time to pinch myself

so, i sat down last night to watch the Dayton Flyers. typical first half. up and down play, allowing the opposing team to go on a 10-0 run, too many turnovers, etc, etc. amazingly, in the second half, the team i thought they were going to be all season showed up. made 9 of their first 10 shots, played great defense, forcing the other team into turnovers. made their free throws, won the rebound battle and literally drove the other team fucking nuts. and mind you, this was on the road. their first road win in the conference this season. and honestly, winning by 21 only gets better when you get to see a posterizing dunk like this one

that dunk was top play #6 on Sportscenter last night on ESPN. hopefully this is the start of a winning streak that just might save their season. next game is at home on Saturday. another must win.

i wrote 3 poems last night and typed them up earlier today. i think one of them may be the best thing i've written in some time. i suppose time will tell on that one. they will probably be sent out sometime in the next few weeks. as March Madness approaches, i have roughly 10 basketball games i will be seeing in person in a 6 day stretch. after that chaos, i should have plenty of time to get back to the poems.

the snow has melted and it's just another dreary day out here on the farm. although it's amazing what an unexpected victory beer and a good poem does for my disposition. i completely understand why i'm a loner. i have no doubt it actually makes the world a better place.

an oh by the way news flash, my poem "many more miles down this road" appears on page 19 in Potters Wheel Anthology Vol. 1.

hopefully my good mood continues tonight as the New York Rangers play another home game. they are getting some injured players back i believe, so maybe it will. i had another injury on my fantasy hockey team, unexpected of course, but shockingly, i am ok with the player i got to replace him with.

i just know this positive vibe can't last forever. just hoping to stay on the wave as long as i can.

music:

John Coltrane - The Very Best Of John Coltrane
Beth Orton - Sugaring Season

"I am a hopeless romantic. And I won't stop till I get it right." - Halle Berry

many more miles down this road

my poem "many more miles down this road" has been published today in Potters Wheel Anthology Vol. 1. you can find out more info on this free e-book by going here:
http://jeremy-benson.com/issues/PWissue2.html

or download it directly by going directly here:
http://www.jeremy-benson.com/downloads/PWAnthologyVol1.zip

feel free to pass this on. thanks.

and then the rain changed to snow

i didn't post anything yesterday as i needed a mental day off. seeing that it was the anniversary of my stepfather's death, yesterday was appropriate. so, back to our regularly scheduled programming...

quick flashback to Monday Night Raw... the match between CM Punk and John Cena was a classic. it should be a match people are talking about for years. i simply think the wrong guy won. hopefully, they have something big in mind for CM Punk at Wrestlemania, but i fear they don't. hopefully, i'm wrong. i urge you if you haven't seen the match, go on YouTube and find it. it's worth it.

as for the New York Rangers last night, the effort was better but i'm a little too old now to believe in moral victories. they don't exist. hopefully the injured players come back soon or this could be a lost season of what could have been. and judging from experience, those seasons fucking suck.

and speaking of suck, the Dayton Flyers play tonight. i guess out of watching them for nearly 37 years, i will do so again tonight. hell, maybe they will shock me and win. thankfully, i wasn't drinking as i was typing that or my screen would be wet as hell right now.

i'd like to thank the person who emailed me yesterday and we have had an actual genuine exchange of emails in the last 2 days. i really do appreciate it. more than you even know.

i haven't seen the sun in the last 2 days. the rain has changed to a wet snow now. no accumulation so far. and not nearly as much rain as they expected, so i don't know if the drainage problems on the farm are solved yet or not. it does look about 10000000000000000000% better though.

here's hoping i will have something positive to talk about tomorrow. i do have a sad poem bouncing around in my mind. so, i do believe a little writing will get done sometime soon.

lastly, i did watch the Real Madrid destruction of Barcelona yesterday. shit, i really hope that is not the Madrid team Manchester United ends up facing in Champions League play.

music:

Charlie Parker - Jazz 'Round Midnight
Kristy Lee - In This Room
Escondido - Escondido EP
The Lighthouse & The Whaler - Pioneers EP
Saints Apollo - Saints Apollo EP
Nina Simone - Anthology
Eminem - Recovery

"I'm not satisfied with the explanations I get from tv or from school." - Erykah Badu

one forgettable Sunday

so i woke up Sunday still pissed off from the New York Rangers loss and more injuries from the night before. let alone even more injuries to my fantasy hockey team which i have no doubt help give me a 6-4 loss for the week. i started to watch the Chelsea vs. Manchester City match hoping for the best. but, as soon as Chelsea didn't score on a penalty kick, i didn't bother to pay much attention to the game. i know how this shit turns out with the gods of sports. so, i started to pick up the trash and get ready to go feed the animals. City won 2-0 by the way. i still feel confident that Manchester United will win the title this year, but after last year's debacle, i'm not ready to pound on my chest just yet.

