Been working from him since last Wednesday. Our lockdown starts at midnight...so, about 2+ hours from now. It’s an odd feeling.
We planned a big goodbye party for a close friend..it was going to be about 30 people this past Saturday. It ended up just being 4 of us. Felt so bad for her.
my sisters workplace has multiple positive tests, and now my brothers does as well. We’re all most concerned about my Mom, though. She’s in her late 70’s and recently beat lung cancer, but had to have part of her lung removed. Now we can’t drive the 45 minutes to her house to see her. Thinking of everyone and hope that we get through this quickly.
Be safe & take care, all.
Damn sorry to hear wishing your mom all positive vibes and you as well ..
I am way late to this but really nice to see Speedy in here and thank you for your trips to New York and elsewhere to deliver these things. One of my jobs is on hiatus since its sports, a few others can be done remotely, but I'm fine waiting for scientists and various medical experts to give the all-clear for everything to come back. Staying healthy and making sure family stays that way is the priority now.
Reading 2004
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016 Fenway 2, 2018 MSG 2022 St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023 MSG 2024, MSG 2024 Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
Hi Speedy, long time. Your driving and deliveries are vital so thanks.
Life is alright here. I had to obviously begin working from home which is fine. Im fortunate that my job is essential to my company which is also essential. Over the years i’ve always loved going out Target, my wife’s favorite stores, my record stores, coffee houses, sushi joints. All gone pretty much. Grocery runs now remind me of supply runs on Red Dawn or The Walking Dead. I try to time it, speed walk with my cart, self checkout so i dont talk to anyone. Gloves of course (and now a mask).
We’re okay. Im not going to ever complain of boredom during this thing. I can watch movies and spin records all day. Having extra hours to play with your kids is one blessing out of this. Peace and good health to all.
I'm tottaly fucked Speedy..the restaurant that i work is closed for 12th days now and don't see it open before early May..state's money will come after 10 April..my last payment it was in 16th of March, 180 dollars..i know many other people in same shit, some of them with kids, staying home with no money..depression will exploid in next days.. gods help us all..
That sucks! Hang in there, Scidoo! The main thing is that you stay healthy!
I'm tottaly fucked Speedy..the restaurant that i work is closed for 12th days now and don't see it open before early May..state's money will come after 10 April..my last payment it was in 16th of March, 180 dollars..i know many other people in same shit, some of them with kids, staying home with no money..depression will exploid in next days.. gods help us all..
That sucks! Hang in there, Scidoo! The main thing is that you stay healthy!
Thank you my friend..i think the most important those days is be insane and keep your humanity.. take care..everyone..
Athens 2006. Dusseldorf 2007. Berlin 2009. Venice 2010. Amsterdam 1 2012. Amsterdam 1+2 2014. Buenos Aires 2015. Prague Krakow Berlin 2018. Berlin 2022 EV, Taormina 1+2 2017.
I wish i was the souvenir you kept your house key on..
Surprisingly, I am one of them, at least some days. When things started blowing up here in the U.S. and the sheltering at home first started, I was sleeping very poorly as a result of anxiety. But this last week, I've mostly slept more than usual. I'd have to say that is depression related. So for me it's gone from rather intense anxiety to increasing depression. I did not sleep well last night, but on some other nights this week I slept 8, 9, once even 9 1/2 hours- very unusual for me.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
I'm determined to keep my activity level on a pre-Covid par, about which I've been diligent so far.
Sleep? More off nights than on, where it's taking me longer to get into that zone. Last night found me - lately, many nights find me - with the sweats and some weird looped dreams. And upon waking, I've found it's one of the first things I think of, as I typically lay there for a couple minutes and think about the upcoming day.
And then, it dawns on me all over again.
That re-realization hits so hard.
(I'm still managing to get seven or so choppy-ish hours of sleep.)
