Monday Night Haiku

When it all wears off

I pray the decision stands

Some measure of peace

Hang on.

Just remember that the things you put into your head are there forever, he said.

You might want to think about that. You forget some things, don’t you?

Yes. You forget what you want to remember and you remember what you want to forget.

-- Cormac McCarthy, The Road

"God's Eyes" - The Wild Deer (5/22)

Acoustic show at The Living Room, 5/22/10

website

Movie Review Haiku

Alice in Wonderland

Richly bittersweet.
Performance commitment with
Tim’s maturation.

***1/2 stars (out of 5)

Movie Review Haiku

Bronson

The Sociopath

delightful and terrible

seeks his audience

***** (a perfect film)
trailer

clickable trivium

Look Who's Coming To Seder!

It's the Passover Season, and it's time for gefilte fish in clear jelly, things unleavened, and... Popopo Candy? It seems there's some new guests following Elijah in the door. Better tell Aunt Shelia to bring that extra bridge table...

Lost Jewish tribe 'found in Zimbabwe'

Welcome, new friends! Let me show you a bit about a New York Passover...
Mensher-Style.

Paper vs. Computer.

Writing, to me, is something magical. Where do the words come from - placed one after the other, to form coherent (sometimes) ideas meant to move me (and subsequently, others)?

When writing for real, I always compare it to spelunking: diving down deep to my reservoir of words and thoughts to see what I can retrieve. I am of the belief that if I dive far enough (and am left alone), I can get the good stuff.

It's like Pearl Diving.

And it's just as dangerous*.

So it's a question of Muse. And it got me thinking.

What is the best way to get deep:

Pad & Paper, or Keyboard & Computer?

The easy answer is "whatever works". But that's too vague.

There is something visceral about using a Pen and sheet of Paper. Something analog that speaks to me in a "rubbing two sticks together to make fire" kind of way. It adds to the illusion of Magical Process, and whatever adds to that illusion builds on that illusion, and (may) produce better (deeper) work.

Alternately, at 70, writer Charles Bukowski started using a Mac that his wife gave him for Christmas --

"There is something about seeing your words on a screen before you that makes you send the word with a better bite, sighted in closer to the target. I know a computer can't make a writer but I think it makes a writer better. Simplicity in writing and simplicity in getting it down, hot and real. When this computer is in the shop and I go back to the electric, it's like trying to break rock with a hammer. Of course, the essence of writing is there but you have to wait on it, it doesn't leap from the gut as quickly, you begin to trail your thoughts -- your thoughts are ahead of your fingers which are trying to catch up. It causes a block of sorts indeed."

My own personal process has moved from Pen & Paper to Post-it's and Computer. But I'm torn enough to write this post, hoping that by the last word I type I'll have the answer.

*Sometimes I don't want to come back up for air. It's cozy down here.

Well.

Surreal Saturdays...

Saturdays sometimes feel surreal to me now.
Memories of a past life when responsibilities seemed fewer.
Worries a different, less opaque shade.

And so, safe save surreal sights:

(click)

(click)

2009 Facebook Status Highlights

"The Butcher Bride" by Vince Churchill

The following is my Amazon.com review for Vince Churchill's "The Butcher Bride"...

(I love this guy's work)




Addictive, like "Paranormal Activity" dipped in liquid Cocaine.

Vince Churchill's "The Butcher Bride" is a book that you cannot put down.

Like a rusty tilt-a-whirl in Hell's official Theme Park, the story sets an erotically gruesome tone and only lets up because the author seems to sense that you'll need the occasional breath. It takes the classic "Haunted House" story and covers it in lye, burning away the extraneous to get to the sweet marrow that frightens us all.

In "The Butcher Bride", the author skewers not only the characters of the story, but the Media, Hollywood, and those types of people who slow down at traffic accidents hoping for a dark glimpse of Death itself. The writing is special in that the words leap off the page at you with such clarity you'll feel like you're watching a movie.

An enormously satisfying read, you'll be sucked into the pages, at times whimpering to be let out again.


Visit Vince at his site and tell him I said hello...
http://www.vincechurchill.com/

Movie Review Haiku

Paranormal Activity


hype-worthy high jinks
its only Achilles' heel
shaky-cam nausea

***1/2 Stars (out of 5)


Bonus.

Like a beautiful butterfly...

... with hideous dripping fangs.

Really?
Really, Universe?
You really feel this is best?
Sigh.

