Spent the week recovering from driving the length of Pennsylvania twice in five days. I've written about it before, and will probably never make that drive again. The rain over last weekend seems to have doubled its way back to Ohio the last couple of days. We had a gutter fixed in the back of the house, now there are still leaks in the basement but they're not as heavy as before. The joys of having a ninety year old house.
Currently listening to the Mets getting their asses handed to them by the Angels, who are ahead 9-0 in the third inning. Injuries and bad managerial decisions have decimated the pitching staff this season. Once again, frustrated and Bitter Mets Fan is not having a good spring.
Everton have finished their season in seventh place, which is probably the best they can do with the talent on the team at this time. Manager Koeman has his work cut out for him in talent acquisition over the summer. They are in Europa League competition next season, which means they get to go to places like SK Brann in Norway on a Thursday night in November.
Meanwhile up in Scotland, Celtic have been a buzzsaw in the Scottish Premier League this season as they finished at the top of the table with 34 wins, 4 draws and no losses. Going undefeated in any league is quite the accomplishment and Brendan Rodgers and his team are to be commended. Maybe next year they can get through the group stages of the Champions League and once again get pasted by a team like Juventus.
Getting worn out by those who think our president is becoming more presidential when he does not fling his own poo for twenty four hours. He's no statesman, but a con man.
Showing posts with label celtic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label celtic. Show all posts
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
A few short takes and two wakes
I really hope that 2015 does not turn out to be the Year of the Wake. Tomorrow will be the second in two weeks. My neighbor died a couple of weeks ago, she was 86 and in frail health. Yesterday, a former colleague from the Statehouse died. As you get older I guess you meet more people and the chances of them dying increase. No one said this is what happens when you age. I've family and friends struggling with all kinds of diseases right now. Me? I'm just tired from lack of sleep and have a kid that stays in his shell and we can't get him out of it.
Today we found out that Harper Lee will be publishing a new book later this year. This news was received with a lot of positivity, especially from the book industry who can use a new blockbuster. After a bit of time more than a few recent articles about Lee and her health were released and rehashed. Not much of it good. I just hope that this book is being issued with Lee's full consent and knowledge and she was not forced or tricked into it due to her age.
Still trying to figure out what the Hell Pete Carroll was thinking when he sent in that pass play that led to an interception to end a very dramatic Super Bowl on Sunday. I get that he may want to pass, but what the heck was the slant pass over the middle at the one all about. Call a fade to one of your receivers. Throw over the middle to the tight end in the back of the end zone. But it went into traffic and the New England defensive back picked it off. Then again, Carroll will always have at least one more Super Bowl ring than me, so what do I know?
Saturday is another Super Bowl as Everton take on their arch nemesis, Liverpool. The Toffees have been struggling this year and are languishing in the lower parts of the table while Liverpool are doing a bit better. I hope it's better than last Sunday's match between Celtic and the club that may still be known as Rangers (but now have a bit of Newcastle in them). That match was a horror show of poor soccer and a crappy pitch.
The new Belle and Sebastian is great to listen to, as is the Sleater Kinney. We're seeing B&S here in June and are excited about that. The Dylan is, um, his Christmas album of Sinatra covers. I'll leave it there.
Today we found out that Harper Lee will be publishing a new book later this year. This news was received with a lot of positivity, especially from the book industry who can use a new blockbuster. After a bit of time more than a few recent articles about Lee and her health were released and rehashed. Not much of it good. I just hope that this book is being issued with Lee's full consent and knowledge and she was not forced or tricked into it due to her age.
Still trying to figure out what the Hell Pete Carroll was thinking when he sent in that pass play that led to an interception to end a very dramatic Super Bowl on Sunday. I get that he may want to pass, but what the heck was the slant pass over the middle at the one all about. Call a fade to one of your receivers. Throw over the middle to the tight end in the back of the end zone. But it went into traffic and the New England defensive back picked it off. Then again, Carroll will always have at least one more Super Bowl ring than me, so what do I know?
Saturday is another Super Bowl as Everton take on their arch nemesis, Liverpool. The Toffees have been struggling this year and are languishing in the lower parts of the table while Liverpool are doing a bit better. I hope it's better than last Sunday's match between Celtic and the club that may still be known as Rangers (but now have a bit of Newcastle in them). That match was a horror show of poor soccer and a crappy pitch.
The new Belle and Sebastian is great to listen to, as is the Sleater Kinney. We're seeing B&S here in June and are excited about that. The Dylan is, um, his Christmas album of Sinatra covers. I'll leave it there.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Lowering clouds, rising temperatures
A dramatic day began on the train to Glasgow, where I ended up seasted with two guys on the way to the Celtic match. Each had an open beer, one polished off his pint of Buckfast. To their credit they did put the empties in a bag they brought with them.
There was a fan based protest going on in George Square. Some Celtic supporters think they're being persecuted for making sectarian chants, they probably deserve it. I saw a few hundred people chanting and waving flags. No arrests.
Walked from town to the stadium, picked up a greasy bag of chips from the oldest chippie in Glasgow and strolled through The Barras. This is an open air flea market that sells a bit of everything, most of which is legal, some bootleg and questionable. There were also tables of porn DVDs for sale, a good time but best to move on.
The air on the east side smells of vinegar and stale garbage, it has not rained here in about a week. Activity increased on the street as Celtic Park came into view. A place called Kick Ass Burgers was open, as was Pimp My Burger.
Had no problems picking up my ticket and walked over to an area where a crowd had gathered. The bus for Hibs, the opposition had showed up. No one booed. A few minutes later, the home team bus pulled up to applause. A few players waved, some looked more serious than others.
On your ticket, you are given a specific turnstile to enter. There are no ticket takers. You scan your ticket and the gate opens. This is the section where you will stay the entire match. You cannot move to another section or part of the stadium. I bought a Meat Pie and Coke. I did not see Irn-Bru for sale. There is also a Ladbrokes stand. Yes, you can bet on the match inside the stadium. I kept looking for Pete Rose, he would have loved this!
My seat was great. Took pictures. Asked the usher if I was in the right section. Did not see Rod Stewart.
The game itself was a bit of an afterthought, Celtic scored early, led at the half and won it 3-0. Commons had two goals and I was impressed with the play of defender Kelvin Wilson. Got to see Samaras come in off the bench and Paddy McCourt ran around for five minutes.
Watched a large fan made banner of Neil Lennon riding a white horse make its way around the stadium. It got to our section and we passed it along. Did the bounce for about fifteen seconds. This is a movie in which you lock arms with your neighbors, turn your back to the pitch and jump up and down. Good times!
The most exciting thing happened at the half when a woman sitting two rows behind me won fifty thousand pounds in a big drawing. She seemed to be a regular and no one believed her at first. Then her husband's eyes got really big Andy they went to the pitch. I could see her shout with joy as her ticket was confirmed, then she posed at mid field with the big,fake check. Good for her!
A sea of people headed west down London Road when the match ended. Very cool. Very peaceful, for it was a good result, too.
Got a bit lost trying to find a friend's flat and ended up giving up. Went to Caffe Nero to chill and edit poems, then to the 13th Note when I met my wife and her friend who came up from Bristol for the weekend.
Good day in the city, and it still has not rained. Chilling out in Lenzie today. Took a walk, now listening to Everton/Spurs as they do not have enough cable here.
Monday is a trip to the Museum of Transport and a genuine UK Pub Quiz.
There was a fan based protest going on in George Square. Some Celtic supporters think they're being persecuted for making sectarian chants, they probably deserve it. I saw a few hundred people chanting and waving flags. No arrests.
Walked from town to the stadium, picked up a greasy bag of chips from the oldest chippie in Glasgow and strolled through The Barras. This is an open air flea market that sells a bit of everything, most of which is legal, some bootleg and questionable. There were also tables of porn DVDs for sale, a good time but best to move on.
The air on the east side smells of vinegar and stale garbage, it has not rained here in about a week. Activity increased on the street as Celtic Park came into view. A place called Kick Ass Burgers was open, as was Pimp My Burger.
Had no problems picking up my ticket and walked over to an area where a crowd had gathered. The bus for Hibs, the opposition had showed up. No one booed. A few minutes later, the home team bus pulled up to applause. A few players waved, some looked more serious than others.
On your ticket, you are given a specific turnstile to enter. There are no ticket takers. You scan your ticket and the gate opens. This is the section where you will stay the entire match. You cannot move to another section or part of the stadium. I bought a Meat Pie and Coke. I did not see Irn-Bru for sale. There is also a Ladbrokes stand. Yes, you can bet on the match inside the stadium. I kept looking for Pete Rose, he would have loved this!
My seat was great. Took pictures. Asked the usher if I was in the right section. Did not see Rod Stewart.
