the calm before the storm

i have spent most of the day looking at weather reports. how this next monster storm is tracking has me a little worried. most every model i've seen has my area getting hours of freezing rain/sleet. that hopefully will be wrong or there is a good chance there will be no fucking power here on the farm. i'd prefer 10 inches of snow to all that freezing rain. hopefully, knock on wood, they are wrong like they usually are.

the New York Rangers played a great game last night, defeating Chicago 2-1. Cam Talbot was great in goal, and should have got the shutout. he had 2 amazing saves in the final seconds to keep the game from going to overtime. they next play in Philly on Saturday.

here's some funny shit from Jimmy Fallon:

i did watch the new episode of The Big Bang Theory last night. always funny. that show is so well written.

as for tonight, i'm sure i'll be bouncing around some basketball and hockey games, all while watching the tree house show most likely and whatever is on the Food Network as well. and probably a healthy dose of Weather Nation as well.

i do know a storm is coming. i can feel it in my bones. i'm amazed i haven't taken another pain pill today. my left arm has been killing me. but, i did have a little fun watching the cats enjoy the sunshine today. we must not have any coyotes on the property anymore as the cats were all over the fucking place today. up in trees, down by the creek, and then they of course shit in unison in the backyard. i imagine there will be some poems from that.

i'll be on here tomorrow in the afternoon most likely. the Dayton Flyers play a MUST WIN game at 11 in the morning. at this rate, with how i feel, there is no chance in hell i'll be going to that game. i believe it is on ESPNU. so, hopefully i'll be enjoying a victory beer while on here tomorrow.

hard to believe it is the end of the month already. hopefully everyone has enjoyed my subtle black history month tributes.

i hope this finds everyone well. hope everyone has a great weekend and hopefully mother nature doesn't fuck any of us in the ass this weekend.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Marvin Gaye - Compact Command Performances: 15 Greatest Hits
John Coltrane - The Very Best of John Coltrane

"There's a thin line between to laugh with and to laugh at." - Richard Pryor

response from The Camel Saloon

i heard back from Russell at The Camel Saloon on my poetry submission from the other day. my poem "the swimsuit issue came today" has been accepted for publication. when it gets published, i'll post the link here on the blog.

a quick hitter

i have been sleepy as fuck all day long. i think i may be getting sick. just what the fuck i need. looks like we're going to have some crazy fucking weather this weekend. maybe 6 to 10 inches of snow. maybe a few inches of ice. just fucking great.

i did watch Duck Dynasty, Legit, and Ali G last night. all 3 had me laughing, especially Legit. Jim Jefferies is one of my favorite comedians.

the New York Rangers play tonight at home against Chicago. hopefully there is no post Olympic break rust.

i did see all of the cats today. that's another sign that some kind of weather is coming soon.

not sure what i'll be watching after hockey tonight. not that it matters, i seem to fall asleep every few hours anyway.

that's pretty much all for today. just another cold day on the farm where i'm bouncing between music sites and porn sites. good times.

i hope this finds everyone well.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
Buddy Guy - Sweet Tea
Eric B. & Rakim - 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Eric B. & Rakim

"I like to be loved or hated - I don't like mediocre. So I'd rather have the entire crowd hate me than to have 90% hate me." - Patrice O'Neal

the stages of grief

my mother surprised me today by deciding that she wanted to blow off the afternoon and go out to lunch. and then i happened to remember what day it was. today marks 12 years since my stepfather has passed on. i figured i better be on my best behavior as this day is very hard on her. we had a good lunch, though the place we wanted to go to was crowded as hell. so, we stopped by the sports bar we seem to be going to more often these days. they weren't that crowded but had only 3 waitresses working. damn good thing i was blessed with patience. after that, we did a little grocery shopping and came back home. i'm trying to give her some space as i fully understand there is no timetable or rules to the grieving process.

the Dayton Flyers fell into the same fucking hole they have fallen into so many times this season. once again starting a game with their heads completely up their fucking asses. the only difference this time, they picked the wrong team to fall behind. St. Joe's beat the living shit out of Dayton last night, 79-53. and quite honestly, it never felt like the game was that close. honestly, i didn't watch much after the 8 minute mark of the first half. and i doubt i missed much at all. they play Saturday at home in a MUST win game. i'd like to go and try my neck out at the game. all depends on the weather and how i'm doing. stay tuned.

so, by not watching basketball last night i did watch all of The Voice. i felt like the talent on night 2 was better than night 1. i don't have a favorite yet, though i do enjoy the chemistry between these 4 coaches much better than the original 4 coaches.

as for tonight, i have a couple of shows on FXX i want to watch, Legit and Ali G Rezurection. those both look funny as hell. i imagine i might squeeze in some Duck Dynasty, but if i can't find the time i won't be crestfallen. and as always, a little hockey and maybe some basketball. fantasy hockey is back in full swing, so i have to be on the ball for the push to the playoffs.

after i got home from the grocery store, i sent out 9 poems. 3 each to The Camel Saloon, Dead Snakes, and Pyrokinection. when i hear back from these places i will pass along the verdicts.

my disjointed sleep continues. after i took a shower last night i sat down in my chair to watch the news. next thing i know, it's 2:30 in the morning. so, i made a quick trip to YouTube to see what i missed. this looks like the only thing i really should have stayed up for:

i laughed my ass off at that.

that's all for me today. i hope this finds everyone well. until tomorrow bitches...

music:

Smokey Robinson - My World: The Definitive Collection
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - Tell 'Em What Your Name Is!

"The music business is motivated by money. Music is motivated by energy and feelings." - Erykah Badu

now that the anger has gone down some

i was really looking forward to the Manchester United game this afternoon until i saw the names Cleverley and Young in the lineup. i just can't understand what the fuck David Moyes is doing. it is now at the point where it is fucking baffling. if the asshole had a soul or an ounce of respect for the fans of the club, he'd step down and apologize. it is beyond fucking clear that he can't handle the pressure of being the manager of this club. now, i know damn well he won't step down as he has 5 1/2 years left on that contract and he wants every fucking penny due on it. i don't know if i can stomach watching this club become just average. oh, by the way, they lost 2-0 today to a team that wasn't playing all of their regular players. and quite frankly, United should have lost by more. they absolutely fucking sucked today. from the manager on down to the players to god knows who else. they all fucking sucked.

now that that is out of my system, on with the show...

like an old man, i fell asleep watching wrestling last night. i missed most of The Voice and probably half of Monday Night Raw. thankfully, by the time the late night shows were over, what i missed was on YouTube. The Voice is back on tonight. i will be in and out of that as the Dayton Flyers are playing tonight. i really hope they win or this day will just be a total fucking waste.

i did watch the first episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers. it almost felt like a long Saturday Night Live skit. i guess with Amy and Fred there, that was inevitable. i think Seth will do fine with the show, but i can imagine it taking awhile to get his legs firmly on the ground. the set did make me laugh as it screamed of a public access show set. if that becomes a running gag, i'm all for it. though, i do imagine i will be checking out CBS more often now that Jimmy Fallon is at 11:30.

i'd like to address the countless number of people that have invited me to join Twitter. if the day ever comes that i get a cell phone, an idea i have resisted for more than a decade, i will give in and join. but not until then. so unless one of you want to buy me a smart phone, it's not happening anytime soon.

the polar vortex is making another appearance here in the next few days. windchill below zero again and snow that needs to be shoveled by the weekend. i guess i'll start getting my back ready now. joy.

i should have known today was going to go south on me the moment i was wiping my ass this morning and i started to shit again while wiping. enjoy that lovely visual right around dinner time.

that's all for me. i'm off to go have some dinner and get ready to watch some basketball. and hopefully not be angry again later tonight.

be well. be creative. be smart enough not to write any death threats on a public forum to a public figure. be lucky with how you deal with that anger. be a calm drunk. be ready to smoke a bong.

peace and chicken grease my enemies.

music:

The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die
Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain

thinking of my friends in Europe...

