Triptych.
Before we lose track of what has been going on, let me drop two pieces of history in here. We had July Shenanigans, for one thing. Basically, everyone who isn't me in the Television Night Crew has a July Birthday, so rather than have a whole bunch of social obligations, we pancake it into one big event. fordmadoxfraud & Libby flew in from San Francisco, ranai & Dennis came from Queens & Sleepy Hollow, & we got ready to roll. Because of my aforementioned sleep problems-- by the way, last night, melatonin night two, we got home later from a concert than I had wanted, but I still got five hours of sleep, though it was a higher percentage of forcing myself to stay in bed & when I finally got out of bed at five I felt anxious & nauseous-- so I was out of it all night & left early. First we went to a taco place in SoHo where they make the tacos in a bus that is inside. I didn't have an appetite, so I just drank juice. I'm a real fun guy lately. (Gif is from there, taken by fatbutts.)
The real highlight was Escape the Room. I first heard about this from Terra, then from David, then from my...physical therapist? I guess it is the hot new thing. Built by the people who build haunted houses, it is essentially a themed puzzle room. Ours was the "Theater" & the theme was puppets. You're locked inside with a few Rube Goldberg devices & a host of padlocks, & have an hour to get out. Despite the fact that it sounds like you'd think I'd be good at it-- getting out of a trapped dungeon?-- I'm not actually a whiz at riddles, less so with sleep deprivation. Still, I figured out one puzzle & manifestly helped with two more, so at least I pulled my weight! Afterwards, the crew went to karaoke but I went home, because I'm broken. For extra points, the trains were messed up, so I had to deal with that. Which doesn't sound like a big deal but just about broke my heart at the time.
Then last night, Ryan came into town, & he took Jenny & I to go see Sarah McLachlan, since we met in an AOL chat room about Sarah McLachlan in 1998, & went to the Surfacing tour together. We both went pretty deep down that rabbit hole...in retrospect, very confusing. I mean, I've always had a thing for female vocalists, but come on. I think the problem here is the exegesis of her later work informing her earlier stuff. A young woman singing airy ballads in honest terms is one thing, but eventually that honesty become pablum. Not to mention my fundamental disagreements with her hermeneutics on Lilith. Anyhow, first off, Beacon Theater is gorgeous. Second off, she sang "Fear," which is the song I still have feelings for...she killed it, vocally, but it typifies the problems I have with her now. One, it didn't really feel like she was connected to it in the same way...I mean, she had pathos, but it was just of a different sort now that she's grown up. Which is fine! For her as a person, I mean. & for those who identify with who she is now. But I guess that's the crux; I was a sad teenager, & I want sad teenager songs. I get it though; I am happy to grow up along side Jenny Lewis, for instance. Two, all of the silences in the song are gone, replaced with smooth jazz riffs from her band. The lacunae are important! Don't make this up tempo easy listening!