the hours just start to bleed together...

i think the air conditioner might have ran all day yesterday. we're not supposed to be as warm today. but, that only means there are thunderstorms coming. joy.

i have been watching a lot of The Basketball Tournament on ESPN the last couple days. the Red Scare team is made up of some former Dayton basketball players. they will play Carmen's Crew later today. that team is made up of former Ohio State basketball players. so, it's going to be a 2014 rematch from the NCAA tournament. should be a good one.

the New York Yankees defeated Colorado yesterday, 11-5. they will go for the sweep this afternoon.

NJPW was excellent last night. i love the G1 tournament.

ROH was really good last night.

enjoy some music:

and now some of this and that:

on the DVR tonight will be Big Brother, the finale of Big Little Lies, Euphoria and City on a Hill.

i do plan on watching most of the Baseball Hall of Fame ceremonies today, mostly because of Mike Mussina and Mariano Rivera are going in.

i hope everyone had a great Saturday. hopefully, your Sunday will be even better.

i have no clue when i will be on here tomorrow. i'd actually like to get more than 3 hours of sleep at a time at some point in my life.

until tomorrow kids...

no es fácil dormir cuando tiene dolor

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:

Gov't Mule - Presence of the Lord (Live)
The Black Crowes - Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye (Live)
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - Goddamn Lonely Love (Live)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - From Her to Eternity (Live)

"You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it." - Robin Williams

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

well, at least the baseball writers finally got something right...

i knew Mariano Rivera was going to go into the Hall of Fame today. i was more interested in seeing how many votes he got. and when they announced that he got 100% of the vote, i started to cry. finally, the baseball writers got it right. the greatest of all time at his position, should get all the votes. and to be the first one to ever get 100%, i know it means that much more. Mike Mussina, Edgar Martinez and Roy Halladay also got elected today to the Hall of Fame.

mom went to physical therapy today. it's the same therapist she had the last time she was at this place. i was happy he noticed how bad my mother's left arm is. so, i guess the plan is for her to do therapy twice a week for the next 3 weeks. he told her the back pain won't go away, but he hopes she will be able to manage it better. plus, he gave her some stretches to do at home, which i get to be the asshole that makes sure she does them.

Monday Night Raw was pretty good last night.

Celebrity Big Brother was pretty funny last night. this season should be nuts.

enjoy some music:

and now some of this and that:

on the DVR tonight will be Vice News Tonight, Smackdown and Celebrity Big Brother. i'll watch 205 Live sometime tonight on WWE Network.

i did get the trash out before the sun went down. nothing quite like feeling your left knee give out while walking on ice. joy.

i did get out to the bank today to make a deposit. my favorite teller was working again. this time i noticed a tattoo on her right hand. i'm going to unravel this mystery one day. let the poems flow.

speaking of poems, i will hopefully be on here tomorrow after sending some poems out. i probably won't go to the Dayton Flyers game tomorrow night as we are supposed to have another round of crazy weather come through. joy.

plus i think mom is having someone come out tomorrow to look at the windows. i could feel the air getting through the other day, so i know she's pissed.

that's all for me kids. until tomorrow.

Lágrimas de alegría para los más grandes de todos los tiempos.

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:

Metallica - Enter Sandman (Live)

"I only go out to get me a fresh appetite for being alone." - Lord Byron

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

winter will be here before too long

there's that chill in the air that only means it will be winter soon. or as i call it for fat people, fashion season. where you don't look ridiculous because you have on a few layers of clothes. the time of year where sweatpants are okay. good times.

my sports day yesterday wasn't awful. it wasn't great either, albeit i did enjoy Ohio State once again beating the shit out of Michigan. i suppose i should start there.

Ohio State did yesterday what they should have done all fucking season. run the ball, run it again, and then run it down their throat again. i believe they rushed for well over 300 yards against that shit school from up north. 42-13. i couldn't be happier.

Manchester United had its usual performance yesterday. a decent set piece but god fucking awful in the final third. that being said, i wasn't totally pissed with a 1-1 draw considering they lost at Leicester last season 5-3. of course, they did piss away a chance to be top in the league. if Arsenal wins today, they will be 4th. that's what happens when you can't score more than 1 fucking goal in a game.

but, in happier news, Happy Birthday to Ryan Giggs.

the New York Rangers played like shit yesterday. i guess losing Stepan and realizing the league wasn't going to suspend the dickhead that did the hit just took the life out of the team. losing 3-0 to Philadelphia at home to extend the losing streak to 3 games is hopefully the low point for the season. they play again at home on Monday.

