Good Night And G-d Bless

Here are some frequently asked questions and answers and comments (oh my) about the blog.

I'm still hoping to go to Israel before school starts. I just want to stand by the Kotel, everything else is gravy.
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Raymond Carver wrote the best, and only, poem I know about gravy.

The other night on a whim I went to Steely Dan on their last of eight nights in NYC. They were good. Larry Carlton played with them the whole time, and I'm told he's a superhero guitar player - so that was cool. On the way out I passed a couple in their forties who were arguing about whether or not it was a good idea for her to have smoked pot (what kids today call weed). "You shouldn't have drawn attention to yourself by doing that!" the man said, just short of screaming, at the woman. I stared for a second and noticed that he was holding the Jewish Week under his arm. Suddenly all I could think about is, I wonder if he's read my articles? That, and the idea that once you put something in print...
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I wondered aloud about pot in the adult Jewish community in a past post, thought it might prompt a discussion. It might have led to discussion, just not here. Once you put something in print...

Ian Anderson is doing an acoustic show right around my birthday. I'm thinking about going and thinking of who would be happy to go with me. I saw Jethro Tull at Madison Square Garden twice as a kid, and I think we've both grown and changed since then. He's been quoted saying that he's an acoustic kind of guy with friends who like to make a lot of noise. Those friends won't be there that night.
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I recall being a little kid in my grandparents' apartment, visiting on a Sunday, and seeing live news coverage about Woodstock. It was covered the way Katrina was covered. I think it might have actually been declared a natural disaster. It's fascinating how different a picture looks when time passes and you re-frame it.
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Someone told me the other day that they were present when something was said, although for years their story was that they were not there. This is not the first time this has happened. This whole perception, memory thing is big for me. Sometimes negotiating with perceptions is difficult, bordering on impossible.

When I think of memory I think of To Kill A Mockingbird. A man is being framed and in defending himself contradicts one of the prominent community members who are putting him up. In response to his testimony the judge asks, "Are you suggesting he's lying?" The man responds, "No, I'm just saying he's mistaken in his mind." Wow.

Another book that helped me understand memory is The Book of Lights. I wrote about the epiphany that book provided here. Much more recently I wrote about the pros and cons of memories in this post that stands out for me. And here's one on school related memories and blogging and and and. There's one comment in this one that I've always wondered about. Sigh.
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Greatness can only come through pain

Only may sound harsh, yet it seems so

Once upon a time I refused to call anything great

Dreams haunt me as I row my boat un-gently

New and old are relative, also relatives

I sigh, as I write this, seemingly without reason

Goodness is subjective, or is it?

Help is something we all need

Tonight, I hope I sleep well - and you too

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And, and, and - is how life feels, on a quiet day

N is my letter; do others feel close to their name's letter?

Daily, I am grateful, as I struggle, even for the struggle

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Going up? Hopefully.

Once upon a time I wrote once upon a time

Do; don't just think and feel - a memo to self

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Being, as opposed to analyzing, it's hard to pull off

Laughter is a rare treasure, like a diamond

Every second counts, firsts count too

Soul mates are hard to find

So what do you do? Move forward.