my wife hates her job.
absolutely hates it.
she's a microbiologist for a medical device testing lab. they're a local company started by (and named for) a brilliant Ph.D. microbiologist who thought he could fill a niche in the medical device testing arena. he was right.
the company shall remain nameless, until they fuck my wife over (which they will undoubtedly do eventually), and then it will be posted all over this fucking blog. but, like i said, it's named after this guy who started the company. anyway, he retired a few years ago and his unqualified, incompetent, far-less-brilliant, new-business-loving son took over. he's a bush-league CEO and is running the company into the ground. i can't help but smile at that thought. what a moron. how anyone can fail at running such a potentially lucrative company is besides me. but, the stupid will never cease to amaze.
well, some of the things my wife has told me that goes on there range from mind-boggling to downright unethical. she has been looking for a new job for a long time now, with no luck. fortunately, she found another job recently. unfortunately, it's for the same company, doing a completely different job; but i hope it works out for her. at the very least, she'll be removed from her bitch of a boss. however, she's still working for this small-fry company.
the employee turnover at this company is sick. i've never seen anything like it in the science field. it's insane. moreover, my wife told me that they run the company like a gulag: with fear and threats. apparently, one guy, who has worked there for a number of years and had a stellar, hard-working reputation, made a mistake one weekend: he forgot to notate when he took something out of the incubator. he threw that something away, and on the following Monday realized his mistake. his boss accused him of forging documents (a terrible, humongous no-no in a regulated field, and a very serious accusation). the stuff was later found in the trash and he was exonerated, but not after his name was dragged through the mud and certain, specific restraints had been placed on him.
these restraints are purely fascist in nature and (should be) illegal, whatever they are, they are unethical and scary wrong: he had the people who reported to him removed from his managership, he was docked all of his vacation for the next few years, he is now forced to justify all of his work and is basically NOT TRUSTED at all. and lastly, he was forced to sign a document that said he wouldn't discuss WITH ANYONE these overly harsh and unjust measures levied against him. i'm serious! and he didn't even do anything wrong but make a notation mistake on a weekend. i suppose he would've been tar, feathered and strung up for the magpies to peck at had he actually committed the crime.
a fucking Nazi-company if ever there was one.
christ on a stick.
the guy is looking for a new job, obviously; and didn't comply with the document, obviously (or how else did i find out?), thereby sticking it to the man. good for him.
but, my god. these are people struggling with families and mortgages and unable to afford to lose their job. and they're being fucked around with. i tell you, if my wife ever has anything like this attempted to be forced upon her, there will be a huge lawsuit, a big FUCK YOU to incompetent daddy's boy, and a anonymous call to FDA.
"uh, Mr. Eschenbach, have you ever heard of REDACTED REDACTED in Salt Lake City, Utah? no? oh, well, you should pay them an unannounced visit some day. if you do, check out their REDACTED lab and REDACTED. and be sure not to miss their REDACTED REDACTED lab. i think you'll find something very interesting indeed."
anyway, when she told me the kind of shit that goes on there (there's a ton more, but i can't say too much lest the fascists start monitoring my correspondences (Tommy? Frimp? are you there?)) i couldn't believe what i was hearing. losing your vacation? being forced to sign a document saying you wouldn't discuss it? what the fuck? what are they, the Spanish fucking Inquisition?
christ.
the only good thing that will come of this is the turnover will remain high, the company will continue to falter and dipshit daddy's boy will fail like he was born to do.
sayonara motherfucker.
oh, and if you're in need of a damn fine microbiologist who is a hard worker and a quick learner, give me a holler. i know someone who fits that description to a T. AND, she will never take maternity leave on your ass. ;)
09 August 2006
and out of the blue...
i get an email from The Stinging Fly saying they liked my poem The Perfect Night and that they want to publish it. you might remember that i posted recently about a rejection i received from them. i only got three poems back in the rejection, but i don't keep records of which poems i send where (i know, i know) so i had no idea that they had actually kept one. so, i guess it wasn't a rejection after all.
plus, they pay 50 pounds -- or maybe it was Euros, i don't know -- (not sure what that is in American dollars, either) and two contributor's copies. hot damn. The Stinging Fly is a great glossy, perfect bound journal out of Dublin, Ireland. gorgeous production and filled with damn fine poetry.
this poet's life contributor Brian McGettrick (bmcg) had a featured poet spread in a previous issue. and it was great stuff.
i'm gonna have to come up with something good to spend my monies. boy oh boy.
lastly, my weekly column Background Noise was posted over on Upright Against The Savage Heavens this past Sunday. i forgot to mention it. this week i talk about poetry slams and open-mic nights, and what reading poetry aloud to an audience is good for, if anything.
plus, they pay 50 pounds -- or maybe it was Euros, i don't know -- (not sure what that is in American dollars, either) and two contributor's copies. hot damn. The Stinging Fly is a great glossy, perfect bound journal out of Dublin, Ireland. gorgeous production and filled with damn fine poetry.
this poet's life contributor Brian McGettrick (bmcg) had a featured poet spread in a previous issue. and it was great stuff.
i'm gonna have to come up with something good to spend my monies. boy oh boy.
lastly, my weekly column Background Noise was posted over on Upright Against The Savage Heavens this past Sunday. i forgot to mention it. this week i talk about poetry slams and open-mic nights, and what reading poetry aloud to an audience is good for, if anything.
05 August 2006
that's a bit personal, isn't it?
i've been thinking about posting on this for awhile, now.
so here goes:
as you may or may not know, the wife and i live in Utah. and, as you may or may not know, Utah is a VERY child-rich state (meaning there are more children than adults). i believe the average age in Utah is 26, and this isn't due to the fact that there are no old people. it's due to the fact that most of our population is under the age of 15 (i'm serious).
anyway, the wife and i (as you may or may...) also have decided to NOT have children. there are various and numerous reasons for this, but they are personal. who's business is it, anyways, if we're going to have children or not. but, for some reason, there seems to be certain things -- personal things -- that aren't personal, or at least people think shouldn't be personal; things that can be asked about out in the open. our breeding status happens to be one of them, apparently.
the moment someone hears that we've decided not to have children they are impelled to ask us why. "Oh, why? Why aren't you going to have children?" they say; almost as if we MUST have children to validate the fact that they did. or as if we're out of our fucking minds for not wanting kids. either way, too fucking bad. we're not here to validate your bad decisions, nor are we here to defend any of ours.
"Oh, why? Why wouldn't you want children?"
i gotta tell you, i am so tempted to look at the questioner's umpteen kids -- invariably running amok and causing havoc -- point at them and say, "That's why!"
but the thing is, it's no one's goddamn business WHY we've decided to not have kids. i don't go up to people and ask them WHY they had theirs. i don't go up to an ugly couple, their 6 obese, ugly kids eating dirt and dismembering each other, and say, "Why in all that is holy did YOU TWO decide to have kids?" but, whenever anyone sees a 30-something, married couple without kids, they MUST ask. and by asking they are implying that there is something wrong with us.
and so fucking what if there were? so what? that's our business. some things are personal, and should remain so.
but the worst is when they condescend to us and tell us that "we'll change our minds"; as if we're some fucking immature teenagers who don't know any better, who aren't capable of making a right decision for themselves. "Oh, you'll change your mind as you get older." like our lives will suddenly become meaningless without precious fucking kids in our lives. NEWSFLASH, asshole -- we didn't just come up with this plan on a whim, while drunk one night:
"You know what, honey *burp* i don't think i want any kids."
"That's a marvelous idea. *hiccup* pass me another beer wouldja?"
so, if it's not prying into our personal lives, it's a patronizing tone about how we're obviously mistaken about our choices and will soon come to our senses.
*warning, sarcasm ahead*
oh man, i hope the wife and i snap out of this immature phase we're in. and before it's too late and we end up regretting our entire lives.
*end sarcasm*
FUCK YOU and your fucking condescension!
NOTE TO ASSHOLES: if you really want to know the real reason we don't want to have kids, it's because we grew up with you halfwits, went to school with you, watched you proliferate and breed, even become managers and bosses and we really don't want any of our offspring to have to grow up in a world that allows such injustice, and then go to school and socialize with your serial-killers-in-the-making spawn.
just kidding; you're not all halfwits.
some of you are considerably less witted than half.
so here goes:
as you may or may not know, the wife and i live in Utah. and, as you may or may not know, Utah is a VERY child-rich state (meaning there are more children than adults). i believe the average age in Utah is 26, and this isn't due to the fact that there are no old people. it's due to the fact that most of our population is under the age of 15 (i'm serious).
anyway, the wife and i (as you may or may...) also have decided to NOT have children. there are various and numerous reasons for this, but they are personal. who's business is it, anyways, if we're going to have children or not. but, for some reason, there seems to be certain things -- personal things -- that aren't personal, or at least people think shouldn't be personal; things that can be asked about out in the open. our breeding status happens to be one of them, apparently.
the moment someone hears that we've decided not to have children they are impelled to ask us why. "Oh, why? Why aren't you going to have children?" they say; almost as if we MUST have children to validate the fact that they did. or as if we're out of our fucking minds for not wanting kids. either way, too fucking bad. we're not here to validate your bad decisions, nor are we here to defend any of ours.
"Oh, why? Why wouldn't you want children?"
i gotta tell you, i am so tempted to look at the questioner's umpteen kids -- invariably running amok and causing havoc -- point at them and say, "That's why!"
but the thing is, it's no one's goddamn business WHY we've decided to not have kids. i don't go up to people and ask them WHY they had theirs. i don't go up to an ugly couple, their 6 obese, ugly kids eating dirt and dismembering each other, and say, "Why in all that is holy did YOU TWO decide to have kids?" but, whenever anyone sees a 30-something, married couple without kids, they MUST ask. and by asking they are implying that there is something wrong with us.
and so fucking what if there were? so what? that's our business. some things are personal, and should remain so.
but the worst is when they condescend to us and tell us that "we'll change our minds"; as if we're some fucking immature teenagers who don't know any better, who aren't capable of making a right decision for themselves. "Oh, you'll change your mind as you get older." like our lives will suddenly become meaningless without precious fucking kids in our lives. NEWSFLASH, asshole -- we didn't just come up with this plan on a whim, while drunk one night:
"You know what, honey *burp* i don't think i want any kids."
"That's a marvelous idea. *hiccup* pass me another beer wouldja?"
so, if it's not prying into our personal lives, it's a patronizing tone about how we're obviously mistaken about our choices and will soon come to our senses.
*warning, sarcasm ahead*
oh man, i hope the wife and i snap out of this immature phase we're in. and before it's too late and we end up regretting our entire lives.
*end sarcasm*
FUCK YOU and your fucking condescension!
NOTE TO ASSHOLES: if you really want to know the real reason we don't want to have kids, it's because we grew up with you halfwits, went to school with you, watched you proliferate and breed, even become managers and bosses and we really don't want any of our offspring to have to grow up in a world that allows such injustice, and then go to school and socialize with your serial-killers-in-the-making spawn.
just kidding; you're not all halfwits.
some of you are considerably less witted than half.
04 August 2006
03 August 2006
new website
i'm working diligently on the new Guerilla Poetics Project website. i've got 90% of it done. only thing left is to add the distilled manifesto and the rest of the biographies of the participating poets.
check it out and let me know what you think.
also, the first 4 poems have been chosen for the GPP, and I'm proud to say one of mine was in that 4. my poem "like fireworks" will be GPP Broadside #001, and is currently being worked on by Bill Roberts. hopefully, it'll be in the hands of the GPP Operatives shortly. the other 3 poems chosen were by Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal, Hosho McCreesh and Karl Koweski. congrats, guys, and i'm itching to get all of them out into the paperbacks!
check out the GPP blog to see the final results of the first voting process.
check it out and let me know what you think.
also, the first 4 poems have been chosen for the GPP, and I'm proud to say one of mine was in that 4. my poem "like fireworks" will be GPP Broadside #001, and is currently being worked on by Bill Roberts. hopefully, it'll be in the hands of the GPP Operatives shortly. the other 3 poems chosen were by Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal, Hosho McCreesh and Karl Koweski. congrats, guys, and i'm itching to get all of them out into the paperbacks!
check out the GPP blog to see the final results of the first voting process.
