Box-o-phobia

Sometimes I feel like I am caught in a box. There are certain aspects of my life that I cannot change right now and I fully accept that and embrace that fact. But something somewhere in my world needs to change to ward off the building comatose stagnation in my personal air..
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My immediate reaction has been to change things that can be changed until I feel that I am out of the box. So lately, I have been changing my blog names and url addresses in a Kaleidoscopic manner. That hasn't really been satisfactory - though I am pleased with the results. Other things may begin changing as well. Everything I am involved with is up in the air with me at the moment.

Stuff on the fridge door

Today, I thought I'd catalog the refrigerator door. There are other items up there but these are my favorites:

"Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand."
"I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!"
"Trust everyone but brand your cattle."
"There are two types of people in the world: Those who leave a mark and those who leave a stain."
"Show me a day when the world wasn't new!" - B. Hance
"You can touch the dust, but please don't write in it...."
"I don't mind sit, but you can forget roll over, fetch and beg."
The text of a poem, Reality TV
"Life isn't about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself."

Mein feline…

This is my kitty Miet who was a little blinky at the flash.

A new link on psychics

Think there is no harm in believing in unprovable claims from folks who seem innocuous but who often have hidden agendas? This site, by a software engineer named Tim Farley, really tells the sad tale. Thank you Tim. He covers many topics.  Here is one on Psychics.   http://whatstheharm.net/psychics.html

Riverwood's Last Hurrah open mic had some gems

This is John Jeffrey with his long long poem very funny, which was published in Bent Pin Quarterly

My Dad's Truck at Molten - a good time and a sketch

My Dad's Truck is a fun and eclectic band that often plays at Molten Java in Bethel. I've heard them several times now, I enjoy Susan Lang's big bright vocals and Leif Smith and Bill Wisnowski's rumbly ones. They each play a whole collection of acoustic instruments to keep the sound changing and lively. (guitars, fiddle, slide guitar, acoustic bass guitar, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, etc.) They call their style "Free-Range Acoustic"

This small mechanical pencil drawing I made in a little book while I was watching the band. I ripped it out of the book and scanned it at home, then digitally tweaked the hell out of it since the lines were so light and hard to see.

I'm opening at for Riverwood's Last Hurrah! Music, then Poetry

The Riverwood Festival has quite a line up for this year!  Check out the poster on the right, which lists the events the venues, the poets - and the many open mics.

This year I will be opening at the Last Hurrah at the City Steam Brewry hosted by Kathryn Kelly.   Starting around 6PM I will be playing a few tunes. At 6:30 the poetry begins. I will read for around 20 minutes followed the fabulous poet John Surowiecki - That's on Sunday, June 27, 942 Main Street in Hartford. A "MEGA" open mic is planned as well.

"Twice before I was asked, but this will be my first appearance there."

// UPDATE AND ASIDE: Actually this is apparently NOT TRUE.  My previous invites were for the CONNECITCUT BEAT FESTIVAL. THIS last one WAS FOR THE RIVERWOOD. I had thought they were the same but apparently they are not at all, though for a while they seemed to converge..... ///

In 2008 Tom Nicotera asked me to read at the venue he was running for the festival.  I accepted and  two days before my scheduled date, my 34 year old boss, friend and music director/mentor suddenly died. We were all in shock. He wasn't' ill. To boot,  for his funeral, I had to learn the mezzo soloist part to a quartet from  the Mozart Requiem  and I only had three days to do it. (I am not a quick study really at this sort of thing.)  Depressed and stressed out, I asked Anne Marie Marra to read in my place. She was a big hit, as she always was and she had a great time.

In 2009,  Yvon Cormier asked if I'd read  at the Outlaw Poets venue - (How cool is that!)  but that March Anne Marie Marra died.  The date of the reading was the same as a memorial gathering for Anne Marie. This gathering given by her brother Reggie, was held on her birthday in June. It was a terrible loss for us all as we'd also lost poet Terry McLain the previous November.And I had lost Rob the year before.  I was really numb and  I needed to be there at the gathering fully present, not thinking about reading or having to rush off to perform.

So this year, Kathryn Kelly kindly asked me if I would read some poems and also add a little music to the festival's Last Hurrah event.  SOOOO  if I live that long - and though the creek may rise, and winds blow  --- I WILL BE THERE on June 27th to read some poems  and play a few tunes at the Festival's last Hurrah at the City Steam Brewery! WooHoo!

The details of the Last Hurrah: