josh okrent and i go way back. so far back i can't remember exactly when we met.
he works for the low income housing institute, thereby living up to his name--o.k. rent.
his band URANUS debuted tonight at the Blue Moon, the best bar in Seattle, bar none.
i went mostly out of support and curiosity, not expecting them to slay, but slay they did.
they opened with an anarchist fight song in spanish, closed 20 minutes later with Transmission
by Joy Division, arranged for drums, bass, keyboard, sax, and trombone. bold move but they pulled it off!
the poet steve cannon once told me, "hit 'em with your best stuff first, then always leave 'em wanting more."
their set was short but the whole night was great. it's not just the bands, it's the community of friends around them.
plus, the Blue Moon is the best bar in Seattle, bar none. i mentioned Roethke to a stranger next to me and we recited
those famous first lines together. shared a smoke with Carlyle and Patrick, the latter a 40-year
regular who to this day hardly ever ventures beyond the neighborhood. speaking with elders
 is time travel and the Blue Moon has been its one mile and one inch from UW since 1934.
after you sit in a chair, part of you remains there. now imagine an 84-year-old barstool.
the spirits were thick in the night. people talked and sang and danced and smiled.
but what shook me to my soul was having an unquestioned surety upended:
everyone knows the Blue Moon is CASH ONLY, but tonight i saw someone slide their plastic across the counter.
"when did they start taking cards?" i asked, incredulous. turns out it's been since 2005.
13 years is a long time to labor under a misapprehension. what else have i got wrong?