Sunday with Pops before the Forest of Surgery

Happy to report the planned minor surgery my father had this morning was a success. I’ll visit him in the hospital Wednesday morning before his release Thursday.

He’d spent last night here (Sunday) and we stayed up talking; he did most of it and I listened gladly.

The old man was raised Catholic, then was nothing for awhile, and now recently due to “superstring theory” and singularities claims he cannot deny the potential for God’s existence as well as some metaphysics (how me made the jump to Lutheran, however, remains an unasked mystery).

I like to pretend my meditating with a realized Master a few years ago–who gave me Shaktipat–sowed seeds of spiritual Awakening in all my family members.

Dad choked up a few times, describing what I would call sparks of satori from his childhood. He was fortunate to grow up in an amazing part of Queens, New York City, called Blissville. He has seen and experienced many things today’s youth will never have known existed. My old man’s view is that progress is great, but has a terrible price, ironically, in things that can’t ever be measured. That sounds generic, yes, but only because I’m too lazy to describe what he talked about in detail.

Rather than leave the pauses to silence, we had a ridiculous movie on the tube while we chatted, which keeps the flow of “the convo” going and drowns out any awkward silences. It’s a useful tactic I’ll adopt if/when I ever engage in deeper discussions, with whom I have no idea.

Deflation

A deflating phone call with I-zikk, a 5-year comic in LA I met at ITT in the mid-90s.

It’s always dangerous to share work with another comic. Supposedly it can be helpful to ‘workshop’ ideas, however in my limited experience, sharing jokes is like sharing unfinished artwork or words, it seems to drain it of life.

Twain wrote, “My books are like water; those of the great geniuses are wine. (Fortunately) everybody drinks water.” Twain didn’t write for the critics, and comics don’t create for other comics, altho the really good ones may earn the praise of being called “a comics’ comedian”.

Only a comedy audience–of any kind–can truly put stand-up humor to the test. If a joke fails 3 different times, it’s time to retire it. My using different material each week is a way of avoiding that for now, ha ha.

I’ve got material to use, but doubt I can focus it in time for Wednesday. I’ll leave work early (to my detriment) to perform if I really want to do it. Work enrages me so the choice is easy.

God damn these stress-filled fury days.