You know who else did that?

To maintain a presence on social media means a near constant solicitation by others known and unknown. If it's not a kickstarter type campaign, there is someone out there needing money, asking you to buy their book, music, like their business page and on and on. For the most part I'm fine with this, it's easy to scroll past, to acknowledge or even donate to the cause on occasion.

It's the guilt trip that irks me. Do not try to make me feel guilty if I do not vote for your pet salamander as the cutest in the midwest. Do not say I am not a real friend even after I notice you did not offer any sympathy after my Mother died, you will not get my vote. And if you threaten to unfriend me if I do not click like, well guess what? It's already been done.

April is National Poetry Month with means that many poets will be attempting a thirty poems in thirty days project. I wish all of them well. I will not be doing that this year. Taking off in the middle of the month will not give me enough time to commit to it daily. Plus, I am not feeling confident. Done it before, along with other projects. Even had an idea in mind for this April, but winter sapped my spark. My idea is still with me though.

March 29th 7:15pm

Nature does not give a crap about anything but nature. You cannot stop nature.

We are born
We suffer
We age
We die
Nature wins
Every time

Thank you Mr. Wilson

The death of Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson was hardly a surprise. He was 95 years old. He did a lot for the city of Buffalo, and the city did a lot for him during his sole ownership of the franchise. He made a lot of mistakes, and was responsible for many of the successes. He was highly respected though, always. My favorite memory of Mr. Wilson was before a playoff game against Miami twenty years ago. Wilson and running back Thurman Thomas exchanged high fives and shouted, "Are you ready?" to each other in the end zone before the game, which the Bills won.



Wilson's death was a blow on a massive bruise that the franchise is taking this week. Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly is fighting for his life in a New York City hospital and will undergo surgery for a recurrence of cancer. What Kelly did for the franchise, the city of Buffalo, is quite a profound story. What happened to Kelly after he left the game is important as well. His son was diagnosed and ultimately died of a fatal condition. He started doing massive charity work and fund raising for research about Krabbe's Disease. He was in a horrible plane accident in Alaska. He endured the pain and surgeries of injuries from his career after he retired. Then, last year, the cancer.

Kelly's in a tough fight. Cancer sucks, it effects everyone.

A dropped syllable reveals so much

My son is somewhere between 57-58 pounds now. I weigh him on the scales at the pool every couple of weeks. He is slowing gaining weight, definitely not losing. He eats fine for me, we introduced creamed corn into his diet and he has not put up any real fuss. Yes, that creamed corn is also blended, hard to wrap your head around but that's part of the challenge.

Tonight we were doing some drawing and I wrote out his first and last name and asked him to repeat it, which he did. I think that was the first time I heard him say his last name, which is all odd and unsettling to me. It defines a lot of the difficulty and what we have to face. And why didn't I do this years ago? I cannot imagine how difficult it is for him to process everything.

After that I wrote out Columbus, Ohio. I've heard him repeat Ohio before, which he pronounces as "Hi-O."

The school lottery form is being filled out and sent by his mother. She's the residential parent so it's her responsibility. We hope he gets into the place we toured, many of his classmates end up going there so we hope for that familiarity for him. So many changes ahead, including physical, which we are nowhere near prepared for.

Luba is very strong willed

She already sees she's my boyfriend and wants my second part.


Hello, Are you strong and family-oriented man?

I would be happy to meet with you.
I'm a sweet and unmarried lady http://unjudiciousness.byethost18.com I see that you're my boyfriend and I can come in your life with sweet taste of love.
I hope you will be my second part.

I was looking for you very long and maybe we will find love

Regards,

Luba

Putting it together

I do not like talking on the telephone, it's a phobia, an act I try to get done with as quick as possible or avoid it whenever necessary.

Today though, I had to use it to make 22 calls. This was the day to contact all of the poets who will be reading at the Columbus Arts Festival this year. As Chairman of the Word is Arts Committee, these are phone calls I will happily make.

Left a lot of messages, but liked delivering the happy news.

Then I got to see a bunch of poets post they got the news on Facebook. The joy spreads.

I spoke to the winning poet, who is honored to have earned the slot. This year, for the first time, the winning poet will be reading a poem on the Bicentennial Stage on Friday night. The poet is excited about this. I am thrilled that this is going to happen.

In addition to all the individual sets and the slam on Saturday, there will be plenty of exciting work read on Friday and Sunday. The weekend will inspire and impress.

Rest in peace, Tony Benn

Not overly familiar with British politics, I'm told Tony Benn was well respected by all sides, even if in disagreement. He walked the walk, as it were.



We need more people in government like him, on all sides of the political spectrum.

Monday headache

If I insist my son eat, sleep, use the toilet and try to communicate with the world in a meaningful manner I have to be nothing less than a brute.

I saw too much criticism of the updated Cosmos last night that made me call into question why we do anything else. Yes, Neil DeGrasse Tyson is not Carl Sagan. Yes, Fox is not PBS. No matter how much people want it by worshiping their past or surrounding themselves with fetish items from their teenage years, childhood is not coming back. I guess that last segment of last night's program, in which DeGrasse Tyson spoke of meeting Sagan as a seventeen year did not get across. It's why we move forward, or at least try to.

And no, I'm not going back to watch the original at this time, because, this old post.

Time to break out

About seven years ago I saw her do "The Way It Is" on Letterman and have been following her career since. She's had some record company difficulties, as many artists have had.

Nicole Atkins' new record Slow Phaser was recently released and it's one of the best of the year so far, and probably will stay so. There's a good psychedelic rootsy groove going, it's got sass and can be quite danceable. There's also a little 80's nicking going on as one riff from Who Killed the Moonlight was definitely inspired by an Echo and the Bunnymen song. She may have steered away from the sixties pop of her first release and the bluesy jams of her second but her voice, as a fictional child of Roy Orbison and Ronnie Spector, remains powerful and intact.

The first video is a catchy little number that has a good beat that you can dance to.



Maybe this time Atkins will get the larger audience she deserves. She put another solid brick into her canon.

Cooler than all of us

Vision follow up

A couple of weeks ago, I went in for an eye exam. It had been three years since my last exam and I knew a new prescription was needed. Here is the post about it.

On Thursday, I got the glasses from the OSU Optometry Clinic. I like them. I see a bit better, but there's still something not right. The best prescription I ever had was in the late eighties in Fredonia. The difference then was amazing, I could see the small price numbers on the shelves in front of the liquor store from the cash register. No optician has come close since.



They're very light and the high index lenses really make the lens much thinner. I'm a -8 to a -9. The technology continues to improve.

Today I received my sunglasses from Zenni.com.



I admit to being a bit confused when I opened the case and saw clear lenses. It took a few minutes to remember I ordered polychromatic lenses, which darken when exposed to UV light. When I took them outside during a short window of winter time sun in Ohio and the lenses darkened I was thrilled. The prescription is filled well, the frames seem sturdy and look good.

This might be a game changer. The glasses from the optometry clinic were $225. Granted the lenses are high index, and I like those, but this was also after insurance kicked in its share.

What came from zenni.com cost $60. Granted the lenses are polycarbonate and they are a bit thicker, in part because the frames are wider but get this - if I wanted transition lenses from the optometry clinic it would have run me $61 extra.

The price difference is quite profound, and with the cost of frames going higher and higher it makes financial sense to purchase through a reputable company. I have friends who buy through zenni.com with no complaints. I would have purchased from Warby Parker but they cannot fill my prescription. If you're going to buy your glasses online, have a current prescription and your pupillary distance, and good luck! I just looked at the site, shopping for another pair.