Month: April 2011

Alison Pelegrin ODE TO CONTRACTORS POSSESSING VARIOUS LEVELS OF EXPERTISE This one’s a shout-out to the git-r-dones, the crowd since Katrina most idolized and sucked up to—seminude roofers, hard hatters, electricians, tree doctors, Ditch Witch pilots dwelling in tent cities or, like our lumberjacks, the Dollar General parking lot. A round of drinks and first pick of the MREs for you. Look—one thing I’ve learned is what you had to do, you did. They roughed…

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Brenda Marie Osbey LITANY OF OUR LADY our lady of the sidewalks the pavements and the crumbling brick the mortar rock and oyster-shell roads our lady of sorrows and sadnesses of intolerable agonies tolerated daily of drifters grifters scrappers and scrapers our lady of dudes and dicks and pricks of petty thieves and of whoremongers of piss-swelled gutters and dives and the grimed over windows knotty-haired children peer through; our lady our lady of boys…

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The other day in yoga, Lisa asked us to close our eyes and visualize our life as a tapestry where all of the events are depicted in vivid colors. On that particular day, I had a vignette depicting me meditating to Purnamadah, a walk through City Park, cleaning off my desk and uncluttering my mind, a not so delightful moment with someone who is not so delightful, and a hug from Tin after he scowled…

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Of all the best voice over narratives I can remember that soap opera as if I were hearing it yesterday, “Like sand through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives…” This occurred to me as I readied myself for the next few weeks that promise to be eventful. T leaves for two weeks out of the country and I fly solo for Jazz Fest with Tin who is in a much more…

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I’m  back in my vegetarian mode, getting a little repulsed by the same chicken breast that I just cooked, warily staring at a pork loin that T had made, and overall just having a general revulsion towards flesh food. I saw this thought of the day and it reminded me of Pollan, who seemed to be so ubiquitous for a period there but now I haven’t seen anything by him lately. This thought is lasting…

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I was trying to tell Tin what absurd means but he wasn’t following too well what a word would mean outside of his Tin-centric universe. But I have the definition of absurd. The New York Times’ breaking news is this: Breaking News Alert The New York Times Wed, April 27, 2011 — 9:24 AM ET —– White House Releases Long Form of President Obama’s Hawaii Birth Certificate President Obama posted a copy of his “long…

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I read that the gestation period for swans is 35 days, but it seems like it has been longer than when the three swans formed a tribe and began watching the nest. Today, looking over at the little island it appeared as if a two-headed swan was nesting while the black one circled around making those ourh ourh noises. I’m watching and waiting for a site of those baby swans. Sitting beside the bank of…

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There are days, such as today, when I wish that I had a hammer and could ply a trade with it. That I could build beautiful furniture, cozy houses, or simply make art. But my tool is my pen, or rather my keyboard, and try as I might to get away from this as my trade, it is always here when I wake in the morning. But that wouldn’t be so bad, if attached to…

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I recall seeing that black and white swan getting jiggy last year, but now it seems they and the other white swan have all formed a tribe and are raising some younguns. I have seen baby ducks by the dozen, a few goslings, and even baby squirrels but I’ve yet to see the baby swans emerge from the nest that the three are watching so vigilantly. Although I can’t wait. The geese have been particularly…

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My favorite time of year, Jazz Fest, and I can almost feel the drumroll about to begin and see the horns shining in the sun not to mention the feathers flying from the Mardi Gras Indians parading around the Fairgrounds. I remember when going to Jazz Fest meant simple things – a hat, a brass pass, a schedule, sunglasses and let the bands begin. Now I have been spending all week outfitting the super stroller…

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