Neil Hester

Are You Unbepissed?

2012-01-14T12:06:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago, I finish reading a book called Reading the OED: One man, one year, 21,730 pages. The book was a really entertaining light read, in part because the author (and reading superstar), Ammon Shea, has a pretty good sense of humor, but mostly because it contains a great variety of interesting words. The qualities that make these words interesting are diverse: some words are surprisingly pragmatic, some are surprisingly unpragmatic, some are hilariously defined, and a few are beautiful words, plain and simple.

I discovered this book after Dan Schneider, a friendly acquaintance of mine, suggested the word “Apricity” as the title for a poem I had written. I searched the word on Google, and this book is the first thing that popped up, in a book review that highlighted some of the words in the book, including “apricity.” Here’s the meaning:

Apricity (n.) The warmth of the sun in winter.

The book is organized like a dictionary: from A to Z. Before highlighting words from every letter, Shea writes a few pages about this or that, ranging from a description of how monstrous the OED really is (according to him, reading it is akin to reading the entire King James Bible every day for two and a half months, God forbid!) to a recounting of a conference for lexicographers, which didn’t seem particularly exciting to me. But, for Shea, it was exciting, and his enthusiasm for as strange a task as reading the OED is fortunate, since he gleans some really entertaining material from its tomes. Here are some highlights from the book (with the occasional inclusion of his comments, which accompany each word highlighted in the book):

~~~

Airling (n.) A person who is both young and thoughtless.

All-overish (adj.) Feeling an undefined sense of unwell that extends to the whole body.

It is rare that we are presented with a word simultaneously so vague and so useful. The next time you call in sick to work because you simply do not feel like going, all-overish presents the perfect description for what is ailing you.

Bemissionary (v.) To annoy with missionaries.

Debag (v.) To strip the pants from a person, either as a punishment or as a joke.

Disasinate (v.) To deprive of stupidity.

Gastrophilanthropist (n.) “A benevolent purveyor for the appetites of others.”

Happify (v.) To make happy.

Jive-ass (n.) “A person who loves fun or excitement.”

Upon first glance I was skeptical of this sense listed for jive-ass, never having known of it being used to refer to a fun person. But then I read on and discovered that the OED also states that this is “a word of fluid meaning and application,” which sounds to me like a very elegant way of covering one’s lexicographic tracks. Perhaps it is a way of saying “Don’t come crying to us if this turns out to be wrong—we told you the word had fluid application.”

Minionette (adj.) Small and attractive.

Onomatomania (n.) Vexation at having difficulty in finding the right word.

Peristeronic (adj.) “Suggestive of pigeons.” (note: perhaps my favorite of the whole bunch! Next time I see a bunch of bird crap on the ground, this is how I’m describing it)

Unbepissed (adj.) “Not having been urinated on; unwet with urine.”

~~~~~~~

With that, I’d best leave off, as the words *are* the primary highlight of the book (though I’ve still only covered a fraction of the words noted in the book). This book is well-worth reading to anyone who particularly enjoys words: as a writer, I’ve definitely gleaned a handful of exciting and usable words from the bunch.

(I wonder if there’s a good way to use the word “peristeronic” in a poem?)

Take care,
~Neil

Discrimination at Diversity Scholarship Dinner

2011-12-31T17:38:00.003-06:00

Note: This article is in response to the event detailed here.

~~~

People typically form expectations for future events by using the information available beforehand. When I had been invited to the Celebrate Diversity Scholarship Dinner held last Wednesday, I fully expected an event that encouraged equality and celebrated diversity—of all kinds. What I received is the most insensitive and discriminatory university-sponsored event I have ever witnessed.

Listening to actor Terrence Howard give his keynote address was an enormously uncomfortable experience. One of Howard’s messages about recognizing equality focused on the idea that we are all creations of God and that we are all descendants of Adam and Noah. Howard referenced Jesus multiple times, noted that he used to be a Muslim but converted to Christianity, and even asked the audience to repeat the following message after him (among other messages): “I am made in God’s image.”

Again, expectations are key: if I had been attending a church service or any other Christian event, I would have had no qualms over Howard’s rhetoric. However, this event’s theme focused on equality and diversity, and diversity is not limited to race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.; religious diversity is key to a person’s cultural background and beliefs, and to address other important types of diversity while overlooking religious diversity is simply unacceptable. Doing so is roughly akin to saying: “It doesn’t matter what race, ethnicity, or gender you are, as long as you’re a Christian.”

I felt discriminated against during this dinner, and some of my friends in attendance expressed similar displeasure. I urge the coordinators of university-sponsored events, especially those events that focus on equality and diversity, to invest more effort into addressing religious diversity and regarding religious minorities with the respect they deserve.

~Neil Hester

Featured Poet- Lynsey Jenkins

2011-12-04T11:56:00.000-06:00

Heya everyone,

Today, I'm posting two poems by an acquaintance of mine, Lynsey Jenkins, for your enjoyment:

~~~

Channels

The mind is a mirror.
You whet your image till it draws nearer.
You wipe with your finger till it comes clearer,

then press your thumb into that place.
You push but when at last a face
gleams back, you slowly release

the pearl that tremors
as in a mirror
turning like the sky over a river,

of which you are a courier.

~~~~~

Sonnet To A Plummeting Lover

Is this what I meant: the glittering
pavements rising, the fictions
of your breath, my face
once arranged, then fleeing away
each nostril, each frightened kick
returned - now thrashing grip, quaked
by clutch nor ardent plea? Is this how
wind ravels your vices from me?
Or clasps us finite, as a sea
veers our ear and turns away?
You glide on disarray, your shape
mocking: at such pace beyond the now,
bending to memory, what lingers
of our sleep, when, at last, we wake?

~~~~~~~

Lots of nice music and interesting phrasing abounds. The first poem really comes full circle from the first to last lines, and the second poem is a sonnet that has some basic resemblance to the form (in line number and subject matter, though the latter is not approached in a typical fashion), but veers from convention.

Enjoy, and if you have thoughts/comments, make them known!

Take care,
~Neil

Ballet: The Deaths of Romeo and Juliet

2011-08-01T08:30:00.004-05:00

Hey folks!

In London, I went and saw the ballet Romeo and Juliet at the London Coliseum. The performance was absolutely incredible and left me very emotionally raw. Prokofiev's beautiful, beautiful ballet was well-matched by the choreography and dance of Ashton and his company, as well as a very talented pit.

Romeo and Juliet, as a story, translates very well to ballet. The end, in particular, was completely wrenching and saddening. Afterwards, I went straight back to the hostel and wrote this:

~~~

Ballet: The Deaths of Romeo and Juliet
~Sergei Prokofiev, Sir Frederick Ashton

He lays his hand on her quiet wrist;
his pulse redoubles at her lack.
He slips his arms beneath her back
and dead-living legs, which twist
at each awful turn he gives with hands
wanting for warmth. Romeo stands
and drinks the death of two.

Juliet wakes and dances true
to his side. Her hands upon his chest—
one, then both are breathless.
She leaps across his loveliness,
touches the edge of sharpened rest,
and, with a cry and pirouette,
plunges into her last duet.

~~~~~~~

Writing this was very self-fulfilling, and helped me feel as if I almost "gave back" to the show, if such can be done. It's also great to pull together many art forms—play gives rise to music, gives rise to dance, gives rise to poetry. Wonderful. And, for me personally, the poem commemorates a great experience. Forget quality—that's worth something on its own.

Take care,
~Neil

Smallness of a Snow Globe

2011-07-24T11:57:00.000-05:00

In light of one of the lectures in my Emotion class, a recent ethics post, and the resulting conversation about armchair liberalism, I wrote this, partly to paraphrase my professor in the first couple lines, and partly to poke a little fun at myself.

~~~

Smallness of a Snow Globe

To even worry of happiness is a luxury

of the privileged.

—And so we are condemned,

vaulted by our stars, to a better life

that flutters along, an absurdity

of the meaningful. Don’t talk—

you’ll only feel guilty, for what strife

draws your ideals into the real

grit that defines the thing, and stains

the feet of those who carry the thing?

Nothing. Move then! lest you remain

in your pretty globe, and inward linger—

choking on the snow and stardust makes you,

until the Thing that binds us breaks you.

~~~~~~~

Hooray for modern sonnets!

Anyhow, nothing else to say- take care 'til next,

~Neil

Let’s Discuss Ethics

2011-06-30T20:27:00.006-05:00

Note: Here's the note with all the comments, which obsolete some of the opinions presented here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/note.php?note_id=10150229119843506

In this note, I originally went with the idea of moral vs. immoral. However, as Corinna and Dan pointed out in the comments, morals are imposed from without, while ethics are considered from within. So, it's fairly accurate to think of ethics as moral philosophy- morals reached via reason. So, I went through the note and changed words accordingly (hopefully the changes aren’t too glitchy). Thanks for the constructive feedback.

~~~

In my last note, I asked everyone to address the morality of a series of actions. If you look at the responses, there’s a pretty wide range of opinions. Feel free to go back to that thread to contribute, debate, or discuss.

So, what do I think about this? To start, I probably should have gone with “ethics” instead of “morals” in the original note, so we’ll be jumping trains for this entry.

Anyhow, my view of ethics is socially based. Unethical actions, briefly defined as “wrong conduct, as defined by a set of reasoned principles”, can only exist in the context of other people; there has to be someone else who’s being wronged. You can’t act wrongly within or against yourself- we all possess ourselves, and thus it is not wrong for us to treat ourselves however we choose, *unless* doing so negatively affects another person, whom we do not possess, and therefore cannot treat as we please.

But, this is where things get tricky: how often do we act without affecting other people, even with self-directed actions? For example- in a vacuum, suicide is totally fine. But, how often does one exist in a vacuum? More realistically, let’s throw in some loved ones who are relying on you, and maybe some major job responsibilities. We’ve got a serious problem here- killing yourself is an unethical choice. But, let’s try another scenario, involving late stage brain cancer, high pain, low quality of life, and no career or family obligations. Let’s say you have family members, but given your level of suffering, it would be unreasonable for them to ask you to stay alive. Here, killing yourself is clearly a ethical choice.

The above examples illustrate that the key to discerning the ethicality of most actions is context. Does this action negatively affect someone? If so, who? Directly or indirectly? Do the benefits outweigh the costs? Is there a greater good at stake?

Another thing to point out is that a negative physical or psychological outcome does not determine the ethicality of an action. If you are working on a construction site, and seriously injure one of your co-workers by dropping something heavy on him, did you act unethically? No. Intent is more important- what are you trying to accomplish, and what foreseeable implications would your actions have?

Finally, consent is a key factor concerning potentially damaging behaviors. If a person consents to a risky action which could potentially harm him or her, in order to gain the benefits of the action, then the actor can proceed without worrying about acting unethically. Granted, implications of that potential harm in relation to others outside of this action should be taken into account, as well as the perceived chance of damage, as well as the magnitude of that damage. So, three questions: Who else could be affected by the potential damage resulting from this action? What are the chances that this action will result in damage? If damaging occurs, how great will it be? Yes, it’s complicated.

This is all coming straight from head to paper, so it’s still a fairly rough conception of ethics, but it’s a reasonable start. Here’s a quick review of important points to consider:

1. The wronging of others

2. The context of the action

3. The intent of the action

4. The consent of those facing potential harm

Great. Now, let’s look at the items I presented in the previous post:

~~~

1. physician-assisted suicide to alleviate extreme pain (doctor prescribes pills, patient ingests pills)

Ethical in most cases. In select situations, it might be important to endure a bit longer to accomplish something before dying, but these are rare instances.

2. receiving the services of a prostitute

Sometimes ethical. Cases for unethicality: you know the prostitute is a sex slave (trafficked), you are violating the trust of a significant other. But, if the prostitute is a worker, and you have no relational obligations to *not* pay for sex services—ethical.

3. consentual sex, with responsible use of birth control, before marriage

Always ethical, assuming both parties are fit to give informed consent (e.g., they are reasonably informed of STD risks, they’re not psychologically impaired, etc.).

4. child abuse

Never ethical. Granted, abuse is never a good thing, but with children in particular, they *really* can’t be held responsible for their actions, nor can they consent to being harmed.

5. gay adoption, assuming responsible adults

Always ethical- if the parents, regardless of sexual orientation (the psych literature speaks to this), are responsible and loving, the kid will benefit.

6. high-risk downhill mountain biking as a hobby

Sometimes ethical. In this case, the key is consideration of context: who would suffer if I were to die from a high-risk, optional behavior? If you’re single, and your parents aren’t relying on you for support, then it’s no big deal. Have a spouse? If she consents to your downhill biking, then that’s fine- she’s smart enough to know the risks. Have kids? No getting around this one- kids can’t comprehend the damage of losing a father at an early age. So, they can’t consent to the action, making it clearly unethical.

7. incest (tricky, but assume the sterility of one person, to avoid this leading to abortion discussions)

Sometimes ethical. In this case, there has to be consent on both ends, as well as low expectations of psychological damage on both ends. Yes, there’s an obvious ick factor for most people, but that has nothing to do with ethicality.

8. using your nation's flag to clean your toilet

Ethical in all cases that assume privacy. I could conceive of cases in which it might be unethical to do so in public, but I wrote this item with an assumption of privacy (hey, bathrooms!).

9. not apologizing to someone for a clear transgression

I’m going to say almost always ethical. There are probably a few situations in which not apologizing would be justified, but generally speaking, people should own up to their mistakes- apologizing can repair emotional damage caused by the transgression, so you owe it to the person to say sorry.

10. feeding dead people to animals (assume no disease problems, and the given consent of the dead people beforehand)

With the assumptions above, always ethical. I threw this in for two reasons: one, because it’s a disgusting thought for some, and two, because I think it’s a cool idea, since burying or cremating people is wasteful in comparison (edited; credit to Aimee for helping me with it).

11. thinking about killing someone (no justifiable reason)

Always ethical. Having thoughts does not harm others, even if the thoughts are about harming others. I think we all have a responsibility to hold each other accountable for bad actions, but bad thoughts? Not really a problem, until they lead to action.

12. using pornography while in a relationship with a romantic partner

This is not the item included in the previous post; I should have been clearer. Anyhow—sometimes ethical. If your partner has no problem with you using porn, then by all means, carry on. But, if your partner objects on the grounds of self-esteem issues, feeling unwanted, etc., then it would be unethical to simply carry on without discussing the problem.

13. being a super-special-awesome helpful, honest, hardworking, wonderful person (don't overthink this one)

Not gonna overthink this- always ethical.

~~~~~~~

Obviously, this is just one perspective of many (philosophy has a field day describing and defining ethics), but I think it’s a fairly functional one. Feel free to discuss, argue, etc., and I’ll try to respond.

Take care,

~Neil

Still, Almost- Three Versions

2011-06-21T15:26:00.004-05:00

Still, Almost

I still almost pray some nights. Laying there,

soft in bed, the world settles with me,

immense with thoughts and things in knots,

and always spinning. The spinning keeps me

awake, awake, with a need to slake

this looming discomfort.

I still feel water on my lips. Sinking through,

tossed about the murky blue, a place

thickens into heaviness

within. The concave mind, flailing,

fails the surface, breathless.

Falling sleep is almost like falling.

The weightlessness, the waiting,

the world spinning ever-faster,

knotting into being

alone is lonelier at night,

anchorless.

Maybe I will marry someday.

I can feel it on my

what if

…

~~~~~

Hey look, it’s a poem! This is the final draft of a poem that had to go through a couple major edits in order to really shape up into something that works. So, what failures did the first couple drafts have? Well, let’s take a look:

~~~~~

Still, Almost

I still almost pray some nights. Laying there,

soft in bed, the world settles down with me,

immense with thoughts and things and knots,

and always spinning. The spinning keeps me

awake, awake, with a need to slake

some looming discomfort.

I used to think God was the best listener.

He never interrupted, not once- just listened

To everything and everyone. I used to wish

He would interrupt, just once! to let me know

That He was really there at all. He never did.

I can still feel the water on my lips. Sometimes,

it helps to feel before I sleep, before I sink

into the dreamy deep, where the dizzy blur

obscures the real sound, the real touch

that I care about so much.

Once I thought dreams might be like heaven.

Anything is possible, after all.

Then I remembered the nightmares.

Anything is possible.

Falling asleep is almost like falling, sometimes.

The weightlessness, the waiting,

the world spinning ever-faster,

knotting itself into worries.

“Please keep my family and friends

Healthy and safe.” I prayed every night

In fear of what would happen if I didn’t.

Being alone is lonelier at night,

in a dark and sleepless room.

Maybe I will marry someday.

I never used to think about hell.

I was going to heaven, after all…

I can taste the salt on my lips.

What if I die too soon…

Nothingness seemed too empty to…

…

~~~~~

This is the first draft of the poem. There are some good moments, but it drags overall and the italic sections detract more than they add. Someone pointed these things out to me, resulting in this version:

~~~~~

Still, Almost

I still almost pray some nights. Laying there,

soft in bed, the world settles down with me,

immense with thoughts and things and knots,

and always spinning. The spinning keeps me

awake, awake, with a need to slake

some looming discomfort.

I can still feel the water on my lips. Sometimes,

it helps to feel before I sleep, before I sink

into the dreamy deep, where the dizzy blur

obscures the real sound, the real touch

that I care about so much.

Falling asleep is almost like falling, sometimes.

The weightlessness, the waiting,

the world spinning ever-faster,

knotting into worries.

Being alone is lonelier at night,

still in the sleepless dark.

Maybe I will marry someday.

I can taste it on my lips.

What if

…

~~~~~

Okay, I thought, much better. And, it is better. But, I got more input when I sent it to some other people. Consider what might be improved (you could compare it to the final version, but try just taking a look, right now, and picking out what’s *less* effective about this version), then take a look at some of these comments:

~~~~~

(about line 1) nice use of lay which references it to the world rather than the I

(about the second stanza) torch this stanza- a real letdown from the first- almost nothing works! (sure, this doesn’t elaborate on why the second stanza is bad, but it did force me to take a close look and see what wasn’t working)

The first one starts off nicely, but when you hit the last line of the first stanza, you can almost see it go off the rails.

Still, Almost -- Good little thing you do with the title. Usually, poems that reference the title so early on are worse for it, but the way you break the title apart with a comma adds another dimension, making the reader feel there's something else going on, too. (never hurts to mix in some positive feedback)

think the third line, "things and knots," should be "things in knots," b/c now, w/ fewer variables, you have something a little more concrete to contrast off the more abstract.

I agree... that the second stanza isn't very good, but, actually, look at the first couple of lines again -- there's something evocative about the suddenness of, "I can still feel the water on my lips" -- perhaps the speaker just got up to drink? Perhaps it's drool? Whatever it is, if you decide to keep the stanza, you need to connect it more deeply to the rest -- and I'd make that first line the axis on which this turns. (really useful advice for the rewrite!)

"Falling asleep is almost like falling, sometimes" -- the "sometimes" is weak and throwaway. "Still in the sleepless dark" is a weak line. But, "Maybe I will marry someday" is strong in its suddenness -- you should do something with it.

(about stanzas 3-4) move “being” up to the previous stanza (used this, but a little differently)

use “falling sleep” instead of “falling asleep” (this works, since the “a” will be added to “sleep” by readers automatically)

~~~~~

The critics quoted here are fair and focus on the quality of the poem. If you’re reading this, thanks for the help.

This post is somewhat related to the last one, but really, I just wanted to open up the (re)writing process a little bit and highlight what leads to the final product.

Take care,

~Neil

(Un)Emotionally Involved: Taking the Heart out of Art

2011-06-17T17:11:00.007-05:00

Note: I found out from someone that I did a really bad job communicating certain things in this note, so I'm going to clear a few things up beforehand (it's easier to do this, since changing things within the note would make the clarifications hard to find):

1. I do not, in ANY way, think that a person should be permanently detached from their artwork. It's a temporary shift in thought when you're trying to work on a piece or apply the criticism of someone else. I *am* attached to my art—it's very special to me, and one of the things that defines me as a person—but I try and pull back emotionally during the critiquing process, to try and think clearly about improving. After the product is finished, I am proud, and I do care very much for the piece as something I have accomplished.

2. When I say that emotion is worthless if it's not grounded in technical skill, I'm not by any means saying that you have to have perfect technical skill for emotion to be of any worth. The emotional simply shouldn't overshadow the technical aspect of a composition or performance (e.g., really, really hamming up a piano solo by swaying and closing your eyes, all the while misplaying several chords). Reading over this again, I stated this poorly and too harshly, so it deserves clarification.

3. The title might be misleading, so I'll just say this: emotion is integral in art, because it is much of what is being conveyed. Without emotion, art would lose a large part of its purpose, because it would have much less to communicate. I noted this in the entry, but perhaps not clearly enough.

Normally, I feel like I bridge the audience gap pretty well, but I lost some people this time, and I apologize.

~Neil

~~~~~

(I guess you could try to take the art out of heart, but that would be a bit sexist, now wouldn’t it?)

~~~

Exhibit A:

Artist sends artwork (poem, novel, concerto, painting, etc.) to reviewer.

Reviewer gives negative, but useful, feedback grounded in objective observation.

Artist becomes angry, and argues back with emotional, subjective, and irrelevant points, without considering that the reviewer’s comments might be used to improve.

~~~~~

Exhibit B:

Artist sends artwork to reviewer.

Reviewer gives negative, but useful, feedback grounded in objective observation.

Artist becomes sad, and bemoans the fact that the product of his soul has been criticized, without considering that the reviewer’s comments might be used to improve.

~~~~~~~

These aren’t the only two scenarios possible in such a situation (there will be an Exhibit C shortly), but this sort of interaction is excruciatingly common. People become too emotionally connected to their artwork, leaving them tied down, bound up, and unable to achieve the distance from their work necessary to not only critique themselves, but also to accept the criticism of others. If every work of art you’ve produced is bound by strings to your heart, then every time your art is “hurt”, you’re going to be hurt, too- and once you become angry or sad about the attacks directed at your artwork by the enemies (how dare they!), you’re going to have trouble rationally analyzing the quality of their critiques and deciding how you can use what they’ve given you to achieve a better product.

Now, the solution is obvious, but for some, it sounds painful, ridiculous, or any number of other adjectives that shortly precede an insistent “No! I won’t do that!” But, even if we don’t like immunization shots or cough syrup, we know they’re good for us, and accept them— so, assuming I convince you that the solution to the current problem (emotartionwork?) is effective and worthwhile, then you should accept it. That said—

Cut the strings. Then, do what you couldn’t do before— back up, and take a good look at the collection of words, notes, or brushstrokes in front of you. The thing in front of you isn’t your child, or your girlfriend, or your husband; it’s a work of art that must be objectively considered against the standards that an art form possesses. If someone else criticizes it, you shouldn’t have any problem accepting the criticism and working to improve the product— after all, it’s not as if someone just walked up and told you how ugly and loud your girlfriend is, or that your child should probably lay off of the Oreos. There’s no need to be defensive.

~~~

Exhibit C:

Artist sends artwork to reviewer.

Reviewer gives negative, but useful, feedback grounded in objective observation.

Artist considers that the reviewer’s comments might be used to improve, and accepts or rejects each point of feedback on the basis of whether each point seems to increase or decrease the quality of the artwork.

~~~~~~~

Much better.

Note that I’m certainly not saying that art must be devoid of all emotion. Ideas for art can be emotional, and emotions can be expressed through art. But, the process of creating art must be grounded in objective, technical skill, and as such, reactions to criticism should also be grounded in objectivity. Sure, some emotion can also be thrown into the creative process, but should never dominate.

Aside: Although this article is about composition, the same rules apply to performance. Sure, we like to see performers who seem to be enjoying what they’re doing on an emotional level; however, once you strip a performance of its technical groundings, the emotion is no longer of any value whatsoever. The performance of a violinist who wears the face of anguish or joy as she plays is worth nothing if she cannot keep rhythm and tune pitches. Why shouldn’t we hold composers, music or otherwise, to the same standard? Probably because composition is more difficult to grade by objective measures, but that’s not a good excuse.

Although I’ve focused on the artist in this article, the reviewer deserves a brief mention, since he also must not become emotionally involved. The reviewer may wish that he had come up with the idea of the artist, or that he were as talented as the artist— or, alternatively, he may just not like the artist on a personal level. Should these things affect the criticism that the artwork receives? Of course not- but, bias slips in all the time, and it’s necessary to learn to counteract this tendency as effectively as possible.

Emotion-based bias is good to some extent when considering, say, yourself or your lover; but it’s not good at all when considering art. So, keep some distance, make your own useful observations, and consider the criticisms of others. Ironically, removing emotion from the creation of art facilitates the creation of art that poignantly expresses emotion— and, who can argue with that?

Take care,

~Neil

Carpe Diem- No Better Choice

2011-06-10T14:58:00.002-05:00

Now, maybe I should refrain from advocating outright impulsiveness on a daily basis, but I'm a little tempted, given what there is to know about one of our all-time favorite emotions, regret. Initially you might think that actions with negative outcomes probably cause more regret than inactions with negative outcomes- and, you'd be right, in the short-term. If I were to switch from stock A to stock B, then lose a bunch of money, I would regret doing so more than I would regret sticking with stock A and losing a bunch of money. That's the natural reaction we have- we feel more responsibility for our actions, and their consequences are more salient, so we feel more regret short-term for our actions. But, consider this: what do people regret years down the road, when they're older and opportunities have passed them by?

"I wish I had pursued a better education." "I wish I had given a relationship with her a chance." "I wish I had spent more time with my family members when I had the chance." Woulda, coulda, shoulda. In the long-term, it's our regrettable inactions that really bite, more than our regrettable actions. Why is that? I'll touch on a few of the reasons.

When you do something that doesn't turn out so well (e.g., cheating on your partner, failing a test because you didn't study enough), sure, you regret it. But you also do things to counteract these failings: you ask for the forgiveness of your partner, or you study much harder for the next test. These failings are finite, and easily recognizable as failings in the short-term, when there's still time to "make things right". On top of that, you try and focus on that ever-so-comforting "silver lining" that comes from a bad experience, even if you end up failing to fix the initial problem outright. Your partner dumps you anyway? At least you learned not to cheat. You fail the class anyhow? Now you know to study harder in the future. Also, because these events are finite, it's easier to gain some sort of closure- that is, you don't become emotional every time you think about something wrong you did.

But, when you fail to do something and regret your failure to act later on, it's a lot harder to patch things up. Consider looking back on these two scenarios when you're 60 years old. Scene one: you passed up the opportunity to apply to few really great colleges, because you didn't think you could get in, and weren't sure you could handle a long-term relationship with your partner. Scene two: you decided to not have children, even though you wanted to, because you didn't think that you could handle career pressures and raising kids at the same time.

Now, try to fit the consequences of these regrettable inactions into a box, the way we did with the regrettable actions. Tough? Thought so. The "What if?" thoughts are so numerous in these situations that it's dizzying; infinite, in fact, barring any limitations your imagination imposes. On top of that, inactions are often characterized by a lack of confidence at the deciding hour; we break down, struggling beneath the weight of potential failure, and choose not to act. But, in retrospect, we think: "I could have done that. Why didn't I do that?" and we come up empty, lacking a good, solid reason for why we didn't just go for it.

Worse still, we also tend to think about regrettable inactions a lot more often than regrettable actions. The Zeigarnik effect states that people tend to be more preoccupied with incomplete goals or tasks. This leads to thinking more about these things; thinking about them more often equates to remembering them better. If you have a clearer recollection of something regrettable, that's going to lead to more frequent memories of that thing, and thus more pain. Hooray? Not really.