Austin City Limits was good last night. i could listen to Jason Isbell play anything. ROH was excellent last night.

enjoy some music kids:

and now for some of this and that:

on the DVR tonight will be Homeland and The Affair.

the New Orleans Saints play at Houston today. hopefully they come off the bye week with a victory.

the Dayton Flyers renew their rivalry with Xavier today down in Orlando, Florida. this will be for the championship of the Advocare Invitational. i hate Xavier with just about every fiber of my body, so i really want Dayton to win this championship.

my fantasy football teams look to be in good shape for this week. of course, that could all change by tomorrow. amazingly, it looks like i may actually win a week of fantasy hockey. HOLY SHIT.

my sister just left to go back up to Columbus. hopefully the travel isn't too bad for her on the highways.

i did a little poetry work last night. i think i figured what poems i'm going to send where in my last big submission of the year. i'd love to do that on my old computer, which hopefully will be getting fixed here soon. if not, i may just break out a credit card and get myself a new computer for Christmas.

that's all for me kids. i hope everyone had a great Saturday. hopefully your Sunday is even better.

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:

Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers
My Morning Jacket - It Makes No Difference (Live)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Phenomena

"I don't think any professional accepts defeat." - Mariano Rivera

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

my body feels like it is 80 years old

when i woke up this morning, 3 1/2 hours after i fell asleep, my whole damn body ached. every portion that has any scar tissue on it was aching like i was an addict in need of a fix. and it has been like that all damn day long. it's a struggle to hold my head up to see what the fuck i am typing on the screen. good times.

men's hockey has started in the Winter Olympics so now i am interested. i watched Sweden beat the Czech Republic 4-2 earlier today. always good to see my favorite goalie get a win. i believe team USA plays tomorrow morning.

Manchester United played Arsenal to a 0-0 game. i wish United would have played this kind of defense all of this season. of course, 26th game of the Premier League season, 26th different lineup Moyes has started. there's part of the damn problem.

Dayton plays Rhode Island here in a few in a MUST win type of game. of course, they haven't beat Rhode Island since 2008. that streak has to end tonight if they want to have any chance to play in the postseason.

i did manage to send out the 15 poems this morning. i figured i would do my best to block out the pain to get it done. i want to thank Michele McDannold for the invitation to this project and for allowing me to send the poems as attachments. sorry it took 6 or so emails. i'm a piss poor organizer of this shit. when i hear back on the poems i will pass along the news here on the blog.

so i saw today that Derek Jeter will be retiring after this upcoming season. great, another year of waterworks. maybe they can make the playoffs for The Captain this season, since they couldn't do it for the greatest closer of all time this past season.

do check out episode #90 of the Sam Roberts Show Online. you can find it on iTunes, Stitcher, notsam.com as well as the right hand side of this blog. also, check out the new store at the website.

sorry for being so short today. the pain pills aren't working as well and mother nature has a foot up my ass. hope you enjoy that visual.

until tomorrow...

music:

Charlie Parker - Jazz 'Round Midnight

"Never wound a snake; kill it." - Harriet Tubman

i wept like a baby

i had an uneventful drive to the airport yesterday to pick up my mother and sister, until the airport cop decided he wanted to play tough guy and literally tell me where to park, not really giving a shit i would be cutting off a car to do so. so, just to show what an asshole he was being, i did like he said. the woman i was now blocking in wasn't happy. she looked at me and i pointed to the dickhead and gave her the look of, there's where your anger needs to be. the police in general have always pissed me off.

i tuned into the Yankees game just in time last night to see everything regarding Mo. it was his final game at Yankee Stadium. he entered the game in the 8th to get the final 2 outs, which he did. he got the first 2 outs of the 9th (which lowered his career ERA to the lowest ever for a pitcher with over 1,200 innings pitched). then Andy and Derek came out to take him out of the game. i was doing fine until i watched Mo start to cry while hugging Andy. then i lost it. all the emotions of the last 17 years or so; the championships, the unbelievable moments, the crushing defeats, the parades... just reflecting on watching the greatest closer to ever live and how remarkable his entire career has been. of course, the Yankees lost again last night. not sure what next season holds for the team, but i do know without Mo it will never be the same.

i did watch The Big Bang Theory last night. very funny. one of my guilty pleasures i suppose. i really love how quick the writing is on the show. as a writer, it's that kind of stuff that hooks me.

the rest of the night was spent watching the NFL. at least the defense i started showed up last night. unlike all the other games this season. that gave me a nice start in my NFL.com fantasy league.

i have no clue what i'll be watching tonight. i might just hand the remote over to my mother and go write the night away. or, it could be an evening where i flip between the Smithsonian Channel and Food Network. i always tend to try to learn shit when i'm bored. i never stop trying to learn everything i can about everything there is. not sure my family enjoys it when they end up getting stuck watching some documentary on a topic they couldn't give 2 shits about. i almost care.

big sports weekend and Sunday night shows coming up. should be interesting to see how i map out the 5 shows i want to watch on Sunday night that all air at the same time on 2 different networks. thank god for the west coast feeds.

