Back on the Bank Block

On New Year's Eve, I find myself in Stauf's again, just like three years ago. The background music is The Pet Shop Boys and not a bad Hallelujah cover.

What have I, What have I, what have I done to deserve this?

I'm here because Emma's across the street at the dentist, not to sit and reflect on my life falling apart - as life was then.

Two years ago I was in Glasgow, wandering around a chilly damp city that was getting ready for Hogmanay. We drank champagne, hung out in a jacuzzi and watched Jools Holland ring in the new year. One month later my divorce was finalized.

Last year Emma was here, still on the tourist visa, and we went to Dave's and I sang The Candy Man. It was a perfect way to start the calendar year.

Today I wait here, post-bagel, drinking a french vanilla coffee and waiting to see what condition my wife will be in after her procedure. The music has changed.

Holiday, it would be so nice.

Oh man, now it's Shalamar.

I can tell by the look in your eye that you're a dead giveaway. I'm finding out what you're all about.

I did one of those year in review memes on Facebook, not going to subject it to you here. One thing though. There is a resolution. Something I need to do. Need is a very powerful words but when I see that number on a scale I know something has to change.

I see Limbaugh is in the hospital with chest pains. I do not want the man dead, but to live long enough so he can realize how wrong he is about so many things.

Speaking of death. Had only three hits in the deathpool this year, including the Farrah/MJ double. I know the day is not over but I have submitted next year's 40 to the proper compiler.

Had no idea at the beginning of last year that I'd abandon my live journal for this place. I think I'm happier here. It's hard to log on to live journal and see the deterioration. The people who have disappeared. If you're still there, I'm not picking on you for staying, not at all. It has changed, and it was a change that was hard for me to stay with. After the divorce, the drama stopped, comments dropped and I kept a lot of the personal stuff quiet. Good for me, bad for business. Losing a few friends was tough, and you miss some of that interaction. Moving forward is the new black though.

It's good to be here, on blogger. I see the number of hits increasing, but the comments are not increasing in proportion to the page views. I appreciate the readership. A lot. Thank you for coming. Please stay. Introduce yourselves. And have a happy new year.

And the train conduction says driver 8 take a break we can reach our destination, but we're still a ways away.

Books Read: 2009

Nothing really knocked me on my ass this year. King's return was noteworthy and long overdue. Conroy's book was a major disappointment, as was Doctorow. I've finally entered the word of Rebus, which is a cool place to be.

A Boy Alone provided the saddest twist to a work of non-fiction I've experienced in a long time. Denise Duhamel was a fine new poet to me.

If I finished it, the book gets two stars regardless. If the book is a cut above it gets three and four if really good.

It's been tough to find reading time this year. I'll be lucky to finish fifty in 2010. My wife is planning on reading a hundred. Good luck to her.