A quick side note, before wrapping things up: the top three domains of most regretted inactions, in no particular order, are education, career, and romance. Unfortunate, really, because the first two can easily conflict with the third, but that's how things are. I've previously considered this dilemma, and though I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about it, I've shifted my position some as of late, partly because of long-term regret.

Now, I'm not sure I can advocate complete impulsivity, since it's important to take into some consideration current consequences and the impact your actions will have on other people. But, it's usually best to shore up what confidence you have, call it enough, and take action. Think of doing so as taking care of yourself for the future- try and keep those wistful nights of wondering about "what could have been" down to a minimum by acting now.

So, the basic lesson of all this, in a few words? Well, "carpe diem" is a good phrase. Nike also has the right idea- "Just Do It." That works too. Though, I was talking to my friend Josh about this a couple days ago, and we agreed that it's important to "do stuff", so that's what I'm going to go with.

The moral: Do stuff.

Take care,
~Neil

~~~

Gilovich, T., & Medvec, V. (1995). The experience of regret: What, when, and why. Psychological Review, 102(2), 379-395. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.102.2.379

Exercising Brevity, Part II

2011-05-29T01:15:00.002-05:00

Ever considered how musicians play etudes and scales to work on certain aspects of their technique? Or, how athletes run drills to improve their performance in particular areas? The same can apply to writing poetry- you can target a certain aspect of writing, apply relevant rules to the act of writing, and improve that particular thing.

In this case, we'll look at ideas and rules for improving concision- that is, "exercising brevity" (oh ho!). If you tend to write really long poems, whether they be free verse, formal verse, or something in between, then obvious rule is obvious- limit the number of lines you have! For example, a sonnet accomplishes this. Take something that you could (and would) probably write 30, 40, 50 lines about, and write 14. That's it. Doesn't necessarily have to be a classical sonnet (it can be modern), but you only have so many words, so use them more effectively.

From the basic rule, you can also add other rules or try tougher forms to make the process more technically challenging (especially if you tend to write free verse). Villanelles, for example, are challenging- sure, you have 19 lines, but you also have a refrain that has to repeat multiple times, and to write a good villanelle, that refrain has to be written in a way that lends itself to multiple meanings, which is something that, in general, helps with concision. Or, for additional rules, you can cut down further on the lines (from a sonnet benchmark), impose a rhyme scheme, take a longer work (like a short story or fairy tale) and condense it while still retaining most (or all) of the force and meaning, etc.. Here's an example of how a fusion of these suggestions works:

~~~

The Thieves and the Cock

Some thieves broke into a house and found nothing worth taking except a cock, which they seized and carried off with them. When they were preparing their supper, one of them caught up the cock, and was about to wring his neck, and cried out for mercy and said, “Pray do not kill me. You will find me a most useful bird, for I rouse honest men to work in the morning by my crowing.” But the thief replied with some heat, “Yes, I know you do, making it still harder for us to get a livelihood. Into the pot you go!”

(Translated by V.S. Vernon Jones)

~~~~~

The Thieves and the Cock

The silent party made their break
And stole a meal. Then cried the cock:
“Please let me go! I’ll help- I wake
Good men each day!” Of this he talked

Till a thief replied and grabbed his bill:
“Yesyes, you silly bird, I know-
you make our jobs even harder still.
Now— into the pot you go!”

~~~~~~~

Lessee- cutting down on lines? Check- only 8. Rhyme scheme? Check- abab, very standard, and appropriate for this kind of material. Taking a work and condensing it? Check- 107 vs. 62 words, and every important element of the story is still there. Is this a really great poem? No, but it's definitely solid, and it does stand on its own, apart from the prose version. And, the lessons learned by working within such restraints can easily translate over to longer and more complicated works, which is essential.

A side note, since I've talked quite a bit about imposing rules on writing to improve: if you tend to always write with formal rhyme schemes, or always write really short poems, the opposite rules can also apply. Make yourself write free verse, and work on expanding ideas and adding extra layers and nuances to give the words meaning and maintain interest. But, the more common problem (as I noted at the beginning of Part I) is overwriting, which I chose to mainly address.

Although certain things are very difficult to practice, such as the development of interesting and fresh ideas, other things can be systematically improved upon, such as the presentation and execution of ideas. And that, in itself, is worth something. A piece with an interesting idea, but poor execution of that idea, is mediocre at best- and who doesn't want to strive for something beyond mediocrity?

Take care,

~Neil

Exercising Brevity, Part I

2011-05-26T00:36:00.003-05:00

On Writing Poetry

When writing poetry, brevity is bliss.
That said, I think I’m done writing this.

~~~~~

Okay- so there's also such a thing as a lack of substance. But, far more common than underwriting, overwriting is a problem that plagues a lot of writing, poetry or otherwise. If you read some of the This Old Poem entries at Cosmoetica, you'll notice that one of the most common fixes to make a poem better is to simply excise parts of the poem that add little to nothing (e.g., description for the sake of description) or actually hurt the poem (e.g., clichés, unmusical phrasing). Since I mentioned the This Old Poem series, I will pull an example from it to show what I'm talking about. Here's the two drafts of a poem by Thomas Hardy:

~~~

Afterwards

When the Present is behind me,
             And May makes its leavings,
Delicate-filmed, will others see
             I was one who noticed such things?

If I pass, during some warm night,
            When hedgehogs grace the lawn,
Who may say, ‘He strove so their plight
            Would have worth- but now all are gone.’

And who will say, when now is dumb,
            Paused from its outrollings,
All will return, and these words come,
            ‘He was one who noticed such things?’

~~~~~

Afterwards

When the Present has latched its postern behind my tremulous stay,
And the May month flaps its glad green leaves like wings,
Delicate-filmed as new-spun silk, will the neighbours say,
"He was a man who used to notice such things"?

If it be in the dusk when, like an eyelid's soundless blink,
The dewfall-hawk comes crossing the shades to alight
Upon the wind-warped upland thorn, a gazer may think,
"To him this must have been a familiar sight.

If I pass during some nocturnal blackness, mothy and warm,
When the hedgehog travels furtively over the lawn,
One may say, "He strove that such innocent creatures should come to no harm,
But he could do little for them; and now he is gone."

If, when hearing that I have been stilled at last, they stand at the door,
Watching the full-starred heavens that winter sees,
Will this thought rise on those who will meet my face no more,
"He was one who had an eye for such mysteries"?

And will any say when my bell of quittance is heard in the gloom,
And a crossing breeze cuts a pause in its outrollings,
Till they rise again, as they were a new bell's boom,
"He hears it not now, but used to notice such things"?

~~~~~~~

You probably caught onto the switch-up—revised first, original second—once you saw the second version (and, perhaps, got tired of reading it by the third stanza). Here's the link to the full article. Some comments on the original- for one, some of the music is forced and overdone (read the 1st and 5th lines aloud to see what I mean). Also, some of the modifiers and phrases are redundant or unneeded. "Nocturnal blackness" is one- nights are typically dark, and there's no reference to any other potential "blackness" or "nocturnal" thing, so there's no need to specify otherwise. "Mothy" does nothing, and "full-starred heavens" is better than "starry heavens" but still contributes very little to the poem. If you're writing, and not sure whether or not to keep a phrase or word, try this: weigh the benefit of keeping the phrase or word against the benefit of tightening up a line or sentence, and thereby maintaining the momentum of the primary thrust of the piece. Chances are, if the description is not important in some way, then you'd be better off cutting it.

That's enough for now- in a couple days, I'll talk about a good strategy for improving one's writing by focusing on brevity (with an example).

Take care,

~Neil

Follow Me

2011-05-19T22:58:00.003-05:00

...since apparently, we're going somewhere. Anyhow, it's been quite some time since I've posted any new work of my own. So, I'm going to continue not posting anything recent.

Or, I could put something new up for a change. Today, I have two versions of the same poem. I'll take opinions as to which is preferred- first the original, then the revised:

~~~

Follow Me

Just this week we took an oath
to play the one and the other both
and wrestle our ways through tenderness
and wash ourselves in warmer streams
and dreamless touch the great regress.

I read the one’s uneven scrawl
expired along the coral wall
and curled upon the other’s face
a hand once firmer in its stroke
and laced our hair into the air
and woke up in a hollow place.

~~~~~

Follow Me

Just this week, we took an oath
to play (the one and the other both)
and wrestle our ways through tenderness
and wash ourselves in warmer streams
and dreamless touch the great regress.

I read the one’s uneven scrawl,
expired along the coral wall,
and curled upon the other’s face
a hand, once firmer in a stroke,
and laced our hair into the air
and woke up in a hollow place.

~~~~~~~

The first one is slightly better musically, I'd say, but the second has more ways of being read, since the punctuation adds multiplicity of meaning. Comments are welcome.

In other news, get ready for the Rapture- less than two days left! Check out this sexy math:

By Camping's understanding, the Bible was dictated by God and every word and number carries a spiritual significance. He noticed that particular numbers appeared in the Bible at the same time particular themes are discussed.

The number 5, Camping concluded, equals "atonement." Ten is "completeness." Seventeen means "heaven." Camping patiently explained how he reached his conclusion for May 21, 2011.

"Christ hung on the cross April 1, 33 A.D.," he began. "Now go to April 1 of 2011 A.D., and that's 1,978 years."

Camping then multiplied 1,978 by 365.2422 days - the number of days in each solar year, not to be confused with a calendar year.

Next, Camping noted that April 1 to May 21 encompasses 51 days. Add 51 to the sum of previous multiplication total, and it equals 722,500.

Camping realized that (5 x 10 x 17) x (5 x 10 x 17) = 722,500.

Or put into words: (Atonement x Completeness x Heaven), squared.

"Five times 10 times 17 is telling you a story," Camping said. "It's the story from the time Christ made payment for your sins until you're completely saved.

"I tell ya, I just about fell off my chair when I realized that," Camping said.

Looks pretty foolproof to me.

Take care,
~Neil

Revival with Crane

2011-05-16T01:42:00.003-05:00

Hey folks,

I've been absent for over a year now, but I'm back to try and revive this blog, at least for the summer. The focus will still be poetry, but I may try and throw some psychology into the mix as well, along with anything else interesting that comes along.

That said, let's jump straight into a poem by Hart Crane:

~~~

My Grandmother’s Love Letters

There are no stars tonight
But those of memory.
Yet how much room for memory there is
In the loose girdle of soft rain.

There is even room enough
For the letters of my mother’s mother,
Elizabeth,
That have been pressed so long
Into a corner of the roof
That they are brown and soft,
And liable to melt as snow.

Over the greatness of such space
Steps must be gentle.
It is all hung by an invisible white hair.
It trembles as birch limbs webbing the air.

And I ask myself:

“Are your fingers long enough to play
Old keys that are but echoes:
Is the silence strong enough
To carry back the music to its source
And back to you again
As though to her?”

Yet I would lead my grandmother by the hand
Through much of what she would not understand;
And so I stumble. And the rain continues on the roof
With such a sound of gently pitying laughter.

~~~~~~~

Some comments, to break the poem down a little bit:

As always, Crane's music is excellent. The first line could easily lead into something trite, but the progression to memory and "room for memory" avoids this. Also, the transition from the first to second stanza is nice, because of the "room" link. The stand-alone "Elizabeth" is good in this case, because he's talking about love letters, so it's like an address or a proclamation.

The image in the third stanza is really lovely, and nicely captures how delicate the connection of the grandmother's love to this world is. Then, the poem takes an interesting turn, with the single line transitioning into the quoted stanza, which uses the somewhat common "music = memories" idea, but does so uniquely- great stanza.

The last stanza ends the poem well, and does a couple interesting technical things. One, it evokes the rain mentioned in the first stanza, bringing the poem into a circle of sorts (but, without being clumsy about it- references to earlier parts of the poem can very easily be tedious or forced). Two, it sets the reader up with a little couple with the first two lines ("hand" / "stand"), then breaks away from this with the final line.

~~~~~

That's enough for now- I'll be back soon, perhaps to post something of my own. Oh, and for old times' sake: It's May (a post from over four years ago!)!

Take care,
~Neil

Haiti Relief Effort

2010-01-14T20:49:00.001-06:00

Haiti is fairly close to the US on the map, but light years away in terms of prosperity, stability, and quality of life.

The above statement applied before the earthquake that hit Haiti recently. The situation in Haiti is tragic right now, and they need help. Read more here:

World races to reach 3million Haiti earthquake victims

Haiti earthquake left 100,000 dead in 60 seconds - and toll could reach 500,000: Warning Graphic content

Basically, at least 100,000 people died, about 3,000,000 more are displaced from their homes, and the infrastructure of Haiti is severely damaged (read: almost nonexistent).

I know that Haiti feels far away, and the reality is, this disaster doesn't directly affect most of us. Still, try and separate yourself from your own daily existence and imagine what it's like to be living in Haiti right now.

Here's an article with some information on donating:

Money needed most in Haiti earthquake relief efforts

Other options for donating include most churches and local organizations. Thanks, and take care,

~Neil

Leach is Gone

2009-12-31T16:22:00.012-06:00

Texas Tech fired Mike Leach, the best head football coach Tech has ever had. I know that the subject matter at hand is completely unrelated to the focus of this blog, but being a Tech student and a Tech football fan, I'm extremely aggravated at the short-sightedness of Tech administration.

Disclaimer: I had a positive experience at Tech my first semester, and found my teachers, advisors, and peers, for the most part, to be wonderful people. I think Tech is a fine school academically and musically; however, the athletic department just made an enormous error, and I consider it my right to speak out.

For anyone who doesn't understand the situation:

~~~

Mike Leach Fired

Mike Leach Fired II

Mike Leach Fired III

~~~~~~~

Watch the videos in the first link. Also, a few notes:

The kid with the mild concussion, Adam James, claimed to have been confined to a "shed" and an "electrical closet" after complaining about the sun (and showing up to football practice in sunglasses). This "shed" is a facility with good ventilation, water, etc. The "electrical closet" is also well-ventilated and certainly not a "sadistic" place to put someone. Oh, and supposedly there were trainers standing by, and the doctor signed a note saying that Leach's confinement of James did not affect him physically in any way, and was probably better for him than being outside (dark and quiet places happen to be good for people with concussions). Fact is, coaches all over the place subject players to worse punishments than a little time-out session (even in junior highs) and receive no punishment for it (and rightly so, unless the kid receives significant physical or mental abuse).

The kid's father, Craig James, is an ESPN football analyst and former NFL star. He has a history of complaining to Leach about his treatment/utilization of Adam James (read: James doesn't get much playing time). Do you honestly think this story would have ever made it to the surface if, say, a black single mother of one of these kids working a low-end job had complained? Of course not.

Gerald Myers, the head athletic director at Texas Tech, has made it publicly known that he dislikes Leach. He withheld his contract and made negotiations incredibly difficult last February. It's no surprise that he took the opportunity to get Leach fired, even at the cost of the Tech athletic department's reputation and success (things which obviously do not concern the head athletic director's job in the least).

Speaking of Leach getting fired: they fired him before the scheduled court hearing. If they had any faith in their argument, they could have at least let due process take place, instead of firing him immediately with no substantial proof (yet, they fired him "with cause", or at least are trying to). However, the cause they may try to cite is Leach's "insubordination", which basically boils down to Leach not willing to be a PC sycophant to his superiors. For example, they wanted Leach to write an apology to James' family. Leach felt no need to apologize, having done nothing wrong. That was the appropriate and self-respecting response; apologizing for something that wasn't wrong is equivalent to admitting you did something wrong.

A quick point about the reception of Lubbockites and Red Raiders: they are up in arms. I wouldn't be surprised if Myers is forced to resign because of the influence of outraged alumni in high positions. Also, despite the fact that Leach himself is not the football team, expect for fans to opt for their TV sets instead of the stands next year. Tech is going to lose recruiting power and revenue from this decision.

Last point: Leach graduated in the top third of his class at Pepperdine Law School. I expect him to sue Tech for millions.

I enjoyed having an eccentric, intelligent coach at the head of my school's football team. Since he's gone for good (barring some miracle that gets Myers fired and Leach reinstated), I hope he gets his chance to clear his name and find a job elsewhere. I'm still a Tech football fan (since this isn't the team's fault), but my respect for Tech's administration is severely damaged. Yes, I still appreciate the opportunities that they have given to students such as myself (I owe them for an exceptionally good scholarship); however, that does nothing to curb my frustration at an utterly senseless decision made without proper consideration of the long-term effects Leach's firing will have on the well-being of the university.

Tech: You messed up. Leach: I'll be rooting for whatever team you end up coaching at in the future.

~Neil

Slam Sonnetry

2009-12-01T20:43:00.003-06:00

Recently, I entered an on-campus poetry contest. The exact nature of the contest was unclear to me, so I went ahead and submitted a sonnet. Then I realized that the host of the contest was Alvin Lau, a slam poet, and the entire contest was centered around slam poetry.

Maybe I should have stayed away because of the theme, which was "Put a Smile on Your Face". From the top of my head, I can't think of any great poetry that blatantly fits a silly theme like that. But I decided to do it anyway, and entered "Sonnet for the Sky", which isn't exactly happy, but it's one of the happiest things I have.

So I entered, found out it was a slam poetry contest (after already submitting a sonnet [in a classical form, no less]), and decided to stick with it anyhow. I ended up reading a sonnet in front of a majority-slam poet crowd. I also ended up listening to a bunch of slam poetry, which was interesting, but not something I'd do again.

Here's my take on slam poetry: good slam poems have merit for the sake of entertainment, but they're not poetry, at least not in the literary sense. I prefer to think of them as performance pieces instead. Why? Because literature is defined as:

"writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays"

Key word here is "writings". Writing is, first and foremost, meant to be read, not performed. If writing doesn't have artistic merit to a reader, without any need for a great performance to give it merit, then it's not literature.

For example, one of the funniest pieces at the slam poetry contest was a piece about "whale love". The guy performing talked about different aspects of whales loving each other, focusing on the "songs" whales use to call mates. He actually made whale sounds inbetween verses. It was pretty funny material, but try reading that on paper, and it falls flat. How would that read? "Mmmmoooooaaaaaaammmmmmhhhh?" Ah, great art!

On the other hand, the more serious or romantic pieces I heard were more annoying than anything else. Extremely cliched- on paper, they would look horrible, with bad music, and even performed, I got annoyed with the strings of dead phrases.

Here are a couple of video examples of Alvin Lau (the guy I listened to), for those of you who are unfamiliar with this sort of thing:

~~~

Full Moon- Good performances qualities- he's good at performing. I agree with the political message, too, but some of stuff he says makes me cringe, and not in the good way.

For The Breakdancers- Again, the guy can perform. But really, half the words don't make any real sense and are just filler to keep music going and choreograph with the breakdancing. So, kind of entertaining at first, but it gets old fast.

~~~~~~~

A term I think is fine for these kinds of performances is "spoken word". That's an apt description, I suppose. Something inbetween a rap and a monologue. Anyhow, I don't particularly enjoy the stuff, but I'm okay with it; I just think that "slam poetry" is a mislabel, since the stuff isn't poetry (or at least, it's really bad poetry). Call me elitist, call me close-minded, but that's my take on it and I'm sticking by it.

On a side note, it's November... er, December. Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving ^^

Take Care,
~Neil

Tropical Storm Ketsana

2009-10-01T15:21:00.003-05:00

A couple days ago, I found out about Ketsana hitting the Philippines; I got an e-mail from my cousin, then heard from my mom, who talked to my grandparents. The situation is extremely bad in the Philippines, as well as in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, from my understanding. Here are a few media:

~~~

Philippines Flood of Woes

At Least 240 Dead in Philippine Floods

Philippines braced for new storm

~~~~~~~

Fortunately, as far as I know, my family in the Philippines is alive, which I am very thankful for. I've read that the government has been slow to respond; hopefully my family has gotten help by now, and hopefully the potential second storm misses or isn't as bad as they are currently predicting.

I wrote a poem with my family in mind. It's not at all cheerful, but I tried to reflect some of what's going through some peoples' heads over there right now, to the best of my ability. It's hard from halfway around the world.

~~~

Tropical Storm Ketsana
~For my relatives in the Philippines

The clouds are empty now. Our houses are full,
and our homes are gone. Will someone respond?
No government yet (but, some are too high
to get their feet wet). From the top of my house,
I can see the ocean. Or maybe the Styx–
I saw two bodies float away. Now I know
my friend is dead; he’s lost in a sea
of soggy dreams, broken wood,
and all my thoughts and fears. Too many
to take the time to cry. I’m too dry anyhow,
parched in the soul. The water does nothing,
except whet the thirst; it travels slowly,
with a grim and sickly shimmer, so unlike
the crystal torrent just hours before,
with its jagged winds and massive roar.
My terror grew with every tremor.

—And yet,
I find the present, in its silence, to be worse.
The storm was like an army, but the river is a hearse.

~~~~~~~

Best of wishes to all my family in the Philippines,
~Neil

New Favorite Website

2009-09-11T14:32:00.002-05:00

Christwire.org

Baha.

In other news, my absence can be explained in one word: college. I'm still getting settled, and I spend most of my time either socializing or studying, so I haven't been writing much of anything that's not school-related. Once I've been here for a bit longer, though, I'm betting more time will open up.

A small personal update, since I mentioned college: I'm currently majoring psychology with a minor in vocal performance. So far, classes have been good for the most part (I was annoyed at having to take two years of foreign language, but Latin is a better class than I thought it would be). College life is nice, and I don't think I'll have too much trouble with my classes (though I've yet to take an exam, so that may change). I'm thinking about approaching the journalism department with a weekly poetry column, but I think I'll wait until next semester/year until I do so. Overall, I've had a good time so far.

That's all for now: it's September, so celebrate. Or something like that. And go read Christwire. Seriously.

Take Care,
~Neil

Another Aesop

2009-08-21T20:37:00.002-05:00

I thought I should pop in and post a quick poem (with the accompanying fable), since it's been over a month since I've posted. I'm currently getting ready to start college- wish me luck.

~~~

The Mice in Council

Once upon a time all the mice met together in council and discussed the best means of securing themselves against the attacks of the cat. After several suggestions had been debated, a mouse of some standing and experience got up and said, "I think I have hit upon a plan which will ensure our safety in the future, provided you approve and carry it out. It is that we should fasten a bell round the neck of our enemy the cat, which will by its tinkling warn us of her approach." This proposal was warmly applauded, and it had been already decided to adopt it, when an old mouse got upon his feet and said, "I agree with you all that the plan before us is an admirable one. But may I ask who is going to bell the cat?"

~~~~~

The Mice in Council

"I think I have hit upon a plan
Which will keep the cat at bay.
A bell 'round its neck, if we can,
Should keep our deaths away."

With cheers, they settled on the task.
An old mouse stood. The others sat.
"The plan is fine. But may I ask
Who is going to bell the cat?"

~~~~~~~

Some might say that reworking Aesop's fables reflects a lack of creativity/originality on my part. Y'know, though, there's nothing wrong with reworking something old into something new, or stealing an idea then making it your own with some personal touches. Doing it with Aesop's Fables is particularly nice, since they're part of the public domain. Also, fables fit my style fairly well.

I'll try to keep some posts going during the school year; I might switch into a poetry analysis mode, featuring great poems by various authors and talking a bit about them. I'm also hoping to break into some of the college publications (something is better than nothing, right?). Also, happy birthday to Jess and myself. Speaking of which, it's August.

I just realized that I started this blog when I was just entering 10th grade. There's definitely a difference between my entries now and my entries then (and I'm sure things will continue to change).

Take Care,
~Neil

Smart Words

2009-07-09T11:53:00.004-05:00

Alex Sheremet recently wrote a response to this post which, along with Dan and Jess's response, deserve a place to be read. "The words cheered me, as smart words often do." So sayeth Jess- so be cheered:

~~~

Alex Sheremet:

Neil, I just remembered this e-mail / post (your blog, too, is Banned in Beijing, so I couldn't read it last month) --

You make a comparison w/ video games (I'm a fan, too, but less these days, although Oblivion dominated my sleeping & waking for 2 weeks, in '06, even though I recognized it lacked depth; but, such a pretty drug...), and I've often made a comparison to music, especially rap. My thinking was, why can't people agree on precise artistic standards, then follow them? Every book review I've read mentioned so many different elements ("humanity," "compassion," etc.) that, both then and now, seemed not only non-quantifiable, but irrelevant. To me, it was kinda like arguing over someone's personal aesthetic: should I get a tattoo of a star, or a butterfly? six pack abs, or not? red pants, or blue? That's not in realm of objective standards, merely taste, and should only come up in 1) minor comments, 2) more 'personal' essays, where the author not only touches on a work's artistic merit, but in what way the "compassion,"etc., influenced him, or how it relates to broader, greater things. Merely pointing out "compassion," or whatever, is as silly as emphasizing that a poem is written in blank verse. So what? It must go somewhere.

In rap, however, both in online reviews and face-to-face conversations, no one would have any of that shit. To call a mediocrity like 2Pac "human" or "compassionate" was, besides being a lie, simply embarrassing - you're either good, or you're not; everything else is irrelevant, even though, too often, people worship these artists as icons of some kind of cultural significance beyond art. So, why couldn't people apply the same thinking to art in general, and come away with a precise way to discuss writing?

Dan often gets angry at people's "stupidity" about these things, but I don't think it's stupidity, nor is it malice - it's usually ignorance, although though I'm sure at least a few writers recognize they have no talent. Also, it partly depends on your environment, too. When I was 16, I really had no one around me to discuss literature, etc., with - I was some anomaly that accidentally picked up a life-changing book, and began reading then. The fact that I became interested in literature meant I had to do the usual: read the NY Times reviews, online reviews, comments on Amazon, or books by critics, such as Dale Peck's Hatchet Job. As far as I could tell, everyone was discussing the "humanity," or "post-modern ennui," "cultural centers," etc. -- I thought, is this it? Does this mean "higher arts," such as literature, must be discussed in intangibles?

Well, it was hard to think otherwise if people more educated than me were so casual w/ such nonsensical phrases. Back then, I confused education w/ analytical ability, even though my interest in politics and debate allowed me to argue against most of my high school teachers with great ease. The obvious sometimes takes a while to sink in, and only now, after 3 yrs of college, I fully see how ill-equipped most professors are to discuss literature, educated or not. Some things really cannot be taught, at least not directly - you have to figure them out on your own. This builds self-trust and genuine understanding, without any of the posturing that false self-trust comes with. Regardless, it's hard to get over this garbage, even if you mean well - no matter how intelligent you are, you will be surrounded by frauds w/ lots of charisma, who will try to draw you into their nonsense. The question is, are you lucky and/or discriminating enough to find your way out? Even Dan was, at one time, drawn to violence and Paco (of his memoirs), for similar reasons -- he merely got out in time. I see art in a similar way - how many intelligent people are drawn to faux philosophy, faux standards, and artistic muddles, simply because this is the norm, and forever flounder in it? All of their potential is sapped, and if they realize it eventually, it's often too late. And, how many intelligent kids are forced into violence, and never find their way out, so that, later on, adults say: "My God, how -- he was so intelligent! Didn't he know better?" Maybe he did know better, but only by instinct, not in detached, calculated fact. Intelligence is not really the issue here.

It was probably Nabokov's tangible approach to literature that got me questioning all of the above. Problem was, although I got over mainstream criticism, I later realized that Nabokov, too, for all of his education, and for all of his CORRECT steps in the right direction, was incomplete - he was not a great critic, and often not a great writer, because, in many ways, his vision was just as myopic as a pedant's, albeit in less offensive, less flagrant ways. He took the "practical" aspects of writing to such an extreme that he lost all self-control, larding his books w/ pointless, albeit beautiful, details, and refusing to engage in philosophy, as well as any real direction, thus lacking substance, while attacking writers greater than him. (I want to review his autobiography for Cosmoetica, kinda in the 'personal essay' vein, with two parts: his criticism, and artistic view of things, and how it contributes to but mostly detracts from his fiction.) I think this ability to learn from someone like Nabokov is important, and the fact that I can rationally reject this teacher after learning all that's valuable, is indicative of my growth, with no emotional quibbles over what I see is RIGHT.