The game itself was a bit of an afterthought, Celtic scored early, led at the half and won it 3-0. Commons had two goals and I was impressed with the play of defender Kelvin Wilson. Got to see Samaras come in off the bench and Paddy McCourt ran around for five minutes.
Watched a large fan made banner of Neil Lennon riding a white horse make its way around the stadium. It got to our section and we passed it along. Did the bounce for about fifteen seconds. This is a movie in which you lock arms with your neighbors, turn your back to the pitch and jump up and down. Good times!
The most exciting thing happened at the half when a woman sitting two rows behind me won fifty thousand pounds in a big drawing. She seemed to be a regular and no one believed her at first. Then her husband's eyes got really big Andy they went to the pitch. I could see her shout with joy as her ticket was confirmed, then she posed at mid field with the big,fake check. Good for her!
A sea of people headed west down London Road when the match ended. Very cool. Very peaceful, for it was a good result, too.
Got a bit lost trying to find a friend's flat and ended up giving up. Went to Caffe Nero to chill and edit poems, then to the 13th Note when I met my wife and her friend who came up from Bristol for the weekend.
Good day in the city, and it still has not rained. Chilling out in Lenzie today. Took a walk, now listening to Everton/Spurs as they do not have enough cable here.
Monday is a trip to the Museum of Transport and a genuine UK Pub Quiz.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Out of right field
The Columbus Blue Jackets find themselves in the unfamiliar position of being in a four game winning streak. In two hours there game two of a home and home series against the Red Wings. Yesterday afternoon, the Blue Jackets spanked them 3-0 in front of a joyous home crowd. It got a bit testy when, late in the game Justin Abdelkader got in a tussle with Vinny Prospal. While skating away Prospal pointed at the scoreboard, and got a deserved ten minute misconduct. After years of getting the crap beaten out of them by the Red Wings, I can understand the reasons for release, even if it was a schoolyard move. Going to be fascinating to see how the Red Wings react on their own ice, with their own crowd of lunatics behind them.
Everton are in a bit of a free fall. After an embarrassing and disgraceful 3-0 defeat at the hands of Wigan at Goodison Park that knocked them out of the FA Cup, I'm wondering how they react next week against Manchester City. The team is in disarray. There's little creativity in mid-field, the defense is woefully thin with the injury to Jagielka and Jelavic has not been effective up front in weeks. Plus you have the off again on again situation with Fellaini wanting to move to a bigger club. He was booed off the pitch yesterday after a passive performance against the Latics. If he continues like that, no one will want his services. Another reason this team is in crisis mode is the uncertainty of manager David Moyes. His contract is up at the end of the season and his stay at Everton will be reviewed at the end of the season. I'm not sure how much Moyes wants to stay in at Everton now. He has had little financial support from management in building a team, but when he does acquire a team, his tactics belie their abilities. He continues to rely on veterans who may be past their prime (Tim Cahill and Phil Neville) ahead of young players who are hungry for a chance to prove themselves. The last third of the season will be very telling. If Everton do not earn play in Europe I think Moyes leaves for another team.
Celtic are in first place in the Scottish Premier League, and are likely to be league champions for a second straight year. They were eliminated by the much in form Juventus from Champions League play this week, but gained some experience at top level play. A couple of players are likely to move on at the end of the season. Wanyama and Hooper are said to be moving on to England. Celtic are in the position of bringing in players cheap, then selling them at a good profit after developing them into quality athletes. An easy thing to do when, sadly, you are the only decent team in a poor league.
We're off to Glasgow next month and I have a ticket to the last game of the season against Hibs. I'm very excited to see a match in Celtic Park even though there will be little for the home side to play for.
The Crew have started play with a win and a loss. Still too early to tell what this season will bring.
Baseball's spring training has started. The Mets still do not have an outfield. General Manager Sandy Alderson has my number.
Everton are in a bit of a free fall. After an embarrassing and disgraceful 3-0 defeat at the hands of Wigan at Goodison Park that knocked them out of the FA Cup, I'm wondering how they react next week against Manchester City. The team is in disarray. There's little creativity in mid-field, the defense is woefully thin with the injury to Jagielka and Jelavic has not been effective up front in weeks. Plus you have the off again on again situation with Fellaini wanting to move to a bigger club. He was booed off the pitch yesterday after a passive performance against the Latics. If he continues like that, no one will want his services. Another reason this team is in crisis mode is the uncertainty of manager David Moyes. His contract is up at the end of the season and his stay at Everton will be reviewed at the end of the season. I'm not sure how much Moyes wants to stay in at Everton now. He has had little financial support from management in building a team, but when he does acquire a team, his tactics belie their abilities. He continues to rely on veterans who may be past their prime (Tim Cahill and Phil Neville) ahead of young players who are hungry for a chance to prove themselves. The last third of the season will be very telling. If Everton do not earn play in Europe I think Moyes leaves for another team.
Celtic are in first place in the Scottish Premier League, and are likely to be league champions for a second straight year. They were eliminated by the much in form Juventus from Champions League play this week, but gained some experience at top level play. A couple of players are likely to move on at the end of the season. Wanyama and Hooper are said to be moving on to England. Celtic are in the position of bringing in players cheap, then selling them at a good profit after developing them into quality athletes. An easy thing to do when, sadly, you are the only decent team in a poor league.
We're off to Glasgow next month and I have a ticket to the last game of the season against Hibs. I'm very excited to see a match in Celtic Park even though there will be little for the home side to play for.
The Crew have started play with a win and a loss. Still too early to tell what this season will bring.
Baseball's spring training has started. The Mets still do not have an outfield. General Manager Sandy Alderson has my number.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Maybe he'll sleep past 4AM tonight
My son's teacher emailed this afternoon to say he pooped in the toilet at school today. Might be the second time that has happened. Ever. He saved some more for me tonight, and not in the toilet. He's good at sharing.
While he was playing with my eyebrows I asked him what he saw. I prompted him by saying, "I see..."
And he said, "Sand."
If you know my eyebrows you understand how correct he is.
Five weeks from now my wife and I will be back in Scotland. I'm looking forward to getting out of here for a week, and I'm sure she is as well. She misses her sister and father, and more. It will be good to see them.
This morning tickets went on sale for the Celtic vs. Hibs match on April 6th and I scored one. My wife would have gone with me, but a friend of hers she has not seen since the wedding is coming up from Bristol so they'll have time together. This actually worked to my advantage as I was able to snag a very good single seat as two together in a non-nosebleed location would have been difficult to find. My first international match. I am excited even if it is the last game of the season and Celtic may be thirty points clear of the title.
In the meantime Arts Festival glitches are happening, and I'm doing my best to remain calm - knowing it's better that erratic stuff is happening today instead of on June 6th.
While he was playing with my eyebrows I asked him what he saw. I prompted him by saying, "I see..."
And he said, "Sand."
If you know my eyebrows you understand how correct he is.
Five weeks from now my wife and I will be back in Scotland. I'm looking forward to getting out of here for a week, and I'm sure she is as well. She misses her sister and father, and more. It will be good to see them.
This morning tickets went on sale for the Celtic vs. Hibs match on April 6th and I scored one. My wife would have gone with me, but a friend of hers she has not seen since the wedding is coming up from Bristol so they'll have time together. This actually worked to my advantage as I was able to snag a very good single seat as two together in a non-nosebleed location would have been difficult to find. My first international match. I am excited even if it is the last game of the season and Celtic may be thirty points clear of the title.
In the meantime Arts Festival glitches are happening, and I'm doing my best to remain calm - knowing it's better that erratic stuff is happening today instead of on June 6th.
Monday, December 10, 2012
December updates
Been listening to a few sports on the internet the past few months. It's a little easier than heading out early to a sports bar or finding a dodgy pirated link to the game.
Never minded listening to football on the radio, and I like hearing John Murphy doing the Bills play by play. Plus, I can turn it off when the game is over early. Too many times this season though, the Bills have found defeat where there should be victory. Under Chan Gailey, they're now 15-30 during his regime with poor coaching and play execution as the norm. Gailey calls the plays, and is reticent to use C.J. Spiller, his best weapon on offense. After yesterday's loss, he was saying Spiller was "winded" after two runs in the first half. He must have been so winded that Spiller only had one touch of the ball during the last 22 minutes of the second half, a crucial part of the game where you need your best players to produce. Unfortunately for Spiller, his coach is not giving him that chance.
The Bills have not had a decent coach since Wade Phillips, who is now enjoying some success at Houston. To have him back would be a plus, but there's something up with the organization. Probably starts with the 92 year old owner of the team, Ralph Wilson. A lot of poor judgement and no plan for the franchise after he dies means a lot of dread in Buffalo.
