Sorry I didn’t write yesterday; my body is still adjusting to the new place and my internal clock needs to be reset. I didn’t wake up until well after 11 yesterday and didn’t have time to update. Now I have to write a long entry about two eventful days. That depends on remembering what I did on Friday which is by no means guaranteed.
Since I last blogged I’ve been to two concerts, therapy, and had adventures in phones and air conditioning. My life isn’t all that exciting but calling things adventures helps.
Friday was the first time I went to therapy from the new place. Instead of taking two buses to the Fordham station I walked; it took about 20 minutes. That’s nice, I can leave 35 minutes later than from City Island. I loved the walk; might not be so pleasant if it’s beastly hot or raining. I am exploring the new neighborhood. I’ll give the run down on that tomorrow. I have too much to write about today.
Therapy was stressful as my therapist called someone about helping me and I had to deal with a discussion of my greatest anxiety trigger. I spent much of the time meditating. According to my therapist I’m very good at it. You wouldn’t think I would be as I’m the opposite of spiritual, but I have always been good at escaping into my mind; there is a lot of rooms there to explore. What meditating taught me is how to take it easy in the rooms and not search in the dark corners.
My next stop was my PO box. The post office closes at 5:30. Google maps said that was when I’d get there. Good things I’m a master commuter. I arrived at 5:25. The trip from Harrison took only an hour despite needed the Metro North and two subways. When I got there, I discovered what I was hoping for, my new phone! My old one is just about shot. It can’t do Wi-Fi and the charging port has gotten super finicky. I do have a spare Android 3 but decided I need to upgrade. Some of the issues involve not having enough memory.
Then it was just a short walk to the American Folk Art Museum to see the Bobtown Acoustic Trio. That’s just the women, Karen, Katherine, and Jen. I thought I might be late and asked Katherine to save me a seat but I got there shortly after the first act went on. On my way to rushing to the bathroom who did I see? One of my favorite families, Carolann, Mark, and Felix. We were late joined by Fred and David. My therapist said I have more friends than anyone she knows. I don’t know how that happened. I didn’t even use my saved seat at first, I stood at the back with my friends. Then as they sat down I did. Who was next to me? Gidge. Hey that’s only eight friends there, except it’s nine as Lara hosts the series. That doesn’t mean I’m wrong when I say I have no friends. I’m using an alternative truth. That’s allowed now, right?
For Bobtown to perform as a trio means taking up new instruments. Karen has added banjo, Katherine, tenor guitar, and Jen, keyboard. They gathered around a single condenser mic, old time style. I know that from a Warner Brothers Cartoon where the hillbillies sing like that. It starred Egghead, the early incarnation of Elmer Fudd. Sorry for the digression but I love Egghead and that cartoon. Egghead drives around in a scooter that says, “Elmer Fudd Peacemaker.” The first use of that name.
This was the first full set by the trio. Egghead was not there. Egghead has nothing to do with this. This is about Jen, Katherine, and Karen. There were three new songs! Even Gidge and I had never heard them. You’re in for a treat when the next album comes out. Each Bobtown album is a departure from what came before. They described it as less dark. The first song reminded me of Mad Agnes. I have previously compared them as Bobtown, Mad Agnes, and We’re About 9 are the bands with the most creative three-part harmony arrangements I know. They do not sound alike, except for that one new song which is MA style.
After the show, Katherine, Karen, Lara, Gidge, and I went out to dinner at The Smith. It’s not the kind of restaurant I usually go to, a bit trendy, but they had a great burger, I was happy. I discovered that Karen is a fan of Daniel Pinkwater, and that he wrote a book that I didn’t know about. That made me even happier. Carey knows everything, especially about YA literature, she must have been keeping it from me. I told you I have no friends. There’s proof. Before we finished dinner we were joined by Loyse, another friend, who therefore doesn’t exist.
I was right by the D train and made it home in under an hour! That hasn’t happened since I left Brooklyn. My time to the City now Is on par with what it was in Briarwood.
When I got home I tried to activate my new phone, a Galaxy S7. I set up the fingerprint and connected it to my Samsung account. What I couldn’t do is get it to make phone calls. It didn’t come with the SIM card. I bought it on eBay. I don’t know if the add promised one. Most people would just move their card from their old phone to the new one. I went to the Boost Mobile that is right by the Foodtown. The woman there was great but unfortunately, they were out of SIM cards. After I cried I packed up my stuff and headed down to Brooklyn to see Boz Ricky Skaggs, Sierra Hull, and Mamie Minch. I love Sierra and I not only love Mamie but she’s also a friend, so I thought of it as Ricky closing for them. I invited many friends to join me. I ended up meeting Erika and Arthur there. Katherine met other friends who by chance were sitting a short way behind us. We were on blankets on the hill, not seats down below. It’s not as good for listening but better for socializing and you hear fine. It’s just easier to get distracted.
