a lost weekend

before i get into the misery of the Yankees and my fantasy football teams, here is the link to the Facebook post i talked about the other day.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Svensk-Apache/517054495042402

scroll down a bit and you will find my poem "smoke in peace" and the illustration that goes with it.

i'm running on about 3 hours of sleep, so i'm going to make this quick.

the Yankees got swept. 3 games out of the wildcard. i'm resigned that any wins for the rest of the season will be basically to put another team in the playoffs.

unless A.J. Green has the best night a WR has ever had tonight, i'm going to lose both of my fantasy football games. not happy. fucking injuries.

i didn't watch a second of Big Brother last night.

Boardwalk Empire was brilliant, as always.

The Newsroom caught me by surprise. i did not expect a happy ending. good stuff.

Total Divas was pretty funny, for all the wrong reasons. i did like the preview for the shows in November.

Ray Donovan hit pretty damn close to home. being sexually molested as a child, i understand a little too well the urge to kill and seek revenge, etc. should be an interesting season finale next week.

i might catch a few minutes of the New York Rangers first pre-season game tonight. i do plan on watching Monday Night Raw. i'm happy that Daniel Bryan is the champ again. not sure how long the assholes will leave the title on him. was hoping that CM Punk would be done with the Heyman angle after last night. sadly, he now has to deal with making the fans believe that Ryback can actually wrestle. the words glutton for punishment comes to mind.

i need a shower, a nap, some food, surgery for my bad back, some sunshine and a vehicle that doesn't struggle to get up to 25 m.p.h.

maybe tomorrow i won't be as cranky. i suppose that all depends on what Manchester United does.

be well.

music:

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

"Why do you have to be a nonconformist like everybody else?" - James Thurber

2 poems at Dead Snakes

my poems "save yourself" and "play it cool" were published yesterday at Dead Snakes. you can find the poems by going here: http://deadsnakes.blogspot.com/2013/09/jj-campbell-two-poems.html

little bursts of energy

allow me to pick back up the strange saga of my life somewhere around the Yankees letting me down yet again.

i have to admit, i might have watched 5 minutes of the Yankees game yesterday. another loss, 5-1. hard to win when you only get 3 damn hits. 3 games out now of a playoff spot. they play tonight on ESPN. i have no clue if i'll choose the game over what i normally watch on Sunday nights.

watched some really great games yesterday. between Barcelona and Real Madrid in soccer and a crazy game between Alabama and Texas A&M, it was a pretty damn entertaining afternoon.

then Ohio State came out like a team i hadn't seen before. 21-0 in the first 5 minutes. they went on to win 52-34, racking up some insane offensive numbers for them. of course, the defense gave up way too much. but, another victory beer i enjoyed.

after that game got over, i sat down to write the 4 poems i needed to write for the artist in Sweden. 15 minutes later i'm emailing them to him. i wake up this morning to the news that he loves them. i believe he might be posting one of them on Facebook or something. if i get a link to it i'll pass it along. i really think we're doing some amazing work together. hopefully the world gets to see it one day.

ROH last night was excellent. always a pleasure any time i get to watch Kevin Steen wrestle. it always reminds me of what i probably would be like if i had went that route in my life.

another long day of the NFL in front of me today. my fantasy teams are in order. i'm favored in both games, so the realist in me knows that something is bound to go wrong.

the usual batch of Sunday night shows on tap. not sure how much of Big Brother i will watch. i pretty much know what's going to happen. Boardwalk Empire is always great. season finale for The Newsroom i believe is tonight. i'm expecting a cliffhanger. Total Divas has their mid-season finale tonight. and there is always Ray Donovan as well. how i fit these shows around the Sunday night football game will be interesting. sounds like someone is going to have to sneak in a few naps today.

alrighty, enough babbling. i have breakfast to eat, cats to feed, trash to pick up and 2 injured players to go worry about. fun.

hope everyone has a great day and a great end to your weekend.

music:

Paul Thorn - What the Hell Is Goin' On?