1) Boy A. Jonathan Trigell. 248 p.
2) George Being George: George Plimpton's Life. Edited by Nelson Aldrich Jr. 423 p. ***
3) On Purpose. Nick Laird. 65 p. ****
4) Berenice Abbott: Changing New York. Bonnie Yochelson. 399 p. (most. pic) ****
5) Ferenc Karinthy. Metropole. 279 p.
6) Charles Laughton: An Intimate Biography. Charles Higham. 239 p.
7) A Boy Named Shel. Lisa Rogak. 239 p. ***
8) Saved. Jack Falla. 276 p.
9) James Tiptree Jr: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon. Julie Phillips. 469 p. ***
10) Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin. K.S. & Carolynn Carreno. 260 p. ****
11) Indelible Acts. A.L. Kennedy. 191 p.
12) Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street. Michael Davis. 379 p. ***
13) I Can See Clearly Now - Brendan Halpin. 272 p.
14) Love, As Always, Kurt Vonnegut as I Knew Him. Loree Rackstraw. 282 p. ***
15) Devil's Garden - Ace Atkins. 354 p. (Worst fiction)
16) The Fire Gospel - Michel Faber. 213 p. ***
17) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Heart Pounding, Jaw Dropping and Gut Wrenching Moments from Buffalo Bills History. Scott Pitoniak. 184 p.
18) Denise Duhamel. Ca-Ching! 86 p. ****
19) Watchmen. Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons. 419 p. ***
20) Angela Sorby. Bird Skin Coat. 79 p. ***
21) Rob Ryan. This is for You. (Unpaged) Horrible greeting card art and sad affirmation poetry.
22) Greg Ames. Buffalo Lockjaw. 304 p. ***
23) Roger Moore. My Word is My Bond. 336 p.
24) A Pint of Plain. Bill Barich. 242 p.
25) American Rust - Phillp Meyer. 367 p. ***
26) Brooklyn - Colm Toibin. 262 p.
27) Tea Time for the Traditionally Built. Alexander McCall Smith. 212 p. ***
28) Columbine. Dave Cullen. 417 p. ****
29) Let the Great World Spin. Colum McCann. 349 p. **** (best fiction)
30) The Real Animal House - Chris Miller. 321 p.
31) Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror - John Ashberry. 83 p.
32) Close to Death - Patricia Smith. 119 p.
33) I am Not Sidney Poitier. Percival Everett. 234 p. ****
34) Miracle Ball: My Hunt for the Shot Heard 'Round the World. Brian Biegel. 224 p. ****
35) Teahouse of the Almighty. Patricia Smith. 91 p. ***
36) Used and Rare: Travels in the Book World. Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone. 215 p. ***
37) Sarah Waters - The Little Stranger. 466 p. ***
38) Glover's Mistake - Nick Laird. 247 p.
39) Marcello in the Real World - Francisco X. Stork. 312 p. ***
40) A Boy Alone: A Brother's Memoir. Karl Taro Greenfeld. 355 p. **** (Best non-fiction)
41) Ian Rankin - Knots and Crosses. 256 p. ****
42) George & Sam: Two Boys, One Family, and Autism. Charlotte Moore. 296 p.
43) Richard Russo. That Old Cape Magic. 261 p. ***
44) Jim Beaver. Life's That Way. 299 p. ***
45) Pat Conroy. South of Broad. 514 p.
46) E.L. Doctorow. Homer and Langley. 208 p.
47) A.D. New Orleans After the Deluge. Josh Neufeld. 193 p. ***
48) The Impostor's Daughter. Laurie Sandell. 247 p. ***
49) Little Bee. Chris Cleave. 271 p.
50) Nick Hornby. Juliet, Naked. 406 p. ***
51) Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman. Jon Krakauer. 416 p.
52) Hide and Seek. Ian Rankin. 224 p.
53) The Lost Symbol. Dan Brown. 509 p.
54) American On Purpose. Craig Ferguson. 268 p. ***
55) Highest Duty. Chelsey Sullenberger. 340 p. ***
56) John Irving - Last Night in Twisted River. 554 p. ***
57) Kurt Vonnegut. Look at the Birdie. 251 p. ***
58) Margaret Atwood. The Year of the Flood. 434 p. ****
59) I'm Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and High Times in Stand Up Comedy's Golden Era. William Knoedelseder. 280 p. ****
60) The Adderall Diaries. Steven Elliott. 208 p. ***
61) Last Words. George Carlin. 294 p. ***
62) Chronic City - Jonathan Lethem 480 p. ****
63) Under the Dome - Stephen King. 1074 p. ****
64) Denise Mina. Still Midnight. 368 p. ***

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.

Vic Chesnutt 1964-2009

Back in June we saw him open for Jonathan Richman. I was not familiar with his music, and still am not. We were in the back of the room, talking to a former colleague from the library and his wife.

I liked what I heard. There was a wit, and a darkness. It was all understandable. It's not the sort of sound that I seek out. Found what the library had. Listened.



This morning the news was coming though that he had attempted suicide and was in a coma. Kristen Hersh's twitter page was especially poignant. There were unsubstantiated reports of his death that were retracted. Now, his death is confirmed.

