What a week!
Down to the University of Illinois Chicago to rally with the striking faculty.
Up to Evanston for our soup kitchen and half a cola table outside pension thief Robyn Gabel’s district office.
Down to Springfield for the Chicago pension rally.
All between gym time, uke with the kids, blogging, drawing and closely following the Canadian – U.S. hockey matches.
Actually, you can leave out the hockey. I didn’t watch any of it.
Last night we went to hear Steve Earle at the Chicago Winery. He’s there three nights. It was a hard ticket. Anne and I only got to go because my dear brother and sister-in-law decided to go to the warm in LA and left their tickets behind.
Great seats bro. Great set.
Of course, there is a lesson that occurred to me as Anne and I drank our local Chicago wine and listened to Earle.
There was an opening set by a young guy – a Canadian. I won’t mention his name. He was okay. His play list stayed pretty much the same. Same tempo. Same stories. All about being on the road. Leaving home to be on the road. Coming home from being on the road. Girls he met on the road.
That’s because he’s young and he’s only played in a band or sang solo. That’s the sum total of his experience.
And he’s from rural Canada.
But then there was Steve Earle.
Songs about his drug use
Songs about his jail time.
Songs about living in a city of immigrants, of bone and steel.
Songs about women he’s loved and who have loved him.
Songs about war and peace.
Songs about following in the footsteps of Woody.
Songs about Pete.
One of these days I’m gonna lay this hammer down
And I won’t have to drag this weight around
When there ain’t no hunger
And there ain’t no pain
Then I won’t have to swing this thing
One of these day I’m gonna lay this hammer down
One of these nights I’m gonna sing a different tune
All night long beneath the silvery moon
When the war is over
And the union’s strong
Won’t sing no more angry songs
One of these nights I’m gonna sing a different tune
Someday when my struggle’s through
I won’t have to strive
Until then all I can do
Is let my hammer fly
Leave my burden restin’ on the ground
When the air don’t choke ya and the ocean’s clean
And kids don’t die for gasoline
One of these days I’m gonna lay this hammer down
Worked his whole life long
When he made that hammer ring
He always sang this song
And I won’t have to drag this weight around
Then I won’t have to swing this thing
One of these day I’m gonna lay this hammer down
Fred Klonsky 
See what being retired does to you!