a creative outburst

i was a busy boy last night. i ended up writing 7 poems. i really like a few of them after i typed them up this afternoon. that will give me plenty of bullets to start sending out poems in a few days.

also, broke out the camera today and took some photos:

the rest of them can be seen on my Google+ page and i'll put them in the slide show here on the blog sometime soon.

the New York Rangers won 5-0 last night. a very convincing and satisfying win.

as for the Sunday night shows, Shameless was great. House of Lies was as well. both of them set up nicely for the season finales next week. Vice was awesome as usual. and after nearly forgetting, Total Divas had me laughing once again. and another strong ending to the episode. good stuff.

as for tonight, the usual Monday struggle between The Voice and Monday Night Raw. i've got a feeling YouTube will be used later tonight. also, since baseball is going again, i may squeeze in some of that, especially if i need a nap.

i advanced to the finals of my fantasy hockey tournament. hopefully my team will keep on clicking until the end of the season.

also, my good friend Janne Karlsson sent me some of the comic strips he's coming up with out of the work we did last year. some realy good shit is going to coming out here soon.

that's all for me today. i'll be on here tomorrow sometime after Manchester United plays and before the New York Yankees and New York Rangers take over my Tuesday night.

i listened to a ton of music today (i'm a slow typer) so enjoy my insanity below.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

The Airborne Toxic Event - Sometime Around Midnight
The Allman Brothers Band - Whipping Post
The Black Crowes - Oh Josephine
Brett Dennen - Queen of the Westside
Florence & The Machine - Addicted to Love
Grant Lee Buffalo - Fuzzy
Jeffrey Gaines - In Your Eyes (Live)
Muddy Waters - Mannish Boy
My Morning Jacket - Rocket Man
Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel
Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees
Social Distortion - Bakersfield
Thriving Ivory - Angels on the Moon
U2 - Bad (Live)
William Fitzsimmons - Beautiful Girl
Lonesome River Band - Perfume, Powder & Lead

"I just go where the guitar takes me." - Angus Young

and sometimes, dreams just die

last night was a frustrating one for me. i knew if Dayton had any chance of winning, they had to play their best. sadly, when you have 2 starters that don't score and one happens to be your leading scorer, you have no fucking chance to play your best. and that is the frustrating part, seeing they lost by only 10. that did make the gamblers happy, as the spread was 10 1/2. my sister called from Las Vegas bitching about how she should have put some money down on it. after i cooled off last night, i sort of reflected on how great and unexpected this run to the Elite 8 truly was. hats off to the team, the coaching staff, and everyone involved. and please make this the bar that we strive to get past each year.

thankfully, i saved my victory beer from United's win yesterday to after the Dayton game. that gave me a little alcohol to have with my misery. and since i was wired from the game, i was able to stay up to about 4 in the morning. so, i did see all of Saturday Night Live. i loved it. Louis C.K. was funny as hell. and i also was able to catch the new episode of ROH. a great match between Elgin and AJ Styles. i haven't seen a time limit draw in years.

so, after i got the trash out and fed the animals this morning, i basically have spent my time today napping and fucking around on iTunes (i got a gift card). as usual, i'm all over the map with what i have bought today. but, that's the beauty of being crazy. you don't have to come up with reasons for anything.

tonight will be a crowded schedule, as usual for a Sunday. the New York Rangers play out in Edmonton. hopefully, they can get back to winning. and then there's the shows tonight. Shameless, House of Lies, and then over to HBO to watch Vice. i suppose i will try to squeeze some hockey in sometime during those shows. might be a night where i keep mom's tablet nearby.

but before all that i'll be watching the ceremony honoring the Dayton basketball team. i almost told mom we were going to go but i really don't feel like taking a fucking shower today. thankfully, the local tv station is going to air it. i think it's also going to be on the radio. so, that should be a nice way to cap off a great season.

that's pretty much all for me. i do plan on doing some writing late tonight. if i can bust out a good 5 poems tonight i will be thrilled. i'll let you know tomorrow how that shakes out.

hope this finds everyone well. if your brackets are still in good shape, fuck you. i'll be on here sometime tomorrow, hopefully after typing up a handful of poems.

until we meet again my enemies...

music:

BR5-49 - Me 'n' Opie (Down by the Duck Pond) (MP3 Single)
Ed Sheeran & Gary Lightbody - Chasing Cars (Live)  (MP3 Single)
Alex Clare - Too Close (MP3 Single)
Angel Haze & Sia - Battle Cry (MP3 Single)
Cee Lo Green - Fuck You (MP3 Single)
Deer Tick - Goodbye, Dear Friend (MP3 Single)
DJ Shadow & Little Dragon - Scale It Back (MP3 Single)
Grouplove - Ways To Go (MP3 Single)
Stereophonics & Tom Jones - Mama Told Me Not to Come (MP3 Single)

"I'm a hopeful cynic." - Tracy Chapman

let the craziness begin

it was raining when i woke up this morning. i knew as soon as i put my left leg down on the floor. when my scar tissue tingles like that, i know it's really raining. i don't need to look out the window. soon after i got done feeding the cats, that rain turned to a wet snow. i just love spring in Ohio.

what really made me laugh was the sunshine when i turned on the Manchester United game. i suppose the bizarre weather switch could be a good sign that maybe Dayton will beat Florida tonight. or maybe i'm reaching for hope.

United got off to the usual slow start, giving up a goal to Aston Villa in the first 15 minutes. thankfully, that woke the team up. 2 goals from Wayne Rooney, a goal (finally) from Juan Mata and then Chicharito finished it off late. a nice 4-1 win that was much needed as the best team in Europe is coming on Tuesday. and as much as i want to believe they have a chance against Bayern Munich, i know damn well they don't.

looks like the fiasco between my doctor's office and the pharmacy has been figured out. i'll start the arthritis medication tomorrow as i want to take it each morning with breakfast. and since that's the only meal i eat around the same time each day, my doctor advised doing it then. and i try to be a good patient, most of the time.

the New York Rangers lost last night, 4-3. they picked the wrong night to do so, as every other team around them in the playoff race won. sadly, they actually got the lead in the 2nd period but the defense slipped into a coma and turned 3-2 into 4-3 for Calgary. they next play Sunday night.

i did do some writing last night, after Kentucky blew up my brackets for good. i busted out 3 poems that i really like. i typed them up a few hours ago and i like them even more now. i'd like to have one more writing session and then i'll start sending out submissions again. you have been warned.

i am as ready as i'm going to be for the Dayton Flyers vs. Florida tonight. i believe Dayton has a chance, but they will have to play their A+ game to do it. all i really want from them tonight is to give themselves a chance to win the game. if they can do that, regardless of how it works out in the end, i'll be happy. they have gone so much farther than anyone expected. but, if they do make the Final Four, it will be the first time they have made it since 1967. and if they do win tonight, i will be sky fucking high for a week.

so far my nerves are holding up pretty well. i've been watching soccer all day long. i'm sure the butterflies will come in a few hours.

after the game, and depending on my mood, i'm looking forward to watching Saturday Night Live tonight. mostly due to Louis C.K. also, if i can stay awake, there's a new episode of ROH tonight. there's a better chance i catch that tomorrow at noon.

that's all for me party people. hope everyone enjoys the weekend and i do hope the weather is better in your neck of the woods. until tomorrow my enemies.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

AC/DC - Back in Black
Guided By Voices - Human Amusements at Hourly Rates

"Everybody wants to do something to help, but nobody wants to be first." - Pearl Bailey

the aftermath

The Dayton Flyers are 40 minutes away from possibly going to The Final Four. i am actually having a hard time fucking believing i just typed that sentence. if they beat Florida tomorrow night, welcome to the apocalypse. also, say goodbye to the campus. there was 28 arrests after the win last night. they might have to arrest everyone in the city if they win tomorrow night. HOLY SHIT.

i went to the doctor today. he believes i am progressing really well with my pinched nerve. i brought up some concerns on some pain i am having in my shoulders and ankles and my family history of arthritis. so, he gave me a drug for that since i really don't take much medication at all. now, i'm not sure if it was the fact that sun came out today or the basketball game from last night, but there was some fuck up between the doctor's office and the pharmacy. and i didn't get that drug when i was there with my mother earlier today. she didn't get all of her meds either. so, i'm hoping i will start that tomorrow. and if that works, that will get me off of the pain pills completely.

the New York Rangers play in Calgary tonight. hopefully their winning ways can continue.

i was feeling a little artsy fartsy today and bought some markers and paper for markers at the store. i'm thinking i might come up with some new shit for a YouTube video.

i'm planning on doing some writing late tonight. i've got a few ideas racing in my head. that's what happens when i spend most of the day people watching at the supermarket and at the sports bar.

i'll be on here sometime after Manchester United plays in the morning. hopefully they win and put me in a good mood for the Dayton game Saturday night.

hopefully this dream never ends.

that's all for me kids. hope this finds all of you well. until we meet again.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
M83. - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming.

