Roy Kay Trio at the Little Red Hen in Seattle This Very Evening

If you enjoy this kind of music (and, in truth, how could you not) you will not be disappointed by the Roy Kay Trio. They go on around 9:00 tonight; Danielle and I will arrive between 8:30 and 9:00. I believe there is a 3 or 5 dollar cover. Hope to see you there...

Roy Kay Trio sample...

IBL:mm

Because We Like Jane Kenyon Very Much - "The Shirt" and "Let Evening Come"

The Shirt

The shirt touches his neck
and smooths over his back.
It slides down his sides.
It even goes down below his belt -
down into his pants.
Lucky shirt.


Let Evening Come

Let the light of late afternoon
shine through chinks in the barn, moving
up the bales as the sun moves down.

Let the cricket take up chafing
as a woman takes up her needles
and her yarn. Let evening come.

Let dew collect on the hoe abandoned
in long grass. Let the stars appear
and the moon disclose her silver horn.

Let the fox go back to its sandy den.
Let the wind die down. Let the shed
go black inside. Let evening come.

To the bottle in the ditch, to the scoop
in the oats, to air in the lung
let evening come.

Let it come, as it will, and don't
be afraid. God does not leave us
comfortless, so let evening come.

"If I Were a Carpenter", Small Faces

(I'm just in a Small Faces state of mind right now and I can't shake it. There will probably be more. Thanks for your patience and/or avoidance...)

Written by Tim Hardin and a Top 10 hit for Bobby Darin in 1966, the Small Faces version is from either '67 or '68 with, of course, Marriott on lead vocals.

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Prince Fielder a Detroit Tiger

As you likely know, infection by light is a big supporter of both the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Dodgers (though the Tigers have given more cause to celebrate as of late). After the season-ending Victor Martinez injury last week, I opined that, as a Tiger fan, Spring Training was already poisoned. I may have to revise that assessment...

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From the IBL Sports Desk, But Not Exactly - Kyle Williams Receives Death Threats and Racist Comments via Twitter

I write this as somebody who, when actively watching the NFL (I gave it up about five years ago but check in here and there on the playoffs), NEVER supported the 49ers - in yesterday's playoff game, Kyle Williams botched two attempted punt returns which directly lead to 10 points for New York and a 49er loss. Apparently Mr. Williams had returned but six punts previously in his NFL career and was the best available replacement for an injured player and, as I understand it, had thrown a pretty key block on an important score in last week's San Francisco playoff win. But, after the game, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, Mr. Williams, who is African-American, received death threats and racist comments on his Twitter account (perhaps an argument for NOT having a Twitter account but I digress).

I'm not going to sugarcoat it here, these were two bad plays, no doubt about it. But even setting aside the obvious, that this is a team game with some 30 to 40 men participating (and that, for example, QB Alex Smith went 12-26 with some horrible overthrows and underthrows), what the fuck? (And I may be dangerously close to violating my own Civility Clause here so I'll tread lightly.) It's not like we haven't seen this kind of thing happen here before, and it's not like it doesn't happen in other countries, with the very extreme example of soccer player Andres Escobar, a Colombian defender, who was murdered after making a crucial mistake against the United States in a World Cup match that Colombia lost (1994). It's just that I can't help but think this is America, and some of us have a very high opinion of ourselves and, on a regular basis, opine loudly that we are the greatest nation on the face of the earth, and this kind of racist, hateful and ignorant activity - whether directed at a ballplayer (remember, it's called a game), a Southern church and congregation, a homeless person, the President of the United States - might lead a cynical person to believe that, as a country, we're no better than anybody else, and that there is a lot of Goddamn work left to be done here.

Everybody in, nobody out.

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"Tin Soldier", Small Faces

Are you fucking kidding me?

Tin Soldier by Small Faces...

(Yes, Peeber, I do enjoy the blue eyed soul...)