In better news Everton has been enjoying a very decent first half of the English Premier League season. The Toffees currently sit in fourth place after a dramatic come from behind stoppage time winner by Nikica Jelavic to defeat Tottenham. It's been a great start, and midfielder Marouane Felliani has been outstanding so far. So good that rumors of him being sold are flying around. I hope the money being thrown does not get in the way of what could be a historic year for Everton.
The efforts of Celtic FC have been happily surprising in some aspects. The Glasgow team has had some success in the Champions League, defeating Barcelona and sweeping Spartak Moscow to reach the round of 16 for the fourth time in team history. Not sure who they're going to play next, the draw is on December 20th, but Neil Lennon's team will be prepared. The SPL season, thought to be a laugher without Rangers in the league, has been anything but. The Hoops are still in first place, but only by a couple of points over Inverness.
The big disappointment has been the NHL not playing due to greed. Another hockey season is in danger of being cancelled due to the owners and players not being able to share millions of dollars. It's come to the point where I'm done caring. I suspect that the season will be a loss, which will be a damn shame for the Blue Jackets and the businesses that surround the arena. I'm preparing a lengthy post for when the season is cancelled, as it will mean the end of my support of the National Hockey League after three decades of being a fan. I have better things to do with my time.
The Columbus Arts Festival has been keeping me busy. Working on confirming jurors or the auditions. Working on finding poets to audition (Spin your browser to www.columbusartsfestival.org to fill out the application!) and programming for Friday and Sunday. It's going slow, but definitely in a positive direction.
Never minded listening to football on the radio, and I like hearing John Murphy doing the Bills play by play. Plus, I can turn it off when the game is over early. Too many times this season though, the Bills have found defeat where there should be victory. Under Chan Gailey, they're now 15-30 during his regime with poor coaching and play execution as the norm. Gailey calls the plays, and is reticent to use C.J. Spiller, his best weapon on offense. After yesterday's loss, he was saying Spiller was "winded" after two runs in the first half. He must have been so winded that Spiller only had one touch of the ball during the last 22 minutes of the second half, a crucial part of the game where you need your best players to produce. Unfortunately for Spiller, his coach is not giving him that chance.
The Bills have not had a decent coach since Wade Phillips, who is now enjoying some success at Houston. To have him back would be a plus, but there's something up with the organization. Probably starts with the 92 year old owner of the team, Ralph Wilson. A lot of poor judgement and no plan for the franchise after he dies means a lot of dread in Buffalo.
In better news Everton has been enjoying a very decent first half of the English Premier League season. The Toffees currently sit in fourth place after a dramatic come from behind stoppage time winner by Nikica Jelavic to defeat Tottenham. It's been a great start, and midfielder Marouane Felliani has been outstanding so far. So good that rumors of him being sold are flying around. I hope the money being thrown does not get in the way of what could be a historic year for Everton.
The efforts of Celtic FC have been happily surprising in some aspects. The Glasgow team has had some success in the Champions League, defeating Barcelona and sweeping Spartak Moscow to reach the round of 16 for the fourth time in team history. Not sure who they're going to play next, the draw is on December 20th, but Neil Lennon's team will be prepared. The SPL season, thought to be a laugher without Rangers in the league, has been anything but. The Hoops are still in first place, but only by a couple of points over Inverness.
The big disappointment has been the NHL not playing due to greed. Another hockey season is in danger of being cancelled due to the owners and players not being able to share millions of dollars. It's come to the point where I'm done caring. I suspect that the season will be a loss, which will be a damn shame for the Blue Jackets and the businesses that surround the arena. I'm preparing a lengthy post for when the season is cancelled, as it will mean the end of my support of the National Hockey League after three decades of being a fan. I have better things to do with my time.
The Columbus Arts Festival has been keeping me busy. Working on confirming jurors or the auditions. Working on finding poets to audition (Spin your browser to www.columbusartsfestival.org to fill out the application!) and programming for Friday and Sunday. It's going slow, but definitely in a positive direction.
Friday, August 31, 2012
At least it's not Branson
I'd be a lot more enthusiastic about things if I had not sank a lot of money into the car a couple of days ago. I knew the rotors were pitted, braking was similar to bronco busting, but when there was a lot of loud metal on metal banging during acceleration I knew I'd have to give in and take the car to the shop.
So I got to sit around the house and stress, do some editing, stress some more then watch Celtic win their soccer match to get into the Champions League and stress. The call from the mechanic came in, turns out the brake pads were not clipped on right by the people who put them on after I got the car last December, and they froze up the calipers. Scorecard was new brake pads, new rotors and calipers. A sickening total.
This was Wednesday, the same night as the Writers' Block Grand Slam in which the winner would go to the Individual World Poetry Slam. Five poets, including myself, were competing.
I was determined to compete and have fun, with no other expectations. Had my poems pretty much set. A one minute and two minute poem and two three minute poems of which I had to choose one.
Drew the five slot, which meant I went last in the round. That strategy did not matter much, not with only five poets reading.
Read a new poem that I finished the night before, To My Son on his 10th Birthday. You never know what is going to happen when you debut a work, especially during a major slam. After reading it, I got to my seat and my wife was bawling. Guess I struck a nerve in a few other people too as it was the highest scoring poem in the round. This meant I was to read first in round two.
There was no time to settle down, and I had another new poem, this one called Nine Bullets at Qimchok, about the taliban atrocities in Afghanistan. Got the judges verdict, then Gina read her poem and sailed past me in the scoring.
Going into round three, the one minute round Gina was in first, I was in second, Vernell third, Alexis then Aaron.
Gina did her thing then I came up and did, well, An Obscene Phone Call from Mr. Potato Head which brought the house down. I was in the lead and Vernell needed a near perfect score to catch me. That did not happen.
So I won the slam and a trip to the IWPS finals in Fayetteville, Arkansas in October. It was a great night of poetry and all five of us were outstanding. I've accepted the trip. Never been to Arkansas, deep in the Ozarks. My room is booked, the plane reservation will be made next week. I am thrilled, but the money issue and timing was not the best.
That said, I'm looking forward to representing Writers' Block Poetry. Now I have to figure out what to read there. Tough task. I hear there are only going to be 72 poets in the competition this year, so I'm guaranteed a better finish than my 90th in Berkeley three years ago. Also, like 2009, Ethan Rivera will be representing Writing Wrongs Poetry.
Columbus is coming Fayetteville, be ready!
Oh, and next week I get The Uni!
So I got to sit around the house and stress, do some editing, stress some more then watch Celtic win their soccer match to get into the Champions League and stress. The call from the mechanic came in, turns out the brake pads were not clipped on right by the people who put them on after I got the car last December, and they froze up the calipers. Scorecard was new brake pads, new rotors and calipers. A sickening total.
This was Wednesday, the same night as the Writers' Block Grand Slam in which the winner would go to the Individual World Poetry Slam. Five poets, including myself, were competing.
I was determined to compete and have fun, with no other expectations. Had my poems pretty much set. A one minute and two minute poem and two three minute poems of which I had to choose one.
Drew the five slot, which meant I went last in the round. That strategy did not matter much, not with only five poets reading.
Read a new poem that I finished the night before, To My Son on his 10th Birthday. You never know what is going to happen when you debut a work, especially during a major slam. After reading it, I got to my seat and my wife was bawling. Guess I struck a nerve in a few other people too as it was the highest scoring poem in the round. This meant I was to read first in round two.
There was no time to settle down, and I had another new poem, this one called Nine Bullets at Qimchok, about the taliban atrocities in Afghanistan. Got the judges verdict, then Gina read her poem and sailed past me in the scoring.
Going into round three, the one minute round Gina was in first, I was in second, Vernell third, Alexis then Aaron.
Gina did her thing then I came up and did, well, An Obscene Phone Call from Mr. Potato Head which brought the house down. I was in the lead and Vernell needed a near perfect score to catch me. That did not happen.
So I won the slam and a trip to the IWPS finals in Fayetteville, Arkansas in October. It was a great night of poetry and all five of us were outstanding. I've accepted the trip. Never been to Arkansas, deep in the Ozarks. My room is booked, the plane reservation will be made next week. I am thrilled, but the money issue and timing was not the best.
That said, I'm looking forward to representing Writers' Block Poetry. Now I have to figure out what to read there. Tough task. I hear there are only going to be 72 poets in the competition this year, so I'm guaranteed a better finish than my 90th in Berkeley three years ago. Also, like 2009, Ethan Rivera will be representing Writing Wrongs Poetry.
Columbus is coming Fayetteville, be ready!
Oh, and next week I get The Uni!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Nature's Way
Bolton's midfielder Fabrice Muamba remains in critical condition after having a heart attack on Saturday. The soccer world is coming together in support, it's good to see.