(curveball)

Well, times are a' changin' here at Heathenblog, and it either means the frequency of Posts and Quippy Updates will vastly increase or peter out entirely. We'll know soon enough.

(image unrelated, but makes me feel good)

It looks as if I'm starting a new job. A full time job. I'm not sure I can type it out.
More soon.

The Poet's Hovel.

to open up the inner eyes
to see behind, where clear thought
shies away from light,
away from spies
who'd hope to glean
their mask-less guise

And spoil life's one last great surprise.

into this void I'd dare to wade
where shapeless forms likely forbade
those like myself whose timelines braid
one starkly lit
one drenched in shade

Where lives go on but memories fade.

Movie Review Haiku

The adroit auteur
his love letter to war films
damp with Nazi blood

**** (4 Stars out of 5)

Movie Review Haiku

Religulous

Something to offend
all viewers lacking the knack
of patulous mind.

***** stars (out of 5)

Maudlin.

maudlin
–adjective

1.	tearfully or weakly emotional; foolishly sentimental

Aohkigahara Forest, west of Tokyo at the base of Mount Fuji, is known as the "suicide forest."
There were 2,645 suicides recorded in January 2009, a 15 percent increase from the 2,305 for January 2008, according to the Japanese government. And so, a sign has been posted:


Translation:

Life is a gift you were given by your parents. Please think about them, the rest of your family, and any children you have. You don’t have to suffer by yourself, please give us a call (the Fuji Yoshida Police Counseling Service) and talk to us.


If you're still feeling "up"...
findagrave.com


And because balance is important, here's a box full of kittens.

Some Things I'd Like To Do Before I Die.

• Address the United States Congress.
• Own a Robot Manservant, and treat it so well that he'll protect me from the other Robot Manservants' when they rise against humanity.
  
• Travel to Russia and wear a furry hat.
• Be in a meeting where one of my advisers says "Sounds great! Well the first thing we'll need is a white robe."
  
• Find out the true meaning of my tattoo.
• Travel to Machu Picchu and nap in a shaded corner.
  
• Sit in my personal library surrounded by old paperback books, breathing deeply through my nose.
  
• Train for a Biathlon. Then subsequently realize what kind of commitment this actually entails. Spend the rest of the afternoon at White Castle.

In the meantime, here's some riddles (if you enjoy that kind of thing).

Things that make me sad...

The Rainbow Bridge

Alan Alda

Remakes

People who play Clowns

The New York Mets

Sigh.

My Secret Weapon Revealed.

"If you want to know how to play the blues, live beyond your means."
-- Eric Clapton

Things That Are Harder/Easier...

... now that I have a 4 month old.


Harder:

Going to the Movies.

Sleeping.

Blogging.


Easier:

Dancing.

Singing.

Smiling.


Here's a diversion...

Movie Review Haiku

Let The Right One In

inspired angle

coming-of-age's sweet ache

the twist Vampiric

trailer

**** stars (our of 5)

Spring is here! And STILL the Yankees Suck.

The HeathenBlog is going to completely ignore the snow pouring from the skies like volcanic ash that Bobby Jindal freely mocks, and give a hearty "huzzah!" for making it to Spring! It was a close one, but we did it.

Spring brings flowers. And locusts. But most importantly, baseball.
The WBC is a nice distraction from basketball (with a lowercase b), but we crave the excitement, pageantry, and wholesomeness that is Gary, Keith, and Ron.

We have high hopes for our team this year. What can possibly go wrong?

"Y'all got Honey Nut Cheerios up in here?"

Because he loves them, I love them. Who? Omar Little, from The Wire.
The HeathenBlog is headlong into Season IV, and was very skeptical of those trumpeting this show as "Best Drama Ever".

We'll see...

Magical.

The HeathenBlog is just a sucker for a great fight scene. Who among us can forget Shatner vs. Lizard-Man, Roddy Piper vs. Keith David.

Griffin vs. Bonnar.

Unless, of course, you are not obsessed with violence. Perhaps you should move your things to Switzerland.

Here is, I believe, a found jewel, with the building blocks -- the very atoms -- of what makes a fight scene so glorious. It's not unlike listening to Robert Johnson and realizing it's where Led Zeppelin sprang from.

"Viddy well, little brother. Viddy well."

with a nod to khoward, and his love of ketchup...

The Trilogy Meter...

Very well done, via Dan Meth.

(click to embiggen)

What say you, fearless (or, at least, reasonably hard-to-scare) reader?