so, started to watch the Daytona 500 but the first crash of the race took out 3 of my 5 drivers. amazingly, my other 2 drivers finished first and second. what could have been.

turned on the New York Yankees spring training game just in time to watch Curtis Granderson break his right forearm getting hit by a pitch. he's out for the next 10 weeks. i did watch bits and pieces of the rest of the game. more shit from last year it looked like. no damn ability to get a hit when it mattered. boy, i really can't wait for another 162 games of that shit again. of course, if they somehow win the division again, that will help temper the misery.

i might have only watched 10 minutes or so of the Academy Awards last night. i laughed a few times but mostly, just couldn't give a shit.

the Sunday night shows i normally watch did salvage the day for me. all of them, Girls, Shameless, House of Lies, and Californication were excellent last night. that put me in a little better mood before i went to sleep. a little.

but, today the sun is out and it's a tad bit warmer. of course, judging from the radar, we have a monsoon coming later tonight and tomorrow. that should get interesting. the guy who farms out here finally got all the brush and trees out from the creek in front. i couldn't believe how much was in there. i guess we'll see quickly if it helps with the drainage or not.

looking forward to Monday Night Raw tonight. the Undertaker returned this past weekend at a house show, so maybe he makes a return tonight. plus, i'm sure some screwy ending to the Cena vs. Punk match is coming to set up a triple threat match at Wrestlemania. when you've been watching pro wrestling for 35 of your 37 years on this planet, you can damn near write the shit yourself. i'd really just like 3 hours of being entertained and not having to think. that should do me some good.

in other news, found some small deer antlers behind one of the barns today. not sure what i'm going to do with them. i imagine i'll think of something. also, a new cat showed up at the farm in the last 2 days. it's pretty big so i'm imagining that either it's a runaway or someone dumped it out here as it got too big to care for. it seems pretty friendly, so i'm guessing it was a pet. i gave it a little food but didn't check to see if it still had claws or not. if it doesn't, it won't last long out here.

mom ordered her hearing aid today. i had no idea they could be so expensive. at the price she got it at, i'm not sure it's worth it given what sounds she's been missing out on. of course, i'm one cynical fucker...

music today:

Buddy Guy - Slippin' In
Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa - Don't Explain

"A true champion can adapt to anything." - Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

only the fools believe in love

my poem "only the fools believe in love" was published today in the Feb. 2013 edition of My Favorite Bullet. you can find the poem by going here: http://www.interiornoisepress.com/00-00_0213_Campbell-OnlyTheFoolsBelieveInLove.html

others with work in this issue include: James Babbs, G. Tod Slone, Doug Draime, Jonathan Hayes, Alan Catlin, Nathan Graziano, Mather Schneider, Justin Hyde, James D. Quinton and many more. you can find the issue by going here: http://www.interiornoisepress.com/00-00_2013_1_Main.html

my start to the weekend

so after getting to bed later than i wanted to i was so fucking thrilled to wake up to 40! comments on this blog that i needed to remove. a few quick pointers. 1) if you are going to use a fake name, your comment will not be published. 2) if that fake name isn't that far off from the other fake name you tried to comment on this blog, not only is it sad and pathetic, but totally pissing me off. 3) and this is really only for the person involved in this, what part of you telling me you would never contact me again did you not comprehend? 4) i'm stubborn enough to keep up these bullshit games longer than even you would care for. 5) get the fuck over it already.

with that said, Manchester United quickly changed my mood this morning. a 2-0 win over QPR. Rafael with maybe the goal of the year or possibly his life and Ryan Giggs with a beauty in the second half. 15 points clear going into the massive game tomorrow of Manchester City vs. Chelsea. i'll be up to watch that one and hopefully see 2 teams struggle with the reality that all there is for them now is second place.

and of course, the good feelings only lasted so long. i listened to the Dayton Flyers run out of gas against UMass and lose by 10. a game they probably could have won if they would have remembered to rebound the ball. oh well, this season is more or less lost by now. i figure if i drop any expectations of them maybe they'll actually do something good. or maybe not.

not exactly looking forward to the New York Rangers game tonight. first, no Rick Nash (again). second, the injuries and the flu are catching up with them. lastly, Montreal is a house of fucking horrors for them. i will be interested to see if Christian Thomas makes his debut tonight. the kid has an unbelievable shot. might be the only bright spot if this game goes like the last few up there have gone.

hopefully i will be wrong.

