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 ...
March 14, 2016 - 1:40 p.m.
I was going to say, "Good morning Gentle Readers" but no way will it be morning when I finish this. I'm trying to change up how I start my blog. Well I guess this counts as a change. Whenever I start thinking of my introductions I think of Ed Norton. I can't believe this is the first time I'm including it here.
I think that I should start every entry with a few bars of Swanee river except of course that's not the title of the song, it's "Old Folks at Home." Yes, I'm a curmudgeon and I'm proud of it. As a curmudgeon I need to remind you that today is the birthday of the Albert Einstein, at worst the second greatest scientist of all time and my personal hero. All references to today being about some irrational number is irrational. Now go back to your Facebook and wish everyone a happy Einstein's birthday then come back here. Welcome back.
So when I went on Facebook I saw a post by someone on a group. I knew that in a few minutes I'd see the same post on another group. It isn't relevant to either one other than having the right demographics for what he's trying to promote. I would be just as justified posting my blog and every concert I help promote on every group that I belong to. Of course that would soon make the groups nothing but ads. I used to get more annoyed at this but now I simply ignore all posts by this person so I don't take the time to click through. It won't help to not follow the person because I follow the groups. That's exactly what makes it annoying. And I like this person and often what he's promoting. I just don't want to hear about them 2948 times. I can totally get into a discussion of theory of mind now but I'll save that for a slow day. Today I have something to write about.
Last night I went to see Villa Palagonia's Album release show for Rhythm & Roots at First Acoustics. You can tell this is a home game but the artist and the venue have macros to insert links to their website. I think of myself as part of Team Villa Palagonia and Team First Acoustics. You can also tell it's a home game because of all my friends at the show, you know I'll forget people, Sharon, Elisa, Jon, Carolann, Mark, Felix, Katherine, Karyn, Claude, Jeremy, John, Catherine, Jay, Gidge, Loyse, Efrat, and Honor. That doesn’t include people in the band or from First Acoustics. I even made a new friend David. He was videoing the show. The wallpaper on his pad was a picture of the Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker! You know I can't not talk Doctor Who with someone.
There was an open mic first. Sharon and Elisa assaulted me with cognitive dissonance, Elisa played guitar and Sharon piano. Jon played piano too but I haven't seen him enough to strike me as dissonant. Oh and there was this guy who sang an original song a Capella and got half the lyrics wrong. Yes I sang and sadly that's the only video I have edited.
I'm really mad I botched the lyrics. Based on this I'd criticize the songwriting. So why did I screw up? Last time I was nervous; this time I wasn't. Maybe I was too relaxed and didn't concentrate enough. I lost focus. I practiced the song all weekend. My singing was off too. Maybe that's the problem. I knew I started wrong and I started thinking about my voice and not the words. I'm now out of songs I wrote years ago. I'll have to write a new song for next month's Second Sunday Supper and Song.
The house was packed and not just with my friends and they were rewarded for being there. Villa Palagonia knows how to put on a show. They even took me by surprise. Joe and the other instrumentalist were on the stage alone and started playing. Allison was nowhere to be seen. Well she was, especially to me as she was hiding in the back near where the merch table is. I'm having a hard time explaining this with words so I'm going to break a rule and show you.
The rule I broke is to never post a video without asking the artist first. If there's an issue I'll remove it from here. Maybe I'll be luck and Allison will be able to answer me right away if I can use it.
I am pretty sure that I've seen Villa Palagonia more than anyone. This was a packed house. I love seeing how they affect people seeing them for the first time. I sell the merch so I'm "with the band" and people couldn't help telling me how great the show was. "this was so much fun!" is probably the most common phrase. I was kvelling. I don't want to post too many videos without permission but I also have some of my friends spontaneously dancing. If I wasn't videoing I'd have joined them. Sometimes I make sacrifices and don't sing or dance so I can document what's going on.
I have an idiot story. The one video I most wanted to take was of Allison doing the Tarantella around the room and people joining her. I followed her all around the room even when I was dancing with her. Katherine did the same. After we were done I asked Katherine if I could send her my video and splice them together. So what happened? Mine didn't come out. I missed the record button at the start. This was the video I've been wanting to get forever. I hope Katherine's came out good. The world needs to see this.
My Gentle Readers know that VP is more than fun, that they have songs with meaningful lyrics. It's obvious with the somber Michaelena's song about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory song but it's also true of a bouncy song like Boots dealing with men and women in the workplace.
I had another duty in addition to merching. I gave out and collected the raffle tickets. The prize was really good Sicilian dark chocolate. Joe and Allison didn't like my suggestion, giving away a trip to Sicily. Actually I said they should give them to everyone in the show. Allison gives tours of Sicily. I gave out literature for that too. Here's the website, Experience Sicily. Why does Sicily always look misspelled to me? I always try putting in an extra letter, Scicily or Siscily or Sicilly except they look even more wrong. Yet I have no trouble spelling or pronouncing Palagonia (pal-uh-go-NEE-uh). It does not rhyme with Patagonia. OK who has been pronouncing it wrong till now? Hey did too till I was corrected.
I of course did not make a quick exit. I was one of the last to leave, then I walked Jeremy to the 
. This was his first time there and didn't know the best way home to Chelsea. We took it in different directions.
OK now it's time to eat brunch.
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
creative commons
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Horvendile March 14, 2016
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