Sent Decembeer 22, 2020: Expel 126 Traitors & Go 4 WAlk!

DECEMBER 22, 2020 Expel 126 Traitors & Go 4 Walk! PREVIOUS BLOGS: TERRYBAUM.BLOGSPOT.COM PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED. IF THIS BLOG WAS FORWARDED TO YOU, YOU ARE NOT SUBSCRIBED.

Above: Liberty Shafted, from my play Baum for Peace, about my own struggle to have my votes counted when I ran for Congress. Right: The Gingkos of Eureka Street, captured by my Crony in their full glory.

E.B. White said he had a hard time deciding which came first: saving the world or savoring the world. He chose savoring, as he felt there was no REASON to save the world if you didn't savor it. Well, I've done a lot of the saving thing lately. And now my Crony is clamoring for a Ramble. And, dammit, I want to ramble too! So we'll do a bit of both today. FIRST: EXPEL 126 TRAITORS -- Update AND THEN: UPPER MARKET RAMBLE #2 ONE: EXPEL 126 TRAITORS -- Update This is a campaign to hold the 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives, who supported the Supreme Court lawsuit to overturn the election, responsible for their actions. They tried to destroy our democracy and install Trump as dictator. This is treason and, according to the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, they should not be allowed to hold office. The fact that they were unsuccessful is irrelevant. I originally believed this campaign had to be done by January 3, 2021 -- to somehow prevent the 126 Traitors from being sworn in on that day. But I did not understand how things work in Congress. Expulsion of an elected member of the House, or even Censure, is a major endeavor and takes time. And anyhow, this is the HOLIDAY SEASON, a time when most people happily turn to SAVORING the world. I myself am of the savoring kind, and long ago scheduled savoring activities with my pod-mate. Elizabeth and I are planning to celebrate Christmas in the Icelandic tradition, which involves reading aloud to each other from favorite books and eating chocolate. We're talking Major-League SAVORING here! So we have TIME to work on this campaign. This is GOOD. WHAT HAS BEEN DONE IN THE CAMPAIGN: HELP: Bloggelinis Laurie Graham & My Crony want to get involved. This is very exciting, to have such high-quality volunteers. I have not called a meeting yet -- because of my various savoring activities. Especially needed: Someone with social media skills. CONTACTS: I have contacted Rep. Pascrell, whose idea it is to take action against the 125 Traitors. I did it through Facebook. His staff responded by asking me to tell them more about myself, which I did. I'm waiting for a response to what I sent. Of course, I want to join forces with him, if possible. MORE KNOWLEDGE: Evelyn sent me the Congressional Research Office's pdf on expelling a Congressperson. It turns out you need a 2/3 vote to do that. BUT you only need a majority vote to censure. While censure is only symbolic, it is still considered a big deal. PETITION: Laurie suggested putting a petition on Change.org. I have written the petition, but am unclear about how to complete the process. Ideally, results would be emailed to Rep. Pelosi, since she is the leader of House. But I have not found a way to directly email her. Waiting for clarity to go forward. TEXT OF PETITION: This is below. Please use it in full or part to write your own representatives. I have changed the pronouns from plural (we) to singular (I) so you can use it more easily: Our democracy has been seriously damaged by the extreme actions of Republican politicians who tried to overturn the fair and honest election of Joe Biden as President. And so far, NO ONE is being held accountable for these outrageous acts. Most shocking of all is the frivolous lawsuit initiated by the Texas Attorney General, which went to the Supreme Court.  This lawsuit was signed by 126 Republicans -- the majority of the Republican members of the House of Representatives.   This lawsuit did NOT ask for a re-count or a re-do of the election in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. This lawsuit demanded that the Supreme Court THROW OUT ALL THE VOTES for President of the people in these states! It demanded that the Supreme Court allow the four state Legislatures to choose electors for the Electoral College. Since all four Legislatures happen to be majority Republican, they would have chosen electors who support Trump -- effectively trampling on the will of 20 million voters, the majority of whom chose Biden! This lawsuit was thrown out by the Supreme Court. But that does not change the fact that it was an attempt to overturn a democratic election and install Donald Trump as dictator. Since democracy is the fundamental principle on which this country is built, ALL THE SUPPORTERS OF THIS LAWSUIT WERE ENGAGING IN REBELLION AGAINST THE UNITED STATES. THEY ARE TRAITORS. As Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) says, "The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution expressly forbids members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States.  Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that." Democracy cannot function unless we hold our elected representatives accountable for their actions.  The Constitution empowers the House of Representatives to do just that (Article 1, Section 5).  I join Rep. Pascrell -- and the wise Founders of our country, who wrote the Constitution -- in demanding that these 126 TRAITORS BE EXPELLED FROM CONGRESS BY A VOTE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES!  TWO: UPPER MARKET RAMBLE #2