tomorrow will be doing whatever i can to forget the Academy Awards are on. i didn't see one movie that is nominated. truly a matter of i couldn't care less who wins. i think i'll be a little more interested in what is going on with my fantasy hockey team. let alone the Daytona 500 and all that bullshit. and yes, i have a fantasy NASCAR team as well.

i heard from my publisher yesterday. Sofisticated White Trash should be hitting the streets in March. you have been warned.

music today:

Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

"A classic is a book that doesn't have to be written again." - W.E.B. Du Bois

response from The Camel Saloon

i heard back from Russell at The Camel Saloon on my poetry submission from the other day. my poems "hope slowly bleeds" and "sunday fortune cookie" have been accepted for publication.

my 2 poems at Dead Snakes

my poems "temptation slowly taking the stage" and "pure evil" were published this morning at Dead Snakes. you can find the poems here: http://deadsnakes.blogspot.com/2013/02/jj-campbell-two-poems_22.html

up before dawn for some reason or another

was a rare morning i was up before the sun was. for what reason, i'm still not completely sure about. but, it did give me plenty of time to get some poems out, feed the cats, get the mail and paper and eat breakfast all before noon.

i sent out 11 poems today. 5 to Nerve Cowboy and 3 each to The Camel Saloon and Dead Snakes. when i hear back from these places i'll be sure to post the responses here on the blog.

the guy who farms out here has been here all morning cutting down trees and digging new ditches in hopes of curing our drainage problem out here. what i'm really hoping to do one day is plant 10 trees in one of the pastures and create another wooded area for the animals. that number of trees would equal the number that have been cut down since i moved out here in 1997. of course, finding the money to do all this is another story. but, hopefully one day.

sounds like we have a big fucking storm coming this way. judging from the radar, looks like we may have more ice than anything. that always makes it tricky out here with the power lines and the number of trees we have close to the house. last thing i want is a huge branch coming through the roof. so, i really hope some snow cuts into the ice and hold the total down some.and in continuing with crazy weather, by tomorrow afternoon it will be in the upper 40's. makes no damn sense anymore.

i think the rest of my day will be devoted to porn, napping, catching up on some reading, and maybe some sports as well. i know the New York Rangers play tonight but i don't have any good feelings about it. plus, yet another injury to my fantasy hockey team last night. thinking about it, i imagine the rest of my day will be spent reading hockey insiders and trying to figure out what moves i need to make. fun.

hope this finds everyone well. and i hope the weather isn't shitty in your neck of the woods.

music today:

The Steel Wheels - Live @ Ignition Garage
Bruno Mars - Unorthodox Jukebox
The Commodores - The Ultimate Collection

"I will not take "but" for an answer." - Langston Hughes

a bank, a dead cat, some poems, and something funny in Europe

hopefully the title of this post caught your attention. so, on with the show.

went out to feed the cats and was coming up 1 short. i figured since it was fucking freezing out, it was just hiding. so, while out feeding the birds i come across the cat i was missing, face down and frozen solid in the snow. no visible signs of what killed it, so i'm thinking something internal. now you can understand why i don't name these cats until they survive a winter out here.

made a nice little deposit at the bank today and got some poems in order to send out tomorrow. i think we've got some weather coming in on Friday, so i might as well get it all done by tomorrow. at least that's what i think, i'm in one of my avoid the local news as much as i can.

i had a pleasant shock watching AC Milan defeat Barcelona 2-0 in Champions League play today. that was about as bad as i've seen Barcelona play in probably ever. should make for an interesting second leg in Spain in 3 weeks.

i was really disappointed with how the New York Rangers played last night. that had to have been one of the most boring hockey games i have ever witnessed in my life. and i've been watching this sport since my birth. doesn't help that Rick Nash is out with some mystery injury (i'm hearing either concussion or groin) and it certainly doesn't help my fantasy team either. always fun when you get hit with 2 injuries out of the blue in a battle for first in the division. oh well, just another thing for me to bitch about.

for the in case you missed it file:

i stumbled across this the other day. check it out if you'd like to read some of my work from a few years ago. http://foxchasereview.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/from-the-archives/

any old school pro wrestling fans should go check out the Sam Roberts Show Online for episode #44. an interview with Superfly Jimmy Snuka. you can find the episode at iTunes, Stitcher, and at notsam.com. click on podcast and help Sam out if you can.

music today:

Living Colour - Super Hits
Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York

"I don't care what people think. People are stupid." - Charles Barkley

and now i can breathe again...

some good news to report. when my mother called me this morning after her visit to the doctor and started off with humor, i found it a little weird. was she using it to deflect from bad news or just using it to break the ice? turns out the results from her brain MRI was that they found a brain. not a tumor like both of us had feared. both her and her doctor believe that her headaches and hearing loss in her left ear could very well be due to her father beating her on that side of her head when she was a child. so, my mom will be getting a hearing aid in the next few weeks. my sister wants to bedazzle it. and people think i'm just being silly when i say we put the "fun" in dysfunctional.