"I think governments are the cancer of civilization." - Chuck D

no pain no gain

so i woke up this morning early to the dishes because i chose to sleep a little more last night. and by a little more, i'm talking about 30 minutes or so. if i had known my back was going to be in agonizing pain while doing them, i would have done them last night while asleep. maybe that's my next YouTube video.

the Sunday night shows were really good last night. my sister called right after True Detective ended and said, "what the fuck was that?" i just laughed. the show is so damn good. only 2 episodes remain and i get the feeling that none of the lingering questions are going to be answered. Girls was pretty damn funny. Shameless was excellent once again. House of Lies had some funny moments. and Episodes is the reason i fell asleep i do believe.

as for tonight, my usual Monday quandry is back. The Voice returns tonight. i'll be watching as usual. but, it comes on the same time as Monday Night Raw. and tonight is a huge episode as the WWE Network started today. it stands to be nostalgia heavy and interesting, as they are coming off a ppv last night. yet another night i could use a damn DVR. i'll be flipping back and forth for at least 2 hours.

i was happy that Little E won the Daytona 500 late last night. hard to believe it has been 10 years since he was won that race.

i was sad to see that Harold Ramis died today. one of the more underrated funny guys ever. for you kids that don't know what i'm talking about, go see how many movies he was involved with that you love. he will be missed.

there's a rumor we have some snow coming tonight as the temps go down to the single digits again. just fucking lovely.

i did some poetry work today with this pile of new poems i have sitting here. i picked out 9 i'll be sending out later this week to 3 places. i feel pretty good about these.

check out my friend's new blog, http://michelle-mattila.blogspot.com/

i'll be on here tomorrow sometime after the Manchester United game. hopefully i won't be too pissy.

i hope this finds everyone well.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Sade - The Ultimate Collection
Pearl Jam - ten
Tom Waits - Blue Valentine

"Boxing is real easy. Life is much harder." - Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

a sleepy Sunday

i expected to see snow when i woke up this morning. there was none. it was cold, but no snow. and the snow we did get later in the morning was nothing like they were talking about on the news. just your basic flurries and nothing more. i find it humorous anymore how often they are wrong. and people wonder why i have mostly stopped watching local television news.

ROH last night was excellent. both matches were sensational, especially Kevin Steen vs. Kyle O'Reilly. that match had a little of everything. Steen is one of my favorites in the indie scene. he always manages to make me laugh watching a match of his and then say holy shit 2 minutes later with some crazy move. of course, he doesn't fit the WWE mold of what a wrestler should look like, so he'll never get to the level of fame he deserves. so sad.

i did watch the gold medal game in hockey at the Winter Olympics this morning. when i heard that Sweden's top center was out because of illness (which later turned out to be a failed drug test) i knew they were in trouble. and frankly, if The King wasn't in goal, Sweden would have lost by more. 3-0 when you are completely outmatched is not bad. i was happy that The King was named to the all tournament team as top goalie by the media. he certainly deserved it.

i fell asleep watching the Daytona 500 today only to wake up to the race being red flagged because of a tornado warning. good times.

i was able to get everything i had to do this morning done, even with my lower back feeling like it was getting ready to go on strike. that was not fun, but i powered through it. might be another pain pill in my future this evening.

i am looking forward to my Sunday night shows tonight. i got my sister hooked on the show True Detective. it's the best show going today. Girls has been on a pretty good streak. Shameless is as good as it has ever been. House of Lies and Episodes are my come down shows. i think they help lead me into sleep around 1 or 2 in the morning.

also, i'll probably be following the ppv for the WWE tonight on the internet. should be an interesting one.

that's all for me today. got to get my mind ready for lows in the single digits again. thankfully, the propane tank got filled just the other day.

i'll be on here tomorrow in the afternoon/early evening. hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend. enjoy the final few hours of it.

be well.

music:

Charles Bradley - Victim of Love

"The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression." - W. E. B. Du Bois

unexpected joy

so i woke up this morning to the news that Finland was getting their starting goalie back for today's game. my first thought was oh shit. after watching Finland humble the USA 5-0 to win the bronze, i was correct. the USA got exactly what it deserved today. the team basically quit and played selfishly and like shit. Finland deserved the game and the bronze medal.

so, after that debacle, it was time to watch Manchester United. their 41st game of the year and 41st different starting lineup. at this point, i hope Moyes uses a different one for every game just for the sake of being an asshole. 0-0 at half didn't exactly fill me with hope. but, a pk from RVP and a wonderful goal from the insanely rich Wayne Rooney and suddenly, a 2-0 win. MUCH needed 3 points. hopefully the team can continue to get healthier and really do well in the upcoming Champions League games.

while that game was ending, the Dayton Flyers were starting on the radio. they must have decided they didn't need to try in this game as they started off colder than a dead person. down 17-2 at one point. and early in the second half, they were down 18 points. then, either the lights went on or the coach threatened death to all of them as Dayton came all the way back to win 57-54. helps when the other team plays not to lose instead of playing to win. Dayton is now 19-8 and firmly on the bubble for the NCAA tournament.

i'm currently enjoying that second victory beer. and it is my favorite, Sam Adams Cherry Wheat.

i wrote 3 poems before going to bed last night. i typed them up this afternoon as alcohol helps ease the pain of typing. 1 of them i really like. i'm planning on going through all the poems here next week to get a few submissions ready.

i did watch the tree house show last night as they were building a recording studio up in a tree house. if i only had some fuck you money...

as for tonight, plenty of college basketball to flip through and then some ROH to end the evening. hopefully i stay awake.

here is probably my favorite moment from last night:

i'll be on here tomorrow sometime after the gold medal game at the Winter Olympics. and after i pick up the trash and get it down to the end of the lane. and after i feed the cats and try to explain to them how it can be 60 one day and then be snowing the next. and sometime during the Daytona 500 as i'm not doing any NASCAR fantasy this year, so i really don't give a shit. my favorite driver is back in Indy Car again.

hope everyone has had a wonderful Saturday. if you are going out tonight, drink one for me. and remember, only fuck the ones that cough.

peace and chicken grease.

music:

Ted Hawkins - The Next Hundred Years

"Real freedom is having nothing. I was freer when I didn't have a cent." - Mike Tyson

i have certainly had better days

ok, where to begin? i suppose last night would be the best place to start. mom gets a message on her telephone that there is a tornado warning for our county. i flip over to the local news station and it was quite funny to see the fucker that does the weather scrambling, trying to plug his microphone in, and announcing the warning nearly out of breath. so he brings up the radar and i see that it is basically a mile away from us. the satellite signal goes out. we turn all the computers off and just ride it out. mom is sitting at the table and i'm pacing like an asshole ready to die. i find out this morning that a little baby tornado hit about 2 miles from here. all we had was some small limbs down in the yard. god is such a tease.

i was able to sleep in my bed last night for the first time in forever it seemed. i got a little over 4 hours. i did feel a little pain here and there but not the horrific pain i was feeling a month ago. so, when i woke up this morning, i was in a really good mood. that should have been my first sign.

soon after waking up, i got the shits. mom had to leave to go to Cincy for meetings, so i had the house to myself. so, my hot morning alone was about trips to the bathroom, watching some hockey on tv, doing my laundry, and trying to buy some Bruce Springsteen tickets. i got my laundry done, Sweden won like i wanted, more on the other game in a bit, i eventually took some Imodium, and by the time i got through the Springsteen tickets were sold out. more signs of what was coming.

team USA lost to Canada 1-0. just one damn mistake and that was all it took. so, Finland plays the USA in the who gives a shit game tomorrow morning. that will go right into the Manchester United game in the afternoon. so my Saturday will either be great or just a big pile of shit early on. after the United game, Dayton plays over in Pittsburgh against Duquesne. no tv on that one, so i might be taking out some frustrations screaming at a radio.

