Hermitude

I thought this ("hermitude") was a made-up word (made up by me), a noun meaning "a temporary or permanent condition of solitude similar to that of a hermit" or "the attitude of a hermit in preferring or discovering oneself in sustained solitude."

But it turns out to be 1) an Australian hip hop band and 2) indeed, the attitude of a hermit, according to Urban Dictionary (which is usually ruder than this, a condition known [by me] as "ruditude"). Hermitude, dude!

I find myself in (self-defined) hermitude lately, a kind of accidental solitary confine-ment relieved by 1) human contact of a holiday nature 2) engagement with nature of a raking or (necessitated by storm) tree-chopping sort 3) visits by grown children, who then return to a) work or b) college, thus returning me to hermitude, a hermitude shared by my hermit-like artist husband.

It's all good.

Upon return from a Thanks-giving visit, I found a poem of mine, "House-keeping in Downs," originally published in and taped for Menacing Hedge, back in the summer of 2012, had aired on Thanksgiving Day at WGLT's Poetry Radio, here. It is accompanied by "Jeannie's Song," from the album Jeannie's Song, by Tim Green, jazz pianist, and his fellow musicians. Holy Moly, Batman! Tim Green studied Philosophy at Eastern Illinois University, just down the road!--the road we traveled last night, returning our daughter to school!

And Holy Guacamole, Batman! When I went out to get/give the mail today, I learned that our mail carrier's daughter also attends Eastern Illinois University, studying Zoology! It's a Random Coinciday in the blog (and also a gray Blue Monday)!

Not only that, but there's a new theatre review up at Escape Into Life, a review of the New Group's production of The Jacksonian, by Beth Henley. Review by Scott Klavan, art by Sherry Karver. People (and dogs) wearing text, none of them, evidently, in hermitude, dude.