Unbelievably I’m writing again. I have fallen behind even though I’m hardly doing anything. I’ll divide this entry into two parts, my health, for those who want to know how their friend is doing, and my musical adventure, for those who miss the Wise Madness view of the world.
My Health:
On Friday I had my stitches taken out. That just required walking a few blocks to the local urgent visit. I was only there once before when I had my stitches taken out of my hand after I cut myself cutting a bagel. The Nurse Practitioner remembered me. I brought my papers from the emergency room that described the stitching. You don’t have to go back to where you got the stitches but it helps a lot if they have the notes. I have always had a high pain threshold but this time I leaned into my meditation and breathing practices. The effect reminded me of taking Demerol, by far the most effective pain med I ever took. You still feel the pain, but it’s somebody else’s pain.
My clavicle is slowly healing. I can now get in and out of bed without too much trouble. I can even sleep on my right side, it’s my left clavicle that’s broken. Changing my shirt and socks is still a bit of an ordeal. I’m mastering the mechanics of shirts and jackets. There’s a lot of technique. Saturday was a huge step, I finally felt good enough to totally strip down and take a shower. That made a world of difference. On Sunday I shaved. I grew enough of a beard that I considered just keeping it, but I didn’t. In the end I got dressed a few times, brushed my hair, and looked presentable. There is one thing I still can’t do. Tie my hair back in my ponytail. That requires two hands behind my head and I’m one short. My roommate did that for me. She’s been generous about being my valet.
I have a question. The clavicle in a person is the same as the wishbone in a bird. As I broke mine and kept the bigger piece on my dominant side, does that mean I get a wish granted?
OK now you are medically caught up. I just discovered that my picture of my X-Ray didn’t come out in my last entry so I’ll show it again.
My Musical Adventure:
On Sunday Night I made my first outing. The stars aligned so I was taking the subway when it wasn’t too busy. I discovered that I had one jacket that was big enough to put over my left shoulder but still zipped close with my sling inside it. I headed down to Ridgewood via the 4 and L trains. The walk was short at both ends. What was great enough to lure me out on a drizzly night when I’ve been lacking energy? My new favorite obsession Freelance Nun. Here is how they describe themselves:
Freelance Nun is an amorphous and adventurous duo-led collective that has no allegiance to time or genre. Gifted with a wild freedom from the confines of history, Freelance nun and its extraordinary collaborators create unique soundscapes that revel in the experience of the distant past and future simultaneously and with a reckless abandon.
The program that night was music by two 12 century nuns and original compositions on voice, harp, period flutes, guitar, drums, drum synthesizer, and synthesizer. This is not off the rack music. This is music meant for just me and if anyone else enjoys it they are sharing the fruit of the cosmos’s beneficence to me. At this point some of you know this is the best thing ever and others are wondering just how hard I hit my head in the fall. The first group is right. The only ones I knew there were two of the musicians, Sian Ricketts and Tracy Cowart on flutes and harp respectively. Everyone else there was a stranger but I felt that they should all be my friends. They were my people. That includes our hosts, the venue was not quite a venue. I don’t know what it is. It doesn’t have a name, just an address. The entire side of the street it was on seemed to be closed businesses, perhaps warehouses, behind steel shuttered doors and bays and covered in graffiti. I walked up and down the street looking for it. Some people that I suspect were drug dealers tried to direct me to where they thought it might be and handed me a cigarette without asking. I asked at the bar down the street that they thought was the place and the bartender told me it was across the street and that there was no sign. I examined the wall like I would in an ancient temple looking for the secret entrance. Then I saw written on a door in spray paint graffiti the address. There was a metal unmarked door that looked locked but wasn’t. Inside there was still no sign of where to go but a gentleman who I think was security, directed me up the stairs.
When I got in, I saw Sian who I called Tracy, but she not only knew who I was but that I was injured. I had written to ask about seating, the original post said seating on cushions. That’s not what happened, all but two people were seated. Sian was kind enough to help me off with my jacket and I found the perfect place for me, the end of a bench where I could lean on the corner. The young people sitting there moved over to allow me to do that. For the most part people are nice.
The music was as magical as I had hoped. It was totally nonfungible, nothing else could replace it and leave me with a remotely similar experience. Some was medieval and other parts modern. One of my first ten albums was Switched on Bach by Wendy Carlos, I love that sort of thing. The harmonies were divine and intricate. I was taken outside of both this world and myself. You don’t have to judge by my inadequate words, here’s a video I took.
I loved the contrast between the first and second songs. At the time I thought I might be two movements of the same song. This was so well worth the trek. It did take a lot out of me and I was quite tired when I got home, but I got home safely. Today I took it easy and just went to the store for a few necessities. Now go to the Freelance Nun website and sign up for their mailing list. They just came out with a new album with another band I’m obsessed with, Chivalrous Crickets. I’ll be playing a cut from it on Gord’s Gold Thursday night at 9 PM on Folk Music Notebook.
If feels good to be writing again.
Wise Madness 