Second day...

after Fringe, still in a recovery mode. Strange day yesterday, tired most of it, nevertheless, by the  evening felt strong enough to go to Standings to watch some games---friend Sam was the bartender, bar was empty at first---had my beer, focused on the games watched for about two hours, as some others joined the group.Nothing special, but did see the Royals score on the Yankees in the first inning by running on Sanchez. Left, not sure of where I was going; I settled on the ice cream-coffee place on second between eighth and ninth, and though I was not comfortable with it, having just had a beer and a sugar fix, I opted for the cookies and cream gelato---really delicious, but did I really need some more sugar. Paid for it last night, did not sleep well, seemed that my "fullness" was preventing me from sleeping, even now, stomach in a strange place, have to remember not to add ice cream to beer in the future, but some time it simply seems necessary.
      I started Philip Roth's second novel, When She Was Good, last night---this is the only novel that he wrote that takes place in a completely non Jewish environment---I remember reading it when it came out---1967--an incredibly transitional year for me---I was working evenings in the post office, feeling extremely isolated, still a little focused on the woman from Goucher who was then a senior, anyway, spent most of my time before going to work around 5 (I sorted mail---believe it!) in the apartment reading---other books that come to mind that I read there that spring---The Fixer by Malamud, and 37 Children, a book about radical teaching in a Spanish Harlem school by Herbert Kohl. It was a strange time for me---three years earlier I had been passionately involved in theater at Hopkins, now I was just trying to get things straight after leaving the Department of Welfare, and trying to be an actor---but I hated the lack of structure--also things in the theater at that time were falling apart. Eventually solved the problem by getting a job with a social work agency and entering the "real world" 1967-68---admitting that auditioning around the city was far beyond me. That was also the spring that I "savagely" devoured as much of the music of Mozart as I could---I really became infatuated with his musical vision. Some good talks with Richard G at the time. Also that winter-spring was the beginning of my strong friendship with Fred K, a friendship that lasted about 30 years. Still, I was flying blind, as they say----now as I look back on it there is a kind of calm in my vision---still an interesting time.
   Also reading a book on the "Elizabethan Hamlet"  a very interesting take on the play, it talks about the Elizibethan Protestant vision of heaven and hell, and that there was no purgatory for protestants, therefore the ghost must have been considered by the Elizibethan  audience, to have been an instrument of the devil. Strange vision that I have never encountered before but viable in some ways. Anyway, it is meaningful to re-examine the play again at this time, which the book is forcing me to do.
Rest of day: not clear, lots of options, also will depend on how strong I feel---would like to get out to Brooklyn---maybe Cobra---even thinking of participating in a trivia contest, but maybe a movie. Lots of them around that are interesting---nothing that I feel compelled to see, although I really should see Little Men.
Anyway, time to move on--will report more tomorrow.