exhale

so, i was sort of trying to go into Manchester United's Champions League game today hopeful that David Moyes would take a good step forward. at first blush, he got the lineup right. and after a 4-2 win over a very tough German side, i'm pleased. it should have been 6-1, but i won't fret about those goals until they are needed. goals from Wayne Rooney (2), Robin van Persie, and Antonio Valencia. probably their best game of the season, minus the normal falling asleep late and giving up a goal near the end of the game. congrats to Wayne Rooney on his 200th goal for Manchester United.

i'll be enjoying the victory beer later this evening while flipping through channels or actually watching the Yankees game. they sit 2 1/2 games out of the second wild card, mostly due to the Texas Rangers putting on one of the all time late season swoons ever seen. the Yankees are up in Toronto. if they don't sweep this series, the playoff hopes basically go bye bye.

Monday Night Raw was pretty damn good last night. from Daniel Bryan getting stripped of the title, to Dusty Rhodes getting knocked out, to the locker room finally growing a set of nuts and saving Daniel Bryan at the end; a really good show. hopefully "creative" has a clear destination for all of these story lines. if not, i fear a huge clusterfuck in the late fall.

i didn't get to watch the New York Rangers last night due to the stupid blackout rules. i don't really pay much attention to the preseason. just like to know which players i should target in the draft.

i went 11-5 last week picking NFL games. that's 23-9 on the season so far. not bad.

i got my choices in for the waiver wire in fantasy football. i'm going to be the underdog in both of the games. not sure if the waiver wire will help or not. i feel like it's going to be a long week.

got my order from amazon.com today. hopefully some new music will keep the creative fire going.

the harvest has started today on the farm. soybeans are coming off today. looks like at least 3 trucks full. if that is correct, that should be a pretty nice payday. not sure when the corn is coming off. i'll try to get some pictures of that when it happens.

that's pretty much it for today. other than the large farm equipment, a pretty quite day. a little breeze, temps in the 70's. add a Manchester United victory and you have as close to a fucking utopia as i'm going to get to.

peace and chicken grease.

music:

M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Valerie June - Pushin' Against A Stone
Foy Vance - Joy Of Nothing

"Man, when you lose your laugh you lose your footing." - Ken Kesey

a weekend gone to hell

Saturday was pretty good for me. and then a shitty Sunday morning, and quite frankly, all is lost.

i'll work my way backwards. when i heard the news that Wayne Rooney wasn't going to play today, i had a certain amount of dread. then watching the pitiful first half Manchester United played at Liverpool, that dread was warranted. why the kids aren't been given chances before older players that suck is beyond me. a 1-0 loss is unacceptable when it's now 2 straight games without a goal. i hope to christ i see news by tomorrow evening of some signings (and i suppose they have to be Everton players since it's obvious that Moyes doesn't know how to coach United players) or selling some guys off to give other players a chance. i was angry enough to want to punch holes through walls. i didn't though. i'm pretty sure i'd be the one paying for repairs.

The Yankees got a complete game 3 hit shutout yesterday from Nova and 2 RBI from Cano to win 2-0. better yet, they pass Baltimore in the standings are now just 3 1/2 out of a playoff spot. hopefully they can get the sweep later today.

Ohio State had an awesome start to their game. probably too easy as they basically took the rest of the game off. a 40-20 win that felt much closer than the score.

there were some great college football games last night that i really enjoyed. Georgia and Clemson was definitely one of those. that game pretty much had my attention for all of it.

ROH last night was good. i have to admit i was fighting sleep for most of it. glad to see Adam Cole is now bringing his prick character to ROH. he's a much better heel than face. shouldn't be too long before he is in with the big boys.

i stole a few cat naps along the way yesterday. so i somehow felt refreshed after just 5 hours this morning. that has all changed as now the rest of the day i will be the asshole.

most of the Sunday night shows are off for the Labor Day weekend, so i believe it's just Big Brother and Total Divas this evening. and seeing how there is no way i'll be falling asleep at 11, i do believe i will be writing late tonight. and probably spending my holiday Monday typing them up.

