response from Big Hammer

i heard back from Dave Roskos at Big Hammer on my poetry submission from back in April. my poems "the lessons we are to learn from" and "tv in the afternoon" have been accepted for publication in Big Hammer #15. the issue should be out in a few weeks.

should i really care anymore

i suppose i should be in a foul mood, given the Yankees lost and are now down 3-0. but, truth be told, i probably watched more of the Mexican national team tonight than i did of baseball. i did catch the 9th inning. i was happy to at least see them try and make the Tigers sweat a bit. but, having to get a hit with runners in scoring position is this team's downfall. they have fucking sucked at it all year long. CC gets the ball tomorrow night. he could pitch a no-hitter and the offense will find a way for him to lose. that's the way the game goes. at least Cano finally got a fucking hit. 1 for his last 30. and he wants to be paid like he's the best in baseball. fuck me.

i kind of do want them to lose in 4 so the baseball geniuses have to start making some tough decisions. who stays, who goes, who gets traded, which youngsters do you count on next year, etc, etc. why delay the inevitable. old men have slow bats in the playoffs. maybe one day they will remember that.

i did watch team USA win 3-1 tonight to qualify for the final round of qualifying for the World Cup. a good response after they gave up the wake the fuck up already goal at 5 minutes. 2 goals from Clint Dempsey. hopefully they figure out their defense before the next rounds start. they need a consistent back 4. and they need it quick. i'm not sure this team is capable of beating good teams 4-2 all the time. they have to win 1-0 or 2-1.

got a good phone call from my friend in California. funny how life can swing the emotions 180 degrees in just a day. welcome back my friend.

music today:

Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A.
Foy Vance - NoiseTrade Sampler
Shannon LaBrie - Just Be Honest

"I'm for whatever gets you through the night." - Frank Sinatra

a little voice

my poem "a little voice" was published this morning at The Camel Saloon. you can find the poem by going here.

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.

frustration

so i flipped over to the Yankees game yesterday and saw that Kuroda was dealing (perfect through 6 innings). then i flip back to see Cano fuck up a double play which gave the Tigers their first run. i had the bad fortune of flipping back the next time to see a blown call at second base. and given that i have watched baseball my entire life, i know how the baseball gods work when an umpire fucks up the third out of an inning. sure enough, the Tigers score 2 more runs and eventually win 3-0. given that the offense is more or less dead, i'm not sure if he would have got the call right it would have meant much. but a little note to baseball, given the technology of today when everyone with any kind of device could see within 30 seconds that the call was wrong, wake the fuck up. if you wonder why the sport is becoming obsolete... god forbid you actually have a playoff game where the calls are correct. who the fuck would want that.

and another note, this one to Nick Swisher, who is hurt that Yankee fans are booing him. newsflash, you fucking suck in the playoffs. you've had 4 years of good to great regular seasons and 4 playoff years of complete fucking ineptitude. if you don't want to play in a place where the second season means everything, enjoy collecting a check in some other town next year.

if the getting out of Yankee Stadium excuse doesn't work for the offense, i'm hoping they just lose the next 2 games and get this fucking tease of a season over with. that way i can decide which minor league hockey team i'm going to follow (thank you NHL, you dumb asses) or god forbid, have to watch the NBA season from start to finish.

as for football, had my worst week of picking games in a long, long time. under 50% is absolutely shitty. i am winning my 3 fantasy football games, but i can sill lose 2 of them. that leaves me with no choice but to pay attention to the game tonight. great, 4 hours of Gruden blowing Peyton Manning. lovely.

now, it's to the outdoors to assess wind damage from yesterday. welcome to a farm with buildings from the 1800's on it.

music today:

Brooke Annibale - Silence Worth Breaking
Allison Ann - The Introduction of Allison Ann
Ivan & Alyosha - The Cabin Sessions

"A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything." - Friedrich Nietzsche

good morning depression

when a stunning Yankee bottom of the 9th comeback becomes watching the captain carried off the field with a fractured ankle, say hello to my old friend depression. the swings of emotion last night were gut wrenching. i live and die with this shit. it should not come to a surprise to anyone when i'm dead in my mid 50's.

not really in the mood for sports today but it's Sunday. i've already picked up the trash and i have no desire at all to clean old antiques. so football it is. i have no confidence in my fantasy teams today. i have shitty choices all over the place.

