“It was the best of times, it was … the best of times.”

In honor of the Mary Washington College Class of 1994 Reunion, which I am regrettably unable to attend, I am sharing this photo of a … slightly younger me.  As you can see (far left), I was sublimely well adjusted at the age of 20, despite the fact that apparently 40 percent of my body weight resulted from my ears and hair.

The happy gang pictured is actually The Tunnel Crowd — yes, they graduated before 94, but I currently don’t have any other MWC pics scanned in.  Pictured beside me, from left to right, are Chris Orange, Dave Whitaker, Steve Miller in his Lennontastic shades, Paul Dilick, and another affable young man whose name escapes me now.

And pictured here is actually a key educational moment, because this may have been the party where I was first really introduced to The Beatles’ “White Album.”

“You say you want a revolution?  Well, you know … we all want to change the world.”

Much love, guys.  Thanks for long ago friendships, and great memories that the decades have failed to fade.

 

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This is why I want to marry a writer.

They eat the same breakfast as I do, and it is so damn easy to make.

Pictured below is the morning table of Wisconsin’s Jessi Schweiger, who I like to think of as Lady Hemingway.  She is the author of the truly terrific poem, “California Kingdom,” which we featured a while back on this blog.  (Check it out under the “Related” tab below this entry.)

A writer’s breakfast is as sublimely pragmatic as it is enjoyable — you’ve got each of the four food groups represented: caffeine, nicotine, donut and inspiration.

In addition to being a talented scribe, Jessi is the bartender at The Dawg House in Waubeka, WI, and she lives by a river where she raises chickens and ducks during the day.  I’m not sure one can get much cooler than that if one lives outside New York City.

Keep pennin’, Jess.

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“I’m the barbarian stalking the temples of Kyoto …”

“I was  clinging to logic like a life buoy. Now,in the flick of an eye I’m trying to follow intuition.  I see a reflection of a samurai in the glass of a painting and I come to Japan  reason is discarded and I’m just going where the voices of the moment seem to send me. I’m the barbarian stalking the temples of Kyoto for long departed wisdom; I wallow in the aesthetics hooping that they will purify the beholder.”

— from “Sabine’s Notebooks,” by Nick Bantock

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“A Guilt-Free Solution to the Economic Crisis.” (Dagda Publishing releases “The Pustoy” today!)

“A Guilt-Free Solution to the Economic Crisis.
“Feed the Soul, not the Soulless!
“Kill The Pustoy!”

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Phillipe Blenkiron’s “The Pustoy,” the dystopian science fiction poetry collection released today by Dagda Publishing, sounds amazing.  I can’t wait to read it.

From Dagda Publsihing:  [Well, it’s here. The Pustoy has been released on Amazon for kindle and paperback. Follow the links below to purchase this highly original (and a little bit topical) collection of poetry by Philippe Blenkiron. We are very, very pleased to present this to you.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Pustoy-Philippe-Blenkiron/dp/1499238665

http://www.amazon.com/Pustoy-Philippe-Blenkiron-ebook/dp/B00KO44EGI

(Also find it on your local Amazon store)

Also, add it to your Goodreads shelf here, suggest it for group reads, share this status, and help us get the word out about this very, very special collection of poetry.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22353105-the-pustoy

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“Typso.”

It’s when you misspell the word “typos,” in an e-mail, as I just did, and it’s kind of ironic.

Get yourself some FREE BOOKS on Dagda Publishing’s Birthday this Sunday!!!

From Dagda Publishing:

“Well, it’s been nearly a year since we started as a publishing house (our first birthday is on Sunday). In that time we’ve managed to bring some great publications to you, and in the next year we have some really, really exciting books coming up.

“So, how do we celebrate our first birthday? Well, we thought by having a few days when you can get some of our books for free if you’re a kindle owner. So, starting on Sunday, selected titles from our catalogue will be completely free on Kindle for a few days.

“Can’t say fairer than that, eh? Check back Sunday to see which titles we’re offering.”

http://www.dagdapublishing.co.uk/

Laura Enright’s “To Touch The Sun” receives a great review over at “What I Am Reading!”

Congrats on the glowing review, Laura!  🙂

http://thebookmarketingnetwork.com/profiles/blogs/what-i-am-reading-16

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Why, yes, you CAN see my ID before I buy cigarettes, you Gentle Lass.

Oh, Nicolle from the Bay Shore NY CVS, you are quite the flatterer.  I want to buy my Newports from you every day.

You made this 42-year-old laugh like a schoolboy — so much so that you silenced the pedant in me who wanted to ask why “Nicolle” is spelled with two “L”s on your nametag.  (The guys I am meeting up with out here tell me to get over it, but I won’t.)

Is “Nicolle” a mistake?  Or a gag, maybe?  When I worked at a video store and lost my nametag that time, the other guys handed me one with “George” on it, and I wore it because you could actually get in trouble for not wearing a nametag.  Then they spent all night laughing their asses off whenever they laid eyes on me.  There apparently was some excellent joke that had been made at my expense.  “Curious George?”  “George Kaplan” from “North By Northwest?”  George Bush?

Retrospect now suggests “Back To The Future’s” “George McFly.”  A LITTLE ON THE NOSE, DON’T YOU THINK?

[It would be so hilarious if  the subject of this post actually reads this.  I’m going to tag her name, store and location.  Because this is what I do with my time.)

Maybe “George Kaplan” from “North By Northwest” could actually be cool … I don’t know.  Or … maybe not.  Were the other guys suggesting that I …  didn’t exist?  Because that’s pretty abstract.  Whatever.

A Writer’s Contemplation

Opinionated Man’s opinions about the challenges that writers face.

WordPress notifications tells me that “Opinionated Man” is now following this blog.

Well.  We can certainly expect some candid reactions from HIM.

It’s cool.  I’ve grown tired of Apathetic Man — he just doesn’t give a crap.

Also — to that female Star Trek cosplayer who started following me tonight (you know who you are), I find you quite charming.