always nice when the temps drop nearly 30 degrees in less than 24 hours. blowing snow all day long it seems. no real accumulation, but enough to give the back a few pains.

got a check in the mail i have been waiting for finally, so tomorrow i battle the elements and hit the bank. it doesn't look like it will be too bad out.

other than that, just watching some Champions League soccer and doing the usual farm shit i have to do every few weeks. the beauty of having well water.

big game tonight for the New York Rangers. should be interesting to see how it goes as Brandon Prust makes his return to MSG. a personal favorite of mine, i really hope his emotions get the best of him and he isn't the pest i know he can be.

found some great music today over at NoiseTrade.com. check out the music section for more info.

i did like the fact they introduced a new heavyweight championship belt last night on Monday Night Raw. and i really hope CM Punk wins next week so i won't have to sit through John Cena vs. The Rock again at Wrestlemania. i thought the show was a little better than i expected last night. any show that ends with Cena knocked out at the end will get a thumbs up from me.

since the Dan Patrick Show is going to be reruns for the rest of the week, i believe i might actually get some work done in the mornings coming up. i know tomorrow i really want to tackle the poems that have recently become available again and find the right homes for those. especially since a few of them i haven't even looked at in over a year.

hope everyone is well. peace and chicken grease.

music today:

The Steel Wheels - Live @ Ignition Garage
TV On The Radio - Nine Types Of Light

"My way of joking is to tell the truth. That's the funniest joke in the world." - Muhammad Ali

a recap of the weekend

first off, the huge game the Dayton Flyers had on Saturday against Xavier. former Flyer and NBA rookie Chris Johnson made a surprise appearance before the game and got the crowd going. the students were in ape shit mode and loud from 30 minutes before the game started. and thankfully, the players decided they wanted to play like they actually had some balls. they only trailed once in the game and won it pretty easy by 11. always nice to start off the weekend that way.

next, off to meet my sister at the favorite sports bar. we had the same waitress we had the week before, someone i find incredibly attractive. (i've already written one poem about her) so, it figures i would be with my mother and sister. a good time, especially listening to my sister whine about having to pay taxes. god forbid someone with a six figure salary has to pay a little back.

didn't watch much of the NBA All-Star Saturday night as most of that shit doesn't interest me anymore. i watched the Beyonce documentary instead and my sister was shocked that i never changed the channel. i told her i was tempted when Beyonce was talking about her miscarriage but decided against it. i'd like to think i've matured a little in 37 years.

Sunday was hockey day in America. so, after getting the cats fed and the trash picked up, it was time for a nice triple-header of hockey. the night ended with the third game being the New York Rangers vs. Washington. a nice rematch from last year's playoffs. and holy shit, when a power play goal leads to a 2-1 win for the Rangers, i'm beyond ecstatic. that was a nice victory beer.

i didn't watch much of the NBA All-Star game at all. i decided i was much more interested in my Sunday night shows. and judging from the highlights i watched this morning, i think i made the right call.

today was about Manchester United in FA Cup action. a nice 2-1 win over Reading. the good Nani showed up today as did Chicharito. now there's about a 99.9% chance their next game in the FA Cup will be against Chelsea (hopefully not). but, that game will be at home and i like their chances against just about any team in the world at home.

on the poetry front, i finally heard back from killpoet.com on my poetry submission from April 2012. they have decided to pass.

i've got a shitload of poems to go through and maybe i will find some poems to send out either this week or next.

on the fantasy hockey front, i squeaked out a narrow victory last week but am now 3 games out of first in the division. i play the first place team this week. so, this morning i picked up one of my old favorites, Mike Richards. hopefully his little hot streak from Sunday will keep going for me this week. i'm going to need it.

on the fantasy Nascar front, somewhere i do believe Danica Patrick winning the pole for the Daytona 500 is surely one of the signs of the apocalypse.

crazy weather ahead this week, so i imagine plenty of back pain as well. plus, mom gets the results from her tests tomorrow. needless to say, i'm not expecting to sleep well tonight.

and it won't have anything to due with an underwhelming Monday Night Raw i'm expecting tonight.

hope this finds everyone well. hopefully, i will have some good news to report sometime this week. hopefully.

music today:

Charles Bradley - No Time For Dreaming
Bettye LaVette - The Scene of the Crime

"If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." - Toni Morrison

a downtown revival

my poem "a downtown revival" was published today at Carcinogenic Poetry. you can find the poem by going here: http://www.carcinogenicpoetry.com/2013/02/jj-campbell-one-poem.html

response from Gutter Eloquence Magazine

i heard back from Jack T. Marlowe, editor of Gutter Eloquence Magazine, on my poetry submission from earlier in the month. my poem "even the imaginary friends have moved on" has been accepted for publication in issue #26. the issue should appear online between April 1st and 5th.