now i'm off to take out the trash and feed the cats and probably scream some expletives to release some stress.

music:

Matthew Perryman Jones - Land of the Living

"Television is an invention that permits you to be entertained in your living room by people you wouldn't have in your home." - David Frost (April 7, 1939 - August 31, 2013)

all is right in the world (for at least a day)

i got up this morning after maybe 4 decent hours of sleep. i got through my email as fast as possible as i wanted to make sure i watched all the of the pre-game Community Shield stuff. then, i watched the game. RvP does what he has done since the day he came to the club, score BIG goals. i would have loved to not see Rafael get injured (he's out for a month) but shit happens. RvP scores in the second half as well as Manchester United wins the Community Shield 2-0. hopefully this isn't the only hardware Moyes wins this season. they need a midfielder badly and i wouldn't mind some more defensive depth. all in all though, a damn good start to the day.

then the Yankees came on. they got to Verlander early, getting home runs from A-Rod and Soriano. but, in part with the earth soon coming to an end, Mo blows the save for the third straight game. first time in his career he's done that. but, Brett Gardner saves the day with a walk off home run with 2 outs in the 9th. there's a victory beer i really wasn't expecting. the Yankees win their first series in a month. hopefully that becomes a trend if they truly want to make the playoffs.

ROH last night was great. i love a 6 man tag match that is all chaos and great wrestling. a spot fest for sure. next week will be great as it is the 100th episode and will have highlights from all the great television matches from the past.

i got the toilets cleaned and the trash down the lane a little later than normal. it's humid as hell here today. this weather is supposed to break in the next day or so. hopefully it goes as they are expecting as i will be able to turn off the a/c and open up the house again.

tonight will be my usual Sunday tv viewing; Big Brother, The Newsroom, Ray Donovan, and Total Divas. and then hopefully some sleep.

i got some more illustrations from the artist in Sweden today. BRILLIANT is an understatement. i'm really looking forward to see where this project goes.

that's pretty much it for today. i hope this finds all of you well.

music:

Red Wanting Blue - Live at City Winery
http://noisetrade.com/redwantingblue/live-at-city-winery

"Parents are the last people on earth who ought to have children." - Samuel Butler

just another day in the 937

i just love waking up before the crack of dawn and watch Manchester United lose. just fucking great. i did figure this would be one of the tougher games of the pre-season tour. they played a side that is in mid-season form and it showed in the second half. a 3-2 loss. second loss of the tour. i'm sure a good number of fans are jumping off bridges. they tend to forget the number of times the team struggled in the pre-season under Sir Alex. that being said, i do hope Moyes gets some fresh blood on the team soon. they need it badly.

it was a pretty dense fog this morning. and the sun burned that off and has created quite the weather show this afternoon. a blazing sun to hail and thunder to more blazing sun. felt bad for the tree trimmers the power company sent out here. the hail came as they were trimming back some branches.

i didn't watch much of the Yankees last night and apparently i didn't miss much. they only had 3 hits in yet another loss. and then the news this morning that they are on the verge of bringing back Alfonso Soriano. sure, why not. he's 37 and on the downside of his career. he'll fit in great with all the other retreads on the team. part of me wishes they would tank the season and blow up the team. the other part of me wishes The Boss was still alive and running the show. this shit wouldn't have happened like this this season.

Monday Night Raw was excellent once again. when you have a final hour dominated by CM Punk and Daniel Bryan you can't go wrong. always funny to see guys wrestling against each other in 2013 (Bryan vs. Cesaro) when you can remember the same match around 2004 in ROH (Danielson vs. Castagnoli). i give the WWE credit though, make the last hour great and you tend to forget if you were bored or not in the first two hours.

i figure tonight i will give my usual glance to the Yankees until they piss me off and then i'll turn to Deadliest Catch for the rest of the evening.

i did a little shopping on Amazon.com today. the usual mix of music that should never go together: metal, techno and folk. but always nice when you can get 12 CD's at around $7 each.

for those of you keeping score, out of the 16 poems i sent out on July 7th, 8 of them have been accepted and/or published. i tend to look at these stats like a baseball batting average. and anytime i can bat .500 i know i'm doing pretty damn good.

