Slowly, slowly
the moon climbs
the city sky,
never looking back
at the Atlantic,
from which she awoke.
6.30.2004
6.29.2004
Movie: Fahrenheit 9/11
Michael Moore does not make documentaries. His films are op-ed pieces. Make no mistake, Moore has his agenda and is relentless in getting his point across. The question is, are you open enough to listen to the facts behind his opinions?
I don't think the film will change the minds of any Republican loyalists. I'm a member of the choir that Moore sings to. I have to wonder what impact this film has on undecideds and fence sitters.
Moore understands how to make an emotional impact. His treatment of the 9/11 attacks is brilliant. He shows us a black screen, while giving us the sounds of the jet planes and sirens. He doesn't feel the need to show us, because he knows we're all seeing that replay that we can't ever get out of our minds.
It's a heartbreaking, inflammatory, brilliant film. Go see it. Now.
I don't think the film will change the minds of any Republican loyalists. I'm a member of the choir that Moore sings to. I have to wonder what impact this film has on undecideds and fence sitters.
Moore understands how to make an emotional impact. His treatment of the 9/11 attacks is brilliant. He shows us a black screen, while giving us the sounds of the jet planes and sirens. He doesn't feel the need to show us, because he knows we're all seeing that replay that we can't ever get out of our minds.
It's a heartbreaking, inflammatory, brilliant film. Go see it. Now.
New Music: Wilco
The new Wilco album is out. It's called A Ghost Is Born. It sounds to me like a Vic Chesnutt piano album with lots of Neil Young guitar skronk on the top of it. I'm not terribly good at writing about music. Our language is so visual that it's hard to write descriptively about any of the other senses. There's a great quote attributed to Elvis Costello, "Writing about music is a silly thing to want to do, it's like dancing about architecture." That said, here's a link to a live version of "Hell Is Chrome", which is a track on the new record.
6.28.2004
Mermaid Parade 2004
I've never actually seen the Mermaid Parade except from the inside. This year was no exception. The Mrs. and I are proud members of the Wet Dream Tank. We were a carousel this year and we were DAMN colorful if I do say so myself. My swim cap was probably not meant to be worn for 2.5 hours and I started to get a nasty headache and I also managed to sweat blue into my eyes. (You could actually see the paint UNDER my contacts) But those are just minor complaints. I'd march in this parade again and again. I am reminded of the Hendrix line, "I'm gonna fly my freak flag high." Go see all of the pictures here.
6.27.2004
Back from Brooklyn
Hey, hey. We're back from the Mermaid Parade. Lots of pictures to post tommorrow, but here's one of my bathroom self portraits, but this time, I'm shockingly blue. I was walking back from the parade to the parking lot when I saw a little girl actually gasp in fear and run to her mother.
6.25.2004
Brooklyn on my mind
Jen and I are headed out to NYC this afternoon for the weekend. Surprisingly, we're not taking the legendary Fung Wah Chinatown bus. The world doesn't revolve around Boston and New York, despite what the media seems to imply. I forget that sometimes.
Anyhow, Fung Wah is one of the $10 buses from Boston to NYC. It goes from Chinatown to Chinatown. No fancy bus stations for us, thank you. Jen and I used to ride it a lot when she was living down there. I've been on rides where the driver spoke on his cell phone loudly in Chinese the entire 4 hours. (He was obsessing about detailing his car.)
For years, these buses were like urban legends. Everyone had heard about them, but nobody had ever been on one. But now like everything else New York, they've come from hip to overexposed and burned out. Sorta like the Strokes.
Now the buses are too crowded people on them expect way too much for their 10 dollars. Listen Missy, bathrooms are gonna be crappy on a $10 bus. Plus, it saves me time to take the Greyhound station right next door to my office, as I don't have to take the train 40 minutes back into Chinatown.
Anyhow, have a great weekend and I'll see you back here on Monday, kids.
Anyhow, Fung Wah is one of the $10 buses from Boston to NYC. It goes from Chinatown to Chinatown. No fancy bus stations for us, thank you. Jen and I used to ride it a lot when she was living down there. I've been on rides where the driver spoke on his cell phone loudly in Chinese the entire 4 hours. (He was obsessing about detailing his car.)
For years, these buses were like urban legends. Everyone had heard about them, but nobody had ever been on one. But now like everything else New York, they've come from hip to overexposed and burned out. Sorta like the Strokes.
