The Wire

Estimated arrival for season five: tomorrow. Here’s one of my favorite scenes from the series (from season four), where Snoop buys a nail gun. The Wire is definitely one of the best TV programs ever, if not the best. Nice to see the show received a writing nod from the Emmys, but its lack of attention still baffles me.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about "The Wire", posted with vodpod

Read Full Post »

MV Week II – Day 2

Yesterday’s post has already been taken down. Let’s see if a local girl will last a little longer. If you haven’t listened to Kim Taylor, do so immediately. This is a fun little video, with some familiar faces if you’ve been to her coffee shop.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about "MV Week II – Day 2", posted with vodpod

Read Full Post »

Need stuff?

I sold two pieces of furniture today! I’m getting rid of several more items over the next month. If you want anything, you can have it at the cheaper-than-craigslist price–email or call. There’s a computer desk, a rocking chair, a queen-sized headboard and bed frame, a coffee table, a bicycle, and a guitar.

Read Full Post »

B(ack)log

Way behind on the story of the day thing. Too much media consumption. A list:

1. “Amanda Said I Should Go to Cuba” by J. T. Bushnell: a clever conceit. This story is a one-trick pony, though it’s a pretty one.
2. “Shower” by William Giraldi: lovely. A man finally is true to his feelings, though at the worst possible moment.
3. “Sasquatch” by Tao Lin: not my kind of story. Poetic (true to its author), but something is unearned here.
4. “Dummy” by Aimee Parkison: grief, mistaken identity, a slip in( )sanity. Funereal.
5. Also finished season one of Rome. Eh. The series is rushed, uncareful. Vaguely interesting. Still, I wonder where season two goes from Caesar’s death. He was the best character. I could take or leave Forrest and Bubba*, though the show is really about them.
6. Too much theatre, too much dough.
7. Coming soon: Hitchcock night.

*Thanks to captain for the Gump connection.

Read Full Post »

Happy May Day

Read Full Post »

Story of the Day

Note: I’m trying to read a short story every day, and blogging it when the notion strikes me.

Read “The Great Amphibian” by Michelle Richmond today, which won the 2006 Mississippi Review prize. To see a list of her publications, click here. Wow. I really need to read more of her work, as she incorporates a kind of magic-that-isn’t that I’ve tried (and failed at) only once, in a workshop when magic realism seemed to be the thing to do. Hummingbirds flying out of human hearts, skin turning to clay, hands mysteriously going completely numb…the class had it all (though two of my examples come from the same writer and the other is mine, and doesn’t sound as spectacular as the other two). Richmond’s “magic” was a grandfather who could walk along the bottom of bodies of water, and a peculiar lake where old men raced toy yachts, wore funny gloves, and failed to help a man who fell (was pushed) in the water by a newcomer. All from the perspective of the very-pregnant granddaughter of The Great Amphibian himself, who had disppeared under water one day, and never surfaced. I won’t give away the ending.

Anyone read her?

Read Full Post »

More Food Terror

Last one. Promise.

The clip’s from a documentary called “Our Daily Bread.” I haven’t seen it, but my understanding is that there’s no narration or dialogue–just the sounds of the agrobiz. The film’s German (I think), and I’m struck by how much cleaner the processing plants look than pix I’ve seen of such things over here. There’s a website with brief clips of more poetic images (my fave is a field of sunflowers being dusted with chemicals), if you can’t hang. Because it is quite disturbing. But shouldn’t we always be as aware as possible of the systems we participate in? I’d like to get my hands on a copy of the film. Anybody know how? Without, you know, spending any cash?

Read Full Post »

Story of the Day

In news of the less-alarming variety, I read a great short story in The Furnace Review yesterday, which reminds me of Judy Budnitz’s “Nice Big American Baby.” Check out the story “Prenatal” by Hal Niedzviecki here.

Read Full Post »

Currently…

Reading:

Summer People by Brian Groh
–He’s the brother of a friend, and the book release party was last weekend–at a bar in Cheviot! I’m actually planning to start this tonight. I love first novels! One day I hope to have one…

Old Journals
–Reliving the months during my senior year in college when I was broke and living with my mom again. Not the cure for a rainy day, trust me.

Writing:

The Project
–Since I’ve determined I can’t really write at a computer, because of my compulsive-editing disorder, handwriting is the mode of operation. Hence (maybe) the carpal tunnel thang.

Watching:

Rome
–Don’t know how I feel about this one yet. When we got the new TV, I re-watched seasons one and two of Deadwood. Someday, too, I’ll write about this show. Maybe both of them. Hell, maybe *every* HBO show.

Marie Antoinette
–Don’t know I felt about this one, either. I really want to like Sofia Coppola, though I can’t make myself like Kirsten Dunst. Pretty, but…what? A critique of contemporary young celebrities? Isn’t there more to be said than that?

PBS in HD
–Nothing needs to be said.

Read Full Post »

Spring!

So spring officially began more than a month ago, but it started and stopped. Now it has started for good. I think. I took the good faith measure and raised all the storm windows.

In celebration of the lovely weather, this weekend I:

Went to Ault Park to run around with the dog and play football with the boy.

Played cornhole in the backyard. Played badly. Very badly.

And, accidentally in honor of Earth Day, I grilled some yummy food.

No writing, but it was a good weekend. Now back to work. All of you.

Read Full Post »