rock and roll musings by Tim Byrnes

Fire in the Whole

    What is today? Thursday? Right. Well, it was Monday morning round about 10. Me and my bassplaying buddy Kenny were having a cup of coffee at the Quickee's Convenience store where I work when my neighbor Steve came in and told me my house was on fire.

    A quick 4 block drive later I'm standing outside the burning shell of my home, pretty much repeating the F word over and over. Don't worry, though, the cats all got out a back window and Buster and Sara were rescued by our local firefighters. Sara, bless her heart my 14 year old hardlife baby, needed oxygen on scene, but is alive and well, albeit a little dusty.

    Truth be told they both look like they both look like they've been shot out of cannons. Once I knew the kids were ok I both relaxed and allowed myself to freakout at the same time. But a funny thing happened. I turned around and saw the concerned faces of my friends, who I had no idea had showed up. My sister appeared out of nowhere. My landlord gave me the keys to my new apartment, #9 in the same facility. My neighbors came out w/dishes and bowls and petfood and leashes and within a half hour my babies were walked, fed and sleeping on new blankets in our new home.

     My guitar, bass and amp survived, singed but intact. In fact they all (especially the amp) look cool as hell with that smokedamaged funkvibe that players spen years trying to achieve!

    In the last few days I have been repeatedly stunned and humbled by the generousity of the people of my town. People I don't even know are leaving boxes of things outside my place, my friends and family seems to be greater than I ever imagined and you can believe I'm feeling pretty shitty about all that crap I've spouted about the 'innate evil' of human nature. As the poet once said "You need a good calamity to set you straight".

     I'm still in a little shock I think and will most likely be ranting about the unfairness of toothpaste before too long but right now I feel lucky to be alive (That's right, I said it!) and am still processing the whole mess. And while I've lost things (My Stooges LP!, My Velvets bootlegs!) I think I've gained yards more in terms of perspective and a better appreciation of life and my fellow man.

   See y'all soon, I gotta go buy like everything. But I'll be smiling as I do.

tb

Posted by: timbyrnes at 16:13 | link | comments (2)

Comments:

#1  13 March 2008 - 16:28

 

Finally, the full story. None of this, "Oh, my place burned down so I'm staying over HERE now.... end transmission...." :P

Anyway, glad to hear y'r handling it well. And would it be unapropos for me to mention that the whole of paragraph #5 looks uncannily like my prayers for you? (And that it gladdens my heart even more than it self-satisfies it? :P 'Cause man, I've kinda NEEDED to see an answer to prayer lately... see again MY last entry...)

Anyway, we'll work out the housing arrangements when I get there in a few weeks. I'll bring cash for Bushy's and spend it on dinner if I can crash in yr new extra room instead.

Love,
the poet his-own-bad-self :)

burninglight

#2  15 March 2008 - 03:23

 

sorry my email was so abrupt, I was in shock and typing at work (didn't have a lot of time). not sure what's up w/my spare room as folks who said they had beds suddenly do not, but I'll know more in the next day or two.

timbyrnes

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