climbing up from the drain

yesterday seemed to have lasted much longer than just 24 hours. from the World Cup games to the amazing Sunday night shows, it felt like a week was crammed into one day. and it was worth it.

the World Cup games yesterday were amazing. the Netherlands came from behind to beat Mexico 2-1 with two very late goals. god, i hope that is how Manchester United will play under van Gaal. Costa Rica beat Greece on penalty kicks. i was amazed at how poorly Greece played up a man for almost 60 minutes. i guess it's just not in their DNA to attack. Costa Rica 1(5) - Greece 1(3).

that makes me 4 for 4 in my picks so far.

today France plays Nigeria and Germany plays Algeria. hopefully there will be two more wildly competitive games. i have France and Germany moving on, like most of the world does.

i wrote 2 poems last night and typed them up this morning. i really like both of them. i'll probably be sending out some poems in the next week or so.

i might have watched 10 minutes of the Yankees loss to the Red Sox last night, 8-5. that's three series losses in a row. not good. they play again tonight against Tampa. if they can't beat that shitty team, it's time to start worrying. or make a fucking trade already.

the Sunday night shows were really good last night. Big Brother makes me laugh as i love how they try to twist what they show against what actually happens in the house. Nurse Jackie was great. the ending really sets up next season nicely. Californication was great as well. to close the series off with the same song they ended the first season with was a great touch. i will really miss that show. Penny Dreadful blew my mind last night. easily, the best show of the last few months, maybe even years. i can't wait for the next season of that. Last Week Tonight was funny as always last night. that show is quickly becoming a favorite. i did watch The Leftovers last night. pretty fucking weird. probably would have helped if i read the book first. i'll try to watch the next episode to see if it grips me better than the first one.

i'm looking forward to Monday Night Raw tonight. i'm not pleased with the direction they went in the ppv last night, but that's not unusual. most guys who have watched for as long as i have think they can book it better.

my new meds seem to be working, knock on wood.

the weather is crazy as usual here. more chances of pop up thunderstorms today and tomorrow. as long as it doesn't knock out the satellite feed, i'm cool with it. i just want it to move out of here so my back can get some relief.

that's all for me today. hope everyone had a great weekend.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

The Airborne Toxic Event - Sometime Around Midnight
Paolo Nutini - Iron Sky
Drivin' N' Cryin' - Straight to Hell

"Always be smarter than the people who hire you." - Lena Horne

avoiding the trap

today is Father's Day. i would normally celebrate this day by writing a series of poems about my shitty father. i've decided to avoid that today. i think i have beaten that horse too often. instead, i will do today just like my father is doing, pretending the other doesn't exist.

mom and i went to this food truck yesterday that comes into town every other week or so for some BBQ. i had some really damn good brisket, some slaw, mac&cheese... really good.

speaking of my mother, she turns 61 tomorrow. let me just say, she's not exactly looking forward to it.

the Yankees lost 5-1 last night/early this morning. they had some lights go out in that dump out there in Oakland, so that delayed the game for about 45 minutes. the offense ran into a pitcher that has owned them here lately. they will go for the series win this afternoon.

in World Cup action yesterday, i thought Colombia looked the best. they beat Greece 3-0. Italy defeated England 2-1 in a game that was pretty entertaining, especially if you dislike the English. Costa Rica came from behind to stun Uruguay 3-1. as a guy who dislikes Luis Suarez immensely, this made me very happy. and lastly, Ivory Coast came from behind to beat Japan, 2-1. just call it the Drogba effect.

today starts off with Switzerland vs. Ecuador. next is France vs. Honduras. and lastly will be Argentina vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina. hopefully there will be plenty of goals like the rest of the games. it doesn't help me sleep but it does keep me entertained.

not sure if i will watch much of Game 5 tonight in the NBA Finals. probably just a glance or two.

my Sunday night shows will start with Showtime tonight. Nurse Jackie, Californication, and my current favorite, Penny Dreadful. and then i have some time to kill before Last Week Tonight on HBO. i suppose in that time to kill i should actually finish my mother's birthday gifts.