I love the poster below, but there was no Proposition Z, so maybe this is left over from an earlier election

It's kinda scary to think of a Prop Z, because it would mean that there were as many propositions as letters in the alphabet. I can feel a tad overwhelmed, with all the state props (they're numbered) and the city props. I confess, my focus this time around was TOTALLY on giving Trump the boot. Before I filled out my ballot, I just looked at the endorsements of the Harvey Milk LGBtTQ Democratic Club to find out how to vote. This flyer.... moving.

For some reason, the last couple of days, when I read or hear about misfortune, I feel it in my heart. Mostly, it's just all too much and I put up a wall. But not now. Melinda Gates, billionaire philanthropist said, "One of the most important things I’ve learned in my work is that you have to let your heart break." I sure hope they found Pops. This is the view from Market down UN Plaza to City Hall, which is a very grand Beaux-arts building.

Here we are again, on the right, being reminded of the former existence of theater. This is American Conservatory Theatre's (ACT) smaller venue. I think they should have at least put "entertainment" up there! Actually, these words are VERY humdrum, albeit true. How about "passionate" and "risky" and "boundary-breaking" and "inspiring" and "life-changing"? Now it's Christmas Carol time. Even with the pandemic, there are LOTS of different Christmas Carols to zoom or stream. I saw it at ACT in 1984. They do it every year. It's their big moneymaker. I went with

my lover Margo and Robby, a gay man who was my friend's younger brother. Robby picked Margo and me up, and we drove downtown and spent an UNBELIEVABLE amount of time looking for a free parking spot. Robby was notoriously cheap, even though he had tons of money. He was a brilliant musician turned computer geek and made $90/hour -- IN 1984!! I was getting very upset because it seemed we would be LATE! It is very very rude to be late for one of these big theaters. People are NOT happy when you squeeze by them to your seat. EVENTUALLY he agreed to go to a parking garage, but he was determined to find the cheapest one of THOSE. I was frantic. FINALLY we found what he deemed a suitable garage, on a very scary street, where I would have never parked if I wasn't with a man -- albeit a skinny gay boy. Phew! As we were rushing to the theater, he told us that, since there were three of us, we SHOULD split the parking fee three ways. But, since it was Christmas, he would magnanimously allow us to pay only HALF of the fee instead of two-thirds! I don't know, of course he wasn't obligated to subsidize us in any way. But we were so poor at that time, and he had so much money... It was difficult to rejoice in his "gift." So we get to ACT just in time, and we're sitting in the balcony watching a rather opulent production of Christmas Carol, and as I watch Scrooge "humbug" through life counting his pennies, I realize that I AM SITTING NEXT TO SCROOGE! A real-life, modern-day penny pincher who places, in my opinion, too high a value on holding on to his money! I'm watching Robby, wondering what he's experiencing, seeing himself onstage. I'm wondering if he'll somehow be changed through watching Scrooge change. Will he be shaken? Distraught? Outraged at the mockery and condemnation of a fellow miser? I envision so many possibilities for my miser being moved by witnessing this classic play about himself. As we were walking back to the parking garage, I asked Robby what he thought of the production. It was clear from his response that it had NEVER crossed his mind that there was any resemblance between HIM and Ebenezer Scrooge!! I was devastated. What was the point of theater if a miser could watch Christmas Carol and never recognize himself? What was the POINT?!? I decided that night that I was FINISHED with theater. It was a pointless activity. I would find another field of human endeavor that had more EFFECT on people! I was FINISHED! But I got over it. I saw another Christmas Carol this year, live streamed from Columbia, Missouri, where Elizabeth's son lives. Some friends of his were producing it. It was very simple and only about a half an hour and REALLY GOOD! Only three actors -- one played Scrooge and another man and woman played all the other parts and narrated. It took place in a large beautiful empty space with a beamed ceiling. Just a few pieces of furniture. A lovely violinist wandered around, accentuating emotions at times or simply creating transitions between scenes. It just really WORKED. I don't think I have ever seen actors play so many different characters without giving the audience even a MOMENT of confusion as to who they were. This was due to the clarity of the acting and of the simple and large accessories they wore for each part. Greenhouse Theatre Project did a covid-compliant production. Everyone involved quarantined themselves for 10 days, then took a Covid test and then filmed the play in one night. The violinist wore a mask. Presumably she was not part of the quarantiine. The tickets cost $10 and they're streaming tomorrow, 12/23, probably at 5pm PST. Tickets & Info here. Ahh! Now we come to this wonderful tiny tiny cafe on Market Street. It really is only as wide as you see. And the walls are covered with paintings of animals and Native Americans.