01 August 2006
rant about the house and a pleasant surprise
i walked down into the basement, to go through a few of our boxes looking for some books that i had misplaced (which i thankfully found elsewhere) and what do i find? well, a great big fucking puddle covering 1/4 of the basement, soaking through one of our area rugs we've got rolled up down there is what. i looks as if it came through the hole drilled into the wall where the water main enters the house. we had a terrific and horrible rainstorm earlier today. one of those odd high-desert ones where membranes of rain thoroughly soak everything for a couple of hours and then the sun comes out as if nothing ever happened.
it appears there's a pretty impressive leak somewhere. just great!
well, in today's mail was a beautiful "pick-me-up": a copy of Christopher Cunningham's newest book and still the night left to go by Bottle of Smoke Press. it's a two-book collection of poems and letters; and it's fucking magnificent. beautiful. i'm sure you already know my feelings about Cunningham's poetry. but, his letters. my god, his letters. and there are 11 in the collection to read to poets and editors and publishers -- including, i am proud to say, one that was written to yours truly.
it's a beautiful fucking collection. a work of art. mine came with a brilliant watercolor of a typewriter and glass of wine, as if something important is looming. and for $10, it's a steal.
pick a copy up right now, okay, fucker?
it appears there's a pretty impressive leak somewhere. just great!
well, in today's mail was a beautiful "pick-me-up": a copy of Christopher Cunningham's newest book and still the night left to go by Bottle of Smoke Press. it's a two-book collection of poems and letters; and it's fucking magnificent. beautiful. i'm sure you already know my feelings about Cunningham's poetry. but, his letters. my god, his letters. and there are 11 in the collection to read to poets and editors and publishers -- including, i am proud to say, one that was written to yours truly.
it's a beautiful fucking collection. a work of art. mine came with a brilliant watercolor of a typewriter and glass of wine, as if something important is looming. and for $10, it's a steal.
pick a copy up right now, okay, fucker?
30 July 2006
Orwellian rules to writing better prose
i just finished reading a great essay by George Orwell on the death of effective and beautiful prose in the English language.
The essay culminates in a list of five rules for prose writing:
i think most (if not all) of these rules apply just as well to poetry. and are often the main reasons bad poetry is bad. Rules 2, 3, 4 and 5 seem the most important to me. Simplicity, beauty and originality is the name of the game.
and i suppose Rule 6 is what we call "poetic license." just don't make use of that license too much or it could end up being revoked.
The essay culminates in a list of five rules for prose writing:
- Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
- Never use a long word where a short one will do.
- If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
- Never use the passive where you can use the active.
- Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
- Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
i think most (if not all) of these rules apply just as well to poetry. and are often the main reasons bad poetry is bad. Rules 2, 3, 4 and 5 seem the most important to me. Simplicity, beauty and originality is the name of the game.
and i suppose Rule 6 is what we call "poetic license." just don't make use of that license too much or it could end up being revoked.
another rejection
i received a rejection in today's mail from Ireland, for a submission i sent over 6 months ago to The Stinging Fly. denied from yet another country.
and i'm of Irish descent, too. my own people don't even want me. ah well.
at least the poems i sent them were stronger than the ones i sent Nerve Cowboy (see two posts down). i thought they were pretty damn good, even.
another country down, another 190 or so to go.
and i'm of Irish descent, too. my own people don't even want me. ah well.
at least the poems i sent them were stronger than the ones i sent Nerve Cowboy (see two posts down). i thought they were pretty damn good, even.
another country down, another 190 or so to go.
27 July 2006
good news and a heart fed to the wind
i received word today that my poem Of An Otherwise Stark, Rural Highway will appear in Naked Knuckle #7. I had some poems in earlier issues, but have been goose-egged since. I'm happy to crack it again. I'll update when it appears.
Also in the mail today was a copy of Michael Kriesel's new chapbook Feeding My Heart to the Wind -- Selected Short Poems 1999-2005, published by sunnyoutside. Kriesel is one of the best out there with dictating a specific mood in 12 words or less. masterful.
i look forward to devouring it.
Also in the mail today was a copy of Michael Kriesel's new chapbook Feeding My Heart to the Wind -- Selected Short Poems 1999-2005, published by sunnyoutside. Kriesel is one of the best out there with dictating a specific mood in 12 words or less. masterful.
i look forward to devouring it.
25 July 2006
rejected
i received a rejection from Nerve Cowboy today. upon reading the poems they sent back, i realized i'd made a grave error in having written them in the first place; nevermind sending the damn things out as a submission.
i forgave myself this once, though. i was a bit rusty in my selection process as this was the first submission i'd made after my extended hiatus.
really, though. the poems sucked. it's kind of embarrassing knowing i sent them the poems.
i have another submission out to them (i hedged my bets and sent another, stronger stack of poems), and i'll update on the verdict when it arrives.
i forgave myself this once, though. i was a bit rusty in my selection process as this was the first submission i'd made after my extended hiatus.
really, though. the poems sucked. it's kind of embarrassing knowing i sent them the poems.
i have another submission out to them (i hedged my bets and sent another, stronger stack of poems), and i'll update on the verdict when it arrives.
24 July 2006
background noise and guerilla publishing
read my latest Background Noise post on Christopher Cunningham's Upright Against The Savage Heavens. a little elucidation into why we are taking it upon ourselves to ambush the reading American public.
Guerilla Poetics Project. Not Just A Movement, A Way Of Life.
keep posted here and on the GPP blog for more information. if you're interested in participating, or helping out, let me know.
Guerilla Poetics Project. Not Just A Movement, A Way Of Life.
keep posted here and on the GPP blog for more information. if you're interested in participating, or helping out, let me know.
23 July 2006
the Guerilla Poetics Project's Manifesto..
okay. we are moving along quickly with this idea, go here and read where we are at.
it's gonna be sweet...
it's gonna be sweet...
22 July 2006
writing related sites and posts
i know the previous post was somewhat vague. don't worry. it'll all come to light soon enough.
but, to keep you heathens busy, here are some links:
Everything you Need to Know to Write Successfully -- In Ten Minutes by Stephen King
and
Improving Your Writing c/o PigPog
go at it, my fellow writers. scribble the new mythologies. scrawl for the next generation.
but, to keep you heathens busy, here are some links:
Everything you Need to Know to Write Successfully -- In Ten Minutes by Stephen King
and
Improving Your Writing c/o PigPog
go at it, my fellow writers. scribble the new mythologies. scrawl for the next generation.
21 July 2006
20 July 2006
random thoughts...
it must be Tour-de-motherfucking-France time. jesus, there are more fucking bicyclists out there than i can ever remember; all of them wearing their goofy-ass, skin-tight spandex like THEY'RE in the goddamn race. the worst is the fat dudes who do that. and, is it required to wear those stupid jerseys and shorts? i own a bike and i don't wear them when i go riding. it's like a bunch of guys playing flag football and one guy shows up in full pads. whatever. just get out of my way, Lance, as you're waddling your ten-speed down the road.
i saw that the FDA approved a new birth control the other day. all this really means is they approved another birth control that pharmacists have the right not to dispense. don't pharmacists have to take the Hippocratic Oath? oh, they don't? it must be the hippocritic oath. you know what a person does when he flunks out of medical school (or isn't smart enough to get into it in the first place)?
he becomes a pharmacist. or a chiropractor.
anyway, it's complete bullshit to me that someone can be in charge of DISPENSING drugs that a REAL DOCTOR prescribed (because, oh i don't know, it is legal and NEEDED) who then has the power to OVERRIDE that doctor's diagnosis by NOT dispensing the drug. can they do this for any drug? like, say, if grandma has arthritis and they decide they just don't FEEL comfortable with dispensing pain medication to her?
it doesn't make sense. what gives this person the right? because they are spiritually uncomfortable with it? fuck that. become a goddamn preacher, then, asshole. you became a pharmacist to give me drugs. i'm pretty damn sure your job can be automated quite easily. take off your fucking white lab-coat (as IF you're actually MIXING the drugs yourself back there), wipe off that fucking smarmy grin and fill my fucking prescription, dickhead.
and there are times (e.g. endometriosis) when a woman is prescribed birth control pills NOT for preventing a birth but for health issues (regulating menstruation, lessening cramps, menorrhagia, cancer, etc.). but, this is a man's world and we (men) have utter control over everything (ESPECIALLY a woman's body). so-fucking-what if some women have to suffer (or even die) in order to prevent someone else from preventing a pregnancy. we'll be good goddamned (and we are) if someone thinks they can fornicate at will without sufficient and vengeful repercussions.
i received word from this poet's life contributor Kat that another this poet's life contributor (and all-around punk), C. Allen Rearick, will guest-edit a future issue of remark.
it will probably end in a major crash and burn, and turn out horrifically bad; but we should all humor Mr. Rearick and submit to him our best work (or worst, if you're so inclined in giving him a hard time). good luck, Casey. you're gonna need it! o_O
i've got a submission of 50+ poems coming your way. and they're all shitty! i dare you to get through them all without a) killing yourself, b) killing me and c) both a and b! muhahaha.
lastly, i'm tired. plain and simply tired. i need sleep.
end of rant.
i saw that the FDA approved a new birth control the other day. all this really means is they approved another birth control that pharmacists have the right not to dispense. don't pharmacists have to take the Hippocratic Oath? oh, they don't? it must be the hippocritic oath. you know what a person does when he flunks out of medical school (or isn't smart enough to get into it in the first place)?
he becomes a pharmacist. or a chiropractor.
anyway, it's complete bullshit to me that someone can be in charge of DISPENSING drugs that a REAL DOCTOR prescribed (because, oh i don't know, it is legal and NEEDED) who then has the power to OVERRIDE that doctor's diagnosis by NOT dispensing the drug. can they do this for any drug? like, say, if grandma has arthritis and they decide they just don't FEEL comfortable with dispensing pain medication to her?
it doesn't make sense. what gives this person the right? because they are spiritually uncomfortable with it? fuck that. become a goddamn preacher, then, asshole. you became a pharmacist to give me drugs. i'm pretty damn sure your job can be automated quite easily. take off your fucking white lab-coat (as IF you're actually MIXING the drugs yourself back there), wipe off that fucking smarmy grin and fill my fucking prescription, dickhead.
and there are times (e.g. endometriosis) when a woman is prescribed birth control pills NOT for preventing a birth but for health issues (regulating menstruation, lessening cramps, menorrhagia, cancer, etc.). but, this is a man's world and we (men) have utter control over everything (ESPECIALLY a woman's body). so-fucking-what if some women have to suffer (or even die) in order to prevent someone else from preventing a pregnancy. we'll be good goddamned (and we are) if someone thinks they can fornicate at will without sufficient and vengeful repercussions.
i received word from this poet's life contributor Kat that another this poet's life contributor (and all-around punk), C. Allen Rearick, will guest-edit a future issue of remark.
it will probably end in a major crash and burn, and turn out horrifically bad; but we should all humor Mr. Rearick and submit to him our best work (or worst, if you're so inclined in giving him a hard time). good luck, Casey. you're gonna need it! o_O
i've got a submission of 50+ poems coming your way. and they're all shitty! i dare you to get through them all without a) killing yourself, b) killing me and c) both a and b! muhahaha.
lastly, i'm tired. plain and simply tired. i need sleep.
end of rant.
17 July 2006
and breathe...
the first commute after the move has been completed. not so bad. 45 minutes. i was expecting an hour, so it was a pleasant surprise. i'm wondering, though, if it had to do with how early i left (6:30) and if it would've been much worse if i left later. i'm guessing yes.
we are just about done unpacking (or, umpacking for you in the know). the wife stayed home today, with her mother, to get some final things done before she gets back to work herself.
and it's almost surreal, being in the house finally, after so long a wait and after so many tribulations. it's a strange feeling. very anticlimactic. but, obviously, still nice. it beats the tiny apartment any day, even though my lazy, out-of-shape ass is already tired of walking up the modest flight of stairs.
and our boy, Rufus, is glad as can be with the new place.
nothing poetic to speak of recently. i have some submissions out there that i should be hearing about soon. i'll update when they return.
we are just about done unpacking (or, umpacking for you in the know). the wife stayed home today, with her mother, to get some final things done before she gets back to work herself.
and it's almost surreal, being in the house finally, after so long a wait and after so many tribulations. it's a strange feeling. very anticlimactic. but, obviously, still nice. it beats the tiny apartment any day, even though my lazy, out-of-shape ass is already tired of walking up the modest flight of stairs.
and our boy, Rufus, is glad as can be with the new place.
nothing poetic to speak of recently. i have some submissions out there that i should be hearing about soon. i'll update when they return.
