a hazy summer day on the farm

i'm sure you see that title and you're going to expect some stories about animals and the weather, ha ha, fooled ya.

i have spent most of the day going between the Premier League and the start of a new season for Serie A.

now, i did feed the cats and the birds and had to run off some groundhogs from eating the cat food, but that was a small portion of the day.

most of the day was spent napping between goals in the Premier League and then laughing my ass off at the AC Milan loss (sorry Janne) and the Juventus win all because of one man, Ray Hudson. easily, the funniest color guy doing sports in the USA. check out this site for some lines http://rayhudsonquotes.tumblr.com/ and please do a YouTube search for some as well. you'll be entertained for hours.

only saw 5 cats today. not sure if my early appearance didn't fit into their schedule or there was another raid by the coyotes last night. i guess i'll know by tomorrow.

sadly, last night the Yankees ran into a pitcher they just can't beat and Kuroda was missing his spots. that all results in a 7-2 loss. CC goes tonight in a game they have to win, but, of course, Tampa owns CC. hopefully the world reverses for the night and the Yankees win in that dump.

other than that tonight, i guess i might sneak in some football and some ROH this evening.

sorry for the short one today, but i doubt one wants to read about what cookies i've had today or the kind of cheese i put on my crackers.

until tomorrow, where i'll probably be bitching about fantasy football draft results... joy.

music:

Metallica - Master Of Puppets

"The hardest thing to do is be true to yourself, especially when everybody is watching." - Dave Chappelle

a part of me hopes it ends tonight

as you could probably tell by the 2 new YouTube videos, i had a quick outburst of creativity yesterday. and, i got to fuck around with the windows live movie maker and i'm pretty happy with the results.

the Yankees last night got a rare badly pitched game from Kuroda and lost 6-3. of course, they got the normal injury scare with Kuroda as well, but it looks like he won't miss any time. i've never seen a team get so many fucking injuries in my life. it's past the point of unreal.

the Yankees are off tonight, which means most of my attention will be on the New York Rangers and their let's see if they really give a shit or not game 4 this evening. i might be watching this with one eye closed. there's part of me that hopes they lose tonight so the agony can finally be done with. the other part of me wants them to win just so they won't be swept by a team from Boston. i want to believe they can at least win 1 game in the series. i want to, just don't know if i can.

for those interested, the dirty toilet in my video "stink" has been cleaned.

been a real rainy, dreary day here on the farm. hardly any sunshine at all. and speaking of depressing, i heard back from Presa on my poetry submission from 3/22. they decided to pass. oh well, looks like i've got 5 "new" poems to throw in the mix again.

i did watch a good portion of the Miami Heat game last night. how the fuck you can give LeBron a layup in the closing seconds of overtime is beyond me. i would be rooting for the Pacers if they didn't have David West on their team. there's one guy i wouldn't mind seeing no longer existing on the face of the earth. i haven't liked him since college. he was a prick then and still is now. just richer.

if the Rangers lose tonight, i guess i'll be shaving off the playoff beard and taking a long, long, long shower. i've mentally prepared myself all day long for the possibility of it happening. fuck me.

a big thank you to Frontier Communications for their usually shitty job with my high speed internet. i guess it going out for 40 minutes is no big deal.

until tomorrow, hopefully...

music today:

Grouplove - Never Trust A Happy Song
The Afghan Whigs - Unbreakable (A Retrospective 1990 - 2006)

"Information is not knowledge." - Albert Einstein

a moment of sunshine

so i go out to feed the cats this morning and i notice the same bird feeder from yesterday is down again. i guess the deer spray doesn't work anymore or there is raccoon defying gravity somewhere on the farm. so i get into the barn and hot damn, my cat Rita Dove's kittens made their first appearance outside of their igloo. both are gray. seeing that John Prine is the only gray cat here, i think i may know who the father is. weather permitting, i may try to get some pictures of them this weekend.

