Okay, so I'm trying this sort of sketch/journal kinda thing with the writing. Still much to work on, but it's a new thing worth trying. Hopefully.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
hm redux
more from the artwork that doesn't exist. title courtesy of dmitry berenson.
Forty Miles Past
your high school graduation is a hilltop.
Below it is a wide valley.
There’s a house for every day of your life.
The first ones to catch the eye, the obvious ones perhaps,
have exceedingly well-manicured lawns, the type
where you can guess the occupants’ lives at a glance.
They’re the types of houses that have guest rooms
with clean sheets and comforters. Pillows that will swallow
your sins while you sleep, turning nightmares to dreams
in the alchemy of their feathered embrace.
Next are the ones with For Rent signs out front.
Again, clean sheets, warm blankets,
but the pillows ask too many questions.
Then there are the ones
where the weeds outnumber
the blades of grass on the lawn,
the houses whose doors stand open like empty mouths,
but everyone knows better than to step inside,
though some still do,
slipping into their unlit interiors,
leaving behind only faint stains
like hope about forgetting, or finding,
or a handful of pennies, a wishing well
and nothing better to do.
Forty Miles Past
your high school graduation is a hilltop.
Below it is a wide valley.
There’s a house for every day of your life.
The first ones to catch the eye, the obvious ones perhaps,
have exceedingly well-manicured lawns, the type
where you can guess the occupants’ lives at a glance.
They’re the types of houses that have guest rooms
with clean sheets and comforters. Pillows that will swallow
your sins while you sleep, turning nightmares to dreams
in the alchemy of their feathered embrace.
Next are the ones with For Rent signs out front.
Again, clean sheets, warm blankets,
but the pillows ask too many questions.
Then there are the ones
where the weeds outnumber
the blades of grass on the lawn,
the houses whose doors stand open like empty mouths,
but everyone knows better than to step inside,
though some still do,
slipping into their unlit interiors,
leaving behind only faint stains
like hope about forgetting, or finding,
or a handful of pennies, a wishing well
and nothing better to do.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
hm again
so, more from the borrowed title category. not sure what's going on here, yet.
maybe that's good?
Still Life with Wounded Mattress
She spent all morning in bed alone, falling in love.
In the evening she learned to hate.
The first part sounds easy, almost inevitable:
how one walks around with a mouth made of vacuum
(an absence, an emptiness, a longing), while the other has a mouth
carved from glass (transparent, fragile, tender). How they meet.
How their mouths form a bell jar and nothing is as it was.
The second part is a bitch:
one learns the power of puzzle pieces embracing,
the joys of compatibility, and the simple yet satisfying
taste of becoming, at last, indispensable
in a very specific corner of the world.
Then the lesson plan changes course.
Despite duality and the long, desperate nights exploring
the nuances of inseparability, a vacuum will always be empty,
and glass still shatters under too much, or too little pressure.
“Oh, wicked seasons of change,” she sobbed,
trapped in the dusky confines of her bed. “I salute you!”
She knew when she was beat.
No matter how hot the sun burns, the ocean still lifts
its wanton lips toward the tawdry song of the moon.
No matter how the moon is a pale reflection of the sun’s face,
or how the sun is a center, a core, a pulling together,
and the moon is a satellite, an echo, a hand holding a mirror.
No matter the awful weight of the sun’s gravity,
she knew she seemed distant, and felt the tiniest nudge
as she imagined them getting slightly farther out of reach.
maybe that's good?
Still Life with Wounded Mattress
She spent all morning in bed alone, falling in love.
In the evening she learned to hate.
The first part sounds easy, almost inevitable:
how one walks around with a mouth made of vacuum
(an absence, an emptiness, a longing), while the other has a mouth
carved from glass (transparent, fragile, tender). How they meet.
How their mouths form a bell jar and nothing is as it was.
The second part is a bitch:
one learns the power of puzzle pieces embracing,
the joys of compatibility, and the simple yet satisfying
taste of becoming, at last, indispensable
in a very specific corner of the world.
Then the lesson plan changes course.
Despite duality and the long, desperate nights exploring
the nuances of inseparability, a vacuum will always be empty,
and glass still shatters under too much, or too little pressure.
“Oh, wicked seasons of change,” she sobbed,
trapped in the dusky confines of her bed. “I salute you!”
She knew when she was beat.
No matter how hot the sun burns, the ocean still lifts
its wanton lips toward the tawdry song of the moon.
No matter how the moon is a pale reflection of the sun’s face,
or how the sun is a center, a core, a pulling together,
and the moon is a satellite, an echo, a hand holding a mirror.
No matter the awful weight of the sun’s gravity,
she knew she seemed distant, and felt the tiniest nudge
as she imagined them getting slightly farther out of reach.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
hm
so, more from the fake titles series of poems.
again, i'm surprised by what's pushing me in the direction of writing, but am not going to complain as long as it's got my brain trying new things.
The Hirihitos at Home
Kenichi was the first to notice.
This is the way of children,
they are still more question than response.
His parents promised it was just a shadow,
as if the sun had stopped at the wrong station
before getting home, but he chased around
the apartment whispering “Grandfather’s here.”
Uncomfortable spots of darkness followed. First a figure
at the refrigerator, then footprints crossed the living room,
with a separate set near the front door like an extra pair of shoes.
They tried leaving their lights on for weeks at a time,
bought extras to flood the home with illumination
like their local market, its aisles fluorescent, immaculate,
but each time the shadow returned, growing more definite.
His parents felt their breath die the first time
they saw Kenichi talking to the shadow on the couch,
head inclined as if waiting for an answer.
Even worse were the answers themselves.
Hazy at first, the family thought they were kanji
inscribed in the air, words they couldn’t quite make out.
Perhaps they were, but soon they melted
into different types of images, carved from smoke
like a photograph on fire, seen from the corner of the eye.
Children running through orchards, a river, clouds breaking
before the impatient sun, vaguely reminding Kenichi’s parents
of a place they’d seen, or dreamt, or remembered.
Mostly the photos were of summer days.
The trees had lost their bloom. Small clouds of dust gathered
around their feet as the children stood, half-turned, eyes closed
as if waiting for the first strike from the wicked hand of the sun.
Other times the images were of the fall or winter, leaves falling
or gone. The ground was broken as if the sun had lingered too long.
The trees bowed their unburdened shoulders in a long, dreamless sleep
while the children looked around, their eyes like over-ripe oranges,
full of questions that would bear no answers.
There was no sign of spring.
again, i'm surprised by what's pushing me in the direction of writing, but am not going to complain as long as it's got my brain trying new things.
The Hirihitos at Home
Kenichi was the first to notice.
This is the way of children,
they are still more question than response.
His parents promised it was just a shadow,
as if the sun had stopped at the wrong station
before getting home, but he chased around
the apartment whispering “Grandfather’s here.”
Uncomfortable spots of darkness followed. First a figure
at the refrigerator, then footprints crossed the living room,
with a separate set near the front door like an extra pair of shoes.
They tried leaving their lights on for weeks at a time,
bought extras to flood the home with illumination
like their local market, its aisles fluorescent, immaculate,
but each time the shadow returned, growing more definite.
His parents felt their breath die the first time
they saw Kenichi talking to the shadow on the couch,
head inclined as if waiting for an answer.
Even worse were the answers themselves.
Hazy at first, the family thought they were kanji
inscribed in the air, words they couldn’t quite make out.
Perhaps they were, but soon they melted
into different types of images, carved from smoke
like a photograph on fire, seen from the corner of the eye.