"I always wanted to be a basketball player." - Ronnie James Dio

trying to keep busy

as my mother used to put it when i was a child, i was busier than 9 cats trying to cover up shit in a windstorm today. between doing my laundry, fucking around on the computer, listening to music, trying to sleep, watch tv, feed the cats and wonder where the fuck the sun has gone; it has all been an effort to keep my mind off of tonight. probably the biggest basketball game the Dayton Flyers have played since 1967.

if Dayton can beat Stanford tonight and make the Elite 8, i will be unbelievably happy and stunned at the same time. we're the only school left that is basically a small school. every other school left has a football program that brings in millions upon millions each year. the only sport that makes money at Dayton is men's basketball. all that money has to pay for everything else. so, tonight is a big fucking deal to say the least. but, i am a realist. any win from this point on is gravy. i didn't expect them to get this far, so i'm not going to pretend to be shocked if they lose. but that doesn't mean i won't party my ass off if they win.

and to get everyone else in the mood, enjoy the Flyer Pep Band:

the New York Rangers won their fifth in a row last night, beating Philly 3-1. they own that team at MSG. hopefully that will continue if they meet in the playoffs.

i did watch most of Duck Dynasty last night. when i saw the wrestling ring being built for the family reunion, i paid a little more attention. must be nice to have money. Legit was really fucking funny last night. i had Ali G on while i was going through my email. lately, the show is more background noise for me than actual humor. maybe i'm just older now.

after the game tonight, i will either be drunk or really bummed. regardless, i'm going to try to get some writing done. and i should probably get some sleep as i do have a doctor's appointment tomorrow.

i hope this finds everyone well. i will be on here late in the afternoon tomorrow. at least that is what the plan is.

peace and chicken grease bitches...

music:

AC/DC - Back in Black
Guided By Voices - Human Amusements at Hourly Rates

"Violence is one of the most fun things to watch." - Quentin Tarantino

when does spring start again?

i woke up this morning and it was 14 degrees outside. by 5 PM, it had barely made it above freezing. and to think it is supposed to be spring. the fuckers on the tv say a warm up is coming, but throw in the caveat that it may end with some wet snow. maybe the dirty little secret this year is winter is never going to end. good times.

i did watch all of The Voice last night. Usher easily has the best team. of course, that doesn't mean he will win. i'm interested to see what the second round of battles brings. i think it makes the most sense to make sure only the best of the best makes it to the live shows.

the New York Rangers play tonight against Philly. i will be glued to that game. the Rangers are battling injuries and the flu bug and this game is a MUST win if they want to host a series in the playoffs. it's on national tv tonight in case anyone is interested. NBCSN at 8 PM.

also tonight i'm going to try to squeeze in Legit, Ali G, and Duck Dynasty. yet another night i wish i had a DVR.

i didn't do any writing last night or today. too many nerves at the moment regarding the Dayton Flyers. my mind is consumed with their game against Stanford. and my dreams are busy figuring out how they can shock the world and win the national championship. that's one thing i learned as a child; if you're going to dream you might as well dream BIG.

i ran out of nerve pills today so i'm wondering how the next few hours go. i go back to the doctor on Friday. i'd like to think i don't need them anymore but i've got a feeling that is not going to be the case.

i highly recommend the latest Sam Roberts Show Online, #95, especially if you are a wrestling fan. more than a hour with Jim Ross. all the stories and inside stuff that you haven't heard before. you can find it on iTunes, Stitcher, notsam.com and the right hand side of this blog.

that's all for me kids. off to eat a little dinner and get my mind right for some hockey. hope this finds everyone well. i'll be on here tomorrow sometime between loads of laundry.

peace...

music:

Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks (Deluxe Edition)

"We have to distrust each other. It is our only defense against betrayal." - Tennessee Williams

a sping snowstorm

at one point this afternoon, i couldn't see more than 10 feet down the lane. luckily, none of this snow was really sticking on anything other than the grass. a dusting at most. but, with the wind, i don't think of spring when it feels like 18 degrees out.

sadly, i did watch most of Manchester United's loss to City today. it's a bit disheartening when you realize that they have better players at nearly every position. i was surprised they only beat us 3-0. the summer transfer period can't get here fast enough.

the New York Rangers started off the game last night against the Coyotes asleep. thankfully, they woke up and showed the kind of fight i've been looking for from this team for awhile now. but, now that they have it, they better play like this for the rest of the season and the playoffs. a HUGE 4-3 win in OT to get 2 much needed points and move ahead of the Flyers in the standings. they happen to play each other on Wednesday, which should be a bloody affair.

The Voice last night was pretty good from what i saw. not sure yet what to think of this season. i think i will wait until the live shows to see who i really like.

the last hour of Monday Night Raw saved the show from being just three hours of absolute shit. i credit The Shield and Cesaro for making the night somewhat memorable. i feel sorry for The Shield though, they're going to have to carry those three geezers at Wrestlemania. i have no doubts they can, but they would be better used in a better match.

as for tonight, i'll watch The Voice and probably the 2 shows after it and then either write or hit the shower. i suppose i might squeeze in some baseball as that starts up here soon. i'm not used to still being invested in college basketball at this time when everything else is going on. opening day for the Yankees is a few days away and i'm busy wondering how Dayton is going to beat Stanford on Thursday night. not that i'm complaining about it. i wish this distraction would happen more often.

that's all for me. i guess we have another cold day and then it is supposed to get to the 50's and 60's around here. i'll believe it when i see it.

hope everyone is well. i'll be on here tomorrow in the afternoon sometime i suppose. unless i decide to do some writing. then, i'll be on here before the Rangers play.

peace and chicken grease bitches...

music:

Son House - The Original Delta Blues
My Morning Jacket - Rocket Man (MP3 Single)

"We are tomorrow's past." - Mary Webb

letting the brain rest

i have been sort of on auto-pilot today. just really wanted a day where i could give my brain a rest. well, at least for a few hours. i did that until i decided to do some brainstorming on iTunes. you'll see the results of that down below.

i did the dishes late last night, mostly to have some warm water running through the pipes last night. i believe it got down to 10 or so with the windchill. but, having a bad back provides just enough pain that when that back is aggravated, i will sleep simply out of misery. so, i think i got almost 6 hours last night.

i did enjoy the Sunday night shows. Total Divas was pretty good, especially the ending. i thought Girls ended the season in a way that gives plenty of avenues for the next season. Vice is way better than 60 Minutes if you ask me. Shameless was great as well. and House of Lies did make me laugh realy hard a few times.

tonight will be my usual remote control breaking Monday kind of night. first off, the New York Rangers play at home against the Coyotes. bascially, another playoff game. and the team is going through the flu bug at the moment. just great.

and then at 8, it's my usual struggle between The Voice and Monday Night Raw. i'm really hoping both shows are good tonight.

i was stunned with the news that the lead singer of GWAR died. totally didn't see that one coming.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/03/24/gwar-lead-singer-dave-brockie-dies-former-bandmates-pay-tribute-to-the-man-known-as-oderus-urungus/

sorry for this being so short... i've got toilets to clean and then figure out what's for dinner.

hope this finds everyone well. i'll be on here tomorrow sometime after the Manchester United game.

peace...

music:

Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers (MP3 Single)
Geto Boys - My Mind Playin Tricks on Me (MP3 Single)
Goldfrapp - Ooh La La (MP3 Single)
Jeffrey Gaines - In Your Eyes (Live) (MP3 Single)
Turnpike Troubadours - Gin, Smoke, Lies (MP3 Single)

"Falling in love consists merely in uncorking the imagination and bottling the common sense." - Helen Rowland

cinderella wears red and blue

i am absolutely spent from the game last night. this sort of borders on the kind of shit i never thought i would get to see again in my life. but, as Dayton beat Syracuse last night, 55-53, to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 30 years, i literally screamed and went nuts. that was the proudest "L" i have ever written on my bracket sheet. when this last happened, when i was 8 years old, i never understood the importance of it. now, as a long suffering fan, i do. i'm tempted to try to go to Memphis to see them play Stanford, but i have a doctor's appointment the next day. so, that's not happening. but i will be wearing the same clothes, and hoping that this ride doesn't stop. here's a picture of the university president crowd surfing last night after the victory:

picture courtesy of The Sporting News, who got it from a student i do believe.

this victory will do wonders for the program, the school, the city, everything. as i said to my cousin last night on the phone, HOLY FUCKING SHIT... perhaps the best victory beer i have ever had in my life.

on top of that, the New York Rangers won again, 2-0. that shutout gives The King the team record. it's his 50th of his career. also, the 2 points help get them that much closer to the playoffs. they next play on Monday.

today has mostly been a day of recovery. and since it is trash day, of course the wind is going nuts. and looks like winter is making a comeback. i don't think it made it out of the 30's today. that is probably hell freezing over.

i did catch the ROH episode i slept through last night today at noon. absolutely loved the match with Adam Cole, Mike Bennett and The Briscoes. one hell of a match.

tonight will be my hodgepodge of Total Divas, Girls, Vice, Shameless, House of Lies and whatever college basketball games i can sneak in. my brackets are shot, but who gives a shit.

