Aha, have not used this crazy keyboard contraption in a while.
I woke up today saying to myself “Let’s see here, what am I gonna do now?” I faced no crossroads or other dilemma. It is just an idle phrase that lingers in my mind when I am hung over like I am today. It is also the phrase from the first nightmare I had that I remember. In that nightmare I did something bad and was flushed down a drain. I arrived in hell and said “Let’s see…” just the same as I did this morning. This is not that bad a hangover but it’s enough to remind me of that time I arrived in hell.
I was 5 or 6 and living in Laos when I had that dream. At the time I thought hell was under our house. I also seemed to think that arriving in hell was not for all eternity, and that I could figure a way out. That’s kind of strange, now that I think of it, because the reality is that I am not so sure I knew what “hell” was in the typical sense. We never went to church until we got back to the U.S., and no one around me was religious. So I don’t know where I got this notion of hell.
At any rate, I had fun last night. Pete, my friend from high school, was passing through town. He plays guitar for what I guess I’d call a country/folk type of singer/songwriter and they’re touring all over the place. So between soundchecks and the show we wandered around Manhattan for a few hours. It was a nice night.
Now I am at the Starbucks, thinking I must have something more to say. I came here because I am out of coffee at home. That is just a deplorable situation.
It was interesting to hear Pete express his ambivalence about the band he’s touring with. I guess I imagined that if someone commits to a months-long world tour with somebody it’s at least partly because they have some enthusiasm for the act. I guess I should not be surprised to find that that is not necessarily true.
It’s also funny to me how incoherent the so-called security detail is at these events. These guys carry on like they’re the fucking secret service but in reality they do not have too firm a grasp on what is happening. I’ve seen this at other events and places, too, and I have long thought that the “work” done by professional security firms is virtually always a charade.
The amazing thing about Pete and me is that years go by between conversations but it is as if no time has passed. That is no charade.
So let’s see now, what am I gonna do here? In my pocket I find remnants from last night. We had dinner at a place called The Diner on 14th Street/9th Avenue. Then it was Woody McHale’s, McKenna’s, and the Art Bar. Then it was free beers and an amazing cake at the backstage dressing room at the Highline Ballroom. That room was might uncomfortable and I didn’t stay long before going back to McKenna’s to watch some of the World Series game.