keep in mind that my personal mantra since i was 5 has been aim low and accept when you outdo your own negativity. it's worked out ok so far in my life. i think it would probably take a lobotomy for me to have a positive view of life.

i imagine i will flip over to the Yankees sometime in my football viewing to see how bad it is. i haven't watched a Yankee playoff game without Derek Jeter since i was very young. early 1980's young. fuck i feel old at the moment.

all the crops are off as of last night. but, of course, the wind today is out of the south and blowing all the shit from the harvested fields up to the house. i may just be a power outage away from deciding it's time for the madness to take over.

fingers crossed.

music today:

Of Monsters And Men - My Head is an Animal
TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light

"Listen; there's a hell of a good universe next door: let's go." - e.e. cummings

a happy morning

nice to see that CC understands it's always better to earn your money from the Yankees rather than just be an asshole and collect it. always nice when the big man goes 9 innings and gives the bullpen a rest before the next series, which starts tonight. hopefully the other bats that started to wake up, Ichiro, Granderson, Tex, can keep it up against Detroit. maybe a little revenge for last year. i do expect these games will have a much better chance of becoming slow pitch softball than the Baltimore series. a lot of Baltimore's players were playoff virgins. that's not the case with Detroit. anxiety has been replaced with experience. may the pitching continue to be great, may the bats come alive, and may all of Detroit's sluggers go cold.

welcome back to the US national team Eddie Johnson. a great, stunning 2 goals to save the team from disaster. now, advancing in World Cup qualifying is much closer to certain than before. and although this team frustrates the shit out of me, i'll give Jurgen Klinsmann credit for having the stones to leave Jozy off the roster and his replacement scores the 2 goals. hopefully they will take care of business next week and get the job done.

was nice to have baseball and soccer end right in time for my Friday addiction, Boss. great show, just not enough nudity this year. maybe the season finale next week will provide that fix.

a busy night tonight as the Yankees and Ohio State play at the same time. yet another night when i need that Elvis wall of televisions. i know my first purchase if i'm ever blessed with fuck you money.

music today:

Bob Dylan - Time Out Of Mind
Alyssa Sease - Lay Rest Your Soul EP
Escondido - Escondido EP
Humble Wolf - Paper Thin

"When deeds speak, words are nothing." - Pierre-Joseph Proudhon

at the brink...

let me start this by stating that i do have confidence in CC and that i do believe he will do his job. as for everyone other than Derek Jeter and Raul Ibanez, i have no fucking clue. last night's game pissed me the fuck off to the point where i didn't bother with turning on the tv for sports shit this morning. it wouldn't shock me at all if the Yankees spit the bit later on today and feebly exit the playoffs once again. wouldn't shock me if they somehow hit 6 home runs today either. it's one extreme or the other. nothing is consistent about the team at all.

to fill my time and brain this morning, yet another day spent on NoiseTrade.com. and i highly recommend the 2 albums * i downloaded this morning for free. i will list them in a bit. but, do check them out, you will not be disappointed.

not sure how i'm going to fill the next few hours before the Yankees play. i imagine i'll be watching some soccer or maybe a nap, or maybe both.

just in case the Yankees shit the bed later on today and i'm a bit too pissy to post anything, hope everyone has a good weekend.

music today:

Pixies - Bossanova
Yellow Red Sparks - Simply Put Me in Your Place EP *
Brooke Annibale - Silence Worth Breaking *

"What we need is more people who specialize in the impossible." - Theodore Roethke

response from Gutter Eloquence Magazine

i heard back from Jack T. Marlowe this morning from Gutter Eloquence Magazine on my poetry submission from last month. my poems "bring back old memories" and "sixteen years" have been accepted for publication. they should appear online sometime in November.

playoff magic

i had my blog post already in mind, yet another fuck the Yankees rant and then it happened. playoff magic. Raul Ibanez, pinch hitting for A-Rod, ties the game in the bottom of the 9th with a home run. then, for the cherry on top, hits another one to win in the bottom of the 12th. not sure my mother liked the yelling and screaming past her bed time, but this shit never gets old.

so, after a night of great but short sleep, i think i have done everything i did yesterday. you know, i don't want to be the reason they lose. and don't worry, i've been like this since i was 5. music is the same, got the mail at the same time, had the same breakfast. now, it's up to Phil Hughes and the boys to do their part.

i suppose during commercial breaks i will check out some of the shows tonight and the NFL game.