15 July 2006
birthday gift
we are moved.
the impossible or the seemingly impossible finally occurred. we moved.
we are slowly making our way through endless boxes of shit. tossing that which we don't need, or won't fit or we have two of, and finding a place for the rest. my new writing room is partially set up (a desk with my computer and typewriter, so far) and the rest in boxes waiting for me to muster the energy to got through it.
and, there is no better birthday gift i can think of than to be moved in, set up and ready to continue on with the rest of our miserable lives.
now, if i can just figure out what the hell this switch does.
the impossible or the seemingly impossible finally occurred. we moved.
we are slowly making our way through endless boxes of shit. tossing that which we don't need, or won't fit or we have two of, and finding a place for the rest. my new writing room is partially set up (a desk with my computer and typewriter, so far) and the rest in boxes waiting for me to muster the energy to got through it.
and, there is no better birthday gift i can think of than to be moved in, set up and ready to continue on with the rest of our miserable lives.
now, if i can just figure out what the hell this switch does.
there are only so many of us...
I am sitting here drinking cold coffee in the oppressive Georgia heat. the crickets are a staccato chorus outside my broken windowpanes, their chatter vibrating thru my heavy mind. I press the cracked skin of my fingers against my red eyes. no relief from any of it.
I need to say a few things. the world is a terrible place, mostly, filled with venom and ugliness, laden with burden after impossible burden, there is never any mercy for any of us really. there are only moments of no struggle, no screaming, moments where we can catch our breath and try to find the reason to go on, try to find the reason to keep swinging even as we realize the futility of fighting.
in a world like that it makes no sense to do deliberate harm to another human being who is really alive, one who burns with the fire, one who truly believes that it is possible to find a way thru the madness and grief. and that is what I've done, in my exchange with Owen. I gave over to the miserable, basest portion of my Sicilian nature, and instead of accepting the opinion of another as something different from mine, yet still valid, and moving on with my life, I chose to be a smarmy, smartassed prick. no matter what theeffects said to me in regards to my letter/post, I responded poorly.
so: first and foremost, I do not think that Owen Roberts is a hack. I do not think him to be in any way shape or form a bad writer. rather, I think his poetry is strong, honest, and very real. and most of all, I raise my glass to any motherfucker with the GUTS to write poetry in such a vapid place as America Version 2006. theeffects has the guts and the will to keep standing up again each time the poem calls, and he does it as well as anyone, and better than most.
it is wrong of me to provoke someone, which is exactly what I did. I knew I was pushing buttons, and then when I got the response I sought, I acted even more snarky. I misunderstood theeffects "threat" of "kicking my ass," and reacted as I would had a real threat been made against me, as I'm sure anyone would in a similar circumstance. so there is no need for any "law" nor any "ass kicking." instead, I propose that I be LESS INCLINED TO FREAK OUT IN THE FUTURE in all situations. hopefully a deep breath, a cup of coffee and a smoke (h/t to Kat), and a more calm rational assesment of the actual nature of the problem at hand will yield more productive results for this high-strung poet.
okay. I've been "long winded" again (sorry, Owen) but felt this needed to be said. I was wrong for my part in this, I overreacted, and I never wanted to disparage ANYONE who faces the misery and pain of this savage life with the aplomb necessary to turn it into poetry. and that is what we are about here, all of us.
and on a personal note to theeffects: "what? are you kidding? we got ourselves a family here..." and I hope this little corner of the small press can continue its bold assault on the ranks of REAL HACKS and ACADEMIC FRAUDS and those too afraid to live, too afraid to burn.
thanks for reading.
**cross posted at Upright Against the Savage Heavens**
I need to say a few things. the world is a terrible place, mostly, filled with venom and ugliness, laden with burden after impossible burden, there is never any mercy for any of us really. there are only moments of no struggle, no screaming, moments where we can catch our breath and try to find the reason to go on, try to find the reason to keep swinging even as we realize the futility of fighting.
in a world like that it makes no sense to do deliberate harm to another human being who is really alive, one who burns with the fire, one who truly believes that it is possible to find a way thru the madness and grief. and that is what I've done, in my exchange with Owen. I gave over to the miserable, basest portion of my Sicilian nature, and instead of accepting the opinion of another as something different from mine, yet still valid, and moving on with my life, I chose to be a smarmy, smartassed prick. no matter what theeffects said to me in regards to my letter/post, I responded poorly.
so: first and foremost, I do not think that Owen Roberts is a hack. I do not think him to be in any way shape or form a bad writer. rather, I think his poetry is strong, honest, and very real. and most of all, I raise my glass to any motherfucker with the GUTS to write poetry in such a vapid place as America Version 2006. theeffects has the guts and the will to keep standing up again each time the poem calls, and he does it as well as anyone, and better than most.
it is wrong of me to provoke someone, which is exactly what I did. I knew I was pushing buttons, and then when I got the response I sought, I acted even more snarky. I misunderstood theeffects "threat" of "kicking my ass," and reacted as I would had a real threat been made against me, as I'm sure anyone would in a similar circumstance. so there is no need for any "law" nor any "ass kicking." instead, I propose that I be LESS INCLINED TO FREAK OUT IN THE FUTURE in all situations. hopefully a deep breath, a cup of coffee and a smoke (h/t to Kat), and a more calm rational assesment of the actual nature of the problem at hand will yield more productive results for this high-strung poet.
okay. I've been "long winded" again (sorry, Owen) but felt this needed to be said. I was wrong for my part in this, I overreacted, and I never wanted to disparage ANYONE who faces the misery and pain of this savage life with the aplomb necessary to turn it into poetry. and that is what we are about here, all of us.
and on a personal note to theeffects: "what? are you kidding? we got ourselves a family here..." and I hope this little corner of the small press can continue its bold assault on the ranks of REAL HACKS and ACADEMIC FRAUDS and those too afraid to live, too afraid to burn.
thanks for reading.
**cross posted at Upright Against the Savage Heavens**
14 July 2006
explanation...
I would like to take a moment to apologize to readers of j.b's blog. some of you may have read the exchange between theeffects and myself. it turned ugly. so I deleted the posts and the ugly childish comments being bandied about.
this place is about poetry and communication. I apologize for posting the bitchy letter that started the whole thing.
that's it. talk amongst yourselves, folks.
this place is about poetry and communication. I apologize for posting the bitchy letter that started the whole thing.
that's it. talk amongst yourselves, folks.
13 July 2006
mediation
i am writing this via email from my cellphone. i am standing in my new house, waiting for the movers to arrive. i checked this blog and have read through the comments. i feel impelled to take a few minutes out of my already busy day to respond to what is being bandied about by the two verbal pugilists who've taken to sparring on here recently.
i am friends with both Christopher Cunnungham and the man who calls himself "theeffects". i've known both for a number of years, correspond with both frequently and regularly, and consider both great poets and friends.
i know both to be steadfastly stubborn in their beliefs and philosophies (as they should be), with no qualms about voicing their opinion.
i also feel both are honest and possess much integrity. therefore, it is difficult for me to read all the snarky comments, vicious insults and unnecessary "calling outs" being vollied across the bow of the ship i call "this poet's life".
i am not attempting to make peace between you two -- CC & theeffects -- but it would seem superficial and counterproductive (in this already superficial and counterproductive world) to argue and backbite when there is already so much of that going on in this small press.
i am also NOT here to take sides, but if someone -- especially someone with the integrity and honesty of CC or Luis -- tells me they do something in a way completely opposite the way i do it (no matter how unbelievable TO ME it seems) i must take them for their word.
i have no fucking how anybody else in this world writes. all i know is how i do it. and for all i know, i could be writing in a way that is totally unbelievable -- and most editors would agree TOTALLY WRONG -- to most people.
all that matters is that you do it. that we do it your way, or in a way that works for you; allowing you to scribble the truth in the margins of our otherwise banal, painful lives.
that is all.
both men touch gloves and go back to your corners.
::DING::
ROUND TWO!
--j
12 July 2006
we interrupt our regularly scheduled flame war...
...with the announcement that everything went smoothly today (shockingly) and we will be moving into our new house tomorrow morning. the cable company won't be coming by until Friday (sometime between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.) to hook up our t.v. and -- most importantly -- our internet, so i will be without internet access until at least Friday.
this means that i will be unable to answer any of your emails (assuming any of you want to send me one), and unable to post on here. also, if i haven't sent you my new mail address -- and you really want it -- let me know and i'll get it to you. i think i got everyone, but i'm running on fumes right now.
lastly, if any of you want to create posts on here, feel free. Cunningham, i am putting the place in your hands. i trust you will do right by it. :)
we return to FLAME WARS, starring CC and theeffects....
this means that i will be unable to answer any of your emails (assuming any of you want to send me one), and unable to post on here. also, if i haven't sent you my new mail address -- and you really want it -- let me know and i'll get it to you. i think i got everyone, but i'm running on fumes right now.
lastly, if any of you want to create posts on here, feel free. Cunningham, i am putting the place in your hands. i trust you will do right by it. :)
we return to FLAME WARS, starring CC and theeffects....
11 July 2006
and so continues the saga
we received a call from the mortgage company saying the would need to bump the closing to later in the day, today. so, we bumped it to 5:30. shortly after the first call, we got another that said we needed to move it to tomorrow.
apparently, they (the title company) didn't get a certain piece of paperwork (the addendum for the garage door opener) until earlier today and it takes--allegedly--a full fucking day to get it added to the paper.
what the fuck is wrong with this world? where are the people who care? where are the hard workers who give a fuck?
the wife and i juggled our already tight schedules so that we could close today. we don't have much vacation time or PTO saved and can't afford to take days off. it appears we have to because we are closing tomorrow at 11 a.m.
or, at least, this is the new date and time until something else comes along.
also, tomorrow at 9 a.m. i will be having our final walkthrough of the house. everything is done. i will be filling out the punch list to have errors fixed. there will always be errors on new homes, mostly minor ones, and the punch list will capture those so that the builder knows what needs to be fixed within 30 days to get it to the condition we agreed upon in the contract.
i have 2 hours to do a complete and thorough walkthrough and punchlist fill-out, then head over to close, then to work for half a day (or more).
jesus, those fuckers at the title company really fucked us over. half a day of work time lost, more aggravation, and to top it off, the fucking smarmy, little, dipshit mortgage officer we are dealing with had the NERVE to be curt and borderline angry with my wife when she voiced her anger at their delay. oh, that midget cocksucker ain't seen nothing yet. i can't wait to see him tomorrow. he'll have his hands full with me and Julee. oh, he'll most definitely have his hands full.
apparently, they (the title company) didn't get a certain piece of paperwork (the addendum for the garage door opener) until earlier today and it takes--allegedly--a full fucking day to get it added to the paper.
what the fuck is wrong with this world? where are the people who care? where are the hard workers who give a fuck?
the wife and i juggled our already tight schedules so that we could close today. we don't have much vacation time or PTO saved and can't afford to take days off. it appears we have to because we are closing tomorrow at 11 a.m.
or, at least, this is the new date and time until something else comes along.
also, tomorrow at 9 a.m. i will be having our final walkthrough of the house. everything is done. i will be filling out the punch list to have errors fixed. there will always be errors on new homes, mostly minor ones, and the punch list will capture those so that the builder knows what needs to be fixed within 30 days to get it to the condition we agreed upon in the contract.
i have 2 hours to do a complete and thorough walkthrough and punchlist fill-out, then head over to close, then to work for half a day (or more).
jesus, those fuckers at the title company really fucked us over. half a day of work time lost, more aggravation, and to top it off, the fucking smarmy, little, dipshit mortgage officer we are dealing with had the NERVE to be curt and borderline angry with my wife when she voiced her anger at their delay. oh, that midget cocksucker ain't seen nothing yet. i can't wait to see him tomorrow. he'll have his hands full with me and Julee. oh, he'll most definitely have his hands full.
the end of a saga
today, at 4 p.m., we will be closing on our new house. this is a saga 13 months in the making; and the end of it seems surreal. or too real. it feels something queer, that's for sure. we are bracing for more bullshit, but desperately hoping for the best.
we move all our shit on Thursday, and i get the pleasure of seeing all of the crap we had in storage for over a year, again.
o, what wonders i'll find!
the two things i care about getting back most are my typewriter and mounds of books. jesus, i miss that stuff.
things will be hairy in the next few days. i'll do my best to update if anything comes up. if not, check out Upright Against The Savage Heavens on Sunday (or anytime, for that matter) for the next installment of Background Noise.
we move all our shit on Thursday, and i get the pleasure of seeing all of the crap we had in storage for over a year, again.
o, what wonders i'll find!
the two things i care about getting back most are my typewriter and mounds of books. jesus, i miss that stuff.
things will be hairy in the next few days. i'll do my best to update if anything comes up. if not, check out Upright Against The Savage Heavens on Sunday (or anytime, for that matter) for the next installment of Background Noise.
slipping in unnoticed for a quick word...
and then slipping out the back door before the homeowner returns, I just wanted to let j.b's readers know that Hosho McCreesh has posted his first column over at UPRIGHT.
check it out, it'll blow you away.