Now the buses are too crowded people on them expect way too much for their 10 dollars. Listen Missy, bathrooms are gonna be crappy on a $10 bus. Plus, it saves me time to take the Greyhound station right next door to my office, as I don't have to take the train 40 minutes back into Chinatown.
Anyhow, have a great weekend and I'll see you back here on Monday, kids.
6.24.2004
Countdown to the Mermaid Parade
Summer's here and that means a couple of things to me: the sun is up at 4:30, I get to practice kung fu outdoors with the school until 8:30, and the Mermaid Parade is coming up this weekend!
What is the Mermaid Parade you ask? It's a celebration of summer at Coney Island in Brooklyn. People dress up as mermaids, and sea creatures and parade through the streets down to the ocean. Jen and I will be participating again this year with our friends the Wet Dream Tank. We miss them, as we're all the way up here in Boston these days.
I feel bad, as I never get to pitch in during construction and design as much as I'd like. I'm not sure what we're gonna look like, but I know it's going to be fabulous, and I'll be wearing a lot of blue. I'm sure Scott and I will have at least one Zoolanderesque "MerMAN, Dad! MerMAN" exchange.
I'll post pictures on Monday. Here are my pictures from last year.
What is the Mermaid Parade you ask? It's a celebration of summer at Coney Island in Brooklyn. People dress up as mermaids, and sea creatures and parade through the streets down to the ocean. Jen and I will be participating again this year with our friends the Wet Dream Tank. We miss them, as we're all the way up here in Boston these days.
I feel bad, as I never get to pitch in during construction and design as much as I'd like. I'm not sure what we're gonna look like, but I know it's going to be fabulous, and I'll be wearing a lot of blue. I'm sure Scott and I will have at least one Zoolanderesque "MerMAN, Dad! MerMAN" exchange.
I'll post pictures on Monday. Here are my pictures from last year.
6.23.2004
Florida Quarter
Though I was born in Massachusetts and live here now, I will always consider myself a Floridian, as I grew up there and lived there until I was 26. Everyone up here knows that I'm from Florida, I'll complain about the weather all winter and get harassed if anyone mentions the word "chad". I'm disappointed with our state quarter design. It's obviously a compromise between three parties who wanted three different things on there. They don't relate to each other spacially or thematically. I would have preferred a single image. An alligator maybe? Or an orange blossom? Or Castillo de San Marcos at St. Augustine, after all that is the oldest city in America.
6.22.2004
The Beauty of Private Industry
I've always been in love with the space program. It's such an amazing thing to think about, launching vehicles and people off of our little planet. But in the past few years, I've started souring on it. The last major manned space vehicle has failed twice in the last 20 years and was designed in the late 70's. Honestly, I'm stunned that the Space Shuttle is flying at all. Would you drive your 1976 Ford LTD to grandma's house?
I believe that part of the lack of innovation over the years is the government bureaucracy. I know. I worked as a subcontractor to a subcontractor to a contractor at NASA once. It's such a lumbering beast that it's no wonder that there's nothing new getting done there. It's not exactly a dream incubator.
But now, we've got private companies all aiming to win the X-Prize for the first team to have a successful private sector space program. It looks like SpaceShip One is well on it's way.
What do little kids dream of these days? Does any kid want to be an astronaut? Hopefully, this will get them started up again.
I believe that part of the lack of innovation over the years is the government bureaucracy. I know. I worked as a subcontractor to a subcontractor to a contractor at NASA once. It's such a lumbering beast that it's no wonder that there's nothing new getting done there. It's not exactly a dream incubator.
But now, we've got private companies all aiming to win the X-Prize for the first team to have a successful private sector space program. It looks like SpaceShip One is well on it's way.
What do little kids dream of these days? Does any kid want to be an astronaut? Hopefully, this will get them started up again.
6.21.2004
Poetry 365: Untitled
City skies only allow one star
on any given night.
This quiet summer Monday,
it is Sirius shining down
from forty thousand years ago.
on any given night.
This quiet summer Monday,
it is Sirius shining down
from forty thousand years ago.
6.20.2004
Poetry 365: Crescent Beach
A handful of snails,
still cold from the Portsmouth tides.
black spots on white sands
still cold from the Portsmouth tides.
black spots on white sands
6.19.2004
Poetry 365: Coming Home From the Chair Factory Early on Thursday Blues
I saw the two of you in the kitchen,
making up some cherry pie.
I said, I saw you in the kitchen,
making cherry pie.
I didn't think I'd hurt you,
but then again I might.
When were you gonna tell me
about this other guy?