Children running through orchards, a river, clouds breaking
before the impatient sun, vaguely reminding Kenichi’s parents
of a place they’d seen, or dreamt, or remembered.
Mostly the photos were of summer days.
The trees had lost their bloom. Small clouds of dust gathered
around their feet as the children stood, half-turned, eyes closed
as if waiting for the first strike from the wicked hand of the sun.
Other times the images were of the fall or winter, leaves falling
or gone. The ground was broken as if the sun had lingered too long.
The trees bowed their unburdened shoulders in a long, dreamless sleep
while the children looked around, their eyes like over-ripe oranges,
full of questions that would bear no answers.
There was no sign of spring.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
office depot poetry
so, i asked a couple of friends for titles of art pieces (any kind: paintings, music, poetry, whatever...) that don't exist. wrote them down and am trying to use them as inspiration for some new poems. not sure i'll use every single one, but i surprised myself with which one provided the first bit of inspiration. seriously surprised.
thanks to the office depot website, by the way, for helping me remember exactly what all types of office paraphernalia exists... i work in one, of course, but once i began writing, i was drawing a blank after the first two items... makes you realize how little we actually pay attention to the unimportant things, huh?
Work song 43
Bert has come to a decision:
he is a paper clip.
First, the obvious:
he holds this place together.
He’s bigger than he looks.
If left in one place long enough, he leaves an impression.
Everything about him speaks of pressure and convenience.
He might have been the stapler at one point
but permanence is no longer his number one priority.
Flexibility is his new keyword,
which is why he is also not the ruler,
pushpins, binder clips, or glue stick.
He left his tendency toward scissoring
in the top drawer after realizing each cut
is an eternity of decisions in the making.
The coffee pot is too comforting.
The eraser admits mistakes.
He’s no longer transparent, so not the scotch tape,
and he’s neither supportive, nor lazy enough to be the dispenser.
Once, he was a time clock,
considered becoming a paper shredder,
and for an entire month he did his best imitation
of post-it notes.
No more, though. He’s accepted this paper clip life,
steel twisting unto itself, thought of as clever,
but not ingenious.
Tonight, he’ll come home, following the pens
and pencils of the world. He’ll wrap one thin arm
across your photocopied shoulders and you might
love him for all the things he’s not.
thanks to the office depot website, by the way, for helping me remember exactly what all types of office paraphernalia exists... i work in one, of course, but once i began writing, i was drawing a blank after the first two items... makes you realize how little we actually pay attention to the unimportant things, huh?
Work song 43
Bert has come to a decision:
he is a paper clip.
First, the obvious:
he holds this place together.
He’s bigger than he looks.
If left in one place long enough, he leaves an impression.
Everything about him speaks of pressure and convenience.
He might have been the stapler at one point
but permanence is no longer his number one priority.
Flexibility is his new keyword,
which is why he is also not the ruler,
pushpins, binder clips, or glue stick.
He left his tendency toward scissoring
in the top drawer after realizing each cut
is an eternity of decisions in the making.
The coffee pot is too comforting.
The eraser admits mistakes.
He’s no longer transparent, so not the scotch tape,
and he’s neither supportive, nor lazy enough to be the dispenser.
Once, he was a time clock,
considered becoming a paper shredder,
and for an entire month he did his best imitation
of post-it notes.
No more, though. He’s accepted this paper clip life,
steel twisting unto itself, thought of as clever,
but not ingenious.
Tonight, he’ll come home, following the pens
and pencils of the world. He’ll wrap one thin arm
across your photocopied shoulders and you might
love him for all the things he’s not.
Monday, October 09, 2006
from a challenge
my friend and i came up with a challenge to write about her dislike for chatting on the phone.
i don't know the entire story, so consider this completely fictional... as... it is.
Three Variations on Lisa Not Answering the Phone
1. She has great ring tones.
Marvin Gaye signals the latest guy to almost make her speed dial.
She holds the phone to her cheek as if it had lips
and wonders what he’s breathing into her voicemail.
Her fingers trace the delicate outline of the speaker… but always,
always he stops singing right at the part where
2. Something is stealing her words.
She used to imagine them pouring out
like an army of ants, lunch pails in hand, hard hats
square on their inky little heads, carrying her messages
along miles of telephone line before emerging
into the sunlight of her lover’s ear.
Now, they spin like lopsided butterflies
from tower to tower, chased by hungry birds
or taking a wrong turn at an accumulation of clouds
that remind her of Albuquerque.
She says, “I’m going to pick up groceries tonight,”
but “I don’t love you. I’m a serial monogamist
waiting for something better to come along,”
crashes like the Red Sea onto the Roman Legion
at the other end of the conversation.
“Why don’t we meet at Muy Thai tonight at 7?”
becomes “It’s not you, it’s me. I can’t find
myself interested in anyone who is intrigued
by the emotional wreckage of my life.”
“I can’t sleep because I hate waking up
with a bruise on the other side of the bed,”:
“I have to go. It’s time for me to brush my teeth.”
3. The universe is expanding, the world shrinking.
Every second of every day,
galaxies are moving farther apart than she’ll travel
her entire life, blinking Morse-code torch songs
that would put Billie Holiday to shame,
which will naturally be misinterpreted by newly-christened
lovers as the merry fucking twinkling of stars.
Yet she finds it entirely too easy to dial an ex-
boyfriend who moved to Iowa five years ago
and indulge in late-night longing for his prodigal kiss.
She knows he turns his cell phone off after work,
but calls just to hear him recite his number and promise
to call back. She dials it again and again, and each time
some part of her wants the message to change,
even the inflection of his voice. It doesn’t, of course,
so she snaps her phone shut and wonders
if he’s put his children to bed already.
i don't know the entire story, so consider this completely fictional... as... it is.
Three Variations on Lisa Not Answering the Phone
1. She has great ring tones.
Marvin Gaye signals the latest guy to almost make her speed dial.
She holds the phone to her cheek as if it had lips
and wonders what he’s breathing into her voicemail.
Her fingers trace the delicate outline of the speaker… but always,
always he stops singing right at the part where
2. Something is stealing her words.
She used to imagine them pouring out
like an army of ants, lunch pails in hand, hard hats
square on their inky little heads, carrying her messages
along miles of telephone line before emerging
into the sunlight of her lover’s ear.
Now, they spin like lopsided butterflies
from tower to tower, chased by hungry birds
or taking a wrong turn at an accumulation of clouds
that remind her of Albuquerque.
She says, “I’m going to pick up groceries tonight,”
but “I don’t love you. I’m a serial monogamist
waiting for something better to come along,”
crashes like the Red Sea onto the Roman Legion
at the other end of the conversation.
“Why don’t we meet at Muy Thai tonight at 7?”
becomes “It’s not you, it’s me. I can’t find
myself interested in anyone who is intrigued
by the emotional wreckage of my life.”
“I can’t sleep because I hate waking up
with a bruise on the other side of the bed,”:
“I have to go. It’s time for me to brush my teeth.”
3. The universe is expanding, the world shrinking.
Every second of every day,
galaxies are moving farther apart than she’ll travel
her entire life, blinking Morse-code torch songs
that would put Billie Holiday to shame,
which will naturally be misinterpreted by newly-christened
lovers as the merry fucking twinkling of stars.
Yet she finds it entirely too easy to dial an ex-
boyfriend who moved to Iowa five years ago
and indulge in late-night longing for his prodigal kiss.
