Kafka's doll story

has anyone ever heard this? he was visiting dora diamont in berlin. they were walking in a park when they came upon this crying girl. kafka asked her what the matter was. she told him that she had lost her doll. he then told her not to worry since the doll was actually away on a trip, not lost. she didn’t believe him so he told her that he had a letter from the doll. when the little girl asked him to show it to her, he said that he had not brought it with him, but if she came back the next day, he would bring it. he came back the next day after spending countless hours working on this letter. and every day for 3 weeks, he brought the girl another one. he spent a lot of time, and put a lot of thought into these letters. finally, he had to come up with a believable ending. (he was leaving germany) he decided to have the doll get married. he wrote about the man she was engaged to, the preparations for the wedding, everything. by this time, the girl was so enamored of the story, that she had quite forgotten that the doll was gone.

i wonder what became of her and if she still has those letters.
she’d be in her 90’s i guess. huh.

here's that book list you all were waiting up for

1) danielle ofri's Singular Intimacies: Becoming a Doctor at Bellevue

2) dennis smith's San Francisco is Burning: The Untold Story of the 1906 Earthquake and Fires

3) paul auster's The Brooklyn Follies

4) méira cook's The Blood Girls

5) willard m. wallace's Soul of a Lion: The Biography of Joshua Chamberlin

6) marjorie shostak's Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman

7) martha tod dudman's Augusta, Gone

random-ness

i read this article on 'celebrity' dj-ing and these lines just cracked me up:

"I've pretty much stopped DJ'ing regularly because it's gotten to be too much of a cliché," says Zinner. "Not only is everyone in a band, but everyone's a DJ. I'm just a little sick of the whole phenomenon. I would, however, totally throw down 10 bucks to watch DJ Glenn Danzig any day."

and i read this by chance the other day and really liked it:

Windy City

The garments worn in flying dreams
were fashioned there --
overcoats that swooped like kites,
scarves streaming like vapor trails,
gowns ballooning into spinnakers.
In a city like that one might sail
through life led by a runaway hat.
The young scattered in whatever directions
their wild hair pointed, and gusting
into one another, they fell in love.
At night, wind rippled saxophones
that hung like wind chimes
in pawnshop windows, hooting through
each horn so that the streets seemed haunted,
not by nighthawks, but by doves.
Pinwheels whirred from steeples
in place of crosses. At the pinnacles
of public buildings, snagged underclothes --
the only flag -- flapped majestically.
And when it came time to disappear
one simply chose a thoroughfare
devoid of memories, raised a collar,
and turned one's back on the wind.
I remember closing my eyes as I stepped
into a swirl of scuttling leaves.

-Stuart Dybek


and i did this (free) numerology thingie that breaks down your name and the 'true' meaning of it. most of it was off the mark, (not surprisingly) but this bit rather hit home:
Private, reserved, and rather secretive, there are probably very few who truly know and understand your inner thoughts, feelings, hopes, and aspirations. Unless you learn to share your deeper self more freely, and to be less of an idealistic perfectionist, you may be rather lonely.


and this from overheard in ny: vendor guy: Here, take one. Just give it a listen. Listening is the new reading... You don’t even have to use your eyes.


the first weekend in march i'll be going to sarasota (fla) to visit my father. i haven't seen him in many years. i'm nervous, but i'm looking forward to it. i get to drive his camaro back from the airport. woo hoo! my father is 73 and still has a cool car. nice.

i'm procrastinating. i should be doing my taxes, but i know all those numbers will give me a headache and besides, at 10AM is the inside the actors studio repeat with dave chappelle. i heard it was really good. maybe i can get them done in an hour?

the sound of the other shoe dropping

sounds a lot like a BLIZZARD. i knew we'd pay for all the 55 - 60 degree days we've had this 'winter.' but man there's SO MUCH snow out there. and it's still snowing. my dog has been staring out the window since 7:30, but i'll be god-damned if i'm going out there. the latest report says an average - that's AVERAGE - of 16 to 24 inches when all is said and done.

in other news, i got a very nice birthday package on friday with lots of super stuff in it, including panda licorice bars that apparently are only available in maine. some nice e-mails and phone calls as well. my father called and sang. which is a scary thing since he's completely tone deaf. thankfully, he only sang one line of the birthday song. whew! the day passed and i didn't implode or turn into an old hag or anything, so i'm over the age thing. (for this year)


my book list for the past how-ever-many-days:

1) pedro páramo's Juan Rulfo
2) ted conover's New Jack
3) jehan sadat's A Woman of Egypt
4) bruce robinson's The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman
5) dick lehr and gerard o'neill's Black Mass
6) bill bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything
7) elizabeth smart's By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept


someone sent me one of those stupid quiz thingies, so here that is.
1. RELATIONSHIP STATUS: single and hardly looking...
2. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING: russka by edward rutherford, red beans by victor hernandez cruz, and the boy without a flag (tales of the south bronx) by abraham rodriguez jr.
3. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD: it’s a mini oriental rug
4. FAVORITE BOARD GAME: none – i had to play too many games of sorry with my son when he was little so...
5. FAVORITE MAGAZINE: the new yorker and mother jones
6. FAVORITE FEELING IN THE WORLD: what does that even mean?
7. FAVORITE SOUND: definitely laughter and then jeff buckley’s voice
8. WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD: helplessness
9. FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING: i continually hope that the dog has learned to walk herself
10. FAVORITE COLOR: green – no, brown. both
11. HOW MANY RINGS BEFORE YOU ANSWER THE PHONE: depends on where i am when it rings and who is on the other end.
12. FUTURE CHILD'S NAME: none in the future – been there, done that already
13. FAVORITE FOODS: brown bread, cheese, pineapples, eggs over easy, garlic mashed potatoes and sometimes a greasy cheeseburger is the only thing that will do
14. GOLD OR SILVER?: silver
15. DO YOU LIKE TO DRIVE FAST?: lord, yes
16. DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?: nope, real one
17. STORMS- COOL OR SCARY: very cool.
18. WHAT TYPE WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?: an audi 5000 turbo. RIP, diva
19. IF YOU COULD MEET ONE PERSON DEAD OR ALIVE, WHO WOULD IT BE? too many choices
20. FAVORITE DRINK: thai iced tea, water, banana smoothie
21. WHAT'S YOUR ZODIAC SIGN: aquarius
22. DO YOU EAT THE STEMS OF BROCCOLI: sure, don’t you?!
23. IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB WHAT WOULD IT BE: a publisher of poetry, a producer of music, and a gallery owner of photography
24. IF YOU COULD COLOR YOUR HAIR ANY COLOR WHAT WOULD IT BE? i always wanted to have auburn hair – i have the (natural) highlights though
25. EVER BEEN IN LOVE?: yes
26. IS THE GLASS HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?: depends on which side of the bed i happen to wake up on
27. FAVORITE MOVIE: changes weekly – this week: smoke signals and the boondock saints
28. DO YOU TYPE WITH YOUR FINGERS ON THE RIGHT KEYS?: nope. i am THE worst at typing
29. WHAT'S UNDER YOUR BED?: dust bunnies and a sock
30. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE NUMBER?: 2 & 10
31. FAVORITE SPORT: auto racing (yes, it’s a sport!)
32. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH: same as above
33. FAVORITE PLACE IN THE UNITED STATES: new york city and las vegas
34. PLACE YOU MOST WANT TO BE RIGHT NOW: right here
35. FAVORITE PERSON TO BE WITH: i like my kids and my dog, other than that i’m feeling a little toxic lately...!
36. FAVORITE QUOTE: ‘every act of creation is first an act of destruction’ - pablo picasso
37. WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE SOMEONE LEAD YOU ON IN THE DARK OR BREAK YOUR HEART BY TELLING YOU? straight shooter, please
38. DO YOU HAVE A SECRET CRUSH? um, nope
39. WHO IS IT?: alright, maybe, but i’ll never tell
40. BEST PLACE TO BE KISSED?: is that geographical location or body part?
41. SAY ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU! sharon rose is a warm, kind-hearted soul
42. WHO WOULD YOU CALL YOUR CLOSEST FRIEND? no need to name names

don't play nelly at YOUR wedding...

so, the wedding:

i looked good, and i felt good.

