it and he did it. He didn't finish till after 8:40. Then Tomoko had to set up and sound check and didn't start till almost 9:00. I was planning on how to write about this. He seemed like a nice enough person he helped Tomoko with an issue with the soundboard. Vivaldi does not provide a sound man. He then sat across the table from me a few seats down. Then when Tomoko's trio started playing the guy on before her didn't stop talking � loudly. That's not ignorance, He's a performer, he has to know how annoying that is. He just didn't care. Finally after a few songs I shushed the entire room. Everyone that wasn't there specifically for Tomoko was talking. It had some effect. He kept talking but softer. So here's the thing. I took note of his name. Should I publically shame him? I so want to but I won't. I'll just say that if you know him and read this please tell him that if expects his music to be respected he has to respect the music of others. I'll get the rest of my griping out of the way now. Vivaldi is not one of my favorite venues. I've often had the issue with other people, including other performers talking. Last night I had a service problem. I got the chocolate mousse royale and a coffee. The waitress brought me the mousse but not the coffee. it was so rich I really needed to get coffee with it. Ten minutes later she brings my coffee. But she didn't bring any milk or cream or asked me if I wanted any. The then disappeared to the kitchen. Ten minutes later she came back but not to my table. She saw me signaling to her across the room. She did not come over to ask me what I wanted. She just looked at me. I mimed pouring milk into my coffee. She went back to the kitchen and came back with � sugar. I told her that I wanted milk. I waited another five minutes to get it By then my coffee was warm not hot. She never gave me a check. After Tomoko was done I waited another 10 minutes and she did not come out from the kitchen. I just left some money on the table. I left $11, which is what I had on me. I had planned on playing with a credit card. I'm pretty sure that was enough money, not sure if it was enough for a tip. I wonder if she figured out what happened. Maybe someone from the venue will read this and let her know. Now on to the wonderful music. It was Tomoko Omura/Glenn Zaleski/Yotam Silberstein Trio. Glen plays the piano, Yotam guitar, and Tomoko violin. This was more accessible than what her quintet played at IBEAM. It still wasn't exactly melodic but it was easier to see the relationship between what the different instruments were playing. Tomoko and Yotem
With all the annoyances I still loved the show. This was the first time the trio has played a gig. Next they are off to tour Japan. The Jet Set life of the jazz musician. I get different things from different musicians. From Tomoko it's pure music. There are no lyrics. The compositions relate to nothings but themselves. The musicianship is superb. The genius is bare. I have no clothes but three winter jackets that I wear under slightly different conditions. Last night I wore my oldest. It was my father. I was with him and my mother when he bought it. We were in the store for some other reason, I have no memory why, maybe getting something for my mother. Why was I there? No idea but my father and I both loved the coat and they bought it. From the beginning I had second dibs on it. If my father wasn�t' wearing it I could. After he died I inherited it. That was back in 2002. This is an old coat. Because of the history I think of my parents every time I wear it. there are other things that will bring back memories. Whenever it's cold and a friend isn't wearing a hat my father speaks through me and tells her to wear one. When someone is being wasteful my parents yell at them. Well they yell at me to yell at them. I don't do it. An odd one is when I am with or thinking about a gay or lesbian couple where one of the pair is Jewish. That's just about every gay and lesbian couple I know. I always felt that if were gay and brought home a man to meet my mother she's have been OK with it as long as he was Jewish. She might have been happier with a Jewish man than a gentile woman. Of course my mother did tell me it was OK with her if I married Carey. She didn't quite get that it wasn't OK with Carey. I never asked but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have been OK with Neal either. Neal and Carey are married now but not when my mother was alive but I knew they would be. I think I knew that before they did. I don't think My mother ever believed that I wasn't sleeping with Carey. Thinking back about that I find it touching. She just wanted me to be happy. We never discussed my love life. I never discuss it here either, not that there is every much to talk about. Perhaps it's better to say we didn't discuss my lack of a love life. She can be excused for finding easier to believe that I had someone who loved me. All these memories were triggered by putting on the coat, it's my madeleine cake dipped in tea. I signed the Pro-Truth Pledge: please hold me accountable.
Memories: Not that Horrid Song - May 29, 2018
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