that's all for today. i figure i better sign off before the internet goes out AGAIN.

music:

Tool - Undertow
Miles Davis - Ballads & Blues
Gin Wigmore - Gravel & Wine

"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." - Winston Churchill

for once, getting up early was worth it...

considering when i woke up at 5:30 this morning to watch Manchester United play in Australia, i had just fallen asleep around 2 or so. so, when they scored in the 11th minute or something like that, i was very pleased. they went in to half up 2-0 and went on to win 5-1. the team played much, MUCH better than last week. what i really loved was how good the youth looked. i definitely wouldn't mind seeing them get more and more chances as the preseason goes on. first win at Manchester United for David Moyes. here's hoping there are plenty more to come.

after the victory, i had a little breakfast. then fed the cats and birds. got the dishes done as well. and i figure after i clean the toilets and help my mother put groceries away, i'm taking a fucking nap.

i did watch bits and pieces of the Yankees game last night. and it wouldn't be a Yankees game if their wasn't yet another fucking injury. this is beyond ridiculous now. and this one came to someone in their 20's. thankfully, i don't live in the viewing area for today's game. sounds like the perfect time to sleep.

2 more bird feeders were knocked down this morning. i'm really hoping once this heat breaks and we get some rain, the animals won't need to go after the feeders for awhile at least.

when i was out this morning nearly every bone in my body was aching from the rain in the air. of course, none of it was hitting the ground but i can feel it's definitely coming.

not sure what i will be watching this evening other than a little ROH late tonight. maybe i'll catch a movie on one of the channels or something. speaking of movies, i actually won a free movie from one of the survey places i belong to. now, if i can add that to the poems i sent out yesterday getting accepted, i'll definitely think of that as one of my better Fridays ever.

that's all for now. i do hope everyone has a great weekend. until the next time...

music:

Cypress Hill - Black Sunday
Jeff Buckley - Grace
Ruckus Roboticus - Playing With Scratches

"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." - Edmund Hillary

and the day started with thunder

always fun when you are awakened by thunder and your back feels like it's in a million pieces. i did manage to sleep 1 hour longer than usual, but i highly doubt if it was good sleep.

i went to the bank today and had a good laugh. 4 tellers are working. and there is a line about 6 deep. i'm at the back of that line. 1 teller has his screen freeze and another is occupied with a man handing her bags of coins to count. i started laughing on the inside as i figured this is my test to see if i can actually stand being in public at all anymore. i waited my turn and got my reward; the good looking teller. way too young and out of my league for me, but that was about as pleasant of 2 minutes with her that i could have imagined waiting in the back of that line.

i got the cats fed and the trash cans back up to the house before it started raining again. which it looks like it is getting ready to do now. this post could take longer than expected. i do fear that 2 of my cats are gone. Gizmo 2.0 and Phantom of the Opera have both been missing for a couple of weeks now. sadly, with the coyotes still around, i think i know where they may have ended up. 2 more weeks without being seen and i'll make it official. of course, the kittens from a few months ago are getting close to being sprung upon the rest of the cats. that will make things interesting for sure.

here is the good news i have to share about my book, Sofisticated White Trash. the book and i will be featured during the week of August 18th through the 24th on the website: http://mauricetudorbookstore.wordpress.com as the author of the week. that should get me a little more exposure. especially to a crowd that doesn't read my work. a big thank you to Maurice Tudor for thinking of me.

the Yankees will try to stop their quest to last place tonight in Minnesota. they usually play well there, but that hasn't meant much this year. thankfully, i'll have other shit on tv to watch instead.

