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Watts Up, Doc?
Aug. 24th, 2021 09:19 pmI spent much of the day today feeling grumpy, and I couldn't even put a finger on why. The usual things that would have tailspinned me, really didn't:
* Ending yesterday with a bit of a forwardx paus, wherein an opposing attorney referred to a client of mine as an asshole and I forwarded it intact without noticing until the client, of course, did. All I could reply was, You said pretty much the same thing about him, and I've been called far worse. Haven't heard back from him. Maybe he's prepping for a colonoscopy;)
* Beginning the morning with the discovery that a client had bounced a check on me. I have three simple rules for clients: (1) Don't lie to me; (2) Don't do things I specifically told you NOT to do, or not do things I specifically told you TO do; and (3) Don't bounce checks on me. The third is a revision from "pay my bills in full and on time," because if I enforced that I'd have about four clients. Fortunately, the rubber hit the road at a good time in my bill paying cycle, and the client needs more work, which will expedite getting the problem solved.
* Finding out midday that an unopposed non-hearing, two weeks ago, which in most of my experience would have resulted in a "win" and a signed order in my client's favor by now, was instead turned into an actual (well, virtual) hearing almost two months from now. I suspect it's because I was a little too pushy about getting the judge's staff to tell me how they'd decided. This, also, would have caused problems in financial ways if it meant the client wouldn't be paying for services to date, but I emailed an honest explanation of what happened and we should be caught up partly tomorrow and the rest within a manageable two weeks.
Even though no one of these was particularly bad, the cumulative effect of it all had me in a less than stellar mood by the time I got home. Yet, as with many things, it was music, and a story about music, that turned me around.
----
Around the time I learned of the bad check, I also learned that Lucy Kaplansky had discovered a video she'd never seen before, of her performing in around 1986 with Nanci Griffith. That Youtube is here; I don't remember ever seeing it, and I'm saving this one for later. But it also reminded me of another live performance I do remember us watching almost as far back, in 1991: PBS's Austin City Limits aired an in-the-round performance by five amazing women known for being singer-songwriters. Nanci hosted, and was joined by Mary Chapin Carpenter, both Indigo Girls, and Julie Gold, writer of "From a Distance" that became one of Nanci's biggest hits and an even bigger one when covered by Bette Midler. I tracked it down, posted a link to it-
- and thought it would make a nice repast to watch while we ate tonight.
Which it was. But not before some other news of musical passing came to us later in the day.
----
In addition to losing Nanci earlier in the month, Monday began with news of Don Everly's passing. Country legend Tom T. Hall died in between hers and his. But the literally immortal Keith Richards lost a bandmate just today, with the announced death of longtime Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts.
I was never all that much of a Stones fan, but you've got to respect the talent, the legacy and the endurance. My one and only story about Charlie Watts comes, not from having seen him play, but from someone who shared the same stage. A little over three years ago, I got to see Chris Barron, then and now the front man for the Spin Doctors, at Danny Deutsch’s amazing bar and music venue in Rochester known as Abilene.
The night I saw him, Chris spoke of his band once touring with the Rolling Stones- and how initially awed he was to be in their presence. The older band's minions told him: approach Keith carefully while he's playing snooker. Tell him you want a Guinness. Then he might speak to you. He did, he did, and thereafter he forever did; they became fast friends. Chris asked him why he still endured the life of a road rock artist when he'd already made billions of dollars. "Because it's fun, mate," he answered, "and because I get to play every night with Charlie Fucking Watts!"
(My whole experience that night is recounted shortly after it happened, here.)
Bringing these experiences full circle? Nanci and the grrls ended their round with a song none of them had written, one that Keith and Mick Jagger had: "No Expectations." I hope you two find each other and get a good jam going tonight
* Ending yesterday with a bit of a forwardx paus, wherein an opposing attorney referred to a client of mine as an asshole and I forwarded it intact without noticing until the client, of course, did. All I could reply was, You said pretty much the same thing about him, and I've been called far worse. Haven't heard back from him. Maybe he's prepping for a colonoscopy;)
* Beginning the morning with the discovery that a client had bounced a check on me. I have three simple rules for clients: (1) Don't lie to me; (2) Don't do things I specifically told you NOT to do, or not do things I specifically told you TO do; and (3) Don't bounce checks on me. The third is a revision from "pay my bills in full and on time," because if I enforced that I'd have about four clients. Fortunately, the rubber hit the road at a good time in my bill paying cycle, and the client needs more work, which will expedite getting the problem solved.
* Finding out midday that an unopposed non-hearing, two weeks ago, which in most of my experience would have resulted in a "win" and a signed order in my client's favor by now, was instead turned into an actual (well, virtual) hearing almost two months from now. I suspect it's because I was a little too pushy about getting the judge's staff to tell me how they'd decided. This, also, would have caused problems in financial ways if it meant the client wouldn't be paying for services to date, but I emailed an honest explanation of what happened and we should be caught up partly tomorrow and the rest within a manageable two weeks.
Even though no one of these was particularly bad, the cumulative effect of it all had me in a less than stellar mood by the time I got home. Yet, as with many things, it was music, and a story about music, that turned me around.
----
Around the time I learned of the bad check, I also learned that Lucy Kaplansky had discovered a video she'd never seen before, of her performing in around 1986 with Nanci Griffith. That Youtube is here; I don't remember ever seeing it, and I'm saving this one for later. But it also reminded me of another live performance I do remember us watching almost as far back, in 1991: PBS's Austin City Limits aired an in-the-round performance by five amazing women known for being singer-songwriters. Nanci hosted, and was joined by Mary Chapin Carpenter, both Indigo Girls, and Julie Gold, writer of "From a Distance" that became one of Nanci's biggest hits and an even bigger one when covered by Bette Midler. I tracked it down, posted a link to it-
- and thought it would make a nice repast to watch while we ate tonight.
Which it was. But not before some other news of musical passing came to us later in the day.
----
In addition to losing Nanci earlier in the month, Monday began with news of Don Everly's passing. Country legend Tom T. Hall died in between hers and his. But the literally immortal Keith Richards lost a bandmate just today, with the announced death of longtime Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts.
I was never all that much of a Stones fan, but you've got to respect the talent, the legacy and the endurance. My one and only story about Charlie Watts comes, not from having seen him play, but from someone who shared the same stage. A little over three years ago, I got to see Chris Barron, then and now the front man for the Spin Doctors, at Danny Deutsch’s amazing bar and music venue in Rochester known as Abilene.
The night I saw him, Chris spoke of his band once touring with the Rolling Stones- and how initially awed he was to be in their presence. The older band's minions told him: approach Keith carefully while he's playing snooker. Tell him you want a Guinness. Then he might speak to you. He did, he did, and thereafter he forever did; they became fast friends. Chris asked him why he still endured the life of a road rock artist when he'd already made billions of dollars. "Because it's fun, mate," he answered, "and because I get to play every night with Charlie Fucking Watts!"
(My whole experience that night is recounted shortly after it happened, here.)
Bringing these experiences full circle? Nanci and the grrls ended their round with a song none of them had written, one that Keith and Mick Jagger had: "No Expectations." I hope you two find each other and get a good jam going tonight