She knows he turns his cell phone off after work,
but calls just to hear him recite his number and promise
to call back. She dials it again and again, and each time
some part of her wants the message to change,
even the inflection of his voice. It doesn’t, of course,
so she snaps her phone shut and wonders
if he’s put his children to bed already.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
long days
and little sleep lead to odd poems, i guess.
here's something new that i've been working on the past week or two.
The Day the Earth Stood
The world didn’t stop today.
In this city, where buildings grow tall
and cast shadows across the river like
they belong there, nobody took an awkward
half-step as filing cabinets and fax machines
strained to slow their momentum,
swaying like some underwater ballet.
No secrets were whispered to lawnmowers,
silencing the snores of their larcenous mouths.
There was no lack of fires reported today.
Accidents.
Murders.
None.
The radios and televisions didn’t cover
their eyes, their ears, their mouths.
The computers didn’t blink their sleepy
faces and turn in for the night.
No hush swept across the bridges,
shushing impatient cars, busy with the gossip
of their angry indifference.
There were no signs of a man whose smile
would probably remind you of a compound fracture,
and he wasn’t sitting on a concrete bench
in a cemetery, facing west.
Most certainly, he didn’t have a fishing pole.
Lacking, as he was, in fishing paraphernalia,
he didn’t wait, facing the sun as it slid down
the stair-rail of the sky, casting his line over
one headstone after another before reeling it back
with a slow shake of his head.
The hook didn’t clink off marble angel wings,
or clank on the smooth, bald pate of any stone
friars. It didn’t swing in a lazy Sunday afternoon
arc at the end of the line until it wrapped itself so tightly
around a cross he had to wade through the verdant
lake of stone to get it back.
He wasn’t thinking about a girl whose smile
would make you think of scars, or how she liked
to make shadow puppets with a pair of scissors
and any conveniently placed wrists.
At no point did he not imagine a tug at the line,
didn’t feel it go taut, thrumming like a guitar string
just out of tune, an awkward note spilling across the skyline
like a stone creasing the sleepy surface of a pond.
He didn’t imagine happiness as a fish swimming upstream
in this sad little river of a world, where desire was bait dangled
on the fish-hook of love, where life was a house on a hot summer evening,
where memory was a fan softly caressing your face with brush strokes
of the past, where time was a record player sitting in another room,
stuck at the end of an album whose name you can’t quite remember,
where you are a song that finished playing an hour ago,
but I can almost hear it again in the rumble of the needle’s kiss.
here's something new that i've been working on the past week or two.
The Day the Earth Stood
The world didn’t stop today.
In this city, where buildings grow tall
and cast shadows across the river like
they belong there, nobody took an awkward
half-step as filing cabinets and fax machines
strained to slow their momentum,
swaying like some underwater ballet.
No secrets were whispered to lawnmowers,
silencing the snores of their larcenous mouths.
There was no lack of fires reported today.
Accidents.
Murders.
None.
The radios and televisions didn’t cover
their eyes, their ears, their mouths.
The computers didn’t blink their sleepy
faces and turn in for the night.
No hush swept across the bridges,
shushing impatient cars, busy with the gossip
of their angry indifference.
There were no signs of a man whose smile
would probably remind you of a compound fracture,
and he wasn’t sitting on a concrete bench
in a cemetery, facing west.
Most certainly, he didn’t have a fishing pole.
Lacking, as he was, in fishing paraphernalia,
he didn’t wait, facing the sun as it slid down
the stair-rail of the sky, casting his line over
one headstone after another before reeling it back
with a slow shake of his head.
The hook didn’t clink off marble angel wings,
or clank on the smooth, bald pate of any stone
friars. It didn’t swing in a lazy Sunday afternoon
arc at the end of the line until it wrapped itself so tightly
around a cross he had to wade through the verdant
lake of stone to get it back.
He wasn’t thinking about a girl whose smile
would make you think of scars, or how she liked
to make shadow puppets with a pair of scissors
and any conveniently placed wrists.
At no point did he not imagine a tug at the line,
didn’t feel it go taut, thrumming like a guitar string
just out of tune, an awkward note spilling across the skyline
like a stone creasing the sleepy surface of a pond.
He didn’t imagine happiness as a fish swimming upstream
in this sad little river of a world, where desire was bait dangled
on the fish-hook of love, where life was a house on a hot summer evening,
where memory was a fan softly caressing your face with brush strokes
of the past, where time was a record player sitting in another room,
stuck at the end of an album whose name you can’t quite remember,
where you are a song that finished playing an hour ago,
but I can almost hear it again in the rumble of the needle’s kiss.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
horror and sci-fi and poets oh my!
been holed up all weekend with a pile of books. started with the mammoth book of horror (2005), some eric nylund (signal to noise) and a stack of poetry books, including jennifer michael hecht's new book funny. not to mention opening my head up and listening to the quiet roar as i dive back into jorie graham's overlord.
A couple of samples:
Blind Love
Lady says, Doc, I think I need glasses.
Teller says, You sure do, Lady, this is a bank.
Lady wanders out, it's winter, wonders whether
other things have got mistaken, too.
At home she ambles through the house
with the sudden feeling that it all has been
rewritten. Notices a shadow as ivy peels from brick,
clatter of silverware drawer, a quarter
on her bathroom floor. As on a vase the piper
plays not to the ear but to the more endeared
inner listener, so, quiet in an April afternoon,
late sun erupts a riot into her room.
Coin and cutlery grow red; wood glows golden in the hall.
Outside, ivy tendrils find new purchase on the wall.
--Jennifer Michael Hecht
Little Exercise
The screen is full of voices, all of them holding their tongues.
Certain things have to be "undergone," yes.
To come to a greater state of consciousness, yes.
Let the face show itself through the screen.
Let the organizing eyes show themselves.
Let them float to the surface of this shine and glow there.
The world now being killed by its children. Also its guests.
An oracle? --a sniper, a child beater, a dying parent in the house,
a soil so overfedd it cannot hold a root system in place?
Look--the slightest wind undoes the young crop.
Are we "beyond salvation"? Wil you not speak?
Such a large absence--shall it not compel the largest presence?
Can we not break the wall?
And can it please not be a mirror lord?
--Jorie Graham
A couple of samples:
Blind Love
Lady says, Doc, I think I need glasses.
Teller says, You sure do, Lady, this is a bank.
Lady wanders out, it's winter, wonders whether
other things have got mistaken, too.
At home she ambles through the house
with the sudden feeling that it all has been
rewritten. Notices a shadow as ivy peels from brick,
clatter of silverware drawer, a quarter
on her bathroom floor. As on a vase the piper
plays not to the ear but to the more endeared
inner listener, so, quiet in an April afternoon,
late sun erupts a riot into her room.
Coin and cutlery grow red; wood glows golden in the hall.
Outside, ivy tendrils find new purchase on the wall.
--Jennifer Michael Hecht
Little Exercise
The screen is full of voices, all of them holding their tongues.
Certain things have to be "undergone," yes.
To come to a greater state of consciousness, yes.
Let the face show itself through the screen.
Let the organizing eyes show themselves.
Let them float to the surface of this shine and glow there.
The world now being killed by its children. Also its guests.
An oracle? --a sniper, a child beater, a dying parent in the house,
a soil so overfedd it cannot hold a root system in place?
Look--the slightest wind undoes the young crop.
Are we "beyond salvation"? Wil you not speak?
Such a large absence--shall it not compel the largest presence?
Can we not break the wall?