I've always stayed up late and sometimes when I do go to sleep, I don't fall asleep right away. Often I'll wake up around 7 am, check a few things on the phone for a few minutes and then turn over and go to 9. When I take a nap in the afternoon, I fall right asleep for an hour. I work a lot remotely so my time is flexible. I also try to walk at least twice a day assuming the weather is ok
Reading 2004
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016 Fenway 2, 2018 MSG 2022 St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023 MSG 2024, MSG 2024 Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
I'm determined to keep my activity level on a pre-Covid par, about which I've been diligent so far.
Sleep? More off nights than on, where it's taking me longer to get into that zone. Last night found me - lately, many nights find me - with the sweats and some weird looped dreams. And upon waking, I've found it's one of the first things I think of, as I typically lay there for a couple minutes and think about the upcoming day.
And then, it dawns on me all over again.
That re-realization hits so hard.
(I'm still managing to get seven or so choppy-ish hours of sleep.)
I’m getting less movement, more stress, and way less sleep. It’s been great so far!
I'm not sure where to post this but it sort of relates to "how has your life changed." I started writing a post-COVID journal and this marvelous piece by writer Kent Nerburn which encourages me to keep at it, especially today as I slept in late and due to depression and lack of motivation and did not want to arise this morning.
A short bit of advice for those who are casting about during this crisis.
There are rare times when something takes place in history that is so
large that we can think of nothing else. Pearl Harbor. 9/11. This
coronavirus fear.
We try fruitlessly to look away, to divert our attention, to assert
the normal. But we can’t. Beneath all our thoughts is the concern, even
the fear, that this thing we cannot control is ultimately going to
control us.
We fear for ourselves, we fear for our families, we fear for our
elders, we fear for our children. We fear for our very way of life and
the world as we know it. There is no escaping this fear.
These moments have great power, because they give focus to our minds
and thoughts. We cannot escape into movement and diversion. Everything
returns to the source.
One of the great balms in times like this is to turn to writing. We
all have stories within us; we all dream of sharing them and telling
them. But most of us never do, because we think we aren’t talented
enough, aren’t important enough, aren’t capable of shaping something as
shapeless as our lives into a something worth sharing.
But we are wrong. I tell you this as someone who writes for a
living. This is a moment that needs to be recorded. It needs to be
recorded for your children and grandchildren. It needs to be recorded
for your own understanding. Writing it down, documenting it as you are
experiencing it, will force you to give shape to the shapeless, and will
offer a precious glimpse into a time that will be impossible to
recreate in our hearts and imaginations once it is over. And it will be
over.
Have you not longed for your grandmother’s memories? Have you not
found the old letters from relatives and ancestors to be something
precious?
Did you assess their writing style? Did you critique their spelling
or the way they structured their thoughts? No. They were a window on
the times, and no matter how they chose to express themselves, you
receive it as a gift.
Did they speak only of their daily lives? Did they open their hearts
and express their feelings? It does not matter. They gave you
themselves.
I assure you that if you sit down with pencil and paper or at your
keyboard, and just start where you are, your story will unfold. And in
the unfolding it will allow you to walk through the confusion of your
own feelings and give shape to this shapelessness, because you will have
to choose what to include.
And here is the magic. Choosing will not be hard, because it will be
done for you. You have wandered into a garden of possibilities, and no
matter where you turn, no matter what you touch, it is a bloom worthy
of the picking.
Do you write a journal, going day by day? Do you go back to the
poetry that you used to write in high school? Do you just write down
your shopping list and say why you chose what you chose? Do you start
with your fear? It doesn’t matter. This moment will give you your
voice, because only you can tell the story as you are living it.
I’ve used this time of enforced isolation and, yes, discipline, to
work on a novel I’ve been threatening to write for years. And I have no
greater pleasure than passing through the doorway of that world and
finding the people and places who are living inside. But I could as
easily be recording the thoughts and feelings and frustrations and fears
that animate this moment. Once inside of any writing – any creative
act, actually – the world starts to take form and you begin to give
shape to the shapeless.