ROH was excellent last night. a great match between Adam Cole and Kevin Steen finished off the show. if the rumors are true, i can't wait to see what Kevin is able to do in the WWE.

that's all for me today. i've got toilets to clean, trash to pick up, ungrateful cats to feed, breakfast to eat, and a bad back to stretch out before the games start today.

hope this finds everyone well, enjoying your weekend. to all the good fathers out there, hope you have a great day. to all the bad ones, mine included, wake the fuck up or die already. that is if your dumb ass hasn't changed the life insurance policy already.

peace and chicken grease...

music:

Paolo Nutini - Iron Sky
The Band of Heathens - Hurricane
U2 - Bad (Live)
Shooter Jennings - Gunslinger
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell

"I may be crazy, but it keeps me from going insane." - Waylon Jennings

the joy of adrenaline

last night was a roller coaster of emotions for me. the series between the New York Rangers and the Montreal Crybabies has become so badly officiated that even non hockey fans can tell the league wants Montreal to win so the country of Canada will actually watch the finals. like they aren't going to be watching anyway. amazingly, despite the best efforts of Montreal and all 4 officials last night, the Rangers won 3-2 in OT. a beautiful goal from Martin St. Louis to win it. the Rangers are now 1 win away from going to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1994. my playoff beard looks ridiculous and i couldn't be more proud. below is the recap to the game:

the Yankees are currently in a rain delay as i type this. i figured i would do this blog now as i know a rain delay in St. Louis could actually be for hours when it only looks like it would be 10 minutes. if it does go long, i suppose i'll just add it to the other stuff i'm watching tonight. 

Monday Night Raw, playoff hockey and basketball and god knows what else.

i did catch Penny Dreadful, Californication, and Nurse Jackie last night. i was so wired from the game that i ended up watching them again, after Total Divas, just to make sure i didn't miss anything. so i ended up falling asleep around 4 in the morning. of course, i was up before 8 in the morning. who the fuck needs sleep.

the only real Memorial Day tradition i have is watching the NCAA lacrosse championship. it was a great game this year. Duke was killing Notre Dame early. ND came back to make it a game late, which made it highly entertaining. Duke wins 11-9.

that's all for me kids. i'm going to go take a nap as the weather has heated up here big time. it got up to 87 degrees this afternoon. i closed up the house and turned on the air conditioner. it's comfortable enough in here that i could fall asleep in about 30 seconds. i'm hoping we don't get some storms tonight, like what usually happens when it gets this warm. i'll gladly take the rain for the crops... but i don't need the thunder and lightning and everything else that comes with that.

hope everyone had a great day. hope everyone has a great evening.

peace.

music:

Bee Gees - To Love Somebody

Tegan and Sara w/The Lonely Island - Everything is AWESOME!!!

The Airborne Toxic Event - Sometime Around Midnight

Morphine - You Look Like Rain

XTC - Dear God

FIDLAR - Cheap Beer

Grouplove - Ways To Go

"Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid." - John Wayne

another stellar day... so far

yet another day where the sun is out, the temps are reasonable, low humidity, and no rain. one could get used to this. of course, it's Ohio, so it will be different tomorrow. too much of a good thing is discouraged in this state.

the guy who farms out here got the rest of the soybeans planted today. so, i do hope we get some rain soon so all the crops can get a good soaking. and then it can go back to being sunny.

i had a nice little run in with a raccoon this afternoon. caught the fucker trying to eat the cat food. of course, i had nothing to kill it with so i scared the shit out of it with a broom and a 2x4. at least i know why we're going through so much damn cat food here recently.

the Yankees won today 7-1 to split the series with the White Sox. Tanaka went back to his winning ways and Jeter had 4 hits. they play tomorrow in St. Louis.

i did watch most of the F1 race this morning. i'm not a huge F1 fan, but i do follow it occasionally. i also watched most of the Indy 500. i really wanted my favorite driver, Juan Pablo Montoya, to win, but he came in 5th. his damn mistake on pit road did him in. it was a great finish to the race with the lead going back and forth. after i get done with this i'll be watching a little NASCAR until the hockey game tonight.

the New York Rangers play a MUST WIN Game 4 tonight. my blood boils anytime i think about the game tonight. i really, REALLY hope they fucking kill Montreal tonight. and i'm not sure if i'm speaking figuratively or not on that. i do want to see them get a 3-1 advantage in the series. not sure how the Rangers cope with their top center out to injury. i'm hoping the crowd gives them a huge lift and some role players step up HUGE. i'll be completely wired in on that tonight.

after that, i'm going to try to figure out how to fit in Nurse Jackie, Californication, and Penny Dreadful in along with the HBO movie tonight, The Normal Heart. i've got the feeling that i'll end up watching the HBO movie some other day.

i wrote 8 poems last night and submitted them for the Midnight on the Stroll Poetry Contest. you can find more info on that at http://midnightlanegallery.wordpress.com/. the early feel i get from the editor is that i'm going to have a few poems accepted for it. more on that in a week or so.

i always love when i can write something on the spot and someone else really likes it.

well, that's all for me today. not sure when i'll be on here tomorrow. might be doing the cemetery tour tomorrow for Memorial Day. it will be probably after the Yankees game. or, if the weather somehow turns to shit, it might be early.

hope everyone is having a great weekend. if you do have plans for Memorial Day tomorrow, be safe. have fun. only fuck the ones that cough.

