The short poetry compilation that includes my first LibriVox contribution has been released! You can download the entire .zip file of 31 poems, or just my recording of "She Was a Beauty" by Henry Cuyler Bunner.
The exciting part (amongst all the excitement) is that I have my own LibriVox profile, which I hope to expand soon. Since I read a short poem first, I might record a short story next, followed by a few chapters of a group project, and then eventually reading an entire book solo. Or maybe I should keep at the short poetry for now.
In any case, I want you to check out LibriVox to enjoy free audiobooks in the public domain, and maybe you will want to volunteer, too.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Waiting for 2010 #52: Short Poetry Collection 080 from LibriVox
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Waiting for 2010 #51: Happy Fourth of July!
I want to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July, which may or may not be a holiday wherever you are. If it isn't a holiday, what's the matter? Every day is a holiday (a holy day, even though you are not allowed a day off)! Live it up, my friends! Make sure all of your experiences are neither that of despair nor of boredom, and you will have a pretty interesting time! Guaranteed.
Today's big tragic news is the death of former NFL quarterback Steve McNair. It was a violent death, and its circumstances were either a double homicide or a murder-suicide. It is tragic news indeed.
Anyhow, I must continue the journey to the Altar of American Independence (which coincidentally is also the Altar of the Gods of Paternity on Father's Day) as I continue to imbibe the fermented drinks from various American regions (Missouri, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, etc.) and from various countries of origin (Netherlands, Mexico, Scotland, etc.) whose emigrants became contributors to our great American nation.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Waiting for 2010 #50: Went Fishin'
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Waiting for 2010 #49: Natural Causes
This blog is quickly becoming an obituary column with quasi-amusing quips by yours truly. Anyhow, the great actor Karl Malden passed away yesterday of natural causes at the age of 97. I assume you the reader know his work, or at least the scope of his work. Chances are, you are also aware of his epic marriage. So I'm not going to parrot what the news outlets have already said, and I'll let the quipping begin:
Now natural causes usually means that a person lives to ripe old age and succumbs to a some sort of illness. Dying before the average life expectancy or violent deaths are usually not natural causes. Anyhow, I'd like to think Malden's natural cause was like the description of the Golden Age from James Baldwin's (1841-1925) adaptation of Greco-Roman mythology:
When these happy people had lived long enough they fell asleep, and their bodies were seen no more. They flitted away through the air, and over the mountains, and across the sea, to a flowery land in the distant west.Or maybe like Bilbo Baggins' party trick, except the disappearance wouldn't be a trick but permanent:
On your feet, making a grand speech, and dissolving into thin air - to the sound of applause - now that's a way to go. That's what natural causes should be.
Well, I should change the mood of this entry a bit with a scene from Mr. Malden's Streets of San Francisco, except without the man of the hour. This scene features a guest star who's currently trying to sort out a state budget up in Sacramento:
Arnold's victim in the above video is an example of death by unnatural causes. Don't worry; Malden and young Michael Douglas eventually caught the future Governator by the end of the episode.
R.I.P., Karl Malden. (And good luck, Governor Schwarzenegger.)
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Waiting for 2010 #48: Senator Al Franken
Al Franken was funny in Saturday Night Live. With his opponent, Norm Coleman, conceding November's election, Al Franken brings the total number of Senate Democrats (including Democrat-leaning Independents) to a fillibuster-breaking 60.
David Espo of the Associated Press notes that the 60 votes only happens when this assumed voting bloc is united.
If this Democratic Senate is indeed united for many issues, they - along with the Democrat-majority House of Representatives and President Obama's Democratic Adminsitration - have until November 2010 to try their solutions to our current problems. Then the voters in the respective states of each member of Congress will have their say. If there is a positive turnaround (especially economically), then there will be a two-year extension of this majority, until November 2012. And so on, and so forth, until the cycle begins again for the other party (or hopefully parties, in the future).
If the current situation gets worse, then we'll see more (likely) Republicans (but hopefully a variety from other parties) replacing Democratic Senators and Representatives in 2010. At this point, something called compromise will determine possible solutions at the Federal level.
I wish the 60-majority (and the 40-opposition, et al.) good luck, knowing whatever happen will happen. There's no use wishing anyone failure, when that pretty much detracts from fashioning your own success.
By the way, Happy Canada Day! Our (America's) birthday is around the corner...