i watched the Yankees rebound nicely last night, helped by a dominant Kuroda (2 hits over 8 innings), to beat Toronto 5-0. it was also nice to see the kids do some damage. hopefully that continues later today.

didn't watch much hockey last night. i don't really care for either team. i will watch today though. always fun to see Detroit vs. Chicago (one of the best games i ever saw in person), especially in the playoffs, especially when it goes right into horse racing. sounds like a good afternoon.

i will definitely get a nap in sometime as i want to be wide awake for Saturday Night Live tonight. could be the final episodes of many cast members. plus, there's always the chance Kanye loses it and goes fucking nuts live on stage. fingers crossed.

the sun is out right now but the humidity is unbearable. i don't want to put the air conditioning on in May, but i'm thinking i might not have a choice in the next few days.

music today:

Shooter Jennings - Family Man
Brett Dennen - Loverboy
A Tribe Called Quest - The Anthology

"A line is a dot that went for a walk." - Paul Klee

things are looking up

it's been dry for almost 2 straight days now. if it actually gets to 3, maybe i'll be able to get the grass cut out here. lord knows it needs it.

had an amazing day yesterday in fantasy hockey terms. i don't think i've had that many goals scored for me in one day in years. always nice when it happens during championship week. hopefully the good fortune can continue. it's going to be a dog fight.

watched the Yankees piss away a great game from Kuroda only to be bailed out in extra innings by an absolute horrible defending team in Toronto to win 5-3. they go for the sweep later today. i'm just happy they have won yet another series. i didn't expect this team to be able to click this early.

big game for the New York Rangers later today. i'm licking my chops at their chance to eliminate the Devils from having a chance to make the playoffs. i might want to win this game more than any game since 1994.

had a lovely music discussion last night with a beautiful married woman. i can just imagine the twisted poems that are going to come from my brain. i stopped myself from writing anything last night. i want to let it brew a bit longer.

i hope everyone gets a chance to check out my poem that was published this morning at The Camel Saloon. if you have any feedback on it, please feel free to share it. thanks.
http://thecamelsaloon.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-mental-scars-only-grow-deeper.html

the poet of the day on my Google+ page is Ron Androla. Ron is one of the greats of the small press. do check out his work or read more about him online. he's definitely one you don't want to miss out on.

enjoyed the start of the NBA playoffs yesterday. the only time i even give a thought to watching a full NBA game. if the playoffs are going to be like some of the games yesterday, they're going to be an instant classic.

had a good laugh at ROH tv last night. Kevin Steen going after Matt Hardy was pretty good. not sure how well Steen as a babyface will go... i have no doubt he can pull it off. just not sure if it has any legs past the SCUM angle. should be interesting to watch.

hope everyone has a great day. if you don't see a post from me for a long time in the next few days, rest assured, i have squeezed in the 6 hours needed to mow the grass.

music today:

The Gospel Whiskey Runners - Hold On

"Nobody understands me, I'm really sensitive." - Iggy Pop

a very rare happy Monday

yes, you read that correctly. a very rare happy Monday.

i was thrilled last night watching the Yankees 3-0 win over Baltimore. great pitching from Kuroda and some timely hitting. plus, a game done in just over 2 1/2 hours. can't beat that. after a day off today, the next series is with Arizona. i guess i get to relive all the pain from the 2001 World Series again.

i did enjoy Veep and Nurse Jackie last night. and i got to catch the episode of Vice i missed from Friday night. i really love that show. only if all reporting could be like that...

the poet of the day on my Google+ page is RC Edrington. RC is one of the best poets i have ever read. if you haven't read any of his work, first off, shame on you, second, seek it out immediately. here is a link to his website: http://www.rcedrington.com/

some good news to report on the fantasy hockey front. i (somehow) came back from a 7-3 deficit to begin this week to win 6-3-1. thank god i've been in that kind of hole before and know how to manipulate a roster and the waivers system. off to the finals for me, first time in 3 years. of course, the guy i'm facing only finished nearly 15 games ahead of me in the division. needless to say, i have my work cut out for me.