Canada plays Sweden for the gold on Sunday. i will be openly rooting for Sweden because i just can't stand the fucking arrogance of Canada when it comes to hockey. that is what makes today so fucking brutal.

i was actually happy that Wayne Rooney signed a long extension with Manchester United today. that should put all the rumors to bed for a few years at least.

i actually drove my truck for the first time since god knows when today. went in town to mail a book and get the mail. was a little tricky driving as my left arm starts to tingle whenever i fully extend it. so, i'll have to change how i drive for the time being. also, i was driving in 50 mph winds. so, that was tons of fun. it was a job just to keep the damn truck on the road. i probably would have done a better job if i was drunk.

i did watch some basketball last night. i was watching the Miami vs. OKC game when LeBron broke his nose on a dunk. i believe last night was his message to the league that Kevin Durant hasn't done shit yet, so hold up the MVP voting. and i did catch overtime of the late game. that was entertaining.

as for tonight, i have no fucking clue what i'm going to be watching. maybe some wrestling, maybe some basketball, maybe the tree house show, maybe reruns of shit i saw years ago, maybe some music, or maybe tonight is the night i just turn on the history channel or military channel and zone out to shit i already know. i do know i have been cussing at these assholes on Jeopardy this week for not knowing shit. it's obvious i didn't really miss anything by not going to college, other than drugs and pussy. i learned more on my own than these fucks at these prestigious universities. plus, any fucker that wears a bow tie should either be supporting a cause or be forced to admit they are a fucking asshole.

can you see i'm in a mood?

i'll be on here tomorrow after my games are over. hopefully sipping on 3 victory beers or the next blog post will be even more bitter than this pile of shit i wrote today.

hope everyone has a great weekend.  peace and chicken grease.

music:

The Staple Singers - Platinum Gospel
B.B. King - Blues Summit
Buddy Guy - Living Proof

"Life doesn't give you all the practice races you need." - Jesse Owens

type quickly before the power goes out

i'm trying to get this done before a fuck you amount of storms comes rolling through here. if you somehow don't see this until hours later, you'll understand.

i got good and bad news from the doctor today. the good, i have shown enough progress that i can continue on the path i am on. he upped the nerve pill a little and gave me more pain pills. the bad, the insurance company says that i have to go through physical therapy and it has to fail me before i can get a MRI. might be the dumbest fucking thing i have heard, but i imagine it is to save them money, not the patient. needless to say, since i have shown progress, physical therapy isn't happening. now, if i haven't shown more progress in a month when i go back to see him, physical therapy will be happening. my big goal for this evening is to try to sleep in a bed for the first time in 3 weeks. my fingers are crossed.

the Dayton Flyers started off colder than shit last night. but, they finally woke up and absolutely took over the game. finished the first half on a 20-4 run that gave them the lead by 6. they went on to win 65-53. another must win on Saturday and they will be right at the door of march madness. when this team is clicking, they are really good. when they aren't, it is bowling shoe ugly.

i got home from the doctor/sports bar/grocery store in time to see the USA women's team lose in OT to Canada in the gold medal game. i was really sick when i found out they blew a 2 goal lead with a little over 3 minutes left in the game. just brutal. hopefully the men have a better fate tomorrow.

my tomorrow will be Olympic hockey and hopefully a victory beer.

the victory beer i had last night put me to fucking sleep better than i have for 3 weeks. here is what i missed on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon:

now that is some funny shit.

i'll probably be bouncing between basketball games this evening. maybe a little of the Olympics, but i saw most of what i wanted to see live during the day. of course, if the weather is too bad and the satellite signal goes down, i won't be watching shit. then it will be a night listening to the radio. i haven't had one of those in quite some time.

i hope this finds everyone well. hope the weather is less crazy in your neck of the woods.

be well. be creative. be drunk. be naked. be the train at the end of the tunnel of hope.

music:

Sevendust - Animosity
Living Colour - Super Hits
Robert Glasper Experiment - Black Radio

"If someone hits you with an object you should beat the hell out of them." - Charles Barkley

and then there was 4

since i'm not sleeping worth a shit these days, it does provide me the opportunity to watch plenty of the Winter Olympics live. and i did watch most of the 4 hockey games today. i couldn't give a shit about any of the other sports. Sweden took care of Slovenia 5-0. yet another shutout for The King. Finland put a smile on my face, defeating Russia 3-1. the USA beat the Czech Republic 5-2. and Canada was stymied for most of the game, but eventually beat Latvia 2-1. that sets up 2 delicious games on Friday. Sweden vs. Finland, a rematch of the 2006 gold medal game. and the USA vs. Canada, a rematch of the 2010 gold medal game. i will definitely be watching both of those games. plenty of skill and hatred.

i satisfied my itch to write last night by writing 5 new poems. i typed them up while i was enjoying a victory beer this afternoon. i do believe i have a few winners in the batch. i'm hoping to get a few submissions together for next week.

i really didn't watch much last night until the late night talk shows. it was basically just flipping through the channels. that won't be the case tonight. Dayton plays LaSalle at 9 tonight. since my neck isn't cooperating with me at the moment, i won't be going to the game. but, i will be watching on tv. hopefully Dayton comes out on fire since they have been off for a week. it's another MUST win game. they are certainly knocking on the door of march madness this year. they already have more wins this year than last year.

i go back to the doctor at 11 tomorrow morning. i'm hoping the appointment doesn't last too long as i would like to see a good portion of the women's gold medal game in hockey between the USA and Canada. so, i'm hoping it goes we're going to go in this direction, here's a new script for some pain pills and then off to the sports bar. i imagine i will have a MRI in my future. unless the doctor thinks some other course is the better way to go. but since i've been dealing with this for over a month now, i'll assume it is time to take this to the next level. as well as i'm managing the pain, i wouldn't mind not having to deal with it at all.

the farm is in a state of 80 acres of a sloppy fucking mess. the slow melt is definitely on. i don't mind that in the fields, as that will certainly help the crops down the line. but i really wouldn't mind if all the damn snow around the house was gone. since not one inch of this place is flat or level, it's tricky as fuck to walk to the bird feeders or even to the cats. hitting a bump wrong isn't real fun with a bad back. of course, tomorrow night i believe we have some thunderstorms moving through. i think there already is a high wind warning. that should be loads of fucking fun.

that's all for today. i hope everyone is well. i'll be on here sometime tomorrow afternoon with the health update. and hopefully i'll have a good buzz going as well. until then my friends and enemies.

peace

music:

Ray Charles - Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (Bonus Tracks)
Muddy Waters - Blues Legend
Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Slick Rick - The Art of Storytelling

"The greatest education in the world is watching the masters at work." - Michael Jackson

and now, the melting begins

we had an ice storm move through here last night that started off with some thunder. the weather this winter is straight out of a fucking b-movie. thankfully, it wasn't enough ice to bring down power lines or knock down any trees. although, i did wake up to plenty of branches down in the yard. when i saw how icy it was this morning, i didn't bother to even try to deal with it. i tried to get some more sleep as the sun started to make an appearance. thankfully, it damn near got to 50 today and melt most of the ice. it looks like it will be above freezing for the rest of the week. that should melt most of the snow and leave a good bit of mud everywhere. that will make it fun walking over to feed the cats.

i was in and out of the hockey action today at the Winter Olympics. the quarterfinals are now set. Sweden plays Slovenia, Finland plays Russia, USA plays Czech Republic, and Canada plays Latvia. i feel pretty good in predicting Sweden, USA, and Canada will win. i have no damn clue in the Finland vs. Russia game. i could see both teams winning.