i caught bits and pieces of the New York Rangers last night. i think they play again tonight though i imagine it's probably going to be blacked out for me. i could tell one thing hasn't changed even with a new coach. they struggle to fucking score goals beyond belief. 41 shots and 0 goals. and people wonder why i get so fucking frustrated at times. my fantasy hockey draft is this weekend as well.

i will most likely be back on this blog sometime between the end of the Manchester United game and before Ohio State plays tomorrow night.

peace and chicken grease.

music:

The Killers - Hot Fuss
Morphine - Like Swimming
Ani DiFranco - Living In Clip

"The best way to predict the future is to create it." - Peter Drucker

at least they can't disappoint me any more this season

i didn't watch much of the Yankees last night as i saw they were already losing by the time i turned on the game. then i had the joy of flipping back to the game when Tampa blew the game wide open. so, that's that. for the 2nd time in 19 years, the Yankees won't be in the playoffs. unlike many Yankees fans today, i remember a good portion of the 19 years before this run. this will be a crazy offseason for the team. and if this season is any indication, i expect full blown fucking chaos. i might tune in tonight for a little bit, mostly because it will be the last time Mo is a member of the team in that stadium.

i'm pretty happy that the New York Rangers finally signed Derek Stepan. now, hopefully the team can get going and start the season off good. considering they are on the road for the first 2 weeks or so, they will need every point possible.

The Bridge last night was a bit disappointing. a slow burn that never really went anywhere. teaches me for believing the damn previews. hopefully the finale next week blows me away.

not sure what i'll be watching this evening as it all depends on when i get back from the airport. hopefully it's in time to watch The Big Bang Theory and then some NFL. i've got some guys playing tonight, so i'll probably torture myself and watch.

i did write 3 poems last night. i typed them up earlier today and think they are pretty good. i hope to write a few more before the month ends.

that's pretty much all for now. i'll be sitting here taking a nap waiting for the phone to ring.

be well.

music:

Father John Misty - Fear Fun
Gary Clark Jr. - The Bright Lights EP
Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls
Phantogram - Eyelid Movies

"Anxiety is the hand maiden of creativity." - T.S. Eliot

after the day of horror

where do i begin? might as well start at the beginning of the horror show that was my Sunday...

when i got the news that RvP was injured and not going to play against City, i was worried. but when i saw the lineup David Moyes put out i was mortified. how the fuck Ashley Young still plays for Manchester United is beyond me. why Kagawa can't get in a game is fucking ridiculous. a 4-1 loss that could have been much worse was fucking embarrassing. got so bad i didn't even bother watching the last 20 minutes or so. hopefully they play much better than that on Wednesday. don't think i can stomach another loss to Liverpool.

the ceremony for Mariano Rivera yesterday was great. had a feel of Old Timers Day and a Hall of Fame ceremony wrapped up into one. it was good to see some old faces and to see Metallica play live at it. after i got back from taking my mother and sister to the airport, it was just in time to see Andy Pettitte get pulled from the game. just in time to see DRob blow it and watch Mo get the final 5 outs. Yankees lose 2-1. fitting for how this fucking season has gone. and then find out today CC is done for the year with yet another damn injury. i have never seen a team get so many fucking injuries in one year in my life. thankfully, the playoffs are now in the not a fucking chance in hell category.

my fantasy football teams stunk yesterday. well, at least one of them did. i was really surprised to see i won my match on NFL.com with still 2 players to go tonight. thank you Drew Brees. as for the other one, i have no fucking chance on that. even with 2 guys going tonight. not a chance.

as for tv last night, Dexter ended pretty much the only way it could end. Ray Donovan had a twist i didn't see coming. Boardwalk Empire was brilliant as always.

got up this morning to a chilly home. kind of weird not hearing mom's country music playing coming down the steps. she usually forgets to turn her alarm off when she is away. had a ton of mail in the po box. i was surprised it all fit. 1 piece for me. got my laundry done today but somehow managed to strain my back doing that. needless to say i'll be laying on ice for the rest of the evening.

tonight will be a night of constant channel flipping. The Voice is back. on at the same time as Monday Night Raw and Monday Night Football.  and then hopefully my back cooperates and i can get my clean laundry back upstairs and put away without having to spend some time in the fetal position.

good times.

i'm hoping to get some music together to go sell tomorrow. not all of this music i take a chance on is a keeper. i might as well make some money back. plus, i need some more experience driving mom's SUV if she actually plans on letting me have it one day. i'm sure that won't happen until she gets close to 300,000 miles on it. sadly, she's much closer to that than you actually may believe.

until tomorrow. be well.

music:

Nine Inch Nails - hesitation marks (Deluxe Edition)
Ana Tijoux - 1977
Black Joe Lewis - Electric Slave

"Love is a piano dropped from a fourth story window, and you were in the wrong place at the wrong time." - Ani DiFranco

quick thoughts on a Sunday morning

i'll be busier than 9 cats covering up shit in a windstorm today, so i thought i would make this quick.