C'mon now, when were you gonna tell me
about this other guy?
Because if it was gonna be tomorrow,
I could be out of here tonight.
But I'm taking my guitar with me, baby.
I'm gonna take my El Dorado
and drive past the city of Mobile.
I'm gonna drive my El Dorado
right through that tunnel under Mobile.
When I stop in Lake City
I won't even think to call.
When your phone don't ring, that ain't me.
Gonna find me a new girl,
sweeter than a Georgia peach.
Find me a new woman,
sweet as a Georgia peach.
I won't think of you no more,
killing me like that back in Arkansas.
making up some cherry pie.
I said, I saw you in the kitchen,
making cherry pie.
I didn't think I'd hurt you,
but then again I might.
When were you gonna tell me
about this other guy?
C'mon now, when were you gonna tell me
about this other guy?
Because if it was gonna be tomorrow,
I could be out of here tonight.
But I'm taking my guitar with me, baby.
I'm gonna take my El Dorado
and drive past the city of Mobile.
I'm gonna drive my El Dorado
right through that tunnel under Mobile.
When I stop in Lake City
I won't even think to call.
When your phone don't ring, that ain't me.
Gonna find me a new girl,
sweeter than a Georgia peach.
Find me a new woman,
sweet as a Georgia peach.
I won't think of you no more,
killing me like that back in Arkansas.
6.18.2004
Poetry 365: Attleboro Blues
The scarecrow watches
over his old green fields,
now weeds, not berries.
over his old green fields,
now weeds, not berries.
6.17.2004
The Dreaded Web questionnaire
I've received tons of these over the years, so here's my new twist. I'm giving two answers to each question. One true and one false. I'll leave it to you to figure out which is which. You can answer these questions for yourself in the comments.
1. First Name? Guillermo. William
2. Were you named after anyone? No. Yes. (Red Sox pitcher Spaceman Bill Lee)
3. Which finger is your favorite? Left ring finger. Right pinky.
4. Are you answering these questions during work? No. Yes.
5. When did you last cry? Ronald Reagan's funeral. When I heard someone reading "The Giving Tree" to her kids.
6. Do you like your handwriting? Yes. (I dot my "i" with a heart.) No. (Everything looks like a seismograph.)
7. What is your favorite lunch meat? Corned beef. Liverwurst.
8. Any bad habits? I don't pick up after myself. Calling everybody "Chief".
9. What is your most embarrassing CD? Limp Bizkit. (It was a gift.) Will Howard's Greatest Hit. (One hit wonder from the 80's. You all remember that novelty dance hit "Dunkey Butt")
10. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? Yes. I am a lovely person. No. I smell like butt.
11. Are you a daredevil? Actually, I am Daredevil, the man with no fear. No. I like calculated risk.
12. Have you ever told a secret you swore not to tell? Yes. Sorry about that audit, Dave. No.
13. Do looks matter? Yes. Especially when you're on the receiving end. No, not with my vision.
14. How do you release anger? I record punk songs under the name "Jonas P. Birthday". I run. A lot.
15. Where is your second home? Yeehaw Junction FL. It's a little cabin that we go to when we want to hunt wild boar. The Boston Kung Fu Tai Chi Institute.
16. Do you trust others easily? No. Especially if you're in the government. Yes. Let's go play in the park with fluffy bunnies!
17. What was your favorite toy as a child? Fisher Price record player. Fisher Price Popcorn Popper rolling thingy.
18. What class in school do you think is totally useless? Economics. English
19. Do you have a journal? No. I don't want a paper trail. Yes. You're looking at it.
20. Do you use sarcasm a lot? No. Never. Yes. Never.
21. Have you ever been in a mosh pit? No. I was raised in the town they based Footloose on. Yeah. I've taken a few Doc Martens to the head in my day.
22. What do you look for in a Wo/Man? Intelligence that they're not afraid to use. Fake boobs.
23. Who is your favorite singer? Thom Yorke. Thom McAm.
24. What are your nicknames? Lefty, Gomu, Astrid, Kaiser.
25. Would you bungee jump? Yes. Despite the fear. No. I'm elastaphobic.
26. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No. I only wear velcro shoes. Yes. That's the purpose of laces.
