Luis Cartagena’s feature last night was…interesting. He’s an acquired taste and what I love about him most is his desire to push the boundaries of so-called performance poetry. He’s willing to take risks most of us wouldn’t go anywhere near and is always eager for feedback. I spent as much time watching his performance as
Throughout most of my twenties, I went through a few self-created “mid-life crises,” unsure of what the hell I was doing and what I wanted to do next. The common thread running through that decade was avoidance. Avoid responsibility, avoid maturity, and avoid anything that might inadvertantly lead to either of those outcomes. “Act first,
Pumpkin Seeds: Randomonia Edition
1. Salomé doesn’t want her own blog because she hates those that are of the self-absorbed, “Today, I went to…” variety. Between that and her complete disdain for politics, I’m starting to believe she really does only use my blog for the links to other people’s blogs. That’s what she tells me, at least! Meanwhile,
Happy birthday to me! Great weekend, great party, great presents, including… Batman pajamas! Best birthday ever? Perhaps. Pretty damn close, that’s for sure! PS: I couldn’t care less about the Olympics but the no-name Puerto Rico basketball team dismantling the egotistical, overhyped and overpaid USA Dream Team IV was a beautiful thing. Punks!
Pumpkin Seeds: Wizard of Oz Edition
1. I have no problem with anonymous comments – not everybody wants/needs to sign up for a Blogger account – but to do so maliciously, purposely hiding your identity so you can make hurtful or inflammatory statements is just cowardly, petty bullshit. To go so far as to create a fake Blogger account for the
Weddings
When Salomé and I got married back in 1998, it was a step into completely foreign territory as none of our close friends were married, few even in serious relationships. Not counting my father’s shotgun second marriage at town hall 18 years earlier, I’d never even been to a wedding before! Our wedding was a
John Rodriguez was a breath of fresh air at last night’s Acentos, dropping a solid mix of old and new work, as well as a nice little slam on half of the unusually weak open mic. “Hey, Guy, remember when I used to yell all my shit? Waving my hands like I was conducting the
It’s been four days since my last confession, Blogger, but in a rare switcheroo, I was busy talking smack over on my little-used LiveJournal account, commenting on the debacle that was the 2004 National Poetry Slam. I won’t get into it here other than to say, while I feel bad for those who attended and
Best. Feature. Ever.
Thanks to everyone that came out to the Blue Ox last night. There’s no possible way you could have enjoyed it more than I did but I hope it came close. Having family, both blood and chosen, and friends in the audience along with a nice mix of complete strangers helped make it a truly
Intellectual curiosity is an aphrodisiac. I’m no elitist, but I do have high standards for certain things, especially when it comes to having a clue about current events and a passion for reading in general. You speak eloquently and have seemingly read every book ever published. You are a fountain of endless (sometimes useless) knowledge,