Today you get to read about great music, great friends, and me being an idiot. Why do I think it’s the last that you’ll find the most entertaining?
As is usual for Fridays I went to therapy. Does therapist/patient confidentiality go both way? May I repeat the story that demonstrates that she’s a sociopath? I think it’s best that I don’t and let the inuendo speak for itself. The best part is telling my therapist that I wrote this. I asked her if her other patients abuse her as much as I do. She said I was the best at it.
Then I headed down to the City to meet Deirdre for dinner. How long has it been since I’ve seen Deirdre? Long enough that neither of us can remember for sure. Deirdre is a musician that I discovered at my second Falcon Ridge, in 2000. She quickly became a favorite. She played at my house. I saw her often. Then she joined the Four Bitchin’ Babes who never play in New York. Deirdre lives in Philly. The only time I see her now is when she comes to New York for a show. It’s quite appropriate that the show we were seeing was Christine Lavin. When Carey and I first saw Deirdre at Falcon Ridge we both compared her to Christine. I was the second one to recommend her to Chris, Dave Van Ronk was the first. Chris was a founder of the Four Bitchin’ Babes and Deirdre eventually took her spot in the lineup.
We met at Hee: Korean BBQ. You put BBQ in the name and I’m happy. The food was excellent. The company even better. We had a lot of catching up to do. We talked of many things that used to be important parts of my life but have since drifted away from; not by choice, but by chance. The currents of life took us in different directions. It created a very good feeling.
Then we went to the theater to see Chris. We got front row center seats even though we were late arrivers. It was still before the show started. Chris’s shows have evolved into something that resembles a one woman show. She stops and reads from her book. She tells set piece stories. She still sings are wonderful songs, tells spontaneous stories, and twirls her batons.
I looked around for people I knew at the theater. Unsurprisingly I saw Ellen. She’s usually at Chris’s shows. Tom Toce (rhymes with dose) was the impresario. But that was it, disappointing. During the show I heard Chris say, “That sounds like Judy Kass!” I didn’t see Judy. I wondered if I had misheard. Then she mentioned her again; I still didn’t see it. I went up on stage for Sensitive New Age Guys where I could stand and see the audience, but still no sign. Turns out she was all the way in the back, in the shadows.
Chris told several stories of mishaps that occurred when people offered her a room when she was on tour. Hosting traveling musicians is a wonderful thing to do. Just make sure that there’s a bed in the room and no recently used sex toys in the bed.
After the show Deirdre was tired and headed back to her hotel. I stayed to socialize with Chris, Ellen, and Judy. Last time she played there we all went to a diner after the show but this time people couldn’t make it. We parted ways at the theater.
The Urban Stages Theater in on 30th street right by 8th Avenue. It’s a breeze to get home from there, the A or C train to the D. It was early and I have a sweet tooth so I decided to get a shake at Shake Shack in Penn Station. On the way there I saw something new, a Godiva café. They had soft serve dark chocolate ice cream. I could not resist that. It was overpriced, of course, but it was delicious. I was in a delicious frame of mind. I just hung out with Deirdre, who I never get to see, and Judy, Ellen, and Chris.
I checked the timing and an C train was coming first. I took it to 59th Street. Then a procession of trains came that weren’t the D that I needed. Multiple A and C trains. Eventually the MTA app told me a D train would be there in a few minutes. It came in. I got on. I found a seat. I lost myself in my phone. The train went a few miles and then an announcement broke into my consciousness. “Next stop 181st Street – George Washington Bridge.” NOOOOO! That mean I was on the A train, not the D. I had waited for so long that I rushed on the train without looking. That meant crossing over to the downtown train and going back to 145th street where the D and A diverge. Once again there was a long wait for the D. I checked on the App, there were signal problems. The D train was running about once every 20 minutes. I sat by the express track and once again got lost in my phone. Then I realized that there was a train behind me on the local track. It was the D! I ran to the open door. It closed right in front of me. I’d have to wait another 20 minutes for the next one. That’s not how it worked out. The train lost even more time and waited over 25 minutes. When the D arrived it was packed to the gills, a sardine can. I was able to squeeze in. I got home at exactly midnight. My one-hour trip took two hours because I was twice an idiot. I am the champ.
I’m deliberately taking today easy, that doesn’t make sense as I have not been going out and doing things, just taking long walks. But that’s what my body told me to do and I’m listening to it.
I have Met games tomorrow and Tuesday then I’m off on Friday to the New Bedford Folk Festival. At least I hope I am. I’m waiting to confirm plans with my ride.
Wise Madness 