Ohio State won yesterday 76-0. it wasn't really as close as the score suggests.

the Yankees won again !!!!!!!!!!!!!! 6-0. Nova with another complete game shutout. they go for the sweep today on the day no Yankees fan ever wanted to see. the day they honor Mariano Rivera and say goodbye and thanks. today will be a flood of nostalgia i imagine.

the food at the sports bar was the hottest i think i have ever been served. we must have hit the place at the exact right time.

Manchester derby day. hopefully the town will be painted red. my eyes will be glued on that for most of the time. sadly, the ceremony for Mo starts during it. I NEED THE ELVIS WALL OF TELEVISIONS!!!!!!!!!!!

ROH was great last night. sadly, i fell asleep before it was over but i already know the outcomes. Steen vs. Strong was excellent, i do remember that.

i will be taking my mother and sister to the airport this afternoon. saves them about $40. puts a little bit of a cramp in my football viewing. but given how my fantasy teams are shaping up today, i will probably need some time away from the television so i don't explode.

my Sunday night viewing is slightly altered this evening. Boardwalk Empire is a given. so is the season finale of Ray Donovan. i have no clue if i'm going to watch the series finale of Dexter or not. i'm sure i will probably view a little bit for sure as i did watch the show for the first 3 seasons, religiously. plus, i suppose i need to know how it ends.

that's all for me. i have breakfast to eat, cats to feed, trash to get out of the house (picked up most of it last night) and bags to load for my mother. i hope everyone has a great day. until tomorrow.

music:

Radiohead - The Bends
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?

"In seeking wisdom thou art wise; in imagining that thou hast attained it - thou art a fool." - Lord Chesterfield

here comes the storm

i heard the rumblings this morning but really didn't pay any attention to it. then i got the email this afternoon. so, probably before i get done with these ramblings, Andy Pettitte will be having his press conference to announce his retirement, again. the kicker is his final start at home will be on the day they are honoring Mariano Rivera. Sunday is going to be a long, emotional, fuck me runnin' kind of day.

the truly sad part of this is with yet another loss last night, the Yankees more or less have about .00000000000000000000000000000000001% chance of making the playoffs now. to see 2 of the greatest postseason pitchers of all time retire and their last games not be in the playoffs pretty much sums up the total disappointment of this Yankee season. almost reminds me of the early 90's and they had too many questions and not enough answers going into the off season.

i didn't watch much last night. just sort of flipped through the channels, avoiding the Yankees game as much as possible.  not exactly sure what i'll be watching tonight either. we are supposed to have some pretty big storms come through here tonight, so i'm not sure if we'll even have power. if we don't, i'll try to break out the flip cam and take some videos. maybe a poetry reading in the dark. who knows.

thanks to those of you who have shared your comments on my latest YouTube video. i really do appreciate it.

mom got the check for the soybeans last night. it was more than i was hoping for, and i was hoping for much more than we got last year. always nice when there's more than 1 number to the left of the comma. sadly, with this rain coming, the corn harvest is going to be pushed back after the 1st of October. the corn still looks good though, so my fingers are crossed that it will still be that way come harvest.

speaking of the harvest, had a good laugh at the coyotes the other night rolling around in the field where the soybeans were, howling at the full moon. they didn't appreciate me turning on the outside lights and scaring the shit out of them.

busier than shit weekend coming up. all the sports, my mother and sister going on another trip (they haven't decided if i'm driving them to the airport or not), i have a ton of laundry to do, add on grocery shopping and getting everything ready for trash day... if i find the time to write anything on this blog i'll surprise myself. or, keep your eyes peeled for a post at 3 in the morning or so.

well, i'm off to go watch a press conference and think back fondly on the glory days.

hope everyone has a great weekend.

music:

Valerie June - Pushin' Against A Stone
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes
Trampled By Turtles - Stars and Satellites
JD McPherson - Signs & Signifiers
Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See

"The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper." - Bertrand Russell

when a recluse leaves the cave

yeah, yeah, yeah, i know what you're thinking. yet another blog post about shit i did today. here's a quick thought, you could always send me money to write about something else.

so i had big plans today to go get a haircut. might not sound like much, but for a person who hates being out in public 99% of the time, it is. so i shaved this morning and was getting ready to take a shower. of course, i had to shit. and i think i might have shit out the last 3 days of food. this made my shower a little more interesting, to say the least. but, i eventually did make it to the barber shop. now, other than a handful of times in my life, the same guy or myself have cut my hair. luckily, there was no wait and the price was the same as the last time i was in there, roughly 2 years ago. $10.50. i left a $3 tip. not bad for a poor fucker. one thing i did notice while driving around, my truck fucking sucks. i do believe it is nearing death. just in time for winter.

only 1 piece of mail in the po box today. and it wasn't for me. tomorrow i imagine the box will be full.

the Yankees last night got their sweep of the White Sox, 6-5. CC pitched better than he had in a long while, David Robertson played the role of 'let's make this shit interesting', which allowed the hammer of god to get his first four out save in 2 years. up tonight is the first of 4 games against Boston.

which brings me to my big dilemma tonight. Yankees vs. Red Sox. start of the NFL season. double eviction on Big Brother. and the season finale of Wilfred. all on at the same time more or less. these are the nights i'm happy i'm just crazy enough to be able to watch them all on one television.

