Weird day. I couldn’t get myself to write earlier. I got anxious just thinking of getting off my chair and making breakfast. After I showered I went to check out the local Foodtown to see if it can be my prime supermarket. That would be great as it’s just a nine-minute walk away. A decent part of the walk is through the park around Mosholu parkway. I found myself walking with extra spring in my step and smiling at the people I passed. They smiled back, and some said hi to me. I stopped and talked with a woman walking a tiny Pomeranian that wanted to pick a fight with the beagle diagonally across the street. He also tried to eat my shopping bag. The important thing is that all indicates I was happy and energetic, the opposite of anxious and enervated as I was before I went out. There’s a lesson to be learned there.
Thanks to the earlier enervation I missed two of the three free concerts I wanted to go to today, a lunchtime show, by Isle of Klezbos and a 6 PM show by Michaela Anne. It’s been too long since I’ve seen either, especially Michaela. We are talking years. My body didn’t want to go, and I listened to it.
Now for idiot stories. Two days ago, I went back to City Island to pick up my coffee, the French press, and the coffee grinder. I forgot the French press. That meant going back there again yesterday. The trip took almost two hours. I could walk it in about two and a half. The first bus got stuck in traffic. The trip home took only a little more than an hour. I made a check list of other things I needed, got them all, plus more clothing.
Things were not right with me emotionally, I didn’t make dinner. I’m getting anxious about cooking dinner at the new place. My brain works in mysterious ways. I just ate peanut butter out of a jar, that’s terrible for me. Miraculously my digestive system didn’t mind at all.
Lefty the cat is my new best friend. He goes up on the keyboard that I have to pass when leaving my room or the bathroom and begs me to pet him. I can’t resist. We have deep conversations. He mainly says, “Meow,” but he says it sincerely. I still have not seen the other cat, Dusty.
Whenever I have a new living space I have to find my home base. Here it’s the recliner in the living room. I had to do some adjustments to microenvironment. I redid some extension cords and power strips, so my phone charger could reach the chair and it would be easy to plug and unplug my computer charger. I moved a step ladder next to the chair to use as a table for my water bottle. That’s how I could stay in the chair all morning. It’s in front of the smart TV. It doesn’t get cable, but I can watch streaming services.
My reward for setting up the Facebook event for the next John Platt’s On Your Radar was watching Star Wars: Last of the Jedi. I have always found Star Wars movies stupid but enjoyable. This was even more stupid. The laws of physics are different in the universe it takes place in.
I have the same problem with the Star Wars Trilogy sequel as I had with the Dune sequels. They undermine the victory of the original story. How did the First Order arise and become more powerful than the Republic? Where did Snagglepuss, or whatever the leader of the First Order name is, learn to become a master of the Force? It takes training. Of course, now with Rey it seems that the Jedi had been wasting all that time with years of training. It just takes a few lessons. Does everyone else think that Kylo Ren stole his look from Professor Snape?
The one show I’m going to today is Kat Quinn’s farewell. The charismatic Kat is heading west to Los Angeles. My friends better stop moving away. Don’t they all think of me? Maybe they do and that’s why they move. The show is at the Sidewalk Café. I just timed the trip on Google Maps, one hour. That’s a delightful difference from City Island. It will be even more important on the way home where the trip might have taken 2 hours if I just missed the bus. My travel time should be consistent from here. An hour or less to just about anyplace in Manhattan. On Saturday I’m going to the Prospect Park Bandshell. It will take me only an hour and 15 minutes. That’s wonderful. Hey Brooklyn friends, you’ll be seeing much more of me.
I woke up last night to an explosion that shook my room. Why didn’t I lead with this? A few minutes later there was a second explosion. It was raining. It was thunder, some of the loudest thunder I ever heard. It was about 1600 feet away, judging by the time it took from the flash to the third peel which was not as loud as the first two. I should check the distance to Montefiore hospital. Its roof is the highest point in the Bronx; that’s why they placed the WFUV antenna there. It’s 0.4 miles away and that’s not in a direct line. That has to be where it struck. I love figuring things like that out.
My phone is on its last legs. Apps keep crashing. It has trouble staying connected to the internet. It reboots for no reason. You have to jiggle with the USB to make it charge. It’s an ancient Galaxy S3, the kind the dinosaurs used. I finally gave up and bought a new phone on eBay. That’s the cheapest way. It’s how I bought my current phone. It’s a Galaxy S7. That should last me till they get up to the S13. I want a phone that works, it doesn’t have to be the latest model.
I haven’t touched on the news as I couldn’t bring myself to read today’s paper. I read the headlines, I know what happened. I also don’t watch the recaps of Mets’ losses. From experience I know that things are never as bad as you fear or as good as you hope. Mostly things go on as they were. I’ll give the events of the last few days when I’ve had time to digest them.
I should make dinner now. I will make dinner now! I’ll do it. Just a simple dinner, but a dinner. Then I can reward myself with the ice cream I just bought. Wish me luck.
Wise Madness 