i fell asleep last night before the main event of Monday Night Raw. after checking YouTube, i didn't really miss much. the match between Cesaro and Cena last night was great. sadly, the wrong guy won.

i did wake up in time to watch The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. i enjoyed it. you could tell Jimmy was nervous as hell. this was really fucking funny:

and U2 doing their new song on the roof with that sunset was amazing. beyond picturesque. i was happy i woke up to watch it. it'll certainly get tricky for me when it is going up against Letterman. thankfully, Jimmy puts most of the damn show up on YouTube. that certainly helps.

the beauty or horror of the chili i make is 12 hours later and you are planted on the toilet. as my mother put it this morning, i guess both of us are cleaned the fuck out now. you're welcome for the visual.

i really don't know what i'm going to watch tonight. i'm getting the itch to do some writing. that may happen here soon. most likely after my next visit to the doctor on Thursday. i have spent most of the day listening to music. and watching Barcelona beat Manchester City in Champions League play. so much for Shitty's coach saying that they were the only club in Manchester. i always love when those fuckers get humbled.

that's all for me. i'll be on here tomorrow after all the hockey games. and hopefully sipping on a victory beer. i hope this finds everyone well.

peace and chicken grease.

music:

Holly Henry - The Immigrant
The 1975 - The 1975
Bettye LaVette - The Scene of the Crime
The Pogues - The Very Best of The Pogues
Ashley Monroe - Like a Rose

"As you enter positions of trust and power, dream a little before you think." - Toni Morrison

response from the This is Poetry project

i heard back from Michele McDannold on my submission to the This is Poetry project. my poems "a long road to redemption", "the bitch with the black eye", and "this mystic ride" have been accepted to be in the project. you can find the poems by going to:
http://thisispoetry.tumblr.com/

time just bleeds together into one long nightmare

that title is what happens when you spend a good portion of the day listening to The Flaming Lips. the mind relaxes into a state of consciousness that is out of this realm. either that or the smell of that chili i made for dinner tonight is piercing my brain cells.

let us begin with the Sunday night shows. True Detective went where i thought it was going to go after episode #2, and that opens up a ton of new directions the last few episodes could go. Shameless was brilliant once again. Girls was uncomfortably funny, especially with Lena Dunham in an ill-fitting bikini for nearly the entire episode. House of Lies had a few laugh out loud moments. Episodes was what it was.

i caught a few minutes of the NBA All-Star game. the final score didn't surprise me. i'm actually a little surprised one team didn't reach 200 points. that will happen in my lifetime the way the game is trending.

there are a few things i'm looking forward to tonight. Monday Night Raw is a given. the last one before the next ppv. that usually means it will be good. i'm just hoping it keeps me awake. and that is for the next thing i'm looking forward to... The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. if it is like i think it is going to be like, i really should enjoy it. plus, this will be the first time in my life the show will be based in New York City. i believe the last time it was there was 1972. plus, Jimmy has a ton of great guests the first week.

i did catch a little of the team USA women's hockey win today to send them to the gold medal game against Canada. that should be their usual war. hopefully the right team wins this time.

the rest of today was spent laying around, trying to relax knowing damn well yet another cold front will be moving through tonight. i know my body will be in agony when that happens. plus, we're supposed to get mostly freezing rain followed by snow. that will be a bitch to deal with.

no update on the pain front. it is still there but i do believe my mind is winning the war of ignoring it. of course, that doesn't mean it will go away. it simply allows me to live my life just a tad bit better. i go back to the doctor on Thursday. i should have enough pain pills to make it to then. should.

had to check on my chili. i usually turn it down after a good 7 hours. i'll let it bathe in those juices for another hour or so and then it will be time to add a little cheese and sour cream and enjoy. i don't believe we have any cornbread or i'd make that to go with it. don't get the impression that i actually like to cook. there's just a few things i do really well in the kitchen. and no, one of them is not toast.

i saw all but one of the cats today. not sure if the missing one was hiding or was trying to flee. i'm sure if it gets caught out in the ice storm, it will be on the way back rather quickly. i thought we almost had a bird commit suicide today. flew right into the bay window about as fast as i have seen any bird do it. it was in the snow for a little bit and then flew away. it probably heard me getting the shovel ready to take it to the cats.

that is all for yet another Monday in the snow in Ohio. hope everyone is well. enjoying life. or at least attempting to fool yourself into believing that you do. be well my friends. have yourself a bowl of chili.

peace.

music:

De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising
Lorde - Pure Heroine
The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

"I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying." - Michael Jordan

one sleepy weekend

so i fell asleep last night right before the dunk contest started. i didn't mind that as i really don't care for the dunk contest. i've never been able to dunk. and i'm never going to be able to dunk. what really made me laugh is i fell asleep both times i tried to watch ROH last night. thankfully, i watched it this afternoon. it's always a good time when i get to see Chris Hero wrestle, mostly because he went to the high school 1 town away from me.

i was up early again this morning to watch team USA play men's hockey. i was really hoping they weren't going to be in a fog because of the amazing and draining victory over Russia yesterday. Phil Kessel decided they were going to be focused on Slovenia by scoring 64 seconds into the game. that was the start of a natural hat trick for him and a 5-1 win. that clinches the group and the second seed for the quarterfinals. so, that basically means they are most likely going to face Canada in the semis. i'll get to that mountain when it happens. right now i'm hoping they are focused on playing whoever wins between the Czech Republic and Slovakia. and hopefully they enjoy a couple days off. i like that this team still hasn't played its best game yet. and Ryan McDonagh is becoming the second coming of Brian Leetch. always good to see when the players from the New York Rangers are doing well.

i did watch a little NASCAR qualifying for Daytona today. just enough to satisfy my inner redneck. it's going to be a little crazy to see the #3 on the pole for the Daytona 500. toss in bizarre and emotional as well. it is going to be a circus. but that reminds me, i need to get my NASCAR fantasy team going again.

i took a nice long shower today. it would have been great if my back wouldn't have tightened up during it. that's always fun. i always get the feeling that one of these days my back is going to lock up in a painful position and i'll be home alone. now you know why i don't jerk off in the shower.

i'm looking forward to the Sunday night shows. True Detective has me hooked big time. Shameless is going strong as well this season. Girls is having a much better season than the last one. i would put House of Lies in that category as well. as for Episodes, it is simply so bad it is good in a laughing at them kind of way.

i might watch a little bit of the NBA All-Star game tonight. not a great deal though. it usually turns into a glorified AAU game.

the weather here has been a steady cold blah all day long. no sunshine at all. it is supposed to warm up here by about 30 degrees in a few days. that will turn all this snow into mud pretty damn quick. but, if that allows my pinched nerve and bad back to feel a little better, i'm all for it.

that's all for me today. i hope everyone had a great weekend. hopefully a few of you have decided to not stop the weekend. take it easy and if it's easy, take it again.

be well my friends and enemies. until tomorrow.

music:

Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Portugal. The Man - Evil Friends

"A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots." - Marcus Garvey

exhausted and happy

like an old man, i fell asleep before 10 last night. i woke up at 11:30 and for some fucking reason, felt refreshed. i might have slept a few hours here and there the rest of the night because i knew what was coming in the morning. i made sure i got a good breakfast in me and tried my best to loosen my back up because i knew i was in for some tension.