"Never underestimate the power of jealousy and the power of envy to destroy. Never underestimate that." - Oliver Stone

the third world

my poem "the third world" was published this morning at The Camel Saloon. you can find the poem by going here: http://thecamelsaloon.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-third-world.html

the start of a (hopefully) good weekend

i was up at 6 this morning. amazingly it was 42 degrees outside. i didn't turn on the heat last night, so the house was a comfortable 67. i believe my sister is reading this and saying something along the lines of that being cold as fuck.

Manchester United won this morning 2-0. considering they played the entire second half up a man, i would have liked to seen 4 or 5 goals. but, i'll gladly take the win. RVP and Rooney with the goals. starts off a huge week with Champions League play coming and the huge stage of next weekend against Manchester City.

the Yankees dug themselves a big hole last night. they came out of it and then their depleted bullpen put them right back in it. 8-4 loss on a night where all the teams around them in the standings won. 2 games out now, needing to pass Cleveland and Tampa to make a playoff spot. i'll watch a little of the game this afternoon, probably with one eye closed.

a big day of sports ahead. soccer for the next few hours. a huge (at least the way it has been hyped) game between Texas A&M and Alabama, and Ohio State is on the west coast for a game this evening. all of that, some ROH late tonight and perhaps a little writing and beer drinking in between.

i now need to go feed the cats and see how the young ones survived the cold. i believe we are down to only 1 new kitten now. this is why i refuse to name them until they survive a winter out here.

hope everyone has a good day. i do hope to have some poetry news to pass along tomorrow.

music:

Bassnectar - Freestyle Mixtape

"Don't become a mere recorder of facts, but try to penetrate the mystery of their origin." - Ivan Pavlov

a cool and cloudy friday

it felt so good to be able to open up the house today and let a cool breeze air it out. i know in a few weeks i won't be able to do that with the upcoming harvest. unless of course, i don't mind a ton of dust and dirt and god knows what else coming in.

the Yankees managed to hold on last night, sort of, and win 6-5. i was flipping between that and the NFL game. i left the Yankee game with 2 outs in the 8th and the Yankees up by 3. i turn back and the score is tied and the bullpen is up warming. needless to say, i was not happy. but to see the winning score come in on a wild pitch was pretty damn funny. sadly, Boston lost last night so the Yankees are still 1 game back in the wildcard. 3 huge games up in Boston this weekend. they MUST find a way to win 2 out of 3 at the very least. if last weekend was any indication, time for an act of god again.

the NFL game last night was bowling shoe ugly. nothing to really write about.

Big Brother went as i feared. i know who won the first part of the final HOH. i'm not rooting for any of them now, so i really don't give a shit who wins it.

the plan is to get to bed at a decent hour tonight as Manchester United plays in the morning. hopefully they can get their shit together and win comfortably.

i got 4 more illustrations in the email today from my favorite artist in Sweden. i hope to find some time to write the poems for those this weekend. i have a nice lull between ManU and when Ohio State plays in the evening. hopefully i'll be writing with a victory beer.

a special thank you to Natascha Hoover for all the positive vibes she's been sending today. hope you have a wonderful weekend my friend.

looks like all my fantasy football shit is in order for the weekend. hopefully i have no injuries pop up out of nowhere. nothing derails the best laid plans like a damn injury.

now it's time for me to go back to YouTube and start finding more obscure shit. i hope everyone has a great weekend. may all your sports teams win, unless you live in Boston and Tampa. may the beverages be cold and refreshing and may the music be something that blows you the fuck away.

music:

Black Sabbath - 13
Shrug - Everything's Blowing Up Roses
Nirvana - Incesticide

"Nothing that you do will ever feel good if you let people convince you that you have no choice." - Fiona Apple

i woke up this morning to...

RAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and it must have poured as the puddles in the lane were pretty deep. not sure how much we got but it was certainly more than we've had in almost a month. i know the crops desperately needed some water. hopefully it didn't come too late.

i really can't believe the Yankees are only 1 game out of a playoff spot after the victory last night, 5-4. yet another come from behind one as well. if they can get the win tonight and Boston finishes off their sweep of Tampa, the Yankees go into Boston tomorrow tied for a playoff spot with something like 15 games to go. given all the injuries and inconsistent play this year, i never honestly thought they would still be in it at this point. hopefully god has money on the game tonight as Phil Hughes is pitching. it will take something biblical to get a good start out of him.

Big Brother last night was ok. i got word of what is going to happen tonight. if it is correct, the last reason i had to watch the show will be evicted tonight. and the show will be down to a final 3 of 2 racists and a crying homosexual from Chicago. hard to imagine i actually keep watching this show.

The Bridge last night did a wonderful job of revealing a few more clues to the puzzle and transitioning to what should be a tension filled episode next week. of course, that would be if the previews are to be believed. still the best show i watch.

Duck Dynasty made me laugh as usual. mindless entertainment.

other than the Yankees and Big Brother tonight, i suppose i'll be watching some football, pro and college. i know my mom will be interested in the NFL game as long as the Jets are close. if it starts being a blowout she won't care. thankfully, i have no fantasy guys going this evening.

i think i have a pinched nerve in my left shoulder. it certainly makes typing fun. let alone masturbating. talk about finding the pleasure in the pain.

hard to believe training camps have opened for the NHL. i'm really interested in seeing how the Rangers react to a new coach, new system, new players, etc. hopefully they get Stepan signed soon and stay injury free for most of the season. i really hope AV is the breath of fresh air for them and this is the year i get to truly enjoy a playoff beard.

i believe that is all for today. i do hope you are enjoying life or the addiction of your choice wherever in the world these words may find you.

music:

Warren Zevon - Genius: The Best Of Warren Zevon
Tom Waits - Closing Time
Tori Amos - The Beekeeper

"I've come from nowhere, and I'm not shy to go back." - Jason Statham

dos a cero

i have avoided the tv for most of today. i remember what happened 12 years ago today, don't need to be reminded of it.

i was very happy the Yankees showed some life last night. a come from behind 7-5 win. of course, it wouldn't be the 2013 Yankees without some injuries. 3 more last night. how this team is 2 games out of a playoff spot is beyond me. hopefully they can get another win this evening.

most of my attention last night was on the USA vs. Mexico match. here are the highlights:

it's incredible that it has been the exact same score all 4 times they have played Mexico in Columbus in World Cup Qualifying. hopefully the team stays healthy and can shock the world next year in Brazil.

spent a good portion of this afternoon doing some shopping on amazon.com, using the link at notsam.com to help out this outstanding podcast:

the usual Wednesday night programming is on tap this evening. an eviction on Big Brother to get it down to the final 4. more hilarity on Duck Dynasty. hopefully the Yankee game ends in the 10:30 to 11:00 window. and then it's time for The Bridge. i absolutely can't wait to see what happens this week.

got the players i was targeting in my 2 fantasy football leagues. hopefully i picked the right ones.

yet another day in the 90's here. hopefully this damn heat breaks soon with a nice long rainstorm. i wouldn't mind some fall like temps.

that is all. i hope this finds everyone drunk.

music:

Pink Floyd - The Wall
Brooke Annibale - Silence Worth Breaking
Hayes Carll - KMAG YOYO (& other American stories)
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Live from Alabama

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." - Jimi Hendrix

will it ever rain again?

so today is about 5 degrees hotter than yesterday. and for Sept. 10th to be at 95 degrees, i believe i am somewhere close to hell. the headline in the paper today said the area is close to being back at the drought level. so much for the great harvest i thought we were going to have to rebound from last year.

the Yankees lost last night. i watched a little. but, like the team, i think this season has run out of steam. of course, go on a 10 game winning streak and i will think they are going to the World Series. needless to say, i'll watch a little bit tonight because i've been a fan since 1982. but, much like my youth, i doubt i will have any fun watching them.