This moment gives us what I like to call “a fine attention.” It is
giving us the gift of mindfulness, where the small is as large as the
great. Take advantage of it. Grab a notebook or a legal pad. Open a
new file on your computer. Speak in your own voice. Judge nothing.
Throw away nothing. Everything you think or feel is important at this
moment because the moment is important and you are given the dark
privilege of living through it.
You are a living document of the times. Do not let your voice go unheard.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Im home for 12 hours, then I am back out for 2.5 days. Then I may just take a real long weekend. REAL LONG WEEKEND
Glad your home safely get some rest, thanks for delivering much needed items!
Hey, thanks. I got lucky and was able to make a pit stop at home for about 12 hours. Yesterday I was in South Dakota checking out the Crazy Horse memorial. I got within a 1/2 mile of Mt. Rushmore, but never did see it. First time I had ever been out in the Black Hills. 30 years of driving and I had never been out there. BEAUTIFUL SCENERY!
Take me piece by piece..... Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
Im home for 12 hours, then I am back out for 2.5 days. Then I may just take a real long weekend. REAL LONG WEEKEND
Glad your home safely get some rest, thanks for delivering much needed items!
Hey, thanks. I got lucky and was able to make a pit stop at home for about 12 hours. Yesterday I was in South Dakota checking out the Crazy Horse memorial. I got within a 1/2 mile of Mt. Rushmore, but never did see it. First time I had ever been out in the Black Hills. 30 years of driving and I had never been out there. BEAUTIFUL SCENERY!
I bet it is one day I hope to get out there and see some of it too!
Im home for 12 hours, then I am back out for 2.5 days. Then I may just take a real long weekend. REAL LONG WEEKEND
Glad your home safely get some rest, thanks for delivering much needed items!
Hey, thanks. I got lucky and was able to make a pit stop at home for about 12 hours. Yesterday I was in South Dakota checking out the Crazy Horse memorial. I got within a 1/2 mile of Mt. Rushmore, but never did see it. First time I had ever been out in the Black Hills. 30 years of driving and I had never been out there. BEAUTIFUL SCENERY!
Oh man, I missed you popping in here by one day. Glad you are doing OK and awesome you're getting to see such great scenery while doing your job that helps others.
Reading 2004
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016 Fenway 2, 2018 MSG 2022 St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023 MSG 2024, MSG 2024 Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
“And now my life has changed in oh so many ways. My independence seems to vanish in the haze”
Excellent quote for our times! I read that and in my head immediately went from The Beatles to Neil Young (and wonder if the former lyric influenced the latter):
My life is changing in so many ways
I don't know who to trust anymore
There's a shadow running through my days
Like a beggar going from door to door.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
In about an hour, the last two book orders I received before shutting down QC will go out and my little book business will be shut down for I don't know how long. My other jobs (The Bookery and my vinyl business) are already goners (at least for now- possibly for good), so today means the end of work for me. The disconnect is that I know this is how it must be and that sheltering ion place is the right thing to do, but I also know not having a job is going to hurt financially and psychologically. I need to find something useful to do- quick!
Discogs account? Ebay sales? Mail still runs.......
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Just a simple trip for some weekend grocery shopping.
Put my mask on, grab a few pairs of gloves, and a can of Lysol.
