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.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Got that Michael Caine Look Going
It took three weeks after the exam, but my reading glasses finally arrived yesterday afternoon. They look just like this, but they're solid black.
It's a pleasant feeling not having to strain my neck looking cockeyed at the screen or putting the glasses on the tip of my nose to be able to read, anything. It's a huge relief at work because I'm dealing with smaller fonts and the numbers I need from books are small also.
I'm very happy that I'm capable of reading books at a decent pace again.
This one's been sitting on my shelf for a few weeks. I got it for my Scottish Wife, but she has not read it yet, so I took it upon myself.
It's not a literary opus, no great work of fiction or memoir, but a series of blog and journal entries Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian made in the mid 2000's. He's a funny, touching and spiritual writer. Even knowing about the Mike Piazza song I did not realize he was a baseball fan.
The strengths of the book are his descriptions of Glasgow. He's embedded in the city. It's more than love. It's his soul, weakness and inspiration. He lives in the area I stayed in during my visit and the number of landmarks he names and spends his time in was an impressive match to many of the places I'd been, and want to go back to so badly.
The is a good amount of music in the book. You get a good, fair impression of the band during the making of albums and touring. He gives fair statements about how tiring and repetitive the business can be.
It's not a memoir, but a chatty look at the life of a working musician during a set time in his life. It's worth seeking out.
It's a pleasant feeling not having to strain my neck looking cockeyed at the screen or putting the glasses on the tip of my nose to be able to read, anything. It's a huge relief at work because I'm dealing with smaller fonts and the numbers I need from books are small also.
I'm very happy that I'm capable of reading books at a decent pace again.
This one's been sitting on my shelf for a few weeks. I got it for my Scottish Wife, but she has not read it yet, so I took it upon myself.
It's not a literary opus, no great work of fiction or memoir, but a series of blog and journal entries Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian made in the mid 2000's. He's a funny, touching and spiritual writer. Even knowing about the Mike Piazza song I did not realize he was a baseball fan.
The strengths of the book are his descriptions of Glasgow. He's embedded in the city. It's more than love. It's his soul, weakness and inspiration. He lives in the area I stayed in during my visit and the number of landmarks he names and spends his time in was an impressive match to many of the places I'd been, and want to go back to so badly.
The is a good amount of music in the book. You get a good, fair impression of the band during the making of albums and touring. He gives fair statements about how tiring and repetitive the business can be.
It's not a memoir, but a chatty look at the life of a working musician during a set time in his life. It's worth seeking out.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Going Past Eleven
It was a long night of poetry at WB. A very long night. There was open mic, a feature, a 12 poet slam and a special appearance by the Slam Papi himself, Marc Smith. It was an open mic with anarchy. A poet read two poems, and said one of them would be short, when it was not. Shame! Shun! There's a new rule coming into play for anyone whose cell phone goes off - they have to go behind the curtain, with no peeking! Heck, we might even put a poet back there with the offender, for a private reading.
LaShaun Phoenix was the feature. She did a fine job whipping the crowd into shape for the slam.
Then Marc Smith, introduced the slam, Chicago Style!
He also performed the final poem of the evening. A very good one about lifting each other up. I'm not sure why he was in town. Heard whispers that he was simply checking out other scenes. Either way, very cool that he gave us a visit.
I was the sacrificial poet for the slam and debuted a poem that is going back into the shop. There is a there in there, but I do not know where it quite is yet. Again, having fun, taking batting practice. It was a long night and I was keeping the time so the poems during the slam were a bit of a blue. Have to say I will greatly appreciate the no repeat rule this slam season.
At the end J.G. pulled away and won the night, with Ethan second and Vernell third. I'm liking what J.G.'s doing. He's a hard working poet who is quite versatile with the rap, rhyming and prose. I love when he gets nostalgic about stuff, even when I have no idea what he's talking about he makes it convincing. Truth.
Finally. If everything is so great and awesome, it's time to raise the bar. We're not all pooping out diamonds. Time to challenge ourselves, take risks and do better work.
LaShaun Phoenix was the feature. She did a fine job whipping the crowd into shape for the slam.
Then Marc Smith, introduced the slam, Chicago Style!
He also performed the final poem of the evening. A very good one about lifting each other up. I'm not sure why he was in town. Heard whispers that he was simply checking out other scenes. Either way, very cool that he gave us a visit.
I was the sacrificial poet for the slam and debuted a poem that is going back into the shop. There is a there in there, but I do not know where it quite is yet. Again, having fun, taking batting practice. It was a long night and I was keeping the time so the poems during the slam were a bit of a blue. Have to say I will greatly appreciate the no repeat rule this slam season.