peace and chicken grease my enemies...

music:

The Allman Brothers Band - Whipping Post
Muddy Waters - Champagne & Reefer (Live)
Love and Rockets - So Alive
The Delta Riggs - Anybody Home
Trampled by Turtles - Where Is My Mind? (Live)

"Money can't buy love, but it improves your bargaining position." - Christopher Marlowe

the winds of hell

hello again kids. here are 2 links for your national poetry month goodies:

http://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/article/Reagler-Poetry-programs-are-building-city-s-5397818.php

http://www.southbendtribune.com/entertainment/inthebend/entertainmentnews/guerrero-aims-to-use-poetry-for-social-change/article_29adff20-c2f2-11e3-94a3-001a4bcf6878.html

i'm still trying to figure out why it is windy every time i put out trash? hopefully, i have enough weight in the cans so they won't tip over. sadly, i doubt any of the other fuckers out here care. i've already been picking up trash today that has blown up to the house. i'm 1/4 mile back from the road. fucking ridiculous.

the New York Rangers lost last night 1-0 in OT on a penalty shot. one of the worst officiated games i have seen in awhile. that being said, the penalty shot was a legit call. the playoffs start on Thursday for the Rangers at home against Philadelphia. here's hoping i won't be shaving for a few months.

i watched the first half hour or so of Saturday Night Live before i fell asleep. i'm blaming Ed Sheeran for putting me to sleep this time. at least from what i read, i got to see the good parts of the show. i need a damn DVR.

i have no clue how i'm going to stay up tonight, but here's the shows i'm going to try to watch: Nurse Jackie, Californication, Veep, Silicon Valley, Years of Living Dangerously, and Total Divas. if i manage to see all of them and stay awake while doing it, i'll be fucking shocked.

another great day of weather here that is about to go shitty. there's a chance of SNOW tomorrow night. when i saw that on the news last night, the only thing i could think to say was jesus fucking christ. i've got some flowers that have popped up. if it does snow, i'm hoping to get a picture of them in full bloom in the snow. pure craziness.

the New York Yankees play tonight on ESPN. i truly doubt i will be watching any of that given all the shows that are on tonight. probably a game i'll follow on the tablet.

i don't have a great feeling about my fantasy hockey team on the final day of the season. looks like i'll be finishing second once again. i'll know for sure tomorrow morning. but, i've been doing this long enough to know, some deficits are too large for fucking miracles.

that's all for me today kids. i need to go get some water, which should be a real fucking joy in this wind. i'll be on here sometime tomorrow. not real sure when. my mother is having surgery later in the week, so this coming week is going to be by the seat of my pants i feel.

later my enemies. be well.

music:

Soft Cell - Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go (Extended Version)
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
deadmau5 - Raise Your Weapon
Radiohead - Creep (Live)
Will Hoge - Woman Be Strong
Grant Lee Buffalo - Fuzzy
Futurebirds - Via Flamina
Foy Vance - Billie Jean (Live)

"I always believed that whatever had to be written would somehow get itself written." - Seamus Heaney

one forgettable Sunday

so i woke up Sunday still pissed off from the New York Rangers loss and more injuries from the night before. let alone even more injuries to my fantasy hockey team which i have no doubt help give me a 6-4 loss for the week. i started to watch the Chelsea vs. Manchester City match hoping for the best. but, as soon as Chelsea didn't score on a penalty kick, i didn't bother to pay much attention to the game. i know how this shit turns out with the gods of sports. so, i started to pick up the trash and get ready to go feed the animals. City won 2-0 by the way. i still feel confident that Manchester United will win the title this year, but after last year's debacle, i'm not ready to pound on my chest just yet.

so, started to watch the Daytona 500 but the first crash of the race took out 3 of my 5 drivers. amazingly, my other 2 drivers finished first and second. what could have been.

turned on the New York Yankees spring training game just in time to watch Curtis Granderson break his right forearm getting hit by a pitch. he's out for the next 10 weeks. i did watch bits and pieces of the rest of the game. more shit from last year it looked like. no damn ability to get a hit when it mattered. boy, i really can't wait for another 162 games of that shit again. of course, if they somehow win the division again, that will help temper the misery.

i might have only watched 10 minutes or so of the Academy Awards last night. i laughed a few times but mostly, just couldn't give a shit.

the Sunday night shows i normally watch did salvage the day for me. all of them, Girls, Shameless, House of Lies, and Californication were excellent last night. that put me in a little better mood before i went to sleep. a little.

but, today the sun is out and it's a tad bit warmer. of course, judging from the radar, we have a monsoon coming later tonight and tomorrow. that should get interesting. the guy who farms out here finally got all the brush and trees out from the creek in front. i couldn't believe how much was in there. i guess we'll see quickly if it helps with the drainage or not.

