Archive for January, 2008
- Understading
Last night, engaged in conversation while the television droned quietly in the background, I thought I heard an Oreck pitchman say he would give away a free Deluxe Compact Hamster Vac with the purchase of an Oreck XL® Ultra. Without pausing to think through the plausibility of such a statement, my mind raced forward, trying […]
31 January 2008- Done
With the Presidential race narrowed to four business as usual Republicans (two running as faux Democrats), the American political system can kiss my backside. Unless Abbie Hoffman resurrects from the grave and runs Pigasus for president, I’ll vote in every race but the executive. As far as I’m concerned, it’s like being given a choice […]
30 January 2008- Six-Sixty-Seven
After amending the last item more times than Sylvester Stallone films have sequels, I discovered it was article 666: the Entry of the Beast. Not that I’m superstitious or anything, but it’s best we move ahead. Limp as a rubber biscuit, this is 667. To quote the Merry Pranksters, “Furthur.”
29 January 2008- Ashes to Ashes
This is Billy Bragg singing “The Price of Oil.” (Video contains strong language and may not be work safe.) As always, he is forthright, idealistic, and self-deprecating — I think of him as the Antibono.
Wikipedia is a fine source of information about songwriter and labor activist Joe Hill. Joan Baez, who shares Billy Bragg’s idealism and determination […]
29 January 2008- Hunan Garden
The last time I was here, the copper-haired waitress, the older of the pair, rushed up to me — for a moment I thought she would hug me — and gushed, “Oh! You look like-a movie star!” A few minutes later she brought what I assume was a Chinese entertainment magazine to my table and pointed at the photograph […]
28 January 2008- Avocado Sunday
The avocado is nearly black. It splits apart with a single turning thrust of a sharp knife and twists open effortlessly. The big seed comes loose with hardly a whimper. I slide a thumb between shell and meat and pull away the casing in one piece. The flesh is soft but firm and grades suddenly […]
27 January 2008- Theory of Flight
Sit on the back porch and contemplate your place in the world. Be loose and breathe deeply. Consider the weathering back fence in all its browns, greens and grays. Nature isn’t hurried, nor should you be. Things take time.
26 January 2008
Starting at the base and working outward, preen your wings, taking pains to crush mites and lice […]- Anal Retentive
I’m sorry. I’ve tried. I swear I have. I stared down into the abyss and found nothing. Even the skeletons of old days have been stripped clean of all flesh and carted away by marrow enthusiasts. I mean, I got down there with an electron microscope looking for strands of stray DNA hoping I could […]
25 January 2008- Wildly in My Heart
I’ve dreamed a garden of flowers whose very names delight me: foxglove, catmint, bee balm, snapdragon, sweet alyssum, beardtongue, larkspur, soapwort, verbena, sweet rocket, fleabane, sea holly, lavender, bleeding hearts, flossflower, and (of course) lupine. I’ve imagined those flowers calling with their fragrances to a congress of honeybees, a conclave of butterflies, and a convocation […]
24 January 2008- Hide and Seek
Never look for suicides among cynics. You’ll be disappointed.
Diogenes might have had dogs for companions, but at least they weren’t humans. Dogs are loyal to a fault; humans aren’t. With all those dogs around, there was no way Diogenes could wind up swinging from a Judas rope, wrist-slashed, or impaled on his own sword. Fact […]
23 January 2008