the team i have lived and died over since i was a child is in the SWEET 16 for the first time since i was 8 years old.

also, for those of you who didn't get to see the goal i was talking about yesterday. enjoy this beauty from Wayne Rooney:

that is all for me kids. i hope everyone is having or had (depending on when you read this) a great weekend. i'll be on here tomorrow after i get some sleep and get the hate out of my system for the fucking snow that is coming. spring in Ohio. what a fucking joke.

peace and chicken grease.

music:

The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
Japandroids - Celebration Rock
Portugal. The Man - Evil Friends

"The one thing that can solve most of our problems is dancing." - James Brown

my 2 poems in Pyrokinection

my poems "i see the doctor tomorrow" and "entirely too much bass" were published this morning at Pyrokinection. you can find the poems by going here:
http://www.pyrokinection.com/2014/03/two-poems-by-jj-campbell.html

some swelling, a broken chair, some poems, an amazing goal, and some more bitching...

the best way for me to write this one is in the order it happened. so, away we go...

my left leg was looking pretty bad last night. the swelling wasn't going down and the redness wasn't going away. given my history with blood clots, i believe both my mother and i had the same fear in mind. so, after a good long sleep (for me, 5 hours), i woke up to a leg that wasn't as red or as swollen. so, now the thought is the cut i got last week on it may be infected. good times.

so, i have a little breakfast this morning and go to sit in my chair to read the paper. and sure enough, the fucking chair breaks. it was somewhere around this point that i started writing poems in my head. more on that later. so, it looks like a screw broke on the chair. great. thankfully, it's under warranty, or at least that is the hope at the moment. looks like i might be watching more tv from bed for a little while.

made my second round picks for the NCAA tournament this morning. i went 26-6 in the first round. not bad but certainly not good enough.

while watching some soccer this morning, i decided to go upstairs and write a little. and yes, my fucking morning was covered in it. i typed up the 4 i wrote this afternoon. i like them. i need to write a few more and then i will be sending out some submissions soon.

next up was the Manchester United game. i'll have to give Moyes credit. he went with a lineup with a ton of changes in it and it worked. a solid 2-0 win over West Ham that included a Wayne Rooney goal for the ages. next up on Tuesday is Manchester City. if they somehow get a positive result out of that, my opinion of Moyes will really change. but, i'm not expecting it.

i heard from my good friend in Sweden today. looks like our planned book of his art and my poems has been put on hold, probably forever. but, the both of us have plenty of ideas to get this great work we did out there. so, keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks for more news on this front.

the New York Rangers played what was basically a playoff game last night in Columbus and won, 3-1. what i loved the most was the fans booed Rick Nash most of the night and those dumb asses actually lit a fire under his ass. he was the power forward i remembered last night, hitting people, starting fights, made d men look foolish, it was great. below are the highlights:

up tonight is the Dayton Flyers chance to make the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1984. a HUGE game against Syracuse in their backyard basically (Buffalo). i've got the same clothes on, i'm eating the same food, etc. i really hope the players know they are playing with house money. no one expects them to win so there is no pressure. and hopefully, sometime around 9 or so tonight, i'll be drinking one sweet victory beer.

going on at the same time is the New York Rangers playing in New Jersey. basically, another playoff game. i'd love to get 2 more points. that would really help the cause. i will be peeking in during commercials and halftime. and if the Dayton game gets out of hand. hopefully, that won't happen.

late tonight, i'll hopefully still be awake to watch ROH. should be yet another really good episode.

that is all for me today. i'll be on here sometime tomorrow, hopefully with good news to share. or, you'll get to read the musings of a beaten man. good times.

hope everyone is well. have a drink on me this evening.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Beth Orton - Sugaring Season
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Live from Alabama

"It's good to shut up sometimes." - Marcel Marceau

so much for feeling good...

i made the mistake last night of eating Taco Bell. i rarely do this and i am not exactly sure why i fucking ate it last night. needless to say, after 4 trips to the shitter this morning and both of my legs swelling up because of all the salt, i won't be making that mistake again. EVER.

so, i didn't go out today as i was thinking i was going to. instead, spent the day here feeling like shit while watching the games.

was doing really good on my brackets, even called the Duke upset right, until UMass and New Mexico fucked me royally. so much for that chance to actually win some money. oh well.

the New York Rangers play in Columbus tonight in yet another MUST win. basically, all of the games for the rest of the season are playoff games.

best of luck to my high school alma mater on their game tonight in the final 4 of the state basketball finals.

found out today that Manchester United plays Bayern Munich in the next round of the Champions League. it will probably take more than miracles to get past that team. United plays Saturday afternoon against West Ham. no RVP for this game as he has a knee injury that is going to keep him out for 6 weeks. i swear, for every small step this team takes forward they end up falling 5 or 6 behind.

i'll be on here tomorrow probably after that game. and well before the Dayton Flyers take on Syracuse Saturday night. i have a good feeling about the game, not that that means anything.

hope everyone has a great weekend. i would make this longer but i'm trying to keep my legs elevated as best as i can. and since i have no laptop and suck at typing upside down, i feel like these blog posts will be getting shorter for the time being.

until tomorrow my enemies...

music:

Ashley Monroe - Like a Rose
Tori Amos - Live at Montreux 1991 & 1992

"I enjoy playing characters where the silence is loud." - Gary Oldman

so this is what ecstasy is like...

as you can tell from that video, my day has been pretty fucking great...

Dayton beats Ohio State 60-59. my brackets are still perfect and a ton of fuckers around the country have thrown theirs in the trash. i love it.

on top of that, Manchester United got a HUGE hat trick from RVP yesterday to come all the way back to advance in the Champions League. that probably saves Moyes' job, or his life. either way, a huge fucking win.

the 2 games i went to last night to finish out the First Four were good. Texas Southern won the battle of the bands but Cal Poly won the game 81-69. just got to love a team with a losing record advancing in the tournament. they will play Wichita St. tomorrow. in the nightcap, Iowa pissed away a lead they had for nearly 35 minutes of the game. Tennessee takes the lead late and Iowa sends it into overtime. in OT, Tennessee did everything right and Iowa either ran out of gas or thought the overtime was going to start 10 minutes later than it did. Tennessee wins 78-65. they will next play UMass.

but since the game went late, my plans got altered, just a little. i did have dinner at Waffle House which proves i will eat anything after not eating anything for 11 hours. made it back home a little after 1, so i missed a little of Legit. i did see all of Ali G and most of Duck Dynasty before i passed out in the chair. the plan was to check all my emails and do a couple other things and then go to sleep in my bed. i woke up at 7 this morning, wondering why the fuck my shoes were still on. i just love the times when the days just blend all together.

so far the first day of spring here has been good. a little cool, but dry. of course, there's a chance of rain or SNOW the next couple of days. welcome to spring in Ohio.

today is the anniversary of the death of my grandfather. it's actually the first death i remember. i was 4 when he died in 1980.

got all the "new" cats named. Cookie, Spiderman, Ryan Giggs, Boomer, Alfred, Batman, Robin, and Kris Kristofferson. made sure to write them down to help mom out. not like she'll actually use them or something, more of a just in case scenario.

that pretty much is all for me. back to the basketball. i'll be on here tomorrow sometime. i believe my mother and i are going out to watch some games in a bar as both of our doctor appointments for tomorrow got cancelled.

hope this finds everyone well, enjoying some good wine, some better words, or a woman of the evening at a fair price. or for you women that actually read this, a man. or a woman, i have my dreams...

be well bitches...

music:

AC/DC - Back in Black
The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
Metallica - Master of Puppets

"Don't let other people tell you what you want." - Pat Riley

you ever get a song stuck in your head

when i got home around 12:30 last night, i was pretty damn tired. but i had this fucking song trapped in my head that they played before each basketball game last night. it became my mission to find it on iTunes before i went to bed. by 4 AM i had completed my mission. welcome to my crazy life.

the first game last night between Albany and Mount St. Mary's was a back and forth affair. both teams had hot and cold stretches that at least kept the game interesting. Albany gets its first ever win in the NCAA tournament, 71-64. that brought on the NC St. vs. Xavier game. the hatred for Xavier was really in the air. there were enough of the pricks from down in Cincy up there that my blood was boiling. now mind you, i'm in the first few rows of the second deck, so basically my yelling was simply entertaining the fans around me. but, they were totally fucking entertained. as i explained to my mother, since those assholes weren't on the schedule this year, i had it all inside of me to get out last night. and i was on full fucking blast for 40 minutes. it was great. NC St. advances to face Saint Louis, 74-59. i enjoyed every fucking second of that beating.

as i figured, since i wasn't watching, the New York Rangers would win last night. sure enough, they won 8-4 in Ottawa. Hank becomes the franchise leader in wins by a goalie. here are the highlights:

and during my search for that song stuck in my fucking head, i did get to see most of what happened on The Voice last night. hats off to Usher for still having nearly his whole team still involved, either through wins or steals.

