Early bird

I already have my ticket.

Here is a good poem:

To A Very Wise Man

I

Fires in the dark you build; tall quivering flames
In the huge midnight forest of the unknown.
Your soul is full of cities with dead names,
And blind-faced, earth-bound gods of bronze and stone
Whose priests and kings and lust-begotten lords
Watch the procession of their thundering hosts,
Or guard relentless fanes with flickering swords
And wizardry of ghosts.

II

In a strange house I woke; heard overhead
Hastily-thudding feet and a muffled scream...
(Is death like that?) ... I quaked uncomforted,
Striving to frame to-morrow in a dream
Of woods and sliding pools and cloudless day.
(You know how bees come into a twilight room
From dazzling afternoon, then sail away
Out of the curtained gloom.)

III

You understand my thoughts; though, when you think,
You’re out beyond the boundaries of my brain.
I’m but a bird at dawn that cries ‘chink, chink’—
A garden-bird that warbles in the rain.
And you’re the flying-man, the speck that steers
A careful course far down the verge of day,
Half-way across the world. Above the years
You soar ... Is death so bad? ... I wish you’d say.

by Siegfried Sassoon

rush

Although it is true that I never had to wait in line to pee, there were more women than I'd been led to expect at the Rush concert tonight.

I just burnt my finger.

Great show. I'm looking forward to the new album which is faster than the prior releases, at least from the two songs they previewed tonight.

I got to the show late. Three songs in to the opening act-less show. The traffic jam was at the raised bridge. But once I crossed the river there was little traffic. I got to park pretty close in with the other latecomers in the middle of an aisle.

The problem about this show is that I felt in love the whole time and am not sure what to do with the feelings. For now I'm typing in the parking lot. Who knows what I will do next? The moon was in Gemini earlier today.

Great Skies

Bike tour through time, Portland's racist history is the only one I've heard--this time the teller was a professor named Reiko who moved here from New York.

The kids at Cibo Matto were young but getting older, not the youngest anymore. The 90s music mash up of techno pop, proto new Soul and rap was missing the country twang of today's scene, but there was a song called BBQ.

I'm trying not to let an ominous pall hang over the weekend. Thinking positively is important.

Sorry to say bye to Clarence

The World Naked Bike Ride 2011 was very fun a loop around Burnside, Belmont and Hawthorne.

Afterwards, I was able to find the right place to gather for a mystery ride (started a bit after midnight) out to the banks of the river south of town for a bonfire and dancing to a Motown collection like the one I had on cassette tape long ago. I'd just been thinking about how in college we'd dance to Motown the way the kids now dance to Stop Making Sense.

RF1C

I mostly couldn't see the fireworks for the trees. But the bits of fireworks that I saw were good.

Davis Rogan was good. Taking Heads are everywhere I go.
Lauren Sheehan played in the sun. The cool grrls from the 90s were not quite my tempo, odd that proto-grunge slowed down from our 80s punkish new wave.

As with all festive weekends, tears and self-loathing were inescapable. Not sure if it was prompted by the concern of friends or the train wreck that led to their concern.

People saying they care about me makes me sad, maybe because all I can do is lose the love once it is there. Regardless, I have to stop trying to get happy from those who hate me.

Best to be grateful for lucky breaks and leave it at that.

Birthday week is over. Happy Rabbit year.

Last night I saw this performer and another whose name I have to look up because although I recall her name is Holland, she has a different stage name.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnlXFGWr3tw

It was the first time I can remember my birthday being on a holiday. I ate dairy but didn't stay up all night.

It was a Happy First Fruits, Festival of Weeks, Giving of the Torah Gathering.