after waaay too many hours shopping for the 'perfect' thing to wear - i was, after all, seeing my ex-husband after 15 years - i found it. 15 minutes before the store closed, and 13 hours before the wedding. so now i have a bazillion things to return at half a dozen stores this week. i have NEVER done that much shopping, and i never will again. way too stressful. anyhow, my son and i walked into the restaurant (the whole thing took place there) like we owned the place. outwardly calm, insides all jello-y. we run smack into the ex. naturally. i can not believe how SMALL he is. never a tall man (always taller than me though) he is now what i can only call petite. his new woman (whom i met and seemed rather nice) turned him into a runner. he runs like 6 or 8 miles a day. every day. i offer him my hand to shake - no free hugs from this girl - he looks at me like hmm, no hug? we exchange pleasantries. he introduces me to lisa, mentioned above. - a little back story about the ex: he's been married, including to me, 4 times. he has 5 children by all of his exes. one of which is the bride - his first child/first ex. not a very good track record. my excuse, and i'm sticking to it: i was only 17, what the hell did i know?! and i was the 2nd ex. not yet the fixed pattern-to-be. so there.
so, i move aside to speak to my ex-inlaws. whom i have always liked. lots of hugs there. very happy to see them all. tami's (one of my ex-sisters-in-law) husband rod and i have known each other since junior high school so it was especially good to see him. he's still tall and gorgeous. she's still short and adorable. perfect.
then the puerto rican contingent arrived - late as usual - making a whole lot of noise - and i began to relax. the alcohol started flowing and tongues started loosening. in these instances, i'm really glad i don't drink because i would never remember half of the funny shit that was said, and lord knows it needs to be remembered. my other ex sister-in-law, rosalie, is the most evil woman - and i mean that in best possible way - damn, i've really missed her. she said some truly hilarious things about her brother, the ex! ok. the food was good, the dj was tolerable, blah blah blah... cut to the ex getting up to read a poem that he had written especially for his daughter on her wedding day. now, i bet you can guess that it was pretty awful, and you'd be right, but mostly it was the act of a truly selfish man. here's why. instead of writng about alicyn and how much her happiness means to him and what he wishes for her in the future - whatever - he writes a totally bullshit 'poem' about how he decided what to name her and why. it was some rambling thing about when he met muhammed ali. (note spelling of daughters name)
i couldn't look at anyone at the table because i thought i'd lose it and start laughing and not be able to stop. that wouldn't have been good. turns out everyone else at the table was looking elsewhere as well. afterwards, he has the nerve, probably some liquid courage involved, to ask me if i liked his poem. i struggled with the thousands of possible answers to the question. straight out no? evade and be vague? well, i couldn't really hear it was too noisy back here? i finally blurted out um, i liked the title? (he called it pretty snapshots) he gave me a look and said well, melissa (his daughter #2) certainly is your daughter. i said hmm, was there ever any doubt? he wandered off. when i was ready to leave, i said good-bye to him and lisa. i went to shake his hand again and he said how about a hug this time - i won't bite you. i said well, how do you know i won't bite you? and shook his hand.
and as i started walking away, he said 'take care of melissa.' i stopped and spun around, walked back and said 'melissa can take care of herself' what i should have said was that i'd been taking care of melissa since she was born, thank you very much mr. sometimes sunday dad. but i have more tact than i thought i had. huh, learn something new every day. even at almost 46. a funny thing, and then i'm done with this topic. at my table was steve the therapist. friend of the family and at times therapist to the family. i met him once before and since he didn't really know anyone that wasn't in the bridal party, i sat with him. he's a super terrific guy. anyhow, he meets bruce, the ex and immediately dislikes him. says some pretty insightful things (he IS a therapist after all) and likens the ex to a slick politician who will (and does) say and do anything and everything to get himself elected. BINGO.
then there was cake and aferwards i was escorted to the dance floor by rod to dance a nice slow dance. lovely. i even allowed photographs to be taken of me. imagine!
my daughter the bridesmaid looked absolutely gorgeous and my son cleaned up rather nicely as well. i let him bail after a few hours - he was bored silly. all in all, a good day. my shoes were new, high and comfortable. what else can be said?

book list forthcoming...

happy chinese new year

i happen to be the sign of the rat and...

Though the Western rat is reviled as little more than a bottom-dwelling disease carrier, this animal is viewed much differently in the East. The Eastern rat is revered for its quick wits and its ability to accrue and hold on to items of value; rats are considered a symbol of good luck and wealth in both China and Japan. Clever and quick-witted, the Rat of the Chinese Zodiac is utterly disarming to boot. Possessed of excellent taste, this Sign flaunts its style at every turn. Its natural charm and sharp, funny demeanor make it an appealing friend for almost anyone. The Rat likes to know who is on its side and will treat its most loyal friends with an extra measure of protection and generosity.
Behind that sweet smile, though, Rats are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas. This Sign is motivated by its own interests, which often include money; greed can become a problem if the Rat isn't careful to keep its priorities straight. This Sign's natural powers of charm and persuasion can definitely come in handy! Although they are often hoarders, Rats can be very generous to those in their "pack," namely friends and family members who have proven their loyalty. Others might perceive them as quick-tempered and sharp-tongued, but never boorish. Verbal jousting is a great pleasure for the Rat, a Sign that everyone around will quickly learn either to love or to hate.
Rats enjoy being on the outside looking in, as the outside affords a view into the inner workings of a system or situation. The Rat's keen mind always seeks out new knowledge, to be stored away for future use. This ever-curious Sign also welcomes challenges as a way to stay sharp. If boredom sets in the Rat is no fun at all, but that isn't likely; this Sign knows how to keep itself entertained.
A valuable lesson for Rats is to learn to consider others above themselves, at least sometimes. If they can develop their sense of self and realize it leaves room for others in their life as well, Rats could find true happiness.

The most compatible match for a Rat is the Dragon or the Monkey.

what sign are you?

babble and books (part 2?)

i think it best if after 35 or 40 you disregard any and all references to birthdays. it's not like when you're 6 or 7 and have all the kids from your class come to your party and you get stuff you actually WANT - not NEED - well, except from your family of course. though my parents tended toward the extravagent in gifts perhaps in an attempt to alleviate the burden of their own shortcomings as parents - who knows. on one birthday it took them over an hour (my friend jean told me later that night) to notice that i had actually LEFT my party. i was 12. when i was younger (and less aware) my parents sometimes took me and my sister to my father's favorite restaurant for special occasions. it's long gone, but i think it was in the east 70's somewhere. it was called Damon's. or sometimes he'd switch it up and take us to chinatown to a great place called Shangri-La. those were fun because my father had an audience and he could be really funny and charming when he was 'on'. years later i came to dread these occasions when i began to realize that not only was my dad hitting on the waitresses (and bar girls and hostesses - etc...) but on my friends as well. i also harbored a deep resentment for having been born in february because i never got to have a beach party and always wanted to. silly, i know, but a skiier i am NOT. i've never been a big fan of the cold...
so this week i've been needlessly reminded time and again that my birthday is right around the corner. i'm sure i'll get all these 'funny' you're SO old cards and people will joke about me losing my memory - 'it's the first thing to go you know - wink wink' but i expect mostly good-natured kidding around which usually i can handle no problem, but this year i'm MORE than (>) halfway through my fourth decade -by 1 year that is, and it's bugging the hell out of me. and don't think for one hot second that i'm not acutely aware of how ridiculous i sound. it's my blog and i'll whine if i want to, whine if i want to...
i guess what i desperately need to do is get the fuck out of my own head and put some mental miles between thoughts like...jesus, i am going to die alone and i still need to lose 10 pounds, dammit and please god, let no one get it into their stupid heads to throw me a surprise party because i KNOW i will NOT be gracious and good-natured about it. perhaps some cheese with that whine? ok. basta. enough.

well, i actually DO have a books list to post and then i'm going to return half the stuff i bought for this wedding that i wish was already over.


1) luis alberto urrea's Across the Wire: Life and Hard Times on the Mexican Border
2) jorge ramos's The Other Face of America
3) geoffrey canada's Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun
4) gerald nicosia's Home to War: A History of the Vietnam Veteran's Movement
5) mary karr's The Liars' Club
6) caroline moorehead's Gellhorn: A Twentieth Century Life

and furthermore...

so, how come i had to wake up at 5AM to be at work at 6AM only to be sent home at 7:30?! AND i can't go back to sleep since i've already downed 17 quarts of coffee!
but i can (and will) share my books read list with you. oh, and a hilarious survey i got in the mail yesterday for an online singles thingie. too much fun this early, i say...

1) joe rodríguez's Oddsplayer
2) daniel cano's Shifting Loyalties
3) ted conover's Coyotes
4) amarillo slim preston (!) w/ greg dinkin's Amarillo Slim in a World of Fat People: The Memoirs of the Greatest Gambler Who Ever Lived (woohoo)
5) richard p. feynman's 'Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman'
6) mark dow's American Gulag: Inside U.S. Immigration Prisons
7) magnus mills' Three To See The King (thanks Tiny Tyrant for the heads up on this great book -i liked it better than The Restraint of Beasts!)

a few words on the books this week - sometimes i think i should include a little summary or mini-review of the books i list, or at the very least mention the subject matter, but alas, i guess i'm either too lazy, or out of time. today, i have the time and as noted above, have injested enough caffeine to keep me typing awhile. Shifting Loyalties has got to be the finest fiction written on Vietnam i've ever read. Daniel Cano is a veteran of that war, so the 'stories' have the feel of truth to them. beautifully realized. amarillo slim's book (which my daughter's boyfriend gave me for christmas knowing i wouldn't have read it already!) was so funny and full of shit - and i don't mean that in a BAD way... the biggest deal for me was American Gulag. frustrating, upsetting, heart-breaking - this book killed me to read. it makes me wish i could wave a wand over all the bad people and make them disappear forever, so the good (and semi-good) people can get on with things.

now the survey. some questions - all are yes or no, by the way. cause you can get a real sense of the truth just by asking those kinds of questions, right?

1. do you ever wonder where quality single people go to meet one another?
2. are you frustrated by the games you have to play to meet someone special?
3. are you too busy and/or do not like the bar scene, but would really like to find that special person ?

the bold and italics are theirs, not mine. there were more questions for the men, but since that doesn't concern me, i didn't bother. i think we all get the picture anyway. from these and a few other deep, profound, meaningful inquiries, one should be able to figure out that yes, they're single and looking. wow.

ok, kids, time to go to the mall and meet mr right. oh, no, wait, i mean find a dress for the wedding next week.

have a good weekend.