Arrive at the store to see maybe 0nly 20 people in line, each 6 feet apart. Of course I am arriving at store 10 minutes before they open, because who knows what the store will be like 2 hours after they open. Grab my cart, thanking the lady who I just watched disinfect the hell out of it. I rub my hands, with gloves on, under the sanitizer dispenser, because now I sanitize my hands under EVERY dispenser I come upon, and have for 3 weeks now. I quickly realize there are no cleaning supplies of any kind, so off I go to get some food. I am going to make my wife and I some lasagna for the week. She will have it for her lunches, and I will bring some and stock my truck for the week. A couple more times of sanitizing my hands, I go to the checkout. The young lady behind the counter, who has seen me for 10 years, has her gloves and mask on, plus there is now plexiglass separating us. I pay with a card, because I no longer use cash, and haven't for 3 weeks. I get to my car and grab the can of Lysol. I proceed to Lysol the fuck out of every bag and most of the groceries. My hamburger and chicken are tied up in the bag, and then the bag is Lysoled. Groceries are put in the car. I arrive at home, with new gloves on, and proceed to put groceries on my porch. I walk back to my car and proceed to Lysol the fuck out of my car. Then I proceed to Lysol the fuck out of myself. The groceries are brought in to the house, where everything is introduced to Clorox wipes. I let everything sit on the counter for a while. In the meantime I strip all my clothes off, down to the basement they go. I shower, put on fresh clothes, make it back to the kitchen to put groceries away.
JUST A SIMPLE TRIP TO TH GROCERY STORE.
Post edited by SPEEDY MCCREADY on
Take me piece by piece..... Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
Just a simple trip for some weekend grocery shopping.
Put my mask on, grab a few pairs of gloves, and a can of Lysol.
Arrive at the store to see maybe 0nly 20 people in line, each 6 feet apart. Of course I am arriving at store 10 minutes before they open, because who knows what the store will be like 2 hours after they open. Grab my cart, thanking the lady who I just watched disinfect the hell out of it. I rub my hands, with gloves on, under the sanitizer dispenser, because now I sanitize my hands under EVERY dispenser I come upon, and have for 3 weeks now. I quickly realize there are no cleaning supplies of any kind, so off I go to get some food. I am going to make my wife and I some lasagna for the week. She will have it for her lunches, and I will bring some and stock my truck for the week. A couple more times of sanitizing my hands, I go to the checkout. The young lady behind the counter, who has seen me for 10 years, has her gloves and mask on, plus there is now plexiglass separating us. I pay with a card, because I no longer use cash, and haven't for 3 weeks. I get to my car and grab the can of Lysol. I proceed to Lysol the fuck out of every bag and most of the groceries. My hamburger and chicken are tied up in the bag, and then the bag is Lysoled. Groceries are put in the car. I arrive at home, with new gloves on, and proceed to put groceries on my porch. I walk back to my car and proceed to Lysol the fuck out of my car. Then I proceed to Lysol the fuck out of myself. The groceries are brought in to the house, where everything is introduced to Clorox wipes. I let everything sit on the counter for a while. In the meantime I strip all my clothes off, down to the basement they go. I shower, put on fresh clothes, make it back to the kitchen to put groceries away.
JUST A SIMPLE TRIP TO TH GROCERY STORE.
That was exhausting simply for me to read, let alone you actually doing it.
Just a simple trip for some weekend grocery shopping.
Put my mask on, grab a few pairs of gloves, and a can of Lysol.
Arrive at the store to see maybe 0nly 20 people in line, each 6 feet apart. Of course I am arriving at store 10 minutes before they open, because who knows what the store will be like 2 hours after they open. Grab my cart, thanking the lady who I just watched disinfect the hell out of it. I rub my hands, with gloves on, under the sanitizer dispenser, because now I sanitize my hands under EVERY dispenser I come upon, and have for 3 weeks now. I quickly realize there are no cleaning supplies of any kind, so off I go to get some food. I am going to make my wife and I some lasagna for the week. She will have it for her lunches, and I will bring some and stock my truck for the week. A couple more times of sanitizing my hands, I go to the checkout. The young lady behind the counter, who has seen me for 10 years, has her gloves and mask on, plus there is now plexiglass separating us. I pay with a card, because I no longer use cash, and haven't for 3 weeks. I get to my car and grab the can of Lysol. I proceed to Lysol the fuck out of every bag and most of the groceries. My hamburger and chicken are tied up in the bag, and then the bag is Lysoled. Groceries are put in the car. I arrive at home, with new gloves on, and proceed to put groceries on my porch. I walk back to my car and proceed to Lysol the fuck out of my car. Then I proceed to Lysol the fuck out of myself. The groceries are brought in to the house, where everything is introduced to Clorox wipes. I let everything sit on the counter for a while. In the meantime I strip all my clothes off, down to the basement they go. I shower, put on fresh clothes, make it back to the kitchen to put groceries away.