looking forward to Monday Night Raw tonight. the Undertaker returned this past weekend at a house show, so maybe he makes a return tonight. plus, i'm sure some screwy ending to the Cena vs. Punk match is coming to set up a triple threat match at Wrestlemania. when you've been watching pro wrestling for 35 of your 37 years on this planet, you can damn near write the shit yourself. i'd really just like 3 hours of being entertained and not having to think. that should do me some good.

in other news, found some small deer antlers behind one of the barns today. not sure what i'm going to do with them. i imagine i'll think of something. also, a new cat showed up at the farm in the last 2 days. it's pretty big so i'm imagining that either it's a runaway or someone dumped it out here as it got too big to care for. it seems pretty friendly, so i'm guessing it was a pet. i gave it a little food but didn't check to see if it still had claws or not. if it doesn't, it won't last long out here.

mom ordered her hearing aid today. i had no idea they could be so expensive. at the price she got it at, i'm not sure it's worth it given what sounds she's been missing out on. of course, i'm one cynical fucker...

music today:

Buddy Guy - Slippin' In
Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa - Don't Explain

"A true champion can adapt to anything." - Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

like a punch to the gut

been back home for a few hours now. thought i would compose my thoughts before i would blog about the game i went to today and rant like a motherfucker.

shitty officiating, but that was for both teams. Dayton missed way too many fucking free throws for as many as they took. neither team quite frankly deserved to win the game. but, when you are up by 10 with 5 minutes to go you should never, ever, ever fucking lose at home by 1. especially when the officials give you every chance to win the game and your 5th year senior can't make at least 1 of the 2 biggest free throws of his life. these are the games i hate as i will spend the next few hours thinking and replaying the damn thing in my mind.

after the game, went to my favorite sports bar and had a few drinks and some bad for you food to just unwind. a bit at least. i did get some enjoyment when i saw that Manchester City lost today. now, if Manchester United can win tomorrow the lead will be 12 points and i will absolutely think everyone else in the Premier League is playing for second place.

mother nature is putting a huge wrinkle in my fantasy sports. thankfully i don't have too many guys on the teams that have had their games postponed. hopefully the New York Rangers game will go on tomorrow night as planned. the team they are playing, Tampa Bay, is coming from Boston. i bet that will be a fun trip.

a busy Sunday as i will somehow squeeze in Manchester United, the New York Rangers, The Grammys, Girls, Shameless, House of Lies and Californication while trying to get some sleep as well.

as for tonight, i might as well just write as i don't have much interest in watching that ass clown host Saturday Night Live. might have to flip between Austin City Limits and ROH until i just give up and fall asleep.

so much for a day at 12:45 PM i thought was going to be nice, sunny, fuck, even serene. welcome back to reality asshole.

music today:

Howlin' Wolf - The Definitive Collection
Various Artists - Millennium Funk Party

"Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise." - Alice Walker

a weekend to forget

truly, a weekend to forget. i will try to get through my misery quickly.

Dayton Flyers - same old story. start competitive, fall behind big, dig hard to get out of the hole they made, fall short at the end. beyond frustrating by now.

NFL Playoffs - only picked 1 of the games correctly, which more or less knocks me out of any chance of making some money on my picks this year. you can imagine my frustration.

Manchester United - brief moments of joy after a 2-1 win over Liverpool. then, to see Manchester City win and read about the 3 injuries United picked up before and during the game tempered any chance i had of joy.

Sunday Night TV - i laughed at the Golden Globes more than i was bored to death, so that's good. watched Girls on HBO, some people hate it, i love it. probably due to my fascination with the generation right after me or so and how i simply rarely understand them. as for the shows i watch on Showtime; Shameless is always brilliant. never had any complaints. House of Lies is just bad enough that i like it and can't turn away. Califorincation is one of my favorite shows ever. love the writing, stay for the nudity. looks like all 3 should be interesting. hopefully.

today has been a blah day for the most part. the weather is 40 degrees colder than it was yesterday. i guess i'll see just how good my white blood cells are. speaking of blood, i get my drawn in the morning. plus, get my driver's license renewed. someone put a bullet in my head NOW.

looking forward to Monday Night Raw tonight. 20 year anniversary. fuck, i feel old. should be an interesting trip down nostalgia lane.

looking forward to hockey starting back up this weekend. i imagine if the New York Rangers weren't one of a few Stanley Cup favorites, i wouldn't give two shits. even though it's a bastardized season, i like winning. always have.

music today:

Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
Social Distortion - Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
Ana Tijoux - La Bala

"Originality is the fine art of remembering what you hear but forgetting where you heard it." - Laurence J. Peter