At the end J.G. pulled away and won the night, with Ethan second and Vernell third. I'm liking what J.G.'s doing. He's a hard working poet who is quite versatile with the rap, rhyming and prose. I love when he gets nostalgic about stuff, even when I have no idea what he's talking about he makes it convincing. Truth.
Finally. If everything is so great and awesome, it's time to raise the bar. We're not all pooping out diamonds. Time to challenge ourselves, take risks and do better work.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The Peasants Dance
Got out of the political doldrums and went to the Wexner Center to see Murnau's 'Sunrise.'
It's only the second film of his I've seen, the other being The Last Laugh. I know, have not seen Nosferatu or Faust. I have gaps.
The plot is straightforward drama: Infidelity, attempted murder, forgiveness, a nasty thunderstorm, and this nifty scene at an amusement park.
It stars the lovely Mary Gaynor as the wife and a few other people whose faces I recognize, including that guy at the :20 part of the clip.
The special effects and cinematography are outstanding, and not just for a film of 1927. They still work and work well. It's a very good film that is not as dated as I thought it would be. To me though, it did not possess the power that The Last Laugh has.
Emil Jennings has been fired from his job at a hotel for being too old and is forced to become a bathroom attendant. Come on now! This film is devastating. Plus, it only has one title card. That takes a good script and some amazing acting. I know The Last Laugh is a German film and Sunrise was Murnau's for an American studio, and there are differences in studio styles as well. We're lucky to have them both survive.
It's only the second film of his I've seen, the other being The Last Laugh. I know, have not seen Nosferatu or Faust. I have gaps.
The plot is straightforward drama: Infidelity, attempted murder, forgiveness, a nasty thunderstorm, and this nifty scene at an amusement park.
It stars the lovely Mary Gaynor as the wife and a few other people whose faces I recognize, including that guy at the :20 part of the clip.
The special effects and cinematography are outstanding, and not just for a film of 1927. They still work and work well. It's a very good film that is not as dated as I thought it would be. To me though, it did not possess the power that The Last Laugh has.
Emil Jennings has been fired from his job at a hotel for being too old and is forced to become a bathroom attendant. Come on now! This film is devastating. Plus, it only has one title card. That takes a good script and some amazing acting. I know The Last Laugh is a German film and Sunrise was Murnau's for an American studio, and there are differences in studio styles as well. We're lucky to have them both survive.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Ohio Does the Madison
Today, at the Ohio Statehouse - thousands, if not more, will protest the anti-union, anti-public employee senate bill five. Hard working Americans in public service are being made scapegoats for the current economic problems this country is experiencing. It's a disgrace that millionaires and the wealthy who get tax breaks are ridiculing those who make between $20-30,000 a year for making too much money. While I believe there is a problem with today's union culture, and certain concessions should be made through negotiation, the elimination of collective bargaining is not an article that should be considered.
If you're going, be safe. Be effective.
My friend Tyrone has been in New Zealand for the past several months. He's been all over the country and was in Christchurch as recently as last week. So I was a bit concerned when reading about yesterday's earthquake. He's safe in Wellington, on the other island and did not feel it. Good luck to everyone down there. Another friend of mine does have family in Christchurch she has not heard from yet.
EDIT: Tyrone is safe in Wellington.
The kid is fine. He took a poop yesterday equivalent to his birth weight and clogged the toilet.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sporadic Beverage Review
On our trip to Jungle Jim's over the weekend, we found a bottle of soda we'd never seem before.
Almdudler,it is said, is the national soft drink of Austria. It comes in a striking bottle with an attractive etching.
The drink itself s very light, with moderate herbal flavors and some ginger. It is easily described as a ginger ale, but there is a very light ginger element than what most Americans are used to. It's certainly pleasant, refreshing and light in flavor. I imagine it's a decent mixer as well. Over here, it's over three bucks a bottle, and that's for a pint.
Far from the worst imported soft drink I've had, but pricey.
Almdudler,it is said, is the national soft drink of Austria. It comes in a striking bottle with an attractive etching.
The drink itself s very light, with moderate herbal flavors and some ginger. It is easily described as a ginger ale, but there is a very light ginger element than what most Americans are used to. It's certainly pleasant, refreshing and light in flavor. I imagine it's a decent mixer as well. Over here, it's over three bucks a bottle, and that's for a pint.
Far from the worst imported soft drink I've had, but pricey.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
A Long Post About Several Things
Been a good run these past few days. A lot of poetry, friends, and driving.
Wednesday night Kafe Kerouac was packed as the Win and You're In slam went down. Teams from Cleveland, Detroit and two from Columbus went head to head. I'm not sure about the scoring, I was busy keeping time, but Cleveland won with some solid poems.