JUST A SIMPLE TRIP TO TH GROCERY STORE.
That was exhausting simply for me to read, let alone you actually doing it.
Diligent work on your part.
It has to be done, right?
People may read this, and think I'm a little over doing it. But isn't this what everyone should be doing? Especially with the next 2 weeks being as critical as they are going to be?
I also realized at the store today, THAT HUMAN BEINGS SUCK! Do people really need to discard their gloves in the parking lots of the grocery store? If I wrote the laws, I would fine anyone throwing their gloves in the parking lot $600. Yep, half of their stimulus money. And if they do it again? The rest of your stimulus money is taken away immediately, and you will have a court date. Because I just might fine you an additional $1000.00.
Post edited by SPEEDY MCCREADY on
Take me piece by piece..... Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
In about an hour, the last two book orders I received before shutting down QC will go out and my little book business will be shut down for I don't know how long. My other jobs (The Bookery and my vinyl business) are already goners (at least for now- possibly for good), so today means the end of work for me. The disconnect is that I know this is how it must be and that sheltering ion place is the right thing to do, but I also know not having a job is going to hurt financially and psychologically. I need to find something useful to do- quick!
Discogs account? Ebay sales? Mail still runs.......
I thought about selling LPs through Discogs but because they are all at the bookstore, I decided that would be more trouble than its worth (although a couple of times we put a few rare things on eBay that sold). My on-line books sell through biblio.com and I put the entire inventory on hold when this virus thing broke out. Not a day goes by that I don't consider putting them back up but that would mean more trips out to the post office and what I do is non-essential. My wife and I are older and somewhat at risk plus we're complying with the stay at home recommendation because that's our one tiny way of helping get this thing under control. So for now, I'm out of a job.
But no complaints. There are people out there in much worse shape. I saw some guy on TV who is an Uber driver talking about being down to his last $65 and getting no work. It's getting really tough already for some folks out there. Very sad situation.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
In about an hour, the last two book orders I received before shutting down QC will go out and my little book business will be shut down for I don't know how long. My other jobs (The Bookery and my vinyl business) are already goners (at least for now- possibly for good), so today means the end of work for me. The disconnect is that I know this is how it must be and that sheltering ion place is the right thing to do, but I also know not having a job is going to hurt financially and psychologically. I need to find something useful to do- quick!
Discogs account? Ebay sales? Mail still runs.......
I thought about selling LPs through Discogs but because they are all at the bookstore, I decided that would be more trouble than its worth (although a couple of times we put a few rare things on eBay that sold). My on-line books sell through biblio.com and I put the entire inventory on hold when this virus thing broke out. Not a day goes by that I don't consider putting them back up but that would mean more trips out to the post office and what I do is non-essential. My wife and I are older and somewhat at risk plus we're complying with the stay at home recommendation because that's our one tiny way of helping get this thing under control. So for now, I'm out of a job.
But no complaints. There are people out there in much worse shape. I saw some guy on TV who is an Uber driver talking about being down to his last $65 and getting no work. It's getting really tough already for some folks out there. Very sad situation.
I can buy some KISS and Neil Young.
"Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
Comments
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
Fenway 2, 2018
MSG 2022
St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
MSG 2024, MSG 2024
Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
take care..everyone..
Prague Krakow Berlin 2018. Berlin 2022
EV, Taormina 1+2 2017.
I wish i was the souvenir you kept your house key on..