5:40AM and 31 degrees

this was supposed to be my day off, but instead, i'm going to work at 6:00AM. AGAIN. this has been a sucky week. AND i still have to find a dress for Ali's wedding. fuck. have i ever mentioned how. much. i. hate. shopping.??
time to go. blech!

i've come to an understanding:

some things aren't worth the trouble.

back to the books (and some pictures)

1) tom hayden's Street Gangs: Gangs and the Future of Violence
2) alex garland's Coma
3) john laurence's The Cat from Hué
4) peter matthiessen's Sal Si Puedes: Cesar Chavez and the New American Revolution
5) victor d. lavalle's Slapboxing with Jesus
6) scott bradfield's History of Luminous Motion
7) george mariscal's Aztlán and Viet Nam: Chicano and Chicana Experiences of the War

does anyone want to start a book club with these kinds of titles?
*************************************************************************************

these were taken at christmas. and i will admit that a good picture of me is a blurry picture of me! thanks, christina

turn that frown upside down

this made an otherwise dismal day a little brighter.
man, people say the dumbest things.

(from overheard in ny)


Nanny #1: Who were you named after, Paulette?
Nanny #2: My father.
Nanny #1: Oh, what was his name?
Nanny #2: Ette.

there's more to say, but it's too close to the surface right now.

no news, no books, just pondering

i think i fill my blog with news items and other people's poetry because i hate thinking, much less writing, about what's going on in my brain. the few times that i've posted personal things they weren't real 'this is how i'm feeling' stuff or i somehow deflected the real-ness with humor. which kind of negates the whole deal, right? anyhow, i did some serious thinking over the 3 days i had off for New Years and i've decided that side-stepping the internal confrontations one normally has with oneself isn't working for me any longer. my body (of all things) has betrayed my confidence by sending me more migraine headaches (5 in december alone) in one month than i've had in the past 5 years in addition to numerous pinched nerves. OK, dammit. i get it. finally. it's the body's way of saying listen bitch, pay attention to your head (and heart for that matter) and i'll let you live relatively pain free. so this is the internal debate i've been struggling with these last few days. or months or years depending on who you ask: how can i meet people with similar interests that are somewhat nearer my age than 27. and CAN i do that? because 27 is all i keep coming across. and while there are definite plusses to that, there are also some sizable detractions. i've gotten so used to my self-imposed isolation that i wouldn't even know where to start looking. being this out of touch is kind of scary at this point in my life. i've never really been good at making friends and i'll tell you why. the thing that i need (or want) out of a friendship first and foremost is intellectual stimulation. you've got to be able to carry on a conversation. so please, go ahead and challenge me to use more than a third of my brain. but the catch is i don't need to see or talk to you every day - in fact, that would probably drive me nuts. and you know, it's not a far drive... i'd like to be able to tell someone something serious about myself with out getting that stripped naked in a public forum feeling. my dilemma (or one of them anyway) is that there don't seem to be many - let's for arguments sake - say 35 to 45 year olds with interests remotely like mine. poetry, auto-racing, the music i listen to - none of those. separately, maybe. i just keep going round and round in my head with all this nonsense. mostly all i wanted to say was i'm tired of being an island but i'm not sure if i have the necessary materials to build a bridge to the main-land.

*end of self-indulgent rambling post #1*

i've got to get used to writing 2006...

so i borrowed this book from the library called Twentieth Century Latin American Poetry (which i need to re-check out because i'm surely not done reading it) and there are SO many great poets i've never heard of or have heard of but never read. so, i have taken it upon myself to share these poems with you that i think are just crazy good. even if poetry isn't your 'thing' read them anyway - you just MAY get something from them. i've posted the english versions because i'm a very poor (slow) typist and typing both versions would take me a bazillion years.


To Carlos Drummond de Andrade

There is no umbrella
against the poem
rising from the regions where everything is a surprise,
like a flower from a garden.
There is no umbrella
against the love
that chews up and spits out – like a mouth:
that grinds like a disaster.
There is no umbrella
against the tedium,
the tedium of four walls, four
seasons, four points of the compass.
There is no umbrella
against the world
the newspapers ruin each day
with this kind of paper, this ink.
There is no umbrella
against time:
river flowing under the house, its current
carrying off the days, one’s hair

-João Cabral de Melo Neto
Brazil


Life-Hook

Love: if I die don’t take me to the cemetery.
Dig my grave just at ground level, near the laughing
Divine disturbance of a birdhouse.
Or by a fountain’s haunting talk.

Just at ground level, my love. And almost above earth
Where the sun can heat the bones, and my eyes,
Extended, as if into stalks, rise to see again
The savage lamp of the setting sun.

Just at ground level, my love. So the passage
Will be even shorter. I sense
Already my flesh fighting, trying to return
To feel the atoms of a freshening wind.

I know my hands
May never stay still down there.
That like moles they will scrape the earth
In the middle of dark, compacted shadows.

Cover me with seeds. I want them to root
In the yellow chalk of my diminishing bones.
Up the gray staircase of living roots
I will rise to watch you. I’ll be the purple lilies.

-Juana de Ibarbourou
Uruguay



To Poetry

The taste of October on your shoulders.
Your hands give off a scent of April.
Like a hundred mirrors, I reflect
your body.
Night-time in the flutes of my voice.

Your footsteps were paths
of music. It danced
tangled up in leaves: the helix
of hours.
Naked liberation.

The measure of your height,
of the wave that raised
your weight of time, untouched.
My arm
softly circled it.

Among the aftergrowths
and your summery gaze
I sharpened the sickle that conjoined
the day
with the heavenly harvest.

From the blue depths the willowy wheat
falls to the brilliance of the sickle.
From the black depths a grain of gold
a pitchfork
with a cosmic shiver.

To plant in the breezy countryside –
to grow swellingly, a delicate flower:
the earth sweated, and the path
toward the red
sunset yields to grey.

He lifted his narrow stroke,
his hand above the wheat-field.
All the grains identical: One!
Naked.
The free voice begins to sing.

The taste of October on your shoulders.
Your hands give off a scent of April.
A mirror of a hundred mirrors,
my body
will sleep darkly in your voice.

-Carlos Pellicer
Mexico

wrapping it up - oh, and books, of course

haven't felt much like posting lately.
or seeing people either. i guess it's a case of the end of the year blues or maybe it's because i like people less and less...? hmmm. ok. you decide.

that being (typed) said:
christmas was lovely - filled with some of the people i love best.
some cooking god(dess) smiled down on my roast pork because it was OUT of this world!
that and the baked ziti - (which i did NOT like) but others thought delicious. the exchange of gifts resulted in a frenetic mushroom-like cloud of wrapping paper. everyone happy with their loot. even the dog got a stocking. yay petra!

but you know, even after all the christmas music - my own compilation CD, of course -it still didn't feel like christmas. oh well. i hope next year i feel more festive and less resigned to it happening whether i want it to or not.

i don't have a best of list, nor could i do one justice, but let me just say how much i am STILL enjoying the Ozomatli DVD i got last month. and melissa gave me Batman Begins because she knows how much i loooove batman.

so here's my books read list for the past however many days...

1) laurie lynn drummond's Anything You Say Can And Will Be Used Against You
2) james reston's Warrior of the Gods (about the Crusades - damn good reading)
3) stephen graham jones's All the Beautiful Sinners
4) danny lyon's The Destruction of Lower Manhattan
5) barbara victor's Army of Roses : Inside the World of Palestinian Women Suicide Bombers (scary good reading)
6) candice millard's The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey
7) geoffrey maguire's Son of Wicked
8) frances itani's Deafening
there's something else too, but i'm in the office and way too lazy to go and see what it was. it will have to wait for next weeks list, i guess.

ok people, have a happy new year and all that.

some news and weekly book post

a Henry Moore statue, one of his 'reclining figures', was stolen from a courtyard at the Henry Moore Foundation. it weighed in at a measly 2.1 TONS! those guys had to use a crane to get it out of there - and no one notices??
'We are gobsmacked, extremely upset and also disappointed that someone would steal it' - Gareth Spence said yesterday. indeed.


1) edward humes's No Matter How Loud I Shout: A Year in the Life of Juvenile Court
2) kent haruf's The Ties That Bind
3) demetria martinez's Mother Tongue
4) paul auster's Oracle Night
5) daniel ellsburg's Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers

it's 3:30 AM and

the ice crystals floating in the air
look like the dust of diamonds
all is silent and strangely calm

books of the week

1) ernesto quiñonez' Chango's Fire
2) mary childers' Welfare Brat
3) adrian c. louis' Skins
4) stephen graham jones' The Bird is Gone: A Manifesto
5) andrew witten's Dondi White Style Master General: The Life of Graffiti Artist Dondi White


i love reading, but i sure wish i slept more.

there were 2 sitting right next to me...

stolen from rich's live journal:
(because i like it)

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence along with these instructions.
5. Don't search around and look for the "coolest" book you can find. Do what's actually next to you.


