Thursday, March 31, 2011

The Kinds of Selfishness I Could Freely Adopt As My Own

This has been this blog's Official Theme Song since Day One and this is the most thoroughly self-indulgent post since the last and until the next.




The last of the nine schools Planet applied to just passed its verdict and fuck Oberlin, Lorain's a hellhole anyway, but Yay! Planet! who got into more than she didn't and got into the ones it would have stung not to. Of those that said no, I think only the Maine school hurt a bit, though they were the nicest saying no of the bunch and the news came after truly good news. I think the process worked because (a) I'm a self-rationalizing bastard who thinks you a fucktard you say no to my daughter and (b) the schools I liked best anyway all said yes and (c) the schools I sincerely think Planet will grow best at all said yes. We drive to St Mary's College Monday for its Accepted Student Day to let them try to convince Planet. Good luck with that.

Hey! Did you know Washington DC has a professional soccer team!





It's true, and the answer to my question re: Where's Branko? has been answered! He showed up to camp fat and lazy and was benched and now management has put out the word Branko showed up fat and lazy.

Bet we see Branko in Bermangoyd this coming Wednesday when United plays Phunion in a play-play-play-in USOC game. This guy bought four tickets, I bought three, one for me, one for Seat Six, one for Planet, who swears she's going but who also just got drafted against her wishes volunteered happily to work crew for her school's Spring musical, Motherfucking Pippen, so I bet I'll have an extra ticket this coming Wednesday. Check back for chance to win it! I'm looking at you, Hamster.




A United ticket agent emailed me thanks for buying, and I wrote back:

A word to the wise - someone at DCU might want to find out if Philly supporters clubs are busing down for the game and, if yes, keep them on the side of the field next to the building - Barra and Eagles are on the opposite. Not saying there's gonna be trouble, just saying why create a situation where trouble might happen. Probably not a good idea to have them standing next to each other.

Nothing will probably happen, but considering what assclowns will be policing SoccerPlex and considering what fans pour out of tour buses after a four hour ride pouring beer down their gullets and considering they're phucking Philly phucks, shouldn't someone in, um, authority, at least think about it?




Here there was going to be three paragraphs on bleggalgazing, authority, power, resistance in Blegsylvania, but because I love you and because I love me more, instead have this blog's Official Bleggalgazing Anthem then some links and the always necessary poem.








STILL

A.R. Ammons

I said I will find what is lowly
and put the roots of my identity
down there:
each day I'll wake up
and find the lowly nearby,
a handy focus and reminder,
a ready measure of my significance,
the voice by which I would be heard,
the wills, the kinds of selfishness
I could
freely adopt as my own:

but though I have looked everywhere,
I can find nothing
to give myself to:
everything is

magnificent with existence, is in 
surfeit of glory:
nothing is diminished,
nothing has been diminished for me:

I said what is more lowly than the grass:
ah, underneath,
a ground-crust of dry-burnt moss:
I looked at it closely
and said this can be my habitat: but
nestling in I
found
below the brown exterior
green mechanisms beyond the intellect
awaiting resurrection in rain: so I got up

and ran saying there is nothing lowly in the universe:
I found a beggar:
he had stumps for legs: nobody was paying
him any attention: everybody went on by:
I nestled in and found his life:
there, love shook his body like a devastation:
I said
though I have looked everywhere
I can find nothing lowly
in the universe:

I whirled though transfigurations up and down,
transfigurations of size and shape and place:

at one sudden point came still,
stood in wonder:
moss, beggar, weed, tick, pine, self, magnificent
with being!


5 comments:

  1. You're calling the home of Toni Morrison a hellhole?!?!?!

    Yeah, Lorain County is a hellhole, and it's largely Oberlin's fault, and anyway while I was there the turning-to-shit was accelerating at an exponential rate, so I can't even imagine it now. Fuck 'em. Congratulations again to Planet!

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  2. Vermillion was kinda cute.

    Planet had a great interview (she thought) at Oberlin, but they showed ZERO interest in her re: follow-up letters and come-hithers. None. Only school that didn't. Then the same woman who interviewed Planet came to Planet's high school and (a) absolutely made no sign she recognized Planet and (b) focused in on the loudest, crudest, sluttiest girl at the meeting and loudly proclaimed that girl "exactly the kind of student Oberlin looks for!"

    Planet had already made her mind she wasn't going to Oberlin - I mean, she would have gone to any of the other eight first, so this no she just shrugged off.

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  3. Just wait until Branko! gets into form, then look out league.

    I've heard Oberlin's gone downhill (can't speak for the county as the only county that matters is Callahooga) but yikes. Good luck with the St. Mary's gig. Assume that's the first choice?

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  4. Oberlin's hated - and vastly superior - rival K, 60 miles to the south of the hellhole of Lorain, is number one and should be. They've made it clear they want her (they've basically offered us four years for the price of 2.5) for the right reasons, and I'd be surprised if she didn't go. St Mary's College of Maryland is number two. It'll be one or the other, I'm betting (though she can choose one of the others).

    I'd love to her to go to SMCM for selfish reasons, not so much the money but so I - and my parents - can see her more often, but K is a once in a lifetime opportunity and one that I think she'd regret turning down for the rest of her life.

    Not that I'm saying anything like that to her over the next few weeks until she asks. I don't want a shovel upside my head.

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  5. My sense of O is liberal to a fault, political correctness at all costs; the only kid at my HS who made 1600 on the SAT went to O. Three kids from Wisdaughter's school went, too. Very PC. K has more of a genteel, less high-strung cachet. Just as smart, but more laid back. What a great option! (except it's Ohio, know what I mean?)

    Hey, did you know that there was a World Cup going on now? Yeah, apparently over a billion souls on this planet were up in arms about the cricket match b/w India & Pakistan yesterday. Not a single friggin' channel of the 900+ that are indexed on my cable system carried it. (I only get about 100). I managed to catch the stream of the last over. A BILLION! Cricket?! Wow. Who knew?

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