You are currently browsing the monthly archive for July, 2007.
I’m down with another sinus infection (I believe that is 4 since last October now). On more meds and awaiting the results of a CT scan. So I’m pretty well stuck in the apartment, drinking lots of water, and reading/watching Ren & Stimpy DVDs.
[UPDATE: In August of 2007, it became clear that I had not been having this many sinus infections, but that my migraines had increased dramatically in frequency and had migrated down into my face from the top of my head. Migraine medicines complicated things for a while. Now (in March 2008) I'm off of caffeine (good!) and working in other ways to reduce stress and have fewer headaches.]
[UPDATE 2 (July 2008): For anybody else with migraine trouble reading this post, I wanted to write that cutting caffeine has continued to be good for me, and that a daily dose of 385-400 mg of Feverfew (an herbal supplement you can find at most stores that carry such things) has also helped to greatly reduce my migraines. I've been taking it daily for three months now, and I have only had 3 migraines and a few minor headaches. I would recommend anyone suffering from migraines to try it. Keep in mind that you need to take it daily for two weeks before it takes effect, so be patient.]
After recommending the book What the Buddha Taught to Brian, I decided to borrow it from my brother again and re-read it. What a great book. Sadly, I hardly ever read any of the historic Buddha’s own teachings: I’m usually reading Tibetan texts and commentaries. The stories of his teachings to wanderers and laymen that are contained (in full) in the back of the book are a great bonus for Rahula’s own excellent expositions. Most Buddhist books in English seem very dated after 30 years or so, but this one is over fifty years old, and all of the language still seems well-chosen, direct and clear to follow.
I’ve also been reading some Frank O’Hara, a poet I had pretty much ignored up until now. I’m reading “Second Avenue” right now. Amazing!
My Life and The Homewood Books are still slowly getting finished. I’ll probably only finish Damballah by the time school begins, though.
After two relaxing weeks in Illinois and far Northern Wisconsin, I’m back to Lafayette, and I’ve come back with a little tan. Unfortunately, I was unable to buy any beer from the New Glarus Brewery (some of the best beer I’ve ever had), but there may be a few cases coming back with me in mid August. I’ll be around for the most part now until school begins for the Fall.
Sometime in the the next week (whenever I hear back from a certain program developer) I should be posting about some new and interesting developments on the Mindless Wonder blog. I’ve also posted two drafts (not sure if it’s done yet or not) of the first mchain poem whose process is fully documented on the blog. Check it out if you’re curious.
I’ve mentioned UBU web before, in particular their /ubu_editions page. Over the past few weeks I’ve been reading some of the books published there. In their newest release (the third series, Spring 2007), one name in particular stood out: Mairéad Byrne. I had not heard of her until I went to AWP in February and saw her at two panel events. She also happens to be a graduate of the MFA program here at Purdue. It seems then that there was something worthwhile that I took from that conference after all.
SOS Poetry, her book at /ubu_editions, is best described as a collection: it is clearly not a work that builds off of a single design plan, or has intentions of being analyzed as a whole work. It is divided into several sections, and even within each section there is little cohesion. But this is something of the point, I think, because the book draws all of its poems from Byrne’s weblog Heaven over the past five years or so, sort of a Best of Heaven. And weblogs are not designed for overarching consistency, which would aim for an effect of timelessness, but are organized around the timestamped post, which may build upon previous entries, but is more likely to follow the format of a journal or diary, which demands the communication of a set progression of time.
I’m not much of a critic, really. I don’t have any witty comments coming to mind right now. All I can say is that these poems read with an immediacy and a sense of joy that are impossible to ignore. They display a great sense of humor and wit, drawing on forms and subjects as diverse as advertisements, letters, announcements, advice, movie pitches, and ideas for works for art. It is obvious, too, that Byrne is very keen to the pleasure and/or trouble in words and our use of them (see “Bonkers,” “Humidity,” and my personal favorite, “Alright”). Variously, this is a fun and engaging collection, and a pretty quick read, too, if you’re worried about how long it usually take to read a tome of poetry.
