I’m not dead. I’ve just hit a dead spot in writing. I have to get myself back in the writing habit. I did things the last two days, that helps. My friends Mark and Beth opened a restaurant/music venue, The Porch, in Harlem. Mark and Beth have a canonical order. I never know how that happens, but it does. I had been there a number of times before it opened, they had outdoor events while the insides were being remodeled. Saturday was my first time inside. I didn’t know the performer, Christine Santelli, but I checked her out and she sounded good. She sings blues with country and rock influences, and some other songs that are harder to classify. There was one song that sounded like something I’d have seen on a hip detective show in the early to mid-sixties if there was a seen set in a cool lounge. It was great.
As good as Christine was, she as not the reason I went. As much as I love Beth and Mark (trying that), supporting them was not the main reason I went. They posted a picture of the smoked chicken they served on Facebook, and I went for that. The way to a blogger’s heart is through his stomach. It’s super easy for me to get there. You come out of the 145th Street Station on the D train and you are there. It’s 25 minutes from door to door.
The Porch is fantastic. It works as a community center for the neighborhood and could evolve into the clubhouse for our people. The chicken was even better than it looked. The company was good as I sat with Beth and her mother Gloria. Yay, I remembered Gloria’s name. Mark was working the door. I loved the staff, the servers and sound person all ended up socializing with me.
Unfortunately, I received sad news, the Porch was closing. Its last day was Sunday. No fair! The problem is finances. They plan on regrouping and reopening. I can’t wait. I’ll be back. In fact, I went back on Sunday, there was a trad folk jam. It was the same feel as an Irish session with less drinking. I couldn’t believe that there could be a gathering of that many trad musicians in New York without me knowing a single person, I’m plugged in, but I guess the scene is bigger than I knew. That’s a good thing.
After the jam I was a good American and watched the Super Bowl. I made barbecued boneless ribs for dinner; they came out extra good. I tried something new I cooked them wrapped in foil. They were juicy and tender. I made the baked potato perfectly. I snacked on jalapeno potato chips. I did not watch the halftime show. That’s when I made dinner. The commercials don’t do anything for me. I was rooting for the Bengals, they lost. But it was a great game. Football is not my game but if I’m home on Super Bowl Sunday I’ll watch it.
I showed my first loyalty to baseball by posting and commenting on my baseball Facebook groups. I also prepared Gord’s Gold. I hope I have time to script and record it today. I’m going to the Knick game tonight. My order is Baseball > Basketball >> Football >>> Hockey.
Now on to the things I started to write the other day.
It’s amazing that I haven’t lost my mind as I seem to be losing everything. I lost my favorite pair of reading glasses and one of my gloves. My only pair of warm gloves are now mismatched. That is why I don’t throw out the survivors. I thought I lost another pair of glasses, but I found them in my bed under the covers. I had them in my pocket at they fell out.
Even though it was a beautiful day I never made it out of the house yesterday. The fact that I had therapy at 2 PM is part of it. I’ll also blame Alice Hasen. I wanted to be home at five to watch her weekly stream Fiddler’s Friday. Today I’ll go out and I’ll take a major walk or die in the attempt. Or not, I just remembered that I’m going out tonight and I have an errand to run in the afternoon. I will make sure I walk at least three miles.
My TV is broken which makes it hard to watch the Olympics. I watch on my computer but that means I can’t watch while doing other things. I lucked out yesterday. I don’t plan my viewing around the events. I decided to watch and see what events are on. Thanks to NBC having multiple streams I get a choice. Yesterday I caught my two favorite events, snowboard cross and short track speed skating. Those are the rare winter Olympics events where the athletes compete directly against each other not the clock. The women’s snowboard cross final was thrilling. Give it a shot next time it’s on. Don’t let the fact that you’re not familiar with it keep you away.
Breakfast is calling me now, I’m thinking single pan ham, egg, and cheese sandwich. I’ll try it today with 12-grain whole grain bread. I prefer hearty breads with butter but not usually on sandwiches. Then I like soft white as I want the filling taste to dominate. I decided to try this for a change. It’s certainly healthier.
Wise Madness 