This is why I recommend Cosmoetica to friends as well as professors - the criticism is level-headed, and, most of all, correct. The poetry is great. You can't really find this elsewhere, and this is easily provable. No idols, no genuflection, merely discussion of what counts. It might get people out of their own muddles, before a potentially great poet becomes a non-entity. So, thanks, Dan.

And Neil, English classes suck in college. It's good I have a second major, or else I would have lost my mind.

Alex.

~~~~~

Dan Schneider:

I was just consoling Jess the other day about people's stupidity. In some senses, ignorance is the better term, but, as when dealing with really messed up people, forget the Latin, saying they're fucked up covers it.

I mentioned to Jess the fable (some claim Aesop, others not) of the scorpion and the frog, and how, after conning the frog into taking him across a river (after the frog's claim that the scorpion would sting him and they'd both die), the scorpion indeed stings the frog and kills them, adding to the dying frog's final despair that he could not help himself, because it's in my nature.

My nature is to abandon the self and get objective about my or others' art. It's the only way to clarity. Some, like Art Durkee on this list (or Oprah, PoMo elitists, PC idiots, or other devotees of gurus) claim this cannot be done, but offer absolutely no proofs.

There's the old claim that if God made the universe who made God? Well, if one answers God always was, then God is obviated because one can say the cosmos always was and avoid the extra step. Similarly, people will argue that since one can never be anyone but oneself, objectivity is impossible. But this is a clear fallacy, because it presumes that objectivity has to be total. It might be true that one can never be objective about things related to oneself, but, since the self is an infinitesimile fleeting thing, that leave quite a bit of the rest of the cosmos that objectivity can be used upon.

And I won't even go into the silliness of the person who argues for subjectivity, thereby obviating their own argument for, if they really believed all was subjective,m they'd have no incentive to put forth the point.

And, yes, my years at the UPG especially showed me that creativity cannot be taught, and very few people are truly creative. It's a thing folk confuse with being 'special and stems from the same inner vacuity- one may be wholly unique to the 100th % (that's genetic reality), but if 99.5% of you is similar to others, you can hardly be called 'special.'

Specialness is the degree to which one differs, and usually in the positive sense.

The worst thing I'd want for any fan or reader of my writings to think is that I want them to ape me. Anyone claiming that is reading into my stuff their own biases and desires for guruship. I want to show people how to think for themselves, and only by using objective measutres can that be done. If one refuses objectivity one is a zombie- a kid with a pink mohawk who thinks he's special.

Think for oneself, and argue one's points- esp. if they are one's own, not aped replies. What is really depressing is seeing how many lit or film critics say ZERO of any depth or uniquity because they have no ability to think for themselves- critical cribbing is what I call it.

Enough.

DAN

~~~~~

Jessica Schneider:

Alex:

You make great points. Critics will argue the "honesty" and "compassion" in one's works, but then go nowhere as to what exactly works or not. Yet in my own book I can say that I had both those things (though that has nothing to do with quality itself) and when that reader was approached with it, she didn't "like" it because it was not the "honesty" she would imagine for herself. In other words, they wanted a character that would be like them. I'm not like anyone else. Why would I want to be? It is odd that they're chant about the importance of "truth" and "honesty" but no one ever wants to say anything of substance, just take safe stances like "racism is bad."

Most things in life do not carry any meaningful significance. One has to create one's own significance. Or else, all goes unforgotten, "a fart in the windstorm," as my grandma used to say. I agree about Nabokov, as Lolita had some "pretty writing" here and there, but his fans are obsessive. He was pretentious and always playing an act. And he managed to get fans to buy into it. I said it was a good solid book, but by no means great, not to mention the opening line is a terrible cliche and that intro by that fake Academic is just flourish.

Thanks for the discussion, D&A--the words cheered me, as smart words often do. Thank you for spreading the Cosmoetica word.

~~~~~~~

I'm lucky to be in a newsletter with so many intelligent people (this isn't the first time I've quoted one of these e-mail discussions). Anyhow, it's July now; hope everyone had a nice 4th. I played in an orchestra that accompanies the fireworks, which was fun (as always).

Take Care,
~Neil

DSI Update

2009-06-24T14:13:00.002-05:00

Recently, Dan Schneider added a ratings system to his interview series (yes, you can rate interviews, too!). There are a lot of great, in-depth interviews, but there are some duds in there as well, from people who are jerks or give shallow/rushed answers. Personally, I think a ratings system is a good way to direct people to the worthwhile interviews and let them skip the bad ones (unless they're just curious). Jess also talked about this change recently, and there's one point that she makes that I want to single out. Some people blame Dan for the bad interviews, and Jess wrote: "...if you're gonna blame Dan for all of the bad responses then by that logic you have to credit him for all of the good ones too." That's a good point, and there are definitely more quality interviews than there are bad ones.

Additional reader comments were also taken into consideration, but the idea was later dropped because the list of interviews would become too cluttered with a bunch of comments floating around (good call, since quality web design isn't about fancy jazz and cramming in as much content as possible, but about clarity and easy navigation). However, Jess thought I should go ahead and post the comment on the James Emanuel interview that I unwittingly wrote. Hey, if it's not going up on Cosmo, it might as well go up here, right?

~~~

"A real writer is lucky to find enough time to write, and he will not complain when The Muse is out to lunch. Even without a spade, he will dig in."

Young artists should always leave themselves open to the wisdom and works of older artists; doing so is nothing short of a necessity. However, a young artist must be selective in who and what they learn from, lest they are swept up in a current of bad artists, bad art, and bad ideas about art. I can think of few (if any) works I’ve read that offer more wisdom on writing, in and of itself, than Dan’s interview with James Emanuel. Great insights abound. Furthermore, the poems contained in the interview are a must-read for those unfamiliar with Emanuel’s writing, and every answer provided by Emanuel is precise, polite, and insightful. A must-read, especially for young artists.

~~~~~~~

Finally, I think it would really awesome if, sometime in the future, Dan Schneider interviews Jessica Schneider, as a special edition~ Fun stuff!

Take Care,
~Neil

This Blog Receives a 7.3/10

2009-06-11T16:41:00.003-05:00

I've been a fan of video games for most of my life. In fact, I even argued that game design is a form of art in some cases.

I've also enjoyed reading books for most of my life. I don't have to point out that books are a medium of art (though I just did).

However, I'd say that I started reading video game reviews long before I started reading book reviews (if "long before" can even apply to someone my age). Y'know what's great about video game reviews? They reach a numerical verdict for every single video game. Most reviews specifically note the quality of both technical aspects (which you *cannot* overlook in a video game the way you can in a novel) and creative aspects, then give an overall rating with these things in mind. So, you say this game is a 7.8/10? I might play it if it's something I'm interested in specifically; otherwise, it's not quite good enough. 4.5/10? Never touching it. 9.6/10? That's worth playing no matter what it's about. That's still how I use these reviews, and it helps that the reviewers talk about both main aspects of the games (technicality and creativity) and then give a clear verdict.

Then I started reading some book reviews here and there, both to find something interesting and because I was curious because I had heard how, um, bad they can be. Most book reviews don't use numerical ratings. Now, some people can write a perfectly sound and clear review without using numbers; I know that. However, after reading several reviews, most of what I find is mush. Almost every book is "good" or better, and critics often talk about how you will "like" or "love" the book. Look how human this book is! Look at how this book is about abortion/drugs/alcoholism/transsexuals! It must be good! The whole time, I'm thinking, "Okay, fine. But is the book well-written?"

The best reasons I can come up with for why people reviewing paintings and novels don't use numbers are that a) These works often originate from a single person and reviewers don't want to come down on one person (we know whose to blame when there's only one person responsible), b) Many artists function in a circle of sycophants who praise each other ceaselessly, and c) The people working in these fields tend to be more touchy-feely than those working in, say, movies and video games. Reason "a" is especially ridiculous; screw their feelings! Just because they've enter the field of art doesn't mean they should be exempt from receiving just evaluation; adults should be properly criticized for performing poorly in their chosen profession, and that includes artists of all sorts. Reason "b" almost completely invalidates any criticism coming from involved individuals. The main effect of reason "c" is the reign of using "like/dislike" in criticism instead of "good/bad". It's easier to avoid hurting people's feelings by using the former (and hurting people's feelings is a no-no, because of reasons "a" and "b").

But, wait! Exactly how similar are books and video games? In fact, how can you even juxtapose the two? Well, for reviewing purposes, here's a list of similarities between the two:

~~~

~*Both contain technical aspects which can be horrible, great, or anything inbetween (this is what gets overlooked by so many literary reviewers)
~*Both contain creative aspects which can be horrible, great, or anything inbetween (literary reviewers tend to disguise "horrible" as "different" or "unique")
~*Both involve the combination of technical aspects and creative aspects to create a final product; the quality of this product can be horrible, great, or anything inbetween

~~~~~~~

For reviewing purposes, there's enough similarity between the two to approach both with the same basic mindset.

I realize that using number ratings wouldn't make for instantly concise and insightful reviewers (note the majority of movie critics). However, it would help clear up the mush a *little* bit ("good" book #1 may be a 3.5/5, while "good" book #2 may be a 4/5). It would also give reviewers a standing number for each book, so that they can compare future books with ease.

I doubt the shift to numbers will ever occur, for the reasons listed above. However, I can give at least one example of numbers being used for literature: Dan Schneider uses numerical ratings in his This Old Poem series. Scroll down for his rubric, which is sound. If you can give reasons for your judgment, why not assign number ratings to poetry? People are still free to like/dislike all poems as they please, no matter their rating, but good/bad can be accurately determined by objective criticism. The same applies to game design, novels, comic strips, sculptures, tattoos, and any other form of art, high or low.

I'm done. I think I'll go play that 9.6/10 video game now. Good stuff!

Take Care,
~Neil

LAEvaside: It's June. Also, for the record, the title rating is a joke (I hope). [/laevaside]

Almost Done

2009-05-25T14:34:00.003-05:00

I've been gone lately. Why? Wrapping up high school. I've but a few graduation rehearsals, senior checkout, and a couple "finals", and I'll be done. Go me.

Another reason I've been gone is because I performed in a Les Miserables/Seussical mixed concert last Thursday and Friday. Lots of rehearsals. I haven't seen Seussical all the way through, but I have the 10th anniversary concert version of Les Miserables on VHS, and I recommend watching it. Les Miserables is the best musical I've seen in terms of, well, music, even if following the story can be difficult in a few parts. Here's a couple of the songs:

~~~

Bring Him Home

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables

~~~~~~~

I ended up singing Empty Chairs, which I enjoyed; dramatic is fun, since more acting can be mixed in with the singing. Anyhow, I've not read the book Les Miserables, but I will say that the musical (or, at least, the concert version) clocks in at somewhere around two hours, so it's not the time sink that 1200'ish pages is.

The next act consisted of various Seussical songs. I've always been a fan of Seuss (though with Seuss books, it's important to note that without the combination of whimsical words and illustration, the books would not be great children's books; one without the other just wouldn't work). There aren't many good recordings of Seussical online, but I will say that I ended up singing "A Day for the Cat in the Hat", which was great fun, since, well, dressing up and singing as the Cat in the Hat is simply awesome (and I had a large red box I started the song in).

Anyhow, enough about the musical. I just thought I'd do a lighter post as a "coming back" type entry. Hopefully I'll have some more interesting things to say in the near future. Oh, and it's May!

Take Care,
~Neil

Five Cubed

2009-03-16T15:04:00.002-05:00

Well, it's mid-March. Life is happening to me and preventing me from blogging as much as I'd like; but then, I suppose most people don't hold blogs through high school (it's strange to think that I founded this blog when I was 15 years old). Again, thanks for the support lately (especially Anthony, who recently featured one of my poems), and here's to another 25 posts, which will come, however slowly:

~~~

~*C~ See?

~*Too Many Facelifts~ Hollywood isn't the only one suffering from this.

~*Begin at the Beginning/Middle/End~ Do it!

~*A Conversational Sonnet~ There's an interesting conversation in the comments, too.

~*Totoro!~ You still need to watch this one, Jess~

~*Performance vs. Composition~ Different, indeed.

~*Aesop's Fables~ Read them to your children and whatnot.

~*In Love (Features)~ Three poems- one from each of three wonderful writers and supporters~

~~~~~~~

Take Care,
~Neil

Inspirational Poems for Valentine's Day

2009-02-11T15:32:00.004-06:00

Hey, guys! It's February! I've been reading some wonderful poetry lately, and, because Valentine's Day is a day for beautiful words and truly heartfelt writing, I thought I would share with everyone!

If you don't understand what a lover or a friend is, this poem is just for you!

Sometimes, you get into deep conversations with a significant other. This is a great example of that!

It can be hard to find the perfect words to give to your sweetheart at this most romantic time of the year. However, this poem is here to help! What person could resist "fuzzy song logic"?

And, if you're still having trouble, perhaps you can "reference" this poem!

It's perfectly fine to use someone else words to express your sentiments. It's the thought that counts!

Maybe you've had this happen to you before!

Bye, guys!

~Neil

Alexander? Not Good, But...

2009-01-27T16:02:00.003-06:00

It's January, and we have a new president. Rejoice! I watched a good deal of the inauguration at school, and most of it was interesting. But, the poem reeked, as Anthony pointed out. In fact, I think Obama might be a better poet than Elizabeth Alexander, whose poem, "Praise Song for the Day", was a serious drag and a definite low of the proceedings. And yet, worse poetic travesties have taken place before:

~~~

So say the Asian, the Hispanic, the Jew
The African and Native American, the Sioux,
The Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek
The Irish, the Rabbi, the Priest, the Sheikh,
The Gay, the Straight, the Preacher,
The privileged, the homeless, the Teacher.
They hear. They all hear
The speaking of the Tree.

~~~~~~~

Wait. What if I follow Scientology or Pastafarianism? All joking aside, let's look at another excerpt:

~~~

You, who gave me my first name, you
Pawnee, Apache and Seneca, you
Cherokee Nation, who rested with me, then
Forced on bloody feet, left me to the employment of
Other seekers--desperate for gain,
Starving for gold.

You, the Turk, the Swede, the German, the Scot ...
You the Ashanti, the Yoruba, the Kru, bought
Sold, stolen, arriving on a nightmare
Praying for a dream.

~~~~~~~

It's very universal. O you, the Bishopee, the Ham, the Bacteriaman, keep praying for that dream. I wish I knew so many denominations so I could write well like she does.

Oh right, "she". Maya Angelou. That's the one. Y'know, they actually made a book with *just* this poem in it, and sold it for, oh, 6-7 bucks, if I remember correctly. Real sad. So, embrace the Alexander number read at Obama's inauguration, with the knowledge that it could have been far worse.

Take Care,
~Neil

In Love (Features)

2008-12-19T10:32:00.005-06:00

Yes, yes, I've been gone for awhile now. Some combination of schoolwork, music, and social time has prevented me, I suppose. Anyhow, I just finished taking my last final, so I'm more or less free, schoolwise. Anthony and Jess have featured poems lately, and they're both excellent, so I suggest that you jump over and read:

~~~

Her Kansas by Jessica Schneider

~~~~~

Cheetah Conceived in Circuiting Speed by Anthony Zanetti

~~~~~~~

Now, to continue the run of features- I've been writing more love poetry than usual as of late, and it helps to read both classical and modern approaches to the subject. Love is undoubtedly the most worn topic of poetry, so it's easy to write badly or boringly about it, since it possesses no originality in itself; you have to take a unique approach. I posted one entry on love poems almost two years ago, where I highlighted a few of my favorites. Here's another:

~~~

In Love

The only word is Love. It is what binds
things more securely than the o and v,
which are bereft without the l and e
to give them structure, if not grand design.
Nothing is permanent, as Love proves this
so, as well the uselessness of Beauty,
without Love to engage it. Can you see
the parallel? Love is just what it is,
as well is Beauty, which mouths the full o,
which sounds like a u (the short vowel sound),
to become part of the structure that grounds
only what matters to those, in the know,
who see what is loosened by loveless minds
unable to ask: Where did Beauty go?

By Dan Schneider

~~~~~~~

Did I mention something about unique approaches? First, we get a comparison between the binding power of Love and letters of "love". Then the relationship between Love and Beauty is introduced, but it's not the typical "I love you, (because) you're beautiful" relationship; "Beauty is useless without Love" is far more dramatic and unusual. Structurally, it's interesting how well the observations about the nature of Love and the spelling/phonetics of love tie into each other. Combine that with great music (side note on rhyme: the phrase "Love proves" strikes me as interesting, because "love" and "prove" are often used with each other as end rhymes [after all, there are only so many things you can match with "love"], but in this poem the two words are right next to each other), and you've got a highly atypical and wonderful love sonnet.

In other news, I got into Rice University, but I probably won't be going due to money issues. I'll probably attend a public university for my undergrad, then move to some prestigious location for grad school.

I suppose it's December. I really ought to go Christmas shopping.

Take Care,
~Neil

Thinly Veiled Racism

2008-11-16T13:45:00.003-06:00

I know that the election has passed (hooray for Obama! though my prediction was a little too conservative), but I see and hear so much crap on Facebook, on MySpace, and at school that I just have to highlight some items. This will be the last blog entry on the election, promise. Anyhow, this election really pulled out a part of peoples' personalities that they normally keep more well-hidden. Anyhow, let's lead into the Facebook statuses. However, because of the format of Facebook statuses, we need a name to assign these statuses to. Let me go to the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator and type in "Idiot"...

"Idiot, if you were born to Sarah Palin, your name would be:
Froth Moonshine Palin"

Okay, our person is "Froth Moonshine Palin"! Hooray!

~~~

Froth Moonshine Palin:

guesses she'll just have to cling to her guns and religion.

is moving out of the country if we can actually let him be president. Come on.

is this world is going to the dumps. thanx for electing the anti-christ america.

is thrilled about commie lite America.

BOO OBAMA, lets all move to mexico.

is mourning for the death of america...

is we are all doomed. I feel a secession by our great state. Plan B: Australia.

is wanting to secede.

is can't believe that really just happened!

is We The People...

cant wait for next year! I've always wanted to be socialist...Karl Marx is my hero!

is this the beginning of the end.

is it's the beginning of the end..

The world is over! Get out of the United Socialist States of America while you still can!

is its official...I am losing faith in the elections...

if there is a God he will make sure McCain wins. OBAMA=Antichrist.

is ...

is moving to CANADA! we're all gonna die.

~~~~~~~

I think moving to Canada would be pointless if "we're all gonna die" anyhow. Now, regardless of whether or not you're Christian, pretty much all the above comments are from folks who profess the faith. It is very morally and religiously sound to freak out about Obama, apparently.

Here's the kicker, off of MySpace. My personal favorite:

~~~

ok honestly people i hate obama with a burning passion, and i think that he's the worst thing for america right now, but we should def pray for our leaders.

plus, on the brightside....

he'll be assasinated.

rejoice!

~~~~~~~

Let's pray for someone who we hope will be "assasinated"! People are so smart.

~Neil

Election Day

2008-11-04T16:43:00.004-06:00

It's November the 4th- hopefully everyone's gotten out to vote. Voting on election day is not too much of a hassle where I live, so I went out with my family this afternoon and we all put in our votes for Obama within fifteen minutes. While Obama will not be winning Texas, a stronger Democratic showing this year could potentially begin a movement towards a more contested Texas, come future elections. Also, voting feels like a physical representation of my opinion; I know that sounds kinda sappy, but I gained genuine satisfaction voting for someone I believe will lead this country in the right direction. Combined with the novelty of voting (as this was my first time), it was exciting. Simple and pedestrian, but exciting nonetheless.

Jess posted her election prediction, which includes a fantastic map, as well as a link to an interactive map you can use to predict the outcome of the election. Personally, I'm going with a slightly more optimistic outlook than Jess: I think McCain will take NC, IN, MO, ND, and MT, but I think Obama will take FL and OH. I'm fairly confident he'll win PA, too, but he doesn't need it to win. The rest of the swing states (NM, NV, NH, etc.) have been drifting toward Obama for awhile, so I think he'll take most of them.

While my prediction is certainly not the most educated one out there, I thought it would be interesting to give it a go: 338 for Obama is where I'm placing my marker.

Anonymity- The Enabler of Stupidity

2008-10-16T17:55:00.005-05:00

Or, perhaps, merely the exposure of it.

It's a tough call.

Anyhow, I recently read an article on Obama's purchase of air time: 30 minute on both NBC and CBS. I normally don't scroll down and read the comments, but I decided to give the thread below a quick look, and some of the stuff I read was both amusing and somewhat alarming. Hold your cookies:

Notice: None of the below comments are mine. Yes, that should be obvious, but the following comments deserve to be handled carefully.

~~~

BARF! OBAMA NEEDS TO GET OVER HIMSELF! A 30 MINUTE SPOT??? DOES HE THINK HE CAN CONTINUE TO PULL THE WOOL OVER OUR EYES? OBAMA IS AN ARROGANT, CORRUPT, LYING HOMOSEXUAL. HE CAN KEEP HIS SOCIALIST PLAN FOR HIS PRESIDENCY OF ACORN WHEN THEY ARE ALL IN PRISON!

Obama - radical leftist socialist.
McCain - proven leader, war hero.
Does class rank really matter??

It sounds like Obama is worried about the way he's coming across in the debates and wants some unchallenged air time where his inexperience will not be highlighted.

OBAMA: THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE
30 MIN. OF LIES FROM MR. EMPTY AND HIS PRESS HOGS

NOBAMA 08
WHY DOES obama HATE WHITE PEOPLE SO MUCH? 20 YEARS IN A WHITE HATING USA HATING CHURCH, HAVING CROOKS AS FRIENDS, CAUSING STOCK MARKETS TO FALL BECAUSE HE LEADS IN POLLS, BEING A MUSLIM AND BEING BLACK AND THINKING WHITE PEOPLE OWE HIM...I VOTED FOR JIMMY CARTER IN 76 AND TWICE FOR BILL CLINTON IN THE 90'S AND CLINTON IN 08 PRIMARIES.....NO HOW NO WAY NOBAMA 08!!!!!!!!!!DON'T VOTE PARTY IN 08...VOTE WHATS RIGHT FOR YOUR GOD, YOUR COUNTRY, YOUR FAMILY, YOURSELF.......WE MUST VOTE FOR JOHN MCAIN AND A BREATH OF FRESH AIR SARAH PALIN!!!!!!!!!!OHIO OHIO OHIO

I truly believe that Obama is the Anti-Christ and if he gets elected we all better start making peace with our Maker!

Obama supported infanticide, typical arab american terrorist parading as an african american because hes a fraud in every aspect of his life..

Since we are not a communist state, yet, I can refuse to watch Comrad Obama.

Obama is as false as the styrofoam columns in Denver
stadium. Only mentally blind people could follow such
a looser.

You can put it on every television show on the planet for 24/7 until Nov. 4 and hold a loaded gun to my head.... I STILL wouldn't watch this lying SOB. I just wish he would go back to his mosque in Kenya and leave us alone.

What do Obama and Osama have in common?
They both have friends that bombed the the Pentigon!

Well, I'm going to bed... I am a republican and I actually have a job to go to in the morning.. I'm not a left-wing nut that lives off welfare and government checks!!

THE REAL REASON THE STOCK MARKETS AROUND THE WORLD ARE TANKING IS BECAUSE EVERYONE IS SCARRED OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE WORLD ECONOMY IF OBAMA IS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

Obama=Ayers=Stalin=Hitler...they are all the same.

I'll be honest. I am not voting for Obama for one reason. It's because he's black. I don't like blacks and I don't trust them. They are dangerous and stupid. They have poor morals. I am a proud Republican, a proud Conservative and a proud American. It is wonderful to know that so many other true Americans agree with me. We must stop the blacks and mongrel races from stealing our country. Think of the founding fathers. Were any blacks there when the Constitution was written? Let us return to the traditions that made America great. Join me and other true Americans in drawing a line in the sand and keeping this mongrel and his Muslim brethren from invading our White House. VOTE MCCAIN/PALIN ON NOVEMBER 4TH.

The end of democracy is when you have 51% parasite voters (dems) and only 49% host voters (repubs)

Obama supporters are homosexuals and losers. Get a job and a life.

~~~~~~~

The stupidity above is both awesome and scary. Sure, I can always use a laugh, but these people will all be voting. It shouldn't affect the actual outcome, but the idea of people whose ideas are so warped voting at all is sad. Anyhow, here are a few random, non-anti-Obama comments from the same thread:

~~~

You all are friggin idiots...cept me.
and except the Palin fans......you da best.
Go Sarah !

I'm a staunch McCain supporter, but even I have to admit it's over.
Hopefully Obama will surprise me.

Every one of these anti Obama comments has underlying racism. I fear for his life.

Sigh... I'm in love with Barack Obama. He's Super Intelligent, he's Suave & Debonaire, he's Truthful & Thoughtful, he's just a Beautiful & Fabulous person. If I could vote for him 100 times I would. I love you Barack Obama!!!

~~~~~~~

And, finally, one apt comment that I will use to sum this entry up:

~~~

The lack of civility in these replies is absolutely astounding.
Thank God for the anonymity of the internet.

~~~~~~~

Take Care,
~Neil

Political Gaffes, Economical Laughs

2008-10-03T21:01:00.002-05:00

Please excuse the dumb title- I simply could not help myself.

~~~

With a presidential election and economic crisis occurring simultaneously, shows have had plenty of fodder for jokes. Today, I'd like to highlight some great skits and productions concerning these events:

Firstly, Jess has posted a few great items on her blog related to politics:

~~~

~*Political Jib Jab
~*SNL Palin-Couric Skit
~*SNL Obama-McCain Debate

~~~~~~~

Now, a couple choices of my own, on the bailout plan:

~~~

~*The Poor House- Bailout Bill Passes
~*Formidable Opponent- The Bailout (my personal favorite- I love The Colbert Report)

~~~~~~~

In other news, this month is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, also known as Pinktober. Our October 1st newspaper was actually printed on pink paper. Funfun. Oh, that's right- it's October. Anyhow, take care 'til next,

~Neil

Aesop's Fables

2008-09-21T01:13:00.003-05:00

I recently began reading a collection of Aesop's Fables, and the idea of rendering the fables as short poems, styled similarly to my Childsongs, came so naturally that I couldn't help but sit down and immediately start a new series. Just as writing for paintings is a great way to give yourself a base to work from, rendering short stories, tales, or fables has its benefits. However, it's important to always stretch beyond the work of art you're basing your own piece on, so that it has some purpose other than mere narration (or, at the very least, provides a very apt and musical narration of its partner). Now, let's read a fable and follow up with a poem:

~~~

The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs

A man and his wife had the good fortune to possess a goose which laid a golden egg every day. Lucky though they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough, and, imagining the bird must be made of gold inside, they decided to kill it in order to secure the whole store of precious metal at once. But when they cut it open they found it was just like any other goose. Thus, they neither got rich all at once, as they had hoped, nor enjoyed any longer the daily addition to their wealth.

Much wants more and loses all.

(Translated by V.S. Vernon Jones)

~~~~~

The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs

One a day did not suffice,
Though each great treasure shone.
With giddy haste and one brief slice,
They profited in flesh and bone.

The sick sensation must be bold
When two, once rich, recall
Their own folly and loss in gold:
Much wants more and loses all.

