Word of the Day

lachrymomimetic = pretending to cry

4 good reasons

1. Jimmy Carl Black
2. Opened with Buggy Boogie Woogie (I gotta keep sweepin n sweepin)
3. Eugene Chadbourne plays Marauder!
4. His second instrument is a banjo

It's Cotati time, which is like Muratti time except with accordions instead of cigarettes. The Mad Maggies have a sweet afternoon spot and Brave Combo is headlining.

Old Spice

Jody, the international student advisor, brought a bottle of Old Spice into the financial aid office. A friend in Japan had asked her to send it to him, but she wasn't allowed to mail it since it contains alcohol which is, after all, inflammable. I asked if I could have a smell, and voila, the Proustian scent of Eau de Jymn. Do you still wear that stuff, JCB?

I feel a bit out of step.

Last night, my neighbor invited me to go up to Baltimore to a pre-season football game to celebrate both of our birthdays. I haven't been to an NFL game in a long time, although I have watched a little bit on television. I have spent a lot of time around a lot of spectator sports in my life, and have certainly enjoyed a few, but last night's event was as pointless and extravagant a demonstration of militaristic consumerism as I have ever witnessed. After having experienced the gentle souls of J. Blood and my even older friend Arty Kopecky in the last few weeks, I felt like I was on a different planet. Painfully, it was a planet where I was not welcome, and where the ideas and goals that I cherish are not valued. I have to assume that everyone feels this way sometimes. I don't like the feeling much myself. I won't be going back, and I am sure that my friend will not invite me again. I hate to separate myself off from the world, for many reasons, but I need to be more careful about exposing myself to this kind of thing. As Dylan put it, "maybe I'm too sensitive, or perhaps I'm getting soft".
I have many exciting and positive projects coming up. I'll write more another time.
peace,
jim

A story about James' colleagues in Code Pink, whom I got to meet last week.

And now the photo

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ahOOA5zLaqqg&refer=home

I look forward to the self-serving memoirs, especially the early chapters on freshman seminar, Paca Carroll, and Pam Sklar.

Somebody's gotta take the blame

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aakWze4YilpA&refer=home