I’m here at home without TV, both TV sets are on the fritz. So why aren’t I writing? Despite all my therapy the imp of the perverse still has power over me; albeit less power than he had before therapy. Until I was 16, I thought albeit was pronounced all-bate and that there was an expression, “all be it” that meant the same thing. I had the same issue with subtle and “suttle.” I somehow never connected the spoken and written words. This is very much against my self-image as a connection machine, so I consider it an aberrational blind spot.
If I had been doing anything I’d have a lot to catch up on. As I’ve mainly been home without TV I don’t. I have an idiot story. The big snow came on Saturday. On Sunday I decided to take a power walk around the Jerome Park Reservoir. I have been meaning to do that since November. I had to go to Bronx High School of Science for something even voter or COVID-19 related, I think voting, and noticed it was across the street from the reservoir. As the streets were filled with snow and I expected some puddles from the rock salt I needed to protect my feet. Instead of wearing my heavy boots I went for my overshoes. Those work best over my semi-dress loafers. It’s hard to get them on over the rubber souled sneakers and slip on shoes. I got all bundled up as I’d be out for a long time and hit the streets. When I had gone a block, I realized that I forgot my overshoes. I faced a wall over ploughed snow at Grand Concourse and had to attempt it in my loafers. I was an idiot and decided to try it. The snow mound was icy and not easy to navigate and fortunately there wasn’t a puddle, so it wasn’t that bad. Much of the path around the reservoir was poorly shoveled, it was just slippery beaten down snow and I was attempting to walk fast for exercise. I didn’t go fast, but I burnt a lot of calories in the attempt. Some places it was just virgin snow I had to trek across. Good thing it was so cold that my socks weren’t soaked. It was difficult and would have been easier with the overshoes, but I managed it without too much trouble. On the walk home I hit the snow wall on Grand Concourse. I started to scale it and to my dismay my shoe got stuck in the snow and I pulled right out of it. Here I was in the snow in my stocking foot. The shoe was wedged tight, but I got it out. I tried slipping it on, but it was hard to get good enough balance in the snow to do so. I got it on with my heel sticking out and decided to fix it when I was over the hump. Not a great plan. The path through the hill was narrow and I lost my balance and fell. I wasn’t hurt at all, just lying on the wall of snow and ice. I took advantage of that to get my shoe on right. I managed to get over the wall this time without losing my balance, but it was close. My next foray out was the longer walk to Aldi but this time I remembered my overshoes and had no trouble.
It’s Thursday that means you should be setting your alarm for 9 PM ET so you can listen to Gord’s Gold on Folk Music Notebook. Somehow every week’s show is extra good. That seems like a statistical impossibility but that’s only if you consider it of Gord’s Gold shows. I’m comparing it to the universe of all hours of radio including rightwing talk. How many musicians in this collage can you recognize?
This is my first time seeing the picture full size. I like it. If there’s someone you are curious about ask me. If you can’t identify Ina May Wool, you haven’t gotten this far in the entry.
Wise Madness 