Monday Night Raw looks to be a promising one once again. they seem to have gotten back to some decent storytelling for a change. and, as long as the story keeps going forward and has some shocks along the way that are unexpected and not re-hashes of old story lines, i'll stay a happy boy.

today marked the first official day on the job for David Moyes as the boss of Manchester United. i watched the video of him arriving and it still seems so surreal. hopefully, they get some signings made official here in the next few days to get the momentum really going in the positive.

well, i better get going before the next storm hits. hope everyone has a good one.

music today:

The Jesus and Mary Chain - 21 Singles (1984-1998)
Imagine Dragons - Night Visions
Lana Del Rey - Born To Die
Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town

"Fine art is knowledge made visible." - Gustave Courbet

what happens when you can't find the pleasure in the pain

i don't know if it was because i slept wrong or not enough or did something i completely don't remember, but my back and my left ankle have been in tremendous pain today. this is always fun when you don't have anything in the house for the pain other than alcohol. and being trashed by 2 in the afternoon is something i would like to hold off on until i have lost all hope. and believe it or not, i'm not there yet.

the Yankees must have decided winning 1 game was enough last night as they completely mailed in the second game of the doubleheader. that did free up plenty of time for me to watch hockey. more on that later. the Yankees start a series with Tampa tonight which could go a long way in determining if they will still be in shouting distance of first place in the division or one spot from the basement of the division. as you can tell, this season is destroying my nerves.

the hockey game last night reminded me of hockey when i was growing up. 6-5 win in overtime for Chicago. this series has seven games written all over it.

and speaking of game 7, the last game of the NBA season is tonight. i might pay a little more attention to it than i normally do. but not much. and that's because...

Wilfred comes back on FX tonight. one of the few shows that makes me laugh out loud literally.

quick critter update: 1 more raccoon caught. i believe that is all of them. still no sign of the skunk or the groundhog. i figure they either have ran away or the nursing coyote in the back of the property wanted a snack or two.

the Manchester United rumors are heating up. anything i read i take with a grain of salt until i read it on the official website. i'm not exactly thrilled how the schedule for next season starts out. Moyes better have the team firing from the start. many tough fixtures in the beginning. get those out of the way in good shape and another title could be coming.

a quick shout out to the muse. i do hope stress isn't beating you down today.

i did figure out what poems will be going where tomorrow. i figured since i have had a pretty damn good week in the poetry world, i would send them out on a Friday. it's something i normally don't do, but since this has been a superstition busting week, i figured i might as well continue that trend.

i hope this finds everyone well. until tomorrow...

music today:

Gin Wigmore - Gravel & Wine
Guided By Voices - English Little League
The xx - Coexist
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

"I like dark places." - James Gandolfini (Sept. 18, 1961 - June 19, 2013)

at least the storm waited until the game was over

i watched nearly every second of game 1 last night between Chicago and Boston. that was one of the best Stanley Cup Final games that i can remember. especially watching Chicago come back from a 3-1 deficit to win 4-3 in the 3rd overtime. the goal went in right around the stroke of 1 am here. the rain knocked out the satellite feed roughly 10 minutes later. good timing.

the Yankees last night had their usual pathetic offense show up again and lost 5-2. they play a day game today, so i think i know what i will be napping to. i truly hope they get all this bad baseball out of their systems in the first half of the season. they are in a team wide slump and it's beyond frustrating by now for me. i can't imagine how frustrated they are. i'm not sure if millionaires get frustrated.

i'm enjoying the silly season and all the rumors involving Manchester United. given the fact that there is a new coach for the first time since 1986, nearly every good player in the world is being linked to the team. it's funny. i have no doubt David Moyes is going to put a great team together and be right at the top again next season.

we did get a good dose of rain last night and this morning. not much flooding though, so it does appear the drainage issues have been solved for now.

quick critter update: i watched a raccoon last night reach into the trap, pull out a marshmallow, eat it, get another, eat it, and then leave without ever going into the trap. damn fucker. hopefully he's forgetful this evening.

a quick shout out to the muse, hope you feel better soon my beautiful friend.

i imagine i will watch a good deal of the NBA Finals game 4 tonight, as long as it is somewhat competitive. i can surely find something else on during a blowout.

that's all for today. peace and chicken grease.

music today:

Buddy Guy - Living Proof
Pearl Jam - Riot Act
Shovels and Rope - O' Be Joyful

"My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there." - Charles Kettering

trying my best to escape the heat

the heat index is supposed to be in the low 90's today. so much for spring. i actually turned on the air conditioning last night when the house was damn near 80 degrees and outside was like 74. hopefully the cats are smart enough to drink the water and enjoy the shade.

the Yankees got rained out yesterday, so that opened up my schedule a bit. they start a series in Baltimore tonight. the rain out allowed them to change around their pitching for the series. hopefully it works.

