another legend says goodbye

there was only a few people in my life that truly caught my brain, my soul, my essence with their talent. sadly, now all of them are dead. when i got the news last night that Leonard Cohen had died, i was devastated. i knew he was near his death, but i certainly wasn't expecting it so soon after he released his last album. his voice has been the narrator of my dreams and nightmares since i was in high school. i would devour his music, his poetry, anything the man was associated with as i was growing up. i truly believe Leonard Cohen shaped my wisdom and poetry as much as Bukowski and Burroughs did. for that, i will forever be in debt to you. thank you for everything. you gave more than this world ever deserved. rest in peace and safe travels.

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The Big Bang Theory was very funny last night.

Life in Pieces was fucking hilarious last night. i wonder if i should have my ashes turned into jewelry.

the season finale of Better Things was great. i have high hopes for next season of this show.

i had the misfortune of watching the Sacramento Kings lose to the fucking Lakers last night while i was icing down my back. talk about fucking torture.

enjoy some of this and that:

on the DVR tonight will be Vice News Tonight, 2 episodes of NJPW, a couple of shows on Butch Walker on DIRECTV and i haven't decided if i'm going to record the soccer game tonight or not.

the USA takes on Mexico tonight in World Cup Qualifying. they are playing in Columbus, where Mexico absolutely hates to play. hopefully the boys get a big win tonight.

i'll be at the home opener of the Dayton Flyers tonight. they are playing against Austin Peay. Dayton will celebrate Big Steve tonight before the game. it's still a bit of a shock to realize he's dead. it will take some getting used to watching the team without him out there. i'm really hoping Dayton plays great tonight with urgency and purpose. they have what it takes to make this a special season.

i have no clue when i'll be on here tomorrow. i hope everyone has a great weekend.

happy Veterans Day to everyone that has served this country. thank you for your service.

be well. be creative. be cool. be quick to send me CASH, panties, hate mail, love letters, broken promises and dirty pennies from heaven.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Leonard Cohen - Everybody Knows (Live)
                            I'm Your Man (Live)
                            Hallelujah (Live)
                            If It Be Your Will (Live)
                            Closing Time
                            You Want It Darker

"Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash." - Leonard Cohen (September 21, 1934 - November 7, 2016)

and your whatever the fuck i wanted you to see video of the day:

thoughts from the kitchen

i made sure to get some extra alcohol when mom and i were at the grocery store today. i get the feeling i'm going to need it with all the cancer talk going around and my sister getting ready to board a flight to South Africa. i caught myself checking out ring fingers today at the grocery store. i'm taking that as a sign that my loneliness is starting to get to me now.

for Flashback Friday today, i want to change it up a bit. i want to shine a light on one of my favorite zines EVER, Zygote In My Coffee. Brian was kind enough to publish me so many damn times. as a poet, you can never find those type of humans enough. go to the site:
www.zygoteinmycoffee.com and check out the back issues. i'm in the first one and a ton of the others. but also check out all the other writers in the issues. and bookmark the site for when you need something to read. it's worth it.

WWE Smackdown was pretty good last night. i was very pleased with how Tyler Breeze made his debut:

the New York Rangers fell behind last night. unlike previous games, they stormed back and won 4-1. and a few of the guys got off the snide. plus, The King was The King once again.

i wrote another poem last night. i'm holding off on typing the newly written ones up as i feel i have a ton of shit right at the tip of my tongue.

i hardly watched any of the NFL game last night. from what i heard, i didn't miss much. i did pick the game right though.

enjoy some music kids:

and now some of this and that:

i'm hoping to go to the Red-Blue game tomorrow to see what the UD basketball teams look like. but, i have no clue if i will have a way there. mom is talking like she's going to go up to the hospital to see her brother and i have no fucking clue if she's going to be home in time for me to get to the arena. so, i may be trying to find shit on YouTube if i don't go.

on the DVR tonight will be Undateable, NJPW and The Knick. that should be an excellent night of television.

i have no clue when i'll be on here tomorrow. i imagine if i get a wild hair up my ass, i may try to bust a post out in the morning. but, with most of my sports not starting until the evening, it could be the rare morning i sleep in. ok, i laughed at that as well. that never fucking happens.

i'm sitting here watching hurricane coverage of what is approaching Mexico. i once had a girlfriend named Patricia. vaya con dios mis amigos. this storm looks fucking horrible on the radar.

that's all for me today kids. i hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. as always, call if you need bail money.

be well. be creative. be cool. be quick to send me CASH, panties, hate mail, love letters, broken promises and dirty pennies from heaven.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Paolo Nutini - Iron Sky
Jeff Buckley - Everybody Here Wants You
INXS - Not Enough Time

"Married men live longer than single men. But married men are a lot more willing to die." - Johnny Carson

and your pro wrestling video of the day:

moments of happiness

the sun came out today. most of the snow has melted. i have noticed as i have grown older it's the little things that tend to bring me the most joy. and somewhere the evil side of me is now making a penis joke.

last night the New York Rangers looked like the team i absolutely loved last season, destroying Philly 5-2. very fun to watch, as most of the goals were scored by guys on my fantasy team.

i was even happier about team USA's 0-0 draw against Mexico. a HUGE point to get on the road in World Cup Qualifying. the nightmare start of the qualifying round is over and i do believe this team has found an identity. hopefully the good play continues.

podcast goodness to share: check out The Sam Roberts Show Online, episode 48.  it's an absolute must listen, especially if you want to laugh your ass off. it can be found at iTunes, Stitcher, and by going to http://notsam.com/podcast.html. and if you are doing some shopping at Amazon.com, use the link on the podcast page to help Sam out.

made my picks for the Sweet 16 this morning. i have been so off this tournament, i will be shocked if the 8 teams i picked will win.

not sure what i'll be watching on tv tonight. i suppose i should be getting myself ready for baseball season and the nightly ritual that becomes.

i did enjoy night two of The Voice. looks like this season will be just as good or better than the previous three.

flirting with the idea of breaking out the watercolors one of these days and letting my imagination out to play. not that i'm any good at painting or anything, i just find it's helpful to keep the creative juices flowing. and here we go finishing off with yet another place for a penis joke.

music today:

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

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

will spring ever arrive?

so, we didn't get the 7-10 inches of snow they thought we would get over the last 24 hours or so. i believe we got around 4 inches, with a few drifts out here on the farm around 5 inches. it's a pretty wet and heavy snow, not much fun for my bad back. but, got the shoveling done, got the cats fed. now, just got to get my lazy ass down to the end of the lane to pick up the trash cans and get into town to get the mail. not sure if either are actually going to happen or not. if they do, it will be before dark.

watched 2 glorious basketball games yesterday at UD Arena. might be the best doubleheader of basketball i've gone to in years. first game was Ohio State vs. Iowa State. a real back and forth affair that saw a little of everything. missed free throws, big time dunks, a string of 3's to get a team back in the game, a few blown calls, and to top everything off, a game winning 3 from a guy who couldn't hit the broadside of a barn if you gave him 30 chances to do it. Ohio State wins by 3.

next up was Indiana vs. Temple. i feel bad for the players from Temple. they had the lead for nearly all of the 40 minutes in this game. Indiana took the lead for good with just over a minute to go. it wasn't a pretty game but the intensity of the crowd certainly made it memorable. Indiana wins by 6.

hats off to all the fan bases for making the 10 games i saw over the last few days really fun. as a guy behind me said yesterday, the hatred flowing in the arena was spectacular. especially once all the Ohio State fans started rooting for Temple to beat Indiana. out of all the fan bases, Indiana had more fans than anyone. kudos to Iowa State's fans though, even with the threat of a huge snowstorm, i don't think any of them left early.

mom and i got home with a little pizza just before the storm started to really hit. pretty damn good timing as just a few hours later it was pretty close to a whiteout. after some pizza, i settled down to watch the New York Rangers. sadly, another must win that ended in a shootout loss. time is starting to run short on this season. hopefully they can find something other than inconsistency to be consistent with.

big game tomorrow in World Cup Qualifying for team USA at Mexico. if they could come out of it with a draw, i would over the moon happy. a win would be so mind boggling that i'm not even allowing myself to think it's possible.

also tomorrow i get to go to the doctor's office and get more blood drawn. i guess they finally got around to reading my lab report from awhile back. fun fun fun.

not exactly sure what the fuck the New York Yankees are doing trading for Vernon Wells. i don't think he's had much left in the gas tank for the last few years. he's simply sticking around because he's making a ridiculous amount of money. even at my most optimistic i would think this move is borderline insane. the season starts soon enough. maybe i'll be wrong and he'll rediscover some power and decent play. hopefully.

in fantasy sports news, i won last week in hockey 8-2. still going strong in 3rd place in the league. as for the NCAA brackets, got 9 teams right in the Sweet 16. that's basically one step above pathetic. i do have the 2 teams i picked to play in the finals still alive. but, those are the only teams i have left for the Final 4 as well. basically, if i somehow finish this March Madness with a winning record, it will be a minor miracle.

i'm really looking forward to the return of The Voice tonight. should be interesting flipping between that, Monday Night Raw, and whatever hockey game i feel like watching.

hope everyone is well. hope the weather where you are isn't the cold, sloppy fucking mess it is here. until we meet again.

music today:

The Allman Brothers Band - The Allman Brothers Band
Jimi Hendrix - People, Hell and Angels

"Sports is the toy department of human life." - Howard Cosell

so much for that...

was feeling great coming into today. the Yankees had won the first 3 games of the series. the USA men's national team in soccer won against Mexico in Mexico for the first time ever. back wasn't hurting at all. and then came the afternoon...

you know it's bad when i decide i'd rather do dishes than watch the Yankees. down 4-0. once i get done though, boom, 5 quick runs. should be able to hold on to the lead and get the sweep. i guess i spoke too soon. no sooner than taking the lead, they give it right back by allowing Texas to score in the 7th, 8th and 9th to lose 10-6. yet another 4 game series where they could have had the sweep but played like they were more concerned with making sure they got to their dinner reservations on time. fuck me.

now there seems to be some weather rolling in, at least that's what i think my back is trying to tell me. or maybe i just have to shit. fuck, maybe i'll go take a shower in a thunderstorm and see if mother nature gives me anything to write about.

i do have a poem i've been writing in my head nearly all day long. more of the usual depressed drivel. will find out soon enough if i can find some magic when i put those words on the page. if not, here's hoping i don't have to kill too many trees to find it.

music today:

Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Waking - The Maze
Radiohead - Kid A


and in honor of the birthday boy...