‘he didn’t blame anyone but wished the hell he could turn back time’


-edgardo vega yunqué from No Matter How Much You Promise to Cook Or Pay The Rent You Blew It Cauze Bill Bailey Ain’t Never Coming Home Again

and

‘likening voluntary simplicity to a religion is neither hyperbole nor sacrilege’


-barbara kingsolver from Small Wonders (essays)



my only other comment for today is fuck a winter wonderland.

books and bullsh*t

1) george r.r. martin's A Feast for Crows
2) amanda eyre ward's Sleep Toward Heaven
3) keith walker's A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American Women Who Served in Vietnam
4) jake halpern's Braving Home
5) owen sheer's The Blue Book (poems)

a pretty good selection this week although i was pretty disappointed in A Feast for Crows. it was supposed to be the final in a series of four - and we all waited FORever for him to finish - only to find out that he wrote SO much that he ended up having to split the book in half. and god only knows when the second half will be out. also a little disappointed with the owen sheers book. it got so much buzz that i ordered it from a far away library just to read it. and if you aren't hip to the awesome-ness of the library, you really are missing out. especially if you're like me. i read a LOT, and if i had to BUY all the books i'd read, well, i'd be ever more poorer than i am now, that's for sure. there were 2 poems in the sheer book i liked, so maybe i'll reprint them here.

so tuesday my dog is getting her first of 5 doggie training lessons. i can't wait to see what he thinks of her and what he can do. the guy who's doing them is pretty well known. he just did a movie with nicole kidman - well, his dog did... here's his site: Shepard's Watch
i'll be sure to update her (and my) progress...

i need a new job - pronto!

my employer's husband is having pretty major surgery on monday. they're fixing something wrong with his jaw. so they have to break it, then saw out some bits and add other bits. then wire it all shut for 6 weeks. just thinking about the operation has given me nightmares. anyway, i ask her what the matter is - she looks upset - BAD idea. she tells me she's scared about the surgery. I SAY: understandable - it's a 5 hour long, scary procedure. SHE SAYS: no, no , you don't understand - it's not the operation i'm worried about, it's the recovery. he's going to need A LOT of ministering to. this is going to be really hard on me. well, i choked on my gum and sputtered something that i think may have sounded sympathetic and hurriedly left the room. i was kinda queasy by then. remember a while back when i wrote about the hurricane thing and her credit card? and i thought then that she was the MOST self-involved human alive - but this - THIS is too much. i have to find another job. now. today.
this is me going to spruce up my resume to find something.

books of the week & some rambling about thanksgiving

i've been pretty busy so i haven't read as much as usual...

1) john del vecchio's The 13th Valley
2) boris vian's I spit on your graves
3) duncan maclean's Bunker Man
*************************************************************
so thanksgiving turned out really well. a lot of people, a lot of food, a lot of noise, and a lot to clean up. but i think everyone had a good time. i know they ate enough! melissa and mike brought their dog so i let mine out and they had a great time playing and running around. it kept them away from other people and more importantly away from all the food. finally (i can only take so many people for so long) around 11:30 everyone was gone. but the weekend proved to be filled with people dropping by - mostly uninvited - but in some cases i hadn't seen some of them in a long time, so it was alright. steven's friend steve (and his band The Blue Light Special) was in from philly to play at the Knitting factory last night. good to see them doing so well.

so that's it. back to work tomorrow. wait is that a tickle in my throat? i don't feel so good... :D

this week in books

1) frederick down's The Killing Zone
2) jonathan shay's Achilles in Vietnam
3) donovan webster's The Burma Road
4) jennifer vanderbes' Easter Island
5) andrew greig's Electric Brae
***************************************

so today at 7am it was a bracing 24 degrees and the dog needed to go out.
now i remember why i hate the winter and having a dog at the same time. it was SO cold - even after i got dressed for the Arctic - that my nose ran (pretty, right?) and my eyes watered. petra wasn't all that thrilled with the weather conditions either seeing as how she has next to no fur to keep her warm and toasty. i have a fleece-lined harness for her, so that does a little to help, but mostly that's so she doesn't pull me around the block until my arm comes loose from it's socket. well, we made it back in 20 looong minutes. my hands were frozen through my thinsulate lined gloves. and it's only NOVEMBER. lovely.
now i'm off to shop for thanksgiving.

god help anyone who gets in my way - i'm on a mission.

i'm out.

for those of you in the LA area - don't miss

Luis Rodriguez, award-winning poet and best-selling author (Always Running, Music of the Mill), will be the featured performer at the Blue Nile Cafe in Long Beach on December 2.

Luis, also a co-founder of Rock A Mole Productions, will highlight a night of poetry and music presented by the Poets of the Round Table. The Blue Nile is a beautiful two-story venue in the classic New Orleans style. A comfortable place to hang out and the staff will treat you with love and respect. Come on out. It's all ages and it's free!

here's the info:

Blue Nile Cafe
438 Broadway
Long Beach
Friday, December 2, 9 PM
All Ages
Admission: Free

*************************************************************************************
so a week from today is thanksgiving. my favorite holiday. yet this year i am SO horribly unprepared - both mentally and food-wise. i have nothing purchased, no idea aside from turkey, of course, what i'm going to cook. i suppose i'm kind of dreading it because of the dog. that sounds terrible, but she's definitely NOT ready for the chaos of the day. people in and out, FOOD tempting her the whole time. shit, I'M not ready for that either. well, better get cracking on a menu and a shopping list. i'm not even sure how many people will be here.

maybe i'll do take-out?!

books of the week

1) cherokee paul mcdonald's Into the Green
2) magnus mills' The Restraint of Beasts
3) philip caputo's A Rumor of War
4) jose saramago's The Cave
5) nina berberova's The Italics are Mine
6) romeo dallaire's Shake Hands with the Devil

i'm all over the place today

some days you're the dry land and some days you're the island... a football field sized mobile island washes up in a Massachusetts mans backyard

speaking of things moving (when they shouldn't, that is) check this -
icebergs on the move in Antarctica


paris suburbs STILL burning
here's a link to what the residents are saying about it all

don't mess with Texas' death row convicts, that is they just walk right out of prison after killing 2 people back in 1999


so both my employers are (attempting) to quit smoking AT THE SAME TIME. i am seriously thinking about giving my notice. there will be a homicide (or 2) if things get ugly in the workplace. or maybe it's the perfect kick in the ass that i need to make some big changes in my lackluster life. i watched the movie 'WHAT THE #$*! DO WE KNOW?!' last night - not a good thing if you're feeling small and insignificant already - but it was entertaining. all about quantum mechanics and the what ifs...
a few of the 'scientists' were pretty amusing in a kind of eerie way.

time to put my newly stained bookcase together. sigh. hopefully i'll be able to figure it out. it DID come from IKEA after all. these times are pretty much the only times i miss the ex...

a poem by sherman alexie


spontaneous combustion

sometimes when an indian boy loves
a white girl and vice-versa
it’s like waking up
with half the world
on fire. you don’t know
if you should throw water
or let the whole goddamn thing burn.


books read this week:

1) neil gaiman’s Anansi Boys
2) sherman alexie’s Business of Fancydancing
3) octavio paz’s Early Poems: 1935-1955
4) gabriel garcia marquez’s One hundred Years of Solitude (re-read for the 10th time!)
5) khaled hosseini’s The Kite Runner
6) mark haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

more Paz

Vida entrevista


Relampagos o peses
en la noche del mar
y parajaros, relampagos
en la noche del bosque.

Los huesos son relampagos
en la noche del cuerpo.
Oh mundo, todo es noche
y la vida es relampago.



Live interval

Lightning or fishes
in the night of the sea
and birds, lightning
into the forest night.

Our bones are lightning
in the night of the flesh.
Oh world, all is night,
life is the lightning.


big, big sigh...

sonja needs...

straight from rich's blog:

and if you didn't LOOk at rich's blog, which you really should, just google your name, and add 'needs' after it.
i assure you that hilarity will ensue.

this is an update of the Sonja Needs thingie because i found really funny stuff this time - someone looked at this page the other day, so i checked.

Sonja needs both bread and roses. interesting..
Sonja needs to be nerfed big time. too true.
Sonja needs an angry expression. hmm, give me a minute...
Sonja needs snacks throughout the day. and that's how to gain 5 pounds on your vacation... sigh.


Sonja needs to find a new home - ain't that the truth!

Sonja needs to have a marriage license from County Clark which costs $55 - that's kinda scary. where IS Clark County, anyway?

Sonja needs a family that can give her a lot of time & love - my family's good like that, but i guess you can always have MORE love...

Sounds to me like Sonja needs a psychiatrist - well, that's just... well... alright, maybe a teeny bit true?!

Sonja needs a caretaker - DAMN, i'm not that old

Sonja needs to focus more - well, maybe that's... ooh... ice cream!!



i just watched Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids and i was blown away by it. this woman goes to india to photograph the red light district and falls in love with the children of the prostitutes. she gives them cameras and teaches them all about photography and sends them out to take pictures of their lives. she tries, in vain mostly, to get these kids into good schools so that the girls won't have to follow their mothers into 'the line'
rent it and watch it. the kids came out with some of the finest photos i've seen.


Alzheimer's and Picasso - a great article.

books of the week

a heavy week of non-fiction

1) susan o'neill's Don't Mean Nothing: Short Stories of Vietnam
2) edward rivera's Family Installments
3) virgil suarez's Spared Angola
4) editors tara herivel and paul wright's Prison Nation: The Warehousing of America's Poor
5) james ebert's A Life in a Year : The American Infantryman in Vietnam
6) keith david hamm's Scarred for Life: Eleven Stories About Skateboarders

next i think some poetry. i just got Song of the Simple Truth : The Complete Poems of Julia de Burgos so that'll keep me happy.

say so long, harriet
here's the spin: "Harriet Miers' decision demonstrates her deep respect for this essential aspect of the constitutional separation of powers - and confirms my deep respect and admiration for her," Mr Bush said. but it's a TKO for bush and his (in) ability to get anything done in his second term - and he thought it was gonna be easy!

will there FINALLY be justice in the Plame case?

here's an update of the possible migration (no pun intended - well, maybe a little) of the bird flu


truth IS stranger than fiction y'all well, she did pick a helluva time of the year to hang herself...


i'm back reading books on Vietnam - every so often i read all i can about that time -it fascinates me. one of my favorite jobs was working at Montrose VA hospital with all the vets.
that and civil war books - i can't get enough of those books. not the fictional accounts though - only non-fiction ones. thank god for library cards.
oh, and Ozomatli? still listening AND watching that DVD

that's it for now - have a good weekend all...

part 2

you know how people think that by going to places like Costco that they save money by buying in bulk? i think that's bullshit. i just spent 100 bucks and all i needed was paper towels and tin foil. huh.