I wrote down the name and address and now I can't find it. It's across the street from the Civic Center Plaza photo, in a white building. Tiny tiny tiny. You can also sit outside. Again, theater. The long-running production of Hamilton, an indomitable and astoundingly successful play. It seemed like it would run forever. And maybe it will, once we've conquered the virus.

‌

Best breakfast in town?!? I tend to believe signs like this. I'll be back when it re-opens... if it survives.

I tend to have a very cynical response to ads like this. But I think I have to be optimistic to do the work I do in theater -- and in writing this blog. It's good to have an image that cracks open your perpetual gloom for a moment -- even if you reject it. Here we come to the wonderful & wacky murals on this little restaurant.

Ooohhh, Patience Soup! Mmmm-mmm good! The woman kneeling on the right was sorting through a box of lemons.

And just around the corner...

Now begins a very big mural with such a mixture of collage and stencils and photos and paper cuts ...

The black snowflakes are cut out of vinyl and pasted on. The small black and red figures are stencilled, I'm sure.

So. Eclair Bandersnatch, a name and talent to conjure with...

And one final long mural.. The Market Street Circle of Pandemic Love.

"HOW WE CARE SHAPES WHO WE ARE." You know, I didn't realize how the images connected to each other until I did this blog. I didn't read the text. I guess I was so close up and I was just trying to get the best photo. Bloggelinis: There's more to come on Upper Market! Also more to come about the 126 Traitors. But then, you knew THAT! Please treasure yourselves. Terry

December 14, 2020: CRISIS & ACTION DEFINED

 

December 14, 2020 Crisis & Action Defined PREVIOUS BLOGS: TERRYBAUM.BLOGSPOT.COM PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED. IF THIS BLOG WAS FORWARDED TO YOU, YOU ARE NOT SUBSCRIBED. Thanks to all of you who responded to my last blog, I'M SCARED. Many of you felt I was speaking your own thoughts. Some of you thought I was overreacting, even a bit hysterical. Some of you thought it was better to ignore the violence and threats, that giving them attention only inspires the perpetrators. I haven't answered most of you yet, but I will. Writing that blog exhausted me in a way that no other writing has. I think it was a combination of just facing what scared me, and then trying to figure out how to communicate it in a clear and compelling way. True, I hadn't slept well the night before. But I rarely sleep well, and it doesn't cause me to feel tired the next day. Besides the exhaustion I felt a deep satisfaction that I had attempted and completed something that was very difficult. Today I'm looking at the reverberations of the latest suit to overturn the election that the Supreme Court rejected. SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn) DEFINES THE CRISIS.