And can it please not be a mirror lord?
--Jorie Graham
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
penile festival?
yeah. so, my friend sent me a link to a festival for um... penises.
you read that correctly.
penisfest2006.
evidently, it's the festival of kanamara in kawasaki, in japan. fertility.
check it out. giant phalluses on the streets. and candy.
yep. you guessed it.
http://arunosan.free.fr/Arunosan_v2/diapo/affiche.php?c=133
you read that correctly.
penisfest2006.
evidently, it's the festival of kanamara in kawasaki, in japan. fertility.
check it out. giant phalluses on the streets. and candy.
yep. you guessed it.
http://arunosan.free.fr/Arunosan_v2/diapo/affiche.php?c=133
Sunday, August 20, 2006
CD, Baby
so, one of the new and fun things that i've learned about just this week, from cdbaby is that part of their distribution deal includes making you available through a variety of digital distribution services.
including itunes.
yeah...
so, sometime probably next week, i'll be able to download myself. or... you can.
woot.
more news soonish-ish.
including itunes.
yeah...
so, sometime probably next week, i'll be able to download myself. or... you can.
woot.
more news soonish-ish.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
the simple answer
being the best, how come it takes us so long to arrive there sometimes?
is fate some kind of train system, or demonic public transportation? i know, i know... journey.
journey can kiss my ass. there are some days when i'd prefer to wake up and say, "oh that's what's going to happen, and i understand why."
yeah?
is fate some kind of train system, or demonic public transportation? i know, i know... journey.
journey can kiss my ass. there are some days when i'd prefer to wake up and say, "oh that's what's going to happen, and i understand why."
yeah?
Friday, August 04, 2006
follow up
to said experiment... i dreamed in blues riffs last night.
this morning and then this afternoon... put together the track for the cd that has been driving me apeshit for the past few months.
okay, so it didn't make me an accomplished musician overnight,but hey i got enough inspiration to figure out which direction to head.
now, music lessons?
this morning and then this afternoon... put together the track for the cd that has been driving me apeshit for the past few months.
okay, so it didn't make me an accomplished musician overnight,but hey i got enough inspiration to figure out which direction to head.
now, music lessons?
Thursday, August 03, 2006
an experiment
before you go to sleep tonight... whisper to yourself 33 1/3 times, "anything is possible."
see what happens.
see what happens.
Monday, July 31, 2006
one week (and some change)
ok, so back from the wilds of idyllwild. if a place that has a pretty darn nice chinese restaraunt can be referred to as wild, of course.
first things first... what a great time up there hanging out with friends and talking poetry.
and the hiking was great. i have the bruises to prove it.
second, what a great time at the oc fair last night. watched x (great band, great show), rollins band (henry is still angry after all these years, bless his angry heart) and a new band from austin, who were worth the price of admission alone just for watching the lead singer climb around the first few rows of the pacific amphitheatre and scream punk lyrics at an oc grandma. all this while having an incredibly tasty cinammon roll. cinnapunk. nummy.
not to mention one of the longest, best, tastiest and happiest gorging fests in recent... hell, in any memory. still burping.
'scuse me.
finally, or almost finally, still hard at work on the cd. which reminds me... joe henry. alt-country? i dunno, but tasty good work. check it out, you won't regret it. (for example, from like she was a hammer: Like she was the Roosevelt's funeral in the street. Like she was the wireless voice out of the jungle Like she was the only thing calling out to me.)
and finally, finally, really finally, something new, and something revised. sorry about the long post, but i was actually busy not writing here for a few days instead of just slackin' off. nice, huh?
A Poem Still in Search of a Title
A thunderstorm passes overhead
and I think, this is how it should have been:
a slow gathering of tension, electricity,
earthquakes in the air.
But like so many things in my life,
it began as a half-hearted joke.
In this case, it was a question about a goodnight kiss.
There was a pause that stretched
from the open door of your car
to the end of my street.
You said, “Get in.”
So we drove, the way we had after so many late-shifts,
carrying an unasked question like a phantom passenger;
except now he was a hitchhiker we should never have picked up.
We parked, and there we were, half-draped across each other’s seats,
our tongues exploring the landscapes of new mouths,
our hands trying to appear calm while they deciphered
the secret language of button hooks and button flies.
I remember thinking,
What a marvelous machine, this mouth, these hands,
this knee slowly convincing your legs to part.
How incredible their design and ability to learn,
while I stand outside the passenger door
of a car on a street I nearly grew up on,
once-familiar trees reflected in windows dense with steam,
where you are about to half-moan “We have to be safe.”
Then suddenly I’m here again, and you’re there,
only somehow, I have a finger inside you.
All I can think of to say is a nod.
So we drive to the 7-11,
nearly get lost beneath the fluorescent lights,
try to become translucent as we slip down the aisle
with cough medicine, combs and Visine;
allow strangers’ gazes to pass through us
as we browse thickness and thinness, shapes, sizes and flavors;
promise ourselves a trip somewhere tropical
if we manage to escape.
We never took that trip.
We didn’t put any thunderstorms to shame.
If we were anything that night, we were the shadows of clouds,
rain clinging to leaves before it finds the ground,
and perhaps for a moment, just a moment,
we were lightning coaxing fire from trees.
dictionary entries about ex-girlfriends
nan·cy
: the sound of squeaking as a car door closes
chris·tine
1 : lack of belief in true north 2 : a study of molecules in the electron shell, and their tendency toward non-static behavior
ma·ggie
: to simulate the appearance of rapid movement, while remaining completely still
he·len
: the faculty or phenomena of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for; also : an instance of this
gi·na
: bridesmaid
ell·a
1 a: handmaiden in a fictional medieval village, blessed at birth with the gift of information b : the act of being caught between traditional romanian beliefs and a twisted re-telling of cinderella
dar·cy
: an alternate title for one of Houdini’s early escapes involving handcuffs and submersion
ra·chel
1 : a scattering of mobile homes 2 : from the old English: halig; akin to hal--whole, complete
kim and tra·ci
: marked by or containing elements of the apocalypse
da·na
1 : an exaggerated feeling of culpability for offenses 2 : impurities found in the deepest strata, invisible to the naked eye
jenn
: first and last hour of sunlight, when lighting is softer and warmer but shadows may shift rapidly
first things first... what a great time up there hanging out with friends and talking poetry.
and the hiking was great. i have the bruises to prove it.
second, what a great time at the oc fair last night. watched x (great band, great show), rollins band (henry is still angry after all these years, bless his angry heart) and a new band from austin, who were worth the price of admission alone just for watching the lead singer climb around the first few rows of the pacific amphitheatre and scream punk lyrics at an oc grandma. all this while having an incredibly tasty cinammon roll. cinnapunk. nummy.
not to mention one of the longest, best, tastiest and happiest gorging fests in recent... hell, in any memory. still burping.
'scuse me.
finally, or almost finally, still hard at work on the cd. which reminds me... joe henry. alt-country? i dunno, but tasty good work. check it out, you won't regret it. (for example, from like she was a hammer: Like she was the Roosevelt's funeral in the street. Like she was the wireless voice out of the jungle Like she was the only thing calling out to me.)
and finally, finally, really finally, something new, and something revised. sorry about the long post, but i was actually busy not writing here for a few days instead of just slackin' off. nice, huh?
A Poem Still in Search of a Title
A thunderstorm passes overhead
and I think, this is how it should have been:
a slow gathering of tension, electricity,
earthquakes in the air.
But like so many things in my life,
it began as a half-hearted joke.