tonight, i will get to see Cal Poly vs. Texas Southern and then Iowa vs. Tennessee. hopefully, both games will be good. i'm getting prepared for the sea of fucking orange tonight. sadly, those fans from Tennessee travel well.

the plan after dinner tonight at Waffle House, is to watch Legit, Ali G., and Duck Dynasty when i get home. hopefully i will have enough energy left to do so.

now, i'm off to watch a little of Manchester United before i hop in the shower. in there i'll have to get prepared to listen to another night of the mid 50's hipsters sitting behind me at the basketball games. nothing like a talk about South by Southwest that lasts for 3 DAMN hours. god help me.

hope everyone is well. i'll be on here tomorrow probably after Dayton plays Ohio State. i'll either be sky fucking high or really depressed. good times.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Zombie Nation - Kernkraft 400 (Sport Chant Stadium Remix) (MP3 Single)
Nelly w/Nicki Minaj & Pharrell - Get Like Me (MP3 Single)
Icona Pop - I Love It (MP3 Single)
Gotye - Somebody That I Used to Know (MP3 Single)
The Crystal Method - Busy Child (MP3 Single)

"The artist must bow to the monster of his own imagination." - Richard Wright

time for some basketball

these next 2 days are going to be a blitz for me. even less sleep than i normally don't get, people from all over the country, 4 games in 48 hours, and hopefully, some stress free entertainment.

the First Four starts tonight at the UD Arena. i believe you can catch it on TruTV if you are interested. first up will be Albany vs. Mt. St. Mary's, two 16 seeds. after that, it will be North Carolina St. vs. Xavier. now, i have hated Xavier since i was a child. so, it will be some fun booing those fuckers once again. and hopefully, i'll get to see them lose once more on that court.

what i'll be missing on television tonight will be the next installment of the battle rounds on The Voice. i did catch a good portion of them last night. i really don't have any qualms with the decisions made. i suppose i'll catch most of tonight's episode on YouTube when i get home.

also, the New York Rangers play up in Ottawa tonight. i figure since i won't be watching, they'll probably win. at the worst, i'm really hoping they start scoring some fucking goals.

Monday Night Raw was pretty good last night. i laughed when HHH added himself to the main event at Wrestlemania. that is, if he beats Daniel Bryan. honestly, if that does happen, i will probably turn off the ppv and go watch HBO or something. the more i watch the show the more i see why CM Punk left. they never push the right ones and i think really enjoy stuffing the same people down our throats. that being said, i could use more Bray Wyatt on my screen. also, the turn of The Shield to babyfaces has been interesting. of course, the writing team will probably fuck that up.

i did catch a little of the Yankees today. had a runner on 3rd base with no outs and couldn't get him in. they are in mid-season form already.

just about have all the cats named now. still trying to decide on the last one. it has to be something i remember, especially since this cat has a tendency to hide as much as possible.

if i am not dead tired by the time i get home tonight, i might try to get some writing done. i've got a few words swimming around in my head.

was up late last night playing around on iTunes. it amazes me the amount of music i remember from my teens. i didn't buy any of it last night though. i wasn't in that kind of mood. when you see what i did buy, you'll know exactly what kind of mood i was in.

hope everyone is well. i'll try to be on here tomorrow before Manchester United plays. i have a feeling i won't want to be on here after the game.

peace and chicken grease bitches... if you happen to be going to the games tonight or tomorrow, get in touch with me.

music:

The Black Crowes - Oh Josephine (MP3 Single)
Justin Townes Earle - Racing in the Street (MP3 Single)
Justin Townes Earle - Midnight at the Movies (MP3 Single)
Ryan Bingham - Until I'm One with You (MP3 Single)

"Kisses are a better fate than wisdom." - e.e. cummings

these old Irish eyes

i was up to about 4 in the morning filling out NCAA brackets, mostly because the Dayton Flyers made the tournament for the first time since 2009. and they get to play Ohio State. this is really funny as Ohio State never plays in state schools EVER and our best scorer transferred from there. i believe this will be the second time we're playing them in almost 30 years.

so, my day has been a series of naps. that, and sneaking in candy so i don't fall asleep. i gave up this afternoon and just sat back in the chair and was out for a few hours. if the phone wouldn't have rang, i might still be asleep.

i did enjoy the Sunday night shows. Girls was good. Vice is always my favorite news show. Shameless was great as usual. House of Lies was good. and Episodes finished off its' season on a pretty strong streak.

as for this evening, my Monday night battle between The Voice and Monday Night Raw resumes. the battle rounds start on The Voice. i suppose i will be on YouTube sometime catching up on what i miss. as for Raw, should be a good episode after last week.

the New York Rangers did everything but fucking score yesterday, losing 1-0. i'll write this off to running into a scorching hot goalie, but they have to start getting points out of all of these games. they already have slipped down to the final playoff spot. that's not a good sign. i believe they play tomorrow night in Ottawa.

hope everyone had a wonderful day of drinking. i haven't had a drop yet, but that's going to change here in a bit. i'll be on here tomorrow sometime before i go to the First Four games at UD Arena. so, early afternoon i imagine.

be well my enemies...

music:

The Pogues - The Very Best Of The Pogues
U2 - The Joshua Tree

"I find beauty in the grotesque, like most artists." - Alexander McQueen

just when i thought it couldn't get any worse

i had a hard time sleeping last night. i couldn't tell if it was due to yet another fucking cold front moving through here or the impending doom with Manchester United. after this morning, i have my answer.

to sit there and watch United lose to its biggest rival 3-0 is beyond humbling. the way they played, they probably should have lost by 7. of course, that third penalty kick awarded was a complete fucking joke. but, what would a Liverpool vs. United game be without Vidic getting thrown out. next up will be getting eliminated from the Champions League and then another humbling from the noisy neighbors after that. then, and probably only then, maybe the club will realize they hired the wrong guy for manager. and realize they can't afford to drop the ball yet again with the next transfer market. but, knowing the stubborn fucks that run the club, they will simply hold the course and believe the massive fucking hole in United's midfield will fix itself.

could anyone imagine what i would be like if i drank after losses?

the New York Rangers play at home this afternoon against San Jose. Hank gets his first chance to break the franchise record for wins by a goalie. i'd love to see him get it at home and against one of the best teams in the league.

sometime around the 3rd period of that game the selection show will start for the NCAA tournament. i'm really hoping the Dayton Flyers make it and don't play in the First Four. i don't think my nerves would be able to take that, since i'll be going to the First Four games at UD Arena. if they don't make it, i honestly will blow a fucking fuse like i haven't in years. think destruction and blood and cops being called... good times.

i am looking forward to my new lineup for the Sunday night shows. tonight will start off with the return of Total Divas. and then go to Girls and the episode of Vice i missed earlier in the week. and then over to Showtime to watch Shameless, House of Lies, and Episodes. so, as you can see, blowing my fuse won't last long.

i did catch ROH last night, well, early this morning. i fell asleep before, during, and after it aired the first time. something about that chair and the heat being on and i am gone. another really strong episode. i really am excited by the tag team of Hanson and Rowe. they have some serious potential. plus, you can never go wrong with any episode involving Kevin Steen.

well, that's all for today. i'm off to go battle my nerves, watch some sports, and hopefully have a better than expected evening. hope this finds everyone well. if i contact someone for bail money, you'll know exactly how the rest of my day went.

later bitches...

music:

Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading." - Henny Youngman

a sleepy haze

i just woke up from a nap. of course, i don't exactly remember when i fell asleep. that is the beauty of being depressed and watching nothing but soccer all day long. you eventually just fade into a coma. a coma with strange accents and long names.

thankfully, the New York Rangers won last night. i would hate to have seen what today would have been like after a loss. Hank tied the franchise record for wins and Hags got his first career hat trick. 2 much needed points.

talked to my sister for the first time in a few weeks today. wanted to let her know that the high school we went to made the state final 4 in basketball for the first time in 8 years. they are playing up near her on Friday, so i'm sure she'll go to the game.

did a true check of the damage we got yesterday from the wind when i was out feeding the cats. we had a nice section of the old hog barn blow off. basically, the hole is big enough that anything smaller than a bear can get in the building now. and then i got to the bank barn. a door ripped right off of the hinges. part of the frame of the bigger door broken. i did my best to collect the parts and avoid the old rusty nails. i wiped my hands on my pants and just muttered, this will be a job for the Amish. of course, that all depends if mom wants to fix any of it at all.

the joys of depression...

i'm pretty sure i'll be bouncing between hockey games tonight and maybe a little college basketball. but not much, still too painful. and hopefully, since i had a nice long nap, i'll be awake for ROH tonight.

sorry for being short, but my imagination has taken the day off as well.

hope everyone is having a good weekend. or you are preparing to overthrow the world. either or, it's all good.

music:

Drivin' N' Cryin' - Straight To Hell (MP3 Single)
Grant Lee Buffalo - Fuzzy (MP3 Single)
Joe Ely - The Road Goes On Forever (MP3 Single)
Thriving Ivory - Angels On The Moon (MP3 Single)
U2 - Bad (MP3 Single)