The Bridge last night was excellent. plenty of tension and just when i thought i could take a breath, a vicious car crash that i didn't see coming. i absolutely can't wait to the episode next week.

Duck Dynasty really made me laugh. i believe the beaver in the kitchen sink really had me howling. mom just looked at me and said, i'm not white trash enough for that. good times.

i only have 1 player playing this evening in the Denver vs. Baltimore NFL opener. sadly, my opponents have a slew of players playing. so, i have no choice but to watch.

4 kittens seems to be down to 3 now as the little gray kitten has been missing the last 2 days. of course, it was the adventurous one, so who knows where the fuck it is. it's been so damn dry around here, i'm just hoping it didn't wander to outside of the barn. it wouldn't last long.

that's all for today. best of luck to all my gambling buddies on the first day of losing way too much money to be able to hide it from your wife. to all my fantasy football competitors, may you all lose to me at some point this season. and lastly, i wasn't joking about the money thing. you know my address. feel free to use it.

music:

The xx - Coexist
Shooter Jennings - Family Man

"Ambition can creep as well as soar." - Edmund Burke

a good start to the weekend

as i bounced around tv shows last night, i couldn't help but notice the Yankees were winning. so, i once again fell into the trap of watching the game. Nova pitched great once AGAIN. but, when Mo blew the save for the second game in a row, i wasn't upset with him. i was upset with who the fuck ever put the CF in the wrong damn spot when Austin Jackson was up. besides, Mo gives up a home run to the best hitter on the planet, shit happens. in the 10th, i was pissed off enough to wake my mother up basically screaming why the fuck wouldn't Girardi pinch hit for Chris "i couldn't hit a 300 feet window with a bulldozer" Stewart. thankfully, the CF i was pissed off with in the 9th got the winning hit on the next play. it was a pissed off victory beer, but i enjoyed it.

after that, i sat down at the computer to study the 3 illustrations the artist from Sweden sent me that weren't related to any poems i had written. he asked if i could come up with something for them. 30 minutes later and i'm emailing him what i came up with. i woke up this morning to an email from him saying that he loved them. that makes 7 so far in our little collaboration. he said he's going to send some more soon. i figure once we get to 10 or so, i'll start looking for a publisher. if anyone reading this may be interested, feel free to contact me.

the Yankees play here in a few hours. Hughes is on the mound so my expectations are about as low as possible. other than that and some ROH late tonight, i have no clue what i will be watching today. i might break out the camera if the weather is decent enough and take some pictures. if i do, i'll post them sometime tomorrow.

saw news this morning that Wayne Rooney told his teammates he's going to Chelsea. i refuse to believe any of this shit until it happens. but if he does go there, i sadly believe that those pieces of shit will win the title this year. i would so love to be wrong about that.

i did watch a good portion of Smackdown last night. hard to believe that RVD can still wrestle they way he did 10 years ago. maybe even better. i'm so tempted to get the next PPV, but i won't. that's one of the upsides of being poor. you can always be tempted but reality has a foot on your neck. so the decision has already been made for you.

until tomorrow or later tonight (in case i need to vent or amaze myself with some photo action)

music:

The xx - Coexist
The Allman Brothers Band - The Allman Brothers Band
Emeli Sande - Our Version Of Events
Buddy Guy - Living Proof
Ray LaMontagne - Till the Sun Turns Black

"Less is only more where more is no good." - Frank Lloyd Wright

swimming in the river of nostalgia

so i survived yesterday much better than i expected. it was kind of funny how people were shocked to see me. most of the people i hadn't seen since graduation, some 19 years ago. i came close to actually having fun. might have even sold a book or two and got this blog a little more exposure. but, it wouldn't be my life if there wasn't something negative to balance all the positive out. as i was leaving the stadium, i started to feel a bit queasy. i decided to head back to the farm instead of going to BW3 with the rest of the gang as i didn't want another one of these situations:
http://www.zygoteinmycoffee.com/100s/issue117socialanxiety.html

by staying in i did get to see the Yankees actually play a decent game. Nova pitched great AGAIN, the Grandy man shook off some more rust, and the hammer of god got another save. a nice 3-0 win. hopefully they can win today and get the series. Hughes is on the mound, so i hope the offense feels like scoring today.