picture day

the sun was out and i was bored, so i got out the camera and went outside. below are the results.

hope you enjoyed. other than the wind, it was pretty nice outside. hopefully i will take some more shots in the coming months.

music today:

Rage Against The Machine - Renegades

"As you grow older, you learn to understand life a little better." - Solomon Burke

oh so close yet so damn far away

let me start with last night. i was feeling pretty damn good about myself until i watched the New York Rangers blow a 3 goal lead. now, they did come back to win the game 4-3 in a shootout. but, no lead like that should be given up with just 11 minutes to go in the game. but, i decided to try to focus on the positive. the win. the 2 points. beating Boston 2 out of 3 games.

now, for today. i did my best to keep my expectations and my emotions level while waiting for the Manchester United game against Real Madrid. of course, once the game started i was my usual loud, obnoxious self. a great goal from Danny Welbeck 20 minutes in and i'm feeling great. then, of course, CR7 ties it 10 minutes later. Real Madrid controlled most of the rest of the game. Manchester United's goalkeeper played the best game i have ever seen him play for the team. RVP had a few chances late to steal the game, but, all in all, a draw is not that bad actually. away goals are huge in these events. so, now just win the home leg in March and the team advances. as for Gus Johnson, not a bad job announcing for that big of a stage. a few mistakes but nothing awful. i was worried the Gus effect was going to take place in the game. thankfully it didn't happen. if you want some fun go here:
http://www.gusjohnsongetsbuckets.com/ and play around. or, if you happen to be at work, piss off a co-worker with it. as for the referee, who the fuck blows the final whistle when a team is getting ready to take a corner kick? there's 20 minutes of screaming i'll never get back. leave it to the Germans to try and ruin everything.

that brings me to the Dayton Flyers. for some fucking reason, they can't beat Rhode Island. a team that has fucking sucked for as long as i can remember and Dayton plays them like they are a UCLA team under John Wooden. so, as usual given the scenario i just laid out, Dayton loses on the road by 3 to a team that now has 7 wins on the season. thank god i didn't have a chance to watch this debacle. the biggest game of the season comes up this weekend (noon Saturday on ESPN2) and i am absolutely not looking forward to it. not sure if i can stomach watching those assholes from down south celebrate on our floor once again.

found out today (or yesterday as it now past midnight here) that my sister won't be here until the weekend. not sure what to expect but hopefully it will be a nice diversion in case Dayton loses again.

also, heard back from Five 2 One Magazine on my poetry submission from back in November. they have decided to pass.

hope everyone has a good valentine's day or at the very least, a better than you expected one. i'm not a big fan of the hallmark holidays, of course, i'm single. i imagine if i wasn't i'd be singing a different tune.

music today:

a random mix of bullshit from my Amazon.com cloud player

go check out the Sam Roberts Show Online #43 if you need a good laugh. look for it at iTunes, Stitcher, and at notsam.com.

"The only thing that comes to a sleeping man is dreams." - Tupac Shakur

insert your title here please

just typed up the 4 new poems i wrote over the last few days. i think i might have a couple of winners here. not sure where i will send them as i'm waiting to hear back on a few submissions still.

i noticed gas prices shot up today. the day i needed to get gas of course. oh well, luckily i only fill up maybe once a month or so. helps when you have a truck that you are so unsure of that you really don't drive any farther than into town.

i watched a little of Champions League play today. just to get the juices flowing for Manchester United tomorrow.

good test for the New York Rangers tonight up in Boston. get this win and i'll start to think they really have found their groove. and hopefully the game goes a little longer than normal so i miss most of the political theater tonight.

not sure when or if i'll be blogging tomorrow. between Manchester United and the Dayton Flyers later in the day and i believe my sister is coming down, not exactly sure when i'll find the time. but, if something comes up i just need to share, i imagine i'll find a way.

hope this finds everyone well.

be sure to check out my latest poems published at The Camel Saloon
perfectly imperfect
the once dearly departed

music today:

Fine Young Cannibals - The Raw & The Cooked
LL Cool J - Bigger And Deffer

"Where there is no vision, there is no hope." - George Washington Carver

perfectly imperfect

my poem "perfectly imperfect" was published this morning at The Camel Saloon. you can find the poem by going here: http://thecamelsaloon.blogspot.com/2013/02/perfectly-imperfect.html

and here comes the wind

but first, about my Sunday. a pretty damn good one considering how my life has been for the last 2 weeks or so. first off, a nice and tidy 2-0 win by Manchester United. Ryan Giggs and Robin van Persie with the goals. they have a huge match in a few days against Real Madrid in Champions League play. i'm really looking forward to this one. if they can win in Spain it might have me thinking about... fuck, i'm not going to say it and jinx anything.