"When I go to a bar, I don't go looking for a girl who knows the capital of Maine." - David Brenner (Feb. 4, 1936 - March 15, 2014)

now i know how the Utah Jazz felt

just watched Dayton lose to St. Joe's for the 3rd fucking time this year. and i know damn well, if Dayton shoots better at the free throw line, or even shoot like they normally do, they win this game. instead, i had to watch the asshole refs swallow their whistles on a play near the end of the game where Langston Galloway blatantly pushes off to make a 3 to take the lead. i was not aware that Michael Jordan was playing for St. Joe's. and honestly, if that is the play that keeps us out of the NCAA tournament, i will turn this blog into a daily rant to break up the NCAA for good. what a fucking joke.

i would include the video or a gif but it is up at nearly every damn sports site there is right now.

my war with my computer continues. i believe i have figured out that the cd burner is developing its own personality and only works when it wants to. so, i'll be shopping for a external cd burner sometime soon.

a big thank you to iTunes for actually having customer service that works. i reported the problem i had with the download and less than 2 hours later i got an email telling me how to fix the problem. and that fix actually worked.

so, of course i had to end up making my cousin another cd to include that song. my burner only allowed me to put 12 songs on this one. but, i still think it is pretty damn good. hopefully he enjoys all of these and hopefully he pays me handsomely for them.

the New York Rangers play tonight in Winnipeg. hopefully they won't make my day a complete fucking waste of my life. i believe Hank will be in goal, once again trying to tie the franchise record for wins by a goalie.

other than that. i think i will be avoiding college basketball for the rest of the evening.

the wind has been totally fucking crazy here today. got shit flying off of the roofs and drain pipes all over the fucking place. i had a great time trying to get the barn doors closed again.

yet another day where i understand completely that i am only here for the amusement of god. i understand more each day why so many of my friends are atheists.

hope everyone has a great weekend. i believe mine will be one where i see how quickly i can develop an ulcer. if Dayton doesn't get picked for the tournament on Sunday, regardless of what Manchester United does in the morning, my weekend will officially FUCKING suck.

be well my enemies...

music:

Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See
Beck - Sea Change

"I have a mind to join a club and beat you over the head with it." - Groucho Marx

my war with technology

so today was the day i was going to get my shit in gear and get the cds my cousin wanted done. and i did that, for the most part. i was downloading one song from iTunes and the internet feed went dead. that was fun. the song is downloaded yet i somehow can't play it. the shitty thing is i paid for it. not fun. and after spending a few hours to get all the songs downloaded, i started putting a cd together. i've got the perfect mix but it won't burn. i try a few different cds and still nothing. i go out and get new cds and still nothing. and then i try to burn less songs from iTunes and sure enough it worked. so, what was supposed to be 2 cds full of music became 3. 6 FUCKING hours of my day on all of this. thank god i'm getting money for this.

during this debacle today, i did get to see the Dayton Flyers advance in the A10 tournament. they started off on fire against Fordham and were up by 19 at halftime. and then of course, they tried to just sleepwalk through the second half and allowed the lead to get down to 5. thankfully, they woke the fuck up in time and won by 13, 87-74. that is now 10 wins in their last 11 games. they play the only team to beat them in that stretch tomorrow, St. Joe's. Dayton will have to play just about perfect to win as they just don't match up well against St. Joe's. i'd like to think Dayton is in the NCAA regardless of what happens tomorrow, but i get the feeling tomorrow is an elimination game. hopefully Dayton wins.

i'm typing this having just watched the New York Rangers lose 2-1 in Minnesota. sadly, 2 damn mistakes and they end up in the net. this team needs to find some fucking goals quickly. they can't expect to have all the teams around them lose all the time so they can back into the playoffs. they play tomorrow in Winnipeg. that will be a wild one.

i did enjoy The Big Bang Theory tonight. always a good show.

last night, i laughed my ass off at Legit. i didn't get to see much of Ali G as my shower and toilet time took way longer than i expected. i always love when dinner just doesn't sit right.

tomorrow, i'm hoping to get some sleep and maybe relax for a little bit. and maybe not have to deal with any computer shit. of course, i haven't checked my email in a few hours, so i probably have a ton to get to.

the weather got pretty damn cold here but the sun came out and really burned off most of the snow. looks like we are going to be in the yo yo here for awhile. a couple of days in the 50's and then right back into the 30's. rinse and repeat. just crazy enough to keep everyone sick.

i did see where the New Orleans Saints traded Darren Sproles to the Eagles. for the fantasy football guy in me, that should be fun. for the Saints fan in me, that will come back to haunt us.

that's all for me. i'm off to go check some email and then drink myself to sleep.

hope this finds everyone well. if not, i'm pretty sure you have yourself to blame.

peace bitches...

music:

more damn country music than i have listened to in my life

"Nobody became an actor because he had a good childhood." - William H. Macy

my 2 new poems in My Favorite Bullet

my poems "to the dancing fool" and "a brand new year" were published in the Feb. 2014 edition of My Favorite Bullet. you can find the issue by going  here:
http://interiornoisepress.com/00000_01MFB_2014_Main.html

others with work in this issue include Frank Reardon, William Taylor Jr., Mather Schneider, Justin Hyde, Shane Allison, Doug Draime, and Alan Catlin just to name a few.

here are the direct links to my poems:

to the dancing fool
a brand new year

and here comes a howling wind

it started raining last night, but amazingly i was able to get some sleep. painful, but i got a few hours. the wind really started to kick in this morning. i checked the radar and decided i better get my ass moving. i got the cats fed and got into town before the snow hit. we only had one piece of mail. i made it back home before it started to snow. near white out conditions at times, but, in the end, just a fucking dusting. hopefully this wind now dries everything out before it gets down to the single digits tonight. hopefully this is the last bit of winter for this season. i'm sick of this shit.

i started doing some neck exercises today. just really wanted to stretch the muscles to see if i could make some more progress. they definitely helped so far.

finished my brainstorming this morning and came up with the 10 songs i needed. so, now i just need to get all of other songs my cousin wants downloaded and i'll be good to go. i'm hoping to get this done by the weekend.

the New York Rangers disappointed the shit out of me last night. completely outworked the entire game. if Hank wouldn't have been as good as he was, they would have lost by more. 3-1 loss in a game that really never felt that close. they start a back to back on the road tomorrow. they better have their asses in gear as they are a few more losses away from falling out of a playoff spot.

saw the news today that the New Orleans Saints are going to try to trade away my favorite player, Darren Sproles. i'm not happy about this, but i just hope they send him to a place where he'll have a chance to play and win. he deserves at least that much.

i believe the episodes of Legit and Ali G are new tonight. i'll hopefully be out of the shower in time to watch those. other than that, it's the crap shoot to see if i can stay up to see the late night shows or not. i did a pretty good job last night. i didn't fall asleep until halfway into Late Night. i imagine that was due to my brain overworking to try to understand the Spanish Juanes was singing in his performance last night on The Tonight Show. i got a few words here and there. not bad for not working on it since high school.

i did catch a little of the New York Yankees this afternoon. i was flipping between that and all the NFL free agency news. the Saints got a good safety. here's hoping they do a little more than just that.

that's all for me. i need to get over to iTunes and start doing some pricing. hope this finds everyone well. and warm. and ready for warmer weather. and hopefully not involved in the fire on the west coast or the apartment explosion on the east coast. seeing i know people in both places, this has been one of those afternoons where i wish i could just sleep all of it away.

peace bitches...

music:

Pixies - Come On Pilgrim
Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
Van Morrison - Moondance

"Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion." - Jack Kerouac

pills

my poem "pills" was published yesterday at Dead Snakes. you can find the poem by going here: http://deadsnakes.blogspot.com/2014/03/jj-campbell-poem.html

sometimes all you can do is sleep

i can tell this is a massive weather system getting ready to roll through here as i have been in pain ALL day long. and nearly every 30 minutes or so, i catch myself starting to fall asleep from the pain. the type of pain where the pills don't work anymore. it's just lovely.

so, here is a quick recap of my life in the last 24 hours...

for some reason, 10 PM rolls around anymore and i become a situational narcoleptic. so, i fell asleep last night and missed the ending of wrestling, the local news, and the first 30 minutes or so of The Tonight Show. i woke up with a blanket on me and wondering what the fuck happened. good times.

The Voice last night was pretty good. i believe Adam got the best performer of the night.

