The former probably caused the latter to a great extent; this has not been a good week for me. Anyway, on this day in 1969 King Crimson released In the Court of the Crimson King, which I’m sure makes Don and I feel really old even though it was before either of us were born. Now for the friday5.org Friday Five.

1. "My hands are tied" is an English-language cliché that means "I’d like to do something about this unfortunate situation, but I don’t have the ability or authority." In what current situation do you feel your hands are tied?
Must … resist … literal … interpretation. There’s a lot of stuff I wish I could take care of around the house for Mom, but between all the work I’ve got on my plate right now and this cold, I can’t really do much.

2. Railroad ties are the evenly-spaced slats that lie perpendicular to train tracks and whose function is to hold the tracks in place and to distribute the weight of the train. Who are the railroad ties in your life?
My family. They’re pretty much the only source of stability I have now.

3. What are your feelings about Thai food?
I’ve never had it; my palate is much more suited towards Western foods than Eastern.

4. Whose thighs do you admire?
I really don’t pay attention to things like this in the first place, and particularly right now I’m not looking for anyone in that particular market.

5. A red tide is a proliferation (in ideal circumstances) of oceanic algae that often seem to discolor seawater and threaten other sealife. If the ocean is your life and the algae the harmful attitudes, thoughts, or moods that crowd out the good stuff, under what conditions in your life is red tide most likely to become a problem?
When I’m overstressed and depressed, which has been most of the time lately.