**vanishes into the night**
check it out, it'll blow you away.
**vanishes into the night**
10 July 2006
08 July 2006
mail time
in the mail, recently, i received the newest issue of remark. (issue #46). it features great poetry by Christopher Cunningham, Michael Estabrook, William Taylor, Jr., Brian McGettrick, Karl Koweski, and David J. Thompson.
also, i received issue #36 of the French-language, Belgian journal Microbe featuring the authors of Bottle of Smoke Press. i have three poems featured, both in English and translated into French by the editor, Eric Dejaeger. Other poets featured are C. Allen Rearick, Henry Denander, Nathan Graziano, Glenn W. Cooper, Owen Roberts, David Barker, Matt Smith, A.D. Winans, Adrian Manning, and Robert L. Penick.
also, i received issue #36 of the French-language, Belgian journal Microbe featuring the authors of Bottle of Smoke Press. i have three poems featured, both in English and translated into French by the editor, Eric Dejaeger. Other poets featured are C. Allen Rearick, Henry Denander, Nathan Graziano, Glenn W. Cooper, Owen Roberts, David Barker, Matt Smith, A.D. Winans, Adrian Manning, and Robert L. Penick.
07 July 2006
the fallacy of vocabulary condescension
i attended a small, in-house training course on learning how to proofread, today. the instructor was not all that good, as seminar-ing goes, but he said something that made me think. he used an aphorsim i'd never heard: "Easy to read is easy to proofread." this is probably true.
but, he then said that "easy to read" meant using "familiar, easy-to-understand words" and avoiding "elegant variation" in our word choices. he claimed that using such unfamiliar and elegant words sounds pedantic (actually, he said arrogant, but i'm certain he meant pedantic and didn't want to sound exactly that, so used the "easier-to-understand" arrogant) and amounts to a form of condescension (he actually used "talking down to" because "condescension" is merely an "elegant variation").
i take exception to this. i'm one of the people who uses high-falutin' words in everyday speech (like high-falutin' and -- apparently -- condescension). and i don't think it's condescending at all to use them. here's why:
1) if you were dumbing down or talking down to a person you wouldn't use big words, would you? so, why is it talking down to when you do? is it maybe because you don't know the big words and you feel as if you are being talked down to. that's not my fault, Skippy. read a book. expand your vocabulary.
2) there's a reason these words exist in the first place. if pedantic were perfectly synonymous with arrogant, then there would be NO need for pedantic. but, yet, there is a need, because it isn't perfectly synonymous. just because the word is polysyllabic (long) or unfamiliar doesn't mean it shouldn't be used for concision's sake. the words exist, so use them.
3) i put a certain amount of expectation and respect in the people i'm talking to. i respect them enough to NOT talk down to them by using trite, plain language. i would hate if someone wanted to use the word pedantic, but didn't think me savvy enough to figure it out, so instead censored themselves and chose arrogant. likewise, i expect the people i talk to to have a certain level of intelligence and vocabulary. if not, sorry, but why should i dumb myself down so that someone else doesn't feel insulted by such high-falutin' language?
now, there are definitely some cases where dumbing down is necessary, or preferable. when in business, assume the person you are dealing with is a moron. you'll be right nine times out of ten. when dealing with a salesman, that percentage goes up to 99 times out of 100. but, when dealing with writers, we should be able to speak freely, using the correct (possibly larger) word when necessary. same goes for professionals. doctors, psychiatrists, lawyers (just kidding, lawyers are in the salesmen category!).
and there are times when certain pedantic people DO use unnecessarily "elegant" words in their speech. but, you'll find that most of the times the words they choose are used incorrectly merely to make themselves sound smart. THAT'S the definition of pedantic. NOT someone who uses big words correctly because their more familiar counterparts just aren't descriptive enough.
that's the end of my rant. words are important. there's a reason we have created so many of them. it's a shame to NOT use some because someone else doesn't know them. if that's being condescending, then i'm sorry.
but, he then said that "easy to read" meant using "familiar, easy-to-understand words" and avoiding "elegant variation" in our word choices. he claimed that using such unfamiliar and elegant words sounds pedantic (actually, he said arrogant, but i'm certain he meant pedantic and didn't want to sound exactly that, so used the "easier-to-understand" arrogant) and amounts to a form of condescension (he actually used "talking down to" because "condescension" is merely an "elegant variation").
i take exception to this. i'm one of the people who uses high-falutin' words in everyday speech (like high-falutin' and -- apparently -- condescension). and i don't think it's condescending at all to use them. here's why:
1) if you were dumbing down or talking down to a person you wouldn't use big words, would you? so, why is it talking down to when you do? is it maybe because you don't know the big words and you feel as if you are being talked down to. that's not my fault, Skippy. read a book. expand your vocabulary.
2) there's a reason these words exist in the first place. if pedantic were perfectly synonymous with arrogant, then there would be NO need for pedantic. but, yet, there is a need, because it isn't perfectly synonymous. just because the word is polysyllabic (long) or unfamiliar doesn't mean it shouldn't be used for concision's sake. the words exist, so use them.
3) i put a certain amount of expectation and respect in the people i'm talking to. i respect them enough to NOT talk down to them by using trite, plain language. i would hate if someone wanted to use the word pedantic, but didn't think me savvy enough to figure it out, so instead censored themselves and chose arrogant. likewise, i expect the people i talk to to have a certain level of intelligence and vocabulary. if not, sorry, but why should i dumb myself down so that someone else doesn't feel insulted by such high-falutin' language?
now, there are definitely some cases where dumbing down is necessary, or preferable. when in business, assume the person you are dealing with is a moron. you'll be right nine times out of ten. when dealing with a salesman, that percentage goes up to 99 times out of 100. but, when dealing with writers, we should be able to speak freely, using the correct (possibly larger) word when necessary. same goes for professionals. doctors, psychiatrists, lawyers (just kidding, lawyers are in the salesmen category!).
and there are times when certain pedantic people DO use unnecessarily "elegant" words in their speech. but, you'll find that most of the times the words they choose are used incorrectly merely to make themselves sound smart. THAT'S the definition of pedantic. NOT someone who uses big words correctly because their more familiar counterparts just aren't descriptive enough.
that's the end of my rant. words are important. there's a reason we have created so many of them. it's a shame to NOT use some because someone else doesn't know them. if that's being condescending, then i'm sorry.
06 July 2006
update on the house
it's been awhile since my last update.
it appears we will be closing with the mortgage company this coming Tuesday. usually, people close AFTER their final walk-through and inspection, but we will be having that next Thursday. we are closing early -- a big risk, to be sure -- on purpose because otherwise it will be strung out indefinitely by the builder. we NEED to move in. we've got address forwarding already set up with the Post Office and a date and time (next Thursday) set for the movers.
anyway, that's where we stand.
once we move in, get everything situated, and i hook up my scanner, i'll post a series of photos detailing this long, strange trip.
it appears we will be closing with the mortgage company this coming Tuesday. usually, people close AFTER their final walk-through and inspection, but we will be having that next Thursday. we are closing early -- a big risk, to be sure -- on purpose because otherwise it will be strung out indefinitely by the builder. we NEED to move in. we've got address forwarding already set up with the Post Office and a date and time (next Thursday) set for the movers.
anyway, that's where we stand.
once we move in, get everything situated, and i hook up my scanner, i'll post a series of photos detailing this long, strange trip.
05 July 2006
both right and wrong
i agree with this, but with one minor change:
don't just copy what you like. improve upon it. make it your own. make it something new.
don't just read the myths of those who came before us; rewrite them altogether.
don't just copy what you like. improve upon it. make it your own. make it something new.
don't just read the myths of those who came before us; rewrite them altogether.
a declaration
have you ever actually read the Declaration of Independence? or, at least, have you read it since you were forced to (and most likely forced to memorize certain key passages) back in 8th grade?
if not, here it is. give it a gander. pretty powerful stuff. so is the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Jefferson was one helluva wordsmith.
and speaking about wordsmith presidents, check out some writings of Abraham Lincoln.
if not, here it is. give it a gander. pretty powerful stuff. so is the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Jefferson was one helluva wordsmith.
and speaking about wordsmith presidents, check out some writings of Abraham Lincoln.
04 July 2006
a clear sign the end of the world is nigh
if this doesn't make you squeemish or sick to your stomach, then there's no hope for you.
that being said, i can't wait to purchase one. i'm gonna name him Gene. i'm so excited.
that being said, i can't wait to purchase one. i'm gonna name him Gene. i'm so excited.
happy 4th
have a happy and safe 4th of July, all you American friends of this poet's life. for those non-Americans among us, you're welcome to celebrate the independence of America, too, but i doubt you'd want to. most of us here aren't really up for celebrating it ourselves, what with all the bullshit that's been going on: a moron for a president hellbent on eradicating the constitution, a war being waged under false pretenses and for no good reason, children starving to death every day in the wealthiest country in the world, a significant portion of the population WITHOUT access to basic health care. what is there to celebrate?
all we care about is watching fireworks bloom in the night sky. fireworks never let us down.
all we care about is watching fireworks bloom in the night sky. fireworks never let us down.
03 July 2006
new post
i've uploaded, a day late, the newest installment of my column, Background Noise, on Christopher Cunningham's blog Upright Against The Savage Heavens. this week i discuss the importance of poets honing their craft so as to create the best work possible. i even quote the late, great William Carlos Williams to bolster my argument.
01 July 2006
weirdest thing
and just like that, the computer works again.
hell if i know what's going on. but, i'm happy it's up and running.
and to celebrate, let's check out a compendium of lost words. i could go through these words for ages. i'm facinated by rare and "lost" words. some are so mellifluous and beautiful it's a wonder how they ever disappeared. others are nearly impossible to say it's surprising they were ever used.
hope you enjoy it as much as i.
hell if i know what's going on. but, i'm happy it's up and running.
and to celebrate, let's check out a compendium of lost words. i could go through these words for ages. i'm facinated by rare and "lost" words. some are so mellifluous and beautiful it's a wonder how they ever disappeared. others are nearly impossible to say it's surprising they were ever used.
hope you enjoy it as much as i.
30 June 2006
computer problems
well, it appears the old computer finally crapped out on me. actually, it's running fine, but there seems to be an issue with it communicating with the modem. i called my ISP because i was unable to access the internet or obtain the emails on their servers. the technician said she could "ping" my modem and everything looked fine, that it was getting a signal, but my computer wasn't receiving anything. i'm still not sure if it's a modem or computer issue.
our computer is old, though, so we are going to look into getting another and i'll probably end up using this old one for writing on.
what this means, however, is that i will be unable to answer any of your emails, will only be able to access the internet from work (and in small batches of time, like right now) and will not be able to upload my Background Noise posts for Upright Against The Savage Heavens until Monday mornings. i hope to get a new computer soon and i hope even more that this is what the problem is. with this and the upcoming move, i'll probably be a bit scarce. even email-wise.
if i owe you an email, please understand my dilemma and know that i will get to it when i can.
our computer is old, though, so we are going to look into getting another and i'll probably end up using this old one for writing on.
what this means, however, is that i will be unable to answer any of your emails, will only be able to access the internet from work (and in small batches of time, like right now) and will not be able to upload my Background Noise posts for Upright Against The Savage Heavens until Monday mornings. i hope to get a new computer soon and i hope even more that this is what the problem is. with this and the upcoming move, i'll probably be a bit scarce. even email-wise.
if i owe you an email, please understand my dilemma and know that i will get to it when i can.