~~~~~~~

Both pieces stand alone, but they benefit from being presented together, especially since both are very concise. In fact, that's why I enjoy Aesop's Fables so much and consider them to be great didactic stories: they are extremely succinct. Rarely does one stretch beyond half a page. When writing is didactic, it has a tendency to be boring and preachy, but the Fables present brief stories with clear lessons, using different types of animals for immediate characterization to achieve further brevity (an obvious example: The Lion and the Mouse). They are also extremely accessible, making them fit for adults and children alike. Definitely a top choice for bedtime reading- Aesop's Fables are quality stories, and teach kids (and adults) morals, to boot!

Take Care,
~Neil

Flooded

2008-09-02T21:04:00.004-05:00

Coincidentally, my house flooded just as major reports on Hurricane Gustav stormed the media (among other things). Firstly, I'm glad that Gustav didn't directly hit New Orleans, which, in its current state, would have taken major damage even though Gustav only possessed high category-two winds. Secondly, even though having a pipe in the bathroom bust while noone is home is not at all life-threatening or outright devastating, I have to say that it's quite a pain replace most of a house's carpeting and wooden floors. Fortunately, the living room and the kitchen are on slightly higher ground, so my family's currently just living out of those two rooms, with all of our stuff kind of crammed into any empty space available. Lastly, I'm aware that every sentence of this paragraph begins with an adverb. Almost. Wait, that's an adverb too.

Bizarre wordplay and minor crises aside, I've also been flooded with schoolwork. Fortunately, everything seems to be calming down now. What a way to start my last year of high school.

This is a poetry blog, and it's been a long time since I've actually posted anything of my own. So...

~~~

A Day of Hunting

Another white! Six butterflies
Flittered in his little cage.
He softly hid to soon surprise
A seventh, on his sunlit stage.

Ten- he ran to fetch his pins.
This time, I’ll really pin them!
To grow by way of little sins,
He stuck the pins within them.

Well, almost. It was too early still
For him to deaden beauty.
Why rush to grow and long to kill
By grown-up sense of duty?

~~~~~~~

Another Childsong. These poems are fun to write because they provide a perspective that is all too often overlooked or used too dramatically. I also feel like I'm a little closer to the age of my nameless little characters than most writers, since I just turned 18, so it's not too hard to construct the children in my poems. I probably still have a little of the naiveté of childhood left in me, but it's fading fast.

It's September. This begins the third cycle of months since I started featuring every month. This blog is getting old.

Hope everyone's well-

Take Care,
~Neil

Another First Day of School

2008-08-25T16:28:00.003-05:00

...is always a little strange. After spending an entire summer completely apart from all the people whose company I do not enjoy, I've been thrown into classrooms with all of them again. Of course, I've also gotten to see some people I *do* like that I didn't spend too much summer time with, and it's a friendly reunion of sorts.

I just entered my senior year of high school, and I have mixed feelings about my final year of high school. Sure, I'm excited about moving on to college, which will undoubtedly be more stimulating intellectually, and leaving for another culture for awhile is a welcome prospect. However, after this year is over, I will be leaving behind my family, as well as most (or even all) of my friends. I will also be exiting the comfort of my home for a cramped little dorm room. However, this is my last year, regardless of the pros and cons of the situation, so best to embrace the situation and not overthink the issue.

Again, this post goes against my early intentions of remaining utterly impersonal in my blog entries. I had a birthday recently, so I'm a legal adult now, which is really exciting, since I will be able to vote. More on that later.

To add something literary to this post, there's a fantastic interview with Mark Rowlands up at Cosmoetica. It's not just interesting; it's refreshing and really just fun to read, so give it a look!

Take care,
~Neil

Igudesman and Joo

2008-08-09T20:05:00.007-05:00

Well, I'm back from a week-long trip I took to California and Colorado. 35'ish hours of driving doesn't sit that well with me, so I'm really happy to be back home.

A friend of mine (thanks Brady) recently exposed me to the musical comedy duet Igudesman and Joo. I enjoy their performances immensely, not only because they're hilarious, but because they also put their musical talents on display in almost every routine. They've been on tour with "A Little Nightmare Music"; here are a few preview numbers from the show:

~~~

Rachmaninov Had Big Hands

I Will Survive

...and, for any Mozart fans out there (I know there's at least one):

Mozart Bond

~~~~~~~

While they've only toured in Europe and Asia (as far as I am aware), apparently a tour in US is under at least some consideration, as they've actually recognized a group/petition on Facebook asking them to come to the US. Even though it's unlikely that I would be able to attend a concert, should they come, I still hope they eventually head over here, because combining classical music and comedy is not only refreshing for those who already love classical music, such as myself, but also carries the potential of drawing people in who wouldn't normally bother listening to anything classical.

In other news, it's August, and a week 'til my birthday. Last year I forgot it was my birthday until someone told me at school. Anyhow, take care 'til next,

~Neil

Zanetti's Façade

2008-07-24T23:38:00.002-05:00

Recently, Anthony Zanetti (y'know, the one I've mentioned about a dozen times) from very nice, very nice has begun featuring poetry by other poets. He is quite the poet himself, and, as I have never enjoyed the privilege of posting his poetry on my blog, I shall now bestow myself with the opportunity to do so (how remarkably convenient is that?). Behold:

~~~

Façade of a Montreal God
photograph of Fascist HQ, Rome

I’ve stabbed a flag into the Fascist
March eye. You make the bullet
cry, you make the nation
sing. A sovereigned head on a coin,
the shallow inks of wings—align
to remind me: I’ve chosen again. In the city,
at the rally, they shout: he is strong,
il est fort. I find myself chanting along;
I can’t abort. Gods trapped
in a head—we are everything except free:
the azurite Italian, the glittering Mussolini—
orating and exhorting—mathematically
operatic—your head suspended
against the word repeating: si si si si

By Anthony Zanetti

~~~~~~~

I regret that his dashes do not retain their original length in Blogger format; however, this is currently my favorite of Anthony's poems, so I had to choose it. Note how cleverly the lines are broken. The first three lines are prime examples of great enjambment (the end words in particular consistently have double meaning, depending on whether you read the line or the phrase). The internal rhyme is also fantastic; it's very prominent, but it doesn't come off as forced. Finally, the connection between the poem and the picture is excellent. I'm in full support of art forms and media merging and feeding off of each other, and this poem is a good example of this (can you make a more direct reference to the picture than the one made in the last line?).

Oh, and I just have to link this recent post by Anthony. It, um, inspires many emotions. Yes, that's it.

(I know I should have done this awhile ago, but it's July.)

Take Care,
~Neil

Performance vs. Composition

2008-07-13T12:28:00.004-05:00

LAEvaside: Before I begin, note this: this essay is not about which form of expression is better, more difficult, deeper, rarer, more synonymous with cookies, etc. It is about the differences between two main types of art. [/laevaside]

~~~

Performance: dancing, playing an instrument, singing, acting, giving a speech, etc.

Composition: writing poetry or prose, painting, choreographing, composing music, designing buildings, etc.

~~~

Having recently spent the majority of my time in these past few weeks focusing on vocal and violin performance, with very little attention to writing, I found that my break from composition was very relieving. In this time, I also starting picking out distinct differences between my two separate artistic pursuits. Certainly, they are both fine and full of joy, but the contrast in the sort of joy provided by each is immense; the comparison is akin to that of, say, pickles and pies. Both are pleasurable if they suit you. They are also quite different, and, when choosing to take up one, the other, or neither at any given moment, the choice largely depends on your current, shall we say, appetite.

Although my main line of work is poetry (having done only a smattering of musical arrangements), I am going to use music composition as the primary example of composition in this piece, as the performances of notes is much more involved than the performance of text. I will, however, try to shape my analogies so that they are applicable to all types of composition.

~~~~~

The composer begins without any particular direction; his progress starts with a seed, an idea. A seed requires various elements if it hopes to flourish; likewise, composing a great piece involves different aspects. All technical excellence is no good, for the music lacks a soul. Similarly, an emotional outpouring is useless without structure. It's as simple as water and sunlight.

Even when a composer is at his best, fleshing out a major work is an arduous task. Whether he is working with assonance and alliteration or melodies and harmonies, the composer's joy is generally at a trickle during his work. Occasionally, a particularly clever turn of phrase or transition might cause a temporary surge of contentment, but composition isn't all smiles, and can be quite frustrating. Trashing entire passages of work is, to put it mildly, not pleasurable.

One of the things composition lacks is pressure. There is no audience scrutinizing your every action. It is hermetic work, generally speaking; when striving to improve, having a mentor definitely helps, but if a composer puts together any defining work, it will be his and his alone (with the exception of lyricist/composer partnerships). The intricacies involved in the creation of a piece are not openly accessible, and having more than one person work on a complex composition usually ends in a dissonant manner, as if the two are trying to play the same piece, but in different key signatures.

The completion of a poem, novel, or musical score breaks a dam open on the inside; all the excitement that has been subdued to maintain concentration floods the body, and a real sense of achievement takes rise. Then your little internal salmon run everywhere, and...

Actually, that's a (salmon?) wrap for composition. Onto performance:

~~~~~

The performer has an immediate sense of direction; her map (I'm going to forego typical gender rules and make the performer a female in the interest of novelty and variety, as our composer was a male) gives her a basic idea of the technical and emotional layout of a piece. However, following the composer's instructions is by no means an easy task. And, even, when this has been accomplished, a great performance requires the performer to inject her own personality into her work- in short, a detour.

Like composition, technique and emotion are both necessary for performance. Personality can sometimes push you a bit further in performance, but again, without a mixture of the two main elements, the results will be mediocre at best.

If composers experience enjoyment in a trickle until the finish line, then performers (with the exception of, perhaps, daredevils) experience a continual flow of joy. There's a certain spontaneity in the happiness performance provides. A performer actually has the action going on around them, indulging the senses, instead of merely writing something abstract that has to be brought to life in some way. Performance is immediately and continually gratifying.

The aspect of pressure accompanies the sensory nature of performance. Performance draws crowds, and the nature of performance makes it possible for those present to pick out every error the performer makes. She carries out her duty with the knowledge that, should she mess up, it will likely be noticed and criticized by someone, either by an audience member or, even worse, by a fellow performer, for, unlike composition, performance is usually cooperative.

There's still a surge of excitement at the end of a musical performance, but it's not quite the same as the satisfaction of finishing a composition. Where the latter is a feeling of deep contentment, the former is more of a joyful giddiness. Both are fantastic, in their own way.

~~~~~~~

As men and women are very little without each other (ah, the female performer *did* come in handy!), composers and performers need each other to give rise to the great art of this world, which tingles the body and soul as nothing else on this earth can. And then, there is the audience- what good is art without an audience? Naught, and, if I may- what good are men and women without children? In every audience, there is a fledgling artist eager to flee the crowd for another place, whether it be the writing desk or the limelit stage.

~Neil

MSS, Take Three

2008-07-02T01:26:00.004-05:00

The above acronym does not take on its typical meaning in this case; it stands for MySpace Survey. Posts that contain these surveys are among the most shallow and aimless this blog contains; however, there is nothing wrong with occasional light-hearted fun (particularly when I am busy/lazy and wish to employ a filler; I was supposed to have a guest feature for this purpose, but alas, a lad very dear to me has failed to provide this material). And now, onward:

~~~

If you could become famous by a single act, what act would it be?
- Playing the main role in a famous Broadway production! ...Wait, most of those have two acts. Rats!

Do you know approximately how long the dashed lines in the road are?
- Well, considering that the dashed lines keep going and going (the lines that make up the dashed lines aren’t dashed themselves), I suppose it depends on the length of the road. Ha- betcha didn’t think I’d catch your error, Mr. or Ms. Survey Person!

If you could choose your birth month, which month would you prefer?
- December, so that my birthday would coincide with Christmas, resulting in less presents for me on a yearly basis, and, by extension, a more humble Neil.

Actually, August is fine.

What is the difference between "going on dates" and "dating"?
- I go on dates with friends, male or female. I date a significant other, female. Mine is an old-fashioned viewpoint, but that’s how I like to look at it.

Do you have a tendency to put your significant other before your friends?
- What significant other? Oh, the one from the last question? She doesn’t actually exist. If I did have one, though, I probably would, without meaning to. Not too much, though.

What types of situations make you nervous?
- Surgeries, seizures, and heart attacks.

What is something that has recently made you laugh so hard you cried?
- Onions are so funny.

That makes very little sense. Oh well.

Do you honestly rank your friends on MySpace by their importance to you?
- Vaguely. Sure, my #1 is more significant than my #18. Actually, my #1 is in my #18 with my #0 (namely, me), so my #18 is more significant than my #1. Bad example. My #2 (a previous poster of this survey) is definitely more significant than my #902, though. I don’t have that many friends, but you get my drift.

Do you personally know a person who can write elegantly; who?
- Neil Hester writes beautifully. (Corinna wrote this, and I agree wholeheartedly. Not halfheartedly, not three-quartersheartedly- wholeheartedly. ‘Cause I’m a narcissist~)

Spell your crush's name with no vowels.
-

Wow, Ai Eau (Love Water in some bizarre Japanese-French cross-language) doesn’t have much presence without her vowels.

Okay, dumb joke. At least I didn’t just do this, though: yr crsh’s nm

Have you ever been purposely hit by someone of the opposite sex?
- Sure. Girls occasionally hit me when I make dumb jokes or say silly puns or something else of the like.

Can you bend backward into a bridge and touch your toes?
- Yes, if there’s a bridge on hand. (In all seriousness, yes, I can).

What is the best (and worst) dare you have ever gone through with?
- I dunno~ I’m more of a truth person.

Do you admit to your mistakes?
- Nver! And I definitely spelt every word in the previous sentence correctly!

How would you make a difference in the world if nothing could stop you?
- First, I’d defeat Godzilla. Then...

Have you ever played the "penis game"?
- That question doesn’t dignify a response. (Good answer, Corinna)

Is your best friend single or taken?
- Now is not an appropriate time to answer this question, on several fronts.

Who is one person who could never gain your trust?
- Ai Eau. That’s partly due to her nonexistence (but who’s keeping score?).

What is a secret you knew when you were younger that you thought was HUGE?
- Godzilla used to live in my backyard (boy, he *was* huge), until I owned him with my “nothing can stop me” powers that made a difference in the world.

Wow, what a convoluted thought.

Have you ever physically hugged a tree?
- Yes, actually. I wouldn’t recommend it. They don’t hug back. Not very affectionate at all. (Another fantastic CMB answer that I will keep)

When was the last time you ate an M&M?
- A couple days ago in Dalhart. (Elaborate, Corinna- not only did you tell everyone *when* you ate it, but you told them *where*! Bravo!)

As for Neil, he ate his last M&M sometime in the last year.

Have you told someone you had a crush on them to make them feel better?
- Nope. Better to maintain honesty, even if doing so crushes them. Get it? “Crushes” them! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-

*ahem*

If you could produce your own film, what genre would it be?
- Drama.

Any particular actors/actresses you would choose for scripting?
- Keanu Reeves! With his one emotion and one voice inflection, surely he can display the plethora of emotions my masterpiece would shift seamlessly throughout!

Would you go back in time to relive moments (not change them) if you could?
- Yes. I’d pick some good moments, and some bad moments.

If you got a hold of a celebrity’s phone number, what would you do?
- Ask myself why I took the trouble to get a hold of it in the first place.

Do you have to know people before you become a couple?
- Yes. How awkward it would be to ask someone out otherwise: “Random person, will you go out with me?”

Okay, so I’m exaggerating. But my answer stands.

How long is your longest relationship?
- I’ve no romantic relationships to speak or type of.

How long is your current relationship?
- Again, I’ve... oh, forget it~ Darn you, persistent Mr. or Ms. Survey Person that insists on asking a slanted question that serves to remind people without romantic ties that they are, as a matter of fact (not to mention immense disfortune and potential sadness), without a significant other!

*ahem* Actually, it’s not really bothering me that much. I bet someone out there feels that way, though. *runs away to sob in solitude*

...Wow, I am a bit strange- my friends weren’t lying to me, were they?

What is your favorite board game?
- Scrabble, without a doubt.

If you could get any plastic surgery for free, what would you alter?
- My dignity.

Do you believe in ghosts?
- Yes and no.

If you had your own show about your life, what would the title be?
- Qeqp;a;sdfklj (Stop Watching Now, Nosy Individua... Wait, I’m The One Airing This!)

It would be abbreviated in commercials as (QSWNNIWITOAT). Say that five times fast!

...Heck, say that one time slow.

What holiday would you erase if given the chance?
- Star Wars Day. “May the 4th be with you!” Seriously? Seriously, people?

You stumble upon a wallet with loads of cash; name your next move.
- Donate it to charity (if that person has loads of cash, surely it will help poor people more!)

Actually, I’d try to get it back to its rightful owner.

What has been your most painful experience in your life so far?
- Wow, you caught me at a great moment! I happen to feel like telling everyone about the darkest moment of my being over a MySpace bulletin at this very moment!

...Oh darn, the moment passed.

Do you flirt with people you aren't the least bit attracted to?
- No.

Do you consider yourself tolerant of others?
- Yes.

Who is the last person you tried to impress?
- No. Er, I’m not sure. Probably you, with my silly answers.

Do you use air fresheners; what scent?
- No; sasparella.

Are you envious toward anyone at the moment?
- Mm, not really. I have bouts of envy toward some people sometimes, but no continuing jealously lives in me. (I’ll leave this one; good show, Corinna)

How do you feel about the person you copied this survey from?
- She’s lovely, and gives some answers that I can leave untouched, bless her.

If you could have any three items in the world, what would they be?
- A lion, a witch, and a wardrobe. Or something like that.

What talent would you like to possess?
- Oh, something useful.

Do you have a hobby that is not known by many people; what would that be?
- Filling out surveys!

What is the worst thing you have ever said and to whom?
- I dunno~

That person really hates indecision, so saying that at that precise moment really broiled her turnip.

Are you currently facing a dilemma?
- Sort of, but I’ll live.

Would you ever consider having an open relationship with someone?
- Wow, what an open question. Lessee... I believe in open communication in relationships. Beyond that, I’m going to leave this one alone.

What is one thing you have an obsession for?
- Poetry, Singing, Cute Things/Girls, Uncalled For Capitalization, And Breaking Survey Rules!

What type of surprises are your favorites?
- My favorite type is the kind that doesn’t kill me. Also, your grammar bites.

What two super powers would you choose to have?
- Flight and the ability to shoot spaghetti out of my fingers for indefinite periods of time (with this combination, I could solve world hunger pretty quickly!).

Have you ever been kicked out or banned from Wal*Mart?
- No.

If you could dine with one celebrity once a week for a year, who'd it be?
- Frank Sinatra.

Who is the last person you were in contact with?
- I can’t remember who I physically touched last.

Are you superstitious; name a few examples.
- Nope; if I had a few examples, I’d name them Lucy, Parallelism, Alexanderotus, and Flamingo.

Ah, it’s been awhile since I last filled out a survey! *flexes survey muscle*

~~~~~~~

There you have it, folks! Mostly a waste of time, but if my answers managed to extract a laugh, a chuckle, or even a reluctant grin from any of your simply delightful faces (well, they are full of delight now, right? Right?), then I believe this post was worthwhile. That said, take care 'til next time (which will hopefully be soon),

~Neil

Totoro!

2008-06-11T01:26:00.005-05:00

Totoro!

Without question, my favorite children's movie is "My Neighbor Totoro". The movie was originally released in Japan in 1988 as a double feature with "Grave of the Fireflies" (a contrasting animated film about WWII). Although FOX released a dub of the film in 1993, the movie never reached theaters in America, so it never enjoyed the kind of audience a mainstream Disney film usually attains. Disney released a redubbed version starring Elle and Dakota Fanning. Both are good, supposedly, though most consider the older FOX dub as the better of the two (I can confirm this, so when you set out to get a copy of this movie [something you will undoubtedly do after reading this entry], get the FOX version).

LAEvaside: I am about to delve into eastern animation, known to most as "anime". Before reading any further, note the following: I enjoy anime (it's one of my indulgences), but I'm not blind to the fact that the majority of anime has little to no artistic worth. However, that still leaves the minority to be properly addressed, which is where we will now pick up. [/laevaside]

Although Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli are often compared to Walt Disney and The Walt Disney Company, respectively, this comparison only brings into consideration the level of success both have attained on a surface level. Having watched many Ghibli films and many Disney films, I can say without a doubt that films from Studio Ghibli (those headed by Miyazaki in particular) are far superior to those from Disney. In fact, if you're only accustomed to western animation, Miyazaki's films (as well as certain other anime films) will likely change your outlook on animation completely; the difference is very pronounced.

This is not to say that earlier Disney films are completely without merit (I say "earlier" because I can't stand the more recent computer-animated films), as the animation is good, there are often some fairly entertaining musical numbers, and they're definitely entertaining from a child's perspective (and, to some extent, from an adult's perspective). A few Disney films are childhood favorites of mine. However, let's look at "My Neighbor Totoro" and see why and how it outstrips every Disney film to date:

First and foremost, there are no evil forces. There are no villains. There are no fight scenes. Conflicts are far more typical; illness is the main problem. Since when do characters get sick in Disney films? The two girls, Mei and Satsuki, are also convincingly normal; there's nothing particularly strange or special about them. In contrast to most western animated films, which often contain family conflict, the family unit is very strong; the girls have a kind, loving mother and a strong, supportive father. As for the magical creatures present, well... I don't want to give away too much, but they're far more enchanting than anything Disney could ever manage to come up with. I'm 17, and I still wish I could meet a Totoro. As for animation, the watercolor backdrops and brief natural interludes are a joy to take in throughout the film.

Finally, the music is very fitting and very good, courtesy of Joe Hisaishi. Here are a couple numbers I particularly like: Tonari no Totoro and Path of the Wind.

A brief aside: Western animation is just about always directed toward children. When you think "animated" in America, you immediately think "for children". As I noted earlier, "Grave of the Fireflies" (directed by Isao Takahata) is an anime film about WWII. It's extremely serious (not to mention depressing). A few other examples of animated films that target an older audience (note that these aren't necessarily good movies by my appraisal): "Princess Mononoke", "Akira", "Ghost in the Shell". Animation *is* capable of encapsuling more mature themes, contrary to popular Western belief. As for other good children's movies from Ghibli, "Kiki's Delivery Serice" is wonderful (almost as good as "My Neighbor Totoro").

Back to the main point of this thread- "My Neighbor Totoro"! I understand that most of my readers are not children; in fact, I'm fairly sure that most of you are adults. However, if you haven't seen "My Neighbor Totoro", do so, especially if you happen to have a rough day; I guarantee that this film is nothing short of fantastic and fit for people of any age, so long as life hasn't completely defeated the child in you. To quote Robert Ebert: "Whenever I watch it, I smile, and smile, and smile."

Take Care,
~Neil

LAEvaside: Jess, you better watch this film! There's one character in particular that you're sure to just love~ [/laevaside]

The PC Manifesto

2008-06-03T21:10:00.002-05:00

In the interest of amusement, I direct you all to The PC Manifesto! A quick excerpt from the beginning, for good measure:

~~~

What is P.C.?

PC stands for Politically Correct. We of the Politically Correct philosophy believe in increasing a tolerance for a diversity of cultures, race, gender, ideology and alternate lifestyles. Politically Correctness is the only social and morally acceptable outlook. Anyone who disagrees with this philosophy is bigoted, biased, sexist, and/or closed-minded.

Why should I be PC?

Being PC is fun. PCism is not just an attitude, it is a way of life! PC offers the satisfaction of knowing that you are undoing the social evils of centuries of oppression.

I am a white male. Can I still be PC?

Sure. As a matter of fact, most people at the forefront of the PC grand destiny are white males. But remember, as a white male, you must constantly feel guilty.

Why?