had a very frustrating night last night. the fantasy football game i was trailing by 10 i won by 16. the one i had a 33 point lead in i lost by 3.14 points. so, i spent the next 2 hours beating myself up for not playing the TE that got more points and for drafting a RB that did absolutely nothing in week 1. if either of those would have changed not only would i have won, i would have had the most points in the league. of course, come tomorrow i'll be over it as it will be time to focus on week 2.

but to better describe this sickness, i'm currently running on 3 hours of sleep.

most of my attention this evening will be on team USA vs. Mexico in World Cup Qualifying. if the USA wins tonight and gets some help from Honduras, they will clinch a trip to Brazil for the World Cup. i will be in full throat this evening. i need to release some frustration. hopefully that happens this evening.

with it being so damn hot, i've spent most of today inside listening to music. and i managed to get a certain song stuck in my damn head, not that i'm complaining about it...

that's all for today. hope this finds everyone cool.

music:

The Gospel Whiskey Runners - Hold On
The Lighthouse and The Whaler - Pioneers EP
Howlin' Wolf - The Definitive Collection
Various Artists - Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams
Maggie Estep - No More Mister Nice Girl
Ray LaMontagne - Gossip in the Grain

"When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice." - Saul Bellow

response from The Camel Saloon

i heard back from Russell at The Camel Saloon on my poetry submission from yesterday. my poem "the third world" has been accepted for publication.

i guess the summer heat wants another victim

i went out to get the mail today and was like holy fuck. it had to be damn near 90 at noon. totally was not expecting that. of course, when you spend all weekend watching sports and no news, these types of things are a surprise.

the Yankees won yesterday. i cheated and flipped over a few times during a rare blah moment on the Red Zone channel. when i saw they were bringing in Mo to get 6 outs, i just shook my head. the lack of great pitching right now is what is really killing this team. and then i flipped over right after the Yankees scored the winning run in the bottom of the 9th. i believe it was the first time they had won on a wild pitch since 1977.  a big 4-3 win to avoid the sweep. they play tonight in Baltimore. i imagine i will flip over during commercials. just about all of the games for the rest of the season are MUST WIN games.

i did pretty good in fantasy football yesterday. in one league i am up by 33 points. i have 2 guys going tonight and my opponent has 4. if i hold on to that lead, i will be surprised. in the other league i am trailing by 10 points. but i have 3 players going tonight and my opponent is done. i feel pretty confident that i will win that one.

my mom is happy her Jets won while i do hope my sister is getting ready for a long year for her Steelers.

as for the Sunday night shows, i did not watch one second of Big Brother. i did watch the women's tennis final that pushed everything back nearly 50 minutes or so. i never get bored of watching Serena Williams in tight clothing.

Boardwalk Empire was great last night. i have always liked the show. i'm a bit of a history whore.

The Newsroom was awesome as usual. i always wonder how close the chaos really is to the reality of a newsroom on election night. it should be a great season finale next week with how this episode set it up.

Ray Donovan was interesting. a nice little twist that i didn't see coming. the kid being left on the bed was classic. i'm not really sure where the final 2 episodes are going.

Total Divas was the unintentionally funny train wreck that it normally is. after watching these many episodes i truly know that i have been watching wrestling too long to actually "buy" any of this. though, the health stuff truly interests me as the WWE has done a great job in the last few years of letting the fans into the "real" injuries that do happen.

tonight should be an interesting one for me. 2 football games, Monday Night Raw, some baseball and god knows what else all on at the same time. lets just say after my shower here in a bit, i guess i'll be spending the rest of the night in my easy chair.

lastly, i did manage to break out some poetry today. this morning i went through some unpublished poems. this afternoon, i sent 11 out. 3 each to Dead Snakes and The Camel Saloon and 5 to Regardless Of Authority. when i hear back from these places i will pass along the verdicts.

that is all. i need to go get the vacuum and get some cleaning done before i shower. hope this finds everyone well.

music:

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away
Paloma Faith - Fall To Grace
The Allman Brothers Band - The Allman Brothers Band