28 June 2006
the letter
i've edited out the sensitive parts of the letter i sent Holmes Homes and the community we are moving into (called Daybreak) back in December of 2005. you will find it posted, in its entirety, below.
but, first, some backstory and a few tidbits for clarity's purposes. Daybreak is the name of the planned community we are moving into. the land is owned by a company called Kennecott, who operates the largest open-pit copper mine in the world. anyway, the copper in the mine is not infinite and will eventually run out. Kennecott bought up land around the Oquirrh mountains (which form the western range surrounding the Salt Lake Valley, and where the copper mine sits) years ago for future use. they decided a planned community would be best. this planned community is our Daybreak. check out the Daybreak website if you're interested in more of what it's all about.
other points of clarification:
1) in the letter, i mention a place called Dugway. the Dugway Proving Grounds are to the west of the Salt Lake Valley, beyond the Oquirrh mountains and smack dab in the middle of nowhere, save desert and tumbleweed. it is where the military tests, stores and destroys chemical and biological weapons (including the ultra-deadly, and all-around nasty, VX nerve gas). there is NOTHING appealing or enjoyable about this place AT ALL.
2) Daybreak's slogan is This is getting good. i use a play on this slogan throughout my letter, so when you read this you'll understand what's going on.
that's about it. as i said, i sent this letter to both Holmes Homes and Daybreak. i never heard from Daybreak regarding it (no surprise), but i did hear from Holmes Homes. it little good as things just kept being delayed and fuck-ups kept occurring.
lastly, i will add some links within the letter that might help explain some terms that are obscure or not in common use. realize, obviously, that these links weren't present in the letter as it was a traditionally mailed letter and links don't work on paper. haw! :)
okay, so here's the letter:
Dear Holmes Homes:
My wife and I signed a contract with our real estate agent on June 28, 2005 to purchase a Sawgrass house, Elevation "B", through Holmes Homes. We were very excited to be buying a house at Daybreak, and with Holmes Homes, after having seen the model homes, the future plans for the Daybreak community and all the included amenities. So excited, in fact, that we never felt the typical buyer's remorse after signing the contract and writing a check for our earnest money. Nor did we feel this remorse after choosing our upgrades and options, and writing another check for the flooring deposit. We were excited because we were getting in on a great house, in a great neighborhood; early enough that it was affordable, but late enough to know that things were going to be great. After all, the Daybreak billboards and advertisements around town said it all: This Is Getting Good. In my opinion they were downplaying it. This Is Getting Great.
At the time we signed the contract, we were told ground was slated to be broken on our property sometime around the end of September. Add six months for construction time, and this put the completion date for our house around the end of March, give or take. With not wanting to sell our current house during the winter months, we made preparations to sell it as soon as possible; moving into a one-bedroom apartment in the meantime. We sold our house the last week of August, giving us (by the calculations we were told) around seven months to live in the tiny, one-bedroom apartment.
Well, seven months in a tiny place without most of your belonging is nothing when the end result is moving into a great, new place. September came and went. We visited Daybreak on a weekly basis; driving out there to see the progress (or lack thereof) of our lot. October blew in. No work. No word from Holmes Homes. We called our agent and she said things were are a bit behind, but to be patient. It should happen any day now. Each week construction is delayed is another week we have to suffer in this breadbox of a home. Fine. The end justifies the means. After all, This Is Getting Good. Yeah, good is about right.
October blustered into November. I'll give you one guess on the status of our house? Wrong! It was NOT yet started. I know. I know. "How can this happen?" you say. I don't have the slightest idea. We called our agent again and heard some bogus explanation of a shortage of lumber and concrete due to hurricanes. Well, maybe it's not bogus, but that's a bad excuse since it doesn't really explain the delay up to the hurricanes. Okay, fine. So there was a lumber and concrete shortage. Fine. We can't really complain about that, now, can we? Nope. We'd be selfish, heartless people. So, we remain concrete in our resolve and lumber on.
And, we waited. We kept visiting Daybreak, waiting for the lake to be filled (which, incidentally, we were told was to happen the last week of August and had yet to be done by the end of October. My guess is a shortage of water due to hurricanes. Or drought. Or something. Right?). We kept visiting with the small hope that we'd find something on our lot. So far, out of the 12 or so visits we made out there we found three new pebbles; a small, feeble thistle growing out of a mound of dirt; and, something I am really excited about, a white splotch from seagull droppings. This Is Getting Annoying.
The end-of-November festivities roll around and the wife and I take a trip to Florida to visit family. We wanted to have pictures of the construction of our new house to show them; but, instead, we settled for a picture of our seagull dropping splotch and a stylized drawing I did with crayons and construction paper. We stayed for two weeks, hoping that something exciting would happen while we were there. On the flight back we passed over Daybreak. We saw the lake had been filled (finally) and traced the roads to our lot. No dice. Nothing had changed. I swore I saw a new pebble, but I knew it was impossible to see that kind of detail from the window of a 737 at that height. The houses around ours were going up, now, though. Yet, still nothing on our lot. Who knows why ours is being delayed? Who knows? Do you?
Then, just when all hope has been dashed, we get an email from our agent letting us know that we have been assigned a liaison between construction and homeowners so that we can get better, more timely, information. Great. This Is Getting Better? We'll see.
We call this liaison and he tells us that our house is slated to break ground within 45 days. A quick mental calculation tells me that 45 days is a month an a half. It was early December when we called him, so a month and a half puts it at the end of January. And this is assuming he was telling us the truth instead of blowing smoke. We'll take his word for it. The end of January. Fine. Add six months, and it looks like our house will be done around the end of July, give or take. Ridiculous…I mean: This Is Getting Ridiculous.
This liaison also mentioned that Holmes Homes had made many unrealistic promises regarding construction dates. He also mentioned Daybreak making unrealistic promises regarding permits and other things. Fine. I understand his need to pacify the angry people he has been given. He's pointing fingers at Daybreak and himself (Holmes Homes) but it still doesn't explain how people in a situation like us are supposed to feel. We sold our house quickly, and early, based on erroneous information we were given. We moved into a tiny apartment (too small for a Christmas Tree, even. No lie.), because it was all we could afford with the steep lease-breaking and storage fees. Now, if construction is delayed any further beyond January, we will be paying this lease-breaking fee for NOTHING. How's that for things getting good? Or, we could've sold the house in the spring and had ourselves a nice, little, winter-holiday season, instead of the cramped, angry one awaiting us. This Is Getting Old.
"But," you say, "you signed a contract, Mr. Barrett. And, you are bound by this contract. Plus, if we fail to honor said contract by not building the house within a year you can get out of your contract without any loss of your money."
Well said. Yes, this is true. We DID sign a contract. The contract isn't what concerns me (more on this later, because new information has since come to light where we were given very bad information regarding our house. But, like I said, more later). We still want the house. What concerns me is that you, Holmes Homes, are also bound by this contract. You are bound by what you, and your representatives, tell your customers. We acted upon bad information, told to us by your agents. We were given a construction date off by 4 months (and this is assuming the end of January is right. That still remains to be seen.). Plus, even if we were to get out of our contract without "losing" any of our money, where does that leave us? In a tiny apartment with our belongings in storage, no house to move into, starting over on the house-buying process. Sounds great. You've got us by the short-hairs and you know it. So what if YOU break the contract. We have nearly $5,000 invested in this house that we CAN get back, but you've already made how much on the interest of that money? And, will we see any of that interest? Nope. Raw deal for us, then. Oh, but if we were to break this contract. If we were to have given you bad information month after month. Oooh, I would've loved to see what would've happened. Actually, I take that back. No, I wouldn't. I'm quite certain you guys are litigious and would've sued me for everything I own, and half of everything I don't. This Is Getting Me Very Angry.
We interrupt this letter to bring you a small moment in the life of Mr. and Mrs. Barrett, living in a thumbnail of an apartment and under contract with Holmes Homes for a house in Daybreak:
Before we were rudely interrupted, I was talking about how we received a notice that we now have a construction liaison. I also mentioned that we had received some recent news regarding our house that had angered us quite a bit.
Last week (December 13, 2005 ) we received an email from our real estate agent that included an attached letter letting us know of some corrections to information she gave us when we signed our contract. The corrections were more than just corrections, though. They were very major changes to what we were told we will be receiving regarding land/fence and landscaping. And, since our decision to purchase this house and the corner lot that came with it was contingent upon the information she supplied, this is a serious matter to us. It is a serious breach of contract, in our minds. But, again, you have us by the short-hairs, so a breach in contract is little matter to you, isn't it? You have our money and our signatures. You control everything regarding the building and sale of our house. "Move along, little peon, there's nothing to see here. We have you by the short-hairs, little man, and you'll do as I say. And, you'll like it! Or, at least you'll feign liking it!"
Anyway, this letter listed two major changes to what we thought we were getting. First, we will now be required to maintain the side and front parts of our lot. When we signed the contract to purchase this house we were told that our HOA fees (that will eventually be $70/month) would go towards maintaining our front and side lots. "What a fabulous thing," we thought. "It's almost too good to be true," we thought. Turns out it was. So, our $70 a month now goes towards what? The maintenance of the common areas? Towards the privilege of having Daybreak tell us what we can or cannot do via the CC&Rs? (It's a great thing, isn't it, to have the people in your development PAY you to tell them what to do. That's a brand of totalitarianism that Mussolini himself would find ironically sublime.) Fine. Whatever. We will take care of our front and side yards. Big deal. I don't like that I was lied to, but big deal.
But, this is the kicker. This is the one that really got our goat: we now find out that the 12+ extra feet of our corner lot, for which we paid $1,000 will no longer be fenced in. This was a major selling point for us, and the ONLY reason we sprang for the corner lot. So, now we've wasted another $1,000. It's almost a dream come true, wasting money like we were wealthy. Feels good.
But. But. Not to be outdone; we are also still responsible for the upkeep of this unfenced area. So, we buy this land, own this land, but cannot USE this land. However, we are still responsible for the upkeep of it. This land was purchased by us for an additional $1,000, yet will be utterly useless to us. It is being given over (for all intents and purposes) to Daybreak for easement and curb appeal, AND we will now have to lug our lawnmowers outside of our fences and around the corner to mow this unused, expensively-wasted strip of land. Magnificent. This Is Getting Out Of Hand.
Can we sign up for more of this kind of thing. Can we PLEASE pay you MORE money to have MORE land that we CAN'T have fenced in and will be UNABLE to use. That would be great. Is it at all possible for us to get screwed over in more ways? I don't know. Maybe.
Maybe a letter like this will be arriving sometime soon:
but, first, some backstory and a few tidbits for clarity's purposes. Daybreak is the name of the planned community we are moving into. the land is owned by a company called Kennecott, who operates the largest open-pit copper mine in the world. anyway, the copper in the mine is not infinite and will eventually run out. Kennecott bought up land around the Oquirrh mountains (which form the western range surrounding the Salt Lake Valley, and where the copper mine sits) years ago for future use. they decided a planned community would be best. this planned community is our Daybreak. check out the Daybreak website if you're interested in more of what it's all about.
other points of clarification:
1) in the letter, i mention a place called Dugway. the Dugway Proving Grounds are to the west of the Salt Lake Valley, beyond the Oquirrh mountains and smack dab in the middle of nowhere, save desert and tumbleweed. it is where the military tests, stores and destroys chemical and biological weapons (including the ultra-deadly, and all-around nasty, VX nerve gas). there is NOTHING appealing or enjoyable about this place AT ALL.
2) Daybreak's slogan is This is getting good. i use a play on this slogan throughout my letter, so when you read this you'll understand what's going on.
that's about it. as i said, i sent this letter to both Holmes Homes and Daybreak. i never heard from Daybreak regarding it (no surprise), but i did hear from Holmes Homes. it little good as things just kept being delayed and fuck-ups kept occurring.
lastly, i will add some links within the letter that might help explain some terms that are obscure or not in common use. realize, obviously, that these links weren't present in the letter as it was a traditionally mailed letter and links don't work on paper. haw! :)
okay, so here's the letter:
Dear Holmes Homes:
My wife and I signed a contract with our real estate agent on June 28, 2005 to purchase a Sawgrass house, Elevation "B", through Holmes Homes. We were very excited to be buying a house at Daybreak, and with Holmes Homes, after having seen the model homes, the future plans for the Daybreak community and all the included amenities. So excited, in fact, that we never felt the typical buyer's remorse after signing the contract and writing a check for our earnest money. Nor did we feel this remorse after choosing our upgrades and options, and writing another check for the flooring deposit. We were excited because we were getting in on a great house, in a great neighborhood; early enough that it was affordable, but late enough to know that things were going to be great. After all, the Daybreak billboards and advertisements around town said it all: This Is Getting Good. In my opinion they were downplaying it. This Is Getting Great.
