OK, so we'll try linking my Akiba page to a real blog, so that users can comment and I can archive easily.

There are a couple of rules for commenting. First, I believe you have to register with Blogger, and second, I'll be moderating comments, so they won't appear in the blog until I approve them. I love getting feedback, but play nice. I'll try to be quick about approving comments.

Today's post has nothing to do with math. Last week I saw Badly Drawn Boy at TLA. I'm embarassed to admit that I hadn't been to TLA since 1980, when it was still a movie theater and I saw a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It looks better inside now. It's a great place to see a show, especially if you're over 21 and can sit in the bar.

Waiting on line before the doors opened, we were treated to a Purim parade, led by dancing Lubavitchers wearing masks, followed by a guy juggling flaming batons (not Marty, I don't think) and then a marching band, playing that traditional Purim favorite, "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover." That particular contingent looked a tad on the Irish side, and though my wife's grandfather was a Irish Jew, I don't think these guys were related. In any event, it was fun.

The show featured a folk singer named Adem, who was perhaps the worst opening act I've ever seen, eclipsing A Flock of Seagulls. The highlights of his act were doing the song from the end of Love Actually on a ukelele and an original song, playing the melody on colorful bells, with lyrics from a children's book called "The Little Fox." The only line I remember is "Squirrels and rabbits say please and thank you."

Badly Drawn Boy was terrific, though. Played for 2 1/2 hours, well past midnight. His songs are very sweet, but he's a complete curmudgeon on stage. A one point, he finished a song from the soundtrack of About a Boy that the whole audience was singing along with, and he muttered, "I'm glad you all enjoyed it because I hate that f-ing song. And I can say that because I wrote it." If you haven't heard him, or maybe vaguely remember him from About a Boy (he did the entire soundtrack), try Hour of the Bewiderbeast." Great album.

I'm tired of doing italics, so I'm changing subjects. Now I want to talk about driving. Many of my students now drive or have their permits, and my 15 year-old is bugging me to take her to a parking lot. Shocking as it may be to some of you, I have strong opinions on driving.

First of all, I just want to remind you all that the objective of driving is simple. It's to get from one place to the next without bumping into anything. If you start there, the rest follows logically. Go the same speed as the rest of the traffic. If at all possible, don't drive with another car right next to you. Don't assume that everyone else will drive safely (people run red lights and pull out from stop signs unexpectedly all the time), but remember that if they don't it's not because they're out to mess with you, they're just bad drivers.