next up, a nice 5-1 win for the New York Rangers. i think they have found the right combinations this year finally. hopefully i am correct. not much time to make up for the early season stumbles.

i'm now 1/2 game out of first place in fantasy hockey. not sure how i have done it with the number of changes i have already had to make. of course, i will take luck as long as it is working for me.

i enjoyed the Grammys last night for the most part. i actually knew most of the people in it this year. not sure if that's my musical tastes are changing or i'm simply just more aware.

as for the Sunday night shows i normally watch, Shameless takes the prize for last night. i totally didn't see the little girl with a penis coming at all. as for House of Lies, why does part of me think that's more like how Matt Damon really is like in real life? Girls was a bit odd and Californication always makes me laugh.

as for today, the wind has been wicked today. most of the buildings here on the farm were built in the 1800's. so, i'm just waiting for the one big gust to blow something down. i've been out here since 1997 and so far, only pieces of a roof have been victim to the wind.

i did manage to write 3 more poems today and get the trash cans before they blew down the road. add on getting the dishes done and i'd like to think i've been somewhat productive today. i'll probably type up the poems tomorrow, unless wrestling bores me to death tonight.

i truly enjoy when people try to comment on this blog with fake names and whatnot. it truly amuses me. like i'm going to become frustrated or something. please.

music today:

Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
B.B. King - Blues Summit

"Be careful what you set your heart upon - for it will surely be yours." - James A. Baldwin

the once dearly departed

my poem "the once dearly departed" was published this morning at The Camel Saloon. you can find it by going here: http://thecamelsaloon.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-once-dearly-departed.html

like a punch to the gut

been back home for a few hours now. thought i would compose my thoughts before i would blog about the game i went to today and rant like a motherfucker.

shitty officiating, but that was for both teams. Dayton missed way too many fucking free throws for as many as they took. neither team quite frankly deserved to win the game. but, when you are up by 10 with 5 minutes to go you should never, ever, ever fucking lose at home by 1. especially when the officials give you every chance to win the game and your 5th year senior can't make at least 1 of the 2 biggest free throws of his life. these are the games i hate as i will spend the next few hours thinking and replaying the damn thing in my mind.

after the game, went to my favorite sports bar and had a few drinks and some bad for you food to just unwind. a bit at least. i did get some enjoyment when i saw that Manchester City lost today. now, if Manchester United can win tomorrow the lead will be 12 points and i will absolutely think everyone else in the Premier League is playing for second place.

mother nature is putting a huge wrinkle in my fantasy sports. thankfully i don't have too many guys on the teams that have had their games postponed. hopefully the New York Rangers game will go on tomorrow night as planned. the team they are playing, Tampa Bay, is coming from Boston. i bet that will be a fun trip.

a busy Sunday as i will somehow squeeze in Manchester United, the New York Rangers, The Grammys, Girls, Shameless, House of Lies and Californication while trying to get some sleep as well.

as for tonight, i might as well just write as i don't have much interest in watching that ass clown host Saturday Night Live. might have to flip between Austin City Limits and ROH until i just give up and fall asleep.

so much for a day at 12:45 PM i thought was going to be nice, sunny, fuck, even serene. welcome back to reality asshole.

music today:

Howlin' Wolf - The Definitive Collection
Various Artists - Millennium Funk Party

"Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise." - Alice Walker

sunshine on a cloudy day

didn't sleep well at all last night. between my anger and the cold front moving through (that does wonders for my back) i doubt i slept more than a few hours.

after breakfast this morning i did get some good news. my mother got through her procedure this morning with no complications. that relieved my mind a bit. i never know how this shit is going to mess with her diabetes. she gets the results in 2 weeks. i'm going to do my best to stay positive during that time. i believe eliminating the crazy out of my life is a good start. of course, if anyone has any positive words to send my way, feel free. lord knows i could use them.

did listen to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds new album "Push The Sky Away" this morning. you can find it here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2013/feb/08/nick-cave-push-sky-away-stream
i really enjoyed it.

also, started reading "More Than The Alley" by Doug Draime. so far so good. i've always enjoyed Doug's work. you can find more info on the book here:
http://www.interiornoisepress.com/INP_HP_Draime.html
just judging from the first 50 pages alone, i'd recommend this book.

i did manage to write a quick poem today. i've got a feeling i'm going to be writing some pretty dark shit for the next few weeks. hopefully i'll write some more later on this weekend.