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Emerald City 7 in 7 - 2013

7 bars on 7 consecutive Seattle nights in 7 different Seattle neighborhoods.

More details as they become available.

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David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest" - 1,079 Pages....

Mission accomplished.

I'll probably have more thoughts on this fine book in the not too distant future but, for now, time is short as Danielle and I are moving into more permanent digs this weekend.

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Etta James (1938 - 2012), "A Sunday Kind of Love"

A Sunday Kind of Love...

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Victor Martinez, Detroit Tigers' Switch Hitting DH, Tears ACL and is Likely Done for the Season

And that is how, for a Tiger lover like infection by light, the glow of Spring Training can turn into nuclear fall-out in mid-January...

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Dusty 45s at Little Red Hen Thursday, January 19th, 2012

If you're near Seattle this Thursday night, the Dusty 45s are playing at the Little Red Hen in Green Lake. Show is at 9:00; $10.oo cover. I've not seen Dusty 45s, but I've heard only good things about them, and Austin at the LRH informs me there will likely be a line down the block as showtime approaches (I've also not seen a line outside LRH for any show). Danielle and I plan to be there by 7:30 or so if you'd care to join us...

Some samples -

2 Beers in Texas...

Vido on the Veranda...


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Fictional Lesbian Pairings (IV)

Also, Aunt Jemima and Mrs. Butterworth are awfully sweet on each other but, sadly, word is a Montague/Capulet type tragedy could be in the works (stay tuned).

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"7 Nation Army" by Oak Ridge Boys; then White Stripes...

In a post on 12/10/2011, I presented Jolene by Dolly Parton, then the White Stripes version of same. Here, country band the Oak Ridge Boys cover 7 Nation Army by White Stripes. I am always interested to hear new interpretations of songs that are utterly different than the originals (though at the end of the day I might prefer the original, of course - Neil Young's Heart of Gold over the Tori Amos version, say), and if the original gets turned on its head, all the better (for an extreme example of this see the post on 9/2/2011 wherein Buddy Miller does something pretty remarkable to Roger Miller's Dang Me).

The music starts at 1:47 -

7 Nation Army by Oak Ridge Boys...


And, should you be unfamiliar with the original and want to compare -

7 Nation Army by White Stripes...


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Louis CK Talks About His Daughters

There are a lot of fine comics working today, no doubt. I personally believe that Louis CK is the best - his specials are great, his guest appearances are great, his TV show is great. In fact, to be honest, I think he's one of the best we've ever seen in this country. I'd love to know who your favorites are and, should you care to, attach a video clip or two...

From his special 'Hilarious'...

The Seven Year Old...

The Three Year Old...

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Oscar Lopez Jiminez Knows Me Only Too Well

"hi sexy, its me from earlier this week! Do u still wanna to hang up for a good time =o) I can email you a couple nude pictures if you want!!!hehe Or uu can talk to me on msn msgr jane84moore@live.com Im online now if u would like to cam me. hugs and kisses!"

(Though you know what's odd about this? I don't even really remember him from earlier this week, and the week isn't that far along. (To be fair, the room was pretty crowded and a little on the dim side.))


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"You're Always Welcome At Our House", Shel Silverstein

Talked a little about the multi-talented Shel Silverstein in a 9/6/2011 post (cartoonist for Playboy, writer of children's books, songwriter). Couldn't resist sharing this little lovely...

You're Always Welcome At Our House...


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Pitchers and Catchers

2/19/2012

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Christians Aren't Perfect, Just Forgiven

Perhaps you've seen the bumper sticker containing these five words, perhaps you haven't, but recently I was reminded of the fact of its existence, and just how arrogant a sentiment is contained within. At first glance, of course, the message appears somewhat benign, at least before the comma. Our car owner is acknowledging, to a certain extent, that he or she has his or her flaws, too; that he or she is no better than anybody else. Which is all well and good until you consider the fact the information is being shared for all the world to see via, in essence, a rolling sign board, which would seem to indicate, at least to me, a decided lack of humility (not to mention the somewhat smug, "in your face"-iness of the whole message).