In another soccer tragedy over the weekend, after upsetting Celtic in the Scottish League Cup for its first Cup in team history, the Kilmarnock team was celebrating until realizing the father of midfielder Liam Kelly was being treated near the players bench at Hampden. Jack Kelly died of a heart attack, aged 59. Can't imagine what the Kelly family is going though. A massive high then low, and on the UK's Mothers Day.
I missed the match because I wanted to get out of town. Took my wife on an adventure to Hocking Hills State Park. It had been years since I'd been down there.
A lot of fun to slip and slide on the rocks. My wife did not like the tunnels. Very peaceful, and not as crowded as I thought it would be.
We took a nap when we got home. When we woke up, I thought I heard tornado sirens. Turned on the TV and all Hell was breaking loose. It was calm where were were, but up north it was looking a little ominous.
Funnel clouds were spotted, but I do not think there was any serious damage anywhere. A lot of rain, a bit of wind. Looked spooky though.
In another soccer tragedy over the weekend, after upsetting Celtic in the Scottish League Cup for its first Cup in team history, the Kilmarnock team was celebrating until realizing the father of midfielder Liam Kelly was being treated near the players bench at Hampden. Jack Kelly died of a heart attack, aged 59. Can't imagine what the Kelly family is going though. A massive high then low, and on the UK's Mothers Day.
I missed the match because I wanted to get out of town. Took my wife on an adventure to Hocking Hills State Park. It had been years since I'd been down there.
A lot of fun to slip and slide on the rocks. My wife did not like the tunnels. Very peaceful, and not as crowded as I thought it would be.
We took a nap when we got home. When we woke up, I thought I heard tornado sirens. Turned on the TV and all Hell was breaking loose. It was calm where were were, but up north it was looking a little ominous.
Funnel clouds were spotted, but I do not think there was any serious damage anywhere. A lot of rain, a bit of wind. Looked spooky though.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
An view of Scottish Football from Ohio
The problems of FC Rangers are making very big news in Europe. My take may not be perfect but here's what I gleaned: the team was sold a couple of years ago and the new owner paid for the team with future revenue. He also promised to put some of his own money into the franchise, which did not seem to happen. There was also a problem of him not paying tax, something the British government does not like. Today the team released a couple of players, more staff and players are expected to be fired.
Last month, the team went into administration, which is essentially bankruptcy. By rule the team was docked ten points by the Scottish Premier League which gave the title, barring massive collapse, to Celtic FC.
If you do not know, the rivalry between Celtic and Rangers, also known as The Old Firm, is one of the fiercest in world sports. I explain it to people here by imagining Ohio State and Michigan football being in the same city, and adding sectarianism.
I'm not qualified to get into the politics behind the Old Firm rivalry. It's been going on for generations. I will be honest and say I chose to support Celtic from thousands of miles away because they never had a policy of firing their employees for simply befriending a Catholic.
The violence, the IRA chanting, not my scene. It was an odd, unsettling experience to walk into an Erin Go Bragh march when headed to Tollcross Park. Not one I wish to repeat.
Back to the teams. I have no idea what is going to happen to Rangers FC. My hope is that a responsible buyer is found who can make the team a fiscal success. Back when the Cleveland Browns were moved to Baltimore it annoyed me, not because I liked the Browns, far from it. They were the hated Cleveland Browns, and you want to beat the teams you despise on the field of play, not due to an accounting farce.
The problems of the Scottish Premier League are numerous, other teams are not in sound financial order. Gretna folded in 2008, Hearts are having problem meeting payroll. There's not much broadcast money coming in and that money is contingent on Old Firm matches happening. As much as others have said the Old Firm does not matter, from my seat on an Ohio couch it sure does. As much as I dislike a two teams at the top league with everyone else fighting for scraps, the SPL needs the Old Firm. Without them a downward spiral would quicken instead of cease.
Last month, the team went into administration, which is essentially bankruptcy. By rule the team was docked ten points by the Scottish Premier League which gave the title, barring massive collapse, to Celtic FC.
If you do not know, the rivalry between Celtic and Rangers, also known as The Old Firm, is one of the fiercest in world sports. I explain it to people here by imagining Ohio State and Michigan football being in the same city, and adding sectarianism.
I'm not qualified to get into the politics behind the Old Firm rivalry. It's been going on for generations. I will be honest and say I chose to support Celtic from thousands of miles away because they never had a policy of firing their employees for simply befriending a Catholic.
The violence, the IRA chanting, not my scene. It was an odd, unsettling experience to walk into an Erin Go Bragh march when headed to Tollcross Park. Not one I wish to repeat.
Back to the teams. I have no idea what is going to happen to Rangers FC. My hope is that a responsible buyer is found who can make the team a fiscal success. Back when the Cleveland Browns were moved to Baltimore it annoyed me, not because I liked the Browns, far from it. They were the hated Cleveland Browns, and you want to beat the teams you despise on the field of play, not due to an accounting farce.
The problems of the Scottish Premier League are numerous, other teams are not in sound financial order. Gretna folded in 2008, Hearts are having problem meeting payroll. There's not much broadcast money coming in and that money is contingent on Old Firm matches happening. As much as others have said the Old Firm does not matter, from my seat on an Ohio couch it sure does. As much as I dislike a two teams at the top league with everyone else fighting for scraps, the SPL needs the Old Firm. Without them a downward spiral would quicken instead of cease.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Trying to be brave, hiding on the couch instead
The day started by messing up my plans for the weekend because my ex did not pay attention to the schedule she agreed to concerning watching our son over winter break. And it was up to me to sort it out, by altering my work schedule. I did not yell, she is not worth it. I am lucky to be in a work situation where there is flexibility, but that capital is not bottomless.
I did calm down after being at work for awhile. Then again, I am getting annoyed at people who who incessantly click 'like' on my Facebook status, no matter what it is. Feel like planting a 'my goldfish died' status update just because I know there are people who will click on like. Pay attention dammit!
Took a half day so I could head to Fado up at Easton to watch the Old Firm match. An impressive crowd of over two dozen showed up at mid-day on a Wednesday to watch the good guys win by a score of one nil. Heard some impressive cursing and serious white on white hatred. No one was stabbed though, and the distributor was giving away free Newcastle Brown Ale, not my brand, but no complaints.
While at Easton I figured I'd take in a movie since I had free time.
Have to say War Horse is one of the most beautifully filmed works of cinema I've seen in some time. The cinematography is breathtaking, the locations picturesque. It's the story of a boy and his horse during World War One. There's a lot of earnestness from the actors, and the script. There's a line from The Last of the Mohicans used which made me nearly groan out loud. Spielberg does not go Saving Private Ryan during the detailed war scenes, he keeps the gore in check while showing us that war is a nasty piece of business. The film is also about the sad advancement of weapons technology. A scene that goes from a cavalry attack to the use of machine guns is horrifying. The horses used are so expressive, they can do comedy next, they can't be worse than Sandler.
It's not Spielberg's greatest work, far from it, but a touching at times story reminiscent of an epic from the 1940's. Again, it's a visual feast.
I did calm down after being at work for awhile. Then again, I am getting annoyed at people who who incessantly click 'like' on my Facebook status, no matter what it is. Feel like planting a 'my goldfish died' status update just because I know there are people who will click on like. Pay attention dammit!
Took a half day so I could head to Fado up at Easton to watch the Old Firm match. An impressive crowd of over two dozen showed up at mid-day on a Wednesday to watch the good guys win by a score of one nil. Heard some impressive cursing and serious white on white hatred. No one was stabbed though, and the distributor was giving away free Newcastle Brown Ale, not my brand, but no complaints.
While at Easton I figured I'd take in a movie since I had free time.
Have to say War Horse is one of the most beautifully filmed works of cinema I've seen in some time. The cinematography is breathtaking, the locations picturesque. It's the story of a boy and his horse during World War One. There's a lot of earnestness from the actors, and the script. There's a line from The Last of the Mohicans used which made me nearly groan out loud. Spielberg does not go Saving Private Ryan during the detailed war scenes, he keeps the gore in check while showing us that war is a nasty piece of business. The film is also about the sad advancement of weapons technology. A scene that goes from a cavalry attack to the use of machine guns is horrifying. The horses used are so expressive, they can do comedy next, they can't be worse than Sandler.
It's not Spielberg's greatest work, far from it, but a touching at times story reminiscent of an epic from the 1940's. Again, it's a visual feast.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Bards of the Round Platform
The last few days in Scotland were quite busy and I did not have much time to update here. We're back in Columbus safe and sound.
Let's go back a few days and refresh.
Saturday afternoon we headed to Tollcross Park to take part in a monthly poetry reading I found on the internet. Did this on a whim, was not sure if the group was still active, or what to expect.
Took a commuter train there, got to the station just in time to catch the train to Tynedale, which was a short walk and one asking for directions to the park.
While headed up the road there we heard a marching band just down the road. Had no idea what was going on. Was it a rally for the Scotland/Czech Republic match?