Some of my favorites:
- Eaten Bagel
- Humidity
- Wind Chill
- Alright
- Peel-A-Way
- To Conquer Fear
- Another Self-Portrait
- Stop
- Letter Home
- When You Kiss The World
It was nice to get away from this blog for a while. I’m thinking I may start scaling back a little in preparation for school starting back up next month, maybe to ~3 posts a week.
For those who have tried to call me, I do not get service in Polo (not sure why), and I could not check my messages while I was in Wisconsin (my voicemail asked me to leave a message).
I expect to be back in Lafayette Wednesday evening, probably late. I guess that’s it. What a worthless post.
Hey you all. If you’re in Lafayette, and you’re wondering why I’ve stopped showing up at events, it’s because I’m on vacation for two weeks. I can post while I’m in Polo, but it’s gonna be dead here when we go to Wisconsin. I need a break from this anyway.
I was just over at Another Day in the Empire, a blog I just recently started reading. As I am feeling more political lately, and this is a fairly new thing for this blog, I figured I’d start with a fairly tame post.
In his post today responding to the upcoming release of the new Iraq progress report (I think we got a C this time) and the bullshit news stories announcing it’s likely contents, he wrote at one point:
It does not take a rocket scientist to figure any of this out. After Bush Senior attacked Iraq in 1991, methodically destroying the country’s power, communications, water, sewage treatment and health facilities, more than a decade of sanctions were imposed to make sure these critical services were not rebuilt and restored, thus resulting in the premeditated murder of around a million Iraqis, half of them helpless children. Bush the Lesser, of rather his coterie of neocons, have done the same this time around, albeit without sanctions but through occupation instead, an occupation promised to last for decades to come, as admitted by General David Petraeus, commander of Multi-National Force in Iraq.
I find myself agreeing with a lot of what I read on this blog (and perplexed by some). It seems that there are others out there angry and bothered by the same bullshit propaganda as I am. Who’d a thunk it?
Okay Seth, I was wrong. It’s amazing how much I overlook when I just flip through a new album like it was a National Geographic.
When I saw that Ornette had won a Grammy for this album, I at first assumed it was intended as a sort of lifetime achievement award. I didn’t think that the album warranted the award in light of the many greater albums he had made over the last 30 years (although I think it’s better than most of the other albums that win Grammies). I’m a fan of his Prime Time recordings as well as the standard classics contained on Beauty is a Rare Thing, so I almost felt like he was being dishonored, especially with the lackluster reception he got at the awards ceremony, where I’m sure more than 90% of those in the audience had never heard The Shape of Jazz to Come, let alone his work on Skies of America or Virgin Beauty.
But, again, I was wrong. I was wrong in the way I often am when I offer a strong opinion on something I have not yet experienced fully. I display my prejudices and preconceptions bluntly in a way that is becoming all too familiar to me and those who spend any considerable amount of time with me. Fortunately, I come to my senses eventually and sit down and find out what I really feel.
So, the album is great. The sound quality is better than on any Ornette album I’ve ever heard. And just look at the line-up. There are two bass players: Tony Falanga and Greg Cohen, who some of you may be more familiar with as the bassist from Masada, playing alongside another great and innovative altoist, John Zorn. Ornette plays three instruments (alto, violin, and trumpet), all of them with consummate skill. I know Miles gave him shit for playing the trumpet, but he’s had 40 odd years of practice since then. Denardo Coleman is on drums, who’s been playing with his father off and on since another great concert recording from 1969, Crisis.
Highly recommended music.
The new blog is now configured to my liking, and everything has been moved from the Blogger site.
If you have any opinion on the new look, leave a comment. I think WordPress gives you much more freedom and many more options to work with to make your blog look and work how you want it. I’m happy with it, at least.
Check it out. Just posted at the end of June, Origin, Sixth Series, Issue 4. I’ll post more info when I get the time to read it myself. I liked what I read from the last one, though.
I’m about half-way done with migrating the blog over from Blogger. The links will be up soon, and I’ll find a better image to put in the header (one that looks nicer, at least).
I’m taking this opportunity to finally establish a set of categories for this blog. There is only one Dream entry so far, and few Art entries, but hopeful the existence of these categories will prompt me to populate them.
And for all y’all still on Blogger, you don’t know what you’re missing.