I'm really not feeling this cyincal

The house passed a health care bill. I really do not know what's in it because all I can see is a bunch of keyboard warriors still screaming socialism. When I ask a question, I get rebuked in Latin. Wait, that was about global warming.

I'd like to think we're all still going to be here tomorrow, Ok, most of us will be, and that we're in this together. There's still this us vs. them divide in this country we never got to properly thank Lee Atwater for starting. He's dead now. Thanks Lee, maybe you and the soon to be dead Bernie Madoff can raise a glass of hot lava together.

But it's Christmas Eve, peace on earth good will toward men and keep paying women less for the same pay.

Is that how it goes?

It's been a couple of years since I went out to eat and did not leave a tip. Last night was one of those rare occasions. Not going to name the place because it was not the fault of the entire establishment, and I'm sure we'll be back there at some point.

Where we went was busy, and we knew that, we could see it. We waited at least half an hour for our food, which would have been fine if the server had acknowledged this. Instead he brushed off my wife's asking where the food was, simply saying it was busy, no apologies. Nothing else. The food was fine. When it came to getting the check. He gave us someone else's, which was less. He did not thank us for being honest, but instead decided to blame the mistake on someone else when we pointed it out to him. Then he walked off. Rather than wait for him to take our payment, which may have taken even more time, I went to the bar and watched him stand there and chat with one of the other servers while the bartender took our payment. I know the place was busy and he was probably in the weeds, but this guy was rather inattentive and quick in blaming others rather than offer any sympathy. So that's why he got stiffed. Again, just the second time in recent memory.

I was listening to Jethro Tull's Christmas album while running the final errands this morning. It's a lovely record, honestly. I'm in for the rest of the day, until after dinner when I'll pack the three of us in the car and force feed Christmas lights and Phil Spector's music on to them. I still have a few places to check out. Still, the people behind us rule Columbus' Christmas lights scene.

Have to clean up my son's room and set up his present later. Got him a little tent with a six foot tunnel. Hope he likes it. So very hard to shop for a kid with autism. You have no idea what he will like. He's finally toying around with the ukulele I got him two years ago.

Wow, two years ago I was meeting my wife's family in Glasgow. Time flies, and I want to go back there so badly.

Christmas and holiday wishes on all of you. Still noticing a lot of page hits and views. Drop a comment and say hi why don't you?

The Best for Last. Book #63

I read my first Stephen King book back in 1983. It was Christine and I was instantly hooked. Got everything I could of his from the college and local libraries. Devoured books about him, even looked for the Bachman's. It was an intense period of reading. He was, and still is, quite the prolific writer. There was a back catalog to catch up on.

But when the Tommyknockers came out in 1987, something had changed. Authors go through peaks, valleys, they write bad books. After that book came out, I believe his creativity declined, noticeably. I read he was doing some serious coke at the time, which would explain a lot. Yet, even after he got off of it, with great difficulty I understand, the quality of his writing had not returned. I still read his work, but no longer was interested in getting it when it was released. What I did read seemed uninspired. The plots were tired. The thrill ride had no thrills, frights, or fun.

Then on my 34th birthday and the night of no goal, King was hit by a car and suffered serious injuries. After that there was some serious rehab, talk of retirement and I wondered if he'd ever return to anything close to form.



He has.

I have to admit to being skeptical when Under the Dome was released. I've heard the term 'King's best in years' many times and the results were unsatisfactory. The 1,074 pages were also an obstacle. Could this book have used some more editing, (yes) some character depth (yes) and culling of plot? (also yes)

The book's title and cover say it all. A small town in Maine is suddenly covered by a transparent dome. Things happen.

From page one King puts the accelerator to the floor and you are in the passenger seat, going "Whooooo!" right along with him. Then he presses down, harder, and you're both going "Whooooo!"

All this while Warren Zevon's 'Play it All Night Long' is blasting out of the speakers.

