itchy mcgoo wrote:

tmidgett wrote:Be interested in them, not as potential elements in a collection, but as discrete and lovely creatures who, whatever their flaws, have charms and beneficial effects unique to each of them.

This is really well-put advice on, simply, how to have a good life. How to be happy. How to not be an asshole. How to get out of your head so that you might enjoy the so-much-beautiful-stuff around you.

I have forgotten to do this and have been significantly less happy for it.

Is really important, to go through the world like this.

Every person I have enormous respect for is in the world in this way.

Sound, beautiful advice, from Mr. Midgett to you, Robert G.

One that we all work on, every day.

You are in prime position to go at this full bore now, and truly, you would realize over the course of the next 5-10 years that it was occuring anyway.

Perhaps not as easy as it seems, but this is okay. It's not supposed to be.

But now you have the idea. Now you can begin foster such angles until they become natural, like breathing.

And, hell, foster yourself! Read books, listen to music, write, paint, etc. find that which is unique. This is a great way to focus internally in the downtime, while good practice for all of the people you will meet in the next number of years. They will come past you, will pass in front of you.

Although sometimes you need to put yourself in the midst of traffic, in order to benefit.

Cheers, Robert G! Think of all that has happened to you in the past 10 years. Your next ten years are a supernova in comparison!

----

Dear Tim Midgett,

I saw There Will Be Blood as flight relief during work travel last week. My gosh, was Daniel Day Lewis incredible.

I doubt I will watch it again in the next number of years, but, holy crap was he good.

An unexpected night off from weekly practice? This is one of the small gifts that I am first sad about but ultimately ok with.

Just thought you might want to know,

Chimpy

Hey TMidgett,

I just wanted to ask, Is it all going to be okay?

I look at the future and I often feel like all I see is darkness. I am a young man and I feel that the future is darkness.

Is it going to be okay? The future doesn't even matter, does it? It's how we treat people today, how we live our lives today, isn't it?

Tim,

I've played "Leave the Light On" from the Bottomless Pit myspace page ten times in a row now, consider me mesmerized. I would like to purchase the said record this is on.

I also graduate from college this Saturday.

Tim:

The thing about this photo is that it's on a wall among dozens of photos of celebrities at the Pump Room. Every other person on the wall is recognizably famous and white. It's worth seeing this photo in person, and it's the one that reminded me of you, the combination of humor and dignity and fierceness, the first time I saw it.

Hey Tim just a quick one: "what was the last thing you blew up?" Just wondering, thanks. Yale.

Hi, Yale.

Well, not counting fireworks, I guess the last thing I blew up was a tweeter in a tANNOY bookshelf speaker.

If you mean making smoke...probably some capacitor in an amp.

Although sometimes you need to put yourself in the midst of traffic, in order to benefit.

Just don't fuckin' FRET about shit. Jesus Christ, I hate fretting. I've wasted a lot of time fretting! And I do not fret that much!

Note: that is 'fretting,' not 'frotting.' Frotting is OK, as long as it doesn't involve the unwilling.

I saw There Will Be Blood as flight relief during work travel last week. My gosh, was Daniel Day Lewis incredible.

I doubt I will watch it again in the next number of years, but, holy crap was he good.

An unexpected night off from weekly practice? This is one of the small gifts that I am first sad about but ultimately ok with.

Just thought you might want to know,

This and No Country FOM were the only movies I wanted to see of last year.

Have not seen them.

I did want to grow out a fullon pushbroom 'stache after seeing DDL in one, but my wife, she no signed up for no Village People castoff. SO no.

I just wanted to ask, Is it all going to be okay?

I look at the future and I often feel like all I see is darkness. I am a young man and I feel that the future is darkness.

Is it going to be okay? The future doesn't even matter, does it? It's how we treat people today, how we live our lives today, isn't it?

I am not sure if you are serious.

My instinct tells me that you are not.

If my instincts are correct, you can go fuck yourself.

If you're serious, I'm sorry for suggesting you go fuck yourself, and I refer you to my lengthy reply to Robert G.

Perhaps it's a bit much for some people, but what do I care? I do not care. It is better to be a bit much for some people than not enough for yourself. GodDAMN that is a good fortune cookie or motivational poster.

I've played "Leave the Light On" from the Bottomless Pit myspace page ten times in a row now, consider me mesmerized. I would like to purchase the said record this is on.

Thank you very much.

You can make this purchase at www.bottomlesspit.us if you like. Just click around; you'll figure it out.

I also graduate from college this Saturday.

That is very sweet. Congratulations. College is great, but it gets a little old, hmmm?

The thing about this photo is that it's on a wall among dozens of photos of celebrities at the Pump Room. Every other person on the wall is recognizably famous and white. It's worth seeing this photo in person, and it's the one that reminded me of you, the combination of humor and dignity and fierceness, the first time I saw it.

Well, I am tremendously flattered. There is some serious joie de vivre coming off that, even as a camera phone repic of a pic.

Also, I have always wanted to be black, so I'm doubly honored.

It may be too grainy to see in that camera-phone photo, but the doorman has the identical moustache as Pryor.

Hey Tim,

Speaking of Mr. Pryor, have you seen Some Kind of Hero? If so, do you recommend it?

Flaneur wrote:Tim:

The thing about this photo is that it's on a wall among dozens of photos of celebrities at the Pump Room. Every other person on the wall is recognizably famous and white. It's worth seeing this photo in person, and it's the one that reminded me of you, the combination of humor and dignity and fierceness, the first time I saw it.

The hat makes me think that may be Count Basie, but I can only find picture of him wearing when he was old and not that youthful looking.

I'm guessing it's either the doorman or the bellhop from the Pump Room or the adjoining hotel, and here are these two guys with identical moustaches, and Pryor lets the other guy be at the center of the picture. The rest of the portraits on the walls look like this one.

Flaneur wrote:I'm guessing it's either the doorman or the bellhop from the Pump Room or the adjoining hotel, and here are these two guys with identical moustaches, and Pryor lets the other guy be at the center of the picture. The rest of the portraits on the walls look like this one.

It's a great photo.

The Pryor one. Not the linked one. Though that guy is probably enjoying himself as well.

I love Richard Pryor. I remember going to see Live on the Sunset Strip in the theater with my dad. I was 13. That set the tone for a lot of things in my life, looking back at it. Maybe I'll show it to my kid when she's that age.