27. Do you think that you are strong? Yes. I work very hard at it. No. I get sand kicked in my face at the beach.
28. What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Earwax. Oatmeal Raisin.
29. Shoe Size? 9.5/8.0
30. What are your favorite colors? Blue. No, yellow.
31. What is your least favorite thing? Long questionnaires. Smoky rooms.
32. How many wisdom teeth do you have? 0. 11.
33. How many people have a crush on you right now? One. I'm a married man. 38. I took a poll.
34. Who do you miss most right now? My grandmother. Ronald Reagan.
35. Do you want everyone you send this to, to send it back? Yes. It's interesting to see all the different takes on the world. No. I don't want you to take up this much time doing this.
36. What color pants are you wearing? Brown shorts. Yellow and green clown pants.
37. What are you listening to right now? Limp Bizkit. The sound of Beacon St. and the air conditioners of my neighbors.
1. First Name? Guillermo. William
2. Were you named after anyone? No. Yes. (Red Sox pitcher Spaceman Bill Lee)
3. Which finger is your favorite? Left ring finger. Right pinky.
4. Are you answering these questions during work? No. Yes.
5. When did you last cry? Ronald Reagan's funeral. When I heard someone reading "The Giving Tree" to her kids.
6. Do you like your handwriting? Yes. (I dot my "i" with a heart.) No. (Everything looks like a seismograph.)
7. What is your favorite lunch meat? Corned beef. Liverwurst.
8. Any bad habits? I don't pick up after myself. Calling everybody "Chief".
9. What is your most embarrassing CD? Limp Bizkit. (It was a gift.) Will Howard's Greatest Hit. (One hit wonder from the 80's. You all remember that novelty dance hit "Dunkey Butt")
10. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? Yes. I am a lovely person. No. I smell like butt.
11. Are you a daredevil? Actually, I am Daredevil, the man with no fear. No. I like calculated risk.
12. Have you ever told a secret you swore not to tell? Yes. Sorry about that audit, Dave. No.
13. Do looks matter? Yes. Especially when you're on the receiving end. No, not with my vision.
14. How do you release anger? I record punk songs under the name "Jonas P. Birthday". I run. A lot.
15. Where is your second home? Yeehaw Junction FL. It's a little cabin that we go to when we want to hunt wild boar. The Boston Kung Fu Tai Chi Institute.
16. Do you trust others easily? No. Especially if you're in the government. Yes. Let's go play in the park with fluffy bunnies!
17. What was your favorite toy as a child? Fisher Price record player. Fisher Price Popcorn Popper rolling thingy.
18. What class in school do you think is totally useless? Economics. English
19. Do you have a journal? No. I don't want a paper trail. Yes. You're looking at it.
20. Do you use sarcasm a lot? No. Never. Yes. Never.
21. Have you ever been in a mosh pit? No. I was raised in the town they based Footloose on. Yeah. I've taken a few Doc Martens to the head in my day.
22. What do you look for in a Wo/Man? Intelligence that they're not afraid to use. Fake boobs.
23. Who is your favorite singer? Thom Yorke. Thom McAm.
24. What are your nicknames? Lefty, Gomu, Astrid, Kaiser.
25. Would you bungee jump? Yes. Despite the fear. No. I'm elastaphobic.
26. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No. I only wear velcro shoes. Yes. That's the purpose of laces.
27. Do you think that you are strong? Yes. I work very hard at it. No. I get sand kicked in my face at the beach.
28. What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Earwax. Oatmeal Raisin.
29. Shoe Size? 9.5/8.0
30. What are your favorite colors? Blue. No, yellow.
31. What is your least favorite thing? Long questionnaires. Smoky rooms.
32. How many wisdom teeth do you have? 0. 11.
33. How many people have a crush on you right now? One. I'm a married man. 38. I took a poll.
34. Who do you miss most right now? My grandmother. Ronald Reagan.
35. Do you want everyone you send this to, to send it back? Yes. It's interesting to see all the different takes on the world. No. I don't want you to take up this much time doing this.
36. What color pants are you wearing? Brown shorts. Yellow and green clown pants.
37. What are you listening to right now? Limp Bizkit. The sound of Beacon St. and the air conditioners of my neighbors.
Poetry 365: Cuba Libre
I'm late climbing the stairs,
not quite sure where I've been.
Two shots of whiskey
and a fuzzy aspirin.
Now, the world's green and grey
in a quickening spin.
not quite sure where I've been.
Two shots of whiskey
and a fuzzy aspirin.
Now, the world's green and grey
in a quickening spin.
Under God
The Supreme Court ruled recently on a case that attempted to strike the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance.
The words "under God" that were added during the 50's to differentiate us from those godless commie pinkos.
Let's look at the pledge, shall we?