Manchester United played a very exciting (if you enjoy 10 goals being scored) match yesterday against West Brom. a 5-5 draw. i would have loved the game if a late winner would have come in Fergie time. that would have been a great way to go out. but alas, the greatest manager in the history of sports steps aside. so now the silly season can begin. i will be interested to see who David Moyes targets to be on the team next season. hopefully it's mostly midfielders and defenders. if those spots get better quickly, i don't think Moyes has to worry about letting the fans down anytime soon.

the New York Rangers had their asses handed to them yesterday in a 5-2 loss to go down 2-0 to Boston. how a 2-2 game became me being completely fucking silent by the end of it was miserable to say the least. as much as i hope the MSG crowd gets them going, the cynic in me is winning. game 3 is a MUST WIN game to say the least.

i did enjoy Nurse Jackie and Veep last night. i'm trying to give Family Tree a chance but i found myself watching tornado news instead. not a good sign.

my writing session went pretty good last night. i wrote 5 poems. first time writing in almost a month. i typed them up earlier this afternoon and really believe i have a few gems in the mix now. i will try to get a few submissions out later this week.

judging from the reports i read last night and this morning, i guess i will be paying a little more attention to Monday Night Raw this evening. i'm really happy that The Shield all have titles now. definitely a step in the right direction. now, get a healthy CM Punk back and you'll have my undivided attention.

The Voice is back on tonight. i'm sure my mom will have it on in the other room. so, i will get to work on my hearing tonight. if something excites the ears, i'll flip to it. if not, looks like i'll be watching YouTube in the morning.

i'll spend the rest of my time trying to escape the heat. and it's not even the hell months out here on the farm. i've got floors to sweep, toilets to clean, and a cooling shower to take. i might even figure out what poems are going where. all depends on how long this impending nap lasts.

music today:

Imagine Dragons - Night Visions
The Jesus and Mary Chain - 21 Singles (1984 -1998)
The Twilight Singers - Powder Burns
M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

"The more one judges, the less one loves." Honore de Balzac

the day after

this blog post is brought to you by episode #54 of The Sam Roberts Show Online. you can find this podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, and by going to notsam.com. and if you listen to the entire episode you'll understand why i'm in a pretty damn good mood right now.

Manchester United didn't waste any time in hiring David Moyes as their new manager. he starts July 1. seeing that he is the hand picked successor by Sir Alex himself, i totally support this move. hopefully given the much better resources, David will be able to keep the club at its current heights. and i really wouldn't mind if his first major trophies are under United. it should make for an interesting summer to say the least.

the Yankees had a nice 3-2 win last night, albeit with a little umpire help. never thought i'd see Vernon Wells playing third base, but, i never thought i'd see a team with so many damn injuries either. they can get the series win a little later today. in about a half hour actually. i guess i need to type faster.

the New York Rangers had a HUGE win last night, 4-3. series now tied 2-2. back to Washington on Friday. game highlights below:

i did watch all of The Voice last night. i was a little disappointed with Blake keeping the brothers. also, i shouldn't expect much from Usher seeing that he unleashed Bieber on the world, so it makes perfect sense he would keep a male model. team Adam is by far the best team. not sure if that means one of them will win though. Blake has some of the most loyal fans in the world.

i did my best today to be a productive human being. i went to the post office early to mail off 2 books. the trouble with going early is dealing with elderly drivers and all the farm equipment. not exactly the best combination to deal with when you want to get somewhere in a hurry. also have my last load of laundry in the dryer. i even have plans to do some dishes while the Yankee game is on. and with no must see sports with teams on tonight, i might actually check out what normal people watch on a Thursday. at least for 30 minutes or so.

music today:

just this damn song stuck in my head

"Our visions begin with our desires." - Audre Lorde