Turns down, it was a political march. Take this wikipedia entry with a few grains of salt, but this was the gist of the march.
As we got closer to it I asked Emma if I could take a picture without getting beaten up, "Do it discreetly," She said.
At the end of the parade, I noticed someone taking video of it with an iPhone. Quite the culture shock.
The park itself, is quite lovely.
We got to the place for the reading a bit early and asked the worker at the Winter Gardens where the poetry would be read. He pointed is us in the direction of the Secret Garden.
While waiting here we discovered that Poet's Time exists in Glasgow too. One poet showed up, we introduced ourselves and about a half an hour later the rest of the group showed up.
"You're the American that's looking for the group?" I was asked by Colin, the organizer. I guess word got around at the Winter Gardens.
A small group of poets were sitting in a park in Glasgow on a not too bad Saturday afternoon sharing their work with each other in what I'd say you could call a cypher. Only eight people were there so we read in a round robin fashion. It was great. Funny work, political poems, personal. I got a few asides asking if I could understand the accents. We discussed our disgust for neo-cons and the Chicago School of Economics. The group has been together for about eleven years. Attendance was small this particular day due to a few illnesses and a football match.
It was fantastic. I ended up reading: Pantoum for a Child with Insomnia, Gaythiest, David's Rock, For Daredevils, After Birth and Nobody's Poet. A mini-feature.
I asked Emma to get a picture of me reading, and the group forced me to get up on the platform where people would read if they had a better crowd. So I did.
At the end we exchanged names, emails and I vowed plan my next trip around the first Saturday of the month, when Bards in the Park meet at Tollcross Park.
Our next stop was the Parkhead, we were given a ride to Celtic Park by one of the poets, a very generous and decent man.
After the photo-op we got on the bus and headed into town for a bite to eat before headed back to Lenzie for dinner. I'm glad I finally got a picture of this.
Still recovering from a long trip home yesterday. More to come.
Let's go back a few days and refresh.
Saturday afternoon we headed to Tollcross Park to take part in a monthly poetry reading I found on the internet. Did this on a whim, was not sure if the group was still active, or what to expect.
Took a commuter train there, got to the station just in time to catch the train to Tynedale, which was a short walk and one asking for directions to the park.
While headed up the road there we heard a marching band just down the road. Had no idea what was going on. Was it a rally for the Scotland/Czech Republic match?
Turns down, it was a political march. Take this wikipedia entry with a few grains of salt, but this was the gist of the march.
As we got closer to it I asked Emma if I could take a picture without getting beaten up, "Do it discreetly," She said.
At the end of the parade, I noticed someone taking video of it with an iPhone. Quite the culture shock.
The park itself, is quite lovely.
We got to the place for the reading a bit early and asked the worker at the Winter Gardens where the poetry would be read. He pointed is us in the direction of the Secret Garden.
While waiting here we discovered that Poet's Time exists in Glasgow too. One poet showed up, we introduced ourselves and about a half an hour later the rest of the group showed up.
"You're the American that's looking for the group?" I was asked by Colin, the organizer. I guess word got around at the Winter Gardens.
A small group of poets were sitting in a park in Glasgow on a not too bad Saturday afternoon sharing their work with each other in what I'd say you could call a cypher. Only eight people were there so we read in a round robin fashion. It was great. Funny work, political poems, personal. I got a few asides asking if I could understand the accents. We discussed our disgust for neo-cons and the Chicago School of Economics. The group has been together for about eleven years. Attendance was small this particular day due to a few illnesses and a football match.
It was fantastic. I ended up reading: Pantoum for a Child with Insomnia, Gaythiest, David's Rock, For Daredevils, After Birth and Nobody's Poet. A mini-feature.
I asked Emma to get a picture of me reading, and the group forced me to get up on the platform where people would read if they had a better crowd. So I did.
At the end we exchanged names, emails and I vowed plan my next trip around the first Saturday of the month, when Bards in the Park meet at Tollcross Park.
Our next stop was the Parkhead, we were given a ride to Celtic Park by one of the poets, a very generous and decent man.
After the photo-op we got on the bus and headed into town for a bite to eat before headed back to Lenzie for dinner. I'm glad I finally got a picture of this.
Still recovering from a long trip home yesterday. More to come.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
The Least that Can Be Said
At around eight last night the news of Gil Scott Heron's death was trending on Twitter. Jamie Byng, who had published some of Heron's work last year had put the news out that he had passed. It was not a hoax.
The first time I heard him was at WCVF.
I was seventeen, a white kid from the suburbs. I'd never heard anything like this. The tone, rhythm and timbre of his voice was great. The anger, relevance and intelligence of his words was impressive.
Over the next decades we went in different directions. He was jailed a couple of times, had a number of personal issues.
Last year he released his first record in sixteen years.
His voice a rasp due to cigarettes and who knows what else, he looked older than his 62 years. He was still relevant, and certainly had something left to say.
As a poet, his influence was astonishing. He was rapping, slamming, performing poetry on stage well before any other poet had thought up the act. I went back and found some of his earlier work, what I had missed. Damn, he was good.
Also found out his father, Gil Heron, was the first black player to play for Celtic FC, in Glasgow, in the 1950's. That only increases the coolness.
No cause of death has been revealed. It's said he became sick after coming back from Europe.
I wrote this last year, as a thank you.
The Revolution was Not in the Program Guide
(Apologizes to Gil Scott-Heron)
The revolution was not televised
It was not tivoed, nor recorded onto anyone's hard drive
The revolution was not cancelled due to lack of ratings
It did not get any blog hits, nor followers on twitter
The revolution was not seen on youtube, hulu, fox, or cnn
It was not streamed
It is not available for download
The revolution was not voted off of American Idol
It does not come in diet or lite form
The revolution contained no high fructose corn syrup
If you call in the next ten minutes you will not get extra revolution
There will be no DVD release of the revolution with bonus footage or director's commentary
There are no hidden tracks, or Easter eggs
The revolution did not take steroids or growth hormones
The revolution did not last up to four hours so we do not need to seek medical treatment for it
The revolution should not be handled by pregnant women,
or women who want to become pregnant
It does not have a pre existing condition
The revolution has no poll numbers, personal assistant or staff
It makes its own coffee
The revolution has not been interviewed by Larry King nor guest hosted on the View
It has not been seen on a kindle
The revolution does not have premium content
It has not been outsourced but may have been downsized
The revolution was not a part of the cash for clunkers program
It is not green, nor a hybrid
Steve Jobs is not working on a program called iRevolution
You cannot hear it in headphones
The revolution is not made out of cupcakes
The revolution was not factory farmed
It does not drink tea
The revolution did not get a golden parachute of stock options
It is not password protected
The revolution has a soundtrack that does not include Lady Gaga
You cannot play the revolution on a Wii
It cannot be exchanged for frequent flier mileage
The revolution is gone, but not missed and may be remade as a Hollywood film
The revolution does not need to fill out a census form
The revolution does not require a loyalty card
It endorses no one and nothing
The revolution, will not be winnable
The first time I heard him was at WCVF.
I was seventeen, a white kid from the suburbs. I'd never heard anything like this. The tone, rhythm and timbre of his voice was great. The anger, relevance and intelligence of his words was impressive.
Over the next decades we went in different directions. He was jailed a couple of times, had a number of personal issues.
Last year he released his first record in sixteen years.
His voice a rasp due to cigarettes and who knows what else, he looked older than his 62 years. He was still relevant, and certainly had something left to say.
As a poet, his influence was astonishing. He was rapping, slamming, performing poetry on stage well before any other poet had thought up the act. I went back and found some of his earlier work, what I had missed. Damn, he was good.
Also found out his father, Gil Heron, was the first black player to play for Celtic FC, in Glasgow, in the 1950's. That only increases the coolness.
No cause of death has been revealed. It's said he became sick after coming back from Europe.
I wrote this last year, as a thank you.