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
[So far, so good. Sort of weird pledging allegiance to a symbol, but we can live with that.]
and to the republic for which it stands:
[OK, this line is out there for literalists like me, thank you.]
one nation
[This seems to play on the idea of unity. I'm starting to wonder if the pledge was written around the time of the Civil War, as a single nation was in question then]
under God,
[Take that you Ruskies! God's on our side, beyotch!]
indivisible,
[Again with the unity. Wait, did you think it was "individual"? I'm pretty sure it's indivisible. It makes better sense to me that way, anyhow.]
with liberty and justice for all.
[Just a bit of filler there. Sounds good, even if it's not particularly true. Everybody knows liberty and justice is for those who can afford it.]
In actuality, the pledge is mostly filler. If we diagram the sentence, the subject is "I". The verb is "pledge". The direct object is "allegiance". Indirect object is "the flag". All the rest is flowery crap describing the indirect object.
The phrase "under God" contradicts the "liberty" later on. After all, the Congress shall make no law establishing religion, now, should it?
The fascinating thing to me, is that the spirit of the run on sentence that is the pledge is that it is very clearly an optional statement. You can choose to pledge or not. No one is required to recite the pledge. What is the pledge exactly? It's not a requirement of citizenship. It's not an oath that we take. Can someone explain to me what the pledge is legally?
*Google turns up this great short history of the pledge. Turns out that the pledge has been modified a bit over the years, and was created by a Christian Socialist!
The words "under God" that were added during the 50's to differentiate us from those godless commie pinkos.
Let's look at the pledge, shall we?
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
[So far, so good. Sort of weird pledging allegiance to a symbol, but we can live with that.]
and to the republic for which it stands:
[OK, this line is out there for literalists like me, thank you.]
one nation
[This seems to play on the idea of unity. I'm starting to wonder if the pledge was written around the time of the Civil War, as a single nation was in question then]
under God,
[Take that you Ruskies! God's on our side, beyotch!]
indivisible,
[Again with the unity. Wait, did you think it was "individual"? I'm pretty sure it's indivisible. It makes better sense to me that way, anyhow.]
with liberty and justice for all.
[Just a bit of filler there. Sounds good, even if it's not particularly true. Everybody knows liberty and justice is for those who can afford it.]
In actuality, the pledge is mostly filler. If we diagram the sentence, the subject is "I". The verb is "pledge". The direct object is "allegiance". Indirect object is "the flag". All the rest is flowery crap describing the indirect object.
The phrase "under God" contradicts the "liberty" later on. After all, the Congress shall make no law establishing religion, now, should it?
The fascinating thing to me, is that the spirit of the run on sentence that is the pledge is that it is very clearly an optional statement. You can choose to pledge or not. No one is required to recite the pledge. What is the pledge exactly? It's not a requirement of citizenship. It's not an oath that we take. Can someone explain to me what the pledge is legally?
*Google turns up this great short history of the pledge. Turns out that the pledge has been modified a bit over the years, and was created by a Christian Socialist!
New Music: Midlake
One of my new aims is to turn people on to new music, movies and books. I've reached a point in my life where the new culture that is marketed toward me just isn't cutting it. You've probably experienced this too. So with that in mind, I present to you Midlake.
They're a wobbly circus version of a rock band. Psychedlic and fun. A bit like the Flaming Lips getting drunk and making out with Thom Yorke.
It's a bit difficult to find their new CD: Bamnan and Slivercork. I bought the only copy in the Virgin Megastore in Boston. But you can order from their website and for those of you who go to Sam's Club to eat all the samples, there's MP3 files to download. (You know who you are. You crave mini-cannoli and those little spinach quiches that come 144 in a box.) I strongly suggest "Balloon Maker."
Is there new music that you're finding and want to share with the world? Leave a comment.
They're a wobbly circus version of a rock band. Psychedlic and fun. A bit like the Flaming Lips getting drunk and making out with Thom Yorke.
It's a bit difficult to find their new CD: Bamnan and Slivercork. I bought the only copy in the Virgin Megastore in Boston. But you can order from their website and for those of you who go to Sam's Club to eat all the samples, there's MP3 files to download. (You know who you are. You crave mini-cannoli and those little spinach quiches that come 144 in a box.) I strongly suggest "Balloon Maker."
Is there new music that you're finding and want to share with the world? Leave a comment.
Moving Day
After seeing what's going on with weblogs.com, I've decided to move all my new stuff over to a server under my control. I'm also resolving to write a lot more here. Seriously.
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