Then there's the (to my mind) illogical arrogance of speaking for God (which we see all the time, of course - look no further than certain religious pronouncements on gay marriage, among other things (and a note on gay marriage - nothing in the gospels against it: Jesus curiously silent on the issue)). If I remember any of my Catholic/Christian upbringing (and oh boy do I ever), I seem to recall that a penitent would need to ask forgiveness from God (or Jesus) before actually being forgiven. But here we learn that forgiveness will be granted because one is Christian. It's an intrinsic property. But couldn't, in fact, God (or Jesus) make a judgement that, for whatever reason, the penitent was not sufficiently sincere? And, in that case, couldn't God withhold forgiveness until such time as God decided said penitent was sincere? For that matter, couldn't God forgive a non-believer (if God existed and God wanted to), whether or not the non-believer had asked for forgiveness in the first place? I don't know the answers to these questions, but I can tell you that, if I were a Christian, it would never even cross my mind to pretend to understand the thought processes of the Almighty, let alone explain as a matter of fact (in five words no less!) what the Deity's thoughts were on a subject as weighty as the forgiveness of sin.

There are several passages related to humility in the New Testament, among them Luke 14: 8-11, wherein Jesus tells the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector, who were worshiping in the temple at the same time. The Pharisee proudly speaks to God about how good he, the Pharisee, is; about how much better he is than other people, including the tax collector. The tax collector, for his part, won't even look up to heaven, and asks God to have mercy on him, a sinner. Jesus advises the reader that it was the tax collector who went home justified, not the Pharisee - those who humble themselves will be exalted.

And that last phrase there? I think it would make a perfect bumper sticker.

Everybody in, nobody out...


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Two New January Poems With the Same Title - "Camptown Racers Sing This Song"...

...you can find them off to your right, there, if you are so inclined. Also, the first installment of The Discriminating Homophobe appeared in these pages on 12/12/11; more DH adventures will be forthcoming in 2012. Should you care to peek at future titles, they're off to the right, too...

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Always Be Closing - A Brief Discussion of Art

I made a decision prior to 2011 that I was going to complete at least one piece of art each day during the year as an attempt to avoid artistic inactivity, the theory being that the quality of individual pieces/poems/stories etc. would not be as important as the regularity of the process; plus, you know - something of actual worth might come out of it. I made it to the afternoon of January 29th, 2011, which just so happens to be Robert Winant's birthday. Upon reviewing what I'd completed for the year to that point, I discovered I had maybe 35 or 40 items, more than one per day. So I consciously took the 29th off, and it gave me a great deal of satisfaction, I have to say. That evening, we went to dinner at the House of Prime Rib for Robert's birthday and then headed off to the Fillmore to see the Old 97s.

My original intent was to collect everything I had on December 31st and see where I stood in terms of quality and quantity, and make a variety of decisions about the items that I considered to be complete, and some other decisions about the items that I didn't think worked. As it turns out, I don't know exactly how many pieces I finished, but I would guess it was somewhere between 300 and 400 (a significant percentage of them cocktail napkins and coasters with some version of the Wounds of Christ and/or the Crucifixion included, often accompanied by song lyrics). To my mind, the year was a success, and I avoided artistic inactivity.

It's January 3rd, 2012 as I type this, and I already have 3 items completed for the new year, including a rudimentary shell game dedicated to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (because, you know, why not). If there's anybody out there working on anything daily, weekly, monthly (or on some other kind of schedule), I send you my best and wish you well. And, if you'd care to share with our loyal legion of IBL faithful, well, we'd love to hear what you are up to or, perhaps, if you were so inclined, take a peek.

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Fictional Lesbian Pairings (III)

Initially, Eva Braun is sweet on Edith Bunker. (Wie ghet's Archie, Adolph.)

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David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest" - 900 Pages...