I spent much of my therapy session discussing how I am having problems staying awake. I slept till noon this morning. I went to bed at 1 AM. This is becoming a real problem. How did I get by at NERFA? I’ve had two cups of coffee and if I let myself, I could fall asleep right now. It’s tempting.
I have corrupted my therapist. She’s starting to go to folk music concerts. My sessions are not like other people’s.
After therapy I headed into the City. Unfortunately, the bus was a little late and I arrived at the train station at 3:56. The train was a little late, it pulled out at 3:56, just as I got on the platform. I consoled myself with an eggnog latte at Dunkin’. Did you know that’s the name now? Not Dunkin’ Donuts? I’m debating whether to use the new name or not. That was the first time I tried it on for size.
Because I missed the earlier train, I had to head straight to the American Folk Art Museum for Free Music Fridays; Dan Rauchwerk was playing. For the second time in a row I missed the first act because I had my weekly The Good Place phone call with Bri. Bri hadn’t watched the previous night’s episode yet but we still had plenty to talk about. Bri is clearly related to me, we find the greatest satisfactions from the arts, food, and friends. She was on a mission to get a good sandwich. It could be an episode of Seinfeld. The title would simply be, The Sandwich.
I sat in the foyer of the museum while I talked to Bri, Autumn, Dan’s sister walked through while I was on the phone. A young woman chimed into my conversation with Bri when she heard us discussing Animation. She knew Windsor McKay’s first name which had eluded me. Raise your hand if you know of Windsor McKay and Gertie the dinosaur. If not, look up Gertie on YouTube. Every frame was drawn by hand, including the backgrounds. That is why they waver.
I went in as the first act cleared the stage. I felt bad that I missed her. I like to be a good audience member and support everyone. I’ve discovered many a musician at Free Music Fridays.
I should have told Autumn to save me a seat. I had to sit in the row in front of Autumn, Anna, Dan’s girlfriend, and Dan’s parents. As I came in, Anna pointed to the open seat and said, “Sit there, it will be better for heckling.” She enjoys watching my relationship with Dan. This Peanuts strip perfectly captures our friendship. Feathers and Banana Nose.
Dan’s set is an odd combination of songs that teach history, often unhappy history, and totally silly patter. He has a song about Queen Liliuokalani, the last monarch of independent Hawaii. She was also a songwriter. He mentions that she wrote Aloha Oe. He neglected to mention that she also wrote the theme music to Hawaii 5-0 and played a recurring character in the show’s first season. The fact that neither of those things is true is no reason to not mention them. They SHOULD be true.
After the show the greater Rauchwerk clan went out to eat Pan-Asian, not my thing so we parted company. I had chicken served in a waffle cone at the shops below Columbus. An underground mall at the Columbus Circle subway stop.
That was my exciting day. I’m finding it very difficult to get anything accomplished, even more so than usual. I need to discuss this with my psychiatrist; It’s disconcerting. Is this depression? Is it anxiety? Is it witchcraft? I can fight off the feeling of depression. Therapy does some good as do the meds. They do a lot of good, but they aren’t cure-alls.
Wise Madness 