Surprisingly, I am one of them, at least some days. When things started blowing up here in the U.S. and the sheltering at home first started, I was sleeping very poorly as a result of anxiety. But this last week, I've mostly slept more than usual. I'd have to say that is depression related. So for me it's gone from rather intense anxiety to increasing depression. I did not sleep well last night, but on some other nights this week I slept 8, 9, once even 9 1/2 hours- very unusual for me.
Sleep? More off nights than on, where it's taking me longer to get into that zone. Last night found me - lately, many nights find me - with the sweats and some weird looped dreams. And upon waking, I've found it's one of the first things I think of, as I typically lay there for a couple minutes and think about the upcoming day.
And then, it dawns on me all over again.
That re-realization hits so hard.
(I'm still managing to get seven or so choppy-ish hours of sleep.)
Edit: But I also take two or three short walks a day when I'm not sleeping and working and feeding, just to be clear.
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
Fenway 2, 2018
MSG 2022
St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
MSG 2024, MSG 2024
Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
IN TIMES LIKE THIS — A THOUGHT FOR THE MOMENT
A short bit of advice for those who are casting about during this crisis.
There are rare times when something takes place in history that is so large that we can think of nothing else. Pearl Harbor. 9/11. This coronavirus fear.
We try fruitlessly to look away, to divert our attention, to assert the normal. But we can’t. Beneath all our thoughts is the concern, even the fear, that this thing we cannot control is ultimately going to control us.
We fear for ourselves, we fear for our families, we fear for our elders, we fear for our children. We fear for our very way of life and the world as we know it. There is no escaping this fear.
These moments have great power, because they give focus to our minds and thoughts. We cannot escape into movement and diversion. Everything returns to the source.
One of the great balms in times like this is to turn to writing. We all have stories within us; we all dream of sharing them and telling them. But most of us never do, because we think we aren’t talented enough, aren’t important enough, aren’t capable of shaping something as shapeless as our lives into a something worth sharing.
But we are wrong. I tell you this as someone who writes for a living. This is a moment that needs to be recorded. It needs to be recorded for your children and grandchildren. It needs to be recorded for your own understanding. Writing it down, documenting it as you are experiencing it, will force you to give shape to the shapeless, and will offer a precious glimpse into a time that will be impossible to recreate in our hearts and imaginations once it is over. And it will be over.
Have you not longed for your grandmother’s memories? Have you not found the old letters from relatives and ancestors to be something precious?
Did you assess their writing style? Did you critique their spelling or the way they structured their thoughts? No. They were a window on the times, and no matter how they chose to express themselves, you receive it as a gift.
Did they speak only of their daily lives? Did they open their hearts and express their feelings? It does not matter. They gave you themselves.
I assure you that if you sit down with pencil and paper or at your keyboard, and just start where you are, your story will unfold. And in the unfolding it will allow you to walk through the confusion of your own feelings and give shape to this shapelessness, because you will have to choose what to include.
And here is the magic. Choosing will not be hard, because it will be done for you. You have wandered into a garden of possibilities, and no matter where you turn, no matter what you touch, it is a bloom worthy of the picking.
Do you write a journal, going day by day? Do you go back to the poetry that you used to write in high school? Do you just write down your shopping list and say why you chose what you chose? Do you start with your fear? It doesn’t matter. This moment will give you your voice, because only you can tell the story as you are living it.
I’ve used this time of enforced isolation and, yes, discipline, to work on a novel I’ve been threatening to write for years. And I have no greater pleasure than passing through the doorway of that world and finding the people and places who are living inside. But I could as easily be recording the thoughts and feelings and frustrations and fears that animate this moment. Once inside of any writing – any creative act, actually – the world starts to take form and you begin to give shape to the shapeless.
This moment gives us what I like to call “a fine attention.” It is giving us the gift of mindfulness, where the small is as large as the great. Take advantage of it. Grab a notebook or a legal pad. Open a new file on your computer. Speak in your own voice. Judge nothing. Throw away nothing. Everything you think or feel is important at this moment because the moment is important and you are given the dark privilege of living through it.
