The Week In Review (and into tomorrow)

By Lisa Harmon

Well faithful reader(s) what a week it has been! Again we had technical difficulties at Lisa's Clubhouse. (Lisa's Clubhouse is my weekly open mic - and if you're a comic you should come - especially if you're good with technology!)  This always makes me angry and then suicidal. Every time something goes wrong with that amp, I have to bring it home, on the subway. Do you get that I am a middle-aged woman, and lugging heavy stuff through the shit-infested New York City subway system is something I feel is more in line with say, a young man, perhaps with a sinus infection, and not an old woman?!?! I mean, I am so tired of carrying stuff, I take my car keys out of my backpack when I know I'm going to be using the subway. I'm so tired of carrying stuff, I bought a backpack instead of a purse so my sciatica would spread evenly down both sides of my back. I'm so tired of carrying stuff, I don't even take my backpack when I'm just running errands in the neighborhood. Does everyone get it? I'm old, and I don't want to carry stuff!

Thursday night was the show in Bushwick. I've been going to this venue for years, and I've never been mugged!  I guess statistically something's got to give. But so far, so good. I've been pretty lucky living in New York my whole life. So I survived the show, and thankfully, they really like me over there. I play there once a month, and it is always a great crowd – mostly musicians, and they like to laugh. Sure they do, they're just as broke as we comics and laughter is free.

Friday night I had a gig at a restaurant. The food was so good. We ate like hogs and some comics even got some stuff to take home. Me, I don't fool around.  I eat it while its hot!

And happy 4/20 everybody – Pothead day! Today we celebrate by getting high, eating a bunch of potato chips and hostess cakes, and watching Cheech & Chong movies. Same as every day! Dave's not here man....

And now...for some serious stuff...

Tomorrow is April 21^st and we will be commemorating the 98^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Times Square. This genocide was perpetrated by the Turkish government during World War I. They have yet to acknowledge the killings (over one million Armenians were killed) or pay reparations. I have to go to this. This happened, and not to my ancient ancestors. This happened to my Grandfather, whom I sat across the dinner table from for half my life. I'll never give up – my Grandfather and his family didn't deserve that – no one deserved that, and we have to stand up every year to remind the world that this did, indeed happen. The rotten Turkish government won't acknowledge their crimes, and of course, they don't have to since they're all buddy-buddy with the United States.

In fact, I heard that one of Obama's campaign promises from his first run was to put the Genocide resolution through Congress. Of course that didn't happen. You can't pick on a country you need to keep your military bases open for you!

Well the heck with you Turkey and the U.S.A. - we know what happened, the world knows what happened, and tomorrow, in Times Square, you're going to find out that, despite being ignored for ninety-eight years, we haven't forgotten.

If you'd like to join us we'll be at Times Square on Sunday from 2 to 4 P.M.