"Music is the shorthand of emotion." - Leo Tolstoy

not enough time to even think

with the NFL season back in swing now, i'm going to have a harsh reminder of what the Sunday grind truly is. all the games during the day, all the shows i love at night, hardly any time to think or take a piss between them.

both my fantasy teams are in order. i'm trailing in both games. i wouldn't be shocked if i lost both. fun.

back to yesterday... Ohio State was a little more effective. of course, they lost their starting QB 7 plays into the game. hopefully it's nothing major. they said he could have come back in if it was needed. well, it was needed for my fantasy team, but not for the game. 42-7 win.

thank god, the Yankees game wasn't available to me at all yesterday. when i saw the final score, 13-9, i never bothered to find the highlights. another loss, another injury, further weakening their chance of making the playoffs. the offense is scoring but the pitching has turned into shit. there is 0% chance i will watch the game today.

ROH last night was pretty good. finally saw the pile driver that Bennett put on Whitmer. holy shit, no wonder the match was stopped.

saw some pretty good college football games last night and in the haze of lack of sleep, i checked out some NASCAR as well. i had a good laugh with Jeff Gordon missing the chase by 1 point. good times.

after all of the football games today, my usual Sunday night fare plus the return of Boardwalk Empire. so, between that at 9, The Newsroom at 10, Ray Donovan at 11, and Total Divas at midnight, i guess i'll see the first half hour of the Sunday night football game. or maybe not with Big Brother on at 8. totally could use a damn DVR tonight, that's for sure.

that's all for today. i have trash to pick up, animals to feed, injuries to check on and find some time to eat breakfast as well.

AND wish my sister a happy birthday. i would say her age but i'm certain that might ensure my death. she's 36.

music:

Beck - Sea Change

"I've become a captive of my own ambitions." - Patsy Cline

you turn your head for a moment and all hell breaks loose

first off, why i was up at 8:30 this morning is beyond me. i figured i drank enough and went to bed late enough that i wouldn't get up to around noon. no luck.

my sister's little get together last night was pretty good. i was really happy that she liked what i got her. i think i really blew her mind with the stuff. the place we went was much better than i thought it would be. the band was pretty cool. just a two man band playing a melody of various songs. my sister has known the guy playing the drum/chair for years now. and the reggae guy singing thought my beard was cool, so i have that going for me. the food was really good. service was great. and it was good seeing some folks i haven't seen in years. reliving all the old high school war stories was funny. that all being said, i'm hoping these trips down memory lane are over for some time.

so when i got back home i hopped on the computer to see what i missed. first off, team USA down in Costa Rica. i was hoping for a draw as they have never won there. and sadly, that continues with a 3-1 drubbing. i'm sort of looking at this as a good thing they were humbled. with the winning streak gone, they now can focus on a must win against Mexico on Tuesday. especially since they are no longer in first place in their group for World Cup qualifying.

then, i look up the Yankees game. a 12-8 loss. ok. then i start finding out what happened. blow a 8-3 lead with 9 outs to go. 2 of the better relievers are injured. a complete fucking disaster. (all goes back to the haircut) Tampa lost again but all the teams near the Yankees won. so, now they have to jump 3 teams to get to that playoff spot. not really sure if i'm going to watch today or not. i'm sure i will give it a passing glance. but, fuck me, talk about horrific timing.

i will be watching Ohio State later today. hopefully they are a bit more sharper than last week. and hopefully give me a good victory beer later on.

other than that and some ROH this evening, i figure most of my day will be flipping between college football games. i know 2 teams i hate are playing this evening.

that's all for today. i suppose i should get my day going finally. hope everyone has a great Saturday or at least a better one than your worst enemy does.

music:

Warren Haynes - Live at Bonnaroo
The Clash - London Calling
The Breeders - Last Splash

"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." - Mark Twain

failure

i'll start this off by saying i'm a very superstitious person. way past the point of it being quirky... it's more of a psychosis at times. so, when i got the haircut yesterday in the middle of a Yankee winning streak, it was done to tell myself that little mundane things aren't going to wreck my universe.

