Guy LeCharles Gonzalez (aka glecharles) (aka loudpoet)

An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

What’s next?

Y-A-W-N!!!

Monday night out and a 3-hour meeting starting at 8am don’t mix.

Hit 13 for the first time in months (lost track but it’s at least six) and had an…ah, interesting night. Always good to see Maureen who kept my glass so full that I actually had to pace myself for once. Early morning meeting and all. Sad that the thing I miss most from there is the 13inis.

The vibe for the show was a bit off with a light and low-energy crowd, weird considering it was the last qualifying slam of the season. (The glow, she has officially worn off, methinks.) With a disproportionate amount of Acentos regulars “on staff” and on the open mic and Nuyoricans dominating the slam that was actually short one poet, there were surprisingly few familiar 13 faces in the mix.

Halfway through the first round of the slam, I remembered its appeal. By the end, I was bored as hell.

(more…)

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Pumpkin Seeds: 3/22/2004

1. 3-day weekends that become 4-day weekends due to nasty viruses suck. 2. Crazy Wilson is my new [South] American Idol. 3. I don't remember the circus being such a musical production. Other than the lions and horses (booooooorrrrrrring!), though, it was a pretty exciting show. Especially the daredevilly stuff. 4. Ringmaster Kevin Venardos quite possibly has the coolest job in the world. 5. My "Original Broadway Cast Recording" of Barnum arrived today. I'm listening to it now. Don't hate! 6. Old Navy owns my soul. 7. The NASDAQ is under 2000 and the Dow is flirting with dropping below…

Continue ReadingPumpkin Seeds: 3/22/2004
An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Puke-a-rama 2004: The Germans Strike Back!!! Ah yes, another sleepless night of random vomiting. The dark side of day care. India handed off the baton to Isaac around 2:30am and the fun continued til 6am. Isaac threw in an epilogue at 8am and it's been pretty quiet since. He's running a 101 fever, though. Limerick slam tonight is up in the air for me and will be a last-minute call. Decided to actually sign up for the slam and wrote 9 limericks for it. Apparently I'll need as many as 30 if I manage to advance to the Finals but…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

"This land is your land..." Tenn. county wants to charge homosexuals By Associated Press, Wednesday, March 17, 2004 DAYTON, Tenn. - The county that was the site of the Scopes "Monkey Trial" over the teaching of evolution is asking lawmakers to amend state law so the county can charge homosexuals with crimes against nature. The Rhea County commissioners approved the request 8-0 Tuesday. Commissioner J.C. Fugate, who introduced the measure, also asked the county attorney to find a way to enact an ordinance banning homosexuals from living in the county. "We need to keep them out of here," Fugate said."This…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

louder than words update: Got the go-ahead from Bob to proceed with Plan A. Also found out that I'll be on the cover of their next calendar! Decided to hit Urbana for the Billy Collins/Limerick Slam show on Thursday to do some promo, even though the $20 cover really stings! louder than words is a brand new show that's going to reject the status quo of poets spewing bullshit from the mic 'cause they think that's what the audience likes instead, demanding both growHave to make a new batch of flyers once everyone is officially confirmed and Eric and I…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

No such thing as a just war

Another hopeful sign…

Soldier who refused to return to Iraq to surrender in North Miami

By Erik Schelzig, Associated Press

NORTH MIAMI, Fla. (AP) Shaken by a gunfight in Iraq that killed innocent civilians, a 28-year-old U.S. soldier declared the invasion ”an oil-driven war” and said he won’t return to the Middle East and fight.

Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia, of Miami Beach, surrendered Monday at an air force base in Massachusetts, where he was ordered to report to his unit Tuesday at the North Miami Armory in suburban Miami.

His attorney, Louis Font, said he believes Mejia is the first soldier to turn himself in after refusing to return to Iraq. Mejia said he would seek conscientious objector status.

Mejia was in Iraq for about five months last year until October, when he returned home on leave. He did not return to duty.

”This is an oil-driven war, and I don’t think any soldier signs up to fight for oil,” Mejia said Monday after arriving at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Mejia said he was particularly upset over an incident in which he and others were ambushed and innocent civilians were hit in the ensuing gunfire.

”That’s one of the things that tells me there’s no such thing as a fair war, no such thing as a just war,” he said.

(more…)

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

A sense of naked helplessness

I rarely give a conscious thought to the possibility of being caught up in a terrorist attack, fully accepting the likelihood that NYC remains a target and at some point in the future, another attack will come. Other than crawling under a rock or moving to North Dakota, there's really no other option and, to be honest, I don't even see much difference between the two. Every now and then, though, something random happens that forces me to acknowledge that I live and work smack in the middle of one of the largest bullseyes around, and it can be a…

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