other than that, not much going on today. better than watching it snow i guess.

music today:

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away
Imagine Dragons - Night Visions
Buddy Guy - Living Proof
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - Scandalous

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress." - Frederick Douglass

well, the night was good for a little bit

a great win by the New York Rangers tonight.always good when you can see the kids do well and can start having your mind race to what they might be in a few years. hats off to J.T. Miller on his first 2 NHL goals. not bad for a 19 year old in his first game at MSG. hopefully they keep this kid up for the rest of the season.

and then i sign on to see the shit Debbie Kirk had left on this blog. all of her comments have been removed and the commenting policy has been changed. anyone can still comment, but they will be approved before they are published. there's a 99% chance your comment will be published, but i'm not going to let that sick cunt ruin this blog. i almost forgot what evil looked like...

now, back to storm coverage.

the sun is out and i'm stuck indoors

another day of editing and doing some laundry. you wouldn't think that would involve much stress. you'd be wrong. i might have some more news on that later. maybe not.

i did go to the Dayton Flyers game last night. amazing what a few hard practices, a huge slice of humble pie and a change in the starting lineup will do for a team. a nice 6 point come from behind win last night that i totally didn't expect. even though Las Vegas had them as 4 1/2 point favorites. felt bad for my mom sitting there with all the noise. she's having some problems with her hearing here recently. praying that it's not the worse case scenario, but none of us will know until later this month. the next game is this Saturday at 11 AM against Temple. not exactly thrilled to be going to a game that early, but, that's the joy of ESPNU.

i only got to watch the first half of the USA vs. Honduras World Cup Qualifier yesterday. i'm pretty disappointed they lost and now have put themselves in a pretty bad spot. a must win game before they travel to Mexico. they better be going there with 3 points in the bank or any chance of getting in the World Cup would be in serious jeopardy.

quick update on the editing job. it appears i have been fired. good to know the rest of my month is now free. i do wish you the best with the book Debbie. it will be good no matter which unlucky soul gets to edit it.

unseasonably warm here today. up around 50 or so. that would be nice if i didn't have about 3 inches of mud to trudge through to feed the cats. speaking of weather, best of luck to all my friends in the northeast. hopefully the storm won't be as bad as they are thinking it will be.

quick poetry update: my poem "the lost art", which was supposed to be included in Zygote #140 will be appearing in issue #141 due to some technical difficulties. i'll post a link when that gets published in March or somewhere around there.

i'm planning on watching the New York Rangers play tonight, around the usual Thursday night programming. hopefully i won't be bored with the hockey team as much as i was the other day. of course, until they fix their special teams, it will simply be a repeat of the same old shit from the end of last year. score first and hang on for dear life.

hope this finds everyone well. a special thanks to Primetime Sam Roberts for the multiple mentions of me and this blog in his podcast #42. you can find out more about the podcast and his other radio shows by going to http://www.notsam.com/.

music today:

Ben Harper - By My Side
Otis Redding - Otis Blue
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Bruno Mars - Unorthodox Jukebox
Steve Earle - Copperhead Road
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - Live from Alabama

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou

my poems in Zygote in my Coffee #140

my poems "the fountain of heartbreak", "pariahs", and "decisions" appear in issue #140 of Zygote in my Coffee. you can find the poems by clicking on each below. others with work in the issue include A.J. Huffman, Carl Miller Daniels, Chris Butler, Brian Rosenberger and many more.

the fountain of heartbreak
pariahs
decisions

trying to stay out of my own mind

did a bit of editing this morning and tried to take advantage of the weather getting a bit warmer. i cleared off most of the sidewalks and got most of the ice to melt. hopefully there will be no refreeze by tomorrow morning.

but, most of the day i've been trying to stay out of my own mind. got a few really fucking deep things going on up there (family medical shit) and having never been blessed with a positive mental attitude, it's for the best that i just try to keep out.

but when the music and porn and sports and books don't do the trick, where do i turn? i wish i had some brilliant answer to share here, but i don't.

the New York Rangers play the Devils for the first time since that moment of pure hell known as last year's playoffs. hopefully i will have something to cheer about tonight.

music today:

Gary Clark Jr. - Blak and Blu
TLC - CrazySexyCool
Dave Matthews Band - Crash
William S. Burroughs - Spare Ass Annie

"A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life." - Muhammad Ali

how i spent Super Bowl weekend

when i had back spasms last night as i was doing the dishes, i was really hoping the next weather system was going to get through here real soon. as i type, it is snowing sideways outside. damn good thing i got the cats fed before all this shit started.