At the time we signed the contract, we were told ground was slated to be broken on our property sometime around the end of September. Add six months for construction time, and this put the completion date for our house around the end of March, give or take. With not wanting to sell our current house during the winter months, we made preparations to sell it as soon as possible; moving into a one-bedroom apartment in the meantime. We sold our house the last week of August, giving us (by the calculations we were told) around seven months to live in the tiny, one-bedroom apartment.
("Why such a small apartment?" you might be asking. Good question. Well, since we were going to be living in the apartment for less than a year, it was imperative that we find a place that allowed us to break the customary one-year lease. Very few places in the Salt Lake Valley offer this. And those that do require extra money on the rent. Therefore, we could only afford a one-bedroom. Plus, all of our furniture and most of our belongings are packed in storage units until we move into our new house, so unless we got a huge three-bedroom apartment, which we definitely couldn't afford, this was the best we could do.
Well, seven months in a tiny place without most of your belonging is nothing when the end result is moving into a great, new place. September came and went. We visited Daybreak on a weekly basis; driving out there to see the progress (or lack thereof) of our lot. October blew in. No work. No word from Holmes Homes. We called our agent and she said things were are a bit behind, but to be patient. It should happen any day now. Each week construction is delayed is another week we have to suffer in this breadbox of a home. Fine. The end justifies the means. After all, This Is Getting Good. Yeah, good is about right.
October blustered into November. I'll give you one guess on the status of our house? Wrong! It was NOT yet started. I know. I know. "How can this happen?" you say. I don't have the slightest idea. We called our agent again and heard some bogus explanation of a shortage of lumber and concrete due to hurricanes. Well, maybe it's not bogus, but that's a bad excuse since it doesn't really explain the delay up to the hurricanes. Okay, fine. So there was a lumber and concrete shortage. Fine. We can't really complain about that, now, can we? Nope. We'd be selfish, heartless people. So, we remain concrete in our resolve and lumber on.
And, we waited. We kept visiting Daybreak, waiting for the lake to be filled (which, incidentally, we were told was to happen the last week of August and had yet to be done by the end of October. My guess is a shortage of water due to hurricanes. Or drought. Or something. Right?). We kept visiting with the small hope that we'd find something on our lot. So far, out of the 12 or so visits we made out there we found three new pebbles; a small, feeble thistle growing out of a mound of dirt; and, something I am really excited about, a white splotch from seagull droppings. This Is Getting Annoying.
The end-of-November festivities roll around and the wife and I take a trip to Florida to visit family. We wanted to have pictures of the construction of our new house to show them; but, instead, we settled for a picture of our seagull dropping splotch and a stylized drawing I did with crayons and construction paper. We stayed for two weeks, hoping that something exciting would happen while we were there. On the flight back we passed over Daybreak. We saw the lake had been filled (finally) and traced the roads to our lot. No dice. Nothing had changed. I swore I saw a new pebble, but I knew it was impossible to see that kind of detail from the window of a 737 at that height. The houses around ours were going up, now, though. Yet, still nothing on our lot. Who knows why ours is being delayed? Who knows? Do you?
Then, just when all hope has been dashed, we get an email from our agent letting us know that we have been assigned a liaison between construction and homeowners so that we can get better, more timely, information. Great. This Is Getting Better? We'll see.
We call this liaison and he tells us that our house is slated to break ground within 45 days. A quick mental calculation tells me that 45 days is a month an a half. It was early December when we called him, so a month and a half puts it at the end of January. And this is assuming he was telling us the truth instead of blowing smoke. We'll take his word for it. The end of January. Fine. Add six months, and it looks like our house will be done around the end of July, give or take. Ridiculous…I mean: This Is Getting Ridiculous.
This liaison also mentioned that Holmes Homes had made many unrealistic promises regarding construction dates. He also mentioned Daybreak making unrealistic promises regarding permits and other things. Fine. I understand his need to pacify the angry people he has been given. He's pointing fingers at Daybreak and himself (Holmes Homes) but it still doesn't explain how people in a situation like us are supposed to feel. We sold our house quickly, and early, based on erroneous information we were given. We moved into a tiny apartment (too small for a Christmas Tree, even. No lie.), because it was all we could afford with the steep lease-breaking and storage fees. Now, if construction is delayed any further beyond January, we will be paying this lease-breaking fee for NOTHING. How's that for things getting good? Or, we could've sold the house in the spring and had ourselves a nice, little, winter-holiday season, instead of the cramped, angry one awaiting us. This Is Getting Old.
"But," you say, "you signed a contract, Mr. Barrett. And, you are bound by this contract. Plus, if we fail to honor said contract by not building the house within a year you can get out of your contract without any loss of your money."
Well said. Yes, this is true. We DID sign a contract. The contract isn't what concerns me (more on this later, because new information has since come to light where we were given very bad information regarding our house. But, like I said, more later). We still want the house. What concerns me is that you, Holmes Homes, are also bound by this contract. You are bound by what you, and your representatives, tell your customers. We acted upon bad information, told to us by your agents. We were given a construction date off by 4 months (and this is assuming the end of January is right. That still remains to be seen.). Plus, even if we were to get out of our contract without "losing" any of our money, where does that leave us? In a tiny apartment with our belongings in storage, no house to move into, starting over on the house-buying process. Sounds great. You've got us by the short-hairs and you know it. So what if YOU break the contract. We have nearly $5,000 invested in this house that we CAN get back, but you've already made how much on the interest of that money? And, will we see any of that interest? Nope. Raw deal for us, then. Oh, but if we were to break this contract. If we were to have given you bad information month after month. Oooh, I would've loved to see what would've happened. Actually, I take that back. No, I wouldn't. I'm quite certain you guys are litigious and would've sued me for everything I own, and half of everything I don't. This Is Getting Me Very Angry.
We interrupt this letter to bring you a small moment in the life of Mr. and Mrs. Barrett, living in a thumbnail of an apartment and under contract with Holmes Homes for a house in Daybreak:
Julee: "Do you want to drive out to Daybreak today to see if there's anything new going on with our house?"
Justin: "Why? You know they haven't done anything."
Julee: "Come on. We might be surprised."
Justin: "You heard what the guy said. 45 days. We've got another month until anything is scheduled to begin. And that's IF the guy was telling us the truth."
Julee: "Is there anything we can do? This Is Getting Ridiculous."
Justin: "No. There's nothing we can do. We can forfeit the $5,000 we have put down for earnest money and deposits or we can just wait it out, hoping that someone will eventually take notice of what the hell is going on here and start do something about it. By the way, I already used the ridiculous thing earlier in the letter."
Julee: "Okay, fine. But, what about the extra money we're paying for rent so we can get out of the lease early?"
Justin: "Lost money, I'm afraid. Trust me, Holmes Homes doesn't care. Daybreak doesn't care. Hell, the reason all this is being delayed is because they are selling TOO MANY houses. Which means they are making TOO MUCH money. You think they care about us and our concerns?"
Julee: "But, don't they have to finish the house within a year of the contract date?"
Justin: "Ah. That's the tricky part. They get 365 days from the date of execution of the Earnest Money Agreement PLUS 60 days for them to finish…"
Julee: "Oh. Well, that's 14 months. Okay. 14 months, then. Still, we can rescind the contract after 14 months."
Justin: "But, here's the kicker. After that 60 days we may elect to cancel the contract and receive any consideration paid, meaning our earnest money and flooring deposits, LESS the cost of any special additions or modifications made at the request of the buyer."
Julee: "What does that mean?"
Justin: "Well, it means we can cancel the contract, get our money back (interest-free, of course), and start all over looking for a new house so that we can move out of this matchbox of an apartment. Then, we have to hope to high hell that they don't claim that we requested any special additions or modifications."
Julee: "But we haven't."
Justin: "Yes, I know. But we did request that they honor their word and actually build our house. I suppose that could be seen as a special request."
Julee: "That's absurd."
Justin: "I know. But, This Is Getting Absurd."
Julee: "Good one."
Justin: "Thanks, honey."
Before we were rudely interrupted, I was talking about how we received a notice that we now have a construction liaison. I also mentioned that we had received some recent news regarding our house that had angered us quite a bit.
Last week (
Anyway, this letter listed two major changes to what we thought we were getting. First, we will now be required to maintain the side and front parts of our lot. When we signed the contract to purchase this house we were told that our HOA fees (that will eventually be $70/month) would go towards maintaining our front and side lots. "What a fabulous thing," we thought. "It's almost too good to be true," we thought. Turns out it was. So, our $70 a month now goes towards what? The maintenance of the common areas? Towards the privilege of having Daybreak tell us what we can or cannot do via the CC&Rs? (It's a great thing, isn't it, to have the people in your development PAY you to tell them what to do. That's a brand of totalitarianism that Mussolini himself would find ironically sublime.) Fine. Whatever. We will take care of our front and side yards. Big deal. I don't like that I was lied to, but big deal.
But, this is the kicker. This is the one that really got our goat: we now find out that the 12+ extra feet of our corner lot, for which we paid $1,000 will no longer be fenced in. This was a major selling point for us, and the ONLY reason we sprang for the corner lot. So, now we've wasted another $1,000. It's almost a dream come true, wasting money like we were wealthy. Feels good.
But. But. Not to be outdone; we are also still responsible for the upkeep of this unfenced area. So, we buy this land, own this land, but cannot USE this land. However, we are still responsible for the upkeep of it. This land was purchased by us for an additional $1,000, yet will be utterly useless to us. It is being given over (for all intents and purposes) to Daybreak for easement and curb appeal, AND we will now have to lug our lawnmowers outside of our fences and around the corner to mow this unused, expensively-wasted strip of land. Magnificent. This Is Getting Out Of Hand.
Can we sign up for more of this kind of thing. Can we PLEASE pay you MORE money to have MORE land that we CAN'T have fenced in and will be UNABLE to use. That would be great. Is it at all possible for us to get screwed over in more ways? I don't know. Maybe.
Maybe a letter like this will be arriving sometime soon:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Barrett,
We regret to inform you that the lot you purchased through Holmes Homes in the Daybreak community has been moved to the other side of the
You'll be happy to know that Daybreak @ Dugway™ possesses its own supply of VX nerve gas, which will come in handy in case of an emergency.
(Disclaimer: We are not responsible should these storehouses of nerve gas or chemical weapons leak and poison you.)
We are very excited about the new Daybreak @ Dugway™ development and are confident you will feel just as at home there as you would at the original Daybreak in
Lastly, we want to inform you of the great new desert lake we have planned for Daybreak @ Dugway™. It will, of course, not be a real lake, but, instead, a lake of desert sand that will be available for use to all Daybreak @ Dugway™ residents (for a small service fee, of course).
Daybreak @ Dugway™. This Is Getting Weird.®
Yours very truly,
Holmes Homes and Daybreak
I am very angry about these recent developments. Would I be as angry about them if we hadn't been screwed around with earlier? Probably, yes. The delay of the building of our house was acceptable because, as I said earlier, the end justified the means. Now, you guys are messing with our end, and it's beginning to get a lot harder for us to justify the means with it.
"But," I can anticipate you saying, "You'll have the advantage of not having a house on both sides of your property." Good point. Yes, this is an advantage, but is it really worth $1,000? Is it really worth being given extra land that you own, but not really? Is it? I don't need to answer that because you already know my thoughts on this. This Is Getting Where It's Almost Not Worth It.
We know that we are going to be getting a great house. One we're really excited to be moving into, whenever that might actually occur. We know that the equity we will have in the house upon moving in will be insane, and even better than expected. We know that Daybreak will be an amazing community in which to grow old. We know all this. But, even all these great things can't erase the bad taste in our mouths from all the deception and delays and lies. And every single day that we lug our lawnmowers to our side yard, every single day we drive by the little sliver of easement we donated to Daybreak, will just remind us of it.
But, what recourse do we have? As I said before, we can either get screwed out of our $5,000 in deposits and earnest monies AND start all over to find a new house, or we can wait until Holmes Homes can't meet the 365 + 60 day requirement of the contract (which I'm pretty certain will happen), get our monies back (sans interest) THEN start all over. Either way, we're really losing in this proposition. Neither is an attractive alternative.
So, what do we do? A lot of it depends on you. Both Daybreak and Holmes Homes. It depends on what kind of answer I received from this letter (if any). It depends on what other spitballs you send our way. It depends on what other surprises you have in store for us as things move along. As it stands, we've had enough of the surprises. We just want to have our house started. We just want to move in. We just want it to where it's This Is Getting Good, again!
