The Writer's Life

The floating bookshop was shelved by rain today, which gave me the opportunity to get some chores done. Recycling empties and check cashing put some moola in my pocket, but the most important part of the day was filling the gas tank. A couple of weeks ago I had a huge repair bill, $863. Every time I went to the station the pump would stall repeatedly, every fifty cents or so's worth. Five parts needed replacement. Since I don't use the car much, it took a while for the needle to descend to a quarter tank, the point where I refill. If the stalling continued, I would have to have the gas tank replaced. Lord knows how much more that would cost. Fingers crossed - as if that would help - I approached the pump, the cheeks of my butt puckered in anxiety. Fortunately, things went smoothly, although I immediately wondered if they would next time.

A couple of famous senior citizens were in the news the past few days. Last night, comedian Jackie Mason, 75, was roughed up by his 48 year old companion, who was arrested for assault. Here's my favorite Mason joke, paraphrased from memory. It will help to conjure a heavy NYC Jewish accent: "Marry a Jewish girl and you go from Chinese restaurant to Chinese restaurant for the rest of your life. 'If I cook today, I don't cook tomorrow.' Just once I'd like to hear a Chinaman say: 'I'm lookin' for a nice piece of gefilte fish.'"

Congratulations to Rock n Roll hall of famer Jerry Lee Lewis, 76, who has married for the seventh time. No, his new bride isn't 13, but she is the ex-wife of one of his cousins. She's 62. All together: "Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire!"

Speaking of senior citizens, my buddy Bags showed me about an hour's worth of DVD of the 25th Anniversary Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Celebration, staged at Madison Square Garden. All the performances were first rate. Crosby, Stills and Nash did killer versions of Woodstock and Almost Cut My Hair. They were not this good in their prime. Was it because sound technicians had yet to figure how to make live rock sound good? Or was it because they were under the influence back in the day? Whatever. BB King did the best rendition I'd ever heard of his signature song, The Thrill Is Gone. I've always wanted to like it and may have finally found a version worthy of download. Stevie Wonder did a tremendous set that included Higher Ground and Superstition, which Bags said was originally intended for Jeff Beck, who lent his incredible skills to this version. Simon and Garfunkel were great and actually seemed happy in each other's presence. Maybe they've finally settled their differences. They performed The Boxer. Here's a link to the first number they did. Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-JQ1q-13Ek

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