Pittsfield happenings

This is getting blogged about, per request...
There was one hell of a fire the other day at an apartment building across the street from the hospital. Of course being voyeuristic like we are we rushed out to watch (and take pictures). And mingle with Pittsfield's Finest. I'm not sure what time the fire actually got put out, but it was after 11pm (and it started around 8). From what I read in the newspaper, no one got hurt, and the fire started on someone's stove. It was pretty impressive. And HOT (I know, I know, you think that'd be obvious, but it still surprised me). Plus I was watching the firefighter on top of the giant ladder hanging over the burning building, thinking, we must be made of different stuff, or have different neural connections (see?? I'm tying this into my neuro exam tomorrow, so it's totally like I'm studying) than me, cause WHAT would possess someone to do something like that?? I mean, this was a giant ladder and a big fire (see above image). Now, alas, the building is very sad and burnt-out looking. But it's still there, and at least the fire didn't jump onto the house next door (it was close - you can kind of see the roof next to the bottom of the ladder in that pic).

New post - I am alive

Sorry for the month-long delay in blog-posting. Life got in the way. You know how it is. :)
So, I wanted to write about an awesome music festival I went to yesterday, on my last (oh, the horror!) weekend in the Berkshires. It's the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, and it's a four-day festival held on a farm in Hillsdale, NY (just across the MA line near Great Barrington). And let's just say the crowd was, um, unique. We were actually keeping a tally of the number of men we saw wearing skirts (and I don't mean kilts). Bras appeared to be optional. There was a woman wearing a flowing skirt, bikini top, and butterfly wings (like from a halloween costume or something), playing with devil sticks all day. There were multiple canoodling same-sex couples (which shouldn't make me, a super-liberal from the most liberal state in the nation, even really notice, but somehow it still did). There was (when the sun when down) a giant peace sign made out of tiny lights hung way high up in a tree casting a nice glow over the audience. I mean, there were adults hula-hooping. Needless to say, it was some of the best people-watching I have ever had the privilege to enjoy. There was also (and this was the main, draw, really), some awesome music. We saw (in one day!): Dar Williams, John Gorka, The Nields, and many other singers who were also great, but who I've never heard of before and I'm now too lazy to look up their names. At one point, Dar Williams sang with John Gorka, and I thought I would die of happiness. (And it goes without saying that she's a pirate's favorite folk singer, right, Hoyt?) And the weather was beautiful, except for about 20 minutes of rain (but it was a serious rain). Normally my days are filled with old sick people and bad cafeteria food, but yesterday it was chock-full of acoustic guitars and peace signs and organic smoothies. I wish I could bottle up that feeling of zen-happiness and unleash just a little bit every day. :)