En la vida hay dos cosas ciertas,
Son la muerte y el cambio

still can't stop listening to ozomatli y'all...

burt bacharach and dr. dre?

now you KNOW shit's serious...! check this -


A new album titled "At This Time" arrives in stores on the first of the month with some intriguing attributes. Hip-hop beats crafted by Dr. Dre on three tracks. Politically charged lyrics, among them a bruising attack on the Bush administration. And the record label that's releasing the CD stepped in to ask the artist to tone down the raw language.
Most intriguing is that artist is none other than 77-year-old Burt Bacharach, a songwriter best known for his polished love songs and elegant orchestrations. Some of his tennis partners are going to be a bit rattled by all of this.
"I know, I know, all of this is going to surprise some people," Bacharach said in a wispy voice in a phone call from New York, far from his usual Pacific Palisades turf. "I wanted to take some chances. There are things I needed to say."
It's a good fit for him right now, being in a city of rain and hard edges.
"There was no fear here," he said. "I feel I have a new kind of freedom in making an album like this. In a pop song you're always a bit restrained. Where are you going to go in a three- or four-minute song that is intended for radio? There are limits. Here I went where I wanted to go."
Where he wanted to go required some seven-minute mini-operas, a 35-piece orchestra, three hip-hop producers, Elvis Costello, Rufus Wainwright, jazzman Chris Botti and, for the first time in Bacharach's long and illustrious career of melody-making, lyrics he wrote himself.
The result is an album of high polish — everything Bacharach does with brass and piano is as decorative and shiny as brass buttons on a country-club sports coat — and gives him an adventurous auteur role here that makes him seem like Moby fashioning an album for a light-jazz radio station.
Bacharach is one of the most famous composers in the world and in his sixth decade in the business. He has won six Grammys and three Oscars. He's collaborated on 48 Top 10 hits but along the way wrote the lyrics to exactly zero of them. Old partner Hal David was the word man on "Walk on By," "The Look of Love," "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and most of the other signature works in the Bacharach songbook.
"Through the years did I contribute a line here or there or a title to a song? Yes. But this is a whole new thing for me." There's a revelation in his writing, too: Who knew the cheerful-looking fellow behind the piano was so angry? Take the most indignant track, "Who Are These People?"
This stupid mess we're in just keeps getting worse

So many people dying needlessly

Looks like the liars may inherit the earth

Even pretending to pray and getting away with it.

Not exactly "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head." The songwriter says politics have never really been part of his personal composition.

"Vietnam, I'm sure terrible things happened, I know terrible things happened, but you know … some years I didn't vote and politics, that just wasn't my thing," Bacharach said.

When he and David did look to geopolitical headlines for inspiration, the result wasn't exactly high-definition rhetoric. In the gorgeous 1967 hit "Say a Little Prayer," it turns out that it was a distant solider boy who Dionne Warwick was fretting about during her daily routine. The singer said years later that "we were sending a message to our kids in Vietnam." Who knew? It's safe to say that for most pop fans, that message remained safely encrypted.
Not so with the new CD. Asked about the unveiled references, Bacharach's voice began to vibrate with emotion as he indexed his frustrations with the Bush administration.
"The world I see right now is so upsetting that I feel I have to say what I feel," Bacharach said. "At my age, and at this time, things are getting worse by the minute, worse by the day. And this album is that."
The album opens with "Please Explain," which is hung on the ominous chest-thump and orchestral weave of a Dre-fashioned drum-and-bass loop. The slow build leads to Bacharach's vocals, which have always been limited as an instrument and — again, like a Moby album — are often half-hidden behind orchestral corners. ("I'm very self-conscious about my vocals," a sheepish Bacharach conceded.)
The first lyrics on the album make it clear that Bacharach is worried these days that love, sweet love, may not be enough for the world anymore.

There was a song I remember

said "What the World Needs Now … "

Where is the love

Where did it go

Who broke our hearts

'cause we need to know.

Trumpet player and composer Botti met Bacharach on two separate occasions that were a year apart before the song "Dreams" coalesced as a complete work.
The young musician said that Bacharach's talent is to set aside pop convention and somehow create music that attains a near-universal appeal.
"What he does harmonically and rhythmically is so complex and rare because it seems so simple and natural on the surface," Botti said. "Dig deeper and look at what he's doing and you'll see why musicians — from jazz backgrounds or pop or classical or hip-hop or whatever — all respect him."
Botti said the famously mellow Bacharach is a "wonderful collaborator — you can't write all those lovely songs and not be a nice guy, right?"
Maybe so, but Bacharach nearly shed some of his warm and fuzzy persona. This album came mighty close to arriving in stores with a parental advisory sticker.
"Who Are These People?" features Costello, in his best pinched-rage voice, decrying liars and leaders who "can't admit when they're wrong." It ends with Costello singing: "See things really have to change/ Before it's too late."
But in the studio the song had a different ending involving a certain f-word. Bacharach was persuaded by label executives to put a less spiky ending on a lushly orchestrated track.
"But I loved the way it sounded."
The songwriter repeated the original line a few times, savoring the phonetic charge of the bomb he almost set off.
"We should have left it in," he said. "That line says it all.
"That's where we are. I'm being honest."
He says now he expects to release the R-rated version as a single or download or import. "I want people to hear it."

By Geoff Boucher, LA Times Staff Writer 10/22/05

friday night blues

so i don't usually bring work up here, but today was a shit-ass day which has only reaffirmed my deep dislike of some people - well, alright, most people. i don't think that there exists a more self-centered, self-involved human alive than my employer. the lengths she will go to make herself look good to anyone astounds me. she finds a way to make EVERYthing about her, no matter what it is. you all thought Katrina was a hurricane that affected folks in new orleans, right? nope. it totally was about her when she couldn't cancel a credit card because the computers were down in NEW ORLEANS!! and she threw a fit - i almost fell over dead. and since i am NOT prone to exaggeration, you know it's the truth. thank god it's friday and i don't have to be anywhere near her until monday, which if you ask me is too damn soon. the good part of the story is that steven is visiting his friends at binghamton and i am alone (sorta - there is the dog) until sunday night.

there, i feel better. have a good weekend, i know i will.

insomnia has its advantages...

books i've read this past week:

1) clive barker's Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War
2) jasper fforde's (yes, there are 2 f's) the big over easy
3) charles cross's biography of kurt cobain called Heavier than Heaven
4) simon winchester's Krakatoa
5) jack finney's Time and Again
6) anna funder's Stasiland: True Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall
and
7) jose torres' We Took the Streets: Fighting for Latino Rights with the Young Lords

and i recently bought the live (at the Fillmore in san francisco) Ozomatli, AND it comes with a DVD that i just can NOT stop watching. those guys are on fire! i have a huuuuge crush on the trumpet player...no, wait the trombone player...no wait the - oh hell, on ALL of them!
get it. watch it. you won't regret it.

magic on the lake

a dog & turtle show

so my (so-called) fearless, terrifying pitbull puppy is afraid of the rain. yup. the. rain. she refuses to go out in it. which would be funny if it didn't mean that she's holding in all her bodily functions until it stops. and, my friends, it doesn't look like it's EVER going to stop. the first time i tried to take her out she jumped up on me to get under my umbrella. stupid, she's not - just a bit ridiculous.

one of my turtles died. i'm not exactly sure of what, but i knew he wasn't feeling great when i took him out with the other two to feed and he didn't try and eat me. then he didn't eat anything which is no good. i was going to take him out alone to feed him the next day, but i didn't have the chance. he went that quickly. i was pretty surprised at how sad i was - that may sound heartless, i know, but turtles aren't the most cuddly of pets (like my petrified pooch) so, the tears kinda took me by surprise.

this constant rain is depressing me. i don't mind the cooler temperature, but the raw-ness of the past few days is starting to get to me. and i need a new winter coat - hell, i need new winter clothes, winter shoes - you name it, i need it. and i HATE HATE HATE shopping. yes, that's right. female. hates shopping.

the day before halloween is my dad's 72nd birthday. we used to call it gate night. i don't know what everyone else calls it though i've heard different names. well, that's pretty old, isn't it? 72? he lives in florida (where all jews go to die apparently) although not in boca. he's on the gulf side in sarasota. right down the street from pee wee herman's parents house. for real. he drives a camaro - (my dad, not pee wee, or his parents) the fast one too. he's kind of nuts, i guess. still calls me kid. i like that.

well, the dog wants to play so this is where i'll stop for now.

vacation's over so i'm catching up a bit...

ok, so there are a few things that need to be discussed. i was watching the news (i know, mistake) and the michael brown hearing was being shown. first off, he's an idiot - that should come as no surprise, i know. second, i was watching as he placed the blame for his organization's failure on everyone else. but when i saw the congressmen (and i think there was a woman too) rip him a new asshole, i said wait a second - he was DEFINITELY not qualified for the job, but WHO appointed him? remember, he was HAND-PICKED for this post by you know who. so ultimately, the failure - both of them - the (lack of) response to Katrina AND 'brownie's' sits squarely on dubya's weak frame, but there was no mention of that bit of truth. all they were interested in was a handy scapegoat. well, congratulations congresspeople -satisfied that you could spill all your pent-up rage at some insignificant patsy. well met. assholes, all of 'em.