Sincerely,
Justin Barrett
Sincerely,
Justin Barrett
closure, finally
in the last "house" post, i mentioned the tile error and some other bullshit we had been dealing with on the building of this thing. i mentioned in the comments on that post that i'd decided to write another letter to the builder. the first letter i wrote to them was written in December (a full 9-page epic that i'm still very proud of, maybe i'll post it on here if people are interested in reading it. let me know.). i sent the new letter early last week and two days later received a call from the owner of Holmes Homes. he was understanding of my complaints and frustrations and even commented on the sarcasm (if it's not obvious from my blogging and poetry, i'm a very sarcastic person), and how he could appreciate it. also, he was amenable to meeting with the wife and me.
we met at our house this past Monday. we showed him the 6-inch error to the foundation, which caused our house to be 6-inches shorter (length-wise) than it should be. he said it's definitely an error, that they accept full responsibility and also, unfortunately, that it's nearly impossible to fix. we figured that. but, he was willing to compensate us for the error and for our frustration. we asked if they'd be willing to finish the first-floor half bath (which was to be merely roughed in for future finishing) and he said they would. good news.
we have come to terms with the errors and understand that these things sometimes happen. we're just happy that Holmes Homes is owned by someone who cares about his business and the work they do, and is willing to do what is right. the owner is a good guy and it was reassuring knowing that if we were to have any future issues that it will be dealt with properly.
the right tile was finally laid down and it looks great. the carpet was installed and the only thing left are the appliances and bathroom accessories (toilet, sink, etc.). we heard that our closing date should be sometime between July 7 and July 10. only a week and a half away. my god, we are so fucking ready.
because of the impending move that we will be undertaking shortly, i will probably be quite scarce on this blog. also, we still have to have Comcast come out to install our cable internet, which will probably be a nightmare in itself. i will do my best to update from work, when time and need arises, and will pick it back up again regularly once things have settled down.
in the meantime, keep and eye out for my weekly column, Background Noise, on Christopher Cunningham's fabulous blog, Upright Against The Savage Heavens. i intend to keep publishing the column every Sunday night (or Monday morning (from work) throughout this transition).
we met at our house this past Monday. we showed him the 6-inch error to the foundation, which caused our house to be 6-inches shorter (length-wise) than it should be. he said it's definitely an error, that they accept full responsibility and also, unfortunately, that it's nearly impossible to fix. we figured that. but, he was willing to compensate us for the error and for our frustration. we asked if they'd be willing to finish the first-floor half bath (which was to be merely roughed in for future finishing) and he said they would. good news.
we have come to terms with the errors and understand that these things sometimes happen. we're just happy that Holmes Homes is owned by someone who cares about his business and the work they do, and is willing to do what is right. the owner is a good guy and it was reassuring knowing that if we were to have any future issues that it will be dealt with properly.
the right tile was finally laid down and it looks great. the carpet was installed and the only thing left are the appliances and bathroom accessories (toilet, sink, etc.). we heard that our closing date should be sometime between July 7 and July 10. only a week and a half away. my god, we are so fucking ready.
because of the impending move that we will be undertaking shortly, i will probably be quite scarce on this blog. also, we still have to have Comcast come out to install our cable internet, which will probably be a nightmare in itself. i will do my best to update from work, when time and need arises, and will pick it back up again regularly once things have settled down.
in the meantime, keep and eye out for my weekly column, Background Noise, on Christopher Cunningham's fabulous blog, Upright Against The Savage Heavens. i intend to keep publishing the column every Sunday night (or Monday morning (from work) throughout this transition).
25 June 2006
Background Noise and how to write well
first, the newest installment of Background Noise is posted on Upright Against The Savage Heavens. take a gander and chime in on your opinions of print vs. online publishing. a little healthy debate can only help us in this press we call small.
second, check out this tongue-in-cheek list on how to write good (sic). funny stuff.
second, check out this tongue-in-cheek list on how to write good (sic). funny stuff.
22 June 2006
it's all about scale
think about the largest thing you've ever personally seen (other than the moon, sun, stars or planetary body). what is it? a skyscraper? maybe one of those gigantic hangars used for zeppelins? a sports stadium? a mountain?
now, compare that to the size of the earth. it's miniscule in comparison, right? i mean, the earth is humongous.
yet, we all know that the earth is dwarfed by Jupiter and Saturn and, of couse, the Sun. but, HOW dwarfed are we talking?
this should help with the scale. now, just imagine that there are stars out there that dwarf our own. and imagine the size of a galaxy. and imagine the immensities involved in a cluster of galaxies. or in a supercluster.
now, think about the size of our universe. there is no word in any language that can describe it's largeness. nothing even comes close (except MAYBE infinity, but that is a meaningless concept).
now, after all this thinking, how big do you feel? pretty damn small, huh? fairly insignificant? THIS is why art and science are necessary. both use different means towards the same end: shrinking the universe -- or at least our concept of it.
now, compare that to the size of the earth. it's miniscule in comparison, right? i mean, the earth is humongous.
yet, we all know that the earth is dwarfed by Jupiter and Saturn and, of couse, the Sun. but, HOW dwarfed are we talking?
this should help with the scale. now, just imagine that there are stars out there that dwarf our own. and imagine the size of a galaxy. and imagine the immensities involved in a cluster of galaxies. or in a supercluster.
now, think about the size of our universe. there is no word in any language that can describe it's largeness. nothing even comes close (except MAYBE infinity, but that is a meaningless concept).
now, after all this thinking, how big do you feel? pretty damn small, huh? fairly insignificant? THIS is why art and science are necessary. both use different means towards the same end: shrinking the universe -- or at least our concept of it.
21 June 2006
mail call
waiting in my inbox today was a package from Liquid Paper Press with the newest issue of Nerve Cowboy (#21). unfortunately, i didn't get a submission sent in time to potentially have made this issue, but that only makes this issue that much stronger.
featured poets include this poet's life contributors Christopher Cunningham, Kathleen Paul-Flanagan, Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal; great job guys, good work.
also included are great pieces by the likes of Henry Denander, Gerald Locklin, Karl Koweski, Rocking Chair Frank, and Nathan Graziano. all great stuff.
i've said it before and i'll say it again: Nerve Cowboy is the best poetry journal out there.
also in the package was a copy of Karl Koweski's 2nd place-finishing chapbook from the 2004 Nerve Cowboy Chapbook Contest, Casualty of the Industrial Revolution. i'm a big fan of Koweski's stuff and look forward to diving into this one.
featured poets include this poet's life contributors Christopher Cunningham, Kathleen Paul-Flanagan, Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal; great job guys, good work.
also included are great pieces by the likes of Henry Denander, Gerald Locklin, Karl Koweski, Rocking Chair Frank, and Nathan Graziano. all great stuff.
i've said it before and i'll say it again: Nerve Cowboy is the best poetry journal out there.
also in the package was a copy of Karl Koweski's 2nd place-finishing chapbook from the 2004 Nerve Cowboy Chapbook Contest, Casualty of the Industrial Revolution. i'm a big fan of Koweski's stuff and look forward to diving into this one.
20 June 2006
a site, a mag and a book
i was browsing through some sites and found this one. there are plenty of article relating to writing and grammar and spelling. good stuff. i wish more people would read these kinds of things.
i received the newest issue of remark. (issue 45) in today's mail. this issue was edited by this poet's life contributor Christopher Kornacki. i have two poems in this issue, but despite that error Mr. Kornacki did an excellent job in choosing poems for this issue (which speaks to the quality of most of the poems). other poets include Glenn W. Cooper, Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal, Michael Estabrook, S.A. Griffin, Karl Koweski, C. Allen Rearick and Amanda Oaks.
lastly, in yesterday's mail was a copy of this poet's life contributor C. Allen Rearick's first chapbook, a split-chapbook with Greg O., published by green panda press and titled from Cali to Cleve. the book consists of seven poems by Rearick and a short story by Mr. O. the short story is amusing and engaging, but it's the seven poems that grab me as the best part of the book (this is probably due more to the fact that i do not write fiction than to the ability of Mr. O.). Rearick's poetry has matured immensely in a very short time, and it shows in this collection.
the chapbook is limited to 69 issues and goes for $6. if you're interested, let me know and i can get you in contact with the author so that you may obtain a copy.
on a related note, my own press (Hemispherical Press) will be releasing a C. Allen Rearick chapbook in 2007. it'll be worth the wait, trust me.
and speaking of Hemispherical Press, it's been a long while since the last release, but the press has not folded (check out the website and contact me if you're interested in purchasing an item) but has only been on a short hiatus. when HemPress returns, we will be releasing some of the best work out there. watch for it.
i received the newest issue of remark. (issue 45) in today's mail. this issue was edited by this poet's life contributor Christopher Kornacki. i have two poems in this issue, but despite that error Mr. Kornacki did an excellent job in choosing poems for this issue (which speaks to the quality of most of the poems). other poets include Glenn W. Cooper, Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal, Michael Estabrook, S.A. Griffin, Karl Koweski, C. Allen Rearick and Amanda Oaks.
lastly, in yesterday's mail was a copy of this poet's life contributor C. Allen Rearick's first chapbook, a split-chapbook with Greg O., published by green panda press and titled from Cali to Cleve. the book consists of seven poems by Rearick and a short story by Mr. O. the short story is amusing and engaging, but it's the seven poems that grab me as the best part of the book (this is probably due more to the fact that i do not write fiction than to the ability of Mr. O.). Rearick's poetry has matured immensely in a very short time, and it shows in this collection.
the chapbook is limited to 69 issues and goes for $6. if you're interested, let me know and i can get you in contact with the author so that you may obtain a copy.
on a related note, my own press (Hemispherical Press) will be releasing a C. Allen Rearick chapbook in 2007. it'll be worth the wait, trust me.
and speaking of Hemispherical Press, it's been a long while since the last release, but the press has not folded (check out the website and contact me if you're interested in purchasing an item) but has only been on a short hiatus. when HemPress returns, we will be releasing some of the best work out there. watch for it.
19 June 2006
quantum theory of poetry
over on Upright Against The Savage Heavens, the newest installment of my weekly "column" Background Noise has been posted.
this week i make a fool of myself by coming up with a Quantum Theory of Poetry.
check it out.
this week i make a fool of myself by coming up with a Quantum Theory of Poetry.
check it out.
17 June 2006
update on the house, or just when you think something positive...
...about humanity, the walls of reality come crashing down.
first, we stopped by the house today and i took a picture of my house with my cellphone (see photo to the right). realize it's a cellphone, so it's not the best quality, but it's pretty nice for a low-quality cellphone pic.
the house was painted (first time we saw it painted) and we're happy with the color. the door isn't painted yet, but it will be red, so just try to picture that. we're to have red shutters as well.
okay, onto the continued saga of this poet's house. if you remember from last episode we had been contacted by our builder that our tile (which was a killer 13"x13" specimen) was dicontinued by the manufacturer. we received a free upgrade to a better (i.e. larger) tile due to the inconvenience. the tile we chose was 15"x15", which is allegedly a better-looking tile, aesthetically speaking. the color was a deep burgundy with greenish-brown highlights. very nice. not as nice as our original choice, mind you, but still something we could live with.
well, this was Monday. five days later (5!), today, we show up at the house and find that they've tiled our entire house with the wrong fucking tile. a 12"x12" sand-colored tile that looks NOTHING like the tile we chose. this shit is getting ridiculous. how is it that in five days they can completely fuck something up like this? how is it? what is wrong with people? i have little faith in people, but it appears i put too much faith in these dolts. my wife, the brilliant soul that she is, even said on Monday, after we chose the tile, "i bet these assholes fuck this up." i told her there was no way, we JUST chose the tile. all they have to do is truck it to the house and ta-da, it's done. well, the prescience of my wife will never cease to amaze me. she called it. those assholes fucked it up.
so, our house is five months late. they've screwed up the actual building of it (i never mentioned this, but they fucked up in constructing the house such that our living area is 4" too short and we've an extra 4" in the garage; but to further ruin it, they've had to fashion a "jog" in the back washroom area so they could fit a washer AND dryer in there. plus, the 4" is taken off the kitchen which means the island we'll have in there will be squashed up against the counter with only 8 inches of space between it and the opposite counter), they took so long that our original tile choice is no longer available, and now they tiled the house with the wrong goddamn tile.
i know Holmes Homes (our builder) works only in Utah, but if you ever find yourself in need of a builder, and you're also unfortunate enough to find yourself in Utah, i cannot recommend Holmes Homes as a builder. though, i've heard that every fucking builder in America is as bad or worse, i know from first hand the kind of shit that Holmes Homes pulls. seems they got you by the shorthairs and don't mind pulling. our only recourse is the ability to get our of our contract without losing our earnest money. BUT, we lose the home we've been worrying about and wanted, housing prices in Utah are insane so now we can't even afford another house, and we would have to start all over again with this bullshit even if we could. there's really nothing we can do but bend over and take it; and hope they use plenty of lubricant.
anyway, that's the new development on the house. assuming they'll change the tile, this pushes our move-in date even further back. we signed the contracts on this house over a year ago. it was ridiculous in March. now, it's three months beyond ridiculous.
