Survival, etc.

—From EF— We were very minimalist for New Year’s Eve, being mindful of the need to get Conrad free of his annual bronchitis and also not wanting to mingle intimately with some juiced reveler’s car. We were in bed and lightly drowsing when the midnight fireworks...

Christmas. . .

—EF— Let’s hear it for caroling. Every year I look forward to this. Bob and Pat and their amazing collection of dogs live in Graton, fifteen minutes’ drive from here, and they lay on appetizers and wine and huge vats of savory soup every Christmas Eve. The family is...

Despis’d, Dumfounded. . .

—From EF— “Yet better thus and known to be despis’d, than still despis’d, and flatter’d.” In King Lear, the innocent son Edgar, accused of plotting to kill his father, disguises himself as the mad beggar Tom, then takes a keen look at himself. In contemporary language...

Hanging On. . .

—From EF— This is our daughter’s birthday, so it’s already got me at an emotional pitch. We spent a lot of the weekend seeing and celebrating and reacting to a fellow artist’s newest work—Si Kahn’s Home, at Sebastopol’s Main Stage West. It’s a blend of his family’s...

Speech & Music. . .

(The Fool is currently taking a sabbatical to have a sex change operation and work on a show of her/his/its own.)  —From EF— I’m thinking about the wild difference between face-to-face interactions and mediated ones. At the far end of the spectrum are emails and...

Hey, Thanks. . .

—From EF— I am glad for the Thanksgiving holiday, and this year it was even more special because our son Eli, his lady Meg, and Meg’s parents Randy and Katie were all here. We had to send special digital wishes to our daughter Johanna and her Francesco in Italy, but...

Futures. . .

—From the Fool— Luann gave up on me. She was going to marry me if I could get some money, but the jobs I tried didn’t make it to the upper digits. Finally she said I was doing it all wrong trying to get rich by earning it. I should have planned ahead and got born that...

Big Clock Ticking. . .

—From the Fool— I have a big clock on the wall. It might just be stuck in that spot, it’s been there since I was a very small Fool. I get confused sometimes: I’ve moved around a lot and lived all over the country, but it’s always been in the same...

Music or Politics. . .

—From the Fool— They’re doing the Election. My mom always used to decide which were the biggest crooks and vote for them—she said they’re the ones who know what’s what. But I thought, well, there are dumb crooks too, so you can’t depend on...

Gurus & Falling Heads. . .

—From the Fool— Luann was getting pretty tired of waiting for me to make a bunch of money so she could get married to me and attain a higher status in life because then we’d have money. She’s not materialistic, in fact she’s very spiritual....