Monday Night Raw was pretty good as well. i did enjoy the Daniel Bryan occupy moment. that was interesting to watch. i love how the company gave in to the public pressure and made HHH vs. Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania with the stipulation that if Bryan wins he gets to be in the main event. that should save that match from being boring as fuck.

a big thanks to YouTube for having all the shit i missed in my slumber.

today has been pretty damn painful. the subscription i won to Maxim started today. so, i suppose that could be a bright spot. i've spent most of the day brainstorming on what songs i'm going to include on my cousin's cd. i figure once i have my 10, i'll download his 30 and get to mixing. hopefully i'll have that done by the weekend.

i've also been in and out of the start of the free agency period in the NFL. i always try to keep track of that for fantasy football purposes.

the New York Rangers play here in a few minutes. Hank will be going for win number 301, which would tie the franchise record. and it would extend the Rangers winning streak. hopefully i am enjoying a victory beer later tonight.

i'll also be flipping to the new episode of The Voice tonight, which should conclude the blind auditions. and some college basketball as well this evening. plenty of league championship games that determine tournament teams are going on.

i believe the thunderstorms are supposed to start around 4 in the morning. and then it is supposed to turn to snow around noon or so. not exactly sure when i'll get out to the cats. i tried to give them enough food to make it for longer than 24 hours. by Thursday morning the temperature is going to be around 4 or so. it was near 65 degrees today. fuck me.

i suppose if the power or the satellite goes out tomorrow, i might try to get some writing done. stumbled upon another site i want to send to.

that's all for me today. hope everyone is well and properly inebriated. not sure when i'll be on here tomorrow. that is pretty much in Mother Nature's gnarly fucking hands.

later...

music:

Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls
The Pogues - The Very Best of The Pogues

"A promise made is a debt unpaid." - Robert W. Service

i'm starting to really hate the weather

i woke up this morning with the usual amount of back pain. by the middle of the morning, my back was in knots. i checked the weather and noticed we have a major cold front coming through soon. not sure how much snow we're going to get as i'm currently avoiding local news as much as i can. my best guess is around 5 to 8 inches. that'll be fun after 2 days in the 60's. the temperature is supposed to drop almost 50 degrees in the span of a day. fuck me running.

i did manage to stay awake for all of the Sunday night shows i watch. i am really happy i did. True Detective was brilliant last night. it had me on the edge of my seat. they tied up enough loose ends for me not to whine about certain parts left unanswered. i just wonder how many creepy fucks are like that in the swamp. Girls last night had me laughing, mostly because of the horrific acting. plus, throw in a cameo from one of my favorite comedians, Jim Florentine. recipe for a winner. Episodes was actually much better than it has been for weeks. Shameless was great once again. i once again got to see what i missed by not going to college. House of Lies was great once again. overall, a really good night of television.

today has been one of those sleepy Mondays for me. when my back feels like this, i just want to fucking sleep and crawl into a hole. a comfortable hole. a hole with high speed internet as i'm always in the mood for porn even when my back does hurt. find the pleasure in the pain.

tonight will be the usual channel flipping between The Voice and Monday Night Raw. i'm hoping both shows are good. i may sprinkle in some hockey as well as this is the last week of the fantasy regular season. i have sowed up the #1 seed for the playoffs, but that isn't good enough for me. i've spent all this time on it, i might as well win it.

a big thank you to everyone for the comments on my last poem that got published. i do appreciate it.

sorry to cut this short, but i've got a sink full of dishes to do.

hope everyone had a great weekend. hope you're enjoying your pain better than i am.  i'll be on here sometime tomorrow, hopefully long before this fresh hell hits the farm.

be well my enemies...

music:

The 1975 - Self Titled
Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks

"All actors should experience public failure." - Olivia Wilde

i thought this was a day of rest

as soon as i opened up my email a few hours ago, i knew i was going to get really busy very soon. 2 poems accepted, another published, i won $25 at restaurant.com, checking on fantasy hockey scores, all while listening to music and the NASCAR race in the other room.

let us start with last night. my nerve pain only went crazy during the national anthem. i wasn't sure if it was how i had my head or simply the nerve reacting to the guy doing the anthem. at no other point did it bother me. so, i'm taking that as a good sign. Dayton started off slow but was playing great defense. thankfully, that defense stayed for most of the game. Dayton wins 60-48. a very nice night for the seniors. i believe they will be the 5th seed in the A10 tournament. if they can get 1 or 2 wins in that, i truly believe they will be in the tournament for the first time since 2009. i truly enjoyed that victory beer.

i have to admit, i hardly remember anything last night from Saturday Night Live. i do remember the Adam & Eve sketch, that was pretty damn funny. and i do remember the first song The National played, but other than that, nada. i suppose i needed the sleep.

got up pretty early this morning, changed the rest of the clocks and started picking up trash. got that down to the end of the lane after breakfast. saw all but one of the cats today. i'm not sure where A Boy Named Sue has gone. she is notorious for going missing for weeks on end when the weather gets warmer. i suppose being in the 40's is good enough for her.

the New York Rangers played at noon against Detroit. The King started out with the intensity that lets me know, he's ready to have a good game. and so he did. a 3-0 shutout. 2 huge points to go back into second place in the division. the 49th shutout of his career, tying the club record. his 300th victory in the NHL, putting him 1 behind the team record for wins. all in all, a lovely way to start my afternoon.

the rest of my day has been some college basketball and soccer from Italy.

the $25 from restaurant.com came as a bit of a surprise. i won it from one of the survey sites i am a member of. whenever i enter these contests, i never expect to win. i split the $25 into 3 different gift certificates, all to restaurants i have never been to before. i figure sometimes i do need to push myself out of my comfort zone.

i am really looking forward to the Sunday night shows tonight. the season finale of True Detective will be up first. i will know it is great if my sister calls right after and screams holy shit or what the fuck. i am expecting that phone call. Girls is up after that. and then i'll hop on over to Showtime to watch Episodes (some of that will include a piss break i imagine), Shameless, and House of Lies. hopefully i will stay awake for all of them.

oh by the way, i did remember to change the clock in my truck. i'm getting sharper as i get older. must be the pot i smoked in my teens.

that is all for me today. i hope everyone had a lovely weekend. i'll be on here sometime tomorrow. i'm not exactly sure when. one never knows what will be in the po box on any given day. i am waiting on a few things. and i should probably start song shopping on iTunes. so, there is a glimpse into my tomorrow.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes - Self Titled
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away
PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love

"I like the moment when I break a man's ego." - Bobby Fischer

response from Pyrokinection

i heard back from A.J. Huffman at Pyrokinection on my poetry submission from Feb. 26th. my poems "i see the doctor tomorrow" and "entirely too much bass" have been accepted for publication. they are slated to appear on March 23rd.

the swimsuit issue came today

my poem "the swimsuit issue came today" was published today at The Camel Saloon. you can find the poem by going here: http://thecamelsaloon.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-swimsuit-issue-came-today.html

funny how a win makes things better

so i was up at 6 this morning wondering how and if Manchester United was going to show up today. after a little breakfast, i was thrilled that the team i have followed since 1992 somewhat resembled a team i would be proud of. of course, they were playing a horrible team (that happened to beat them at home earlier this season) so i'm taking all of this with a grain of salt. but a 3-0 win is worthy of me being happy, for at least a few hours.

my cousin showed up this morning to pick up his cd. he paid me more than i was asking, which is always appreciated. he wants me to make him a few more with all the other songs on his list. so, it looks like i'll be downloading a ton of country music i don't listen to. but i'm being paid to do it, so i'll survive.

had a little fun on iTunes last night finding some songs i've been searching for for years. granted, i wasn't looking that hard. but, now that there is still a little money left on the gift card, i figured i better get them. you'll see what they are down below in the music section.

thankfully, ROH was on at noon here today. i'm really happy i won't have to try to stay awake to see it tonight. another great episode. all 3 matches were excellent. i'm still hoping to go in 2 weeks to see them in Dayton. but, chances are that's not going to happen.

today starts the MLS season. i imagine i will catch a few minutes of the games today before i hop in the shower. given all the stars that have joined the league this year, i will be paying more attention to it.

i am looking forward to see how i do tonight at the basketball game. i'm expecting to feel a little pain as i'll be doing something i haven't done in over a month. hopefully, the game is good enough to cancel out any discomfort i have. it is a MUST win for Dayton. with a ton of luck, they could get the 4 seed in the A10 tournament. chances are, 5 or 6 is more likely. but, for a team that started league play off horribly, i'm thrilled they have rebounded the way they have. tonight should be a nice way to send out the seniors. plus, the hall of fame ceremony at halftime should be really good as well.

and hopefully i am back home in time to watch Saturday Night Live and turn all the clocks ahead 1 hour. that's one thing i am paranoid about, given all the European sports i watch. of course, i'll forget to change the clock in my truck when i take the trash down tomorrow and probably won't realize it is the wrong time for a few weeks. i can't miss the start of a soccer game but anything i have to drive to, whatever. i'll get there when i get there. that reminds me i haven't worn a watch since i was in the 6th grade. not sure people caught on that i really didn't give a fuck. i'm sure they know by now.

silly me, the tree house show must have had their season finale last week. so much for me paying attention. so, last night after the hockey game was all Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. that show is pretty much how i decide where i'd like to live in the country. music festivals, good food, and sports teams. all the other important shit i'll leave to the people with money.

the New York Rangers were frustrating the shit out of me last night. it was partly them, and partly the goalie for Carolina. but thankfully, the flood gates opened up in the 3rd period and the Rangers won 4-2. and 3 of the goals came from guys on my fantasy hockey team. that helped me greatly. they play again tomorrow at noon against Detroit at home. i figure Hank will start again as he will be seeking his 300th win in the NHL. should be a good one.