If you are a white male, your ancestors were responsible for practically every injustice in the world: slavery, war, genocide and plaid sport coats. That means that you are partially responsible for these atrocities. Now it is time to balance the scales of justice for the descendants of those individuals whose ancestors your ancestors pushed down.

~~~~~~~

Enjoy. Oh, and it's June.

Take Care,
~Neil

A Conversational Sonnet

2008-05-29T14:20:00.005-05:00

Lately, I've written a few conversational poems, which are largely made up of scattered dialogue. Since I doubt this poem has much chance of being published in an online magazine/journal due to its nature (I haven't really been doing many submissions lately; the only reply I'm waiting on is one from StorySouth), here you go:

~~~

Answering the Question

“So- do you like him?”          “So- do you like her?”
Well, yes, but not yet-           She can’t know just yet-
Inquiry, out on a whim- How can the two deter
Such a question? Should I say yes, Should I say no,
Then he would know,            She may come to know
And then he- unless               A sad untruth- unless
I could avoid answering altogether... Not so!
Whether or not you answer, they’ll know.
“Well... do you?”                    “Well... do you?”
“Um...” What to do               “Well...” Overdue
To answer! What do I say? What I do say? What...
“You know what? I don’t really care anymore.” “But-”

They both answered clearly by slight hesitation,
Unraveled sincerely by mute adoration.

~~~~~~~

Y'know, this sort of poem is quite the pain to format in HTML. Also, I'm starting to wonder how important online poetry publications are. I'll definitely do some submissions over the summer, but actually getting published seems like a series of longshots (it's a good thing I have some sort of résumé, or it'd seem even more difficult).

Anyhow, I just got back from a school trip a couple days ago (after finishing my last day of school the previous Friday), so hopefully I'll be ready to do some more substantial blog entries after a bit of rest. Until then-

Take Care,
~Neil

So Very Busy...

2008-05-18T14:19:00.004-05:00

...but the blog must move forward, however slowly. Today, I will highlight some of the more interesting posts I've read lately.

To start, An Important Discussion About Poetry Online. While I never have and never will enter into poetry forum participation, I did find the discussion (and Art's comments) fairly interesting.

To The Zoo! Jess and Dan visited the zoo a while back, and Jess was kind enough to share her pictures with us. Cat lovers will be particularly pleased with her photographs. Also- a strange coincidence concerning Sister Carrie.

Jason Sanford recently wrote The Liar's Review of James Frey's Bright Shiny Morning. Funny stuff.

Finally, to conclude this brief list of highlights, Wanderlust Scarlett went Wandering With Bay a few weeks ago. Bay is quite adorable, and Wanderlust certainly showed her a wonderful time.

Next week is my last week of school; I should get a chance to relax and write in the near future, "should" being the key word.

Take Care,
~Neil

Yeats for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner?

2008-05-04T01:08:00.007-05:00

"The differences in approach that are imperceptible to the audience contribute to the uniqueness of a quality writer's work."

"Every piece I've written is a piece that the rest of you are wholly incapable of writing; the same rule applies to all of us [the poets in the Cosmoetica mailing list], as we all, at the very least, have some semblance of talent (and, by extension, unique voice). While the common goal (to produce worthwhile art) is the same, each of us provides a different viewpoint and style, so every worthwhile poem we write has its own unique value. Where does competition come into play? To quote Jess: 'Good poem. Now that's one less for me to write. I'm jealous.' Hooray for constructive sarcasm. Anyhow, if there's a competition or challenge to be had in art, it's an internal one that involves besting yourself whenever possible. Instead of worrying about what other people think, work for self-satisfaction via self-improvement, and work on a personal scale, not one that has 'Great' plastered at the top of it."

The first is quoted from my previous blog entry. The second is my response to a analogy posited in an exchange over the Cosmoetica newsletter that suggested that writing poetry was a competition of sorts. Now, a quote from Jess:

"...one cannot out Stevens Stevens or out Yeats Yeats just as Hester cannot out Schneider Schneider..."

The point is not to best anyone else's personal voice. Any poet who writes quality poetry has his or her own unique worth. Artists shouldn't compete; they should come together, offering each other support and (honest and accurate) criticsm in order to provide a diverse pool of art for people to dive into and explore. Wait, wait- here it comes, the dumb metaphor! Get ready for this- art is food for the soul. Let's say Yeats is bread ('cause his name anagrams into "yeast"); would you want to eat nothing but bread for your entire life? Maybe if you're obsessed with Yeats/yeast. Any sensible person, however, needs an array of different flavors and textures to keep the meals enjoyable. I'll gladly take a little Shelley and Schneider with my Crane (mm, bird) and Yeats (and, perhaps, a bit of Hester on the side ~_^).

In short- art's not a competition, and every time a new artist graces the world with quality art, it's worthwhile, regardless of whether or not that person has reached an "immortal" status, or ever will. So, to all capable artists (especially poets!) out there- look inward, not outward, if you're looking for someone to best.

Take Care,
~Neil

LAEvaside: It's May! [/laevaside]

Begin at the Beginning/Middle/End

2008-04-27T17:15:00.003-05:00

'Begin at the beginning,' the King said gravely, 'and go on till you come to the end: then stop.'

A mostly irrelevant quote, courtesy of Lewis Carroll- I just can't help it! Anyhow...

I apologize for my extended absence; again, school has taken more than its share of my time. I'm currently preparing to play the Baker in our choir's production of Into The Woods (certainly one of my favorite musicals- I love fairy tales, and Into The Woods is quite the creative fusion of several popular fairy tales, courtesy of Stephen Sondheim). However, though the blog has suffered, I am past my writer's block (thank goodness), having written a few sonnets this past month. Anyhow, enough about me-

A brief first point- Dan Schneider notes two distinctly different types of writers- sculptors and builders. A sculptor writes to excess about an idea, then chips away at their piece, removing or reworking unnecessary or ineffective portions until the final form is reached. A builder writes more carefully from the get-go, often making changes during the creation of the first draft, and is left with very little excess to trim once the piece reaches its completion. Neither is better- the two are simply different. As a point of curiosity, I am a builder.

We've now established that there are two types of writers. Now, a second point- a work of art begins with an idea. What a remarkably dumb and obvious thing to say, Neil! True. But, where do you place the idea? A piece can start from any point- a standard A-B-C progression isn't the only way to go. Let's narrow the scope and look at poetry, for two reasons: firstly, I know more about poetry than I do about other art forms, and secondly, poetry is written (abstract building blocks are easier to shuffle around), and it's also tighter and (generally) shorter than prose.

Just as there are different types of writers, there are different ways to begin a poem. The first fragment of a poem isn't necessarily the first line; a great idea for an ending or middle line or couplet also makes for a fine starting point. A C-A-B or B-C-A progression in the creation of a poem is just as good as an A-B-C progression; our job as writers is, after all, to rearrange letters of the alphabet ~_^ While I certainly can't pick out the original fragment of another person's poem, I posit that different writers have a tendency to start in different places. I tend towards coming up with end lines or couplets, then starting from the top, with the final phrase already in place. Occasionally, the original phrase doesn't even survive; the entire poem at its completion may even have a completely different meaning than initially intended. However, that's where my starting point usually lies, and the most difficult part of writing a poem, at least for me, is beginning. Once I have something to work off of, the task is much less daunting.

The differences in approach that are imperceptible to the audience contribute to the uniqueness of a quality writer's work. I'm going to leave off with that statement, with every intention of elaborating in my next post. Take care 'til next,

~Neil

A Short Counter

2008-04-14T21:21:00.002-05:00

Anthony posted a short poem on his blog, so I thought I'd follow along. Of course, length is the only thing our two poems have in common, but hey~

~~~

On Writing Poetry

When writing poetry, brevity is bliss.
That said, I think I’m done writing this.

~~~~~~~

Not much, but okay for blogging. I'm going to quickly excuse myself from this post. I hope everyone's well-

Take Care,
~Neil

The Gold of Memories

2008-04-07T17:55:00.004-05:00

Sometime last year, I had to do a practice TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) test. For the writing portion of the test, students are required to write an essay based on a prompt. These prompts are notorious for being dull and uninspiring. The gist of the prompt I had to write toward for this practice test was something like this:

"Write about how a place can be special to a person."

Ugh. Are you serious? That's either a subject for a few lines or an entire psychology book; not 1-2 pages. Of course, they have to make these prompts very simple and open so that even the most backwards student can write for it and stand a chance of passing (I don't say this to be mean, it's just the truth). They didn't always have an essay in the test, and they need to get rid of it; a state-issued test intended for the entire student body doesn't need to include something difficult and subjective like an essay. Anyhow, I decided that I might as well have a little fun since I had to write something, so I wrote this:

LAEvaside: If you, by chance, skipped the last couple paragraphs, this is not a serious essay. It's a *joke* (though I did actually turn it in and everything). [/laevaside]

~~~

The Gold of Memories

       Most places – the doctor’s waiting room, the downtown police department, the deli down the street – do nothing more than serve their purpose, accommodate who and what they are meant to accommodate. For every person, however, there are places that do more than that; there are places that serve as vessels for memories or emotions, giant time capsules that open at every visit, every stay. They contain people and events no longer present and offer that one special person a chance to break back into the past and relive better times.
       Those special people in our lives, those remarkable individuals that mark us with a fire that leaves us no chance of forgetting them – some of them remain with us, while others conclude their stay, either by the road or by the grave. For those who leave, we dedicate a portion of our hearts; however, memories grow weary and fade as time distances the present and the past. To visit a place where a memory resides is to rekindle a decaying time and give it life; a normal site becomes an array of paints at the right person’s visit, a flurry of colors on the canvas of the mind that brings new ardour and vibrance to a fading portrait of a past face, a past friend. The wonder of such a place is like no other, a wonder personal and unshared with others, who may cast weary eyes upon that magnificent site and remain weary, unchanged by the glory known only by one.
       "We do not remember days; we remember moments." Specific events, even moreso than people, reside in tiny crevices of the world, unbeknownst to all but their creators. These unique happenings are encapsuled in the mind; however, as the years increase, the clarity of memory decreases, and questions fester like sores: "Did she smile? Did she laugh?" "Were the flowers blue or gold?" And yet, at a simple visit to the site, a torrent of answers charms the mind and the spirit is freed from its blistering wounds, like a leper at the holy touch. Certainly, all others will arrive at the place and leave unaffected, but for the one who knows its secret, its value is immeasurable.
       The grand people and events of the past remain in ghostly fragments where they once resided, enriching these places, lacing them with untouchable gold. Yet, unlike the fickle gold of leprechauns that resides at the ends of impossibly distant rainbows, the gold of memories is true and invaluable to those who are able to harvest it, and its vast mines are well within reach, whether they are oceans distant, miles away, or right around the corner.

~~~~~~~

I have nothing to add to that.

Oh, by the way- I added a new section to my sidebar, for links that aren't related to art. Some of the webcomics I added are delightfully clever (thanks to Jeff S. for directing me to xkcd and Dinosaur Comics). Finally, it's April. It's a shame I missed April Fools'- I didn't even realize what day it was until it was almost over. Anthony and Jess both did April Fools' posts.

I hope you are all well- take care 'til next time,

~Neil

Concision?

2008-03-29T11:55:00.003-05:00

Through the Cosmoetica newsletter, this statement by Whinza Ndoro popped up:

~~~

Let's not forget the cardinal rule of poetry over prose is that first and foremost it must be concise: to say a lot in as few syllables as possible.

Before I begin, let me say that I respect Whinza as an artist (one of his poems is featured at the bottom of this post). 'Course, folks have disagreements, so I wrote back:

While I suppose that's a reasonable maxim, I don't like using syllables as a measurement; you're being too mathematic. I remember that when you edited my "Before We Hunted Doves", you would changes phrases like "As if to confirm the moment" to "As if to confirm moment" or "The earth and sky of an instant." to "Earth, sky, instant:". Let's focus on the first one. By your definition, your version of the previous lines is more concise (and therefore, better by the cardinal rule of poetry) because it has less syllables and says the same thing. However, while your line may have the same underlying message, it offers inferior music and an interruption in the natural construction of a phrase, just to cut out one word. Thus, while both versions of the line essentially say the same thing, mine does so more effectively. Because the quality of a statement constitutes how much it is worth in poetry, I argue that, while our separate versions 'say' the same thing, mine says it better due to superior music, and therefore has more worth. In art, it makes sense to measure content by quality; because my line is superior (even with one extra syllable), it has more content. That said, I suppose you could say mine is more "concise"; it says more, all for one word!

Actually using measurements in poetry is aggravating (as displayed above); it's detrimental to approach poetry like a math problem. Concision is important. We don't need to drag syllables into it. I suppose I should clarify something; I do think your edit of Iain's poem is reasonable (it's certainly not pointless). However, the edits of my poems that you sent me earlier (I apologize for not replying; I was going to this Spring Break but my last few months of e-mails got deleted) were similar exercises in preening that were more harmful than helpful.

Which was met by a followup from Dan Schneider:

Good points.

Concision is a relative thing. Look at a long poem like Song Of Myself. Yes, it could be cut shorter, but it would lose all the Whitmanian excess in rhetorical flourishes. However, considered next to a novel, it packs more info in less space.
Rules in any art form are never hard-boiled, but need malleability. Knowing when to apply and when to lay off are key.

I already said what I wanted to say in my portion of the exchange; I just thought it was an interesting series, so I figured I'd put it up. Now, Whinza... though I may not agree with all his edits and opinions, he's a very good poet, so:

~~~

A Lady In Her Power

I admire the queen-like power
Some flowers have over a bee,
Though no coveted tenure
A display by which all decree.

For a bee that sets sight on her
Plumage of a cultured pedigree;
The bee as if in honor,
Dances to her majesty.

~~~~~

Pills In Your Book I Took

Eventually, my (un)dying hope, my wishful loop is a getting together,
shoulder to shoulder, in one big festive room,
with you, my esteemed grave-clothed heroes,
who as far as enlightenment goes—
I missed meeting in person.

If time prolonged, then I'll thank you
when first off even God wasn’t enough
nor family, friend, or lover too;
as life tried boomeranging me—
above it, you held me aloof as a roof.

Randomly, picking up a dog-eared book,
turning the wise pages,
there it was in potent hook—
an understanding of yours, O sages,

when with what ailed me then,
fittingly— (I got the chills)
you prescribed medication
of wordy worldly pills.

~~~~~

By Whinza Kingslee Ndoro

~~~~~~~

That's it for this entry. 'Til next-

Take Care,
~Neil

Too Many Facelifts

2008-03-22T17:12:00.008-05:00

Something about Joan River...

Recently, Art Durkee posted a very interesting essay, The Endless Edit. For this entry, I'd like to interpolate a bit. I don't have much to add, since Art covered the topic so well, but it's worth reinforcing, especially because I've noticed an obsession with revision across the Cosmoetica newsletter lately. To those revisors out there: tread with caution. Now, on to the article:

Say you write a poem, and are pretty pleased with it. Perhaps you tinker with it for a while, adding this, deleting that, till you're satisfied, or you leave it sit and go on to other things. Some time passes, maybe two or three months, and you come back to the poem; you still like it but see something else you think would be a small improvement and you make another change, and maybe a few weeks later another. And so it goes on for a year or more. Is there a time to stop this endless tinkering?

One important factor in deciding to stop tinkering with a poem is time—that is, your own movement through time. If you rediscover a poem you wrote years ago, you could revise it again. But over the years, you have changed: you are no longer the same person you were back then, and (hopefully) your writing has improved and changed, as well. This presents you with a choice between tinkering with the poem to bring it into your own present-time style; or to abandon the poem, leave it unchanged, and if the topic still intrigues you, write a new poem in your current voice or style.

Certainly it's a bad idea to revise a poem written in a different stage of one's writing without preserving it, completely erasing its previous form. The newer version would likely be superior; however, keeping a piece of one's own history is important for future inspiration and reference. In the city I live in, the downtown streets are largely brick. Newer roads are far smoother, but the old bricks are remnants of the past. Old poems are artifacts that contain the history of oneself; I cringe when I read some of my earlier work, but I can't imagine getting rid of them. Folks- preserve your museum.

If you are, by some chance, compelled to revise an earlier work (it may be unnecessary or undesirable to actually begin a new work), make every effort to preserve the original, even if the changes are minor. I've done this a few times; I've compared the old to the new and gained a better understanding of my shortcomings and progression by doing so (see here). Though we can never fully understand anyone's artistic process, ever our own, it's important for a person to take every opportunity to learn more about him or herself.

I've seen lots of decent second or third drafts of poems get killed by over-revision. All the life and breath goes out of the poems, even as they become so polished that in some circles they'd be lauded as examples of technical perfection and mastery.

Consider this ridiculous analogy: A landscape gardener is working on a topiary (a plant sculpture). He trims his shrub into the most marvelous ferret sculpture. However, he does not stop there; in an attempt to make his topiary an exact replica of a ferret, he begins attaching fur and painting the leaves.

LAEvaside: Being able to write passages like the above and publish them (despite their main purpose being to amuse the person writing them) is one of the main perks of blogging. [/laevaside]

Art is human; it contains a great deal of life and spontaneity. Too much tinkering with a piece can destroy the human aspect; a poem can become nothing more than an exercise in the mathematics of meter and rhyme.

You could, after you produce a version that satisfies you, go back to the previous attempts and pull out and use a remarkable turn of phrase, or line, or image, that seems to have some life in it, still, and incorporate it into the new poem. But don't overdo that, either; too much old stuff shoe-horned into the new poem will turn the poem into a contraption, which is yet one more way to kill the life and breath in it.

Superb advice. Pulling too much from one's previous works (and from other poets- mimicry is good, but it's important to inject oneself into a piece as well; a great [and amusing] example of overmimicry [in the comments]) is definitely a bad idea; great lines are not necessarily great when used in a different context, and attempting to plug in interesting lines and words into a poem as if it were a Mad Lib will disturb its music and meaning. Use caution when recycling writing.

Thanks go out to Art for this wonderful article (one among many); take care 'til next,

~Neil

C

2008-03-17T12:01:00.002-05:00

Here we are at a standard landmark, the hundredth post. Nearly nine and a half months separate post #76 and post #100. About two and a half months separate post #1 and post #25. However, despite the slowdown, this blog is still on the move. Let's take a look at some posts of significance in the past (as well as other quarterly landmarks):

~~~

~*Three Quartered~ This landmark is particularly quarterly.

~*Half Hundred~ Something about Kennedy...

~*Five and Twenty~ The first QL.

~*The Villanette~ An exercise in form fusion.

~*James Emanuel- The Interview~ A look at an interview of one of greatest poets of all time.

~*The Homework Myth~ Contrary to some belief, writing out those one-word answers in complete sentences (for fifty questions) may not actually help Susie learn.

~*Rowerful Poar~ Cheshire, helping me point out a few of the attributes of solid writing.

~*Poem Greater Than Jess'~ Bwaha, my poem is better than yours~

~*A Short Visit~ -to my middle school, from which I was promptly kicked out.

~~~~~~~

Thanks to all you frequent visitors for making this blog worthwhile. I always enjoy reading your feedback, as you are all intelligent and friendly people. A special thanks to Jessica Schneider- without your support early in this blog's life, it may well have fizzled out (and it certainly wouldn't be where it is today). You might deny it, but I certainly believe it to be true.

Take Care,
~Neil

Max Raskin

2008-03-02T23:07:00.002-06:00

This post, I decided I would give a nod to a fellow high school writer. Max Raskin has several essays archived here; his writing is concise, and some of the essays are riddled with humor. A couple favorites: On Writing and It Starts with a Cookie. He also has an article on Catcher in the Rye published at Cosmoetica. Give Raskin a look; he's definitely worth your time.

Oh~ I just finished a brief ballroom dancing stint; anyone with the slightest interest in dancing should at least take a basic course in ballroom dance. Unfortunately, my (quite lovely) partner and I will not be continuing (until summer, at least) due to time and money constraints. Still, that short period of lessons is easily the most fulfilling thing I've done with my time in awhile.

I suppose it is now March. That said, I 'spose I'm off to school around a little more; I should do my homework earlier, but procrastination is an indulgence.

Take care,
~Neil

A Short Visit

2008-02-08T17:22:00.000-06:00

To all my readers (or, at the very least, who's left of them [is that even grammatically correct?]): I apologize for the severe neglect of my blog. As most of you know, I'm currently pushing through my high school career, a period of my life that offers abundant opportunities and little flexibility. Or I'm lazy. Anyhow...

~~~

Today, I had a free period (about 90 minutes). I decided to drive over to my old middle school and visit my lovely 7th grade English teacher. I walked through the front door, looking forward to navigating the thin halls, which had recently been divided into traffic-like lanes to keep the peace. About ten steps in, I was stopped by my vice principal, a somewhat grumpy man with whom I was on relatively good terms, and the region police officer. We briefly exchanged words. Two minutes later, I was out the door and on the road, quite perturbed.

About an hour later, back in my "proper" environment, I went to English class. We discussed the institution of "zero tolerance" rules, regulations originally designed to prevent school violence and, in extreme cases, massacres. Eventually, these restrictions multiplied to include the illegality of mohawks, trenchcoats, plain white shirts, tattoos, dyed hair, saggy pants, camouflage, tanktops, iPods, cell phones, and a few other various items and fashions. Skipping a single class made a student eligible for ISS (In-School Suspension). The school administration divided the school into color sections and began using color-coded bathroom passes, combined with hall monitors, to restrict movement. Official green passes were issued to the teachers for other purposes.

I recalled a couple specific incidents. Last year, a friend of mine was sent to the office for wearing a shirt that said "Dick's Last Resort". The name refers to a restaurant in San Antonio; the picture depicts a dog and a man. Very offensive.

Just a few months ago, I received a $110 ticket for "Crossing Against the Light". Two left-hand turn signals were active at the time; traffic was completely blocked up until the medium, and there was neither a right-hand turn signal nor a right-hand turn lane along my side. I began walking approximately five seconds before the "Walk" sign lit up. I arrived at the other side, without disrupting a soul, and ran into two police officers, who immediately wrote me up. Criminal.

Also, this little gem I found on the internet. Enjoy.

Back to English class- I read through a few of the articles available for reference (we had to write an article on "zero tolerance"). Here's an excerpt from "Protection for Whom? At What Price.", by Joan First, Harvard Education Letter 2000:

A little boy kisses a girl on the cheek. Although this is developmentally appropriate behavior for a five year old, he is suspended from school.
A Florida 1st grader who recently witnessed street violence panics when a uniformed "Officer Friendly" enters her classroom. The frightened girl tries to run away and a teacher restrains her. The child strikes the teacher. The girl is taken to a police station until her parents arrive.
A male high school student learns that a suicidal friend has a weapon. He persuades her to give it to him. When he hands it to school authorities, he is expelled.

The first one- seriously? The second- she was panicking, have a heart. The third- oh, the irony. Who are we protecting?

Restrictions have their place, and students still possess rights; however, necessity has evolved into extremity, and conditions worsen by the day. I feel sorry for my future children.

~~~~~~~

It's February. I hope you are all well-

Take Care,
~Neil

A Bit on English

2008-01-10T19:03:00.000-06:00

English is an awfully strange language.

~~~

"Pronounce this word: rough."

"Rouwg."

"No, ruhf."

"Ruhf."

"Good. Let's try this one now: trough."

"Truhf."

"No, that would be trof."

"Trof."

"Very nice. Let's add another letter: through."

"Throf."

"Hmm... try again."

"Thruhf?"

"No, no... throo."

"Throo."

"Good job. Last one... thorough."

"Thoroo?"

"No, tr-"

"Thoruhf? Thorof?"

"...Boy, this is kinda rough, isn't it?"

"Ruhf."

"...Good for you."

~~~~~~~

Naturally, I love the English language.

Take Care,
~Neil

A Little Love for the New Year

2008-01-01T00:56:00.000-06:00

Y'know, I never get very excited at the arrival of a new year; I rarely make resolutions (why wait if you want to change something about yourself?), and nothing super-important happened on January 1st, as far as I know. Days, months, years, they're measurements more than anything else. However, I suppose I do take some joy in looking back at the previous year, so let's look at some highlights from 2007:

~~~

Had 5 poems published at Cosmoetica and 4 at Monsters and Critics
Wrote 47 poems (including my first prose poem)
Found a couple very dear people, Corinna and Thomas
Had a few articles published (and wrote my first book review)
Learned some remarkable music (Chichester Psalms in particular)
Went to the Philippines
Joined choir
Scored a 229 on the PSAT

~~~~~~~

Overall, I had a great year, and my prospects for next year seem quite good. Best of wishes to everyone for the coming times; can we get a little love in here, Cheshire? Drag a poem out here or something of the sort~

~~~

Sonnet by a Lover

The sentiment carries past words
To affect the loved. To tell of birds
And bees is a matter of love and not
Of lovely words when sung to a girl
That knots the soul with a thrilling twirl
And a stilling smile. Intent affects
A line living, penned in a pining daze
For the other. Time to reflect is spent
On the other; everything else is hazed.
Helpless to bareness, he renders
Rhymes to limn a better time;
His words are rich with candor.

At pensive tides, when two are two apart,
A sonnet, poorly written, stokes the heart.

~~~~~~~

Thanks, Cheshire ^^

Editors take a dreadfully long time to respond, and my poems generally get turned down anyhow, so it's nice being able to put something out there myself here and there, even if it's not quite the same. I suppose it gets frustrating, having good poems sitting around, read only by the writer (and, perhaps, a few other select individuals), so the control of a blog is, in a sense, therapeutic. Ah well~ Take care, folks ^^

A Crummy Excuse For a Post

2007-12-28T00:34:00.001-06:00

...but a post, nonetheless. I've just been in sorry blogging form lately. Hopefully I can pick myself up soon. Anyhow, here's a semi-amusing survey (does a blog post get more pointless than this? Oh, wait, my last post was 3 words long). If you're lacking time (or interest), just skip down to the second #39 (there are two):

~~~

[one] Have you ever been asked out?
Indirectly.

[two] Where was your default picture taken?
Snyder High School.

[Three] What is your middle name?
Oh, cool, the numbers are capitalized now!

Anyhow, ******. I don’t feel like divulging that information at this moment.

[Four] What is your current relationship status?
Oh, spongy and whatnot~ Or, perhaps, solitary.

[Five] Does your crush like you back?
I currently have no crush.

[Six] What is your current mood?
Curious, but indifferent.

[Seven] what color underwear are you wearing?
I refuse to check.

[Eight] What color shirt are you wearing?
Black, with a teench of white.

[Ten] If you could go back in time and change something, would you?
Yes.

[Eleven] If you must be an animal for one day, what would you be?
Any bird. Oh, to fly! [/attemptatsoundingmondopoetic]

[Twelve] Ever had a near death experience?
Well, Death and I have tea every Tuesday, so yes, I have, frequently.

[Thirteen] What is something you do a lot?
Pun about and whatnot.

[Fifteen] Who did you copy and paste this from?
Jordan (the one that makes knees weak and whatnot).

[Sixteen] Name someone with the same birthday as you?
Evanna Lynch.

[Seventeen] Last person you hugged??
Wow, why the urgency? Anyhow, Scottyscott!

[Eighteen] When was the last time you cried?
Oh, a few months ago.

[Nineteen] If you could have one super power what would it be?
To end world hu... I mean, to fly. Cliche, but true. Note my emphatic desire to become a bird in a previous question.

[Twenty] What's the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?
General facial composition and level of intelligence.

[Twenty-one] What do you usually order from starbucks?
Iced coffee, hold the ice.

[Twenty-two] What's your biggest secret?
Why, it’s my biggest secret!

This is a dumb question.

[Twenty-three] Favorite color(s)?
Blue, Black, and Green~

[Twenty-five] Do you still watch kiddy movies or tv shows?
All the time. They make me feel fuzzy and innocent.

[Twenty-six] What are you eating or drinking at the moment?
Air, with a tinge of dignity.

[Twenty-eight] What's your favorite smell?
Earl grey tea bags. Well, the aroma of.

[Twenty-nine] Describe your life in one word, what would it be?
Curious~

[Thirty-one] Have you ever kissed in the rain?
Well, you see, there was this one time, and...

No.

[Thirty-two] What (or who) are you thinking about right now?
This survey. And next Saturday.

[Thirty-three] What should you be doing right now?
Oh, probably something productive... but really, do I care?

[Thirty-four] Who was the last person that made you angry?
Mm... I haven’t been angry in a really long time, so I’m not quite sure. I’m rarely depressed, and I’m angry even less often than I am depressed.

[Thirty-five] Why are you doing this right now?
Because someone is paying me to answer stale, often meaningless questions about myself in a vague and lackadaisical fashion.

Really, I have nothing better to do than to come up with occasionally sarcastic and, even more uncommonly, humorous responses to questions that enlighten few and concern one (that being me).

[Thirty-six] Do you like working in the yard?
Occasionally.

[Thirty-seven] If you could have any last name in the world, what would it be?
Karanko. Seriously, how cool is that name? Karanko... Karanko...

[Thirty-eight] What is your natural hair color?
Pink. Then I dyed it black, because I found my natural hair color to be rather distracting and occasionally hard to match with my clothing.

[Thirty-nine] Is the person u like hot?
Sure, why not? I’ve more or less fallen back into content bachelorship, so...

Also, I don’t understand this sudden switch in the spelling of “you”. Why “u” suddenly? Argh, my brain can’t handle it! Oh no! Noooooooooooooooaaaaahhhhhhhhh *goes into a seizure*

Just to clarify, I just smooshed (what a great word!) “no” and “ah” together. I do not yell “Noah!” when I freak out.

[Forty] When was the last time you lied?
Oh, it probably wasn’t that long ago. Now, as to whether or not it was a major lie, I cannot recall.

1. Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?
Oh my, we’re back to number one! ...Oh, right, the question:

No. Some things happen for no reason at all; they merely happen because

~~~~~

I was going to type something deep and philosophical, but that’s as far as I got.

2. What color are your walls?
Red.

3. When is the last time you saw the last person you had feelings for?
A few days ago.

4. If you could push one person off a mountain, who would it be?
Anyone with a parachute, so they could save themselves. I’m really not much for pushing people off of cliffs~

5. Where did you get the shirt you're wearing?
Evans Orchestra!

6. Is anything bothering you right now?
Mm, not in particular. Y’know, a few little nagging things here and there, but I’m far better off than I was a week ago.

7. What's the weirdest thing you've ever heated up in a microwave?
Mm, a bar of soap, mayhaps?

8. What's your favorite thing to do in your free time?
Sit around coffee shops, talk to friends, and make miserable attempts at being cool.

9. When's the last time you kissed someone?
Well, I gave my mom a kiss on the cheek a couple hours ago =p

10. Are you a cuddler?
I think so. I haven’t ever been in a relationship, so it’s hard to say.

11. Does anything hurt on your body right now?
No.

12. Have you ever liked someone who treated you like crap?
Sure~ It happens, y’know? It hasn’t happened for awhile, though, fortunately. Then again, I haven’t liked that many people in my lifetime (romantically, that is).

13. Have you ever seen a zebra?
Yes, and she was very pretty ^^

14. Would you ever date a celebrity?
Sure, if she were awfully lovely and kind.

16. Are you offended by dumb blonde jokes?
I’m a black-haired Filipino, but sure, why not? I have some blonde friends who are quite sharp, after all.

Really, I’m not offended by much of anything, so ~no.

17. Have you consumed alcohol recently?
Sure, yesterday. Yay for merlot (drinking it makes me seem sophisticated and whatnot~).