The Revolution was Not in the Program Guide
(Apologizes to Gil Scott-Heron)
The revolution was not televised
It was not tivoed, nor recorded onto anyone's hard drive
The revolution was not cancelled due to lack of ratings
It did not get any blog hits, nor followers on twitter
The revolution was not seen on youtube, hulu, fox, or cnn
It was not streamed
It is not available for download
The revolution was not voted off of American Idol
It does not come in diet or lite form
The revolution contained no high fructose corn syrup
If you call in the next ten minutes you will not get extra revolution
There will be no DVD release of the revolution with bonus footage or director's commentary
There are no hidden tracks, or Easter eggs
The revolution did not take steroids or growth hormones
The revolution did not last up to four hours so we do not need to seek medical treatment for it
The revolution should not be handled by pregnant women,
or women who want to become pregnant
It does not have a pre existing condition
The revolution has no poll numbers, personal assistant or staff
It makes its own coffee
The revolution has not been interviewed by Larry King nor guest hosted on the View
It has not been seen on a kindle
The revolution does not have premium content
It has not been outsourced but may have been downsized
The revolution was not a part of the cash for clunkers program
It is not green, nor a hybrid
Steve Jobs is not working on a program called iRevolution
You cannot hear it in headphones
The revolution is not made out of cupcakes
The revolution was not factory farmed
It does not drink tea
The revolution did not get a golden parachute of stock options
It is not password protected
The revolution has a soundtrack that does not include Lady Gaga
You cannot play the revolution on a Wii
It cannot be exchanged for frequent flier mileage
The revolution is gone, but not missed and may be remade as a Hollywood film
The revolution does not need to fill out a census form
The revolution does not require a loyalty card
It endorses no one and nothing
The revolution, will not be winnable
Friday, April 22, 2011
Sports and Weddings
First up I am reading at the Columbus Arts Festival again this year. The reading is set for Saturday, June 4th at 2:20. You can see the whole Word is Art schedule here.
Thrilled that I'm not going first. Good mix of poets this year, the familiar and unfamiliar.
An early post for Saturday because I will be busy in the morning watching Everton play Manchester United.
Just watched the Sabres blow a three goal lead only to win in overtime against Philadelphia. Game six is in Buffalo on Sunday. I do not know if this Buffalo team can win a game seven on the road.
Also on Sunday is the Old Firm match. This one has some unfortunate drama as Celtic Manager Neil Lennon was targeted with a nail bomb. Luckily it was intercepted but it's yet another ugly incident for the rivalry to stomach.
Enough about sports.
Day 23 - A song you want played at your wedding.
My answer to that is which one?
At wedding one, there was no music. Maybe that's why it was a joyless marriage.
Wedding two had music, nice music. Some unexpected music. Alice Cooper and Annie's Song were played. It also had a hideous, excessive ice sculpture. More on this on day (checks sheet) 28.
Wedding three also had music. Nice music. Some unexpected music. The DJ called us to the dance floor, which was the lawn of the B&B. It was also something neither of us really wanted to do. We did not have a 'song'
But we gamely got out there and the song started, and we were confused because the song had nothing to do with us. It was also, really really long. Or it seemed that way.
We muddled through it.
I'm going to embed the original of the song, because I like it better than the cover. This is not a slam on the DJ either. He's awesome.
Thrilled that I'm not going first. Good mix of poets this year, the familiar and unfamiliar.
An early post for Saturday because I will be busy in the morning watching Everton play Manchester United.
Just watched the Sabres blow a three goal lead only to win in overtime against Philadelphia. Game six is in Buffalo on Sunday. I do not know if this Buffalo team can win a game seven on the road.
Also on Sunday is the Old Firm match. This one has some unfortunate drama as Celtic Manager Neil Lennon was targeted with a nail bomb. Luckily it was intercepted but it's yet another ugly incident for the rivalry to stomach.
Enough about sports.
Day 23 - A song you want played at your wedding.
My answer to that is which one?
At wedding one, there was no music. Maybe that's why it was a joyless marriage.
Wedding two had music, nice music. Some unexpected music. Alice Cooper and Annie's Song were played. It also had a hideous, excessive ice sculpture. More on this on day (checks sheet) 28.
Wedding three also had music. Nice music. Some unexpected music. The DJ called us to the dance floor, which was the lawn of the B&B. It was also something neither of us really wanted to do. We did not have a 'song'
But we gamely got out there and the song started, and we were confused because the song had nothing to do with us. It was also, really really long. Or it seemed that way.
We muddled through it.
I'm going to embed the original of the song, because I like it better than the cover. This is not a slam on the DJ either. He's awesome.
Friday, March 4, 2011
While watching the Blue Jackets Fall Apart...
I'm returning to the land of the healthier while having a Genny Cream and watching the Blue Jackets' season essentially come to an end in Calgary.
More loss, but it's only a game I have no stake in.
I've been listening to a lot of soccer over the internet the past few weeks. It's become so much easier to find a match through my Tunein Radio app than find a video link online that may get cut off, could be of middling quality or a wonderful Veetle feed that takes up all the RAM so you can't do anything else on the laptop.
While sick on the couch Wednesday I could have listened to Arsenal beat the crap out of Leyton Orient but I found a station similar to ESPN radio and dozed to reports of gambling odds interspersed with updates of the live matches. So I got to hear the reports of the Scottish Cup match when Neil Lennon acted like a thug. Yes, it's an Old Firm match and tempers are in the red zone, but Lennon's really got to tone it down if he's going to be manager long term. The guy's already facing a four match ban.
Watched Nowhere Boy last night. A decent look at John Lennon's awkward teenage years. Most of the film took place during the time he was just beginning to listen to rock and roll and before he met Paul. Aaron Johnson did a good job at portraying Lennon. Thomas Brodie-Sangster was outstanding as a teenage Paul. Just looking at his resume I see that he played Sam, the kid in Love Actually.
Kristin Scott-Thomas was very effective in playing Aunt Mimi, who essentially raised John. The weak link in the film was Anne-Marie Duff, who gave Julia a bit more vacancy and cool mom vibe than was necessary. I'm not going to quibble about historical accuracy, but John's eyes were brown, not blue. First time director Sam Taylor-Wood did a good thing by including a rendition of the opening chord of A Hard Days' Night into this film's opening. She and Johnson also fell in love during filming.
Another film we just watched was The Secret of Kells. A fictional, animated rendition of the writing of the Book of Kells. The animation was gorgeous. The story held together quite well. But this is one I would have liked to have seen on a large screen, the colors and details are a treat.
More loss, but it's only a game I have no stake in.
I've been listening to a lot of soccer over the internet the past few weeks. It's become so much easier to find a match through my Tunein Radio app than find a video link online that may get cut off, could be of middling quality or a wonderful Veetle feed that takes up all the RAM so you can't do anything else on the laptop.
While sick on the couch Wednesday I could have listened to Arsenal beat the crap out of Leyton Orient but I found a station similar to ESPN radio and dozed to reports of gambling odds interspersed with updates of the live matches. So I got to hear the reports of the Scottish Cup match when Neil Lennon acted like a thug. Yes, it's an Old Firm match and tempers are in the red zone, but Lennon's really got to tone it down if he's going to be manager long term. The guy's already facing a four match ban.
Watched Nowhere Boy last night. A decent look at John Lennon's awkward teenage years. Most of the film took place during the time he was just beginning to listen to rock and roll and before he met Paul. Aaron Johnson did a good job at portraying Lennon. Thomas Brodie-Sangster was outstanding as a teenage Paul. Just looking at his resume I see that he played Sam, the kid in Love Actually.
Kristin Scott-Thomas was very effective in playing Aunt Mimi, who essentially raised John. The weak link in the film was Anne-Marie Duff, who gave Julia a bit more vacancy and cool mom vibe than was necessary. I'm not going to quibble about historical accuracy, but John's eyes were brown, not blue. First time director Sam Taylor-Wood did a good thing by including a rendition of the opening chord of A Hard Days' Night into this film's opening. She and Johnson also fell in love during filming.
Another film we just watched was The Secret of Kells. A fictional, animated rendition of the writing of the Book of Kells. The animation was gorgeous. The story held together quite well. But this is one I would have liked to have seen on a large screen, the colors and details are a treat.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Passed on to me
When my son gets sick, it's doubly hard. First, you feel bad that he's sick. Second, he cannot tell you what is wrong, and is not very good at self care.
He seems to have some sort of eye infection, but that's been cleared up with drops. Giving him the drops is a lesson in patience, he does not like it when you put anything on him. So it's been a struggle pinning him down to get the drops in, but it has not been as horrible as I imagined.
It's sad seeing him listless, with no energy and so unlike himself. He slept in the afternoons for a couple of hours this weekend and still went to bed around his usual time. When he deliberately sleeps during the day, you know he's not well.
So we're home today, and maybe he'll shake off the illness. Well, he's already given me a sore throat.
Been following the situation in Madison. Protesters were allowed to stay in the capitol for another night, but for how much longer. Another protest in planned in downtown Columbus tomorrow to rally against senate bill five. The Oscars were dull dull dull, Everton won, Celtic lost some poetry drama got smoothed out a little and the Blue Jackets lost a heart breaker at Nashville.
There's still hope though.
He seems to have some sort of eye infection, but that's been cleared up with drops. Giving him the drops is a lesson in patience, he does not like it when you put anything on him. So it's been a struggle pinning him down to get the drops in, but it has not been as horrible as I imagined.
It's sad seeing him listless, with no energy and so unlike himself. He slept in the afternoons for a couple of hours this weekend and still went to bed around his usual time. When he deliberately sleeps during the day, you know he's not well.