"But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could, if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down," said former education secretary william bennett - mr book of virtues, indeed.

and then there's this to scare the shit out of you - just look at the estimated number of potential deaths from this new potential disaster...

just some stuff

cindy sheehan arrested - for failing to heed warnings to 'move along' at protest at the white house today. i bet george is tickled to death about that...


a lowfat AND vegan diet spurs weight loss?? - you're kidding, right? eating veggies, fruits, grains, and beans helped people lose weight - hmm...a real surprise there! whatever trips your trigger, i guess...


here's a picture of my daughter melissa and her boyfriends dog, dart

rain rain go away...

so i'd just gotten out of the pool when the loudest crack of thunder EVER made me jump, and i almost landed back in the pool. then not a nano second later, a torrent of rain poured out of the not even grey sky so i hot-footed it back to the house. 7 -no really 6 because of the rain - days of swimming and sun. a lovely vacation to be sure. first time in many years i've had more than a few days off in a row...

i've read 5 books (so far) and gotten a tan. also, many, many freckles - so many that they look like like one big one (sort of)

these are the books i've read:

1) A Storm of Swords (the third in the series of A Song of Ice & Fire)
2) The Massacre at El Mozote (a non-fiction account of the massacre in El Salvador in 1982)
3) The Nature of Water and Air (very good fiction)
4) A Rumor of War (non-fiction memoir by Philip Caputo on his time in Vietnam)
5) Witch Hunt (good intrigue/thriller by one of my favorites - Ian Rankin)

more later...

a few things of interest

11 children are found in cages in foster parents house how is it that no charges have been filed as yet? the ages of the children range form 1 to 14 - one has autism. all left to sleep in these cages that are 40 x 40.

this from davey d about the cops shutting down a benefit concert for hurrican katrina with krs 1, and dead prez in L.A.

i will get around to writing a thing on the Indian Larry memorial, but since i started my vacation, i've not been anxious to sit in front of the computer for too long. so this is all for now.

swimming and reading and relaxing are on my agenda for the rest of the week...

jon stewart said this...

about the administration's response (if you want to call it that) to Katrina:


"This is inarguably a failure of leadership from the top of the federal government. Remember when Bill Clinton went out with Monica Lewinsky. That was inarguably a failure of judgment at the top. Democrats had to come out and risk losing credibility if they did not condemn Bill Clinton for his behavior. I believe Republicans are in the same position right now. And I will say this: Hurricane Katrina is George Bush's Monica Lewinsky. The only difference is that tens of thousands of people weren't stranded in Monica Lewinsky's vagina."

and this little exchange as well:

"While everybody else is busy setting up commissions and finding fault, through the president's leadership he'll end up building a billion dollar dam in Arkansas." --"Daily Show" correspondent Ed Helms
"Why would he build a dam in Arkansas?" --Jon Stewart
"His plan will be to fight the water there so we don't have to fight it here." --Ed Helms


also in the news: Ukraine's Yushchenko fires government
oy vey. things are getting weird again in the homeland...!


PLUS - don't forget about the memorial for Indian Larry this saturday in Brooklyn. see post below for details.

saturday starts my 2 weeks off. and this is where i'll be.

so those of you in the know, know that my car (my baby, my FAVORITE) gave up the ghost a while back. this past saturday, i got a new (for me, anyway) one. this one shall NOT have a name and most definitely shall NOT take up residence in my heart. i know people think it's weird to say that you can love an inanimate object such as a vehicle, but i did. for sure. my audi and my harley. both gone. and to think of all the dollars i've spent trying to win the lottery so i could have them rebuilt and pristine again. oh well. this one will do. for now...

i heart t. rex

last night i watched the T. Rex movie called 'Born to Boogie'
which was directed (and produced) by Ringo Starr. it was filmed in 1972 with Tony Visconti producing and mixing the all the music. Marc Bolan's son, (everybody groan)
Rolan Bolan (it WAS the 70's!) presented the the documentary (rockumentary?!) part of it. well, the concert, which took place at Wembley Stadium, was sold out - 20,000 seats - was SO good. Mickey Finn on bongos (man, he was extraordinarily handsome!) Steve Currie on bass, and Bill Legend on drums. i've always loved their sound, but i had forgotten how good a band they actually were. great rhythm section. and Marc's stage presence was electric. definitely born to be a rock star, that one. and marc sang one of my favorite songs - 'Spaceball Ricochet' - using only his acoustic guitar.
best few hours i've spent in awhile...

mickey finn (on the left)

some old photos

the first picture is of me and steve when he was about 6 months old. never too early to learn about motorcycles. i'd forgotten how big he was - 10 lbs when he was born!

the second one is me and melissa on a trip to Harriman State Park. she was around 2 and a half here. i think that my mother was actually with us as well. hmm.
and yes, that is me with bottle blonde hair. mal used to tell me that he loved the color but was confused as to why i would dye my roots brown! HI-larious as always.

11:46 pm and it's STILL 86 damn degrees

fuck a dry heat

*please read disclaimer*

this is going to be a personal post, so if they tend to make you squeamish, stop reading right...NOW

i got a phone call from an old friend early this morning telling me that our mutual friend, brendan, had (another) 'psychotic break' last night, and ended up in Bellevue. not unlike last time (when we were on the street and he started seeing killer spiders) he was hallucinating again. he was alone when it happened and that got him beaten up as well as put away for a 72 hour involuntary committment. eduardo wanted to know if i would come to see brendan, but i said no. i tried to explain to him that i had set some boundaries with brendan that i had to maintain. this has been going on for years now, and i can't let his situation drag me down to those ugly places again. i made it clear that he couldn't be a part of my life if he continued to choose drugs and booze and lying and stealing over friendship and honesty. he said some not so nice things that day that i tried to put into perspective - you know, take it from the source - stuff like that, but it's awfully difficult to do when you have given so much and been treated badly in return. not once or twice either - dozens of times at this point. i then got a call from the attending - brendan gave MY number as his next of kin contact - and HE asked whether or not i would come. by this time it was 5:30AM and i had to be at work at 7. i explained to the doc that we were not, in fact, family, and i went through my (by now) hollow-sounding 'boundaries' spiel again. he seemed to understand, and after reassuring me that brendan was in relatively no physical danger, and after giving him my cell # in case things changed, i hung up. not for nothing, but with this whole insomnia thing - i tend to fall asleep around 4 or 5AM, so you guessed it - no sleep for your girl at all.
plus the dog is driving me crazy in all her puppiness (yes, dammit, that's a word!)
it seems i have no space for myself either in, or out, of my head - which is pounding like a small army of ice-pick wielding maniacs are trying to break out of it and take over the world. i don't even know what i'm saying anymore. the dog's in her crate and i have barricaded myself in my office to purge all of these thoughts and feelings before they make my head explode. perhaps that was a tad dramatic. if anyone is still reading this - i apologise.
there's tomorrow - another evil work day, and thursday, but i have off on friday. something to look forward to, i guess. whelp, i'm bone-weary and typed out so

goodnight, everybody

1 year memorial for Indian Larry

2nd Annual Indian Larry Grease Monkey Block Party
Saturday, September 10th
151 North 14th st
Brooklyn, N.Y.

just when you think time couldn't possibly move any slower,
a year goes by and sort of just slaps you in the face. hard.


i'm hot and sticky. my vacation can not come soon enough.

oh, and good luck to the louderARTS team who are on the way
to Albuquerque for the NPS 2005

random articles of interest

McDonald's looking to update their uniforms - those interested in the make-over include Russell Simmons, P Diddy, and Tommy Hilfiger. go figure.