ROH last night was really good. just love to see an organization give a spotlight to good tag team wrestling. as a child that grew up on The Rock n Roll Express, Midnight Express, The Road Warriors, The Fabulous Freebirds, and The Rockers, i definitely don't mind seeing great tag teams wrestle. it's sadly a lost art. i enjoyed the episode enough to watch it again today at noon.

i figure i will bounce around some sports this afternoon. a little golf, NASCAR, some baseball, maybe some soccer, all while the house is airing out. always nice when the windows can be open during the dog days of summer.

tonight will be my usual Sunday night viewing of Big Brother, The Newsroom, Ray Donovan, and Total Divas. of course, with shark week starting up, i may flip in some of that as well.

after i mow the grass tomorrow i'm planning on going through some poems and getting a couple submissions out this week.

hope everyone is well. to those of you checking out this blog for the first time, welcome. hope you enjoy. feel free to leave a comment or email me what you think of it. it truly was very nice seeing some people that i have some really fond memories of yesterday.

of course, i got a phone call from my sister this morning bitching about the facebook shit storm i caused with my appearance yesterday. she was getting phone calls at 8 this morning wondering if that was me in some pictures posted. that really made me laugh.

until we meet again...

music:

Jason Isbell - Southeastern
The Dirty Guv'nahs - Somewhere Beneath These Southern Skies
Niki & The Dove - Instinct

"When my cats aren't happy, I'm not happy. Not because I care about their mood but because I know they're just sitting there thinking up ways to get even." - Percy Bysshe Shelley

back on the grid

i haven't been able to check my email or anything up until a few hours ago. when the tech from Frontier Communications noticed that our signal was lower than dial up, the genius realized something had to be done. whatever he did do, so far, it has worked. and i was able to get through the 82 emails i had in a little over 24 hours in less than 30 minutes. before the change, i imagine that would have taken me over 6 hours. a huge fucking difference.

so, i will try to squish 2 posts into 1 for this one. my thoughts on Monday:

i didn't watch much of Home Run Derby but i did get the winner right. as for Monday Night Raw, it was excellent once again. they did a great job of setting up some major angles for the next PPV. plus, having RVD wrestle Y2J made the wrestling fan from 10 years ago smile widely.

now from yesterday:

a big win for team USA over Costa Rica, 1-0. they win the group and are pretty much the #1 seed for the quarterfinals for the Gold Cup. next match is on Sunday.

i was very happy to see that the hammer of god won the All Star MVP. sadly, i was watching when Cano got hit with a pitch in the 1st inning. i nearly threw the remote through the tv when it happened. just what the fucking Yankees need, another damn injury.

Deadliest Catch was great as usual last night.

i have absolutely no clue what i'll be watching this evening. i will do my best to avoid the shit programming on ESPN this evening. i guess i'll watch some Big Brother and then maybe a movie on one of the 100 or so movie channels i have. who knows, maybe some more writing.

i did write 6 poems during my time off the grid. i typed them up yesterday and they are really good. i need a few more and i'll have all the poems together for the 3 places i'm sending to. i really hope (especially if the internet doesn't flake on me again) to these submissions out by the end of the week.

the weather here is still a big hot mess. hopefully we'll get a little rain here soon. i doubt it will provide much relief, but the crops could definitely use a drink.

funny, just as i was typing that the internet has gone out again. i always wonder what my life would have been like if i would have listened to the 8 year old me and grabbed the rope and ladder and climbed the tree. well, at least i got through the damn emails.

and now i'm going to keep typing like a fool who thinks the internet will come back on and this will actually get posted.

music for the last 2 days:

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Van Morrison - Moondance
Willie Nelson - The Essential Willie Nelson
Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty

"Study the past, if you would divine the future." - Confucius

a change in plans

so after the Yankees lost today (first blown save at home for Mo in 3 seasons almost) i hopped in the shower. and of course, i managed to tweak my back while in the shower. talk about fun.

so, i decided since i can't do much more than sit at the moment, i would just type up and send out the poems now. so, i sent out 16 poems today, 3 each to Dead Snakes and The Camel Saloon, and 5 each to BoySlut and Regardless of Authority. when i hear back from these places i'll pass along the news here on the blog.

i was very happy to see Andy Murray win Wimbledon. being a bit Scottish myself, i was very proud to see it finally happen. not often you see a 3 set match that goes longer than 3 hours. the few final points were especially grueling.

not sure if i'm going to watch Big Brother tonight or not. i may try to get some light stretching in to see if it helps my back. besides, since i follow all the online sites, i already know what's going to happen for the next 2 shows.

i do plan on watching Ray Donovan though as everyone i've seen talking about it has been raving about tonight's episode. i'll take the bait as i really liked the first episode.

that is all. until tomorrow (hopefully)

oh yeah, the sun came back out today. figures i would be spending most of the day in a chair.

a hump day quickie

not much time to do some blogging today, so i figured i would do a quick hitter.