So we're home today, and maybe he'll shake off the illness. Well, he's already given me a sore throat.
Been following the situation in Madison. Protesters were allowed to stay in the capitol for another night, but for how much longer. Another protest in planned in downtown Columbus tomorrow to rally against senate bill five. The Oscars were dull dull dull, Everton won, Celtic lost some poetry drama got smoothed out a little and the Blue Jackets lost a heart breaker at Nashville.
There's still hope though.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
A Year of Discoveries
One of my favorite apps on the iPod Touch is Tunein Radio. It's a very impressive app that I'm having a lot of fun with and have not even scratched the surface of the stations available.
My stereo system has a dock and charger for an iPod and I tried plugging it in after I bought the iPod, with no success. Finally realized that the back cover had to be removed for the unit to function properly, and it's plugged into the stereo right now, BBC Radio 6 is on. Beautiful.
I've found a couple of stations from the New York City area, one of them being WINS. It's an all news station that is lacking in the Columbus market. For decades they have been delivering the news 24/7. Their slogan remains, "Give us 22 minutes, and we'll give you the world."
When I was growing up on Long Island WLNG could only be tuned in if the wind was right. They're located on the east end and from where I lived, the signal was rarely strong enough for good reception. I love this station's approach. They keep the ads local, there is a sincere personality to the on air talent, and the music is oldies. Their oldies format runs deep to, not just the top five singles, but they go a bit more obscure - and I like that. Plus, the DJ's voices are processed with a bit of reverb. It's a fun station.
Yesterday I somehow lucked into listening to a soccer match live on Radio Merseyside. Most of the BBC stations live soccer matches are blocked over here for copyright reasons, but Everton/Stoke I was able to experience live, and despite the Everton loss it was a thrill to hear as it happened.
This morning I tried to find a link to the Old Firm match, but was unsuccessful. Managed to find a decent video link on the laptop. I cannot be stopped when the urge to see a match exists. Celtic won 2-0 and all was right in the world.
Goofing around a bit later I managed to track down the audio from the second half of the Chelsea/Aston Villa match. Very exciting as the lead went back and forth and Villa tied it, seconds after Chelsea thought they earned the victory.
This season I've been listening to a lot of the Bills losses on the laptop but I listened to 97 Rock's feed as the Jets kicked their asses in today. Looks like the Bills will have a top five draft pick.
This iPod touch is a fancy piece of technology. Bought a cassette adapter so it can be used in the car and a cigarette lighter adapter so we can charge the battery in the car. A lot of wires but to put a new stereo in the Subaru would involve demolition, filing of edges and would lost much more than the twenty five bucks just spent.
Trying to get my writing discipline back. Too many distractions that are my fault are keeping me away from how I want to get it done. Plus, my son has been bouncing off the walls all year. Thank God school starts back tomorrow. Little sleep has made me a grumpy dragon.
I've only been following stats for this blog since April, but thanks for the 2,863 visits. I know I'm not The Dooce, but I do what I can.
My stereo system has a dock and charger for an iPod and I tried plugging it in after I bought the iPod, with no success. Finally realized that the back cover had to be removed for the unit to function properly, and it's plugged into the stereo right now, BBC Radio 6 is on. Beautiful.
I've found a couple of stations from the New York City area, one of them being WINS. It's an all news station that is lacking in the Columbus market. For decades they have been delivering the news 24/7. Their slogan remains, "Give us 22 minutes, and we'll give you the world."
When I was growing up on Long Island WLNG could only be tuned in if the wind was right. They're located on the east end and from where I lived, the signal was rarely strong enough for good reception. I love this station's approach. They keep the ads local, there is a sincere personality to the on air talent, and the music is oldies. Their oldies format runs deep to, not just the top five singles, but they go a bit more obscure - and I like that. Plus, the DJ's voices are processed with a bit of reverb. It's a fun station.
Yesterday I somehow lucked into listening to a soccer match live on Radio Merseyside. Most of the BBC stations live soccer matches are blocked over here for copyright reasons, but Everton/Stoke I was able to experience live, and despite the Everton loss it was a thrill to hear as it happened.
This morning I tried to find a link to the Old Firm match, but was unsuccessful. Managed to find a decent video link on the laptop. I cannot be stopped when the urge to see a match exists. Celtic won 2-0 and all was right in the world.
Goofing around a bit later I managed to track down the audio from the second half of the Chelsea/Aston Villa match. Very exciting as the lead went back and forth and Villa tied it, seconds after Chelsea thought they earned the victory.
This season I've been listening to a lot of the Bills losses on the laptop but I listened to 97 Rock's feed as the Jets kicked their asses in today. Looks like the Bills will have a top five draft pick.
This iPod touch is a fancy piece of technology. Bought a cassette adapter so it can be used in the car and a cigarette lighter adapter so we can charge the battery in the car. A lot of wires but to put a new stereo in the Subaru would involve demolition, filing of edges and would lost much more than the twenty five bucks just spent.
Trying to get my writing discipline back. Too many distractions that are my fault are keeping me away from how I want to get it done. Plus, my son has been bouncing off the walls all year. Thank God school starts back tomorrow. Little sleep has made me a grumpy dragon.
I've only been following stats for this blog since April, but thanks for the 2,863 visits. I know I'm not The Dooce, but I do what I can.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Friday, and There was Snow in March
Slam is being a cruel bitch, and I feel fine. Have not made it into the second round in the last two slams. I blame better poets, damn them.
All that's left in my bouncy ball brackets are my employer's team and Duke, who I picked to go to the final game.
Watched The Reader last night. Could have used some editing as it dragged in spots. Good performances by the leads. Kate Winslet is naked, a lot.
Everton has been on a roll. Beat Man. City soundly on Wednesday. Arteta's back. Jagielka has been a beast on defense and David Moyes would have kicked Mancini's arse in. Is it too late to get into the top six? Who knows?
Celtic sacked Tony Mowbray. Good riddance to a horrible manager.
This is quite possibly the only blog post in the history of the universe to have pictures of Phil Jagielka and Kate Winslet, separately.
All that's left in my bouncy ball brackets are my employer's team and Duke, who I picked to go to the final game.
Watched The Reader last night. Could have used some editing as it dragged in spots. Good performances by the leads. Kate Winslet is naked, a lot.
Everton has been on a roll. Beat Man. City soundly on Wednesday. Arteta's back. Jagielka has been a beast on defense and David Moyes would have kicked Mancini's arse in. Is it too late to get into the top six? Who knows?
Celtic sacked Tony Mowbray. Good riddance to a horrible manager.
This is quite possibly the only blog post in the history of the universe to have pictures of Phil Jagielka and Kate Winslet, separately.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Three Losses in a Day
Yesterday consisted of loss. Sports loss. Nothing I have not written about here before. It was a frustrating morning finding links to the Old Firm game. Once I had, it was time to find another link to the Everton/Tottenham match. All happening with a shouty child and a pounding headache.
Everton went down 2-0 in the first half. It was time to find the Celtic/Rangers match. Maybe something was happening there. Nothing happened until Maurice Edu scored with seconds left in added time for Rangers, and one loss was in the column.
By now Yakubu had managed to score for Everton, but the tying goal was not to be.
Two teams defeated and it was not even 10AM yet.
After the match my wife announced that there was no water. So I went to the basement with great trepidation, expecting a massive leak and saw no signs of damage.
I went outside and saw a sign blocking out road and some construction being done a block away, looked like there was a problem with the water main. Went over to the neighbors to see if they had water, like us, they did not.
Problem solved, and I did not have to get a wrench out.
The water came back on in about half an hour.
Later, the whiny boy and his whiny father took a nap before the hockey game.
I woke up about halfway through the first period.
The game was fantastic. End to end action, skill and suspense. Too bad my son slept through it. I was not yelling at the television, but let out a good squee when Parise tied it late.
It was disappointing to see the U.S. team lose in overtime, but few expected them to get into a medal round, let alone the gold medal round. Goalie Ryan Miller got the MVP, I’m sure he’d exchange that for a gold medal. He’s going home with hardware though, which is something few people can say.
It was not a sad day, just unproductive – which is what happens when you attach yourself to a computer or screen, watching instead of creating.
What I saw of the Olympic closing cermonies was amusing. Neil Young doing his thing, weird opera singers, SHATNER!, Catherine O'Hara sadly bombing, a well loved Michael J. Fox, mountie statues that looked like they came from Easter Island, Michael Buble lip synching very badly, mountie go-go dancers, inflatable moose and beaver. Go Canada!
Today is frustration, waiting for phone calls. Dealing with the medical/insurance complex, I crawl on.
Everton went down 2-0 in the first half. It was time to find the Celtic/Rangers match. Maybe something was happening there. Nothing happened until Maurice Edu scored with seconds left in added time for Rangers, and one loss was in the column.