In this 14-minute video, Senator Murphy clarifies how perilous this moment is for our country. When he gave this speech, the Supreme Court had not yet announced its decision. Murphy wasn't worried about what the Court would do. He knew it would throw out the Texas Attorney General's ridiculous lawsuit. He is certain that Biden will be inaugurated on January 20 . HOWEVER, he was very disturbed about these two things: This suit was was NOT seeking a recount or a do-over of the Presidential election in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin. It was asking the Supreme Court to throw out 20 million votes (!?!) and hand the decision to the Republican legislatures in those states, who would then appoint electors who would make Trump President again. Although this lawsuit was the fantasy of a crackpot right-wing politician, it was supported by 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives, 19 actual states -- and two imaginary states ("New California" & "New Nevada," invented especially for the occasion). This is what Sen. Murphy found extremely disturbing in terms of what it might mean for future elections. Because of the great support for this suit from the mainstream Republican Party, Senator Murphy sees this as the BEGINNING of an assault on our democracy. "It’s not enough to just punt here, to say, “The President’s got a right to go to court. Let’s just see what happens.” Because when the overthrow of democracy is beginning and you’re sitting on the sidelines, you’re a collaborator." PLEASE WATCH THIS 14-MINUTE VIDEO! REP. BILL PASCRELL (D-NJ) DEFINES AN ACTION THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CAN TAKE. In an article in COMMON DREAMS, Representative Pascrell makes a very strong case that all the Representatives who signed their support of the Supreme Court lawsuit have violated their oaths to support the Constitution, and should be forbidden from taking their seats in Congress. Section 3 of the 14th Amendment states: No person shall be a senator or representative in Congress....who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress... to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same. (I've deleted all the stuff that referred to other elected offices.) Pascrell says: "The text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that." "Fine," you say. "I couldn't agree more," you say. "But what the fuck can be DONE about it?" you say. "We've already tried impeaching Trump and couldn't get it through the Senate!" WELL..... Pascrell ALSO cites Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution, WHICH GIVES EACH CHAMBER OF CONGRESS FINAL AUTHORITY OVER MEMBERSHIP. Hmmm.... Each chamber of Congress.... and these 126 traitors are all members of the House of Representatives..... AND THE DEMOCRATS HOLD A MAJORITY IN THE HOUSE! That's right! WE hold a majority in the only democratically elected body in the federal government. SO..... Representative Pascrell wrote a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Zoe Lofgren, the chair of the 46-member California Democratic Congressional Delegation. According to COMMON DREAMS, Pascrell urged Pelosi and Lofgren to exercise their power to figure out how they can respond to these constitutional violations and, if possible, refuse to seat incoming members who, in his words, are "seeking to make Donald Trump an unelected dictator." Their actions "must be repudiated in the strongest possible terms," he argues. "The moment we face now may be without parallel since 1860. The fate of our democracy depends on us meeting this moment." "Oh, come on," you say. "Too far-fetched. It'll never work," you say. But I say to YOU: WOULD THE REPUBLICANS DO IT TO THE DEMOCRATS IF THEY COULD? YOU KNOW DAMNED WELL THEY'D TRY! When will the Democrats stop playing patty cake while the other side plays football? Look, elected politicians need to be held accountable for their actions. These 126 Republicans signed their names to an attempt to destroy our democracy. And yet, they expect to take their place in a democratically elected body. NO! THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO PLAY BOTH SIDES OF THIS GAME! TERRY BAUM DEFINES AN ACTION WE CAN TAKE. Please Contact these members of Congress to tell them you support Rep. Pascrell's idea. You want the Democrats in the House to refuse to seat the 126 Republican traitors. Rep. Bill Pascrell Phone: (202) 225-5782 hours: M-F 9-5:30pm Thank him for his courage and vision and ask him what you can do to help. (I think you can only email him if you live in his district.) Rep. Nancy Pelosi Email (https://www.speaker.gov/contact) Phone: (202) 225-4965 Hours: M-F 9-5:30pm Zoe Lofgren (202) 225-3072 https://lofgren.house.gov/contact (only if you're in her district -- Santa Clara County) ALL: HERE IS THE LINK SO THAT YOU CAN CONTACT YOUR OWN REPRESENTATIVE, & TELL HER/HIM THAT YOU DO NOT WANT TRAITORS SEATED IN THE PEOPLE'S HOUSE! Bloggelinis (especially those who live in San Francisco): Would you like to do more on this issue -- like spread the word, get other people to phone, call, write? Wouldn't it be great if Pelosi did something extraordinary and unprecedented to support the Constitution? Those of us in SF could rally her actual constituents. This is something we can DO! Please respond if you're interested. Terry