You are a living document of the times. Do not let your voice go unheard.
10 days since I went back on the road? 10 days
630,00 new cases.
Im home for 12 hours, then I am back out for 2.5 days. Then I may just take a real long weekend. REAL LONG WEEKEND
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
www.cluthelee.com
www.cluthe.com
Prague Krakow Berlin 2018. Berlin 2022
EV, Taormina 1+2 2017.
I wish i was the souvenir you kept your house key on..
Albany 2006 Camden 2006 E. Rutherford 2, 2006 Inglewood 2006,
Chicago 2007
Camden 2008 MSG 2008 MSG 2008 Hartford 2008.
Seattle 2009 Seattle 2009 Philadelphia 2009,Philadelphia 2009 Philadelphia 2009
Hartford 2010 MSG 2010 MSG 2010
Toronto 2011,Toronto 2011
Wrigley Field 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Brooklyn 2013 Philadelphia 2, 2013
Philadelphia 1, 2016 Philadelphia 2 2016 New York 2016 New York 2016 Fenway 1, 2016
Fenway 2, 2018
MSG 2022
St. Paul, 1, St. Paul 2 2023
MSG 2024, MSG 2024
Philadelphia 2024
"I play good, hard-nosed basketball.
Things happen in the game. Nothing you
can do. I don't go and say,
"I'm gonna beat this guy up."
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
My life is changing in so many ways
I don't know who to trust anymore
There's a shadow running through my days
Like a beggar going from door to door.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Just a simple trip for some weekend grocery shopping.
Put my mask on, grab a few pairs of gloves, and a can of Lysol.
Arrive at the store to see maybe 0nly 20 people in line, each 6 feet apart. Of course I am arriving at store 10 minutes before they open, because who knows what the store will be like 2 hours after they open. Grab my cart, thanking the lady who I just watched disinfect the hell out of it. I rub my hands, with gloves on, under the sanitizer dispenser, because now I sanitize my hands under EVERY dispenser I come upon, and have for 3 weeks now. I quickly realize there are no cleaning supplies of any kind, so off I go to get some food. I am going to make my wife and I some lasagna for the week. She will have it for her lunches, and I will bring some and stock my truck for the week. A couple more times of sanitizing my hands, I go to the checkout. The young lady behind the counter, who has seen me for 10 years, has her gloves and mask on, plus there is now plexiglass separating us. I pay with a card, because I no longer use cash, and haven't for 3 weeks. I get to my car and grab the can of Lysol. I proceed to Lysol the fuck out of every bag and most of the groceries. My hamburger and chicken are tied up in the bag, and then the bag is Lysoled. Groceries are put in the car. I arrive at home, with new gloves on, and proceed to put groceries on my porch. I walk back to my car and proceed to Lysol the fuck out of my car. Then I proceed to Lysol the fuck out of myself. The groceries are brought in to the house, where everything is introduced to Clorox wipes. I let everything sit on the counter for a while. In the meantime I strip all my clothes off, down to the basement they go. I shower, put on fresh clothes, make it back to the kitchen to put groceries away.
JUST A SIMPLE TRIP TO TH GROCERY STORE.
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
Diligent work on your part.
It has to be done, right?
People may read this, and think I'm a little over doing it. But isn't this what everyone should be doing? Especially with the next 2 weeks being as critical as they are going to be?
I also realized at the store today, THAT HUMAN BEINGS SUCK! Do people really need to discard their gloves in the parking lots of the grocery store? If I wrote the laws, I would fine anyone throwing their gloves in the parking lot $600. Yep, half of their stimulus money. And if they do it again? The rest of your stimulus money is taken away immediately, and you will have a court date. Because I just might fine you an additional $1000.00.
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
It's like some use this as an excuse to let their asshole flag fly!