that is all for now. much like i tell my cats when i'm closing up the barn, be well, stay together, eat whatever you kill, and be curious at your own risk.

peace my enemies...

music:

INXS - Not Enough Time (MP3 Single)
Soft Cell - Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go (MP3 Single)
U2 - Bad (Live) (MP3 Single)
Valerie June - Pushin' Against a Stone
Broken Bells - After the Disco
Lorde - Pure Heroine

"Most people have to talk so they won't hear." - May Sarton

torture

my cousin asked me to make him a mix cd like i did for his nephew. seeing that i feel like i now know how to use iTunes correctly, today became a lesson in torture. i got the cd out of the way and then proceeded to find all these old songs that reminded me of past girlfriends. talk about a few hours of misery.

i did watch The Big Bang Theory last night. i laughed at the end because i remember doing plenty of great shit for my girlfriends and i got absolutely nothing in return. and by nothing, i mean nothing. i can't imagine why i'm old and bitter.

i must have been in just enough pain after doing the dishes last night that i sat back in my easy chair and next thing i know it is 1 in the morning. thankfully, i was able to fall back asleep rather easily. not exactly used to getting more than 6 hours of sleep. almost felt tired this morning. almost.

the sun has been out all day long. amazingly, it did hit the 50's. so, the snow is slowly turning to mud. my mother realized that when she got out to open the back to unload the groceries. just enough mud to make a fucking disaster inside the house. fun.

the New York Rangers play tonight in Carolina. i'm not going to say it is a must win, but it is pretty damn close to one. they really need the 2 points tonight. i believe they are back to a fully healthy lineup, so that should help. of course, it would also help if Hank gets a few huge stops early and is really on his game.

i suppose after that i'll be hopefully enjoying a victory beer either watching the tree house show or perhaps some basketball.

early tomorrow morning, Manchester United plays. so i will be getting to sleep early tonight. well, early for me. i'll be on here tomorrow after the game, hopefully not bitterly pissed off. if they lose tomorrow, that anger will take me right into the basketball game tomorrow night. i found out they are also doing the hall of fame ceremony tomorrow night at halftime. one of my favorite players ever at Dayton, Keith Waleskowski, is going in. i wear my emotions on my sleeve, so i'll have a tear in my eyes. never mind the fact it will also be Senior Night as well. hopefully they go out with a win.

i spent so much time on iTunes today, i damn near forgot to eat lunch and take my nerve pill. my love for music is quickly entering the disease stage. i suppose that's one of the better ones to have.

hope everyone has a great weekend. be well, be creative, be naughty, be productive, be evil, be better than the piece of shit next to you at the store.

peace and chicken grease bitches...

music:

Drivin' N' Cryin' - Straight to Hell (MP3 Single)
The Goo Goo Dolls - Iris (MP3 Single)
Joe Ely - The Road Goes on Forever (MP3 Single)
Ryan Bingham - Until I'm One With You (MP3 Single)
Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers - Start the Day Early (MP3 Single)
James McMurtry - Cold Dog Soup (MP3 Single)
Edwin McCain - I'll Be (MP3 Single)
Metallica - Beyond Magnetic
Houndmouth - From the Hills Below the City

"Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it." - Salvador Dali

from heartbreak to jubilation

when i woke up this morning at 5 AM, i believe i was still on the high from last night. that being said, after breakfast i basically became a zombie. i'm still not sure where the hours of 9 to 12 AM actually went. plenty of shit to get to from last night, so on with the show...

it was really fucking odd to see Martin St. Louis in a Rangers jersey. a player that i have always respected from afar, i never thought he'd be wearing Ranger blue at any point of his career. hopefully he helps the team score. they need that so bad. he clicked with Brad Richards immediately, like they did in Tampa 10 years ago. sadly, the Rangers lost in OT 3-2. all three goals from Toronto came from defensive lapses. they need to clean those up soon and start winning again. at least they got a point from the game.

during the commercial breaks of the hockey game, i would flip over to watch the Dayton Flyers. all i wanted was for them to keep the game close. for the most part, they did that. and they overcame a deficit of 10 points in the second half to beat the #17 team in the country on the road, 72-67. amazingly, it was the first time EVER that Dayton had won a game on the road against a ranked team in conference play. such a HUGE win over Saint Louis. just a little more work to do to make sure they are in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009. highlights from the game are below:

that was a victory beer that i truly enjoyed.

i did catch Duck Dynasty, Legit, and Ali G last night. all three had me laughing, especially Legit. so wrong and so fucking funny. the ending had me rolling.

tonight i'll be watching The Big Bang Theory and then probably doing the dishes. i've been slacking here a little so i'll be in agony when doing those. well, at least my back will be.

it is finally starting to warm up here just a little. i believe we actually hit the 40's today on the farm. the rumor is tomorrow the 50's might actually make an appearance. it would be certainly welcomed. i would love to see all this fucking snow melt into the ground and be gone for at least a few days.

so after my zombie phase today, i actually made my first purchase on iTunes, just to see if i could figure out how to get it on the computer, etc. thankfully, after 99 cents and a little copy and paste, i felt like i had taken another step into this century. of course, the song i bought was from the last one. baby steps.

amazingly, saw most of the cats today. i figured with hours upon hours of full sunshine, they would be sprawled out all over the farm sunning themselves. they promptly did that after eating for maybe 3 minutes. what a life. if all goes well, the new ones will be getting names in a few weeks.

my thanks to Brian for taking those poems today and the kind words in the email. i really do appreciate it.

be sure to check out some of the podcasts on the right hand side of this blog. you'll be entertained for hours if you do.

that is all for me. need to get my mind right tomorrow as this weekend i'll be attempting to go to a basketball game for the first time in over a month. i'll be sure to take some pain pills with me, just in case.

i hope this finds everyone well. hope the weather is good wherever you are. and may the alcohol flow as freely as you need it to this evening. be well my enemies.

peace.

music:

Grant Lee Buffalo - Fuzzy (MP3 Single)
Black Sabbath - 13 (Best Buy Deluxe Edition)
Niki and the Dove - Instinct
Tom Waits - Heartattack  and Vine
The Beatles - Abbey Road

"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." - Margaret Atwood

response from Zygote in My Coffee

i heard back from Brian Fugett at Zygote in My Coffee today on my poetry submission from October 2013. my poems "poor souls on front porches", "on the edge of the world", and "the loving arms of your dreams" have been accepted for publication in issue #144, due out on 3/21/14.

for whom the bell tolls

in case you haven't figured it out by now, i am a deeply passionate sports fan. that comes off as totally weird to most people that only know me for my poetry, as someone who is creative "shouldn't" be passionate about anything other than that. i prefer to think of myself as the caveman refined. i like to drink and cuss but can also tell you about Monet, Beethoven, and Bukowski.

so, i just spent the past 10 hours or so watching trade deadline coverage for the NHL. it was a little surreal that the first move of the day was the New York Rangers trading away their captain to Tampa for their captain. now, Martin St. Louis is 10 years older than Ryan Callahan. that being said, the Rangers did trade for the 5th leading scorer in the NHL. but, they also gave up potentially 2 first round picks. i'm torn as much as i'm excited. if this gets the Rangers deeper into the playoffs than last year, great. if it doesn't bring them a cup in a few years, fuck. they will be more exciting to watch. they also made a depth move on defense that should only amount to something if there are injuries. hopefully there won't be. huge game tonight against Toronto at home. the private jet picked up Marty, so let the fun begin.

sometime around 9 i'll flip over to start watching the Dayton Flyers take on the 17th ranked team in the country. if they can win this tonight, i feel really good about their chances of going to the tournament.

not sure if i'll actually get to watch Duck Dynasty, Legit, or Ali G tonight or not. not like i sleep anymore, so who knows.

earlier today i caught little bits and pieces of the USA losing to Ukraine, 2-0 in an international friendly in the buildup for the 2014 World Cup. from what i saw, i wasn't impressed. but honestly, i didn't see enough to truly get a sense of the game. i'm sure Ukraine had much more to play for, given what is going on in their country at the moment.

i did catch The Voice last night. Blake now has the 2 best singers i have seen so far this season. hopefully he won't be stupid and pit them against each other in the battle rounds.

the 2 comedies after The Voice are pretty good. i have enjoyed both episodes so far.

that's all for now. i need to get ready to watch the Rangers pregame shit and start to digest that the captain is gone.

hope this finds everyone well. until tomorrow, probably after i wade through the mud and snow and get the birds all fed again.

music:

Metallica - Ride The Lightning

"If you spend a lot of time lying to people, you think a lot about what the truth means." - Penn Jillette

sometimes i think i should just stay in my hole

so i was standing in line at the bank listening to the teller try to explain to this old woman how subtraction works. given her heavy south american accent, i figured her english wasn't so good. thankfully, the other teller called me up so i could make my deposit and get out of there.