USA vs. Russia. Olympic hockey. in Russia. if you didn't get to see the game, you missed out. if saw the game and weren't excited, i'll ask you to please die now. as for the rest of us, what a fucking game. i was completely fucking exhausted by the end of it. and i do hope T.J. Oshie never has to buy a drink in this country again. a big 3-2 win in an instant classic shootout. and the best part, doing it all in front of Putin and shutting a crowd the fuck up. now, i hope the USA have it out of their system, for they have to go out tomorrow morning and win the group. and it won't be easy.

after that, i checked out some FA Cup action and some more hockey in the Olympics, but mostly got some more sleep. hopefully that means i'll be able to stay up tonight for ROH.

thankfully, we got plowed out this morning. we probably got close to 5 inches. i truly felt like shit watching my mom try to shovel it. i offered to do it but she doesn't want me to injure myself more. of course, the guy that plowed us out told my mom he was planning on doing it. if he would have got here 5 minutes sooner, he would have. but mom was thankful as she needed to get to the store.

i imagine i will be watching some of the dunk contest and the three point shooting contest tonight for the NBA All-Star weekend festivities. and some of the college basketball games as well. all while sipping on a victory beer. i think NBC is going to show the shootout when they start their Olympic coverage tonight. i'll happily be watching that again.

that is pretty much all for today. i hope this finds everyone well. i'll be on here tomorrow after (hopefully) another team USA win in hockey.

peace and chicken grease.

music:

Run DMC - Tougher Than Leather
Broken Bells - After The Disco

"Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you." - Oprah Winfrey

i never really cared for this day

of course, i imagine i would have a much better attitude about this day if i was in a relationship or actually had a woman in my life that loved me more than as just a good friend. and to top off today, the snow that was supposed to be 50 miles south of here somehow ended up 50 miles north and is right on top of us. that light dusting we were supposed to get is going to be 4+ inches. fuck me, i'm so fucking tired of winter.

my back nearly went out on me twice today. thank god i remembered the stretches i learned for this type of oh shit moment. the good thing was my back was hurting so much that my neck felt better. i'm slowly falling apart.

i watched a good portion of hockey in the Olympics today. good to see The King get another shutout for Sweden. i'm really looking forward to the USA vs. Russia game in the morning. hopefully i'll actually get some sleep before the game comes on.

so De La Soul was allowing people to download their entire music catalog for free today. i wasn't going to pass that up. so, i put in my email for their first album. i'm still waiting for the download code. my luck, when it arrives i won't be able to download it. at least not for free.

thankfully, my amazon.com order showed up a day early. so i've got plenty of new shit to listen to for a few months. of course, being in this house all day and night long, chances are i'll go through those 11 cd's in a few days.

in my boredom and frustration today, i took some photos...

you can see the rest of them in the slideshow on the right hand side of this blog.

not really sure what i'm going to be watching tonight on tv. i believe the NBA All-Star weekend festivities begin this evening. i suppose if i'm bored enough i'll check that out. of course, there is always my guilty pleasure tree house show on Animal Planet. beats watching the snow pile up.

i'm sure the birds are happy i got my broken bones out there to feed them today. i did see all the cats today, amazingly enough.

that's all for me. i do hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend. be well, be creative, be drunk, be naked by a fire but don't get too close...

peace and chicken grease.

music:

Sam & Dave - The Very Best of Sam & Dave
Billie Holiday - Love Songs
Solomon Burke - The Very Best of Solomon Burke

"The thing worse than rebellion is the thing that causes rebellion." - Frederick Douglass

nothing like getting blindsided in the middle of the night

i believe it was around 2:30 in the morning that i had a horrifically painful cramp in my left calf. that actually woke me up, howling in pain. i took a pain pill and got online. i checked out Google news and probably let out the loudest 'oh fuck no' in my life. Maggie Estep dead at 50. totally crushed me. she was a HUGE influence on my early work. i would read everything she put out. it was just her style and balls out attitude that i loved and wanted my work to be like. of course, i was 19 at the time and hadn't lived enough for my work to be that way. so, i went on YouTube and started to look up her poems and basically have my little moment for one of my favorite poets. 50 is way too fucking young to die.

so the rest of the morning was this haze of trying to sleep while trying to not get completely depressed. i managed to do neither. so, i have basically been running today on about 2 hours of sleep. i'm sure this will all catch up with me as i am undoubtedly taking years off of my life.

thankfully, team USA played some hockey this morning, so i had something for my mind to be distracted with. and the USA did their part, whipping Slovakia 7-1. i didn't expect that and neither did any of the "experts". they play a huge game against Russia Saturday morning. that will be a good test to see how good they really are.

i spent most of the rest of the day watching some hockey and putting ice on my lower back. this winter hasn't beaten the shit out of me. it did warm up a bit here today, but not enough to really start to melt anything. and we're supposed to have some snow in the morning. nothing major but probably enough to fuck up all the morning traffic.

amazingly, i actually got a credit card offer today that was too good to pass up. so, now i'll get cash back as my reward instead of miles since quite frankly, after the blood clots, the bad back, and the pinched nerve in the neck, the last thing i'm thinking of doing is fucking traveling.

the Dayton Flyers killed off an old demon last night with a 76-69 win over Rhode Island. that actually puts them on the bubble again for the NCAA tournament. i really like the way this team is trending. i'd love to see them keep this winning streak going. now, the shitty thing is, i don't think they have lost since i fucked up my neck. and you know exactly what my superstitious ass is thinking...

so, 2 victory beers after a week of nothing. that's helped the pain some.

no clue what i'll be watching tonight. i'm going to try to watch something that doesn't involve the Olympics, Derek Jeter, or sad music. but i'll make no promises.

hope this finds everyone well. for the men reading this, i hope you have got your shit together for tomorrow before you actually read this. and ladies, the same shit goes for you.

be well, be warm, be something greater than the asshole stealing your oxygen in front of you at the store.

music:

Ice Cube - Greatest Hits

"Like everyone else who makes the mistake of getting older, I begin each day with coffee and obituaries." - Bill Cosby

my body feels like it is 80 years old

when i woke up this morning, 3 1/2 hours after i fell asleep, my whole damn body ached. every portion that has any scar tissue on it was aching like i was an addict in need of a fix. and it has been like that all damn day long. it's a struggle to hold my head up to see what the fuck i am typing on the screen. good times.

men's hockey has started in the Winter Olympics so now i am interested. i watched Sweden beat the Czech Republic 4-2 earlier today. always good to see my favorite goalie get a win. i believe team USA plays tomorrow morning.

Manchester United played Arsenal to a 0-0 game. i wish United would have played this kind of defense all of this season. of course, 26th game of the Premier League season, 26th different lineup Moyes has started. there's part of the damn problem.

Dayton plays Rhode Island here in a few in a MUST win type of game. of course, they haven't beat Rhode Island since 2008. that streak has to end tonight if they want to have any chance to play in the postseason.

i did manage to send out the 15 poems this morning. i figured i would do my best to block out the pain to get it done. i want to thank Michele McDannold for the invitation to this project and for allowing me to send the poems as attachments. sorry it took 6 or so emails. i'm a piss poor organizer of this shit. when i hear back on the poems i will pass along the news here on the blog.

so i saw today that Derek Jeter will be retiring after this upcoming season. great, another year of waterworks. maybe they can make the playoffs for The Captain this season, since they couldn't do it for the greatest closer of all time this past season.

do check out episode #90 of the Sam Roberts Show Online. you can find it on iTunes, Stitcher, notsam.com as well as the right hand side of this blog. also, check out the new store at the website.

sorry for being so short today. the pain pills aren't working as well and mother nature has a foot up my ass. hope you enjoy that visual.

until tomorrow...

music:

Charlie Parker - Jazz 'Round Midnight

"Never wound a snake; kill it." - Harriet Tubman

welcome to the world of the bizarre

my neck pain made a reappearance today as i was on the computer this morning. i happened to look to my left and BAM. nothing like having a nerve start to scream. my left arm immediately felt like it was on fire. so, now i fear the pain pills and the nerve pills aren't working as well as the last couple of days since my steroid is starting to wind down. i'm hoping this gets better in the next week, but i'm not exactly hopeful at this point.