Deadliest Catch last night was great. looks like Jake has to put on his big boy pants. honestly, i would have made the same decision.

the Yankees once again forgot their offense. but, they had a chance to win and then hell froze over. for the first time in his hall of fame career, the hammer of GOD blew a save without getting an out. fucking stunning. the series shifts to Yankee Stadium tonight. not sure if i really give a shit or not.

game 7 between the Sharks and Kings was great. i had the Sharks goalie in my fantasy league, i guess i'll have to change that for the next round.

i did watch a good bit of the Heat and Pacers last night. i always wonder why officials think fans came to see the best player in the world foul out of a game. never makes any sense to me. and it is truly hard to watch a basketball game that has no flow. it sucks.

i was stunned at who got voted off of The Voice last night. Judith and Sarah (both from team Adam) were front runners to win it all. it's rather obvious that team Blake has the upper hand now. Judith was my pick from the beginning, so i really have no clue who is going to win now.

given the unpredictable weather (chance of rain for the next 4 days after today), i have no choice but to mow the grass today. that will be interesting as the temps are supposed to get near 90 today. so, my goal today is to get it done without having a heat stroke. and seeing that my sensitive skin will be covered with long sleeves and sweatpants, i see a few more water breaks happening today.

music today:

Beck - Guero

"You know you're getting old when the candles cost more than the cake." - Bob Hope

say hello to the pain

mowing the grass yesterday was brutal. the grass was way too high in places. the weather was much warmer than they said it would be. and 5 hours of baking in the sun didn't sit too well with me. luckily, expired sunscreen still works just as good so i'm not burnt. just the aches and pains of too much sun when you're fair-skinned and rarely outdoors.

after mowing and a long shower, i sat down to watch the Yankees play. i knew they were in for a long one going against King Felix. but, thankfully, Felix only went 6 and the Yankees came to life. always nice to trail 3-0 and end up winning 4-3. the hammer of god with yet another save. if anyone doubts that Mariano Rivera is one of the greatest pitchers ever, please stop watching baseball.

i did watch most of The Voice last night. thankfully, NBC showed the performances from the previous night in the first hour which really helped me make up my mind on who should be eliminated. needless to say my 2 choices weren't the 2 now gone. i did have 1 right. how Usher's male model is still in the competition is beyond me. i figure this season will come down to if America is in the mood for country (team Blake) or a little of everything (team Adam). Sasha (team Shakira) is probably the only "outsider" that has a chance. hopefully her coach picks the right songs or Sasha picks them for herself.

i was trying to watch Deadliest Catch last night but fell asleep halfway through. when i woke up 10 minutes later i gave up and just went to bed. i think i was out before midnight. and i know i was really tired when i woke up this morning and had no clue that the phone rang at 1:30 in the morning. lord knows i needed the sleep though. i haven't had 6 hours in forever it seems.

i think i'm scrapping my bookstore plans for Sofisticated White Trash. if the book would have been self-published i would have had a much better chance of getting it in some places. looks like the distribution companies have pretty much got the bookstores on lock down for the small guys. so, i'll simply direct as much traffic as i can to Interior Noise Press and hope that some good reviews and word of mouth propel the book down the road.

i figure i will bounce between some sports tonight and probably either some music or some animal shows or some lesser known documentary found while flipping through the channels avoiding commercials. hell, maybe i'll be falling asleep again early. i'm surely getting old now.

music today:

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away
Youth Lagoon - Wondrous Bughouse

"If you want to make someone feel emotion, you have to make them let go. Listening to something is an act of surrender." - Brian Eno

sometimes the old men are more than just old

when i noticed the Yankees had a lead last night, their first of the season, i quickly started watching more and more of the game. i found myself laughing at how easy the old man Pettitte makes it look sometimes. helps when you can get a double play ball on command it seems. and then, turn the game over to the hammer of god Rivera. sure, he gave up a run, but the man is 43. Yankees win 4-2. thank god.

flipped through some hockey games and even a little TNA wrestling, which i hardly ever watch. why i was up till 3 in the morning with such little of interest to me on is beyond me.

i'm not sure if the bird feeder problem is a raccoon after all. i get the feeling it may be a deer. i guess i will be pulling one of my up all night routines to make sure. i guess it really is spring now out here at the zoo, i mean farm.

absolutely hard to believe it's been 19 years since Kurt Cobain died. i can still remember sitting in the parking lot of the Trotwood, Ohio library when i heard the news. just a few weeks before my high school graduation. i can still recall that moment like it was yesterday. nothing like these moments of nostalgia to really make me feel old. and it also brings to mind that another high school reunion is coming up. of course, i rarely get invited to any of this shit, much like high school when i come to think of it. good times.

the poet of the day on my Google+ page is my good friend Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal.