18. Have you ever taken a picture specifically for myspace?
Mm, not really~ I just sort of end up with pictures ^^

19. If you could go back and change something, would you?
You already asked this. Of course, this is two surveys spliced together, so it’s okay. Good job, survey- you managed to avoid being absurd!

20. What does your hair look like right now?
Like hair. Or like a weasel. Take your pick.

21. Has anyone disappointed you recently?
Yes, but there was no malicious intent; everything’s fine now.

22. Will next weekend be a good one?
Definitely, I’m very excited ^^

24. How did you get the idea for your profile name?
Well, My Neighbor Totoro is one of my favorite childhood movies, I wish I knew him (or her), and Corinna had a Totoro song playing on her profile for a short while, so...

25. What is your favorite piece of jewelry?
I like expensive jewelry. That way I can pawn it.

27. Look to your left. What's there?
Totoro.

28. Have you ever done something to instigate trouble?
Sure, who hasn’t?

30. What classes do you consider to be nap time?
All except Orchestra and Choir =p My philosophy this year- sleep less at home and more at school.

31. Do you get attached to people easily?
No.

32. Why are you online?
‘Cause the internet is addicting and whatnot~

33. What happened a year ago today?
Beats the heck (among other things) out of me.

I’ve used that joke before, and it’s not even that funny. Darn.

34. have you ever been to florida?
Yes (though, I’m not sure you’re talking about the Florida I’m talking about, since yours lacks capitalization- I do hope we’re on the same page here [figuratively, that is- we are, undoubtedly, on the same page in a literal sense]).

35. Has a person you dated ever made you cry?
Yes. Oh, wait, one sec...

Neil tells me that, apparently, I’ve never dated anyone. So, no.

36. Ever driven without your license?
On multiple occasions.

37. What time did you wake up today?
Oh, 11’ish.

38. Are you looking forward to tomorrow?
Most definitely- Christmas Eve is almost always wonderful ^^

39. What's your favorite kind of desert?
My favorite kind of desert? Well, Antarctica is technically a desert, since a desert doesn’t have to be hot, it just has to lack precipitation. However, the Sahara’s kind of cool too (well, actually, it’s hot [though it does become strikingly cold at night], but let’s ignore that point and move on), so it definitely puts up a fight (or two). However, I’m going to qualify the entire planet of Venus as a desert (contrary to reality) and pick it instead, because Venus is the Roman goddess associated with love, beauty, and fertility, which is always a plus, since humans are hopelessly committed to an endless struggle to earn and maintain love, and they might as well attach (the ideal of) love to a fictional woman after whom a line of women’s swimwear, swimsuits, and clothing is named, a line that is, most likely, very nice but quite out of the average lady’s budget (though I must say that I have not verified this speculation [which is, perhaps, what qualifies it as a speculation]), therefore rendering the last 113 words (and increasing) completely without purpose (though I’m not precisely sure how I managed to get on the subject of the average woman’s budget in the first place; I believe it involved Mars or Neptune or Ju... wait, it was Venus, I’m almost sure of it), although, if there is an ounce of laughter (or perhaps just a pint of correct grammar) contained in the previous 182 words of this single rambling and long-winded sentence, it salvages, perhaps, a cup of meaning, despite its unneeded existence and status as an indicator of the unnecessary effort put into misspelled survey questions by yours truly (or, perchance, falsely), Neil ****** (as we previously established) Hester (231 words... wait, 234... 235... wait, numbers probably shouldn’t count in this, an– ooh, 245, 246, 247... oh, to *insert place here* with it [256!]).

40. Who is someone you wish you could fix things with?
An answer that contains a sentence consisting of exactly 256 (also 16^2, 4^4) words should not be followed by any answers that actually pertain to the question in question. So states Rule 2^8.

~~~~~~~

I'll have something New Year's Day.

Take Care,
~Neil

Yay!

2007-12-25T16:14:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!

December, Emanuel, and Kittens

2007-12-09T21:42:00.000-06:00

Heya folks! I apologize for my extended absence; school has been kicking my butt. Yes, it's been fun, but a bit less work would be nice. Anyhow, I finally finished writing my review of James Emanuel's Whole Grain. The review can be found here. Be sure to also check out Anthony's review and Josh's review, as both are exceptionally well-done (and likely better than mine).

On a side note, I'm delighted that the winter season has arrived; winter is, without a doubt, my favorite season (and Christmas is my favorite holiday). The music, more than anything, makes the wintry months pleasant. While I'm on the topic, I suppose a snowy poem would be appropriate, and, since I already mentioned James:

~~~

Snowman

I watched him watch
His snowman falling down:
No collapse, no breaking parts,
Nothing to grapple with and hold.
Just smooth, small vanishing
And leaning in the sun.

He watched the carrot nose and finger-fashioned mouth
Turn bump and scar in whining air.
But when the sweat-dark brim of straw
And charcoal eyes
Converged on the tilted pipe,
He shoved, to end his man undone.

I watched the gathering in his face
As he kicked snowy trash,
Growled engine sounds, plowed ditches
Rugged as his will on thawing grass.
But his pity it was not: my whim collapsed, broke up,
With trampled pipe and hat,
And sudden snowball whizzing by.

By James Emanuel

~~~~~~~

Anthony also has a winter-minded post up, should you long for more art of the chilly, powdery disposition, and I previously posted Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening. Finally, as it is December, here's the December entry from last year.

One last note: Dan and Jess recently adopted two new kittens, and they (the kittens, not Dan and Jess) are both a bit under the weather right now; best of wishes to Thor and Apollo, I hope they start feeling better. That said,

Take Care,
~Neil

Poem Greater Than Jess'

2007-11-21T17:09:00.000-06:00

Brace yourself:

Heck yes. Obviously, mine is far superior to Jess' two poems.

One and two. Read. I'm off to submit my poem now.

Take Care,
~Neil

Rowerful Poar

2007-11-15T22:41:00.000-06:00

Ah, a roar for the powerful- Cheshire should enjoy this ^^ Anyhow, Jess recently named me (and others) in A Roar for Powerful Words!, so I figured I'd get into the spirit as well. First, let's take a look at 5 blogs I enjoy visiting:

~~~

1. Jessica Schneider (Jessica Schneider)
2. very nice, very nice (Anthony Zanetti)
3. Dragoncave (Art Durkee)
4. From the Shores of Introspect and Retrospect (Wanderlust Scarlett)
5. Oscar's Blog (Oscar)

I figured I'd give Oscar some credit; he certainly writes better than any other cat I know. And now, three (of many) things that make for good writing (though some points will apply to poetry in particular):

Lack of cliches: Exact same beginning as Jess, because it's worth mentioning. Art recently posted a detailed entry on the avoidance of cliches, a concept many writers preach as common knowledge but never explain in detail, therefore leaving fledgling writers a bit befuddled. The familiarity of cliches is comforting to readers; however, cliches are wholly incapable of moving readers beyond a slight flicker of emotion. The most difficult part of avoiding cliches is recognizing them. Once a writer is aware of the presence of trite passages, a conscious effort can be made to freshen phrasing.

~~~~~

Competent Enjambment and Punctuation: Line breaking, one of the most purely technical aspects of poetry, is often used mindlessly by bad poets, as if breaks serve little to no purpose. Single words will often be isolated on a line of their own for no significant reason, and lines will end purposelessly with words like "the" and "of". Competent employment of enjambment makes sense rhythmically and adds layering to the poem; by making creative breaks, a phrase or line can take on multiple meanings depending on whether it is isolated or brought into a greater context.

Even more elementary is the use of punctuation to give shape to writing; however, this practice is notably absent from the poetry and prose of many modern writers. Occasionally, limited use of punctuation and capitalization can be put to good use, but mindlessly cutting these basic instruments of writing from one's pieces only creates ambiguity and inconcision. Punctuation in particular is capable of so much; the pause from a comma is notably different from that of a period, and the feel of a dash is certainly not the same as that of a semicolon. Dictating the rhythmic flow of phrases is crucial, and punctuation plays an enormous part in doing so.

~~~~~

Energy and Feeling (or "Avoiding Being Boring"): Most writing is boring. A reason for this? Some writers take themselves way too seriously. Making a focused effort to make all of your language sound academically profound or "deep" will usually make you boring. Spontaniety, joy, and feeling have their place in writing; granted, just these things will get you nowhere, for technical skill is necessary to mold the more human aspects of writing into something beautiful. However, a lack in the emotional part of writing is even more disdainful than a lack of technical skill (though some may not agree). I would rather read something poorly wrought, but heartfelt and/or unique than something technically sound, but utterly banal and dull.

~~~~~~~

And I'm off to bed, then school, again- take care, folks~

~Neil

Highlights and a Dilemma

2007-11-03T11:27:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've recognized others' entries; it's quite selfish of me to refrain from pointing these out because the quality of their posts likely outweighs the quality of my own. Some of this has to do with the Dilemma, which I will address later in the post. Oh, and if you haven't visited Cheshire one post down, please do; he's quite the attention seeker.

Jess' book club for Monsters and Critics this month is James Emanuel's Whole Grain; Emanuel is a magnificent poet, and deserves the recognition. Jess also posted a great poem on a spider (along with other bits). Finally, I suppose I'll note this just so I can mention that I like Vanessa Carlton; she's pretty with a pretty voice.

Oscar has a blog!

Art posted a gorgeous entry about a week ago, Fragility, Ephemerality, and the Autumnal. Also, the Liquid Crystal Galleries are out; I watched one of the previews, and the music as well as the photographs are gorgeous. For those who don't have the means to visit nature, LCG does its best to bring the peace into the household.

Anthony takes a look a the new Jack Horner interview, with an excerpt and a few related cartoons at the end (dinosaur cartoons are always visually amusing).

Wanderlust has pictures of Angels and Seasons up on her blog; In particular, I found the Seasons to be very nice.

And now, the Dilemma: During the summer, I had time to write but less to write about. Now that I'm in school, ideas flurry, along with everything else; I'm usually too tired to bring anything into being. The most I've done lately is jotted down some concepts and lines that I can hopefully expand upon later on. Anyhow, take care, and take November in stride and fall~

~Neil

Cheshire!

2007-10-21T11:37:00.000-05:00

As you may have noticed, I recently adopted a Lyon of The Shameless Lions Writing Circle. Today, I decided it was time to sit down and write the ever-wonderful Cheshire a poem of tribute (for he most certainly deserves tribute). And so, without further ado:

~~~

Cheshire

I tried to photograph him yesterday;
He ran- well, looked- well, faded away,
Only part (about half) way there.
The rest of him was, oh, somewhere
(For nowhere is such a gloomy place).
Then grinned a face from about the trees;
I leveled, focused, and said, "Say cheese!"

~~~~~~~

Okay, so the reference is painfully obvious and overplayed, and the pun at the end is pretty terrible, but it's all in good fun ~_^ I rather like it~ Oh, and I followed the "48 words or less" rule (at exactly 48, not including the title) for good measure, even though the contest is long gone. And now, in other ne- what's that, Cheshire? You want this post to yourself? Mm... alright, then. I suppose that's a reasonable request. Oh, you want to sign off too? Fine, but just this once; this is my blog, after all~ Take care, folks.

Curiously,
Cheshire

James Emanuel- The Interview

2007-10-08T17:33:00.000-05:00

Recently, Dan put his interview of James Emanuel up on Cosmoetica; it's a great document and I encourage all of you to read it in its entirety. I will not excerpt too heavily from it, for I believe you would be better served by simply reading the interview itself, but a brief look is in order:

~~~

Poetry and fiction are always around us, waiting to be seized upon, jostled and cradled into new beings. The extra thought not energized, the extra step not willed drops the halfway writer into the category of the fond parents in an old cartoon bearing the words, “We first knew he was a genius when we saw him reading without moving his lips.” A real writer is lucky to find enough time to write, and he will not complain when The Muse is out to lunch. Even without a spade, he will dig in.

As Emanuel very eloquently notes, it is important to pursue the art even when inspiration fails; Art Durkee wrote an entry on Why Poems Written From The Head Ultimately Fail. I agree that it's important to bring things other than technical excellence and ideas to the table; a poem has to be brought into being in a variety of senses. However, good poems can certainly start purely from the head and then develop later on. That is why pursuit of the art is essential, even with a blank sheet against a blank mind.

~~~~~

If such a [multi-talented] person is a writer, he must budget his time in favor of his best or most gratifying creativity. The luckiest in this group are the self-directed ones, those disciplined enough to follow their strongest inclinations, their tightest reasoning. If talent is a curse, I say, curse back at it and keep on going in the direction that calls you most urgently.

The calling often changes over time; Jess and Dan Schneider are both good examples of this, since both have written a great deal of poetry, but neither are currently writing any poetry in favor of other pursuits. I briefly devoted a greater deal of time to photography, but refocused on poetry when I realized my time is better spent with a pen than with a camera (though I occasionally take art shots for fun).

~~~~~

For years, in first approaching the very small children of friends, children not old enough to talk, sometimes I have asked them questions that they could not answer, questions about politics or philosophy; then I have looked at them earnestly, unsmiling, as if their expected reply were important to me. No baby-talk, no coo-cooing. Without variation, their responses have been “adult”: serious, almost struggling to help me in my problem. That means something about discourse.

No comment.

~~~~~

To end, a delightful poem that I had never read before going through the interview. Instead of quoting after, I'm going to quote before:

There is a possible procedure that I do not consciously use: to bring into consideration an idea normally adult but not easily or commonly expressed by adults, then search for a child’s voice and child’s situation to develop that idea.

This is a concept I delight in and pursue; anyone who's followed my writing at least sparingly understands this. For skeptics regarding the effectiveness of the child's view, as well as those who merely wish to read a great poem:

~~~~~

Daniel Is Six

When Daniel is six
all people should know it:
the trees show it,
the winds blow it;
nothing will be quite the same:
even Daniel’s very name
will stretch and seem to make a sound
every time he writes it down
or squeezes it into the air
or combs it through his changing hair.

He was five
and will be seven.
There is nothing under heaven
more of miracle than that
except that Daniel one day sat
upon his bed and combed his hair
and dreamed of what was changing there.

By James Emanuel

~~~~~~

Read the interview. Oh, and I suppose it's October now (the Month couplet from October is my favorite)- time for Halloween and whatnot. Maybe I'll be Mickey Mouse or something.

Take Care,
~Neil

Where Has Neil Been?

2007-09-25T19:08:00.002-05:00

Obviously, I'm not dead. I consider that to be a good thing; hopefully you all feel the same way. I also haven't been out of town; the sole reason for my extended absence is busyness. School started a few weeks ago, and, as of now, it's been a rough (albeit fun) ride.

This blog has become more personal over this past year and a month or so (in my first post, I actually noted that I was not going to mention personal happenings); because of this, I'm going to give you folks a basic idea of what's going on with me this year.

None of my required classes are particularly special this year, but a couple of my extracurricular courses are worth mention. Firstly, Academic Decathlon has been fun overall; the topic this year is the Civil War. Now, I'm not really into studying and memorizing facts, so I haven't done all that well in some of the categories, but the people in the classes (teachers and students) make it worthwhile. Also, our next meet will feature Speech, Interview, and Essay, so hopefully I can make up some ground there (my speech is [well, will be- I should probably be writing it right now] about Education; go figure).

My favorite class, by *far*, is Choir. This year, I'm in Madrigals and the newly conceived Show Choir; I quite enjoy both of them, and the people involved are all wonderful.

So, is there anything cultural, literary, or artistic in this post? No. I just thought I'd stop by and give everyone a head's up as to what's happening on my end. Next time you see me (which will hopefully be sooner than two weeks from now), I'll have something for you. Take care 'til then,

~Neil

The Homework Myth

2007-09-04T17:13:00.001-05:00

Recently, I read an interesting Times article regarding the effectiveness of homework. It's a good write-up; let's do a little extrapolation and hit some major points:

According to a 2004 national survey of 2,900 American children conducted by the University of Michigan, the amount of time spent on homework is up 51% since 1981.

...And add this:

The onslaught comes despite the fact that an exhaustive review by the nation's top homework scholar, Duke University's Harris Cooper, concluded that homework does not measurably improve academic achievement for kids in grade school. That's right: all the sweat and tears do not make Johnny a better reader or mathematician.

Naturally, we've experienced a 51% increase in workforce effectiveness. ...We haven't? Well, how about 5.1%? I doubt it (if someone wants to hunt down more data, be my guest). Larger loads of homework create a negative outlook regarding learning in general, so they don't increase effectiveness the way they might theoretically (just like cutting recess out of elementary school schedules and adding an extra required year of science and math [both applicable (or soon to be applicable) where I live] don't work out in neat, ignorant equations).

Most of that increase reflects bigger loads for little kids. An academic study found that whereas students ages 6 to 8 did an average of 52 min. of homework a week in 1981, they were toiling 128 min. weekly by 1997. And that's before No Child Left Behind kicked in. An admittedly less scientific poll of parents conducted this year for AOL and the Associated Press found that elementary school students were averaging 78 min. a night.

I could rant about No Child Left Behind, but that's for another time. The more scientific poll shows that the amount of homework for elementary students has more than doubled. Once again, does their competency entering middle school double due to this? Elementary years are meant for "general" learning as opposed to "book" learning; kids learn to interact with each other and work in groups. More importantly, they spend alot of time simply enjoying themselves and discovering their interest; when people say "you're only a kid once", they're not kidding, and there's no reason for 3rd-4th graders to spend a couple hours of their time doing homework when they already attend school for about 36 hours a week.

Too much homework brings diminishing returns. Cooper's analysis of dozens of studies found that kids who do some homework in middle and high school score somewhat better on standardized tests, but doing more than 60 to 90 min. a night in middle school and more than 2 hr. in high school is associated with, gulp, lower scores.

Homework, like most things, is detrimental in excessive doses.

Educators, including Cooper, tend to defend homework by saying it builds study habits, self-discipline and time-management skills. But there's also evidence that homework sours kids' attitudes toward school. "It's one thing to say we are wasting kids' time and straining parent-kid relationships," Kohn told me, "but what's unforgivable is if homework is damaging our kids' interest in learning, undermining their curiosity."

As an aside, let me note this: Aside from sheer mass, homework that the student is wholly uninterested in does little for the student and sours his or her attitude towards learning. This is why the US should do one of two things: one, shorten school to K-10 (similar to some European countries), or two, create a more open-ended atmosphere past the 8-9th grade. Someone who is largely incompetent with numbers but highly proficient in writing should not be taking math courses until they graduate! Of course, such a change would entail other adjustments in standardized testing, but it would certainly be for the better.

Kohn's solution is radical: he wants a no-homework policy to become the default, with exceptions for tasks like interviewing parents on family history, kitchen chemistry and family reading.

Or, in a nation in which 71% of mothers of kids under 18 are in the workforce, how about extending the school day or year beyond its agrarian-era calendar? Let students do more work at school and save evenings for family and serendipity.

Now, I've always liked the idea of year-round school with two-week breaks inbetween every six-weeks of school, but I realize such a system wouldn't work for most people; the large block of free time summer provides is important for vacations and a major break (which some people really need). In regards to a no-homework policy, it could possibly work by adding another hour or so of school time to high school schedules; however, this would cause severe time-management problems concerning extra-curricular activities and other nighttime activities for many students, so the flexibility homework offers is advantageous in this case.

Bennett and Kalish have a more modest proposal. Parents should demand a sensible homework policy, perhaps one based on Cooper's rule of thumb: 10 min. a night per grade level. They offer lessons from their own battle to rein in the workload at their kids' private middle school in Brooklyn, N.Y. Among their victories: a nightly time limit, a policy of no homework over vacations, no more than two major tests a week, fewer weekend assignments and no Monday tests.

Let's just run down the line; a nightly time limit is immeasurable since some people take longer than others.

LAEvaside: A homework-related instruction similar to the "nightly time limit" concept is a direction like this: "Write at least 5-7 sentences describing the goals of Gimlock and his horde of Salubrious Gaspers." "Sentence" is a remarkably silly unit of measurement; "Lines" or "words" would be far more appropriate. In fact, concision is one of the most important aspects of writing; why give people as much room as they'd like? A better question would read like this: "Write a maximum of 10 lines describing the goals of Gimlock and his horde of Salubrious Gaspers." [/laevaside]

LAEvaside: Darn, that last aside was only 4 sentences long; I fail. [/laevaside]

*ahem* Where were we... ah, yes, "no homework over vacations". That's a good one; they're called vacations for a reason. The points regarding major tests and Monday tests aren't that important. Teachers can give major tests when they want, so long as they let students know a couple weeks ahead of time. It's up to the students after that. "Fewer weekends assignments" is a great idea, though; that's the time students use to participate in extra-curricular jazz, hang out with friends, loosen up for the next week, and study for that major test that the teacher is welcome to schedule at any time they please.

Y'know, they're probably no point to going back to the article; I ended up working through almost the entire thing. Anyhow, credits to Claudia Wallis for writing that article- thanks, Claudia! And, since it's September, there ya go~ It's nice being able to just link them as opposed to writing them.

Take Care,
~Neil

Bringing MySpace To You

2007-08-27T23:07:00.000-05:00

Doesn't sound like a very involving title, does it? Well, it's not. Starting school is always a hectic affair at the high school level (I've started my Junior year), so I've neither the time nor the will to put together something with thrust behind it. So...

MySpace. It's popular, and for good reason; it provides a great opportunity to share media and ideas, as well as keep in basic touch with friends. Sure, most bulletins have little meaning behind them, and alot of comments are frivolous, but hey~ I fill out a survey here and there for kicks; here's an example (Yes, I don't have anything better to post- do give it a chance, though, I think it's funny. Then again, I'm the one who wrote it.):

~~~

10 Things You May Not Know About Me (And Many More- Tune it at 13 o'clock for details!)

1: I am part Filipino.
2: I'm also part carbon.
3: I listen to lots of Broadway, Jazz, and Classical.
4: I have an inclination towards cute things.
5: My two favorite ice cream/sherbet flavors are Mocha Almond Fudge and Daiquiri Ice.
6: I don't just write Poetry; I write Wills. And Lisas. And Morgans.
7: There is no seven.
8: Miami Ink is one of my favorite shows.
9: I really like ballroom dancing (and dancing in general).
10: Alice in Wonderland is my favorite book. Oh, and I do actually enjoy books like The Red Badge of Courage and The Great Gatsby.

9 WAYS TO WIN MY HEART
1. Frankly, I think you should coax it out of me. It would be far more entertaining.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

7 THINGS I CARRY/WEAR EVERYDAY
1. Wit.
2. Whim.
3. Wist.
4. Will.
5. Lis... I mean, Wile.
6. Weasels.
7. There is no seven.

7 THINGS THAT ANNOY ME
1. Annoying things.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

6 STATES I'VE VISITED
1. Texas.
2. Melancholy.
3. Liquidity.
4. Oregon.
5. Origami.
6. Cran(kin)es(s). But not since I was seven.
7. There is no seven. It's true this time, because the subtitle actually says, "6 STATES I'VE VISITED". Clever.
8.
9.
10.

5 THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE
1. Live.
2. 3
3. 6
4. 10
5. 15

4 THINGS I'M AFRAID OF
1. Heights.
2. Death.
3. Sevens.
4. Oregon.

3 THINGS I DO EVERYDAY
1. Drink.
2. Think.
3. Not rhyme.

2 THINGS I'M TRYING NOT TO DO NOW
1. Finish this survey.
2. Not finish this survey.

1 PERSON I WANT TO SEE NOW
1. Somebody that has to do with moons and hares.

Hi, my name is: Dante.

When I'm nervous I: Nerve, er, vous, er, nervously vous nervily ous erv...

The last song I listened to: When Sunny Gets Blue (beautiful song)

If I were to get married right now my best man/woman would be: My twin brother, Sinbad.

By this time next year: The world will have revolved around the sun. I hope.

I have a hard time understanding: You. And nonpolygons (that's right, Eric!).

If I won an award, the first person I would tell: Me.

Take my advice: Be curious. Stay curious. Spell curius correctly.

Most recent thing I've bought myself: Sanity.

Most recent thing someone else bought me: Dignity.

My favorite hair style is: Pretty darn cool, I'd say.

My middle name is: Between my first and my last names.

In the morning I: Sing a morning song, then an evening song in case I'm too tired to sing it later that day.

Last night I was: Fencing with the Duke of Japan. Or the President of Iran. They're so similar!

If I was an animal I'd be a: Parrot or a rabbit. Actually, a rabbit. A talking rabbit. A talking, flying rabbit. A talking, flying, colorful rabbit. A parrot with large ears. A... a rabbit. Definitely the rabbit. The last one. With the feathers. And the talking and flying and falking and tlying. That one.

A better name for me would be: Neil. Unfortunately, my name is Dante.

Tomorrow I am: /will be one day older.

Tonight I am: Who I am.

My favorite color(s) is: Firstly, it should be "is/are", seeing as to how "My favorite colors is" is incorrect. Lastly, blue and black is my favorite color.

My heart is: a blood-circulating device approximately the size of my rather fitful fist.