By now Yakubu had managed to score for Everton, but the tying goal was not to be.
Two teams defeated and it was not even 10AM yet.
After the match my wife announced that there was no water. So I went to the basement with great trepidation, expecting a massive leak and saw no signs of damage.
I went outside and saw a sign blocking out road and some construction being done a block away, looked like there was a problem with the water main. Went over to the neighbors to see if they had water, like us, they did not.
Problem solved, and I did not have to get a wrench out.
The water came back on in about half an hour.
Later, the whiny boy and his whiny father took a nap before the hockey game.
I woke up about halfway through the first period.
The game was fantastic. End to end action, skill and suspense. Too bad my son slept through it. I was not yelling at the television, but let out a good squee when Parise tied it late.
It was disappointing to see the U.S. team lose in overtime, but few expected them to get into a medal round, let alone the gold medal round. Goalie Ryan Miller got the MVP, I’m sure he’d exchange that for a gold medal. He’s going home with hardware though, which is something few people can say.
It was not a sad day, just unproductive – which is what happens when you attach yourself to a computer or screen, watching instead of creating.
What I saw of the Olympic closing cermonies was amusing. Neil Young doing his thing, weird opera singers, SHATNER!, Catherine O'Hara sadly bombing, a well loved Michael J. Fox, mountie statues that looked like they came from Easter Island, Michael Buble lip synching very badly, mountie go-go dancers, inflatable moose and beaver. Go Canada!
Today is frustration, waiting for phone calls. Dealing with the medical/insurance complex, I crawl on.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Loss and Perspective
If you've been reading this you know I watch sports and write about it here. The teams I follow, at this point in time, are losing, badly.
The NHL Blue Jackets are in the middle of a nine game losing streak, tying the longest streak of futility in team history. If you know anything about the team's history, right now they're sucking hard. The time to do something about this was last month, and only now are we hearing rumors of a trade from General Manager Scott Howson. Shaking them up should have been done a month ago. Now, the rot has set in and this team is very unlikely to make the playoffs. While you can't fire 22 players, you can replace a coaching staff. The time to save the season is over.
The Ohio State Hockey team is in the midst of another season of below average play. Coach John Markell's contract is up at the end of the year. It's time for a change in the hockey program, one that has seen dwindling performance and attendance.
The New York Mets were dreadful last year and are showing me no indication that they will be improving the team next year. The outfield lacks power, there's no true first baseman and I could do just as well as middle relief than the slop that's been passing for a pitching staff.
I support the Everton Football Club in the English Premier League. As I write this, they are besieged by injuries and the club is close to being relegated to a lower league next year. I am hopeful that Manager David Moyes can pull the team toward the middle of the league in 2010 and keep the team together and fit next season to make a run at the big four. They're also still in the fray for the Europa League and F.A. Cup so there's potential for more play. MLS MVP Landon Donovan is being loaned to the team next week - it will be interesting to see if he can improve the team, as he gains some international experience.
Celtic F.C. in the Scottish Premier League is trailing Rangers, as it usually is in the Old Firm dominated league. It's sad to watch the Glasgow teams continue to be one-two as the rest of the league falters. It's a sad game to watch players who are not good enough for the better European league teams come to Scotland and its mediocre game. I'd like to see the quality improve, but with little cash it's unlikely to happen.
The Columbus Crew played well enough to win the Supporters Shield but got knocked out in the first round. Now the team's (and league's) best player, Guillermo Barros Schelotto is rumored to not being resigned for next season unless he takes a massive pay cut. The Crew have shown some very skinflint ways in its financial matters in the past. Letting a great player simply go away would be an insult to the fan base, and the ability of a great player.
Then there's the Buffalo Bills. An organization that is once again preparing to rebuild. There's no proven quarterback. No defensive line depth. No offensive line to speak of and the coaching staff needs a complete overhaul. The team's owner, Ralph Wilson is 91 and his obit could come over the wire at anytime. When he dies, the worry of the city of Buffalo is that the team will be sold and move. It will be a darn shame if that happens and the city and the team are entwined economically and in the very marrow of the residents. If this happens, my allegiance to the NFL will end. Heck, I've watched only about three Bills games this year. I've seen them lose before and know how that movie ends. It's not worth it anymore.
I'm excited about the World Cup, and am looking forward to June 12th, when the USA will play England. After that, we'll see how the rest of the draws look as June approaches.
Not much a follower of Ohio State Football. It's nice when they win, but they're not my team. College football is a mystery to me. Growing up on Long Island there really was not a team to follow.
My team rarely wins it all. I've had a World Series win in 1986, a Crew Championship last year and that's about it. Forty five years of fandom and two championships. In between there have been a lot of playoff losses and the big four straight Super Bowl losses in the nineties. I'm not sure what makes me go back to it anymore - to turn on the TV for a 2-1 loss. To watch my team lose 9-1 in person. To go to a sports bar for a 2-nil defeat. Is my money and time invested worth it?
Well, there's a game on tomorrow night, but so is Men of a Certain Age.
The NHL Blue Jackets are in the middle of a nine game losing streak, tying the longest streak of futility in team history. If you know anything about the team's history, right now they're sucking hard. The time to do something about this was last month, and only now are we hearing rumors of a trade from General Manager Scott Howson. Shaking them up should have been done a month ago. Now, the rot has set in and this team is very unlikely to make the playoffs. While you can't fire 22 players, you can replace a coaching staff. The time to save the season is over.
The Ohio State Hockey team is in the midst of another season of below average play. Coach John Markell's contract is up at the end of the year. It's time for a change in the hockey program, one that has seen dwindling performance and attendance.
The New York Mets were dreadful last year and are showing me no indication that they will be improving the team next year. The outfield lacks power, there's no true first baseman and I could do just as well as middle relief than the slop that's been passing for a pitching staff.
I support the Everton Football Club in the English Premier League. As I write this, they are besieged by injuries and the club is close to being relegated to a lower league next year. I am hopeful that Manager David Moyes can pull the team toward the middle of the league in 2010 and keep the team together and fit next season to make a run at the big four. They're also still in the fray for the Europa League and F.A. Cup so there's potential for more play. MLS MVP Landon Donovan is being loaned to the team next week - it will be interesting to see if he can improve the team, as he gains some international experience.
Celtic F.C. in the Scottish Premier League is trailing Rangers, as it usually is in the Old Firm dominated league. It's sad to watch the Glasgow teams continue to be one-two as the rest of the league falters. It's a sad game to watch players who are not good enough for the better European league teams come to Scotland and its mediocre game. I'd like to see the quality improve, but with little cash it's unlikely to happen.
The Columbus Crew played well enough to win the Supporters Shield but got knocked out in the first round. Now the team's (and league's) best player, Guillermo Barros Schelotto is rumored to not being resigned for next season unless he takes a massive pay cut. The Crew have shown some very skinflint ways in its financial matters in the past. Letting a great player simply go away would be an insult to the fan base, and the ability of a great player.
Then there's the Buffalo Bills. An organization that is once again preparing to rebuild. There's no proven quarterback. No defensive line depth. No offensive line to speak of and the coaching staff needs a complete overhaul. The team's owner, Ralph Wilson is 91 and his obit could come over the wire at anytime. When he dies, the worry of the city of Buffalo is that the team will be sold and move. It will be a darn shame if that happens and the city and the team are entwined economically and in the very marrow of the residents. If this happens, my allegiance to the NFL will end. Heck, I've watched only about three Bills games this year. I've seen them lose before and know how that movie ends. It's not worth it anymore.
I'm excited about the World Cup, and am looking forward to June 12th, when the USA will play England. After that, we'll see how the rest of the draws look as June approaches.
Not much a follower of Ohio State Football. It's nice when they win, but they're not my team. College football is a mystery to me. Growing up on Long Island there really was not a team to follow.
My team rarely wins it all. I've had a World Series win in 1986, a Crew Championship last year and that's about it. Forty five years of fandom and two championships. In between there have been a lot of playoff losses and the big four straight Super Bowl losses in the nineties. I'm not sure what makes me go back to it anymore - to turn on the TV for a 2-1 loss. To watch my team lose 9-1 in person. To go to a sports bar for a 2-nil defeat. Is my money and time invested worth it?
Well, there's a game on tomorrow night, but so is Men of a Certain Age.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
If I can't find a working link, it's back to bed
Son decided to fall asleep about 11 last night, then woke up around four. He decided talking to the ceiling for a couple of hours would be a great idea, and here I am.
It's half an hour from the Old Firm game and I'm not sure if I can stay awake.
Sometime today the lawn needs to be mowed, for the last time this year.
It's half an hour from the Old Firm game and I'm not sure if I can stay awake.
Sometime today the lawn needs to be mowed, for the last time this year.
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