On the subject of good fortune

And the saying of “Thank You.”


These nice ladies let some guests snap of a few photographs of them in full, magnificent regalia as they prepped for their performance. They were one of the honored entertainers/storytellers at the launch party for this year’s celebration of “Dance Africa” held at the demesnes of the College President.

The company was excellent; artists, professors, a grio/dancer/Lord of the Festivities named Baba Chuck, a teevee personality or two, the Consul General of South Africa. Great food, beautiful women. A well-appointed library (Some people scout the medicine cabinets. Ha! They are fools. I always make for the library, or the bookshelves, or the pile of stroke mags next to the toilet, or whatever passes for reading material in your house. Once I know what you put in your head, I know more important, intimate things about you than whether of not you have allergies or foot lichen or use Grape Kool-Aid scented douche.)

Anyway, a sweet library. Very vertical – as is the case in chi-chi houses on the Gold Coast where the price of “up” is cheaper than the price of “out” – with a killer sound system. Books that obviously reflected the owner’s interests shuffled in with good-looking volumes obviously bought by the job-lot: bibliophilic seat fillers.

All and all a nice place and a nice party which under ordinary circumstances I would never have been able to attend. The organizer knows I don’t have anything like Donor Money – much less Big Donor Money -- but he emailed me an invitation anyway. Then after that I rolled off across town to a poetry/prose thingies: four bucks for some pot luck fiction – sometimes very good, sometimes indulgent and awful. Once in a while...breathtaking.

What the fuck was I doing at this gig, or at a Cubs game (I’ll post a pic below. You won’t believe how sweet the seats were.)

I’m lucky.

Viewed through one lens, maybe not so much. One could easily mistake the last few years for a fucked up trend, if one only looked at things from one angle, but monoculturalism is bad for crops and operating systems, faiths and philosophies and for point’s of view as well.

Now no one even mistook me for a Pollyanna. I have never in my life – even in the dimmest light and under the drunkest circumstance – ever been misidentified in a line-up as "that whistling, cavorting Chim-Chiminey singin’ guy." Nor a grimfuck either, but not prone to deluding myself into pretending Life is a rosy good time by larding the nipple rouge onto Mother Nature’s she-bitch teats too heavily.

(Sorry: just wanted to say “nipple rouge”.)

But it seems to me only fair that if I’m going to go ahead and be cautious and wary and prudently check any surprise packages Life hand’s me for mercury switches and C4 when times are good...

... I own it to myself to tote up the good stuff and give a little thanks for the gifts and kindnessess of life, especially if I’m a trifle becalmed in the Horse Latitudes.

And, I might add, this is not the worst stance to take when political times get a little lean either.

For example, there will be plenty of time to take the chickenshits in our own camp out for a jaunt around the block and a severe Come to Jesus beating...after we start taking back the levers of power from the Shining Path lunatics who are running riot through our government.

And yes, we should be firm and resolute and uncompromising and call the vile cocksuckers of the Right “the vile cocksuckers of the Right” at every opportunity. Yes we are in the wilderness and it's cold and, yes, we have to be warriors...but nothing says we can’t be Happy Warriors.

Nothing says that we can’t smile and take a measure of delight in what is good in the world...and say “Thank you”.

So since this is an online medium, I thought I’d take just a minute to say “Thanks” to some people who have been kind to me, and send a note to my own future self to remember the little courtesies, especially when self-indulgence and self-pity are trying to slide their slimy selves into the room.

Fuck that.

First, to the men and women who leave such literate, funny and thoughtful words behind here, thank-you, especially “the regulars (you know who you goofs are :-).” Shit, I have “regulars”. How about that?

Second, FYI I don’t pay too close attention to site traffic and suchlike. I’m just insecure enough to know that if I ever let myself fly or fall by such measures I’d end up fucked up.

I do pay some attention -- and maybe more-so some day, because it really is interesting -- but I just write what I write when I can find a minute, about things that please or interest or crack me the hell up or piss me the hell off, and figure that’s enough. So imagine my surprise when I looked over one day and noticed my site traffic had shot up like the volume on my neighbor’s boom box on a Friday night because two big dogs for whom I have much respect -- “The Poor Man” and “Crooks and Liars” -- posted up some of what I had written. Shocked the shit out of me. Thank’s guys.

Third, Steve and Jen – my blogparents. Thanks always. How you manage so much well-written, wide-ranging and intellectually rewarding yet accessible material each and every day continues to amaze me.

Fourth, the photo from Wrigley.

Why?

Because while there is a time to say “Thanks”, there is also a time to gloat like a motherfucker and say, yes, the seats really were this splendid.
And the beer was like nectar.
And the dogs like ambrosia.
And the weather, flawless.
And the conversation, the purest Algonquin Round Table.

And generally, Bwahahaha!

And that time is right...now :-)