so, when the Yankees were down last night, 7-2, i more or less was ripping myself a new asshole. then i turn back and the Yankees are winning 8-7. hope springs. then, of course, Mo blows the save, thanks to a horrible throw from Austin Romine and the Yankees eventually lose the game 9-8 in 10 innings. a big thank you to that blind fat fuck lousy excuse of a fucking umpire Joe West for his blown call in the 10th. nothing like yelling like an insane person for 20 minutes about how you hope a man's family dies of AIDS because the dumb ass can't tell what a check swing strike actually is. thankfully, Tampa lost so the Yankees are still 2 1/2 games out of a playoff spot. but, if a losing streak starts, i undoubtedly will bring it all back to my haircut and how it's all my fault. it's a sickness.

i got the result i wanted on Big Brother last night. both cunts are gone. now, the show won't be as entertaining, but at least there should be a winner who isn't a complete douchebag.

as for the NFL game, i'm very happy i'm not playing against anyone who has Peyton Manning this week. and i would feel really good about last night's game if i would have started the TE from Denver who caught 2 TD's instead of having him sitting on my bench. whoops.

the season finale of Wilfred was the usual cliffhanger that i normally expect. didn't expect a death to go along with it, but i'm certainly interested to see where the show goes now.

in a few hours i will be on my way to Columbus to see my sister and some of her friends. plus, the kid that grew up next to me who is now a college graduate and a young woman. i haven't seen her in years. i should feel pretty damn old tonight.

hopefully i get back in time to catch some of the team USA vs. Costa Rica World Cup Qualifying match. if the USA can pull this one off, next Tuesday against Mexico is going to be really sweet.

no matter what time i get back, there's a decent chance the Yankees vs. Red Sox might still be going on. i almost forgot what those games are like when both teams are "good". slow pitch softball games.

and seeing that the first NFL weekend of the season is coming, i might as well get used to either being in my chair watching the television or on the computer checking stats. fun.

to top off everything today, i spent most of the morning with the shits. you simply can't imagine my joy when i go after i have already taken the medication to stop me from going. and people wonder why i rarely like to be in public.

chalk this up as yet another day where i wonder what the fuck i was thinking by telling the 8 year old me no when it came to suicide. just 4 months to go until the 30th year anniversary of that mistake.

hope everyone has a great weekend. for all my soccer (football) friends around the world, here's hoping your national team does well. for all my gambling buddies, start your betting season slow. trust me, it works. and lastly, for the few of you who read this blog and couldn't give 2 shits about sports, i will try to get some poetry and artsy shit for you in the coming days.

until i come to you tomorrow, hopefully without a hangover...

music:

Deftones - Deftones
The Dirty Guv'nahs - Somewhere Beneath These Southern Skies
Thelonious Monk / John Coltrane - Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane
Rage Against The Machine - Renegades

"It is certain that at certain times talent entirely overcomes thought or poetry." - John Singer Sargent

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

funny how a few wins can ease the mind

i figured the Yankees were in for it last night as they were facing a pitcher they have had no success against. being down 4-1 didn't help my mind either. but, a couple of hits and the starter leaves... and the White Sox bullpen starts throwing batting practice. 3 pitchers and 5 runs later and the Yankees are up 6-4. oh yeah, this all happened in the bottom of the 8th. could just be the best win of the season. just 2 games out of a playoff spot. get the sweep tonight and the next four against Boston could be some fun.

Hard Knocks last night was great. i thought the scenes of them pulling the names off of the jerseys show just how cold the NFL truly is. hard to believe the season starts tomorrow. guess i'll spend most of tomorrow getting my fantasy lineups in order.

mowing the grass yesterday went much better than i thought it would. there was a good breeze all day long so it didn't feel hot at all, even though the sun was out the entire time. took me a little longer than normal given all the high grass/weeds i had to cut down. but, no sun poisoning and no extended stays in the bathroom the day after. good times.

the usual Wednesday night viewing is on tap tonight; Big Brother, Duck Dynasty, and The Bridge. i'm really hoping the baseball game is over by the time The Bridge comes on. tonight's episode looks like it will be a classic.