16 June 2006
the house
i haven't posted about it in awhile, and since this is my blog and it's (ostensibly) about my life, i'll go ahead and make a post about my house.
we got a call this past Monday that the tile we originally chose (back in July of last year) was no longer being produced and that we would need to choose a new style. of course it's not in fucking production, we chose the damn thing so long ago. it's probably out of date and would look ridiculous. we wouldn't know, though, because it had been so long that we had literally forgotten what we chose, and how it looked.
we showed up at the showroom to choose our new tile and the guy meeting us brought a sample of the tile we originally chose and one that he thought might work out. it turns out the one we chose was fucking AWESOME, for lack of a better descriptor. of course it was. anyway, we haggled to get a free upgrade to a better, bigger tile and chose one that is nice but not as nice.
it was nice, too, to check out all the other options and colors (countertops, cabinets, house color) of things we chose and forgot about. apparently, we are about 30 days out. it seems we've been perpetually 30 days out.
anyway, we're going back out tomorrow to check the construction. we hope to see all the tile done, the house painted (did i mention it'll be a mustard yellow?) and hopefully some other things. we'll see.
when all is said and done, i'll eventually post pictures here. i don't have a digital camera (i know, i know...) so i'll do my best to borrow one or scan my photos.
we got a call this past Monday that the tile we originally chose (back in July of last year) was no longer being produced and that we would need to choose a new style. of course it's not in fucking production, we chose the damn thing so long ago. it's probably out of date and would look ridiculous. we wouldn't know, though, because it had been so long that we had literally forgotten what we chose, and how it looked.
we showed up at the showroom to choose our new tile and the guy meeting us brought a sample of the tile we originally chose and one that he thought might work out. it turns out the one we chose was fucking AWESOME, for lack of a better descriptor. of course it was. anyway, we haggled to get a free upgrade to a better, bigger tile and chose one that is nice but not as nice.
it was nice, too, to check out all the other options and colors (countertops, cabinets, house color) of things we chose and forgot about. apparently, we are about 30 days out. it seems we've been perpetually 30 days out.
anyway, we're going back out tomorrow to check the construction. we hope to see all the tile done, the house painted (did i mention it'll be a mustard yellow?) and hopefully some other things. we'll see.
when all is said and done, i'll eventually post pictures here. i don't have a digital camera (i know, i know...) so i'll do my best to borrow one or scan my photos.
a little irony
well, what do you know?
Bukowski always wanted to be in a library. he's written about in many of his poems and short stories. it finally happened.
good for him.
Bukowski always wanted to be in a library. he's written about in many of his poems and short stories. it finally happened.
good for him.
14 June 2006
in the mail today & musings on poet laureate
in the mail today was the new issue of small press review (Vol. 38 Nos. 5-6). a review of Naked Knuckle #6 was featured and it included quotes of poems by both Hosho McCreesh and our very own Christopher Cunningham. congrats, guys. you know my thoughts on your work, so it's just good to know others are noticing, too.
on the drive home from work today, i was ruminating about the announcement that Donald Hall will be new (and 14th) Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. there wasn't much a fucking announcement, really. just some tiny blurbs in the papers (or at least in their online facades). instead, we hear more about Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. ridiculous.
anyway, it seems to me that the announcement of a new Poet Laureate would be a big fucking deal. i think it is. or at least i think it should be. oh well.
at least there's still those of us like McCreesh and Cunningham rewriting the myths for the next generation.
on the drive home from work today, i was ruminating about the announcement that Donald Hall will be new (and 14th) Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. there wasn't much a fucking announcement, really. just some tiny blurbs in the papers (or at least in their online facades). instead, we hear more about Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. ridiculous.
anyway, it seems to me that the announcement of a new Poet Laureate would be a big fucking deal. i think it is. or at least i think it should be. oh well.
at least there's still those of us like McCreesh and Cunningham rewriting the myths for the next generation.
the ovaltine poems
for those who might have missed it, a fun series of comments have been logged in the is the cliché a cliché post. among those comments have been a bunch of poems relating to Ovaltine, the drink of choice for this poet's life contributor, editor of remark., and poette, Kat.
in the interest of ease and enjoyment, here are the poems so far (plus a new one by yours truly), with bylines below each poem:
slang
"Mary, you
are so fucking
ovaltine
it makes me like
sick
or something."
she flipped open
her cellphone
and sent a
quick text
to her list,
making sure
to tell everybody
that
Mary
is
again
off her
Myspace page.
this time for good.
Mary went home
to try and
figure out
how to be
less
ovaltine
in the future.
--Christopher Cunningham
Ovaltine
if Ovaltine were
money, i'd
be rich
but if Ovaltine
were love,
i'd still
be lonely
without you.
--justin.barrett
madness and strong drink
looking in the mirror
after no sleep for a second
night,
peeling back the corners
of red tired eyes,
sunlight oozing thru
dirty plastic slats,
mouth filled with
ugliness
and the taste of
strong drink.
mind is slipping,
mutter,
"ovaltine"
to the face
I no longer know.
--Christopher Cunningham
Untitled
I heard a fly buzz
And then it died;
Fell into my Ovaltine,
And it made me cry.
It was my favorite fly;
I named it Vincent Price;
Help me, Help me, it cried,
Oh, brother, look at
What Just just made me write.
--Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal
Gone
she used the
ovaltine jar to
stick the post-it
to
‘you boring fucker,
have a nice life.’
I’d miss her sense
of humour,
but that was
about all.
--Brian McGettrick
Untitled Ovaltine Poem
In grade school, mary
was quite
the oval teen.
By the time she
reached high school,
she developed
a bad case
of bulimia.
In between classes
she would vomit
as a means to slenderize.
All the cool kids
would make fun
of her for being
so cliche, till one day
she snapped
and ate them
all.
--C. Allen Rearick
Because it’s very delicious
"Ovaltine?"
I ask,
"Why Ovaltine?"
"Because it's very
delicious," she
says, "plus, it's
good for you."
"Whatever.
Ovaltine is so last
week, AND
it tastes like
crap. I much prefer
Nestle Quick."
"Nestle Quick?"
"Yes, Nestle
Quick.
It’s like Ovaltine
on steroids."
"On steroids?
You're such
a cliché,"
she says.
"You're a cliché,"
I retort. Then,
"Whatever.
And give me back
my steroids."
--justin.barrett
all good stuff. this only goes to show that poetry can come from anything; even something as ovaltine as Ovaltine!
AND, as if all of this weren't enough, the very same Kat who inspired these poems is working on a villanelle to top this collection off.
if any other poets out there are interested in getting in on the ovaltine fun, post your poem in the comments. don't be so ovaltine and get to it!
in the interest of ease and enjoyment, here are the poems so far (plus a new one by yours truly), with bylines below each poem:
slang
"Mary, you
are so fucking
ovaltine
it makes me like
sick
or something."
she flipped open
her cellphone
and sent a
quick text
to her list,
making sure
to tell everybody
that
Mary
is
again
off her
Myspace page.
this time for good.
Mary went home
to try and
figure out
how to be
less
ovaltine
in the future.
--Christopher Cunningham
Ovaltine
if Ovaltine were
money, i'd
be rich
but if Ovaltine
were love,
i'd still
be lonely
without you.
--justin.barrett
madness and strong drink
looking in the mirror
after no sleep for a second
night,
peeling back the corners
of red tired eyes,
sunlight oozing thru
dirty plastic slats,
mouth filled with
ugliness
and the taste of
strong drink.
mind is slipping,
mutter,
"ovaltine"
to the face
I no longer know.
--Christopher Cunningham
Untitled
I heard a fly buzz
And then it died;
Fell into my Ovaltine,
And it made me cry.
It was my favorite fly;
I named it Vincent Price;
Help me, Help me, it cried,
Oh, brother, look at
What Just just made me write.
--Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal
Gone
she used the
ovaltine jar to
stick the post-it
to
‘you boring fucker,
have a nice life.’
I’d miss her sense
of humour,
but that was
about all.
--Brian McGettrick
Untitled Ovaltine Poem
In grade school, mary
was quite
the oval teen.
By the time she
reached high school,
she developed
a bad case
of bulimia.
In between classes
she would vomit
as a means to slenderize.
All the cool kids
would make fun
of her for being
so cliche, till one day
she snapped
and ate them
all.
--C. Allen Rearick
Because it’s very delicious
"Ovaltine?"
I ask,
"Why Ovaltine?"
"Because it's very
delicious," she
says, "plus, it's
good for you."
"Whatever.
Ovaltine is so last
week, AND
it tastes like
crap. I much prefer
Nestle Quick."
"Nestle Quick?"
"Yes, Nestle
Quick.
It’s like Ovaltine
on steroids."
"On steroids?
You're such
a cliché,"
she says.
"You're a cliché,"
I retort. Then,
"Whatever.
And give me back
my steroids."
--justin.barrett
all good stuff. this only goes to show that poetry can come from anything; even something as ovaltine as Ovaltine!
AND, as if all of this weren't enough, the very same Kat who inspired these poems is working on a villanelle to top this collection off.
if any other poets out there are interested in getting in on the ovaltine fun, post your poem in the comments. don't be so ovaltine and get to it!
why wasn't i chosen?
the Library of Congress announced, today, that Donald Hall will be the 14th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress.
i guess my next order of business is reading up on this Hall fella.
i guess my next order of business is reading up on this Hall fella.
Whitman's invincible city
it appears the city of Camden has decided to offer a tour of Walt Whitman's home. The tour will be away from the Waterfront of Camden (scary thought) and includes a Whitman impersonator. for $30, it's not a bad deal.
Camden isn't the nicest place around, but this little attraction certainly makes it a bit more enticing; at least to this struggling poet.
Camden isn't the nicest place around, but this little attraction certainly makes it a bit more enticing; at least to this struggling poet.
13 June 2006
a kick (err...itch) in the pants
well, isn't this just a fine how-do-you-do?!
good thing global warming isn't really happening, huh?
i'm sorry to tell you that it is, though.
good thing global warming isn't really happening, huh?
i'm sorry to tell you that it is, though.
12 June 2006
...we interrupt our regularly scheduled blog
for this announcement:
my good buddy, fellow writer in the trenches, periodic commenter to this blog, friend to the world, and all-around good guy Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal has asked that i mention that Jeff Vande Zande's new novel Into the Desperate Country has been released by March Street Press.
i've not read the novel, but Vande Zande is a poet that's been around (including in an issue of remark (#25) while i was still running the joint). his stuff is good, and i am recommending it at Luis's request.
we now rejoin our blog, already in progress...
my good buddy, fellow writer in the trenches, periodic commenter to this blog, friend to the world, and all-around good guy Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal has asked that i mention that Jeff Vande Zande's new novel Into the Desperate Country has been released by March Street Press.
i've not read the novel, but Vande Zande is a poet that's been around (including in an issue of remark (#25) while i was still running the joint). his stuff is good, and i am recommending it at Luis's request.
we now rejoin our blog, already in progress...
11 June 2006
is the word cliché a cliché?
friend of this poet's life, Kat, was kind enough to forward this article by Jenna Glatzer about clichés and avoiding them in your writing. It's a short article, but informative and enjoyable nonetheless.
is nonetheless a cliché?
what about writing a blog, is that cliché? i'm pretty damn sure that is.
oh well.
is nonetheless a cliché?
what about writing a blog, is that cliché? i'm pretty damn sure that is.
oh well.
feeble rantings
the latest installment of my seminal column, Background Noise, on Upright Against The Savage Heavens, is now posted for all to bask in. this time around i attempt to answer a question for the ages: What is poetry? i fail miserably, of course, but there's a good time to be had in laughing at my failure.
enjoy the feeble rantings and psychotic ramblings of a man on the verge of sanity.
enjoy the feeble rantings and psychotic ramblings of a man on the verge of sanity.
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