Sent December 11: I'M SCARED

 DECEMBER 11, 2020

I'M SCARED.

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It's now 6 am. I woke up at 3 am. Couldn't sleep, having read somewhere online that 17 Attorney Generals of Republican states had joined together to back the Texas AG's ridiculous suit to get Biden's victories in the swing states overturned. ATTORNEY GENERALS! You would think THEY would have some reverence for the law.

So the 17 right-wing AG's kept me awake. Decided to get up and read yesterday's New York Times, which I had not yet perused because I spent yesterday gallivanting with my podmate.

And now I am really scared.

The NY Times told me that:

"Sixty-four Republicans in the Pennsylvania General Assembly signed a letter last week urging the state's congressional delegation to reject the state's Electoral College votes for Mr. Biden.

When asked if she would have signed it, Kim Ward, the Republican majority leader in the Pennsylvania Senate, indicated that the Republican base expected party leaders to back up Mr. Trump's claims -- or to face its wrath.

'if I would say to you,'I don't want to do it,' she said about signing the letter, 'I'd get my house bombed tonight.'"

If she even SAID she didn't want to sign the letter, she feared someone would bomb her house!

So now, loyalty to Trump doesn't just require Kim Ward to refrain from saying Biden won the election. It requires her to TAKE ACTION to support his ridiculous claims of election fraud. And the punishment for not being loyal? MURDER.

Meanwhile, out west in Arizona, things are heating up too. The Arizona Republican Party re-tweeted a message on #Stop the Steal that said

"I am willing to give my life for this fight."

The Republican party added its own message:

"He is. Are you?"

They followed up with tweeting a quote and a clip from the movie Rambo:

“This is what we do, who we are.

Live for nothing, or die for something.”

We cannot have a functioning democracy when people are afraid of getting killed for just acknowledging the results of the election!

Many elected officials

have received death threats already.

Where is the outrage?

Why isn't anyone speaking out about this?

Where is Joe Biden?

This is more urgent than announcing his new cabinet.

Kamala Harris?

Nancy Pelosi?

Bernie Sanders?

Where are our political leaders?

There isn't even real ATTENTION to these stories. The Pennsylvania story was on Page 22, with the headline, "Trump Twists Arms in State Capitols, and Lawmakers Feel the Burn." Well, Senator Ward isn't just worried about the burn from a twisted arm. She's afraid of being INCINERATED!

And the Arizona story was on Page 25!

THE ARIZONA REPUBLICAN PARTY IS NOT JUST INCITING.

IT'S RECRUITING PEOPLE TO COMMIT VIOLENT ACTS

TO OVERTURN THE RESULTS OF AN ELECTION.

AND THAT MAKES PAGE 25 IN THE NY TIMES?!?

Why wasn't one of these stories on the front page? Our democracy is in crisis. This is urgent! The media trivializes and normalizes these stories by not giving them adequate attention.

Are we really going to wait until someone gets killed before we face what's going on?

Guess what! Threatening to kill someone is a crime.

Yes. I know a man who went to prison for two years for sending an email to his ex-wife threatening to kill her.

PEOPLE ARE COMMITTING CRIMES BY INCITING VIOLENCE AND THREATENING VIOLENCE. WHY ISN'T THE FBI INVESTIGATING THESE CRIMES?

Please contact your Senators and Congressperson

(usa.gov/elected-officials)

Demand they speak up against these threats of violence that endanger our democracy. And demand that the F.B.I. investigate any threats or intimidation of elected representatives and election officials.

Oh, Bloggelinis, I'm really worried. I'm nostalgic for those few days of euphoria long ago in November. Terry

Sent December 9, 2020: UPPER MARKET RAMBLE

 

DECEMBER 9, 2020 UPPER MARKET RAMBLE PREVIOUS BLOGS: TERRYBAUM.BLOGSPOT.COM PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED. IF THIS BLOG WAS FORWARDED TO YOU, YOU ARE NOT SUBSCRIBED.

I decided to walk home from the Apple Store in Union Square because I had the time and needed the exercise. I wasn't really thinking about taking photos until I was stopped at the corner of Market and Taylor by a giant poster that jolted me.

The Last Ship. A little heavy-handed irony there. It was The Last Big Musical for me before live theater was obliterated by the pandemic. According to Wikipedia: "The play was based on Sting's own childhood experiences, particularly his relationship with his father who had been an engineer in a family of shipwrights. It tells the story about community and the demise of the shipbuilding industry in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, with the closure of the town's Swan Hunter shipyard.  "I did everything in my power to escape Wallsend... I became successful, but I owe a debt to that community. This play is me trying to honour that community, trying to pay back what

they gave me -- a sense of self but also the engine that allowed me to escape. That's the strange paradox. I love where I come from, I'm glad I escaped, at the same time I need to tell that story as a sort of 'soul debt'." Here's a trailer for The Last Ship. I got shivers watching the finale in the theater and in the few moments of the trailer. And I was thrilled that Sting was passionate about honoring WORKERS. But a big musical about a huge shipyard going out of business? That's a tough one to pull off. The music was lovely but not Stingily exciting, and they needed a great playwright to really wrestle with that story, to make a pretty dreary event compelling, surprising. I think sometimes incredibly talented and successful artists, like Sting and Paul Simon (whose big Broadway project was a total catastrophe) go into theater not really understanding the challenge of bringing to life one long story that will absorb the audience for two hours. Sting and Paul (Paul especially) are brilliant storytellers. Each song is like faceted gem. Think of putting together a great big sprawling gorgeous necklace. It's a different skill. But how amazing that Sting had a dream of honoring his father and the people he worked with and the shipyard that was the life of the town! He went for it. He made it happen. He created a musical with a lot of integrity. Just a few days ago, putting on a jacket. I found in the pocket my ticket to The Last Ship. I apologize for the photo being sideways. I cannot find the original photo to rotate. I know I shouldn't use a sideways photo but it just seemed amazing to me that, a few days after passing the poster on the side of the theater, I found the ticket.

If the photo was rotated, you would see that I'm sad. I try not to think too much about the disappearance of live theater. I don't want to go there. As I turned the corner onto Market, I remembered that I have long wanted to ramble home on Upper Market, savoring and snapping the street art I had glimpsed from the Lyft I'd taken one day. ONWARD! This wonderful long mural came next. I love the black-and-white photographish look. Anyone who takes a photo and turns it into a painting like this -- I'm happy.