In this case, it was a question about a goodnight kiss.
There was a pause that stretched
from the open door of your car
to the end of my street.
You said, “Get in.”
So we drove, the way we had after so many late-shifts,
carrying an unasked question like a phantom passenger;
except now he was a hitchhiker we should never have picked up.
We parked, and there we were, half-draped across each other’s seats,
our tongues exploring the landscapes of new mouths,
our hands trying to appear calm while they deciphered
the secret language of button hooks and button flies.
I remember thinking,
What a marvelous machine, this mouth, these hands,
this knee slowly convincing your legs to part.
How incredible their design and ability to learn,
while I stand outside the passenger door
of a car on a street I nearly grew up on,
once-familiar trees reflected in windows dense with steam,
where you are about to half-moan “We have to be safe.”
Then suddenly I’m here again, and you’re there,
only somehow, I have a finger inside you.
All I can think of to say is a nod.
So we drive to the 7-11,
nearly get lost beneath the fluorescent lights,
try to become translucent as we slip down the aisle
with cough medicine, combs and Visine;
allow strangers’ gazes to pass through us
as we browse thickness and thinness, shapes, sizes and flavors;
promise ourselves a trip somewhere tropical
if we manage to escape.
We never took that trip.
We didn’t put any thunderstorms to shame.
If we were anything that night, we were the shadows of clouds,
rain clinging to leaves before it finds the ground,
and perhaps for a moment, just a moment,
we were lightning coaxing fire from trees.
dictionary entries about ex-girlfriends
nan·cy
: the sound of squeaking as a car door closes
chris·tine
1 : lack of belief in true north 2 : a study of molecules in the electron shell, and their tendency toward non-static behavior
ma·ggie
: to simulate the appearance of rapid movement, while remaining completely still
he·len
: the faculty or phenomena of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for; also : an instance of this
gi·na
: bridesmaid
ell·a
1 a: handmaiden in a fictional medieval village, blessed at birth with the gift of information b : the act of being caught between traditional romanian beliefs and a twisted re-telling of cinderella
dar·cy
: an alternate title for one of Houdini’s early escapes involving handcuffs and submersion
ra·chel
1 : a scattering of mobile homes 2 : from the old English: halig; akin to hal--whole, complete
kim and tra·ci
: marked by or containing elements of the apocalypse
da·na
1 : an exaggerated feeling of culpability for offenses 2 : impurities found in the deepest strata, invisible to the naked eye
jenn
: first and last hour of sunlight, when lighting is softer and warmer but shadows may shift rapidly
Sunday, July 09, 2006
definition
so, with the summer swelter comes a new idea.
take one part dictionary, two parts googleism and three parts unresolved history, and voila!
def·i·ni·tion
nan·cy
1 : the stripped essence of a person 2 a : an ex- b to fail to keep, sustain, or maintain <le matin froid de décembre, elle était nancy > 3 : the wild thistle
chris·tine
1 : lack of belief in true north 2 : unfaithfulness to a moral obligation 3 : a study of molecules in the electron shell, and their tendency toward non-static behavior
he·len
1 : the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for; also : an instance of this 2 : "extraterrestrial highway" located 40 miles west of the junction of sr 318 and us 93 in western lincoln county
jenn
1: daughter of the mayor of the spring sun 2: a condition leading to the loss of all function of the vocal chords 3 : possessing polarity towards nerds : something that strongly attracts, see also lifeguard
gi·na
: bridesmaid
da·na
1 : a feeling of culpability for offenses 2: environmentally friendly, see also seminar titled “sexy part ii” 3: daughter of max and miriya sterling 4: impurities found in the deepest strata, invisible to the naked eye
ell·a
1 : winner of the contest 2 a: handmaiden in a fictional medieval village, blessed at birth by a fairy with the gift of information b : the act of being caught between traditional romanian beliefs and a twisted re-telling of the fairy tale classic cinderella
ra·chel
1 : recommended 2 : a scattering of mobile homes, originally from illinois, now nestled in the foothills of the san gabriel mountains <celui qui allait a la premiere> 3: temporarily assigned 4 : wife of jacob and the mother of joseph and benjamin
take one part dictionary, two parts googleism and three parts unresolved history, and voila!
def·i·ni·tion
nan·cy
1 : the stripped essence of a person 2 a : an ex- b to fail to keep, sustain, or maintain <le matin froid de décembre, elle était nancy > 3 : the wild thistle
chris·tine
1 : lack of belief in true north 2 : unfaithfulness to a moral obligation 3 : a study of molecules in the electron shell, and their tendency toward non-static behavior
he·len
1 : the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for; also : an instance of this 2 : "extraterrestrial highway" located 40 miles west of the junction of sr 318 and us 93 in western lincoln county
jenn
1: daughter of the mayor of the spring sun 2: a condition leading to the loss of all function of the vocal chords 3 : possessing polarity towards nerds : something that strongly attracts, see also lifeguard
gi·na
: bridesmaid
da·na
1 : a feeling of culpability for offenses 2: environmentally friendly, see also seminar titled “sexy part ii” 3: daughter of max and miriya sterling 4: impurities found in the deepest strata, invisible to the naked eye
ell·a
1 : winner of the contest 2 a: handmaiden in a fictional medieval village, blessed at birth by a fairy with the gift of information b : the act of being caught between traditional romanian beliefs and a twisted re-telling of the fairy tale classic cinderella
ra·chel
1 : recommended 2 : a scattering of mobile homes, originally from illinois, now nestled in the foothills of the san gabriel mountains <celui qui allait a la premiere> 3: temporarily assigned 4 : wife of jacob and the mother of joseph and benjamin
getting warmish
ok, so i'm here in rancho cucamonga today (go ahead, say it... rrrrancho cucamooooonga... fun, huh?), and it's hot. brain meltingly hot. hot enough the portable generator we're using to power our fans and my sound system keeps kicking off because even the machine wants a break.
but hey, we're starting to have bursts of activity at work. after a few weeks of moseying, it's felt good to get back in the saddle and gallop a bit. and unlike before, i know that the galloping isn't going to be a way of life every day in every way, getting faster and faster and longer and longer.
still, it feels good to be busy and stretching out to solve problems again.
weird much?
but hey, we're starting to have bursts of activity at work. after a few weeks of moseying, it's felt good to get back in the saddle and gallop a bit. and unlike before, i know that the galloping isn't going to be a way of life every day in every way, getting faster and faster and longer and longer.
still, it feels good to be busy and stretching out to solve problems again.
weird much?
