Anticrastination

I hate when I fall behind in blogging. I didn’t blog yesterday but today I’m busy watching the Philadelphia Folk Festival. I was fortunate enough to have a friend gift me a ticket for today. This is where Gordon Privilege come in. I’m uncomfortable with most uses of “privilege.” Being treated the way everyone should be treated is not privilege. Not being treated that way is discrimination and a disgrace. I have privilege, I get to do so many things that are not basic rights, by virtue of being me. I’m keenly aware of this. People will tell me that I deserve them for what I do. Even if that were true earned privilege is still privilege. I’m attempting to write this while listening to great music. Right now, Tui is on. Jake Blount and Libby Weitnauer are not sheltering together so they are performing as two individuals rather than a duo. Good thing they both have the talent to perform alone. I met Libby when she lived in New York, I discovered them as a duo at NERFA. That’s where Justin discovered them and booked them for the festival. These are all people that I’ve met and like as people. Before this I watched Téada, an Irish band that I know from the Irish programs on WFUV. The festival has an amazing lineup.

Yesterday I had therapy. I resisted talking much about my interpersonal relations despite them being much on my mind, and instead worked on the anxiety and procrastination issues that I need to overcome. The therapist made a point that I even used the technically correct terms. I know what’s going on, but that does not mean I can overcome them. I realized that some things, like reading emails, have become anxiety triggers through Pavlovian conditioning. I intellectually know that food isn’t coming but I still salivate when I hear the dinner bell. I have to work on working through the anxiety. That’s much easier said than done.

Now I’m watching Alisa Amador. I might have to come back and watch these sets again when I’m not distracted by writing. Justin and I discovered Alisa at NERFA too. Back to procrastination. I didn’t check my email yesterday afternoon and that came back to bit me. I discovered that my infusion on Monday has been moved from the center ten minutes from my house to the one I need to take a cab or two buses too. Thanks to New York’s wonderful Medicaid I get the cab for free, but I usually have to give them three-days notice. As this was because of the last-minute change by the hospital and my waiting until evening to reading my email I couldn’t do that. I called anyone but was told to call the hospital and that they could arrange it. I have my doubts. When Alisa is finished I will call and see if I can arrange it. If not, it’s the buses for me.

I found out, or was reminded last night, that I was in the same room as someone who later died of COVID-19 the second to last time I was out before the lockdown. Gene Shay was at the RUNA show in Philly. That was the last time I had any physical contact with anyone. I hugged LORi, Jayne, Shannon, and Cheryl, but didn’t have any close contact with Gene. I didn’t even remember that he was there. I was a little too late in getting serious about COVID-19. On the other hand, it’s good for my mental health that I went. I would never do it now. You are not going to find me in indoors for an extended time with so many people any time soon.

Alisa finished her set. I suspect that few of my friends who didn’t go to NERFA are aware of her. You will be. She perhaps the most talked about artist at the conference. She’s is special and has mass appeal. That’s a rare combination. I should give a warning about her being the most talked about artist. In a previous year, a friend of mine introduced an act by saying that they were talk of NERFA while I hadn’t heard anyone praise them. To me they were one o the masses. We listen for talk of those that impressed us, so we hear more about them. I am very aware of that but that doesn’t mean I don’t fool myself. Not this time, Alisa created a sensation. I didn’t feel that my other favorite discoveries made a huge splash. I tend to not go where the crowd is but where my nose leads me. At Philly I’m not planning on watching much from the Main Stage. I just missed Susan Werner on the Martin Stage to see Alisa and Tui. I adore Susan and I’ll watch her set during the next week, but I get to see her ever Sunday, so she wasn’t a priority. The one I won’t miss is Rhiannon Giddens who I don’t see often enough. I just realized that I’m watching Aoife O’Donovan from the Martin Stage next. Of course, she was once the artist playing for tips in tiny Rockwood 1. My schedule the rest of the day is:

Aoife O’Donovan
Rhiannon Giddens
Shane Hennessy
The Henry Girls
Teri Hendrix
Kila
Scott Wolfson
TAARKA.

There will be a dinner break for me between the Henry Girls and TAARKA and run to the store break between Rhiannon and Shane.

Damn! I just called the hospital and discovered that there is nobody there to help me get a car. It’s two buses for me on Monday. This is one of the things that I can’t change so much accept. I’ll check the weather on Monday. Maybe I’ll walk home.