and then it was a trip to lunch with my mother. she needed to vent and i needed to drink. somewhere between long island iced teas, this guy notices me and says my name across a few tables. a tall, light skinned black guy. i give him the head nod and wonder, who the fuck is that? and that is how i spent the rest of my lunch, scrolling through my memory wondering where the fuck does he know me from. work? school? and as i sit here, i still have no fucking clue.

other than that, lunch was good. and then back home to listen to some music and get into a spirited discussion about book publishing, ethics, money, advertising, etc. and i always love when one person in the conversation thinks it is becoming a fight while i'm nowhere near upset enough or at all to begin typing in capital letters. good times.

when Monday Night Raw started last night with CM Punk's music, i laughed knowing damn well he wasn't coming out. and sure enough, he didn't. this was the start of basically the WWE giving the finger to every CM Punk mark in the audience and watching on tv. that being said, the match between The Shield and The Wyatt Family was fucking awesome. i could watch those 6 wrestle everyday of the week. but once again, seeing Daniel Bryan get fucked over at the end of the show for the millionth time is getting old. they need to either have him start getting the better of the powers that be more often or move the fuck on. it is so obvious that they are writing all of this by the seat of their pants knowing that one of their best workers is at home taking a "sabbatical".

given my frustration with much of Raw last night, i saw plenty of The Voice. the woman at the end of the show that went with Blake stunned me. that's the first person that i think could win it all. and if Blake wins with an older black woman, his ego will know no bounds at all.

the trade deadline for the NHL is tomorrow. i'll be watching that and checking websites constantly, seeing that a ton of rumors include the New York Rangers. could be a long day tomorrow.

also, the Dayton Flyers play a HUGE game tomorrow in St. Louis. if they could get that win, they might be the front runner to get one of the last at large invitations to the NCAA tournament.

needless to say, i'll be on here earlier than usual tomorrow as i will be in full sports mode by this time tomorrow. shit, maybe even earlier as the US national team plays a soccer friendly against Ukraine. i believe they are playing that in Cyprus. so, i'll be on here whenever i get the chance tomorrow.

my television schedule tonight includes The Voice, and probably the show that comes after it as well, About A Boy. loved the book and really liked the first episode. other than that, plenty of the NHL Network looking for breaking news.

that is all for me. i hope this finds everyone well. i'll raise my glass to your creative souls and truly hope they aren't dead just yet.

peace.

music:

Shooter Jennings - The Wolf
Great White - Greatest Hits
The Allman Brothers Band - Brothers and Sisters
Portugal. The Man - Evil Friends

"What I like to drink most is wine that belongs to others." - Diogenes

sometimes you just get oblivious to the cold

thankfully, this latest holy shit storm went more to the south than the jackasses on tv thought it would, so we only got like 3 inches of snow. now, it did get cold again, as the windchill this morning was around -15. that's always fun. honestly, i've been dealing with the winter for so damn long now, i'm oblivious to it. shit, i expect it now.

i did watch the last 30 minutes or so of The Oscars last night. i'm really happy i did as it inspired 3 poems i wrote in like 10 minutes. i typed those up this afternoon and they are oh so good. at least i think so. i'll be sending those out soon.

seeing that the New York Rangers disappointed the living shit out of me last night (6-3 loss to Boston), i decided to stop watching the game and just flip on HBO. True Detective was fucking brilliant once again. i have no clue how they are going to tie up all the loose ends in next week's finale. if you aren't watching this show, you truly are missing out. Girls made me laugh really hard as i truly enjoy the topic of death and how uncomfortable it makes others.

as for television tonight, it is my usual Monday war between The Voice and Monday Night Raw. Raw is in Chicago tonight, the home of CM Punk. the fans are plotting a riot if Punk, who left the company last month, doesn't show up. i'd love to see him back but, i'd also love to see the crowd go berserk. whatever happens, it should be great train wreck tv. as for The Voice, i see me catching up on that on YouTube at 4 in the morning or so.

i was happy to see some spring training baseball on this afternoon. that gave me what i needed to nap for a few hours. good times.

hopefully, nothing i melted today on the sidewalks will refreeze come morning. i got a check in the mail today, so there is a trip to the bank coming up soon. also, got my new credit card from Capital One. i'll finally be getting some cash back on my purchases. not that i buy anything more than music, books, gas, and booze.

i took another step into the digital world last night and got on iTunes. i figured i might as well put the gift card i got to use. of course, i haven't used it yet. baby steps.

that is all for me today. i hope everyone is well, warm, pissed off and ready to do something about it. or curious why you still waste your time each day to read this horseshit i call writing.

be well my enemies...

music:

The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
The xx - Coexist
Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights

"To label me an intellectual is a misunderstanding of what that is." - Dick Cavett

a lull between the storms

so, as i was struggling to fall back asleep last night, sometime around 4 AM i could hear sleet hitting my bedroom window. well, that certainly wasn't going to help me sleep. eventually, sometime around 5 or so, my body just gave out and fell asleep. and as usual here lately, 45 minutes later i was up and getting dressed. i suppose my life is a series of naps now. i never thought my neck would feel every damn weather change like this.

we had a nice long lull between storms today, so hopefully that keeps the total amount of snow down. the second batch is just starting up now. the first storm brought a little over an inch of sleet/snow. not nearly as bad as i thought it would be. i did manage to feed the cats and get the paper before it got too bad.

so after breakfast and a nice long nap (long being 90 minutes or so) it was a soccer Sunday. flipping between games in Italy and England. mixing in a little hockey and some NASCAR. basically, anything that would put me to sleep again. it didn't exactly work.

the New York Rangers play here in a few hours at home against the Boston Bruins. i would really love to see them win tonight as the playoff race is tightening up.

seeing that i haven't been to a movie theater in over 3 years, i won't bother with the Academy Awards tonight. after the Rangers game i'll try to catch True Detective and Girls. Showtime isn't showing any new episodes of their shows tonight, only reruns. that certainly makes it easier for me.

last night, after sleeping through the 3rd period of the hockey game in Chicago and all of the local news, and the opening to Saturday Night Live, i woke up to Jim Parsons singing show tunes. overall, i really enjoyed the episode. Beck was great. i definitely have to get his new album.

ROH was great last night. i really enjoyed the match between AJ Styles and Jay Lethal. ROH is certainly gaining on the WWE in my mind. not saying that i enjoy it more, but i certainly can say i enjoy it just as much. i need to figure out how i'm getting to the show near me later this month. i haven't been to a live wrestling event in well over a decade.

well, this second part of the storm has come in pretty damn quick and heavy. can't really see down to the end of the lane. should be a long night i guess.

well, that's all for me. i certainly hope the weather is better in your neck of the woods. and i do hope everyone has had a great weekend.

peace and chicken grease.

music:

Disturbed - Asylum
Social Distortion - White Light White Heat White Trash

"Life is like Sanskrit read to a pony." - Lou Reed

march madness

the weather today has been spooky. got up to 50 degrees, which was great. although i do know that will provide the fuel for the storms coming tomorrow. i made sure to get most of the shit i do on Sundays done today; trash, toilets, the dirty work down in the cellar... i still have the dishes to do but i wanted to give these old bones a break. i feel like this pinched nerve has aged me like 20 years in the last month or so.

the Dayton Flyers started out with a pulse for the first time in 3 games. they only trailed by a point at halftime. and then, for one of the rare times this season, they started the second half on fire. 9 straight points to give them the lead for the rest of the game. a HUGE win, 86-79. that should put them right back on the NCAA bubble.

unfortunately, the New York Rangers couldn't make it a double victory beer afternoon for me. they got outworked, out muscled, and outplayed at times by Philly, losing 4-2. hopefully, they erase that game from their minds pretty damn quickly as they play Boston tomorrow night at home.

i did catch a little of the New York Yankees game today. the main 3 starters all pitched 2 scoreless innings today. a very decent way to start their spring training. 4-0 win today over the Phillies.

my disjointed sleep is continuing. feels like anytime i sit back in my chair, i'm out in 20 minutes. and i had the hardest time falling back asleep in my bed last night. felt like any position i got in, i was in pain. then it becomes this mind fuck battle royale. i believe after 30 minutes or so, my brain blocked the pain for the most part and i was able to fall asleep. of course, 45 minutes later i was up for the day. good times.

hopefully, my old ass can stay awake tonight. after watching some outdoor hockey in Chicago, i'm hoping to watch the new episode of Saturday Night Live tonight with Jim Parsons and Beck. that should be awesome. and, a new episode of ROH tonight as well. if i can make it all the way without falling asleep, i'll be shocked.

i'll be back on here tomorrow sometime, hopefully. this storm is supposed to start early, and i'm hoping to get the cats fed before it gets too bad. i'm really hoping we don't get a ton of ice like it looks like we're going to get. last thing i or my mother needs is the power to go out. and we've had some nasty ice storms in the past here on the farm. if it does freeze over bad, i'll try to get some pictures.

hope everyone is having a decent start to their weekend. and hopefully the weather is better than you expected it to be.

later bitches.

music:

The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
Van Halen - OU812
Ashley Monroe - Like a Rose

"There is no good side to celebrity." - Javier Bardem