and hopefully i can hold off on the fuck the Yankees rant for a few weeks.

music yesterday and today:

Metallica - Master of Puppets
Matthew Sweet - Acoustic & Live NoiseTrade Sampler
Brandi Carlile - Live at Bear Creek EP
The Lighthouse and The Whaler - Pioneers EP

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." - Steve Prefontaine

the day after

i always have a hard time getting to sleep after a playoff loss. i keep running through my head what people should have done, etc., etc. i figure i probably have taken 30 years off of my life between the Yankees and the New York Rangers. with that in mind, i might as well try to enjoy the 10 years or so i have left. somewhere i can hear Bukowski saying don't try.

not much mail for me today. the beauty of not being registered to vote in this state. was hoping to waste most of my day on porn and music. of course, my internet today decided to shit on that plan and be out for a few hours. thank you once again Frontier Communications for being the shittiest internet on earth. much appreciated.

my horoscope today said i was going to feel creative and write some fiction. i laughed pretty good at that. Jim Morrison was correct, it's all bullshit.

i may try to catch some of the Reds game today. i haven't really rooted for them in over 20 years. but, just in case the Yankees don't get there, nothing wrong with having another dog in the fight. not going to jump on the bandwagon. i'm white. i have no hops.

other than that, i'll watch a little of The Voice and then plot fantasy football moves. one team of mine is still undefeated. 5 weeks in and i think that is the longest streak i've had in over a decade. fingers are crossed that i don't fuck this up somehow.

i'll try to sleep tonight with the thought that A-Rod is going to find 2009 again sometime in my lifetime.

music today:

Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero
Audrey Rose - Smoke EP
Marc Broussard - The Atlantic Recordings - NoiseTrade Sampler
Cat Power - Sun

"I don't care if I fall as long as someone else picks up my gun and keeps on shooting." - Che Guevara

after a great weekend...

happy pointless Monday off. where to begin...

the Yankees rally last night came out of nowhere. i was shocked when they scored that many runs off of the Baltimore closer. shocked and thrilled. hopefully that fucks him for the rest of the series. hopefully the old war horse named Andy Pettitte can go out tonight and get a commanding lead to the series.

i can't remember the last time Ohio State put up 63 points against a name team. let alone Nebraska. that game was a pleasant sight of hopefully what is coming in the next few years. i can't imagine what this team will look like when Coach Meyer gets all of his players in. i can certainly get used to beating the shit out of people.

Sunday morning was the best i have seen Manchester United play this season. a complete 90 minutes. 3-0 to repay Newcastle back for the loss last season. shockingly, the goals came from Evans, Evra, and Cleverly. i can only imagine the amount of money you could have won if you got those 3 names right. hopefully they bottle that performance and repeat it for the rest of the season. if so, shine up the trophies.

the only negative of the weekend was how i can manage to score over 100 points in fantasy football and still lose. hopefully i can pull out 1 of the 2 remaining matches with a good performance from the Texans tonight. between the baseball playoffs, Monday Night Raw, and The Voice, i doubt i'll watch much of it. what ever happens happens.

music today:

Ivan & Alyosha - The Cabin Sessions
Hammock - Departure Songs Sampler
Escondido - Escondido EP
Various Artists - Mom + Pop Mixtape Vol. 1

"Picture deface walls more often than they decorate them." - William Wordsworth

response from Underground Voices

i heard back from the fine folks over at Underground Voices on my poetry submission from last month. they have decided to pass.

response from The Camel Saloon

i heard back from Russell from The Camel Saloon on my poetry submission. my poems "a little voice" and "fill in the blanks" have been accepted for publication. i'll be sure to post links here on the blog when they are published.

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

so close to a perfect day

got 3 poems accepted for publication

the Yankees beat the shit out of the Red Sox to win the division and the best record in the American League.

on the bad side, Manchester City gets a 90 minute pk from Balotelli to salvage a point in Champions League play.

so damn close to a perfect day.

i did type up the one poem i had sitting around. got a few places in mind i will be sending to in a week or so.

music today:

The Right Now - Half As Much (Free MP3 Single)
Van Morrison - Moondance
Guided By Voices - The Grand Hour
Humble Wolf - Paper Thin (found this gem on NoiseTrade.com for FREE)

