We Like Birdland

Great weekend, but now I'm afraid to get on teh scale...

Friday night was Karen singing with Philly Funk Authority. A different context and a totally different view of her: you know someone for years and you suddenly see a side of them you never even suspected. By the way, she was great -- she mostly did backup, but was the main singer for a few songs. The place (Stanhope House) was cool too, I'd definitely go back there.

I crashed that night at Joe and Dawn's, and in the morning we hit Allamuchy for Joe's "40th Birthday ride." There were probably 17 people on the ride, including Bob & Karen on a tandem, and Doug & Lori on one as well. Good riding, but short for the amount of time we were out -- not everyone there was a rocket, but we had fun. Birthday party afterward back at their place, but I only stayed for a bit, had to do the Brew Ha Ha.

That party was another blast. Kathleen and Lisa (some of my sisters in the PPRAC brotherhood) live in the Poconos, and have this party every year but I could never go before now. Everyone had to bring a different beer, something in one of four categories; there were about six beers (or ciders) in each category on average, for about 24 beers total. Even just taking small "sampler" sips, everyone was pretty loopy by the end. Plenty of great peeps I didn't know but there was also Joe & Cindy, Greg & Judy, and Eric & Kris. Plenty of appetizers and other food, great fun, prizes (I didn't win anything) and most of us stayed over.

I left this morning after watching "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest." Got home, did what I called a "hangover ride" even though I actually felt fine, towpath/sals at a nice easy pace.

It Was Fifty Years Ago Today: Actually, yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the death of Wilhelm Reich, pioneering psychoanalyst and inventor of the Orgone Box. One of my favorite songs is a semi-spoken-word thing by Patti Smith called "Birdland," which is based on a memoir of Reich written by his son, who was a teenager at the time of his father's death -- in it he slowly comes to grips with all the crazy things his father told him as he drifted into eccentricity, which naturally the young boy believed absolutely. Anyway, the book is now on my wish list...