Eclipses, and Other Missed Opportunities

If you're hoping for an MLK meditation, go to this post on my theology blog.  I am now working for a school that has no classes for students on this holiday, but it's still a work day for faculty, administration, and staff.

However, I took today and tomorrow off.  A church friend and I are headed to Tampa for a Carrie Newcomer concert tonight.  Originally, I thought it might be more of a group journey.  But it will be fun with just the two of us.

My friend is the one who really wants to see Carrie Newcomer.  She felt she should make the effort, because she didn't think that Newcomer would ever come to Florida at all.  I have been interested in Newcomer's trajectory, particularly the events she has done with Parker Palmer.

I rarely go to concerts anymore.  Once I went to a concert here and there; I wanted to go more often, but I couldn't afford it.  Now I could afford it, but it seems to take so much effort.

Take Saturday for example.  We had free tickets to see Arlo Guthrie.  Once I would have gotten myself to that concert and felt lucky.  Saturday, I didn't want to deal with the Ft. Lauderdale traffic, which was already heavy in the morning when I went to spin class.  I didn't want to be out late when I had to lead church on Sunday morning.  It was partly laziness and partly energy conservation.

But I felt a bit of sadness.  There aren't many artists that I'm willing to make an effort of money and energy to go see live.  I realize that many of these artists won't be with us for too many more years--but it's still a lot of money to see most of them, and a chunk of time.

Part of me would rather stay home and make my own art.  It turns out that it's fortunate I didn't have my heart set on the Arlo Guthrie concert.  My spouse was in such a state of grieving at the news of the death of his favorite Philosophy professor that he'd have been in no state to go to a concert.

On some level, it's been strange to see him so wracked by grieving; he's rarely shown that level of emotion over much of anything.  On some level, it's good to know that he does still have an emotional life.

Yesterday we had a quiet afternoon at home.  I finally finished Jonathan Kauffman's Hippie Food.  I went to bed thinking about various vegetarian restaurants I have loved--perhaps I'll write a blog post about that tomorrow.

I meant to get up to see the eclipse.  When I did get outside, it was too cloudy to see much, so I went back to bed, but never really got back to sleep.

This would not have been the first eclipse I would have seen with the blood red moon.  And hopefully, it won't be my last opportunity to see an eclipse.