i did watch about the last hour or so of The Masters yesterday. i did think it was kind of funny that i told my mother to watch out for Adam Scott the night before. of course, i told her that because i figured he would choke another one away. to say i was a bit surprised when he won would be an understatement.

the windows are open today. the birds seem thrilled with the new bird feeders. and mom got some wind chimes to replace the ones that broke last year. and of course, now that we have some again, i don't think the wind has picked up enough today for them to make a sound. figures.

i'm off to my afternoon nap before a night of flipping between Monday Night Raw and The Voice. and a handful of hockey games that i will analyze to death hoping to pick up some kind of advantage on my fantasy hockey opponent.

music today:

The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
UB40 - The Best Of: Volume 2
M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Kiss - Destroyer

"The reward of energy, enterprise and thrift is taxes." - William Feather

frustration

so i flipped over to the Yankees game yesterday and saw that Kuroda was dealing (perfect through 6 innings). then i flip back to see Cano fuck up a double play which gave the Tigers their first run. i had the bad fortune of flipping back the next time to see a blown call at second base. and given that i have watched baseball my entire life, i know how the baseball gods work when an umpire fucks up the third out of an inning. sure enough, the Tigers score 2 more runs and eventually win 3-0. given that the offense is more or less dead, i'm not sure if he would have got the call right it would have meant much. but a little note to baseball, given the technology of today when everyone with any kind of device could see within 30 seconds that the call was wrong, wake the fuck up. if you wonder why the sport is becoming obsolete... god forbid you actually have a playoff game where the calls are correct. who the fuck would want that.

and another note, this one to Nick Swisher, who is hurt that Yankee fans are booing him. newsflash, you fucking suck in the playoffs. you've had 4 years of good to great regular seasons and 4 playoff years of complete fucking ineptitude. if you don't want to play in a place where the second season means everything, enjoy collecting a check in some other town next year.

if the getting out of Yankee Stadium excuse doesn't work for the offense, i'm hoping they just lose the next 2 games and get this fucking tease of a season over with. that way i can decide which minor league hockey team i'm going to follow (thank you NHL, you dumb asses) or god forbid, have to watch the NBA season from start to finish.

as for football, had my worst week of picking games in a long, long time. under 50% is absolutely shitty. i am winning my 3 fantasy football games, but i can sill lose 2 of them. that leaves me with no choice but to pay attention to the game tonight. great, 4 hours of Gruden blowing Peyton Manning. lovely.

now, it's to the outdoors to assess wind damage from yesterday. welcome to a farm with buildings from the 1800's on it.

music today:

Brooke Annibale - Silence Worth Breaking
Allison Ann - The Introduction of Allison Ann
Ivan & Alyosha - The Cabin Sessions

"A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything." - Friedrich Nietzsche

the day turned to shit around noon

so, i got in this morning from feeding the cats and birds just as Manchester United was getting scored on. fucking great, this is going to be a long day i start thinking. thankfully, RvP decides he's going to pull a spectacular goal out from his ass and sets Old Trafford on fire. 2 more goals in the first half from the boys and i'm feeling good. then the usual try to not lose instead of trying to win costs them and their shitty, shitty injury filled defense. they win 3-2 but it wouldn't be a Manchester United game without an injury. a nasty, nasty, NASTY gash to Wayne Rooney's thigh. seriously, i'm talking fucking shark week nasty here. early reports are he's going to be out a month. just fucking great.

scouted out a few new places to send poetry to and did the dishes between soccer matches from Italy, Spain and Germany. thank you DIRECTV.

and then the Yankees. after watching Tampa Bay lose earlier in the day, here's a great chance to stretch the lead a bit. of course, Kuroda has one bad inning and the Yankees only can muster one fucking hit with runners in scoring position (out of the 9 damn at bats they had) and lose 3-1. this will go down in the wasted opportunity column if they blow the division this year. at least they were kind enough to get the damn game over in under 3 hours.