Again, I've seen the place crowded before, with people on stage sitting, but this was a serious standing room only crowd, and it was amazing!
Friday night's First Draft had Columbus' own Rose Smith doing a feature of all new work.
A couple of powerful poems about a father trying to keep his children fed and about how Obama needs to tighten up really moved me. Great work.
I did a new piece after a one word prompt Scott Woods gave me back in November. It's called Gaythiest and I thought it went over very well.
Later the was a white guy (stay with me, there's a reason I'm calling his skin color) who none of us had never seen hanging around. He paid his admission, got on the list. When he took the stage he simply started taking, no paper, about hospitals, emergency rooms then he dropped the N-bomb. N-please to be a bit more specific. It was some weird unfunny Seinfeldian routine that ended with him saying if you say you are suicidal in a hospital emergency room you will be admitted. And he was done.
The applause was uncomfortable as he left the room. Questions were raised. He did come back, which was good considering the topic of his poem. Suicidal thoughts are not to be laughed off.
I was talking to Scott about this afterward. In my five years of going to WB I've only heard the N word a handful of times, never used by a white guy. And we talked about how WB definitely uses racial humor as part of the act, we do not do racial slurs. Big difference. You never know what the night will bring.
Also during this time we saw the film A Town Called Panic a silly animated film from Belgium. Simply put, a cowboy, Indian, and horse have an adventure. Here's a short of theirs which may, or may not explain what this is about.
It's not a long film at 75 minutes, but I giggled a lot, and that's hard for me to do these days.
Saturday was a long day. Started with me headed to the junkyard to try and harvest a couple of small parts for my car. Went into the yard with a phillips head screwdriver and hope. Took me some time to find the Subarus. Walked by the sad Volvos and a long line of damaged Beetles, which was where they were behind. Found a trashed, older Outback, there were no Legacys that I could fine, and opened the hatchback. I was looking for a clip for the curtain, which was tough to get out and a lock for the rear seat to move it up and down.
Turns out, only one of the items, the seat lock, fit.
The tragedy was that my sunglasses were missing. They clip on to my frames with magnets. I had the screwdriver and sunglasses in my inside coat pocket. Somehow, when I took the screwdriver out, the sunglasses were attached and went flying.
Went back in the Subaru area, and thanks to St. Anthony the sunglasses were right on the ground, easily seen.
After this stress it was off for coffee at Cup O' Joe in Bexley where I sat with the iPod Touch, updating and updating as Everton took Chelsea to penalties in their FA Cup match, and won! Happy morning!
After watching my son swim it was time to get the car ready for the trip to Cincinnati. This was a test for the Subaru as it was the first long drive I have taken with it.
We were joined by our friend B-Dazzle, who did a craft project with my wife during the drive down.
It was an Army of Amys and one of them stared at me the whole drive down. I think there's one left in the back of the wagon.
Out first stop was Jungle Jim's in Fairfield. We've been here before, but not B-Dazzle. Out main objective was the IRN-Bru, which was, to our delight, available in 12 packs. We bought one of those while my Scottish Wife tossed candy and crisps into the cart. I almost picked up a can of haggis.
Picked up a few beverages including, the national drink of Austria.
After Jungle Jim's it was time to head to Cincinnati proper. Thanks to B-Dazzle's GPS we arrived with little trouble.
By this time we were a bit hungry. Sure, we had plenty of IRN-Bru, but we needed hot food. The place across the street from where we parked was closed, but my wife spotted a beer light about a block away. Turns out it was a bar and grill called Arnold's.
Immediately upon entering I knew we found the right spot. Reminded me of Ulrich's and McSorley's. This was an old school place (since 1859) in a building that has been standing since 1948 and it did not disappoint. Good food, good beer and friendly service. If we're in downtown Cincinnati again, this is the place to go.
We walked the two blocks to the Blue Wisp for the other reason for the road trip, the Whirlwind Company, Brisn S. David, Mike McGee, Mindy Nettifee and Jon Sands, a group of touring poets.
We immediately met three other Columbus poets who made the trip down and Jon Sands. Jon took a table from the back of the room and moved it to the front, which was where we sat the rest of the night. Great people, great poetry family.
I had never heard of Mindy before this tour and was completely gobsmacked by a poem she wrote about her father called Tremelo. I do not buy as much merchandise as I should, but I bought the book the poem is in.
It was good to meet Brian and Mindy and reconnect with Mike (who I had not seen since Berkeley) and Jon. On the drive home under an extremely bright moon I thought how lucky I am to have such great, talented friends, and to be a small part of the poetry community locally and nationally.
Wednesday night Kafe Kerouac was packed as the Win and You're In slam went down. Teams from Cleveland, Detroit and two from Columbus went head to head. I'm not sure about the scoring, I was busy keeping time, but Cleveland won with some solid poems.