Grant Morrison's new comic book series Manhattan Guardian, uses (in some cases) historic architectural plans never constructed. including a hotel that Antonio Gaudi designed a hundred years ago AND a building designed by the Austrian architect Hans Hollein whose facade resembled the grill of a Rolls Royce. he proposed it be built for the new headquarters for Chase Manhattan Bank in the 1950's. Mr. Morrison created
'The Manhattan Guardian', a tabloid that employs Jake Jordan, a veteran of the New York Police Department, to protect New York from nefarious characters.

a great interview with Jim Jarmusch. he's got a new movie out called 'Broken Flowers' starring Bill Murray. it took the Grand Prix award (the runner-up, for which Jarmusch was very much relieved) at Canne. it looks to be his most universally accessible film to date. looking forward to it.

alone at last!

i will be blissfully, ecstatically, splendidly and undeniably
ALONE this weekend - except for the dog, of course
no continuous parade of 20 somethings saying 'hey mom'
i am not EVERYbody's damn mother!
steven and the horde are going to maine until tuesday.
WOO freakin' HOO!

and the clock starts... NOW!!

a free few moments

not much to say - petra is coming along quite nicely, although my free time (ha) is severely restricted since she doesn't really know how to maintain on her own yet. she needs someone to play with and i can honestly say i'm EXHAUSTED.

i do need to mention last night at bar 13, though. first off, tony brown was simply amazing to listen to. quite a presence - i enjoyed him immensely. now to this thing that needs mentioning. the 1st annual (will they dare repeat it?!) sock puppet slam. yes, you heard correctly. sock. puppet. slam. marty (and betty!) took home first place and proved to one and all that not only is she a good poet, but she also has a grand sense of humor. but rich, reading a piece that roger wrote, was seriously hysterical. my cheeks STILL hurt from laughing so damn hard. oh, and the AC - meat locker cold! yay for that.

i'm out - petra wants to play...

been busy with my new

got her saturday. her name's Petra (greek-it means rock)
a rescue of sorts, she's a sweetheart, although at 8 months she's got a long way to go in the smarts department. her head is HUGE! melissa and mike brought over their pit - dart - and they had a grand old time together. the training may just wear me the hell out though... i'm tired!

steven & melissa (lake george, june 2005)

i've added this picture of my children - well, not so much CHILDren, but you know what i mean - you can look at all my pictures by clicking on the flickr thingie on the right under the archives section (or any of the pictures underneath it for that matter)
or not - whatever...

oh, also, i keep having the biker build-off dream (and i keep winning!) so i'm thinking that maybe i should look up some old friends and get something started...!

no news is...(much) better

P Diddy (un)written memoir law suit settled Sean P Puffy Daddy Combs (whatever he wants to call himself) settled a suit that Random House brought against him for keeping a $300,000 advance for a memoir he never got around to writing. terms were not disclosed, but since there will be no forthcoming book, i'm guessing he gave back the bucks...

CNOOC-ered - Bush security adviser helped firm land lobbying gig for Chinese oil company what a tangled web we weave - well, mostly those that practice shady dealings and think they're immune to detection. the whole bush administration seems to be falling apart from the inside out - hopefully the (wrong) half of the american population will finally wake the fuck up from their rip van winkle like slumber and get a grip on reality 2005.

when i'm 64... i'll give up my (day & night) job as a prostitute in berlin and retire...

White House silence on Rove broken as Bush continues to express confidence in Rove and i quote 'despite his involvement in a scandal over the leak of the identity of a CIA operative.' man, if this shit happened in my job (or anyone else's for christ's sake) i'd have been long gone. what will it take already??!

ok, too angry to continue right now
arrrrrggghhhh

one good dream...

i dreamt i not only participated in, but WON, the Biker Build-Off championship!
with a rootbeer colored sportster from the early seventies (the best years,IMO)
i was welding and painting and fabricating my ass off! paul cox made me a beautiful
leather seat and i used the kicker pedal from my friend steve's bike that i took
from it before it was put away for good. how could i NOT win!?

it was the first good dream i've had in i don't know how long.
and aside from the painting, i could maybe do it!

later.



oh, and tonight at 13, i heard a fantastic poet by the name of ragan fox.
he killed it!

here and there

it's the last day of june and i'm looking forward to a 3 day weekend. i'm debating whether or not i should bother with the fireworks this year.
my neighbor's dog has a brain tumor and i keep getting these headaches...probably unrelated, but the hypochondriac in me is concerned.
if i hear pink floyd on the radio again i'm going to lose my mind!
a little back story - everytime i turn on the radio (for the last 4 months) a floyd song is playing. i don't like them. i guess (and i'm dating myself here, but so what) it's because i've heard the same songs for 25 mother-effin' years! yeah, you can try & do the math but your head may explode. i know mine would. anyway, i even went so far as to BUY dark side of the moon just to see if it would stop. nope. maybe THAT'S what's causing all my headaches. hmmm... anyhow, enjoy yourselves over the weekend and remember to bar-b-que something. here's some stuff i found noodling around:

the latest edition to the National Museum of the American Indian is not a ceremonial mask or even a kachina doll, but Felipe Rose’s gold record from 1978 – Y.M.C.A.
by yes, the village people. Rose, the son of a member of the Lakota-Sioux tribe,
was, of course, the Indian in the group. He donated the award to the museum on his 51st birthday.


have you heard about this scam? apparently a gazillion people showed up at an apartment that they thought they’d sublet only to find out that someone already sublet the place! 18 people actually, and they all gave “Rita”, the subletting scammer, over $2,800. EACH. damn.


check the schedule – i bet you’ll find someone you’d like to hear... i’d like to see Vienna Teng – she’s got a killer voice – and Stefon Harris & Blackout he plays the vibraphone like nobody’s business... all at Madison Square Park – free and outside – rain or shine.


KKK tries a recruitment drive in...Massachusetts?! some local residents of Somerset and Dighton woke up to find slipped into their morning paper a flyer proclaiming: “Good News! The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is organizing in Massachusetts!”


if you live in (or near) Marietta, Georgia, you should check the Marietta/Cobb Art Museum for a terrific exhibition called Wind Blown: American Motorcycle Fine Art. it features Billy Lane (my favorite builder) and the late Indian Larry’s bike in addition to paintings and photos of all kinds. wish i could go, but Georgia? too damn far.

this had me almost choking on my raspberry snapple
gangsta gadgets they're called and you've gotta see 'em to believe...!
check out the 'Ba-Donka-Donk Mouse'

a rock and a hard place

you were coming to see me
riding west, with the sun
in your eyes
most likely smiling, unmindful
of the bugs flying into your mouth at 75mph
(you never liked those full-faced helmets, did you?)
i waited, but you didn’t show
disappointed, i went to bed
when the phone woke me at quarter to 2
johnny was saying something about
an accident
but all i could hear was a loud buzzing
in my ear, so i slammed the phone down
and made myself small under the comforter
the doorbell rang sometime later – i don’t remember when –
time became elastic
and i ran and hid in the closet, knees to chest, trembling
a key turned in the front door
and i burst out of my hiding place
but it was only johnny, saying it wasn’t a dream
later, i had to force myself to say
‘it’s him’
and sign the necessary papers
in triplicate
(no,
no,
NO)
back home,
(is where my heart was)
they drugged me to sleep like a good little sheep
and this is what i saw –

me running, running
it getting closer
looking over my shoulder
it reaches a hand out to grab me,
but luckily it falls off
hitting the sidewalk with a dull meaty thwap –
it’s hot, fetid breath on my neck
i run faster, but i’m winded
(so much for going to the gym 2x a week)
i risk another quick peek
and just then one of it’s eyes pops out
and hits me
right in the back of the head
i’ve stopped now, too busy wheezing to care
and just as i become resigned to my fate,
the melting monstrosity morphs
into the Archangel Gabriel
and beckons me onward, into a cave.
it’s dark at first, but an impeccable light
radiates outward from the Angel -
and that’s when i first notice writing on the rocky walls;
at first i thought it was an ancient story
but after a moment, i realized
it was MY story –
my parents - toasting, fighting, ugly
my children - walking, talking, beautiful
i turn towards Gabriel, but he’s no longer there
you are standing in his place
i thought i would faint, but you reached me first
and said
‘i was on my way to give you this’
then you held me for a long while, shoulders shaking
as you said goodbye

when i woke up there were tears sliding down my back
as well as running down my face
and i was clutching a sparkly, purple painted rock


not a good week - dreams (all bad) and no sleep
i can't even pull the covers over my head and pretend
that i'm invisible anymore...

oh, also some news

starting off with a very convenient reason for me never to get another cat - my son wants one pretty badly and i DO NOT. there's this bit of information making its way around BBC online. seems that a certain parasite that domestic cats carry, and can can transmit to their owners, toxoplasma gondii, can alter one's personality over time. read the whole article here

Purple Haze, Acapulco Gold and Rasta. yep we know what these are, but i bet you didn't know that they're also candy lolliops that are on the market right now. its detractors call it "dope candy" because it's made with hemp oil, and they're trying to get this legal product off the market.

my take on Batman Begins

with my expectations on the non-existent side, i went and saw Batman Begins.
let me just say first off that i’m a huuuge batman fan – of the comics, anyway.
the preceding movies, while vaguely entertaining, did nothing to satisfy my desire
for a true to (written) character batman. dark, brooding, emotionally conflicted –
all of those things, yes, but without being campy or over the top about it. written like he is in Dark Knight, or Year One. so i’ve always been disappointed with the efforts of the ones that came before. even tim burton’s version. so when i heard about this one, i was admittedly, skeptical. and then i found out that one of my LEAST favorite actors, Christian Bale, was to play the lead – i was undeniably under whelmed. Michael Caine, Liam Neeson – both good - Katie Holmes i didn’t even know until Tom Cruise jumped off of Oprah’s couch declaring his love for her and it made the news – (having never seen one complete oprah hour) christopher nolan sounded OK to me – i liked both Memento and Insomnia, so alright there.

the theater was packed, the energy was good and then the curtain opened.
from the get go i was impressed – with the cinematography, the mood, and yes, even Christian Bale. and as rich said, he was born to play Batman.
the first hour was just great cinema. after bruce became batman i had a few issues.
the biggest of course were the unnecessary romance scenes. i hate that directors, producers and screenwriters feel it necessary to add these scenes to insure female
movie attendance. most of the females i know would prefer them to be if not completely, than most significantly, eliminated. Gotham was gorgeous in both its
heyday and its decrepitude. very creepy. oh, and speaking of creepy –
the Scarecrow. need i say more?!


there were a couple of scenes i didn’t understand. the chase that led batman to the roof of the parking garage for instance. why? if the batmobile was so agile and quick, why couldn’t he ever lose those pesky (un-supercharged) cops?? and why did katie holmes, AFTER getting the antidote see the scarecrow on horseback? and the appearance and re-appearance of that same little boy made me wonder if the powers that be weren’t thinking of a potential Robin...


well, enough from me - just go see it, because it was ever so worth it.

formula 1 fiasco

i never thought i'd say this, but i'm SO glad i didn't go to Indianapolis for the Grand Prix.
here's the thing - turns out that the drivers using Michelin tires didn't race. WHAT?!
yep, that's what i said. the president of Michelin declared the final turn (without a proposed chicane) unsafe to take on those tires after the high speed accident that ralph schumacher had on friday. all weekend long (unbeknownst to the multitude of fans) the teams were arguing with Michelin and Tony George (he owns the track) about putting up a chicane to slow down the drivers coming into that particular turn. no deal was struck and the teams on Michelins (all but 3 teams!!) drove the parade lap and then pulled into the garages. the fans were freaking out - they spent a bazillion dollars on 3 day ticket packages - not to mention plane, train, and automobile fares and accomodations as well. to see 6 cars race!! schumacher (the hated) took the win (?) while fans booed him over the finish line - even those who LIKE him apparently. i saw plenty of booing fans wearing ferrari/schumacher t-shirts.
i'm unsure of the ultimate fall-out, but you can be sure there will be some. maybe even the venue's cancellation...