kind of shocked Magic Johnson would do something good for Boston, apparently hell has frozen over. hopefully the Red Sox blow that quarter of a billion dollars they are saving in the trade on more shitty players. makes it more fun for this Yankee fan.

music today:

The Who - Who's Next
Matthew Perryman Jones - Land Of The Living

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." - Neil Armstrong

the sun finally shines on my ass

welcome to anyone who is here because of The Sam Roberts Show Online. more on that in a moment.

i sent off 6 poems today. 3 each to Pyrokinection and Napalm and Novocain. if any poems get accepted, i will post the good news as soon as i get it. rejection notes may take a little longer...

was totally blown away when Primetime Sam Roberts mentioned this blog in episode #26 (Feeling Strong) of The Sam Roberts Show Online. you can find that here http://notsam.com/podcast.html. enjoy the shows and help the man out if you can.

i'm also a little pumped up that Manchester United is very, very close to getting RvP and Angelo Henriquez. once both signings become official, a matter of time is what i'm hearing, i'll be full of shits and giggles for league play to start this weekend.

hats off to Hiroki Kuroda for his 2 hit shutout of Texas last night. i definitely caught myself thinking holy shit, he's gonna throw a no-no. and the game had a playoff feel going as well. if Swisher can come through like that in the playoffs for a change, shine up the rings for another championship my friends. here's hoping Sweaty Freddy and the Yankees can get another one tonight.

a hello to my friend in California. you will get better. and soon. keep at the hard work and you shall be rewarded.

lastly, i believe i heard some new kittens when i went out to feed the cats today. from the way she was acting, i believe they belong to Rita Dove. i didn't hunt much for them as if they are hers, these would be her first ones. i figure i will give it a month and then see how they are doing. she's a pretty lean and mean cat, so it wouldn't shock me if they are dead soon. but stranger things have happened at this zoo, i mean farm.

music today:

Soul Asylum - Grave Dancers Union
Ben Harper - Give Till It's Gone
Van Morrison - Tupelo Honey

"A leader is a dealer in hope." - Napoleon Bonaparte

reverse psychology

rained a bit overnight, thankfully. right now it's starting to thunder and sprinkle. tomorrow there is supposed to be more rain. i suppose i should have told fuck you to mother nature sooner (see my last post).

after a nice win last night, the Yankees got bitch smacked by King Felix today. 2 hits over 9 innings aren't going to amount to much when they don't leave the yard. 1-0 loss. Kuroda really only made 1 mistake. just not a good day for offense. oh well. hopefully the Red Sox overpay for Felix in the off season and he never pitches like this against the Yankees again.

watched a bit of Olympic soccer today. brutal match with Brazil and Honduras. and who would have thought Great Britain would lose on penalty kicks. must be part of the DNA by now. Mexico or Brazil will win it all i do believe.

also enjoyed a little tennis as well. always nice to see Serena win. always nice to see her period. didn't enjoy the USA men's volleyball team choking away a 2 set lead to lose in 5. and it was nice to see the men's basketball team actually struggle and LeBron come through again as everyone stood around and waited for him to do something. best player in the world right now. just wish he wouldn't have to be prodded to do everything all the time.

with most of my sports viewing done for the day, sans a little UFC this evening, i'll be busy going over the rough copy of my book. i need to come up with a bio. i've got the dedication and quotes all taken care of. i truly want to have "Sofisticated White Trash" just blow people away. kind of scary to think i wrote all 175 or so pages in that book over the years. quite the road my friends. hopefully many of you enjoy the ride.

music today:

Paul Thorn - What The Hell Is Goin' On?
Elvis Costello - The Best Of - The First 10 Years

"The best way to predict the future is to invent it." - Alan Kay