amazingly, my sister's birthday gifts got here early from amazon.com. so, i have spent most of this afternoon getting the rest of her stuff ready. i guess my mother and i are going up there Friday night to see her. a little early birthday bash so to speak. i guess her friend's band is playing. reggae music i do believe. so, it should be an interesting evening.

that's pretty much all for now.

music:

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes
Beth Orton - Sugaring Season
AC/DC - Powerage

"I've never seen a monument erected to a pessimist." - Paul Harvey

say hello to frustration

so i went to bed last night thinking Manchester United had signed 1 player from Everton and got 1 player on loan from Real Madrid. much to my surprise, the loan never happened because the paperwork was faxed in late. who the fuck in 2013 faxes anything late? this whole transfer window reminded me of how much i miss Sir Alex and David Gill. none of this shit would have gone like this with them in charge. my fear is we now become what Everton always was, a 6th place team just good enough to not be mediocre. hopefully Moyes and Woodward understand that none of this is acceptable. sadly, i don't really know if the Glazers give a shit or not. they simply own the club to write off the debt. hopefully i'll be in a better frame of mind when they play again in 11 days.

Monday Night Raw was interesting. i'm not sure how much more they can kill Daniel Bryan before he has nothing left to give. the Big Show constantly crying has to stop. i am intrigued with the Cody Rhodes angle. with him mentioning his father and the McMahons last night has me thinking that something much larger is in play. and considering that Dusty runs NXT down in Florida, perhaps yet another invasion angle is coming. if that brings up some new talent, i'm fine with it. if it goes to more "Dusty" finishes, count me out. i lived through those days of the NWA and WCW. what i really hope is the CM Punk angle with Heyman ends after this ppv and then Punk joins Daniel Bryan against HHH. then, the possibilities are endless.

after reading that paragraph you'd never know that i've been watching wrestling for 35 years.

the Yankees had a laugher yesterday. Hughes pitched to 5 guys before the rain came. which shows that even mother nature wants David Huff starting over Hughes. the Yankees were leading 1-0 before the rain delay. when the bats got going, i flipped over to the Chicago station so i could listen to their misery. it was great. Yankees win 9-1. hopefully Kuorda pitches well tonight and the Yankees can keep the train moving.

the plan today is to take advantage of the better weather and get the grass cut. parts of it are maybe an inch high and other parts are over a foot high. such fun. hopefully it won't take me all afternoon to do. but, if you happen to email me this afternoon and don't get a reply until later tonight or tomorrow, you now know why.

after a long shower and hopefully with no sun poisoning, i will be watching the season finale of Hard Knocks tonight. should be interesting to see how painful the final cuts were.

with 4 more poems to the pile to send out here soon, i have to rethink my submissions before i send them out now. but that's a task for another day. i have to get gas and get some other shit done so i'll be mowing before 1 this afternoon.

that's all for today. hopefully i'm in a better mood by tomorrow.

music:

Imagine Dragons - Night Visions

"Passion makes idiots of the cleverest men, and makes the biggest idiots clever." - Francois de La Rochefoucauld

response from Miracle e-zine

i heard back from Guntaj at Miracle e-zine on my poetry submission from the end of July. my poem "pour the blues" has made it to the final list and has been selected to be published in the seventh issue, due in October. it is also the first print issue of the magazine.

for more info, go to: http://www.facebook.com/Miracle.ezine

end of the silly season

i will be spending a good portion of today waiting to see confirmed news about Manchester United signing someone, ANYONE. one thing i have learned about news in Europe, none of it is true until it actually happens. speculation is passed as fact. personally, that drives me fucking insane.

my shitty Sunday was topped off by the Yankees pissing away a well pitched game by Andy Pettitte. watching a 3-0 lead with 9 outs to go suddenly become a 7-3 deficit and eventual loss was disheartening to say the least. they play the White Sox later today. Phil Hughes is on the mound. i put the over/under on the number of home runs he gives up at 3. i'm not looking forward to this.