so, i didn't send out the poems like i thought i was going to today. instead i tried to just rest and calm my pinched nerve the best way i could. whatever the fuck that is as i haven't found something to completely take the pain away in the 5 weeks i've had this problem. maybe it's longer, the days are starting to run together on me. i did manage to get around 5 hours of sleep overnight. i figure that was why the pain came back. a sign of normalcy and the pain must bring back the bizarre.

speaking of bizarre, i had an english professor tell me today that i am one of her heroes. as i told my mother, i'm pretty sure that is a sign of an impending apocalypse. but i gladly accepted the compliment. not exactly everyday when someone in the academic world of writing compliments one of us fucks that never took one college writing class in our lives.

i fell asleep during the final hour of Monday Night Raw last night. that should sum up what i thought of the show. much more miss than hit. i do love that Cesaro is getting over more and more with the fans. i'm sure the WWE will manage to drop the ball with that as well.

as for this evening, i have no clue what i'm going to be watching. this might turn into an evening of catching up on some podcasts.

hopefully, this is the last night for a little while that the temps will fall below zero again. it's been so damn cold here for so long my brain has basically just turned itself off.

i will try to get on here tomorrow before the Manchester United game that i am dreading. and it doesn't look like i'll be going to the Dayton Flyers game tomorrow night. i don't want to take the chance of letting my adrenaline get the best of me and i end up hurting myself even more.

that's all for me. i can barely keep my neck up to look at the screen to type this anymore.

be well. be warm. to all my friends and fans in the south, just stay indoors. it will eventually melt. not that i can say the same thing for here.

later.

music:

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

"I think what motivates people is not great hate, but great love for other people." - Huey Newton

what happens if spring never comes?

i woke up this morning after maybe 3 or so hours of sleep and noticed the temps were down to the single digits once again. they just happened to stay there to this afternoon. the weather is certainly wreaking havoc on me. my back was paying the price today. and since it was in pain, that 1 oxy pill had to work for 2 spots. needless to say, i'm not a happy camper today.

i did manage to stay awake for everything i wanted to watch last night. i thought the Beatles special was pretty good. the best performances to me was Ed Sheeran doing "In My Life", mostly because that is my favorite Beatles song of all-time. and the performance of Dave Grohl, Joe Walsh, and Gary Clark Jr. doing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" brought the house down. i also never look away anytime Annie Lennox is performing. great to see her and Dave Stewart back together for at least one night. overall, a very good 2 1/2 hours of music and nostalgia.

as for the Sunday night shows, True Detective was brilliant once again. i can't come up with the words to do that show justice. it is just fucking damn near perfect. Shameless was great last night as well. i have always loved how that show can go from party to serious in a nano second. and the possible plot twists from last night are endless. Girls made me laugh again, especially with the realization that if you really want to write and make money doing it, you basically have no choice but to sell your soul. House of Lies was good. and Episodes actually made me laugh a few times. probably the vagina with Yoda's voice that did it.

it was a little hard listening to sports talk radio today as the only thing anyone wanted to talk about was the player from Missouri that came out as gay last night. personally, i couldn't give a shit what his sexuality is, it's not my life. what i first thought about was how many homophobic Missouri football fans had a little vomit in the back of their throats when that news came out last night. the one thing i will give credit to this generation, with being so public with everything they do and say and think; they truly are forcing people to face their own hypocrisy. that has to make the world a better place over time. at least i fucking hope so.

after i take a long hot shower, i'll be getting ready to watch Monday Night Raw. i believe Betty White is the guest host tonight. i'm sure that means there will be at least one horrible comedy sketch to endure. i'm hoping the show is better than last week.

other than wrestling, i'll probably watch some college basketball as well. or whatever happens to be on the Food Network.

i haven't really got into the Winter Olympics yet. i imagine when the men's hockey gets going, my intensity will pick up for sure.

that's all for me. i hope everyone had a great weekend. i do hope everyone gets the chance to read the poems i just got published. especially the muse, as that poem about you should put the final nail in what used to be our friendship. and i know if you read it i won't hear from you, as it cuts a little closer to the bone than you ever thought i had the guts to do. i just love when someone doubts me.

be well. stay warm. find the positive in your life and then fuck the shit out of it.

peace.

music:

Outkast - Stankonia
Ben Harper - Welcome to the Cruel World

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

my 5 poems at The Blind Vigil Revue

my poems "only the guilt run out of fear", "avoiding conflict", "the rainbow", "to the other side", and "the invisible muse" have been published at The Blind Vigil Revue. you can find the poems by going here: http://blindvigilrevue.blogspot.com/2014/02/5-poems-by-jj-campbell.html

a weekend ruined

after a few deep breaths, i look back and suppose this is the price we Manchester United fans are having to pay for all the years of glory. today's game ran the entire chart of emotions. happy to see old faces, utterly disappointed to be losing to a team at the bottle of the table, to the utter disgust that the lead was over a hour long, to jubilation when RVP scored, to pure elation when Carrick scores seconds later, to the bottom of hell when Fulham gets a goal in "Fergie" time. 2-2 against that team is beyond unacceptable. i shutter to think what Wednesday is going to look like at Arsenal. if i had a white flag, i'd be waving. i can't see any chance of ending up in 4th place now. the only way United plays in the Champions League next year is by winning it this year. and honestly, the only manager capable of pulling that off this year is sitting in the stands.

the pain will be a bit sharper the rest of the day, i can guarantee that.

i didn't sleep well at all last night. we had a cold front moving through and it was killing my body all night long. i tried to stay up to watch ROH but fell asleep in the middle of it. thankfully, wrestling fans post results to everything on the internet, so at least i know what i missed.

the Dayton Flyers surprised me yesterday with an unlikely win at St. Bonaventure, 72-69. especially when they were trailing by 5 with 4 minutes left or so. that's when i looked over at my mom and said they've got 'em right where they want 'em. when Dayton won, i kept telling her over and over, i told you, i told you... that was a nice victory beer.

not sure how i'm going to manage my Sunday viewing schedule tonight. i want to watch that Beatles special but that means all my regular Sunday shows are going to be shuffled back into the middle of the night. not that i won't be up or anything, i'm simply trying to plan which shows am i going to fall asleep in the middle of. hopefully, if we do end up moving, we get that DIRECTV whole home DVR. that would solve these god damn dilemmas. that being said, there's no fucking way i'm falling asleep during True Detective. i LOVE that show.

i suppose i should go eat lunch as i have pills to take. this is the downside of being a sports fanatic. the lows can get really fucking low, especially when you have a neck and left arm that is killing you slowly. i swear my left thumb is permanently numb. haven't had any damn feeling in it for 2 fucking weeks now. i imagine that will be a poem somewhere down the line.

and speaking of poems, i didn't do the 15 poems like i should have done last night. instead, as the pain was torturing me, i did a little shopping at amazon.com. i decided i was going to buy music from artists i have never bought before. i'm looking forward to hopefully finding some new bands to obsess over. i feel sorry for the fucker that has to fill the order though. i think i hit nearly every genre there is. and thanks to Christmas and my birthday, it didn't cost me a thing.

see all the good shit you have ruined this weekend in my life David Moyes.

i fed the cats this morning in the snow. that wasn't fun. the cats weren't exactly thrilled to see the snow either. i believe we have crossed the 40 inches of snow this winter. we still have a fucking month of this shit to go. hopefully it all melts slowly into the ground and the crops are wonderful this summer because of it. that's really the only good i can make out of this miserable fucking winter.

that's it. i need to eat. enough of my rambling for today. i hope everyone is well. you are surely better off than me.

peace and chicken grease.

music:

Son House - The Original Delta Blues
Howlin' Wolf - The Definitive Collection

"I try to teach my heart not to want things it can't have." - Alice Walker

response from The Blind Vigil Revue

i heard back from Lee over at The Blind Vigil Revue on my poetry submission from 1/2/14. my poems "only the guilty run out of fear", "avoiding conflict", "the rainbow", "to the other side", and "the invisible muse" were accepted for publication. they should be up in a few days.

trying to warm up in a cold sunshine

i figured i would write this before i go to feed the cats. that also means i'm writing this before i go put on 2 more layers of clothes.

last night i truly felt like an old man. had a victory beer and next thing i know i'm waking up at 4 in the morning. i'm not mixing booze and pills mind you, but i certainly didn't expect 1 beer to knock me out for 3 1/2 hours.

the New York Rangers played a back and forth game last night that had me cussing like a sailor, mostly because i had to listen to the call from the Pittsburgh announcers. what a bunch of minor league hacks. needless to say i was fucking thrilled when the Rangers won and shut those 2 fuckers up for awhile. a 4-3 win in a shootout. a great way to head into the Olympic break.

as for the Winter Olympics, i only saw the part of the opening ceremony where there was a fuck up. of course, Russian tv never showed that. glad to see some things never change. i did watch the USA play Finland in women's hockey this morning. at least part of it. the rest of my morning has been pills and European soccer.

