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Guy stuff.

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

The feedback from louder than words has been great. Much of it overwhelmingly positive, and where there was critique, it was generally offered honestly and clearly. Eric, Helen, Diane and I met Tuesday night to digest it all and tweak the format in a way that puts more emphasis on - and sets aside more time for - the debate. One of the comments we received - or, more correctly, I received as it was all directed at me - took issue with some of the things I said in my introduction, challenging me on both facts and opinion. The…

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

People I’m feeling right now

People I'm feeling right now: M.C. Siegel: mcpoet.blogspot.com The honest truth is that when I feel like I'm resisting this tendency I, for the life of me, cannot write. Emotional anguish and solitude are the perfect catalysts for my writing. Sadly enough, when I'm happy it's like being on soma, I have no ambition to commit my thoughts to paper. All I want to do is stay happy, kill time, and ignore the issues that make for the majority of my writing. It's just like drug-addiction...and it's the most normal thing in the world to do. The question I'm always…

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

It's 4:30pm as I start to write this, 27.5 hours before louder than words premieres. I still can't believe that it all came together so quickly and am more than a little nervous about both the turnout and the response. The concept has received a lot of positive feedback but, like many of my favorite sports teams over the years, it's not about how things look on paper. It's about execution. So many variables in the mix, so much of it completely out of my hands... Ironic that one of the things that triggered the desire to do the show…

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

Been reading Esmerelda Santiago's When I Was Puerto Rican and Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals simultaneously over the past couple of weeks, and thoroughly enjoying them both. I was concerned that Santiago's book would turn out to be another semi-autobiographical disappointment along the lines of Edwidge Danticat's Breath, Eyes, Memory, with a Lifetime TV plot full of "exotic" archetypes and cliché. Fortunately, it's a cut above that, largely because her writing is much less forced. It reads more like a well-written memoir than a pretentious literary whitewash. One of her strengths, that Danticat shares, is her talent for painting vivid…

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

President Forever 2004

President Forever 2004 is the perfect computer sim for political junkies. I bought the full version last week (only $12, well worth it!) and have run through six campaigns so far with Dubya kicking my ass all but once. He beat Kerry twice, paired up with Edwards and then Gephardt, neither of whom helped carry their home states. He beat Kucinich twice, with Edwards and then Clark, again with neither VP delivering their home states. Kucinich's default setup is oddly to the right of the real deal. Not drastically, but subtly enough to illustrate the annoying nuances of politics that…

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

louder than words update

The t-shirts just arrived and they look mah-velous! They will be available this Saturday for $15. Cheap! Don't sleep. Met with Eric and Helen over lunch earlier today to hash out the format and came out with some great ideas as well as identifying some potential pitfalls to avoid. I've gone from nervous and excited to nervous and ecstatic. It's either going to be a home run or a foul tip off the big toe! Last night's Acentos 1st anniversary show was a new high as the Blue Ox was packed old-school Nuyorican-style, with people on the floor and packed…

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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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