the Yankees play here in a couple of hours. Detroit's home opener. get to relive all the playoff losses of the last few years. great. the Rangers play tonight in Pittsburgh. i'm sure the Penguins will be looking for a little revenge after that ass-whipping they get in New York. other than that and watching various wrestling interviews for Wrestlemania week, i can see myself enjoying the outdoors a bit today. it seems like forever since i have seen the sun for 4 straight days.

hope everyone has a great weekend. a big sports weekend, between the Final 4, Wrestlemania, the hockey season getting to the point of every game is a playoff game and finish it all off with a tasty Manchester United vs. Manchester City clash on Monday. hopefully, a few victory beers will be had along the way.

music today:

Nirvana - Nevermind

"The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing." - Marcus Aurelius

when the sun comes out to play

amazing how different my mood is when the sun is out for nearly all day long. or maybe it's that my sports teams are winning. who knows.

i watched the New York Rangers game last night knowing it was going to be a struggle as the Islanders are much better than the pieces of shit they normally are. but, being down 1-0 in the 3rd period, i felt confident as the Rangers were getting chance after chance. and of course, Rick Nash ties the game with his 8th goal of the year, all in the 3rd period. and below is the game winner from Marian Gaborik in overtime, on the power play nonetheless

amazing the leaping ability of Captain Cally on that play. i never knew he had hops. 4th win in a row for the boys. hopefully they get number 5 tonight against Ottawa.

big game tomorrow afternoon for the Dayton Flyers. i didn't get to go to Senior Night (bad weather and my shitty truck don't mix) but they won again. if they win on Saturday, amazingly they make the A10 tournament. even with a loss, they have a chance to make it. i really hope they don't count on the help from others route. just win baby.

Manchester United plays on Sunday against Chelsea in FA Cup play. i'm really hoping for a victory and maybe a rub your face in it kind of one. i think i'm still a little bitter from earlier in the week.

also, anytime Justin Timberlake is hosting Saturday Night Live it's usually better than normal, so i'll check that out.

i will close this blog post with a bit of sadness for me. i guess tomorrow morning the Hammer of God makes it official and announces this will be his last season with the New York Yankees. it's been an absolute pleasure and joy to watch Mo his entire career. he will go down as the greatest relief pitcher of all time and it will never be close. also, i get a good laugh from all these people writing off the Yankees already because of all the injuries and advanced ages. how many times have i seen this before? i don't understand why people refuse to learn their lessons. hopefully, when the Yankees win the division, these idiots will understand. age and experience are two different things. you're never old when you are still producing. now, if they suck this year, please forget the last 4 sentences or so. thank you.

music:

Beck - Guero
The Rolling Stones - Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!
John Prine - In Person & On Stage
Cat Power - Sun
Heartless Bastards - Arrow

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." - Anais Nin

the end of the world

got all my Christmas shopping and cards done before the end of November.

sent out some poems to ZYX and ART:MAG. hopefully my good run of luck with both zines continue.

i get that the Yankees want to tell all of us they are on a budget. but to see on the same day they bring back the hammer of god, Mariano Rivera, they lose their starting catcher to the Pirates because they offered more money. you've got to be fucking kidding me. i know all the benefits they will get if the team gets under the pseudo salary cap. i'm not sure i want to see 2 years of fucking sucking in order to do it. but, if it means that afterwards the team payroll goes up to $300 million, i'll live with it. i just don't see that happening either. the fucking Pirates.

i always thought the end of the world would sneak up on me. i'll be damned, it did.

lucky people, start checking your mailboxes in the coming week or so. some goodies are on the way. goodies or shit taking up space in my bedroom. you be the judge.

"Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you." - Walt Whitman

and remember to put sunscreen on that face if you don't want cancer.

and then BOOM!

it was another Yankee game where i find myself wondering in the middle innings why the fuck do i bother to watch this team. constantly swinging at bad pitches and getting fooled by a guy with a bad arm and nothing over 85 mph.

and then BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

a walk, a misplayed fly ball double and a home run. 3 pitches, score tied. 2 batters later Eric Chavez hits the first pinch hit home run of his injury riddled career and the Yankees have the lead. and then the best bullpen in baseball, even without the hammer of god (Mariano Rivera) struck out nearly everyone left in the game. a nice way to end a losing streak.

i have no clue if the Yankees will be able to hit a knuckle ball tonight or not.

i also have no clue who is going to win today between England and Italy in EURO 2012 action. could be a great chess match or just what i need for an afternoon nap. regardless, i think the finals will be Spain and Germany. both are just playing too good at the moment.

chance of rain tonight. yeah right.

looking forward to the new HBO show tonight, the newsroom or whatever the fuck it's called. looks like it will be pretty good.

music for today:

Shooter Jennings - Family Man
Various Artists - Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation (the songs of Vic Chesnutt)

"Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes." - Carl Jung