Dayton plays at St. Bonaventure this afternoon. i don't like their chances, but i'd love to be wrong. the game is supposed to be on television, but not on DIRECTV. so, it looks like i'll be pacing and listening on the radio. i suppose that will be my exercise for the day.

i did type up the 2 poems i wrote the other day this morning. i also figured out how to solve a paper jam on the new printer. that was fun for my bad left arm. anywho, love the new poems. i will be sending them out once i get off my lazy ass and get the 15 poems i need to send out for that poetry project. that might be my goal for this evening.

i did watch the tree house show last night on animal planet. have to admit, never thought of having one on a cliff of a beach. that was pretty funny and cool to watch.

other than the Olympics tonight, i suppose there will be some hockey and some college basketball. and if i truly get bored, it will be whatever my mother wants to watch. or, the novel concept of me actually just sleeping.

hope everyone is well. the cats are waiting for me. hope today is the start of a great weekend for you, and maybe for me as well.

peace.

music:

Gary Clark Jr. - The Bright Lights EP

"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." - Muhammad Ali

and now for the coolest thing i saw last night:

my life in a frozen hell

i couldn't sleep for shit last night until i jerked off for the first time in weeks. and of course, being the asshole i am, i used the bad arm to do it as i sadly tend to enjoy the pain. that bought me at least 2 hours of sleep. so, i might have got 4 hours last night in total. the right amount if i was 23 or so. sadly, at 38, i'm living more like a guy who smokes pot and naps all day long. i wouldn't mind the pot part, but napping all day long isn't for me.

in between the naps today, i did manage to write 2 poems. i will hopefully type them up this weekend.

the New York Rangers lost 2-1 last night. they had so many chances to win last night but lost the game in the last 2 minutes of the 3rd period. that could end up being some huge lost points. of course, go out and beat Pittsburgh tonight and no one will remember last night.

i spent 45 minutes in the damn cold today feeding the cats and filling the bird feeders. thankfully, there was no wind and i'm smart enough to dress in layers. and i made damn sure to take some oxy before i went out to do that.

i do enjoy this dream/awake stage the pain pills put me in at times. takes me back to my youth and the glorious moments where i really expanded my brain. glory days.

i suppose tonight i'll be watching some of the opening ceremony in Russia for the Winter Olympics, but not that much. there are some hockey games i need to watch and some college hockey i need to watch as well. and that damn tree house show that has become a guilty pleasure to watch on Friday nights. i suppose because i never had one as a kid.

The Big Bang Theory was really good last night. it also reminded me that i haven't had a girlfriend at Valentine's Day in damn near 20 years. money saved i suppose but so much other shit i have missed out on. hello depression.

not sure when i'll be on here tomorrow. probably sometime before Dayton plays tomorrow. maybe i'll make it a morning post while i'm high on pain pills. i do know the women's hockey starts over in Russia in the middle of the night tonight. i know damn well what i'll be watching if i can't sleep tonight. and not in a sexual way you perverts.

that's all for me. be well and stay warm. continue with the good vibes as this is one tough motherfucker of pain i'm trying to beat. and in the words of Ice Cube, today was a good day.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Various Artists - Millennium Funk Party
TLC - CrazySexyCool

"If you have no critics you'll likely have no success." - Malcolm X

degenerate

back from the doctor and under the influence...here's the story.

the x-rays showed that i am showing signs of degenerative discs in my neck. the doctor and i decided to continue on with the medicine for another 2 weeks to see if the pain subsides. if it doesn't, then we'll know for sure that it's onto the orthopedic route of injections, rehab, and possibly surgery. so, until that doom and gloom comes, i'm on some stronger pain meds and another round of steroids. hopefully this works.

the New York Rangers play here in a little bit against the Oilers. i'd love to see another win, especially since they play at Pittsburgh tomorrow.

the Dayton Flyers finally played the way they are capable of last night. a 84-67 victory over George Mason that really wasn't that close. the last 30 minutes of that game were a blowout. so happy they finally didn't play down to their competition. hopefully this is the start of something good.

i did watch the new episode of Duck Dynasty last night. it was ok. sleep would have been better for me.

so, after the doctor's appointment, mom took me to a sports bar to get drunk. well, not really since i can drink like a fish, but you know... these are the times where the alcoholic gene i have comes in real handy.

the weather is supposed to get colder than shit overnight. i think i saw it's going to be like -10 or so. this is truly becoming my winter from hell.

that's all for me my friends. at least if i'm having problems sleeping now, i'll have the Winter Olympics to watch. would be nice if the competitive juices can override the pain for a few hours at least.

hope everyone is well. and warm. and looking forward to the weekend.

peace.

music:

N.W.A. - The N.W.A. Legacy Volume 1 1988-1998

"One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain." - Bob Marley

contemplating a blank canvas

so i got a phone call from the doctor's office today with the results of my 10 x-rays from last week. no structural damage that shows a new injury but there is some chronic issues with my neck that will be discussed tomorrow at the appointment. so, my mind immediately goes to a bulging disc or even better, worse neck damage that will need to be surgically repaired. of course, i won't know exactly until i talk to the doctor, but i am a worst case scenario type of guy.

we got almost 6 inches of snow last night, followed up by 1/4 inch of ice. that actually helped cap the snow and not have it drift all over the damn place. the guy who farms out here plowed the lane this morning and did most of the shoveling for me. a big thank you to him. i did the other two parts of the sidewalk that don't get used much. it was a very heavy snow. needless to say, i didn't feel great afterwards. and i still had to feed the cats. saw all but one of them. i figure he was out sneaking around looking for something to fuck.

the New York Rangers really impressed me last night with how they jumped on Colorado from the beginning and played a complete 60 minutes for a change. highlights are below:

tonight, the Dayton Flyers play at George Mason. i'm really hoping Dayton wins, seeing that GM is 0-7 in the A10 so far. Dayton really needs to get on a run to make up for the month they pissed away.

other than that tonight, i suppose i'll be flipping between some hockey games and god knows what else. most likely, as it has been for the last few nights, i'll fall asleep watching something and wake up in the middle of the night sore as fuck.

i've been having a good laugh reading all the horror stories from reporters over in Russia for the Winter Olympics. hopefully the games end up being better than what i have read so far. not thrilled with the times i will be getting up to watch the hockey games, but it's not like i sleep anymore anyway. of course, knowing my luck, i'll be having surgery and won't be able to watch any of the Olympics.

that's all for me today. i know damn well i won't sleep for shit tonight as i'll be busy wondering what the fuck is really wrong with my neck. i see the doctor at 11 in the morning tomorrow. not exactly sure what the plan is after that appointment. i do know it is going to be cold as fuck here tomorrow.

hope everyone is well. wish me luck and send me some positive vibes. or cash, that works as well. i'll provide some updates the next time i'm on here. until then...

peace and chicken grease.

music:

Charles Bradley - No Time For Dreaming

"Don't let the same dog bite you twice." - Chuck Berry

waiting for a storm

well, the assholes that do the weather on the local news can't make up their minds on which dire forecast to predict. are we getting the 10 inches of snow that will stop everything around here or are we getting an ice storm that's going to bring down power lines and freeze all of us to death? if i had to choose, i'll go with the snow. i've lived here long enough to know we'll get neither. but i'm getting my mind ready to battle with my arm just in case.

i've been in a pretty shitty mood all day long. the sun has decided to take the day off. you can just tell it wants to snow so damn bad but nothing is hitting the ground yet. but that doesn't stop it from fucking with my bones. i've been aching all damn day long. doesn't help that i didn't sleep for shit last night. hopefully the next trip to the doctor's office yields better results than this last one.