big sports weekend, of course. the 49ers really let me down. thankfully, i didn't have any money on the game. i did like that the game got really good after the power outage. best thing of that was not having to hear those assholes Jim Nantz and Phil Simms. there are days when i would prefer to be deaf. any Super Bowl on CBS since the Summerall and Madden days have just stunk from a broadcast sense. "hello friends, please don't allow my smug ass holy shit huge ego get in the way of me and my partner doing our best to ruin this game for you." not that i have an opinion or anything. as for the commercials, i did like a few of them. i would say the farmer one was probably my favorite. although, 'i'd fold your panties any day' would be a close second. of course, that's the perv inside of me talking.

got a nice, unexpected win from the New York Rangers Saturday night. amazing what can happen when you play with discipline and constantly engage the opponent. didn't see the trade of Mike Rupp coming but at first blush, i do like it. get 2 younger players at the same price. win.

i am really hoping that the Dayton Flyers have found rock bottom. a total, embarrassing ass whipping at St. Louis on Saturday afternoon. holy shit, it was hard to watch. when the best part is a walk-on hitting a 3, you can just imagine my frustration. sadly, i have no clue if this is bottom or not. next game is on Wednesday. i guess i'm going, not really sure yet. and just ask anyone that knows me, if i'm at that stage during a season, all damn hope is lost.

thankfully, earlier Saturday Wayne Rooney gave Manchester United a very exciting 1-0 win. if the goalies would have been off their games, the game easily could have been 5-4. the lead is now 9 points in the Premier League. i won't be counting my eggs just yet after last year, but i feel pretty damn good about the chances of the title this year.

got a weird, but really cool email on Sunday night from Eric Kennedy, editor of Hidden Animals. he was writing all the writers who were to have work appear in Electric Poet. i remember having work accepted by that zine a long while back but never saw anything. apparently, Eric was one of those writers as well and wants to have a special section at his new zine dedicated to that work. so, i found those poems, eventually, and sent them to him. would be nice to see those poems find a nice home. i will be sure to post any news on that front here on the blog. you can find more about Hidden Animals at
http://www.hiddenanimalslit.com/.

been catching bits and pieces of Trainspotting on Showtime the last few days. one of those movies that i have to stop and watch nearly every time i see it on. of course, it brings back my behind closed doors addiction to 90's electronic music. so, you can imagine what is going on in my head for the last few days.

just a quick reminder, my first full length collection of poetry, "Sofisticated White Trash" is getting really close to being finished. when it hits the streets, be prepared for me whoring it around like a pusher. and if i seem more annoying than usual, my apologies in advance.

music today:

Son House - The Original Delta Blues
Massive Attack - Mezzanine

"I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear." - Rosa Parks

starting the month off right

i was hoping to start February much better than my January ended with the New York Rangers playing like absolute shit last night and the very public ending of one of the best friendships of my life.

with that being said, i woke up freezing this morning as i must have tossed and turned all night long and the covers were nowhere near me. and seeing that the wind chill was somewhere around -10 (hard to believe it was damn near 60 a few days ago), i knew this was going to be one of those days.

didn't see many cats when i fed them this morning. hopefully they were either hiding or had started hunting, as the sun was out, and weren't waiting on my fat ass to get out there to feed them. put out a good amount of bird food as well seeing that we're supposed to get another 2 or 3 inches of snow tomorrow.

i totally enjoyed Super Bowl week on The Dan Patrick Show. in my mind, it is absolutely the best sports show on tv or radio. nothing else is close. as for the Super Bowl itself, i really couldn't give a shit who wins. if i have to root for someone, i'll pick the 49ers only because i wouldn't mind seeing Ray Lewis' last game be a loss.

sent out some poems today to Jeremy Benson and Gutter Eloquence Magazine. the poem i sent to Jeremy has already been accepted for publication. hard to imagine how far all this shit has come when i think back to when i first started sending poems out in the 90's. from stamps and waiting for weeks to hitting send and a few hours later. now i really sound like some old fucker thinking about the good ole days. not that they were really that good to begin with.

back to sports for a second. saw the Yankees signed Travis Hafner today. if he is healthy, i really don't mind this signing. he should be able to provide some power the team has lost due to injury or free agents leaving. of course, it will take a minor miracle for him to stay healthy for the entire season.

not exactly sure what i'm going to be doing tonight. maybe some hockey on tv. maybe something else, not really sure. i do know after i get done with this i have some toilets to clean and a bathroom floor to swiffer. that should be fun with my bad back.

music today:

John Lee Hooker - The Best of Friends
Alicia Keys - The Diary of Alicia Keys
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Live from Alabama

"An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose." - Langston Hughes

response from Jeremy Benson

my poem "many more miles down this road" has been accepted by Jeremy Benson for the free poetry e-book collection he's putting together. when the book gets published i'll be sure to post a link here on the blog.