You can see a sign for Merrill's Drug Store in the mural. I had a wonderful secretarial temp job on the fifth floor above Merrill's Drug Store. Standard Oil had rented all the upper floors of the building to bring in a whole bunch of computer people to transfer ALL THEIR BUSINESS from paper to digital. Can you imagine how long ago that was? I think 1978. Anyhow, everyone who worked on my floor was a computer person. Except for me. I was a plain old secretary with an IBM Selectric. Remember the shiny little steel ball that whirled around, back and forth, to print the right letter? Yeah, it was pretty impressive. Everyone was in a three great big rooms, except for me. I was all alone in a little office. They had almost no work for me to do. I mean, maybe I typed three pages a day. Other days nothing. If they came in and I was reading the Chronicle, they would apologize for disturbing me. My boss was in the Standard Oil building, far away. I only saw her the first day, when she showed me my office. She would phone me at 8am, to make sure I was on time, and at 4:45, to make sure I didn't leave early. But she NEVER phoned me during the workday. I was in heaven. I took three-hour, four-hour lunches. I walked and walked and walked around Civic Center and Downtown. I discovered a great jazz piano player in the Atrium of the Marriott. He played from 12 to 4pm every weekday, and I was there for most of it. We became friends. I worked on plays. I chatted with friends on the phone. I wrote loooong letters to Carolyn, who lived in Ashland then, detailing the (I thought) fascinating ups and downs of my romantic life. As I said, I read the paper, luxuriating in having time to read EVERYTHING that caught my attention. I was the only Downtown Working Girl in my group of dykes and fags. After work on Fridays, everyone would meet me at the Pied Piper bar in the Palace Hotel. The room was dominated by the huge and famous Maxfield Parish painting.

At that time, the painting hung in a very large room with many little tables. On Fridays, they offered a big complimentary buffet. Great art! Free food! And all for the price of a drink or two or three. What's not to like? Life was glorious. Eventually, I realized I should apply for the permanent job I was filling as a temp. I would get paid a Kelly Girl wage to write my plays! When I went to apply, I found out they had just hired someone the day before. Giant bummer. I was so upset that I got very sick with the flu. After I recovered, I went back to the office to clean out my personal belongings. When I walked in, the young woman who replaced me was standing at the window, staring at the brick wall across the way. She was clearly bored out of her mind and very unhappy. The perfect job for me was lonely hell for her. Oh! Last Merrill's/Standard Oil story: Every morning in the elevator, there was an absolutely gorgeous woman going to work the same time as me. She was tall, with a mane of blond hair. She was dressed very well, in a business-like suit. She looked exactly like Joni Mitchell. This is a very nice thing to look exactly like. Every single morning I would covertly eye her and think, "I'm in an elevator with Joni Mitchell! Finally, I said to her, "Excuse me, you look exactly like Joni Mitchell!" She replied, "Yes! Everyone in the world must have a double. And Joni Mitchell's mine." Imagine the chutzpah to think Joni Mitchell was HER double instead of vice versa! Well, Bloggelinis, a lot of stories and few photos -- one of which is sideways. I had no idea I would write so much. I can see the Market St. Ramble is going to be a series. All for now. Terry

Sent November 8, 2020: BLOGMISTRESS IS FINE!

 

DECEMBER 8, 2020 BLOGMISTRESS IS FINE! PREVIOUS BLOGS: TERRYBAUM.BLOGSPOT.COM PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED. IF THIS BLOG WAS FORWARDED TO YOU, YOU ARE NOT SUBSCRIBED.

Dear Blogellinis: First I procrastinated because I'm working on a difficult bog, THEN I entered Computer Hell. My work computer was already kaput. I was working on my little Air until the new computer comes (end of December). Then I spilled tea on my AIR. OY VEY! Carolyn was out of town, I couldn't borrow her computer. And this isn't exactly the time to ask to borrow someone's extra computer unless she is your soul sister and crony and upstairs neighbor. She just came back late yesterday. I'm typing on her computer now. So Carolyn was wondering where my latest blog was, since she knew I wasn't sick or anything. She thought there was something wrong with her email. That was when I realized that in these times, one cannot procrastinate indefinitely without causing alarm. So I'm writing you now just to say I AM TOTALLY FINE! AND I just bought an iPad yesterday, on which I can blog while I wait for my REAL computer to arrive! I am awaiting a phone session to set up the iPad. I WILL send a real blog today, even if it's not my difficult serious one. So very sorry if anyone was worried. All for now. Terry