20 years? but I'M only 20 (or so)

today is my son's 20th birthday
toDAY is my son's 20th birthday
today is my SON'S 20th birthday
today is my son's 20th birthday

jesus.
it's a good thing i started early, i guess, or i'd be mad old by now.

on the lighter side...

customs officials thought something was fishy when they heard flapping coming from underneath a woman's skirt. said one official "You don't see these kinds of alleged concealments every day." 51 fish, in a designer apron were being (allegedly) smuggled into australia from singapore. all of the fish were put down due to the risk posed to native fish if released - all before their species was even determined.

talk about dedication - Thomas L.'Taz' Stefanelli, employee of the year for Hungry Howie's pizza shop, was shot in the thigh during an altercation with an armed robber, then went on to deliver 4 more pizzas!

the ad says 'marriage died before husband did' an ohio woman is looking to sell her (soon to be) ex's metal casket. anyone in columbus, ohio interested, she's only asking 980 bucks...

this and that

so. the beastie boys.
james newton's law suit has been thrown out. apparently, 3 notes aren't enough to constitute copy right infringement. (thanks, christina)

i don't want to seem like a light weight, but this heat is KILLING me. no AC at home - i've got 79 fans going all at once though (hello enormous electric bill)
thankfully, the workplace is centrally air conditioned...

i need a vacation.
and i actually want to GO somewhere this time, dammit!

killer jellyfish of australia. these guys aren't the passive, floating, non-threatening types we've all heard of. NO. these dangerous things will hunt you down -at 2 knots per hour, and kill you in one, that's 1, minute flat!!


i want this to be my next ride... well, a girl can dream, right?


also, i'm surprised that no one commented on the masturbation article i linked to the other day.
my poems and ramblings, i understand, but a whole article on masturbation? huh

you can drink and get stupid in scotland, but not get high and get stupid, i guess

too stoned to study in scotland
According to the most recent statistics, nearly 400 under-16s in Scotland were officially classified as drug addicts - nearly double the figure of 1999. The Headteachers' (no, i did NOT make that up!) Association of Scotland (HAS) has also warned of a growing "cannabis epidemic" in the nation's schools and has voiced its
unhappiness with the government's decision to downgrade cannabis from a class B to a class C drug

mike 'just fighting to pay the bills' tyson says he's retiring at age 39, after an embarrassing tko loss to kevin mcbride. mikey says 'he's not an animal anymore and that he does not want to disgrace the sport.' no irony whatsoever in his words or their meaning.
now THAT is some funny stuff right there!

qualifying took place yesterday afternoon in montreal for the canadian grand prix - and I should BE there, but that's a whole 'nother topic of discussion better left un-discussed. anyhow, surprisingly enough, jensen button, racing for BAR, took pole position away from both fernando alonso and the hated (in my case, anyway) michael schumacher. the track is on Île Notre Dame, right on the St Laurence river, one of the prettiest places ever.
*big sigh* oh well, there's always next year...


late edit...
alonso threw away the lead (and the points) early in the race
giving kimi raikkonen the 10 points he needed to close the gap
between them for the championship. next stop on the F1 schedule: indianapolis

insert witty title here

there's nothing much to tell
i made fried chicken
i finished one of my books
oh, and i have writer's block

again.

**************************

I am the human unraveling thing
I peel layers and cast them off like some kind of animal act
It’s ugly
The human navel orange
I like things that are ugly
They tell me everything
An addiction to truth will leave you in a pile on the floor
Make you sick of yourself
Rip yourself apart
Walk until it falls away
Seek darkness until you see blinding light
Know that there are too many cowards in the world
They speak the loudest

this is just a snippet of a henry rollins
diatribe - which just happens to correspond
to the way i'm feeling at the present time
take it for what it is...

****************************************************

ok - i found some stuff that should be mentioned:

the first is an exhibition at Cook Fine Art:
women by women in photography
it's an exhibition that features women from the late 19th century to the present, including Tina Modotti, Francesca Woodman, Cindy Sherman, and Mary Ellen Mark. Mary Ellen Mark is one of my all time favorite photographers - her series on runaway children in Seattle was made into a film called StreetWise. she's spent a lot of time in India and her portrayl of the brothels, and of all things, the circuses, are among my favorite photos. go see them all.

and this was in the paper yesterday -
at the paramont theater, in peekskill, (yes, that's in NY)
they're hosting a 4 day hip-hop symposium which includes film screenings, a photo exhibit (martha cooper's fantastic pictures from her book The Hip Hop Files), a panel discussion called “Hip-Hop Arts & Activism: What's the Connection?” and Will Power will be performing his one-man show (which debuted in NYC in 2003) called 'Flow'.
here's the link to the theater: paramount center

read this article - it's about masturbation
get underground dot com

oh, and speaking of masturbation,
i read today that Viagra can cause blindness in some cases.
does that constitute irony?


ok, that's it for me. (really)
goodnight.

one day the news will be all good, but not today

so take a guess at how big our deficit is now - go on, guess
whelp, if you guessed 666 billion dollars
(does that number seem...familiar to anyone?) you'd be correct.
and we've borrowed money from EVERYbody - china, russia, and india.
INDIA! read this:
it's all take, take, take with U.S.

the continuing 'evaluation' of the genocide (no debate needed,IMO)
in darfur. only the women go out into dangerous wooded areas to
collect firewood now because the men who have gone out in the past have
been killed. why do the women go? because they 'only' get raped,
not killed...
policy of rape and this one from the scotsman online paper
at least SOMEone's investigating this

i haven't read anything other than this on the subject of a vaccine for
marburg and ebola - it's been 100% effective with monkeys and that surely
bodes well for people. i remember reading the hot zone and it keeping me up
way into the early hours - scary shit right there.
this is from the new york times:
ebola vaccine

0 to 60 in 2 seconds and i didn't even have my coffee!

ok. so. this really made me angry and i'm not sure
if it's a worthy enough reason to be this pissed off,
OR if maybe, perhaps, i'm wound a little too tightly today
but whichever, here goes:
i was standing in line at dunkin donuts earlier and since
we weren't moving very quickly, i looked at the guy
in front of me and noticed that he was wearing a t-shirt
that said 'heroes are made in america' i can't exactly explain
WHY this made me irrationally upset - almost to the point of
spinning him around and shaking some sense into him, but i
rather prudently restrained myself, got my iced coffee and
got the hell out of there. do people really believe that shit?
are they such zealot 'patriots' that they think america is the
only place that exists? i mean, i understand the definition of
ethnocentricity, but this just takes it waaaay too far, i think.

also, i read this article on the 'new' way
we're going to be fighting the war on drugs
just say no
someone's (finally?) come to the conclusion that instead of
busting the nickel and dimers, they should go straight to the
source - is this a new revelation?


and i read this in the ny times today -
only 78,000 jobs added
the article went on to say that unemployment was down to it's
lowest percentage since 9/2001. what it failed to mention was the reason
this was the case. and that would be that most people who have been on
unemployment for the last 6 months or so have used all the extensions
afforded to them and are now SOL.

let's see what's in the news

A rabidly conservative site has put together a top ten list
of the most harmful books of the last two centuries.
Not surprising, reading it makes for some entertainment. Not only do they go out of their way to pick every influential book that they have never read, they often completely screw up the descriptions and even titles of the books.


file under 'hilarious headlines'
Turner: CNN Focuses Too Much on Perverts

ted turner says:

"I would like to see us to return to a little more international coverage on the domestic feed and a little more environmental coverage, and, maybe, maybe a little less of the pervert of the day. I mean, there's a lot of perversion around, I know that, but is it really news? I mean, some of it is. I guess you've got to cover Michael Jackson, but not three stories about perversion at the lead of every half-hour."


from spiegel:
Russia's President Putinocchio
watch his nose grow

*************************************************************************


Emmett Till - body exhumed yesterday


and go outside and look at some art for a change, will ya?

a few quick things

1) this is a link to a new york post article that features
comments contributed by oscar bermeo
and bonafide rojas
they're featuring at today's BX1 - bronx artist festival
check it out here:
BX1

2) thanks joey (from Straight Bangin' ) for the link - check his stuff
out - he covers it all - music, news, sports - you name it AND it's
all smart and well written - funny too...