Big Brother was just about what i was expecting. i already know who won the POV, so i'm really hoping the double eviction gets out the 2 bitches i can't stand, Amanda and Elissa. i'm pulling for Judd to win it now.

Total Divas was pretty funny. i love how clueless 19 year old women can be at times. nice to see Curt Hawkins get more screen time than he gets on Raw or Smackdown. (he was on for maybe 3 seconds at most).

my fantasy draft for NFL.com went pretty well. it should be another team i will be able to compete with, especially if my waiver wire moves come through. hard to believe that season starts in just a few days.

so, between this morning and last night, i have written 6 new poems. i typed all of them up this morning and i do believe i have a few winners. i think i'll be making some submissions probably early next week.

i believe i have finally figured out the kittens mystery. for almost a month i had not seen a cat nursing the 4 new kittens. but, they still weren't dead, so someone was. so, after the Yankees bullpen became arsonists yesterday, i went out to the barn. and sure enough, i caught my cat Irvine Welsh nursing one of the kittens. so, i'm going to assume that she's the mother. they are now out of the igloo, so i'm going to have to watch my steps when i'm feeding the cats in there. if i step on one of them, i'm pretty sure they will be dead.

seeing that today is a holiday in the USA, i will most likely spend most of the day watching sports and eating bad food. but other than the Yankees game and Monday Night Raw, i really have no clue what i'll be watching. football season has started, so between college and pro, there's a game on pretty much every night.

that's all for today. i have cats to feed, a newspaper to read, and a Yankees team to go bitch about.

peace and chicken grease.

music:

Prodigy - Fat of the Land
Ryan Bingham - Tomorrowland
Phantogram - Nightlife
Van Morrison - His Band and the Street Choir
INXS - The Greatest Hits

"The simple act of paying attention can take you a long way." - Keanu Reeves

a weekend gone to hell

Saturday was pretty good for me. and then a shitty Sunday morning, and quite frankly, all is lost.

i'll work my way backwards. when i heard the news that Wayne Rooney wasn't going to play today, i had a certain amount of dread. then watching the pitiful first half Manchester United played at Liverpool, that dread was warranted. why the kids aren't been given chances before older players that suck is beyond me. a 1-0 loss is unacceptable when it's now 2 straight games without a goal. i hope to christ i see news by tomorrow evening of some signings (and i suppose they have to be Everton players since it's obvious that Moyes doesn't know how to coach United players) or selling some guys off to give other players a chance. i was angry enough to want to punch holes through walls. i didn't though. i'm pretty sure i'd be the one paying for repairs.

The Yankees got a complete game 3 hit shutout yesterday from Nova and 2 RBI from Cano to win 2-0. better yet, they pass Baltimore in the standings are now just 3 1/2 out of a playoff spot. hopefully they can get the sweep later today.

Ohio State had an awesome start to their game. probably too easy as they basically took the rest of the game off. a 40-20 win that felt much closer than the score.

there were some great college football games last night that i really enjoyed. Georgia and Clemson was definitely one of those. that game pretty much had my attention for all of it.

ROH last night was good. i have to admit i was fighting sleep for most of it. glad to see Adam Cole is now bringing his prick character to ROH. he's a much better heel than face. shouldn't be too long before he is in with the big boys.

i stole a few cat naps along the way yesterday. so i somehow felt refreshed after just 5 hours this morning. that has all changed as now the rest of the day i will be the asshole.

most of the Sunday night shows are off for the Labor Day weekend, so i believe it's just Big Brother and Total Divas this evening. and seeing how there is no way i'll be falling asleep at 11, i do believe i will be writing late tonight. and probably spending my holiday Monday typing them up.

now i'm off to take out the trash and feed the cats and probably scream some expletives to release some stress.

music:

Matthew Perryman Jones - Land of the Living

"Television is an invention that permits you to be entertained in your living room by people you wouldn't have in your home." - David Frost (April 7, 1939 - August 31, 2013)