Sunday, June 25, 2006
a year (nearly) in review
so, it came to mind recently, that i've had this blog nearly a year now.
i also realized that i haven't really posted all that much.
that doesn't mean that i haven't been busy, right? i've lost and then gained a job. dated. slept. read. ate. did all the things that go into a life. filled time with games and books and music and friends.
but what it makes me think about more and more is the fact that a lot of that life is not merely undocumented in a a very sollipsistic way... but that i haven't really been attempting to lead a life worth talking about.
not to get deeply psychoanalytical, but um... there's life out there. and there's life in here. and i don't really avoid mirrors so much as don't pay attention to what they're saying to me.
there's this person that we all imagine ourselves to be... who's better looking, better dressed, richer and incredibly more successful and well-loved than any of us could hope to be.
then there's us.
and there's something in between that we should be aiming for, isn't there? some place where the two dots connect occassionally?
well, here's a toast to that third person and the fond hopes that we meet in the mirror someday.
more later. (really? yeah, really)
i also realized that i haven't really posted all that much.
that doesn't mean that i haven't been busy, right? i've lost and then gained a job. dated. slept. read. ate. did all the things that go into a life. filled time with games and books and music and friends.
but what it makes me think about more and more is the fact that a lot of that life is not merely undocumented in a a very sollipsistic way... but that i haven't really been attempting to lead a life worth talking about.
not to get deeply psychoanalytical, but um... there's life out there. and there's life in here. and i don't really avoid mirrors so much as don't pay attention to what they're saying to me.
there's this person that we all imagine ourselves to be... who's better looking, better dressed, richer and incredibly more successful and well-loved than any of us could hope to be.
then there's us.
and there's something in between that we should be aiming for, isn't there? some place where the two dots connect occassionally?
well, here's a toast to that third person and the fond hopes that we meet in the mirror someday.
more later. (really? yeah, really)
Sunday, May 14, 2006
progress?
don't know... but here's another revision of a section. still writing stuff, so that's um.. something.
bobby's best friend stares at an image of a girl so hard
a village in the Congo, like this one minus the jeans,
bursts into flames.
he can tell from the way her lips crumble when she smiles,
they're made of ash.
from the way she disappears,
he knows that loving her would be
like holding a lungful of smoke,
but he wants to say none of it matters:
the sniper in her glance, the graveyard in her chest,
even the wrists she treats like an abortion,
because fire doesn't die, it sleeps deep inside,
waiting for a cup of monday morning coffee and a whisper
to tickle her awake, saying, "it's time. let's get to work."
bobby's best friend stares at an image of a girl so hard
a village in the Congo, like this one minus the jeans,
bursts into flames.
he can tell from the way her lips crumble when she smiles,
they're made of ash.
from the way she disappears,
he knows that loving her would be
like holding a lungful of smoke,
but he wants to say none of it matters:
the sniper in her glance, the graveyard in her chest,
even the wrists she treats like an abortion,
because fire doesn't die, it sleeps deep inside,
waiting for a cup of monday morning coffee and a whisper
to tickle her awake, saying, "it's time. let's get to work."
pop quiz
have you ever found yourself digging yourself in a hole?
a really deep, dark hole?
imagine for a moment that instead of a shovel, you've been using a rusty teaspoon, and that instead of say, 20 minutes, it's been a few years.
now imagine that the light is getting dim because you've gotten that deep and walls of your hole aren't letting any light in and your spoon just snapped in two.
what do you do?
a really deep, dark hole?
imagine for a moment that instead of a shovel, you've been using a rusty teaspoon, and that instead of say, 20 minutes, it's been a few years.
now imagine that the light is getting dim because you've gotten that deep and walls of your hole aren't letting any light in and your spoon just snapped in two.
what do you do?
Saturday, May 13, 2006
in progress, still
ok, so still working on that same damn piece, all these months later.
here's another section, in case you're keeping score.
bobby's little brother washes his hands.
he doesn't know how to spell aqueduct,
once guessed rasputin was a mixed drink,
dreams his home is a tinderbox and the rest
of the world is playing with matches.
he’s never known a time when people
gathered in barns, laughter like a roll of thunder
following the lightning of their songs,
spilled from lips dry as the fields, the ashes of their lives
mixed in a bowl of cereal, soaking through the soil of their skin.
his hands are dirty, so he washes them.
he knows what pressure sounds like, but not how it feels,
simply reaches out, and the thirsty mouths
of the rivers of the world open before him.
here's another section, in case you're keeping score.
bobby's little brother washes his hands.
he doesn't know how to spell aqueduct,
once guessed rasputin was a mixed drink,
dreams his home is a tinderbox and the rest
of the world is playing with matches.
he’s never known a time when people
gathered in barns, laughter like a roll of thunder
following the lightning of their songs,
spilled from lips dry as the fields, the ashes of their lives
mixed in a bowl of cereal, soaking through the soil of their skin.
his hands are dirty, so he washes them.
he knows what pressure sounds like, but not how it feels,
simply reaches out, and the thirsty mouths
of the rivers of the world open before him.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
missing link
okay, so in case you haven't discovered kelly link, well, you should. combines intriguing and fun storytelling with offkilter mysticism that should keep you coming back. all of this on top of some downright poetry in prose.
really.
two examples that are from magic for beginners... available on amazon, if nowhere else. check it out.
short sample from the the cannon (and yeah, um.. it's about a cannon.. kinda):
after my brother is fired from the cannon, his two youngest wives will take his place in the cannon. they are wearing his luggage on their backs, filled with his belongings, his books, his golf clubs, his correspondences, his record collection, his toiletries, his identification. his wives will climb into the cannon and leave the cannon in much the same way that my brother will leave it, but they won't go to the same place he is going. men and women don't travel to the same place.
and a longer sample from the cannon:
q: why must the cannon be fired?
a: the cannon must be fired because that is the reason for cannons. ordinance must be placed in the cannon. ordinance must be fired out of the cannon. the cannon serves no other purpose. a man may accidentally fall asleep in a cannon, or take shelter in a cannon from a rainstorm, or hide from his enemies in a cannon, but in the end, the cannon must be fired.
i once fornicated with a married woman inside the sweet mouth. she was agoraphobic. i waid i was agnostic.
i said "yes, like that, don't wriggle so much," and she said, "how do you like this?" and "watch your head," and while we were fucking, her husband came up and lit a match, and then we were flying. we sailed out like grappling shot. my lover yelled back at her husband, "cock her up a bit, master gunner!" and we watched him get smaller and smaller.
i held onto her hips and the tails of her hair and fucked her as we passed over the countryside, and she wrapped her legs around my waist and fucked me back. when we were finished, we flew along side by side, and she remarked that she was grateful to me andthe cannon and her husband. the affair had cured her of her agoraphobia. we fucked some more, to celebrate, and then we came to a town and i grabbed on to the steeple of an episcopal church. she kept on going along. she wasn't ready to go back down again. i had a long walk home. i haven't seen her since.
really.
two examples that are from magic for beginners... available on amazon, if nowhere else. check it out.
short sample from the the cannon (and yeah, um.. it's about a cannon.. kinda):
after my brother is fired from the cannon, his two youngest wives will take his place in the cannon. they are wearing his luggage on their backs, filled with his belongings, his books, his golf clubs, his correspondences, his record collection, his toiletries, his identification. his wives will climb into the cannon and leave the cannon in much the same way that my brother will leave it, but they won't go to the same place he is going. men and women don't travel to the same place.
and a longer sample from the cannon:
q: why must the cannon be fired?
a: the cannon must be fired because that is the reason for cannons. ordinance must be placed in the cannon. ordinance must be fired out of the cannon. the cannon serves no other purpose. a man may accidentally fall asleep in a cannon, or take shelter in a cannon from a rainstorm, or hide from his enemies in a cannon, but in the end, the cannon must be fired.
i once fornicated with a married woman inside the sweet mouth. she was agoraphobic. i waid i was agnostic.
i said "yes, like that, don't wriggle so much," and she said, "how do you like this?" and "watch your head," and while we were fucking, her husband came up and lit a match, and then we were flying. we sailed out like grappling shot. my lover yelled back at her husband, "cock her up a bit, master gunner!" and we watched him get smaller and smaller.