Monday Night Raw was really hit or miss last night. didn't really help me escape from my pain.

tonight, the New York Rangers are back in action against Colorado. i'd love to see a win mostly just so i can have a victory beer.

other than that, i imagine i'll be watching it snow this evening. if the arm is feeling good enough, maybe i'll try to do something creative. if not, i'll be in my recliner trying to sleep.

a big thank you to Michelle Mattila for her lovely comments about my book, Sofisticated White Trash. that's certainly one way to take my mind away from this shitty day.

well, the pain pills are starting to fade. that's all for me. i hope everyone is well. i hope you don't have a shitty storm coming your way. and i hope your mind isn't consumed with pain.

later.

music:

Al Green - Greatest Hits
Bruno Mars - Unorthodox Jukebox

"Each person must live their life as a model for others." - Rosa Parks

sunshine and pain

i pretty much knew i had picked the wrong team to win the Super Bowl when the first snap of the game ends up in a safety. it was not an entertaining blowout, nor were the commercials the greatest either. i did enjoy the halftime show very much. i'm pretty sure millions of people finally know who Bruno Mars is now.

as for the Sunday night shows, Shameless was great as always. i did enjoy House of Lies very much. and i fell asleep during Episodes, missing the last 5 minutes. but, since i can't sleep for more than 2 hours at a time, i did see those 5 minutes later in the night. i did catch the episode of New Girl after the Super Bowl. it did make me laugh, as did seeing Prince with that damn fro.

sadly, i don't believe the pain pills are working as well as they did when i first started taking them. my arm has really been bothering me today. of course, i believe some of that has to do with the weather.

i did manage to type up the 2 poems i wrote this weekend. i also did a quick brainstorm of my favorite 15 poems for that poetry project i wrote about yesterday. i believe i have the 15 i want to send. i think it's a fairly good mix of my work. i suppose time will tell.

the weather forecast for here for the middle of the week apocalypse storm keeps changing. hopefully, the latest one is true where we get mostly snow and sleet and no freezing rain. i could live with that.

i was a little stunned to see that Philip Seymour Hoffman died on Sunday. then, i read up on his struggles with addiction and was less stunned. sad to see an amazing talent go way too soon.

i am really hoping Monday Night Raw is good enough tonight to distract me from my pain. i know there is a steel cage match tonight, so that should help.

other than that, i see a long shower in my future and leftover snacks from Super Bowl Sunday for dinner. good times.

that's all for me. hope everyone had a great weekend. a big thank you to Michele for following the blog. and a big thank you for all the love on LinkedIn here lately, i really appreciate it.

peace and chicken grease.

music:

Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
Lecrae - Church Clothes, Vol. 2

"It always seems impossible until its done." - Nelson Mandela

funny how life works sometimes

last night was miserable for me. this cold front was moving through and my body was in constant pain. even the drugs didn't help much. needless to say, i didn't sleep well.

i thought Saturday Night Live had its moments last night. i did enjoy the send off for Seth Meyers. the rest of the show was really hit and miss. ROH was excellent last night. all 3 matches were really good, especially the match between AJ Styles and Roderick Strong. was good enough that i watched it again at 4 in the morning. i'd rather have been asleep, but oh well. the life of an insomniac.

i think it's a little funny how i feel miserable at the moment but i just got another wonderful invite to a poetry project. a big thank you to Michele McDannold for thinking of me. looks like i will be at the computer a little more than i was expecting this month.

today is the Super Bowl. i will be watching, not because i have money on the game, but mostly because i've watched all damn season long. plus, i tend to enjoy the commercials. i have Denver winning. given how my picks have gone this year, i won't be surprised if i'm wrong.

my fantasy hockey team is looking at another losing week if i don't get a few miracles today. this is not how i wanted to enter the upcoming Olympic break at all.

so i don't overdose on football today, i'm sure i will bounce between some college basketball and European soccer. and hopefully i will get a nap in as well.

the Girls episode last night made me laugh my ass off. i really enjoyed it as i have experienced a few contracts in my life as a writer. i get a good laugh at those that don't read the fine print. sometime tonight i will catch all the new episodes for the Showtime Sunday night shows. it will probably be late as i don't see the weather allowing my body to feel better anytime soon.

and Tuesday is looking like it is going to be a shit weather day from hell. either a huge snow storm or a huge ice storm. i'm not looking forward to either. if it does get really bad and i'm up for it, i'll try to get some pictures.

that's pretty much all for me. i need to go feed the cats and try not to fall on my ass with all the ice outside. mom put some ice melter out for me. hopefully it has worked.

hope everyone enjoys the Super Bowl or the commercials or the party you are at viewing it all. for those not going that route, hope you have a wonderful Sunday. and hopefully the weather is better in your neck of the woods.

until tomorrow, pain permitting. sadly, i'm almost getting used to the feeling of my left arm constantly having electricity running through it. nothing quite like a pinched nerve in someone who already is a bit nuts.

be well.

music:

TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light

"Failure is a part of success." - Hank Aaron

at least the drugs are working a little bit

i woke up this morning after almost 6 hours of sleep, albeit those 6 hours weren't straight through. but i did feel somewhat refreshed. i suppose it could have been the mixing of the pain pills with beer.

last night, the New York Rangers whipped the fucking Islanders for the last time this season 4-1. i was very happy to see that The King is back on top of his game. and the Rangers have really figured out how to play this season. they play again on the 4th against Colorado.

sadly, Manchester United fell back into their shitty ways this morning, losing to Stoke 2-1. two more injuries, a very curious substitution by David Moyes, a wasted effort from the big 3 (RVP, Rooney, Mata), and ultimately, just not enough to get anything today. they are now in serious risk of not finishing in the top 4. and i have no fucking clue how they will convince the top players in the world to come there when there will be no Champions League next season.

thankfully, right after that the Dayton Flyers ended their losing streak by beating George Washington, 75-65. of course, GW was down 3 starters because of injury and illness, but i'll gladly take the win and victory beer.

here in a little bit, i'll be watching the team USA soccer friendly. hopefully it will be exciting. of course, i could use the sleep as well.

tonight, i imagine i will be watching the NFL awards. i think the new episode of Girls airs tonight instead of tomorrow. also, Saturday Night Live is new and so is ROH. on top of all that, i'll probably be watching some comedy specials as well. busy night on my ass as usual.

i did get some really good news today. my poem "slice of utopia" has been selected to be in the 2013 Best Of anthology, Storm Cycle by Kind of a Hurricane Press. you can find that poem by going here: http://www.pyrokinection.com/2013/07/three-poems-by-jj-campbell.html

that's all for me. the weather is warming up, only to get really fucking cold again next week. back to my recliner and thinking of sleeping forever.

be well. hope you are in the middle of a great weekend. until tomorrow, well before the Super Bowl comes on.

music:

Otis Redding - Otis Blue
Willie Dixon - I Am The Blues

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