Well, that was enlightening. I think I'll go eat some ice cream. Too bad it's not going to be Mocha Almond Fudge.

~~~~~~~

They're actually quite fun from time to time; Jeff should post one of his own as he also comes up with rather witty responses. Now, I'm off to sign about 50 papers to turn into school next day that confirm such momentous things as the fact that I am not going to be receiving discounted lunches. All right!

Take Care,
~Neil

Bits and... Painting Poem III

2007-08-19T23:08:00.001-05:00

Firstly, I apologize for the lack of aptly wrought, focused blog pieces. I'm not exactly sure why I'm apologizing, since blogs are self-published, but I suppose I feel a certain obligation towards those who visit. I will put some work into the Philippines entry (despite that accursed summer reading project), and I actually do have a couple of ideas for more developed posts now. Anyhow...

On Bad Luck, courtesy of Jess, since she undoubtedly possesses it. To Jess: You got a really crummy deal; my sympathy goes out to you. On a lighter note, happy b-day in a couple, and, if you want a movie to cheer you up (and enjoy children-oriented movies), I heavily suggest My Neighbor Totoro; it's utterly benign and quite pleasing.

From Anthony, a sonnet-based post. It contains a really nice sonnet by Dan Schneider, as well as a reasonably good piece by Peter Van Toorn.

For the 16th of August- Happy Birthday to myself, Madonna, Charles Bukowski (reluctantly), T.E. Lawrence, and the moon, among others. If anyone else is curious about who was born on their birthday, finding out is as simply as looking up the date on Wikipedia. It's quite interesting, really.

LAEvaside: Elvis died on August 16th, 1977. [/laevaside]

...My, this is a rather spare post, isn't it? I suppose a poem is due- let's go with another painting poem in my JSS series (painting first):

~~~

Garden Study of the Vickers Children
~John Singer Sargent

Stem-tall, pretty in white
And black, they take hold
Of green. Things that fill eyes
Of earth, ever heaven-inclined,
Reach softly throughout
The eyes that hold them,
Still growing. They look about
To other lovely things, or down,
Enraptured. Beneath,
Life spans boundlessly.

~~~~~~~

Take care 'til next,

~Neil

Bits and Bits and Bits

2007-08-13T14:49:00.000-05:00

Something about blogger's block... I certainly might be experiencing such a thing, since I post infrequently and have nothing to go into great detail about. That said, let's just hit some bits (and bits [and bits]) instead (Anthony published a similarly-titled post):

What Personality Are Your Pets? Jess ventures the question and proceeds to describe each of her cats. In relation to the Jung - Meyer-Briggs Typology test (quite an interesting test), I retested today. I tested INTJ several months ago, but this time I went the way of INTP.

I recently thought up a policy that I'll implement when I eventually become a parent (which I fully intend on doing). My children will be allowed to say anything to me that I say to them. If I tell them to shut up, they can tell me to shut up. If I curse at them (as unlikely as that may be), they can do the same to me; it's only fair. While it is important for parents to discipline their children, many forget to discipline themselves, which is just as important. After all, children take after their parents.

About a week ago, I took a break from speaking and didn't utter a single word for 26 hours (including 8 hours of sleep). Communication became less specific and more difficult. Being mute was a bit hard the first few hours, but after settling, it was quite pleasant. I got a lot of thinking done in that time. However, actually being mute would be very rough; the communication barriers are immense. I've also considered going blind or deaf for a while, but those present greater difficulties (especially the blindness; most with vision rely desperately on their eyes).

I suppose I'll give a couple last words about Harry Potter, since the series provokes several times more feedback than average books (in a variety of ways): firstly, many people label J.K. Rowling as "greedy". It's not her fault her books are successful. In fact, I've always found her to be quite pleasant in interviews and whatnot. Secondly, I should have mentioned in my essay that more adult themes do present themselves in books 5-7, but the series is still primarily for children and teenagers.

For previous friends and visitors, I'm sure you noticed the changed Blog Title. I'll probably shuffle the title around some (I'm tired of my old one, Evanesce is more of a message board handle) in the next few months. If you have me linked, don't bother changing it, I'm still Neil Hester and this blog is still "LAEvanescent", so to speak.

Love is good.

Take Care,
~Neil

LAEvaside: Yes, I'm no longer signing my blogs as "LAEvanesce". But hey, I'll still make "LAEvasides", 'cause "Neilaside" sounds far less cool, doncha think? ~_^ [/laevaside]

August~

2007-08-06T15:46:00.000-05:00

Ah, the final entry in the Month series, August! I am a bit tired of doing these, but this is the last one, as the series began with September. And now, some trivia:

~~~

August begins (astrologically) with the sun in the sign of Leo and ends in the sign of Virgo.
August was originally named Sextilis in Latin, but was renamed in honor of Augustus in 8 BC because several of the most significant events in his rise to power, including the fall of Alexandria, land on this month.
August is Women's Small Business Month.
The Philippines celebrates National Heroes Day on the last Sunday in August in commemoration of the First Cry of the Philippine Revolution on August 23, 1896.
August's birthstone is the peridot, sardonyx, or sapphire.
In Irish, August is known as Lúnasa, a modern rendition of Lughnasadh, from the god Lugh.
My birthday is August the 16th, a date I share with an important person.

~~~~~~~

And now, the final couplet:

~~~

A Gusto

August breezes in soft from July
With gusto to match a lullaby.

~~~~~~~

Mm, not too good, but hey, writing these couplets isn't exactly a momumental poetic endeavor. This concludes the Month series; take care 'til next, folks~

~LAEvanesce

Welcome Back, Neil!

2007-07-30T13:55:00.000-05:00

Why, thank you! I did have an interesting trip to the Philippines; it was wonderful seeing family I've never met before, but the place itself isn't particularly pleasant. For anyone interested in a look at the Philippines, I'll have a writeup with pictures ready in the next couple weeks.

While I was in the Philippines, I decided to purchase the 7th Harry Potter book for the (32 hour) plane trip back, for I've been a fan since 4th-5th grade. It was a very exciting light read that helped shave some hours off of the hefty travel time; I am quite satisfied with the final installment. When I did get back, I realized how many people were overly praising the books or labeling it as some terrible anticulture, so here's an objective look at HP on M&C. It actually hit #1 in popularity, little credit to me: Harry Potter is bigger than YouTube, Usher, Northern Ireland, and Lindsay Lohan. Actually, if you gathered all the books in the world and piled them up, HP probably *is* bigger than all these things (that's right, N. Ireland!). Really though, I do rather enjoy reading the comments the article is attracting.

On a related side note, Jess mentioned yesterday that HP Book 5 is overwrought (which is true). I watched a J.K. Rowling interview, a fan asked if she would change anything if she could, and she said that she wishes she had done better editing on Book 5, because it's "too long". Just thought I'd mention that.

In other news, this blog is now 1 year, 1 day old. This didn't occur to me yesterday, otherwise I probably would've made this post earlier. No matter, it's not particularly important.

Notes for the past couple weeks: Creative Writing 1 from Anthony and a response from Jess. Also, Art Durkee has 4 poems up on M&C. Finally, for kicks, here's The Pachelbel Rant for all you people, especially those musicians out there. Good stuff.

Take Care,
~LAEvanesce

To the Philippines

2007-07-17T14:07:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm headed out for the Philippines; nothing is going to be posted here for the next 9-10 days, so don't bother checking for new entries. Seeing as to how I'm busy sorting out my affairs before I go, here's a poem:

~~~

Pickings

Sensitively rendered ones are good.
And the unexpected ones as well.
I especially like bright, shiny ones.

Oftentimes I must stoop to get them.
Or grasp them out of the air.
But that's hard if it's windy.

Some graciously appear of their own right.
While others are dug out.
Pulled, stretched, or excavated.

It's the getting I'm after.

by Bruce Ario

~~~~~~~

It really is a delightful poem; what are the pickings? I've always thought that the "pickings" are ideas, but obviously I can't prove it. Great poetry often leaves certain things to personal interpretation; this poem does so poignantly, with a remarkable deal of brevity. By the way, the form "Pickings" is written in is the ario (for obvious reasons), a form that I may attempt in the near future. Anyhow, take care; I'll certainly try my best to.

~LAEvanesce

parodization piece 2

2007-07-13T13:53:00.000-05:00

before you ask any questions
let's jump straight to the poem in question and its parodic counterpart

~~~

a violent prson

is marreed 2 a changling

th changling can adapt
can sumtimez radikalee b
on her his gud side evreethings
going swimminglee sumtimez
get shit whn he she runs out
uv prsonas masks goez 2
th closet n thers nothing

hanging ther can b myself he
she thinks thn thats th feer
that th punishment will cum
fr sure if he she cant leev her
him self fast enuff breeth b
call her him n start packing

him her self is alredee enuff
is alredee fine is alredee all ther
can go now can b now she he is
sew flexibul now who 2 trust or
2 find discovr

a mountin sliding in2 th sand
sumwun who wud stay yu cud
with hold n they cud find yu they
wudint leev n yu wud bcum all
ther with them not that

thers anee all ther

th changling writes lettrs 2 her him
selvs in th ambr waves n touchinglee
with love keeps th nite

by bill bissett

~~~~~~~

maybe it's just me
but i find the whole lowercase punctuationless approach to be
rather pointless
so i wrote this

~~~

a fluffy bnny
"Nothing you can't spell will ever work." ~Will Rogers

is marreed 2 a nibbling

th nibbling can erupt
can sumtimez comikalee b
on its its left side evreethings
chewing beautifulee sumtimez
get bit whn it it jumps out
uv rbbitheds ears goez 2
th tmples n thers pressure

th nibbling bites carrts 2 it yu
selvs in th ornge waves n crunchinglee
with food keeps th life

~~~~~~~

Whew, I think I'll jump back into a stronger coherency. Anyhow, I'd just like to say that I have no real problem with bill bissett; he's not *that* bad a poet. However, I find his "unique" style to be awfully gimmicky. More than anything, it's difficult to read; such difficulty creates a faux depth that contains little to no meaning. By the way, here's the first parodization I posted.

On a side note, Pope Benedict released a document that deems Catholicism "the only true church". What the heck? Supposedly the document is for "theological precision"; I don't buy that. Benedict is being ridiculous and anti-ecumenical. Crazy deal, isn't it?

Take Care,
~LAEvanesce

The Villanette

2007-07-06T23:31:00.000-05:00

LAEvaside: Dan contacted me to inform me that he already coined the term sonnetelle. Therefore, I have fallen back on my second name choice, villanette.

~~~~~

Jess: "Neil, you should write a villanelle."
Neil: "I've already written two, but they're bad."

*a few days later*

Well, here we are. I've always enjoyed messing with form, but I think this is probably the best formal innovation I've made as of now:

~~~

What Became of Madame Adelai and the Child

“May I, Madame Adelai?
May I play beneath the sky?”
“Yes, dear child, you may, you may.”

“I would like to go and play
Up there, where the birdies fly.
May I, Madame Adelai?”

I rather doubt that he would stray;
Who am I to draw a sigh?
“Yes, dear child, you may, you may.”

“Miss Adelai! I’ve gone too high!
Look at how the branches sway,
I’m scared, I’m scared, I’m gonna die!”

Miss Adelai could not reply,
For she had gone inside to pray.
“Miss Adelai! I’ve gone too high!”

The little boy could only cry
So loud. Miss Adelai had gone away.
“I’m scared, I’m scared, I’m gonna die!”

“May I, Madame Adelai?”
The boy is so polite and shy.
I pray all children, come what may
Will one day join You in the sky.

Who could have dreamt a sadder day?
“Miss Adelai! I’ve gone too high!”
Soon the little boy at play
And Adelai took to the sky.

“May I, Madame Adelai?”

There was nothing she could say.

~~~~~~~

There it is, the villanette. It's a good thing I have a blog, because this poem will probably never get published in a magazine due to the tone, despite the actual subject matter. Anyhow, I suppose I'll break this thing down (I'd love to see a few people try one [Anthony? Whinza? Jess?]).

~~~

the villanette- 28 lines; 6 tercets, 2 quatrains, 1 couplet

A1
b
A2

a
b
A1

a
b
A2

B1
a
B2

b
a
B1

b
a
B2

A1 (or A2/a)
b
a (or A1/A2)
b

a
B1 (or B2/b)
a
b (or B1/B2)

a/A1/A2/b/B1/B2
a/A1/A2/b/B1/B2

~~~~~~~

It starts as a regular villanelle, then switches the base lines to "b" in the 4th tercet. After the sixth tercet, it switches into two quatrains and a couplet to end like a sonnet (and with 28 lines, the length of two sonnets). Jess described the form as "whimsical"; I agree, as it was on whimsical impulse that I veered from writing a normal villanelle and did this instead.

In other news, a couple articles: "Why I Hate Poetry Magazine" from The Angry Critic, and "Let's Eliminate High School" from Joe Reese (thank you, Joe!).

Take Care,
~LAEvanesce

July~

2007-07-02T00:03:00.001-05:00

Looks like July is here; unfortunately, unlike the last three months, July doesn't directly translate into a female name (though Julie is awfully close). Regardless, let's look into July and see what we (well, I, really) come up with:

~~~

July was renamed for Julius Caesar, who was born in that month. Previously, it was called Quintilis in Latin.
Independence Day in the United States, Venezuela, and Malawi occur consecutively (July 4th, 5th, and 6th, respectively).
July is National Ice Cream Month in the United States.
In Finnish, the month is called heinäkuu, meaning "month of grass".
July begins on the same day of the week as April every year and also January in leap years.
July's flower is the water lily or larkspur.
July is the most common birth month, along with October.

~~~~~~~

If you live in the U.S., it's almost time for fireworks, which I always enjoy (I doubt the pleasure of bright lights and loud bangs ever truly fades). Now, without further ado:

~~~

Julyen

Julie and Julian met in July.
Now they’re a pair; noone ever asks why.

~~~~~~~

Alright, new record! One-minute poems are so cool.

Take Care,
~LAEvanesce

Taking a Look At...

2007-06-28T23:21:00.000-05:00

...Various articles and features I have neglected due to oh-so-wonderful choir camp (nothing like the Chichester Psalms to get ya goin'): let's touch on some rather interesting jazz from the past couple weeks~

First off, if you visited in the past few days, you may have noticed the background (or lack thereof). Fortunately, I fixed that, and went the extra kilometer by changing up my header, profile (which you really ought to read), and, best of all, IE setup. Basically, my blog no longer scares IE browsers away with its atrocious appearance.

Now, to get my ego out of the way before featuring other people- I have been recently featured at Monsters and Critics twice: Low and High: What *is* Art, Anyhow? and 4 Poems by Neil Hester. Anthony Zanetti also has two features there: Blogs versus Print: Is there a prejudice? and 4 Poems by Anthony Zanetti. Finally, Whinza Ndoro is also featured with 2 Poems by Whinza Kingslee Ndoro. Note that I am promoting my friends; however, this is not without just cause. They are all very capable writers that are well worth the read, unlike many poets who are promoted/published by friends and editors.

Now, onto bloggity stuff. By far the coolest blog to have come along in a while is The Shameless Lions Writing Circle. Right now I'm on the Friends List, but I do hope that I will someday be able to adopt a lion; they're cute! Er, vicious! Either way, I want one. I'll feed it and groom it an... *ahem* In regard to the lions, Jess has a post concerning them (and hers, aptly dubbed Johnny Cash).

I realize this is a lot to digest in one go; therefore, I will refrain from hitting you with other interesting articles and bring them forth at a later time. That said, let's end with a poem:

~~~

Days In The Turkestan Desert

Our Russian prop plane has a busted right-
side engine. We’ve been waiting two
days for the motor to come. Aliki and I hike
a few hours. “Some tea?” Nomad Turks are cooking stew
and skewing lamb. A feast. We join. It’s cold.
One fellow asks me to wrestle. We talk Chinese.
Neither of us are good at it. I fold
my wallet in my shirt, seize
his leg. We roll. Everyone is laughing. When
I’m licked, Aliki and I thank everyone again
for good food and we wander to a small
abandoned mosque. It’s a stone eyeball. We climb
inside. Goathorns in the sand, God in the wind through all
the small broken windows. Peace dazes time.

By Willis Barnstone

~~~~~~~

I'm still in sonnet mode. The sonnet really is a beautiful (and accessible) form. Jess told me I need to write a villanelle; I've written two, actually, but they're bad, and therefore relatively useless beyond some experience with the form. Anyhow, sorry for the absence of words; take care 'til next,

~LAEvanesce

Three Quartered

2007-06-20T22:21:00.001-05:00

Well, folks, here we are at post #75, nearly eleven months after the creation of the blog. As of now, it's been a fun ride; thank you to all you readers for answering back and giving me a reason to write that goes beyond self-fulfillment. That said, let's look back on some selections from the previous quarter of posts:

~~~

~*Half Hundred~ The second quarterly post.

~*Jealousy, Lily, Ballroom, Rose~ Another painting poem, as well as a brief writeup (and link) on jealousy in the arts.

~*A Reflection on "A Reflection on..."~ The original and final drafts side to side- a terrible poem next to a rather good one.

~*Typo(logy/graphy)~ A look at typology tests and unique typography in poetry. The article features e.e. cummings and Jason Sanford, among others.

~*TAKS- Tertiary Abomination of Kayaks and Snails~ A brief criticism of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, followed up by a link to a very interesting article on energy conservation in Japan.

~*Si(tes/ght)~ Are you losing your eyesight? If not, I certainly hope you begin sometime in your life. Why? Well...

~*Songs (and Singer[s]) of Innocence~ A look at William Blake's wonderful "Songs of Innocence" series, as well as a couple poems in my own "Songs of Innocence" (a tentative title for the series).

~*Low and High: What *is* Art, Anyhow?~ Tattoing. Sculpture. Game design. Music. Comic strips. Poetry. Really, though, what *is* art?

~~~~~~~

Only twenty-five more posts 'til 100. Exciting, isn't it? Take care 'til next,

~LAEvanesce

Low and High: What is Art, Anyhow?

2007-06-13T21:13:00.000-05:00

Sculpture. Painting. Music. Cinema. Poetry. These are forms that all take their place as legitimate and respectable mediums; everyone considers these to be "art".

Tattooing. Game design. Sitcoms. Children's fiction. Comic strips. These are... well, what do you think? Well, these mediums aren't on the same level as the ones you listed at the beginning. That's true. Now, tell me, are they legitimate art forms? Um...

I'll go ahead and answer this one for you; yes, everything listed above is a legitimate art form (I left out some other mediums I consider art, but that's a pretty decent list). Some people are unwilling to accept this. Let me make this clear: These are not on the same tier as any of the major mediums I listed first. However, these "lower" forms of art (and they are lower, but still very worthwhile) meet the criteria for art:

~~~

art [ahrt] -noun
1. the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.

~~~~~~~

Tattooing? Even if you're put off by the idea of body art (which I enjoy observing, even if I don't personally want anything done on me), you can't deny the artistic value of technically sound visual art just because it's done on skin. I actually find that the human body makes a unique canvas in that it possesses many different curves, colors, and densities.

Game design? I'm not going to argue artistic value for early games like Pac-Man, Pong, and Space Invaders. They're fun, but that's the extent of their value. However, there came a point in game design where video games began to contain character development and a detailed plot, just like a play or a novel. There are beautiful scenes, relationships, and narratives to be had in certain genres of video games (and recent graphic and audio capabilities don't hurt); generally, I can't argue artistry for genres such as sports and fighting, but when you get to role-playing and adventure games that contain a worthwhile story... it's art. Architecture and game design are common in that the technical aspects must be solid for functionality; achieving artistry is secondary, but wholly possible.

Children's fiction? Okay, so they're not super-academic and complex like "real" fiction. However, to draw emotion from a child is a totally unique challenge; it's not easy to write so simply and still work the imagination and create beauty. I seriously doubt Verne or Twain could just sit down and write a really good children's book. In contrast, Dr. Seuss is an incredible children's poet/writer. No, he doesn't write like Crane or Rilke! In his own right, though, he is a great artist.

Sitcoms? Just because they're primary purpose is to make you laugh (often in a ridiculous fashion) doesn't mean that aesthetics can't come into play. Sitcoms are capable of going beyond comedy; after all, narrative and character development do still exist in sitcoms, right?

Comic strips? Like sitcoms, the purpose is laughter, daily snickers and chuckles. Like sitcoms (moreso, in my opinion), a comic strip can rise above the ordinary and poignantly express emotion and beauty. Calvin and Hobbes is a personal favorite of mine; it really manages to tug on you in some cases. Also, strips like Calvin and Hobbes and Peanuts offer a highly developed child's perspective; when Calvin finds an injured squirrel, worries about it, and finds out it died the next morning, it has a real impact and rises above slapstick comedy and one-liners. Now, let's look at this little exchange:

~~~

Calvin: A painting. Moving. Spiritually enriching. Sublime. "High" art!

The comic strip. Vapid. Juvenile. Commercial hack work. "Low" art.

A painting of a comic strip panel. Sophisticated irony. Philosophically challenging. "High" art.

Hobbes: Suppose I draw a cartoon of a painting of a comic strip?

Calvin: Sophomoric, intellectually sterile. "Low" art.

~~~~~~~

And so, we reach the concept of "low" and "high" art. Oh, and it's funny. However, how do you compare the "low" to the "high"? Let's move on...

Since I just mentioned Calvin and Hobbes, note this statement from its creator, Bill Watterson, which is quoted from "The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book", directly below the strip I referenced above: "I would suggest that it's not the medium, but the quality of perception and expression, that determines the significance of art. But what would a cartoonist know?" This is true. Some interpret this as stating that all mediums are on the same level. I disagree: while the strip would support this argument at first glance, the strip is really just a jab at "high" artists looking down on whom they consider "low" artists (e.g. [bad] painters looking down on [good] photographers). Watterson is simply noting the quality of art takes precedence over what medium is uses. A great poem is more artistically significant than a great comic strip. A great comic strip, however, is far more important than a bad poem. True? Definitely.

But Neil, comic strips aren't "real" art, right?

...Right.

Take Care,
~LAEvanesce

June~

2007-06-08T17:37:00.001-05:00

Okay, so my blog performance may be slipping. Y'know, though, that's the great thing about blogging; I can write when and what I want, and the most anyone can do is stop reading my blog or offer nonconsequential complaints. Anyhow, on to June...

~~~

June is named after the Roman goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter and equivalent to the Greek goddess Hera.
Midsummer is celebrated in Sweden on the third Friday in June.
Philippine Independence Day is on June 12.
June is National Rose Month in the United States; the majority of the Portland Rose Festival also occurs in June.
No other month begins on the same day of the week as June.
June's birthstone is the pearl, Alexandrite, or moonstone.
June 31st is Weasel Stomping Day according to "Weird Al" Yankovic. The day, however, does not really exist.

~~~~~~~

Couplet? Of course:

~~~

June Snug

With April and May, June’s a woman snug,
But June’s the only one that’s a lady bug.

~~~~~~~

Only two more months before the circle is complete! The quality of Month Couplets does vary, though, so I might do reworks of some months (like March). As for other writing, I've worked on some sonnetry, painting poems, and Hester Songs of Innocence. Y'know maybe I should find a new name for that series; Lyrics of Puerility? Songs of Juvenescence? Salad Days Ballads?...

Take Care,
~LAEvanesce

Songs (and Singer[s]) of Innocence

2007-06-01T17:41:00.000-05:00

Well, I decided to look into William Blake's Songs of Innocence for two reasons: one, I enjoy the child-like approach more than any other, and two, I've been told by Dan that a couple of my poems resemble such songs. After reading about 20 of them, there are some interesting segments and a few excellent poems, but some of Blake's songs are rather lightweight. Sure, I can enjoy them, but there is quite a bit of fluff to be had in certain selections. Let's look at 3 Songs of Innocence:

~~~

The Schoolboy

I love to rise in a summer morn
When the birds sing on every tree;
The distant huntsman winds his horn,
And the skylark sings with me.
Oh, what sweet company!

But to go to school in a summer morn,
Oh! it drives all joy away;
Under a cruel eye outworn
The little ones spend the day
In sighing and dismay.

Ah! then at times I drooping sit,
And spend many an anxious hour;
Nor in my book can I take delight,
Nor sit in learning's bower,
Worn through with the dreary shower.

How can the bird that is born for joy
Sit in a cage and sing?
How can a child, when fears annoy,
But droop his tender wing,
And forget his youthful spring?

O, father and mother, if buds are nipped
And blossoms blown away,
And if the tender plants are stripped
Of their joy in the springing day,
By sorrow and care's dismay,

How shall the summer arise in joy,
Or the summer fruits appear?
Or how shall we gather what griefs destroy,
Or bless the mellowing year,
When the blasts of winter appear?

By William Blake

~~~~~~~

The music of this piece is very nice (well, it is lyrical), drawing from the benefits of the form. The last stanza adds a level of depth to the poem and gives it purpose. Now, let's look at one of the more famous SoI:

~~~

The Lamb

Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life & bid thee feed
By the stream & o’er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, wooly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?
Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?

Little Lamb, I’ll tell thee,
Little Lamb, I’ll tell thee:
He is callèd by thy name,
For he calls himself a Lamb.
He is meek, & he is mild;
He became a little child.
I a child, & thou a lamb,
We are callèd by his name.
Little Lamb, God bless thee!
Little Lamb, God bless thee!

By William Blake

~~~~~~~

Let's be fair; the music is pretty good, although the repetition can be a bit much, and there's an interesting inversion of sorts in the second stanza. However, there's quite a bit of fluff here (a la lamba?) that's quite unnecessary, unless I'm missing something. The title is also rather bland (but hey, it's a song!). Now, how about this one?

~~~

A Cradle Song

Sweet dreams, form a shade
O’er my lovely infant’s head;
Sweet dreams of pleasant streams
By happy, silent, moony beams.

Sweet Sleep, with soft down
Weave thy brows an infant crown.
Sweet Sleep, Angel mild,
Hover o’er my happy child.

Sweet smiles, in the night
Hover over my delight;
Sweet smiles, mother’s smiles,
All the livelong night beguiles.

Sweet moans, dovelike sighs,
Chase not slumber from thy eyes.
Sweet moans, sweeter smiles,
All the dovelike moans beguiles.

Sleep, sleep, happy child,
All creation slept and smil'd;
Sleep, sleep, happy sleep,
While o’er thee thy mother weep.

Sweet babe, in thy face
Holy image I can trace.
Sweet babe, once like thee,
Thy Maker lay and wept for me,

Wept for me, for thee, for all,
When He was an infant small.
Thou His image ever see,
Heavenly face that smiles on thee

Smiles on thee, on me, on all;
Who became an infant small.
Infant smiles are His own smiles;
Heaven and earth to peace beguiles.

By William Blake

~~~~~~~

Music is, once again, extremely strong (Blake doesn't have any problems with that); there is some interesting repetition (e.g. "dovelike sighs" to "dovelike moans"), but this poem is on a sugar high; "sweet" occurs 11 times, often in cliché situations. I realize it's a song, but I still find the repetitive embellishment with heavy religious overtones to be a bit much.

I appreciate Blake's Songs of Innocence; there's fine poetry to be had, and, once again, they heavily apply my favorite tone. I'm writing my own "Songs of Innocence", somewhat, sans the religious focus and the long, super-fluffy poems (Blake cued me to repeat "fluff" a few times to make my entry stronger). "A Difficulty in Parenting" falls under my idea of a SoI, as do these two poems (I may as well throw something[s] of my own out there):

~~~

The History of Dragons

"And that is how the mighty prince
Slew the fearsome dragon."
I read, and ever since
It seems there’s fighting to be done.

My boys encounter readily
The dreadful dragon hordes,
And nick the books of history
With little wooden swords.

~~~~~

The Entertained

The wheeling song is sounding near;
A chill for children, street to street.
Quit your play and trail the ear
That hears a sweet and papered treat!

–It leaves them, nigh empyreal;
The day resumes as it began,
Though other work seems less ideal
Than that of the man in the ice cream van.

~~~~~~~

Take Care,
~LAEvanesce

Stevensian Austin

2007-05-27T11:58:00.001-05:00

I'm heading to Austin for UIL State Competition for choir and orchestra, so I'll be out for a few days. I apologize for not doing this entry earlier; I intended on making a more elaborate entry a bit sooner in the week, but never got to it. Of course, we all know what to do when pressed for time:

~~~

Yellow Afternoon

It was in the earth only
That he was at the bottom of things
And of himself. There he could say
Of this I am, this is the patriarch,
This it is that answers when I ask,
This is the mute, the final sculpture
Around which silence lies on silence.
This repose alike in springtime
And, arbored and bronzed, in autumn.

He said I had this that I could love,
As one loves visible and responsive peace,
As one loves one’s own being,
As one loves that which is the end
And must be loved, as one loves that
Of which one is a part as in a unity,
A unity that is the life one loves,
So that one lives all the lives that comprise it
As the life of the fatal unity of war.

Everything comes to him
From the middle of his field. The odor
Of earth penetrates more deeply than any word.
There he touches his being. There as he is
He is. The thought that he had found all this
Among me, in a woman- she caught his breath-
But he came back as one comes back from the sun
To lie on ones bed in the dark, close to a face
Without eyes or mouth, that looks at one and speaks.

By Wallace Stevens

~~~~~~~

Have fun with that. Take care 'til next,

~LAEvanesce

Si(tes/ght)

2007-05-20T23:10:00.001-05:00

Sites: quite a few interesting articles have popped up in the last couple weeks. Sir Poe and The Up Series from Jess (after reading the latter, I absolutely have to watch it this summer); Does the Audience Matter? 5, Ideas of the Artist: the Standard Models, and Taliesin (I enjoyed this entry quite a lot) from Art; and The ULA vs. Cosmoetica from Anthony. And now, a word on sight...

~~~

Loosely Laced

Glassless watching: this and that
Are almost one. Blended room
That says: “You shouldn’t scat
With me!”: I differ when I say,
“You are with a better tune
Without your huffy face!”

