what goes up must come down (and incredibly hard)

where do i begin?

i survived yesterday, barely. getting my blood drawn was much easier than i expected. was probably in and out of the facility in 20 minutes at most. they took 3 vials of my blood. i guess i will get the results later this week. i will take it if i don't get a call, that's good news. my left arm did hurt for awhile afterwards, but i expected that. hadn't had my blood drawn in over 4 years.

as for the DMV, not bad either. got in and got out. my dumb ass wore my cheap glasses so i nearly failed the vision test. i guess they are cheap for a reason. (i'm back to the expensive pair today). the new Ohio driver's license has to be nearly impossible to duplicate and make it look exact. feel sorry for the kids today on that one.

was totally psyched to get the 4 poems published yesterday between The Camel Saloon and Thunder Sandwich. 2 of my favorite places to send to. check the poems out if you haven't. i believe 3 of the 4 are some of the best work i have ever done. also, if you ever have any comments on my work, feel free to send them my way or post somewhere. i do read them and respond when necessary.

was happy to see Manchester United win today in their FA Cup replay against West Ham. welcome back Wayne Rooney. nice goal in the 9th minute. would have been nice if he would have made the pk later on. but, a win is a win.

so, as i was readying my victory beer, i check my email and see a reply from The Gap Toothed Madness, a new print zine out of Sacramento, CA. they decided to pass on my work. i always find it funny when a place asks you to submit and then rejects what you send. oh well, been at this too long for that to stop me.

and then came the Dayton Flyers. no team that commits 24 or 25 or whatever un-fucking-believable amount of turnovers they did should be close in any game. but, of course they managed to lose by 2 to go 0-3 in conference play now. i can live with freshman doing stupid shit, especially on the road. but, when it's the seniors that suck ass, completely unacceptable. this is going to be one painful season.

thankfully, after the game, in my email, was the advance copy of the new book from RC Edrington, Scarred Canvas. holy shit, one of the best poetry books i have read in years. i believe the book is to come out later this year from Underground Voices. i urge all of you to pick up a copy when it does. it's fucking brilliant.

i will have four more new poems published whenever the new issue of Zygote in my Coffee comes out. be sure to check back here on the blog for that.

music today:

Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See

"The stupid believe that to be truthful is easy; only the artist, the great artist, knows how difficult it is." - Willa Cather

my 3 poems in Thunder Sandwich #28

my poems "how sarcasm works", "any tragedy you could imagine", and "the greatest escape possible" were published today in Thunder Sandwich #28. you can find the poems by going here http://www.thundersandwich.net/ts28/page16.html

response from Thunder Sandwich

heard back from Jim at Thunder Sandwich on my recent poetry submission. my poems "how sarcasm works", "any tragedy you could imagine", and "the greatest escape possible" have been accepted for publication. the issue should go up around the first of the year.

a Friday before the rain comes

this blog post is brought to you by The Sam Roberts Show Online, Episode #31. you can find the show on ITunes, Stitcher, and notsam.com. check it out and help him out if you can.

wanted to get this blog post done before the baseball playoffs start, before the rain comes, before i spend another hour on the toilet, etc. etc.

i couldn't sleep for shit last night. my back was in horrific pain and i'm not really sure if i want to know what the pain in my right leg is. but, i decided to actually get some shit done today. so, with that in mind, i actually sent out 13 poems today. the lucky ones receiving these gifts are The Camel Saloon, Carcinogenic Poetry, and Thunder Sandwich. hopefully, i will have good news to report soon.

not really surprised that the NHL are fucking up once again. in most labor spats, i side with the players. and this is no different. i love rich people who can't control themselves with spending but want others to take responsibility for it. if they don't watch it, hockey will be somewhere around lacrosse before long in this country. lose another season and us die hard fans will be the only ones left. just when the Rangers were on the cusp of the cup, fuck me.

a long weekend of sports is ahead for me. Yankees in the playoffs, Manchester United in action, NFL and all the fantasy fun and games. and who knows, maybe i sneak in a little writing on the side. depends on the pain i guess. or if the Yankees are winning or not. if you think i hate to lose in the regular season...

sad to see Bobby Valentine go so soon in Boston. wanted him to stay on for a decade and run that franchise into the ground.

hope everyone has a great weekend. peace and chicken grease.

music today:

Humble Wolf - Paper Thin
Warren Haynes Band - Live at the Moody Theater
Grant-Lee Phillips - Green Corn Songs: Live at McCabes
Pearl Jam - Vitalogy
Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
Steve Earle - Copperhead Road

"There's more to life than cheek bones." - Kate Winslet