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.

Sunday frustration and a little bit of good news

when you have two good/sometimes great pitchers facing each other, a novice would expect a well pitched game. I've been watching baseball for nearly all of my 36 years on this planet, and things in that sport rarely if ever go according to plan. Angels win the beer league softball game 10-8. I'm happy the Yankees gave themselves a chance in the bottom of the 9th, more on that in a bit. what pissed me off was the absolutely horrific base running, Russell Martin bunting twice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! for no fucking reason, once into a fucking double play. bad, bad relief pitching which lead to tack on runs, or the difference in the game. enter the bottom of the 9th down by 5 and score 3, have the bases loaded and have the guy who is tied for the most grand slams in history at the plate. great drama and all i can expect as an unreasonable fan is the team to give themselves a chance to win. and what does A-Rod do? of course, pop up to first base. i have never seen a great player get so fucking scared of being great in moments that actually matter. it's unreal. at least the bats are going good seeing that 3 days of home run derby against the Blue Jays start tomorrow.

in other news...

we got almost 5 good minutes of a steady rain this afternoon. not nearly enough considering we're probably 10 inches below where we should be for the year, but i have no choice but to take it. took a Sunday drive earlier and most of the crops in the area look like ours. not making me feel any better, but at least we're all fucked.

sold off a few cd's today. made a little money. will mostly go to covering postage i believe.

my book, Sofisticated White Trash, is really in the final stages now. it has a registered ISBN and a tentative release date of August. let the fun begin.

music:

Lucero - 1372 Overton Park
Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes

"A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life." - Charles Darwin

wouldn't you know it

so i was writing this blog post in my head last night as i was watching the Yankees fail for something like the millionth time this season with a runner in scoring position. then a double, a walk and a hanging curve and i could simply imagine John Sterling going ape shit on the radio when Tex hit the 3 run homer to tie the game. then, someone commandeered Russell Martin's uniform and got what turned out to be the winning hit and threw out a runner in the top of the 9th with a perfect throw to second base for the final out. how i hope that's the Russell Martin that plays for the entire second half.

i have no clue how much longer the smoke and mirrors approach can last but i will enjoy it for the time being. of course, i kind of want them to hit home runs like this in the playoffs just so i can watch all these baseball "experts" bitch and moan endlessly that that's not how the game was meant to be played.

sweaty Freddy Garcia goes today. fingers are crossed.

in other news

stumbled upon a band yesterday that i really, really like. Delta Rae.

trying to figure out how i can keep this hot streak going with my writing. this is starting to remind me of my mid 20's again. oh, the glorious past. whiskey, strange women, the city of Chicago and wasted potential. guess we'll see if i have learned anything in this life.

enter your cliche about time here

music this morning:

Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth
Delta Rae - Live at Lincoln Theater

"Admiration for a quality or an art can be so strong that it deters us from striving to possess it." - Friedrich Nietzsche