i held onto her hips and the tails of her hair and fucked her as we passed over the countryside, and she wrapped her legs around my waist and fucked me back. when we were finished, we flew along side by side, and she remarked that she was grateful to me andthe cannon and her husband. the affair had cured her of her agoraphobia. we fucked some more, to celebrate, and then we came to a town and i grabbed on to the steeple of an episcopal church. she kept on going along. she wasn't ready to go back down again. i had a long walk home. i haven't seen her since.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
flu and research?
don't seem like they'd go together, but when you're researching a book about um... vampires and the old west... well, mix well with a strong dose of tom waits and a splash of yann tiersen, and things almost start to make sense. in a scary way.
plus, i've been reading up on the lore surrounding st. george.
particularly fascinating is the difference in tales that i've read about whether st. george slew the dragon (by far the more popular version) and the version where he enslaves the dragon, wrapping it's tail around it's neck and allowing the princess to lead it around. plus, the fact that on a symbol worn by the order of the dragon, the dragon is pictured with said tail wrapped around said neck, and with a cross attached to its back.
more later.
plus, i've been reading up on the lore surrounding st. george.
particularly fascinating is the difference in tales that i've read about whether st. george slew the dragon (by far the more popular version) and the version where he enslaves the dragon, wrapping it's tail around it's neck and allowing the princess to lead it around. plus, the fact that on a symbol worn by the order of the dragon, the dragon is pictured with said tail wrapped around said neck, and with a cross attached to its back.
more later.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
revised already?
yeah, because that's how we roll around here.
anywho... did some cutting/pasting/rewriting and here's a new version of the just completed section that i posted yesterday or the day before... whenever it was.
bobby’s best friend switches channels like blinking,
looks for himself in crowds, wishes he could find
the remote control for his life so he could skip to a scene
with some action, or sex, or maybe stop the damn thing
and trade it in for another movie about fire.
he stares at an image of a girl on television so hard
a village in the Congo, like this one minus the jeans,
bursts into flame.
he sees his reflection on the screen
settling like an unseen visitor across her lips,
practices the perfect smile: one part hope,
two parts desire and a pocketful of indifference,
then washes the taste of ash from his mouth
and decides this vague longing can’t be love
because it doesn’t hurt enough.
anywho... did some cutting/pasting/rewriting and here's a new version of the just completed section that i posted yesterday or the day before... whenever it was.
bobby’s best friend switches channels like blinking,
looks for himself in crowds, wishes he could find
the remote control for his life so he could skip to a scene
with some action, or sex, or maybe stop the damn thing
and trade it in for another movie about fire.
he stares at an image of a girl on television so hard
a village in the Congo, like this one minus the jeans,
bursts into flame.
he sees his reflection on the screen
settling like an unseen visitor across her lips,
practices the perfect smile: one part hope,
two parts desire and a pocketful of indifference,
then washes the taste of ash from his mouth
and decides this vague longing can’t be love
because it doesn’t hurt enough.
Monday, March 13, 2006
in progress, muchly (part 2)
er, actually, i think it'll be part three if the piece ever decides it wants to be finished... but here's another section from the poem i've been slaving over the past month or so... still working on it, so suggestions are always welcome. hint, hint (read: fix this poem for me, please).
bobby’s best friend stares at an image
of a girl on a billboard so hard
a village in the Congo,
like this one minus the jeans,
bursts into flame.
picking at the remains of last night’s sushi,
he practices the perfect stare: one part hope,
two parts need and a pocketful of indifference,
then washes the taste of ash from his mouth
and decides this vague longing can’t be love
because it doesn’t hurt enough.
he switches channels like blinking,
looks for himself in crowds, wishes
he could find the fast forward for his life
so he could skip to a scene with some action,
or a little sex or maybe just end the damn thing
so he can trade it in for another movie about fire.
bobby’s best friend stares at an image
of a girl on a billboard so hard
a village in the Congo,
like this one minus the jeans,
bursts into flame.
picking at the remains of last night’s sushi,
he practices the perfect stare: one part hope,
two parts need and a pocketful of indifference,
then washes the taste of ash from his mouth
and decides this vague longing can’t be love
because it doesn’t hurt enough.
he switches channels like blinking,
looks for himself in crowds, wishes
he could find the fast forward for his life
so he could skip to a scene with some action,
or a little sex or maybe just end the damn thing
so he can trade it in for another movie about fire.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
research
just an fyi for anybody who's been really bored and kept up with the goings on in this part of the universe. still planning on that book type thing. just been busy doing research on the time period and other related subjects. the more research i've done, the more i've discovered that i needed to do, but i have seen a light at the end of the tunnel.
i'm hoping it's not a train.
meanstwhile, back to reading. there are some really interesting threads i've been able to pull together, but i still have a few questions that i haven't been able to answer yet (like villains... how many are too many? how dark should they be? how light should the 'heroes' of a piece be.... shouldn't we spend more time in the gray areas in between?).
so, yeah. just a heads up in case you were holding your breath.
go ahead and exhale for now.
i'm hoping it's not a train.
meanstwhile, back to reading. there are some really interesting threads i've been able to pull together, but i still have a few questions that i haven't been able to answer yet (like villains... how many are too many? how dark should they be? how light should the 'heroes' of a piece be.... shouldn't we spend more time in the gray areas in between?).
so, yeah. just a heads up in case you were holding your breath.
go ahead and exhale for now.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
reading and writing and watching, oh my!
so, i've been on my own bit of summer vacation today, holding an impromptu twilight zone marathon, and it occurs to me how much my habits have changed over the years. growing up, i always had a stack of books around and was poking my nose in them whenever possible. even in school, i'd often be 'talked to' about reading the 'correct' books and studying with the rest of the class.
i still carry an armful of books around in the car, but find myself reading quite a bit less as time goes by... and as one of the seeming legion of folks out in the world who considers themself a writer, i find this rather troubling. my attention span for reading has diminished over the years and i find that i still pay attention to storylines and laugh behind my hand at what passes for writing in many movies or television shows and such (not the case in the twilight zone marathon... there are, of course, bits that are showing their age or that are dated to the early '60's when it originally aired... the strength of the show always was, and always remains it's writing... which is what disspointed me so much about the new versions of the show when they attempted to resurrect it... the twilight zone without a strong core of stories, and fresh innovative ideas, is just... sad... and rod serling must have been tossing the typewriter at the walls of his grave), but haven't been really practicing this craft nearly enough... which includes an ample portion of reading with a side of editing.
ah, the pitfalls of living in a video age, i suppose... but we'll see how the trade winds blow in the next few weeks... next up in the supply line of reading... some gertie stein and edna st. vincent millay... nummm.
i still carry an armful of books around in the car, but find myself reading quite a bit less as time goes by... and as one of the seeming legion of folks out in the world who considers themself a writer, i find this rather troubling. my attention span for reading has diminished over the years and i find that i still pay attention to storylines and laugh behind my hand at what passes for writing in many movies or television shows and such (not the case in the twilight zone marathon... there are, of course, bits that are showing their age or that are dated to the early '60's when it originally aired... the strength of the show always was, and always remains it's writing... which is what disspointed me so much about the new versions of the show when they attempted to resurrect it... the twilight zone without a strong core of stories, and fresh innovative ideas, is just... sad... and rod serling must have been tossing the typewriter at the walls of his grave), but haven't been really practicing this craft nearly enough... which includes an ample portion of reading with a side of editing.
ah, the pitfalls of living in a video age, i suppose... but we'll see how the trade winds blow in the next few weeks... next up in the supply line of reading... some gertie stein and edna st. vincent millay... nummm.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
ode to my laptop
o, laptop, with your keys that work the way
bill gates intended,
you click and clack and don't behave
like a 2 year old on ampthetamines
is sitting at the keyboard
while i'm trying to type.
now if you only had a fountain
of lemonade built in,
i swear i'd marry you.