King kills a lot of people, blows a lot of things up and causes a lot of mayhem - and he's having a ball doing it. Not since the first few pages of The Cell has King enjoyed creating such a disaster. This time he sustains it for the entire length of this massive book. From the opening scenes of a woodchuck's point of view to the final, inevitable explosions, I was held to the page. I can't believe I'm writing this, but I did not want it to end.

There's a lot of political allegory, an exposure of the cruelty of children, a smack down of self righteous Christians and, I think, a bit of a global warming statement within the fury of this novel. Do not be put off by its length.

The book is far from flawless. The editing could have stood a sharper red pen. Some of the dialogue was implausible and groan inducing. The conclusion reminded me of an episode of Star Trek and seemed a bit forced, but I will not allow myself to be mad at it. If this book was written in the fifties, it would be sold in dime stores, waiting for aspiring authors to find on a wire rack. In another world, King would be earning a penny a word, and deserving every cent. You fly through the thinness and savor the meaty parts of this book, and there are many, and they are worth it.

I admit to writing Stephen King off, that he would not be capable of writing a book with the intensity and thrills of his earlier work. After finishing Under the Dome I'm here telling you that I was wrong. He's back. Pass the crow.

Got this from Lis

1. Where did you begin 2009?
By singing The Candy Man is Dave's basement. Ha! That was sick!



2. What was your status by Valentines Day?
Apart from Emma, waiting for a visa.

3. Were you in school anytime this year?
The only school I was in was my son's, to visit.

4. Did you have to go to the hospital?
No.

5. Did you have any encounters with the police?
None at all. I've been good.

6. Where did you go on vacation?
We went to Pittsburgh after the wedding for a couple of nights. Berkeley, but that was for IWPS and not really a vacation. The few hours we spent in San Francisco were fun.



7. What did you purchase that was over £100?
Various things from the Department of Homeland security. Trips to Pittsburgh and Berkeley.

8. Did you know anybody who got married?
Um, yes. Kym and J.J. too!



9. Did you know anybody who passed away?
An Aunt, parent of a friend.

10. Did you move anywhere?
Nope, trapped in this house

11. What sporting events did you attend?
Went to a couple of Blue Jackets games. One Clippers game. That has to change next year.

12. What concerts/shows did you go to?
Sadly, only two. Jonathan Richman and Camera Obscura. Again: that has to change.

13. Describe your birthday.
Pretty quiet, I think. Kym and J.J. got married the next day.

14. What is the ONE thing you thought you would not do, but did, in 2009?
Quit posting on live journal.

15. What have been your favourite moments?
May 30th. Seeing downtown Pittsburgh at night. Being blown away after winning the IWPS Grand Slam. Kanye-ing Tyrone. May 30th. Seeing my Father-in-Law served a Budweiser and getting a frosted glass. My son throwing things in the trash without our asking. My son swimming.



16. Any new additions to your family?
A wife.



17. What was your best month?
May was good.

18. Who has been your best drinking buddy?
My wife. Jim.

19. Made new friends?
Not sure.

20. Favourite Night out?
Any number of Writers' Block nights.



The photo of the year BTW.

21. Other than home, where did you spend most of your time?
The work thing, Kafe Kerouac.

22. Have you lost any friends this year?
Yeah, politics, they suck.

23. Change your hairstyle?
Same as it ever was.

24. Have any car accidents?
No no no!

25. How old did you turn this year?
45.

26. Do you have a New Years resolution?
Nah, they just get broken by President's Day.

27. Do anything embarrassing?
Not really.

28. Buy anything from eBay?
No.

29. Get married or divorced?
Why yes.



30. Get hit on?
Me? No, I don't shine like that.

31. Been snowboarding?
No.

32. Did you get sick this year?
I get colds, eyestrain, an occasional migraine...

33. Are you happy to see 2009 go?
It's time to see another calendar.

34. Been naughty or nice?
Always nice.

35. What are you looking forward to most in 2010?
My son growing up. Staying married. Slam season.



Cheers to 2009. Bring on 2010