Even the slums are beautiful
Like this. They almost mock
The other side, with its cruel-
Set corsets and urbane ways;
The ladies find it hard to walk.
You look better without the lace.

~~~~~~~

I sincerely hope that everyone reading this begins losing their eyesight at some point in life (perhaps at an older age). Sure, great eyesight is convenient; no glasses or contacts needed. Quite frankly, though, such a "blessed" person is missing out on an entire different perspective on everything around them. With bad eyesight, colors blur, objects undergo an abstraction of sorts, and crowds of people become impressionistic. Also, a lack of acute visual interpretation can free one from distractions. It may seem strange to regard such a deficiency as positive, but recently, I've been inclined to spend some time with my glasses off; the stained glass and other architecture at church is nice without lines, and street lights flare up to around three times their size. It's quite pleasant, really. Or maybe I'm just too optimistic. Eh~

Take Care,
~LAEvanesce

Um... KFC, Anyone?

2007-05-15T22:49:00.000-05:00

KFC Combo FAQ v1!

~~~

Rumpelstiltskin

'Your name is Rumpelstiltskin!' cried
The Queen. 'It's not,' he lied. 'I lied
The time you heard me say it was.'
'I never heard you. It's a guess,'

She lied. He lied.: 'My name is Zed.'
She told the truth: 'You're turning red,
Zed.' He said: 'That's not my name!'
'You're turning red though, all the same.'

'Liar!' he cried: 'I'm turning blue.'
And this was absolutely true
And then he tore himself in two
As liars tend to have to do.

By Glyn Maxwell

~~~~~~~

*runs away*

Take Care,
~LAEvanesce

This Is Why I'm Savvy

2007-05-08T22:37:00.000-05:00

Firstly, I'd like to address a poor choice of examples a couple posts back. I meant to do this earlier, but it slipped my mind until now; here ya go. Basically, my examples of cliché were too general, so I did edit in some better examples at the bottom. Thanks for keeping me in check, Jess. Speaking of Jess, she and Dan have positions as book editors at Monsters and Critics; check out her blog for more on that. From Art, Multi-(Tasking, Media, Directional) 2.

This goes in a separate paragraph because I think it deserves such: This is Why I'm Hot has been reviewed at Village Voice. Classic. Now, for your pleasure:

~~~

Asbestos

Knowing (as John did) nothing of the way
men act when men are roused from lethargy.
and having nothing (as John had) to say
to those he saw were starving just as he

starved, John was like a workhorse. Day by day
he saw his sweat cement the granite tower
(the edifice his bone had built), to stay
listless as ever, older every hour.

John's deathbed is a curious affair:
the posts are made of bone, the spring of nerves,
the mattress bleeding flesh. Infinite air,
compressed from dizzy altitudes, now serves

his skullface as a pillow. Overhead
a vulture leers in solemn mockery,
knowing what John had never known: that dead
workers are dead before they cease to be.

By Edwin Rolfe

~~~~~~~

"Rolfe". Makes me think of Rowlf the Dog from The Muppet Show; he wrote some poetry here and there ^^ Anyhow...

Take Care,
~LAEvanesce

May~

2007-05-01T23:43:00.000-05:00

"Note: I'm having technical difficulties; hopefully this post will be up tomorrow."

"Technical difficulties, eh? I can't say I believe you, Neil... I think you just got really busy."

"Or lazy."

"Or both."

Anyhow...

~~~~~

Well, here we are; it's May! For me, it means the last month of school (thank goodness), but let's look at some Mayfacts on a larger scale:

~~~

The month may have been named for the Greek goddess Maia, who was identified with the Roman goddess of fertility, Bona Dea, whose festival was held in May.
In Japan, there is a so-called May sickness, where new students or workers start to be tired of their new schoolwork or jobs. (In Japan schoolyears and fiscal years start on April 1st).
In Germany it is an old custom to plant a "tree of May" to honor someone. Often young men set up an adorned birch in front of their girlfriends house in the night before May 1.
May 4th is Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you).
May's is the nightingale; May's birthstone is the emerald.
In Slovene, it is called veliki traven, which means the month of high grass.

~~~~~~~

~And the couplet:

~~~

May Be

May be pleasant, maybe gay,
May’s a girl, so who can say?

~~~~~~~

Cashing in on the whole "April-May-June-Autumn-Summer-female" dealie. Anyhow, I've been rather busy with a bunch of end-of-year projects, talent show jazz, and choir practice, but I'll try to post as scheduled. Take care 'til next,

~LAEvanesce

Linkin'; Hark

2007-04-26T22:49:00.000-05:00

Or, perhaps, read, seeing as to how audio is notably absent:

First, Multi-(Tasking, Media, Directional) from Art. I've always considered the idea that pursuing multiple artforms is unwise to be rather silly; artforms often play off of one another, and talents in one can be applied to another (especially from visual~>visual and textual~>textual). Naturally, most people have a tendency towards a certain media, but the pursuit of other forms of expression strengthens one's ability in general; it does not hinder it.

Second, On Taste(s) and 'subjectivity'. from Jess (with a link to Anthony). I've always found it strange how difficult it is to explain the concept of clichés to some people. They argue that clichés are commonly used because of their effectiveness; this is wrong. Clichés are frequently utilized because they are obvious pairings or narratives; in short, descriptions for the lazy. Don't tell me the night is dark, the sun is bright, or the grass is green; to me, the most annoying sort of cliché is the sort that tells something that is assumed to be true unless otherwise noted. Bad enjambment is also aggravating and heavily pervades poetry; I'll not expand (for the time being).

(See Addendum)

Finally, bits & bits & bits from Anthony, with a link to Jess (we do work to promote each other, don't we?); he touches on a Yeats post by Jess (I ought to read more Yeats), a trip back to a post on Frankenstein (I ought to read Frankenstein), and a sonnet by Neil (I ought to re... never mind that). I told you we promote each other.

LAEvaside: Four separate parentheses in one sentence; impressive, ain't it? [/laevaside]

Anyhow, read, reply, be happy. Oh, and remember to floss.

Take Care,
~LAEvanesce

~~~~~

Addendum: It has come to my attention that my examples of cliché are a bit weak. I will leave them as they were, but here are better examples, in context:

~~~

The beautiful girl wept bitter tears in the darkness of the night; her eternal love was forever lost to death and suffering. Suddenly, the sun shone brightly, firing the girl's lost soul and mending her broken heart.

~~~~~~~

I'm proud of myself for stringing together that many clichés. All right!

TAKS- Tertiary Abomination of Kayaks and Snails

2007-04-19T23:16:00.000-05:00

Well, close; actually, it's the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, a series of state-given tests students from 2nd-11th grade are taking right now, if I'm not mistakened. I'm going to point out some of the problems with this test right now, since I'm in the thick of:

~~~

The TAKS test covers a very rigid curriculum; this leaves little room for deviation on the teacher's part and therefore cuts into their style and often disallows them to teach what and how they would like to.
The English/Writing test features three Short Answer questions and one Essay. These are then graded by hundreds of different teachers; subjectivity is an obvious and severe problem. Also, the writing (Short Answers in particular) can only deviate from the "proper" method taught so much before they dock your score; the quality of the actual writing isn't necessarily the primary concern.
While a minor issue (due to its infrequent occurrence), problems can occasionally be vague and difficult to understand (note: a muddled question is notably different from a complex question; the issue at hand is unclear language).
While perhaps more of an observation or preference than a flaw, the questions vary wildly in difficulty with no discernible pattern, in contrast to the easy~~>hard situation (and smaller range of difficulty) of the PSAT, which is preferred. Having a 6th grade question followed by a 12th grade question is a tad bizarre.

~~~~~~~

I'd say that's a good summation of the issues at hand; the first two are the big ones, really. Fortunately, change might be golden, should it actually occur and improve upon the current system. Enough about that, though; either lead to graduation in the end, so hey~ I suppose I'm just concerned about education, whether or not I'm in the area/range of effect.

Last note: an interesting article on Japan's energy conservation. The U.S. is incapable of such efficiency for various reasons (e.g. size and culture), but even meeting Japan (or the E.U., at this rate) halfway would be nice.

Take Care,
~LAEvanesce

Falling Back On Sonnetry

2007-04-12T22:51:00.001-05:00

Busy. Or, perhaps, merely tired am I, pushing through the dregs of the school year. The momentum gathered from the previous summer has more or less faded. Anyhow, for tonight, let's just feature three sonnets: first, Mr. Schneider...

~~~

Siamese Reflection

By Dan Schneider

~~~~~~~~

Linked because I don't think the formatting will work in the smaller margins of the blog. Now, Mrs. Schneider...

~~~

In the Tightness of my Sonnet

By Jessica Schneider

~~~~~~~

Linked because you should read the commentary below the poem. Next, Mr. and Mrs. Deering...

~~~

Mr. and Mrs. Deering

Each night, my time, all you.               These years, longing, too true.
These years, and still, so sad.               Long times, nothing. To add,
                            What if you had, what if you had?
                            What if you knew, knew how
We flew. The stars, the town                The blue, the blue, up-down
And us, smiling, grand flight                Water, wet skies, grand sight
                            Is for us! For us, so right, so right!
                            My hand, your hand! Give me
Good land, gardens, a spot                   The sand, soft sun, a lot
To grow, flowers, so vast                       Of us, laughing, at last
                            Is life with you! The past, and passed
                            Is life with you; have not forgot
Those years, us two, not one                Those years, us two, not one
Love lived; with you; are gone.           Love lived; with you; are gone.

By Neil Hester

~~~~~~~

Okay, so the Deerings aren't the authors. Another sonnet from a writer who's currently in sonnet mode; the sonnet form is nice because it's relatively short and precise (and therefore reader-friendly, especially to non-poetry readers), but highly capable of layering and deeper meaning (a haiku or limerick can only go so far, enjoyable as they may be). I haven't played much with villanelles and sestinas (just a couple mediocre villanelles), but I'll probably give it a look in the near future. As for the sonnet itself, the choppy style helps to alleviate what would be rather cliché (especially the last line). Finally, green tea; I'm more an earl grey person myself, but the stuff's good for ya~

Take Care,
~LAEvanesce

Typo(logy/graphy)

2007-04-05T21:39:00.000-05:00

INTJ. That's my personality, based on the rather interesting Jung-Myers-Briggs Typology Test. Obviously, it's not totally accurate; I switch frequently between introversion and extroversion, for example. However, it hits a lot of things pretty squarely; I'm self-confident, perfectionistic, direct, and imaginative. I also have a problem with romantic relationships... actually, I haven't had much experience either way in that area, but hey ~_^ I'd suggest giving the test a go; the result is not that important (take it as a grain), but can be entertaining and perhaps a bit self-revealing. Here's an explanation of the different terms (among other things) for the test.

And now... the other part: typography, syntax, and spelling. In poetry, these things can accomplish interesting things (whether they be good or bad). First, a couple past bits- my personal punctuation hierarchy for line ends in poetry (from shortest to longest):

~~~

none, hyphen(ated word), comma, semicolon, colon, period/!/?, dash/tilde, ellipsis, stanza break

~~~~~~~

...and ~Til~de~, in regards to my usage of the "~" as a punctuation mark. And now, let's look at a few poems with unique typology (for better or for worse):

~~~

The Oxford Book of English Verse

Henry, from Nancy.
              to Christmas. 1926.
              browned ink. limned paper.

              bought. Smart & Mookerdum.
              booksellers. Rangoon.

by Nancy, for Henry.
              for British in Burma.
              no knowing. to come.
              between. all war.

              Henry finds. only dates:
              Wordsworth: 1770 - 1850
              Tennyson: 1809 - 1892

Henry reads. them all.

to Nancy, off Henry.
              the book. returns.
              death railroad. down Kwai.
              Major Dunn. delivers.

              “a good chap. held fast.
              to ends. Henry did.”

              Henry: 1901 - 1943

so Nancy, no Henry.
              well versed. rests down.
              dog-eared.
              those times.
              that won’t book.
              their becoming.

              still a while, far away.
              for Nancy. anyway.

              Nancy: 1904 - 2001

By Jason Sanford

~~~~~~~

Notice how the choppy lines create a great deal of impact; short and lower case. Also, the indentation singles out the "Nancy Henry" lines, and the dates give a distinct (and meaningful) timeline. The form here is brutal and conveys quite a punch (punch-conveying~ oh boy).

LAEvaside: Boy, I love HTML formatting for poems like that one. [/laevaside]

Now, let's look at another one:

~~~

a violent prson

is marreed 2 a changling

th changling can adapt
can sumtimez radikalee b
on her his gud side evreethings
going swimminglee sumtimez
get whn he she runs out
uv prsonas masks goez 2
th closet n thers nothing

hanging ther can b myself he
she thinks thn thats th feer
that th punishment will cum
fr sure if he she cant leev her
him self fast enuff breeth b
call her him n start packing

him her self is alredee enuff
is alredee fine is alredee all ther
can go now can b now she he is
sew flexibul now who 2 trust or
2 find discovr

a mountin sliding in2 th sand
sumwun who wud stay yu cud
with hold n they cud find yu they
wudint leev n yu wud bcum all
ther with them not that

thers anee all ther

th changling writes lettrs 2 her him
selvs in th ambr waves n touchinglee
with love keeps th nite

by bill bissett

~~~~~~~

Yes! I didn't have to add those aggravating HTML indentations to this one! ...Unfortunately, that's the extent of my positive feelings towards this poem. Supposedly, his credo is to "lift the poem off the page into sound or even into some happening that attempts the total involvement of the senses". Strange spelling and spacing doesn't do that: it's just annoying. Dan Schneider did a TOP on this guy; check it out.

~~~

r-p-o-p-h-e-s-s-a-g-r

~~~~~

l(a

le
af
fa
ll

s)
one
l

iness

By e.e. cummings

LAEvaside: The title that normally goes with this poem is "l(a...(a leaf falls on loneliness); I'm not sure if that was originally given by e.e. cummings, so I neglected to put it at the top. [/laevaside]

~~~~~~~

A couple of the most famous e.e. cummings poems, the typography is extremely effective and unique. I don't believe anything more needs to be said, so let's move on to a parody of Ron Silliman's New Sentence:

~~~

The New New Sentence

is endless, spiral, scrolling, and flexible, goes where it wants, following the brush, following the pen, reeling off its sidebar parenthetical remarks (which when read out loud by Clifford Geertz, each layer of embedded parentheses being read in a softer and softer voice, until some deeper, most important layers are barely audible) with gusto, yet finding its way back to its central point, eventually, if obliquely, before skirting off again into another parallel associative digression, long-winded, perhaps, but unapologetic to the post-Hemingway short-attention-span generation who like their sentences to be short and sharp and bitter (not knowing that irony itself is not a way of life, but only a tool of instigation), making no concessions to the reader that cannot track along, and eventually winding its way towards conclusion, having said a great deal (full of sound and fury) about very little (signifying nothing), very quietly coming to its close, having spread its wings to encompass the world, and now roosting at last on a cliff overlooking a quieted airless planet whose geologic plates ceased lubriciously floating and bumping against each other eons ago.

By Art Durkee

~~~~~~~

Check out this entry, The New New Sentence, for a better understanding of The New Sentence (which I think is fairly ridiculous). For William Carlos Williams, just check out this TOP; now, here's something of my own:

~~~

Here Cold They Be?

“They’re gone, they’re gone, all gone!”
“Speak, boy, what are gone?”
“The s, the s, they’re missing, sir!”
“Hh? ...By god, the s! Er,
Never mind! Yo rn for help– go, go!”
“Srely, sir, I know, I know!”

“Come now, boy, hand me my axe!”
First one, then a thousand lumberjacks
Took many swings, made many cuts
For thirty years...

“Attention! After thirty years, our fears
Are through, our luck has turned! –But,
A price is paid; ‘tis often so.
This for that, you kno.”

By Neil Hester

~~~~~~~

It's not idiosyncratic like cummings or bissett; however, it expresses a better (if sparing and specific) reason to leave letters out of words. Really, I could go on for quite a while longer on typography, syntax and such (because there are a lot of peculiarities out there), but this post is rather long already. Here are a couple more entries with somewhat unique jazz in them (though it's still not much compared to the above poems): that said, take care 'til next~

~LAEvanesce

LAEvaside: Three self-links... yay for self-promotion. And on top of that, three asides in one post... [/laevaside]

April~

2007-04-01T00:40:00.000-05:00

Another month, another Monthentry; let's begin April with some trivia:

~~~

April begins (astrologically) with the sun in the sign of Aries and ends in the sign of Taurus.
The Anglo-Saxons called April Oster-monath or Eostur-monath, the period sacred to Eostre or Ostara, the pagan Saxon goddess of spring, from whose name is derived the modern Easter.
The American Revolution and American Civil War both began in April.
April begins on the same day of the week as July every year, and as January in leap years.
April's birthstone is the diamond.
April is National Poetry Month.
The last week of April is National Lingerie Week, Egg Salad Week, and Reading is Fun Week, among others.

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National Poetry Month, eh? I've never been affected by it, but I do support any reasonable attempt to bring poetry to the public. Anyhow, on to the couplet:

~~~

Ayprools

April showers bring May flowers;
As for fools, they’re always ours.

~~~~~~~

Come to think of it, April 1st *is* April Fools'. I don't think I tried to pull a fast one on you folks in this post, but you never know...

Take Care,
~LAEvanesce

A Poem, Some Movies...

2007-03-28T22:15:00.000-05:00

Mmkay~ First, a run of links (common procedure): Some Cheesy, Fun Films I Like from Jess (which runs in a bit with Great Notes on Greatness); The Practicalities of Critique and Criticism 5 from Art; and MFAs & MBAs = BS from Anthony. Also, welcome Michael P.F. van der Galiën to the blogroll *pulls out the sham-pa-gin*~

In the spirit of cheesy, fun films, here's a short list of films I like that are certainly not great (or even good) artistically:

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Paulie: Very witty dialogue; parrots are cool.

The Matrix Trilogy: The fight sequences get me every time (and the first one is actually a pretty good sci-fi). Also, I have a strange liking for Keanu Reeves; indifference to almost everything is the perfect role for him!

Donkey Kong Country- Legend of the Crystal Coconut: Hit me now; then again, it's got some bizarre and laughable animation, and some hilarious dialogue and musical numbers.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies: Turtles or parrots... turtles or parrots? Good, silly fun.

Aristocats: Jazz cats are cool. Especially Thomas O'Malley; *that* is one slick cat.

~~~~~~~

I could probably go on for a few more, but you get the picture. I'm not a big moviewatcher, though, so my choices are a bit limited. Now, to supplement this post, here's a new poem that I *probably* won't edit anymore:

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Our Meadow

Sapphire flowers, blue-green bright
Blanket, and blanket-clouds reign
Grey over damp petals. Delight
is too weak a word for such a sight!
I will go there again.

In the center: a gazebo, a wishing well,
Three benches, wrought with graceful wood
And honest stone. And some small spell
Bid a fateful coin into the faerie cell.
I will go again; I should.

The glory of the mighty afternoon
Knelt below elated, pallid lace;
And, rapt with perfect swoon,
Adorned her with an early sapphire moon.
—I cannot stand this place!

With all my love, with all my tenderness and grace
I cannot write myself into this perfect place!
Though I’ve wept, and though I’ve tried
And tried again, my longing can’t conduct
This happy hell; for I cannot construct
My lovely bride, my lovely bride
Who truly was– and died.

By Neil Hester

~~~~~~~

I'll be sure to remember the April entry this time around; take care 'til next,

~LAEvanesce

O Come Emanuel

2007-03-22T22:31:00.000-05:00

James Emanuel- heard of him? If you haven't (which is likely), you've missed out. Brought to my attention by this Cosmoetica article, he has great skill in both free and formal verse; yet, he is neglected and has not received his due in the least. To give a couple selections:

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Experience

"To all things great and glorious":
his wine moved to his lips.
"There are so few," she answered;
her brim touched his fingertips.

They stared the fire into an ash;
their glasses bent their hands
while they, enchanted wistfully,
re-travelled many lands.

~~~~~

For The 4th Grade, Prospect School: How I Became A Poet

My kite broke loose,
took all my string
and backed into the sun.
I followed far as I could go
and high as I could run.

My special top went spinning
down the gutter, down the drain.
I heard it gurgling sideways,
saw it grinning in the rain,
my string wrapped around it
while I reached for it in vain.

My dog got thin and went away.
He took his leash- the wrapping string
that we pretended was a rope-
and went as far as he could hope
to find the sickbed where I lay.

And now, when I remember strings
and how they bind together things,
and how they stretch (like reach and run),
and hold (like hope) and give (like sun),
I tie together things I know
and wind up with a poem to show

By James Emanuel

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Jessica also did a post on Emanuel, and Omniversica did a show featuring him. I'd like to get a copy of his Collected Poems, but the checks at Amazon haven't yielded anything yet~ I ought to get a hold of one eventually, though.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emanuel
Shall come to thee, oh France.

...Not quite the same, is it?

Take Care,
~LAEvanesce

Okay, So I Lied

2007-03-15T23:08:00.000-05:00

"Anyhow, Spring Break's next week, so expect some more elaborate entries and a couple new poems;" and yet, here I am, an entire week later and not an entry inbetween. Though I have written some poetry...

First, some links (also: "How To Increase the Content of Your Post and Help Your Friends' Attention By Featuring Other People" [HTICYPHYFABFOP]): From Jess Schneider, The Dentist (I rather enjoyed it) and Bad Published Writer Photos; from Art Durkee, Erotica vs. Pornography; from AnoNick, Conservapedia (ouch); and Anthony Zanetti's Art vs. Pornography (I might do a bit on this sometime, but Art, along with Anthony, cover it pretty well. Maybe I'll put together a quiz/poll to gather some data [and, I'll get to go find skanky borderline erotica/porn pictures! All right!]) and Screw the Lighthouse (someone should do a "Screw the White House" bit... okay, corny, I know). Whew.

LAEvaside: "FABFOP". Fab fop. Fa... heh. [/laevaside]

Okay, so I said something about a poem. However, the one I was going to post this time I will likely expand upon, so, to push a sort of theme, here are a few light poems that really throw around the big words:

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Ode to Spot

Felis Cattus is your taxonomic nomenclature,
an endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature.
Your visual, olfactory and auditory senses
contribute to your hunting skills, and natural defenses.

I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations,
a singular development of cat communications
that obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
for a rhythmic stroking of your fur, to demonstrate affection.

A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents;
you would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance.
And when not being utilized to aide in locomotion,
it often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.

O Spot, the complex levels of behaviour you display
connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array.
And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend,
I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.

By Data, "Schisms" (Star Trek)

(Credits to Jeff for the find, as well as a correction)

~~~~~

I Didn’t Understand That

Inarticulation is a great abomination
When what could be christened personal phraseology
Surrenders to a jargonistic, hideous cacophony.
Have mercy on the piteous, discordant works, you say?
I fear that any clemency may weaken my conveyance
And give way to the emergence of the disharmonic they.

By Neil Hester

~~~~~

If You're Anxious For to Shine in the High Aesthetic Line

~~~~~

Major-General's Song

(Credits to Jeff [the magnificent])

~~~~~~~

If anyone knows of other such poems, do tell; I'll edit it in and give you credit for the find. Take care,

~LAEvanesce

March~

2007-03-08T21:54:00.000-06:00

As said, I now give you... March! Unfortunately, I forgot to do this at the beginning of the month, but it shall be done. Now, to look a little March trivia:

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March begins with the sun in the sign of Pisces and ends in the sign of Aries.
International Women's Day occurs March 8.
March begins on the same day of the week as February, excepting leap years, and as November every year.
There is an adage that March "comes in like a lion, but goes out like a lamb", referring to the weather that some regions experience during the month. This saying is meant to demonstrate the unpredictable weather which often occurs as the seasons change.
March's birth flower is the jonquil.
In ancient Rome, March was called Martius, so named after Mars, the Roman god of war.

~~~~~~~

...And now, the couplet:

~~~

Marchlam

March in like a lion, March out like a lamb;
March starts with a fish and ends with a ram.

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That took all of two/three minutes ~_^ Hope you paid attention to the jazz above~ Anyhow, Spring Break's next week, so expect some more elaborate entries and a couple new poems; take care 'til next,

~LAEvanesce

A Reflection on "A Reflection on..."

2007-03-04T01:05:00.000-06:00

First, a few links and bits; A Writer's Life and Women Who Get PMS (the more useful one, at least for guys; be enlightened!); Does the Audience Matter? 4; and Banning Wikipedia as a Research Source (an appropriate step). Also, I realize that I missed the March "month" entry; that will be next entry. This week has been saturated with orchestral activity, and the task simply slipped my mind. Either that, or I think February has 31 days. Ha!

Now, "A Reflection on Conversing Mirrors". I'd like to look at this poem twice, in its first (and rather old) draft and its final draft:

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A Reflection on Conversing Mirrors

Conversing mirrors are upon themselves,
Intangible glass within intangible glass,
Endless discussion of meaningless nothings
Posing as distant untouchable somethings.
All encompassed multiply greatly
Like incomplete lies, defining infinity,
A false parade of endlessness.
Perfect, instant forgery, seen without substance,
Like dreams that reflect the dreamer,
the mirror reflects the mirror.

By Neil Hester

~~~~~~~

Bad, terrible, awful poem. Clunky rhythm, way too much wordy abstract stuff going on. Later on, I read this while sifting through my work, and thought, "It's a good concept, actually; it's just poorly wrought". I scrapped everything but the first two lines and the title, wrote from scratch besides that, omitted the first line later and changed up a couple wordings after receiving critique from Jessica Schneider, and...

~~~

A Reflection on Conversing Mirrors

Intangible glass in tangible glass. They stand
And talk of love which we only touch
The beginning of, and of such
We cannot hope to see the end.

Inbetween, the doppelgangers
Grace their crystal-set creators,
Each as real as next, each
Farther off, smaller
Than that before,
Until there is
none.

I dreamt last night
I almost touched
The end,
but
I

By Neil Hester

~~~~~~~

Now it's a rather strong poem. Very little to none as far as superfluous words go, and a good shape and hanging ending. Thing is, if I had just looked to rework the first draft piece by piece, it would have taken a while to reach these sorts of results (and the style would probably have to change anyhow). I left out one draft of this poem; it only had three. Sometimes it's best to just scrap the whole blessed thing and salvage the concept, plus a few phrases/lines here and there. Don't get attached; if it's really bad, it'd probably be more effective to trash and rewrite most of it, or, in cases of prolixity, merely cutting extraneous words, lines, even stanzas from the poem, then splicing together the rest with a little shuffle'n'weld, a la This Old Poem.

"Shuffle'n'weld"... that's a strange phrase.

Take Care,
~LAEvanesce

Reading Carmen, Searching Dulce

2007-02-26T21:07:00.000-06:00

Firstly, here's the recording of "Reading Someone Else's Love Poems" that I had to redo (apparently YouTube cuts the last couple seconds off uploaded videos). I need to redo "Carmen de Boheme" also. For your viewing pleasure today, Characters Searching for Authors, courtesy of the Cosmoetica mailing list, this interesting presentation of Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, and this war poem:

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Dulce Et Decorum Est

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned out backs,
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of disappointed shells that dropped behind.

Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!--An ecstasy of fumbling
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime.--
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams before my helpless sight
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin,
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,--
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.

By Wilfred Owen

~~~

Great poem. Thick language, shocking imagery, and a stylish but powerful ending. In fact, the ending to this poem influenced the ending of my Ou La Mort. Also, "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" roughly translates to "It is sweet and becoming to die for one's country" and is pronounced "DUL-kay et dec-OR-um est pro puh-TRI-uh MOR-ee". If I didn't do that in the "proper" way, no matter~ You get the idea. Take care 'til next,

~LAEvanesce

LAEvaside: I recently hit 3,333 posts~ 3 is my favorite number, so hey, exciting. As of now, this blog averages 20-25 hits and 30-35 page views a day. Savvy. [/laevaside]