Again, I've seen the place crowded before, with people on stage sitting, but this was a serious standing room only crowd, and it was amazing!
Friday night's First Draft had Columbus' own Rose Smith doing a feature of all new work.
A couple of powerful poems about a father trying to keep his children fed and about how Obama needs to tighten up really moved me. Great work.
I did a new piece after a one word prompt Scott Woods gave me back in November. It's called Gaythiest and I thought it went over very well.
Later the was a white guy (stay with me, there's a reason I'm calling his skin color) who none of us had never seen hanging around. He paid his admission, got on the list. When he took the stage he simply started taking, no paper, about hospitals, emergency rooms then he dropped the N-bomb. N-please to be a bit more specific. It was some weird unfunny Seinfeldian routine that ended with him saying if you say you are suicidal in a hospital emergency room you will be admitted. And he was done.
The applause was uncomfortable as he left the room. Questions were raised. He did come back, which was good considering the topic of his poem. Suicidal thoughts are not to be laughed off.
I was talking to Scott about this afterward. In my five years of going to WB I've only heard the N word a handful of times, never used by a white guy. And we talked about how WB definitely uses racial humor as part of the act, we do not do racial slurs. Big difference. You never know what the night will bring.
Also during this time we saw the film A Town Called Panic a silly animated film from Belgium. Simply put, a cowboy, Indian, and horse have an adventure. Here's a short of theirs which may, or may not explain what this is about.
It's not a long film at 75 minutes, but I giggled a lot, and that's hard for me to do these days.
Saturday was a long day. Started with me headed to the junkyard to try and harvest a couple of small parts for my car. Went into the yard with a phillips head screwdriver and hope. Took me some time to find the Subarus. Walked by the sad Volvos and a long line of damaged Beetles, which was where they were behind. Found a trashed, older Outback, there were no Legacys that I could fine, and opened the hatchback. I was looking for a clip for the curtain, which was tough to get out and a lock for the rear seat to move it up and down.
Turns out, only one of the items, the seat lock, fit.
The tragedy was that my sunglasses were missing. They clip on to my frames with magnets. I had the screwdriver and sunglasses in my inside coat pocket. Somehow, when I took the screwdriver out, the sunglasses were attached and went flying.
Went back in the Subaru area, and thanks to St. Anthony the sunglasses were right on the ground, easily seen.
After this stress it was off for coffee at Cup O' Joe in Bexley where I sat with the iPod Touch, updating and updating as Everton took Chelsea to penalties in their FA Cup match, and won! Happy morning!
After watching my son swim it was time to get the car ready for the trip to Cincinnati. This was a test for the Subaru as it was the first long drive I have taken with it.
We were joined by our friend B-Dazzle, who did a craft project with my wife during the drive down.
It was an Army of Amys and one of them stared at me the whole drive down. I think there's one left in the back of the wagon.
Out first stop was Jungle Jim's in Fairfield. We've been here before, but not B-Dazzle. Out main objective was the IRN-Bru, which was, to our delight, available in 12 packs. We bought one of those while my Scottish Wife tossed candy and crisps into the cart. I almost picked up a can of haggis.
Picked up a few beverages including, the national drink of Austria.
After Jungle Jim's it was time to head to Cincinnati proper. Thanks to B-Dazzle's GPS we arrived with little trouble.
By this time we were a bit hungry. Sure, we had plenty of IRN-Bru, but we needed hot food. The place across the street from where we parked was closed, but my wife spotted a beer light about a block away. Turns out it was a bar and grill called Arnold's.
Immediately upon entering I knew we found the right spot. Reminded me of Ulrich's and McSorley's. This was an old school place (since 1859) in a building that has been standing since 1948 and it did not disappoint. Good food, good beer and friendly service. If we're in downtown Cincinnati again, this is the place to go.
We walked the two blocks to the Blue Wisp for the other reason for the road trip, the Whirlwind Company, Brisn S. David, Mike McGee, Mindy Nettifee and Jon Sands, a group of touring poets.
We immediately met three other Columbus poets who made the trip down and Jon Sands. Jon took a table from the back of the room and moved it to the front, which was where we sat the rest of the night. Great people, great poetry family.
I had never heard of Mindy before this tour and was completely gobsmacked by a poem she wrote about her father called Tremelo. I do not buy as much merchandise as I should, but I bought the book the poem is in.
It was good to meet Brian and Mindy and reconnect with Mike (who I had not seen since Berkeley) and Jon. On the drive home under an extremely bright moon I thought how lucky I am to have such great, talented friends, and to be a small part of the poetry community locally and nationally.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)