"Bad taste creates many more millionaires than good taste." - Charles Bukowski

a rare cool day in august

opened up the windows this morning and decided to give the a/c a rest. not often you get a day in the 70's at this time of year here. might as well take advantage of it.

i found out late last night that my rough copy of my book did make it back to Austin, Texas. a thank you to the postal service. hopefully soon that monster is on the streets.

also on the poetry tip, sent 3 poems out today to Five 2 One Magazine. hopefully my good feeling on this one is correct.

watched the gold medal match in men's Olympic soccer this morning. classic lazy Brazil. take their talent for granted, get scored on in the first 30 seconds. then give up another in the second half. of course, here comes the urgency they didn't play with for the first 80 minutes. they get 1 back and blow a header with 20 seconds to go. (the player that did that has signed with Chelsea i type with a glee on my face). Mexico wins 2-1. great game from them. this is the classic generation for Mexico. get used to seeing them play important matches for the next decade.

Yankees play this afternoon. i will divide my time between that and more of the Olympics. i might catch a few friendlies as well later on today. but the start of my weekend has been pretty good so far (knock on wood).

music today:

Trampled By Turtles - Stars And Satellites
The Head And The Heart - The Head And The Heart
Youth Lagoon - The Year Of Hibernation

"Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance." - Will Durant

a case of the blah's

i'm not sure what it was. the back pain i woke up with (weather related), the laundry i had to do, my friends who are dealing with some deep shit, family traveling in a country of shitty drivers, or what. but today was a serious case of the blah's.

did manage to watch team USA in men's basketball destroy Argentina, at least in the second half. such a deep team with incredible balance. had a little fun in the first half and put the game on mute and played Massive Attack instead. not quite Dark Side of the Moon and The Wizard of Oz but trippy just the same.

other than that, hopefully Sweaty Freddy can pitch well tonight for the Yankees. and i hope i get some better sleep for all the soccer i plan to watch tomorrow. gold medal match of the Olympics especially. of course, Mexico's best player is out, so i don't have my hopes up for a great game.

no news on the poetry front. i'm hoping the rough copy of my book i sent made it back. i'm hoping that fucker is out before the end of the month. as always, if anything comes up i'll post something over the weekend.

now for evidence of my mood...

music today:

Young The Giant - Young The Giant
Placebo - Without You I'm Nothing
Ed Sheeran - +
Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See
Massive Attack - Mezzanine

"The more we have the less we own." - Meister Eckhart

what to do when the day starts with death

i must have been 9 or 10 years old at the time. i was playing with my best friend in the woods across from his house. we came across a trash bag that had a stench that was unbelievable. we went and got his father to open the bag. he did. inside was a dead dog. stuffed in the bag to die we all thought. that stench has stayed with me ever since.

fast forward to today. i go out to feed the cats. i open the side door to the barn most of them stay in. as soon as i opened the door i smelled that smell. i looked around and sure enough, there was my cat T.S. Eliot deader than dead. i last saw him 2 weeks ago and he was looking ragged but i thought nothing of it. he certainly wasn't the same after he lost his war with Neal Cassady over who was going to be the dominant male in the group. i shall raise a glass to you tonight my lost friend. hope you are in a better place, where ever the fuck that may be.

now for the cherry on top

i'm talking about 5 hours of mowing grass in 90 degrees with never being quite sure if i had mowed that part before or not. it was better the more weeds i saw. easier on my eyes. first time i have mowed since June. amazing how much dirt i was wearing at the end of the five hours. too fucking dry out here. chance of rain later in the week. not sure how many times i have been bullshitted by mother nature on that one this summer.

so tonight i plan on catching the rest of the Yankees game, a little Deadliest Catch (behind the scenes, i love that shit) and then Hard Knocks on HBO starts this evening. just about anything HBO Sports does is worth your time. and i'm hoping to avoid the sun shits and bad sleep this evening.

i'm hoping any betting people took my advice on the men's Olympic soccer. i said Brazil and Mexico would play in the final. and they are. don't ask me who wins, but if you like a future bet, that will be the final of the next World Cup as well. nothing like making a prediction a few years ahead of time.

music today:

only what was playing in my head while i was out mowing the grass/weeds. thank heavens i have listened to just about everything in the last 36 years. plenty to choose from.

"So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing." - T.S. Eliot

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