Friday, September 23, 2011

The Lack of Any Bed but One’s Music to Sleep In

How much money, I asked, do you think Hilltop is out if UConn leaves the Big East too? Not as much as you'd think, said D, though I'm sure Hilltop's inner sanctum is closely monitoring the situation and war-gaming and their top lawyers are rereading all contracts. I asked, there are enough quality basketball programs at universities that don't play professional football to form a conference that will make money? Marquette. Villanova. D said, I heard the have-nots in the Big 12, the remaining non-Texas, OK schools, want to join the Big East. Texas to the ACC, said L. Shit, I said. Texas to the ACC, L said again. Shit, I said, I was agreeing with you. How'd your soccer team do last night, asked D.






Pissed me off, I said, though I'm waiting until at least this coming Sunday morning before drawing conclusions about all ramifications of what seems to me a pervasive franchise-wide sense of... Only four guys came even halfway to thank LOUD SIDE! the four hardest-working, least talented of the fourteen players who played last night. Shit, said L, here comes one of your micro-macro metaphors. Not if you put a pint in my hand, I said. Too late, she laughed, then did.























ORFEO

Jack Spicer

Sharp as an arrow Orpheus
Points his music downward.
Hell is there
At the bottom of the seacliff.
Heal
Nothing by this music.
Eurydice
Is a frigate bird or a rock or some seaweed.
Hail nothing
The infernal
Is a slippering wetness out at the horizon.
Hell is this:
The lack of anything but the eternal to look at
The expansiveness of salt
The lack of any bed but one’s
Music to sleep in.



13 comments:

  1. Blah, frickin' Kraphammer.

    Why do you want to raise my blood pressure so early in the day, BDR?

    P.S. Tell me more about Paw Paw. I haven't gone down that way yet.
    ~

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  2. The red arrow on your sidewalk is clearly a directional indicator for Corporate's black helicopters, rube.

    I told them (us) where to put it.

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  3. Good. They can airlift out all the goddamn cat litter. I love the new kittens, but jesusfuck, they are emmeffing shit machines - this is true: when I do the morning scoop, both Stanley and Rose run and sit next to the boxes, purring, watching, wait for me to finish, then each jump on one of the boxes and dumps. Little fuckers.

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  4. Eat, shit, piss, and sleep. Lucky bastards.

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  5. I am thoroughly enjoying George Mills so far. Rarely a page passes w/out at least causing a smile, and more often a laugh.

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  6. Yeah, it's wondrous, and it's not even one of my favorite Elkin.

    You piqued my curiosity with Log of the S.S. The Mrs Unguentine. Good thing I have access to a university Interlibrary Loan Service.

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  7. I thought lots of garden statuary was the universal symbol identifying crazy cat people with lots of garden statuary.

    Fuck REM, so there.

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  8. What is your favorite Elkin? The same friend who sent me G. Mills also sent Boswell. Anything else I should be on the look out for?

    As for the other book. Yeah. I only had just learned of it a day or so ago, so I don't yet have a physical copy. I thought I might find it at the public library, but no go there. I'm still going back and forth as to whether I should lay down the annual fee for circulation privileges to UC Berkeley (they have it). For now, I suppose I'll just pay the $11 for a copy.

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  9. Heh, a new neighbor saw me in the front yard sitting with Napoleon and asked me if he was my cat, and I said *Well, he started out as a feral, but he's now ours," and the neighbor looked at the plastic goat and cement dog and rust-metal dog and said, *I thought so.* I'm already planning Earthgirl's Giftmas and birthday presents. And while I don't love REM, Hah!.

    Brad, I love Magic Kingdom most of all, then, in no particular order, *Bad Man,* *Franchiser,* *Dick Gibson,* and the novella collection *Searches and Seizures* - "The Making of Ashenden" is astonishingly funny.

    I'm seeing Elkin around lit-Blegsylvania a bit lately. Good to see.

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  10. Ok, in no particular order: Thanks for the surprising link. I'm always appreciative, and tho' I don't always comment here, I always read. So there's that.

    First saw REM when they were a bar band playing to 75 people in a bar in Winston-Salem. They were friends, later, with former college roomies and friends (M. Easter & dBs). Thus, I have a long-standing rooting interest having nothing to do with the state I am in.

    It is a universal truth that everybody needs a clean box to shit in. You are doing god's work.

    Texas will not join the ACC. They're not on the AC, for starters. Rutgers & UConn, now, that's another kettle of horses of a different color. Or something. Syracuse is a big coup, tho'. [ Jim H. wearily shakes his head at the pervasive influx and influence of football at all levels. Thug game played by thugs & rooted for by same. Reflection of militarization and authoritarianization of Amurrikan kulcher. (Aside: Attended a country Baptist church service this weekend. Don't ask. Call it research. Biggest cultural crisis by a speakin' Deacon (a larger ringer for Sarah Palin you never saw) had to do with her son—fat little Cartman slob—not "making weight" for football yet again. Asked for prayer. Prayed aloud in front of the church for it. Kid sitting right there. God's will that he's fat; might've gotten hurt; blah blah blah.)]

    That arrow? That's Homeland Security's mark when Obama decides to throw the political opposition that's not from the right into the concentration camps he's been building all over the country. Especially the ones without guns. Maybe you can train the cats to become attack cats.

    There's more, but I won't overstay my welcome. Sorry about the VW Uniteds, tho'. Playoff hopes still?

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  11. Randal: You forgot fucking.

    Jim: Gaelic Allmans United, or whatever the fuck rugby team it is that you support, has a better chance of making the MLS playoffs than FC Wolfsburg/DC.

    Texas was, in fact (or at least in media reports), talking to the ACC, though how much that was a ploy to frighten the Pac-12 is nontrivial. I don't think the issue is dead.

    Now that you've told him what the directional arrow was for, Jim, keep an eye on your sidewalk. We'll be there with the spraypaint soon. I'll make sure you both get quartered in a properly ventilated hut.

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  12. @Landru: as long as we have wi-fi and laptops. You want the co-ordinates on the Google Maps?

    I agree that Tejas would rather be West and has been ploying with ACC. Indeed, I saw the reports.

    Fear the Turtle! It's unis will blind you.

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  13. Why wouldn't they? They've already made me pretend I went to school somewhere else.

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