"The first mistake of art is to assume that it's serious." - Lester Bangs

response from ART:MAG

i heard back today from Peter Magliocco at ART:MAG on my poetry submission from July. my poems "some asshole thinking he's profound", "gravity always wins", and "ditches and graves" were accepted for publication. they will be in issue #39, due out in Nov./Dec. 2012.

a foggy, rainy day

i suppose this is a great day to be a duck. no sun, off and on rain, fog, just a fucking blah day. so i settled down to watch Manchester United and hopefully see something good. 15 minutes in and i'm sitting in a ah, fuck me, why do i bother type of stance in my chair. really, i was just hoping for something. thankfully, it was another wake-up call. Rooney and RvP to the rescue. 1 lucky goal and another that was pure fucking brilliance from both of them. the best thing that came today other than the 3 points was Sir Alex may have found the replacement for Scholes. and that man is none other than Wayne Rooney. He was fucking great today. i'm hoping they play him in that role for the rest of the season so both he and RvP can play together all the time. notice i didn't bitch about the defense. it sucks. but, nothing will get better until the injured can come back. so, it's all about winning ugly and knowing the shit goal is going to happen. i hate it, but that's not going to change a fucking thing. i believe some people call that maturing. i call it blood pressure.

could be a good night for the Yankees. repeat the drubbing of Boston from last night and hopefully Baltimore slips up again and hello division title. i don't think the playoff mess will be decided until the last night of the season. and welcome back to Tex. please, stop getting injured.

nothing much else going on. always love when it's raining and the crops haven't been taken off. just piling on shit after a summer of fuck. hello insurance claim.

i highly recommend the 3 EP's that are listed in the music today section below. you can find all 3 of them at noisetrade.com.

tomorrow will be a typing day. hopefully tonight will be a writing night. or, tomorrow will be a short typing day.

music today:

Joe Bonamassa - Driving Towards The Daylight
Grant-Lee Phillips - Green Corn Songs: Live at McCabes
Escondido - Escondido EP
Matthew Sweet - Acoustic & Live NoiseTrade Sampler

"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." - Carl Sagan

the darkness in us all

my poem "the darkness in us all" was published this morning at The Camel Saloon. you can find the poem by going here.

dancing across the water

i decided to take the weekend off from the blog. i figured no one needed to read all the bitching and moaning from this weekend.

thankfully, the whole weekend was not lost for the Yankees. they did manage to make the playoffs. now, they have 3 games to go win the division. i'm hoping for a sweep of Boston while Baltimore loses at least 1 game against Tampa Bay. i don't care how they do it, just get it done. avoid the 1 game playoff at all costs. although, i'm pretty sure Detroit is going to win the Central Division, so hopefully Texas stumbles and the Yankees end up with the best record in the AL. i don't feel good about another first round against Detroit. not with our pitching. unless, they plan on turning every game into slow pitch softball.

watching Manchester United fall asleep on defense 3 fucking times and lose 3-2 was humbling on Saturday. i was a bit torn as Clint Dempsey scored the winner for Tottenham. Clint is one of my all-time favorites among American players. back to Champions League play tomorrow. back in the old days, after a loss like that, i would expect big things. but, it's now 2012. those days are long gone. i'll be happy with 3 points and no fucking injuries for a change.

i was very happy that Ohio State won on Saturday. ugly, but a fucking win. hopefully, the tackling continues to get better and maybe they can start making things easier for themselves.

thankfully the Global Citizen concert was on and provided some much needed relief for myself. i really enjoyed all the acts and they really helped a shit Saturday for the most part be much less stinging. not sure how much more of a Global Citizen i want to be, but my eyes were opened.

as for Sunday...

incredible choke job by the USA in the Ryder Cup.

looks like i have a decent chance to win 2 of 3 of my fantasy football games. of course, the 1 that is getting beat like a abused child was previously undefeated. hard to win when none of your wide receivers score. fuck me.

actually managed to write a poem over the weekend. hopefully that will start a flood and i'll have a good batch to type up and send out soon.

a thank you to my stepbrother for being an asshole. i'm really enjoying your baseball cards.

a funny thought i had while driving today. when i was 18 years old i was supposed to move to Portland, Oregon but the friend i was going with left without me. fast forward 18 years later and i find out today that my former muse and possibly the last woman (maybe ever) i fell in love with, is moving to Portland, Oregon. what a cruel prick the lord can be.

music today:

Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Tom Waits - Mule Variations
Dave Matthews Band - The Central Park Concert

"You may delay, but time will not." - Benjamin Franklin