Thanks to Facebook I discovered I had other friends there, Glenn, David, and Linus. David and I found each other by the merch table, so I spent time with both him and Katherine two days in a row. I’m reconnecting with my Brooklyn friends; Erika lives there too. I’d like to find a way back there.
Katherine and I thought of Mamie as the prime attraction; she’s not a household name but she should be. She has a perfect blues voice, a smoky contralto (could be an alto). She’s a fantastic guitarist. She does many classic blues covers but writes her own songs that I love. Who else is going to write a blues about leg shaving? Her patter is informative and charming. There is pretty much nothing I don’t love about her. She is also a mainstay of the Brooklyn music scene as the proprietor of the Brooklyn Lutherie. I could go into an entire entry on the words “luthier” and “lutherie.” The lute has not been the primary string instrument in ages, but the world has never changed. Luthiers make and repair, guitars, mandolins, banjos, members of the violin family, and any other instrument with a neck, strings, and body. The word is a living fossil. Mamie is living but not a fossil. She is very much alive and will make you feel even more alive than you were before you heard her.
Erika and I went down to talk to Mamie during the intermission. Of course, she wasn’t at the artists booth when we arrived, but we didn’t have a long wait. That’s where I ran into David. When Mamie emerged from the “Friends'” area she saw me, and I got my hug. You know I always need my hugs. That’s because I have no friends. I introduced her to Erika and mentioned that Erika has a guitar that needs fixing. While I don’t play all my Brooklyn musician friends swear by her skills.
Sierra Hull is a ridiculously young and talented mandolin player. She performed a song she wrote when she was 13, that was half a life ago for her; she’s now 26. She was backed by her husband. He has a name. I could look it up but I’m trying to get this finished. She’s one of those performers that I’ll play all her music on shuffle. It’s not about the individual songs but her virtuoso playing and singing. I can listen for hours.
I knew the name Ricky Skaggs but that’s it. Arthur has seen him and is a fan. He’s a bluegrass legend with a tremendous band. Sierra’s husband used to be in it. Every member of the band and Ricky is a virtuoso. They have great bluegrass voices. This is not new grass. Most of the songs are played very fast and very high. Ricky comes straight out of central casting, at least in terms of the way he speaks; I couldn’t see what he looked like from where we sat. I’m not sure if he’s as much of a country bumpkin as he makes out. I suspect that after decades of touring as a star he’s become somewhat cosmopolitan. Not that it matters, the music got everyone moving.
After the show I walked with Erika and Arthur to the subway where we parted as we headed in opposite directions. I saw Linus waiting on the platform for the train. I’ve known him for over 20 years but our paths rarely cross now. He is in the same theater company as David because this City of 8 million people is also a small town.
Today I went to a different Boost Mobile store for a card. A very capable young woman was all alone there. Good thing she was capable, but she had to multitask. There were other customers there. One was a father with his two little kids. He delivers beer, good craft beer. He said next time he sees me he’ll give me some. That’s a bit of what the neighborhood is like.
The Boost Mobile woman had to try multiple cards to find one that worked with my phone. The documentation does not tell her which one. She couldn’t find one and called Boost for me and ordered one that’s going to be sent directly to me. I have to wait 3 to 5 days for it. I might switch to my backup Galaxy 3 as this one won’t charge or connect to Wi-Fi . I have to see if I can transfer all my data.
When I got back I turned on the AC in the living room. It immediately blew a fuse. It is over 100° so going without AC was not an option. I couldn’t find the fuse box. I texted Beruthiel’s son. He told me where it was. I still couldn’t find it. Turns out that it was hidden behind things. I also found out I wasn’t plugging it in to the usual outlet. I changed it. Now it works! As everything else seems to be working except for one lamp that was plugged into the same power strip I might not have blown a fuse at all. It’s not easy to work with the outlets here, everything is behind something. I will see if I can reconfigure things before it gets dark. I have the AC, TV, and my computer working so I don’t intend on leaving this room except to use the bathroom and kitchen. I’m safe and cool in my nest
Now to watch some TV. Too bad it was too hot to watch the Met game. The only TV that gets SNY is in a room without AC. I am not going to venture there. I’ll keep up my Luke Cage binge watch instead. Thanks for reading more than 2K words My Gentle Readers. You are the best.
Wise Madness 