(it bears mentioning that i just spent 10 hours at my crappy work computer working on videos with a processor under-equipped for the job, three days in a row)
bill gates intended,
you click and clack and don't behave
like a 2 year old on ampthetamines
is sitting at the keyboard
while i'm trying to type.
now if you only had a fountain
of lemonade built in,
i swear i'd marry you.
(it bears mentioning that i just spent 10 hours at my crappy work computer working on videos with a processor under-equipped for the job, three days in a row)
in progress, muchly
here's part of something new that's in progress... it's very much in bits and pieces right now, but heck, might as well put something out there, right?
...right?
and happy valentine's day to all y'all.
bobby’s girlfriend volunteers to be the town’s
next human cannonball… kisses him goodbye,
her lips an implosion, a back draft,
three words she never meant to say.
already, she can taste the echo
of her escape—the sudden emptiness
of the sky as she sails over main street,
a smile like the sun painting the upturned
faces a deeper shade of fire.
she tries on the bomb’s desire
like a new pair of shoes, forgetting
her footprints were always surrounded
by broken glass and blast radius.
...right?
and happy valentine's day to all y'all.
bobby’s girlfriend volunteers to be the town’s
next human cannonball… kisses him goodbye,
her lips an implosion, a back draft,
three words she never meant to say.
already, she can taste the echo
of her escape—the sudden emptiness
of the sky as she sails over main street,
a smile like the sun painting the upturned
faces a deeper shade of fire.
she tries on the bomb’s desire
like a new pair of shoes, forgetting
her footprints were always surrounded
by broken glass and blast radius.
Monday, February 13, 2006
laptop goodness (en route)
so, two things which are makin' me happier than a chipmunk with a sackful o' nuts (mmm... okay, that just sounded wrong):
uno: got word that my new motherboard for my long-suffering laptop has arrived! now, i just need to take my 'puter into the shop and they promised i would have it back by wednesday. hurrah! huzzah! cheer numero tres!!
dos: recorded 2 basic tracks for the cd last night (thanks b-dub and d-bub, and of course, the magical fingers of my roomie). very happy with the results. had them playing a typewriter and making cat sounds... and that was before the all-improv beat on something loudly session that dmitry suggested, and was much more fun than you'd think.
now, i just have to get the laptop back, and start in on the multi-track goodness. had an idea tonight on the way home about using cello for a bass line on a track... so i may have a busy lil' cello player workin' overtime soon. muahahaha.
uno: got word that my new motherboard for my long-suffering laptop has arrived! now, i just need to take my 'puter into the shop and they promised i would have it back by wednesday. hurrah! huzzah! cheer numero tres!!
dos: recorded 2 basic tracks for the cd last night (thanks b-dub and d-bub, and of course, the magical fingers of my roomie). very happy with the results. had them playing a typewriter and making cat sounds... and that was before the all-improv beat on something loudly session that dmitry suggested, and was much more fun than you'd think.
now, i just have to get the laptop back, and start in on the multi-track goodness. had an idea tonight on the way home about using cello for a bass line on a track... so i may have a busy lil' cello player workin' overtime soon. muahahaha.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
it's a loaner
so, i'm on a loaner of a laptop. i miss my programs and my processing speed, and my happy little tire swing of a piratical desktop. but, hey, at least i can check email and get in my online gaming addiction, so we must be thankful, mustn't we?
also, digging on the new mini-disc player/recorder. captured some cool sounds out in the desert this weekend. keeping it in el backpacko just in case something catches my ear.
oh, and i'm whittling down the reading list slowly. very slowly. have two books sitting in my car so i can read at lunch, but wow... i've really taken on a bit of a research project with this book thing. enjoying it... just trying not to take too many steps back to see how large the project is... just trying to work through the details a step at a time so i don't get mentall overwhelmed.
look up dr h.h. holmes if you get a chance on the internet. or better yet, read 'the devil in the white city,' for yourself. a chilling little chapter of u.s. history that you don't read about in any of the textbooks that i can recall, though you do read about the world's fair that it took place at.
oh, and also look up the election of 1876. scary stuff. am knee-deep in research about that and also the building of the transcontinental railroad and am just starting to crack open the prison writings of leonard peltier. all this while trying to piece together some kinda tenuous connections between them all, though some are more philosophical links.
anywho... back to cleaning the room.
also, digging on the new mini-disc player/recorder. captured some cool sounds out in the desert this weekend. keeping it in el backpacko just in case something catches my ear.
oh, and i'm whittling down the reading list slowly. very slowly. have two books sitting in my car so i can read at lunch, but wow... i've really taken on a bit of a research project with this book thing. enjoying it... just trying not to take too many steps back to see how large the project is... just trying to work through the details a step at a time so i don't get mentall overwhelmed.
look up dr h.h. holmes if you get a chance on the internet. or better yet, read 'the devil in the white city,' for yourself. a chilling little chapter of u.s. history that you don't read about in any of the textbooks that i can recall, though you do read about the world's fair that it took place at.
oh, and also look up the election of 1876. scary stuff. am knee-deep in research about that and also the building of the transcontinental railroad and am just starting to crack open the prison writings of leonard peltier. all this while trying to piece together some kinda tenuous connections between them all, though some are more philosophical links.
anywho... back to cleaning the room.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
in search of
sounds. am getting some ideas of different sounds to use on the cd, and discovered a few things that i'll need. if you have one, or know somebody that does, um... let me know:
a manual typewriter
a screen door, wood (aluminum has a much different sound when closing)
an old set of heating vents (preferably those huge metal boxes that used to sit in a living room floor)
an old (50's-60's era) car with those loud clicky turn signals
a field full of crows (yeah... um... if you happen to see one... ahem)
will add more as i think of 'em.
a manual typewriter
a screen door, wood (aluminum has a much different sound when closing)
an old set of heating vents (preferably those huge metal boxes that used to sit in a living room floor)
an old (50's-60's era) car with those loud clicky turn signals
a field full of crows (yeah... um... if you happen to see one... ahem)
will add more as i think of 'em.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
recording
so the mini-disc player has arrived. yay!
experimented with it a bit the past few days and i'm pretty confident that it'll do what i'm hoping it will, which is record clean and clear audio in most situations (espeically with the electret condenser microphone that i ordered specifically for that purpose).
also have enlisted a very talented and cool cast of characters to make music for me. surprising how many people have talents you never even knew about once you start asking around.
and i was introduced to the dresden dolls (not in person, but close enough... check out their cds... available at your local amazon.com screen). thanks to beth for that... incredible sounds. gonna be immersing myself in their punk cabaret goodness as well as the old faves like tom waits and new faves like madeleine peyroux. acoustic chocolate.
experimented with it a bit the past few days and i'm pretty confident that it'll do what i'm hoping it will, which is record clean and clear audio in most situations (espeically with the electret condenser microphone that i ordered specifically for that purpose).
also have enlisted a very talented and cool cast of characters to make music for me. surprising how many people have talents you never even knew about once you start asking around.
and i was introduced to the dresden dolls (not in person, but close enough... check out their cds... available at your local amazon.com screen). thanks to beth for that... incredible sounds. gonna be immersing myself in their punk cabaret goodness as well as the old faves like tom waits and new faves like madeleine peyroux. acoustic chocolate.
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