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Waiting for 2010 #47: Internet Meme FAIL (So Far)
I doubt this will ever catch on, or maybe it did years ago but I missed out. In any case, anatomically-based character/emotional metaphors and idioms border on the ridiculous, don't they? Metaphorically, they provide encouragement or a culturally-accepted description. When taken literally, on the other hand, these idioms are just tragic. For example:
Metaphorically: Break a leg = Thanks for wishing me a good performance!Throughout the day, inspired by what apparently killed pitchman extraordinaire Billy Mays (an enlarged heart), I tweeted on this topic:
Literally: Break a leg = Pain, followed by weeks of painful recovery and therapy.
DeRamos We need to stop conflating character w/ anatomy. Big heart = Metaphorically good, literally lethal. RIP Billy Mays http://bit.ly/VYYrDWell, sometimes an Internet meme doesn't happen in a day, and of course, you can't will a meme into existence - unless you have that kind of influence on the connected masses (I don't).
DeRamos More character vs. anatomy: Big head = Metaphorically uncool, literally might be a tumor. "It's not a tu-mah!" http://bit.ly/x20KD
DeRamos Same goes for big brain = Smart or http://bit.ly/x20KD #KindergartenCop #Schwarzenegger
DeRamos More character vs. anatomy: Yellow belly = Cowardice or jaundice?
DeRamos More character vs. anatomy: Two left feet = Clumsiness or a serious birth defect? DeRamos More character vs. anatomy: Remedy for a broken heart = Cheer up or transplant?
DeRamos More character vs. anatomy: Elbow grease = Metaphor for working hard or literally, go see a doctor...seriously.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Waiting for 2010 #46: #Volunteer at @LibriVox
She Was A Beauty by Henry Cuyler Bunner
Download now or listen on posterous
shewasbeauty_bunner_rd.mp3 (878 KB) Download now or listen on posterous
Earlier this morning, I uploaded my first contribution to the LibriVox public domain audiobook library, The LibriVox administrators (also volunteers) will soon add my recording (a poem in the public domain by Henry Cuyler Bunner entitled "She Was a Beauty") to the monthly compilation of short poetry. Until then - and I don't know if my Blogger blog will embed the mp3 correctly - you can listen to my recording at my Posterous page.
I've been a fan of LibriVox audiobooks (free to download and in the public domain) since early 2007. The volunteers (LibriVoxateers) - from the readers to the proof-listeners to the website administrators and every position in between - do magnificent work. I've felt that way even before I signed up to volunteer (in early May 2009) and eventually put electrons to hard drive and read a poem (in late June 2009).
If you are an aspiring (or even established?) voice artist, you can practice (or show off!) your chops and help us bring history to the digital age. If the microphone isn't your thing, proof-listeners are needed to compare what is recorded to what the text says. If you are a proofreader or copy editor, LibriVox is just a stone throw's away from Project Gutenberg-related, text-based, public domain book digitizing projects. If you are neither/nor and just want to read - that's the best kind of volunteerism: With minimal ulterior motives!
If you don't want to volunteer (yet!), please check out http://librivox.org and download your pick of their - or dare I say our - extensive library of novels, non-fiction, short stories, poetry, and other forms of the written word in the public domain. If you don't know where to start, I recommend either David Barnes' (slow and deliberate male BBC English) or Cori Samuel's (warm and friendly female Home Counties accent) recordings. Be warned, however: The reading voice inside your head may never be the same.
In any case, please spread the word about LibriVox to as many people as possible - people with failing eyesight, multitaskers who want to listen to good literature, and students who don't want to read their English homework (I must avoid making a cynical comment about the state of education). If you help spread the word about LibriVox, you'll, in turn, help spread exponentially more words, sentences, paragraphs, pages, chapters, books, and bibliographies!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Waiting for 2010 #45: Inmates Pay Tribute to Michael Jackson
The "Thriller" Inmates uploaded another YouTube video...I mean...their warden who gave them no choice but to dance (still a good order) uploaded the inmates' tribute to Michael Jackson:
We can only hope that if/when these particular inmates of Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center are released, this dance therapy will have been a successful rehabilitation program. Otherwise, if any of these individuals relapse into a life of crime, may they resolve their disputes like in West Side Story - by dancing!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Waiting for 2010 #44: California's Budget Crisis
Check out Gov. Schwarzenegger's update to the people of California (and YouTwitFace-land) concerning the overdue budget in this deep recession:
How about that? Arnold's lounging in what appears to be a wicker rocking chair, with a chessboard in the background. Anyhow, basically, the Governator wants to cut a massive amount of overhead (inefficient, fraud-prone, bureaucratic paper-pushing) by using Skynet. ::boom:: LOST
Goodnight, everybody!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Waiting for 2010 #43: A Tweeter of Life and Death
The news was reported on Twitter yesterday, and shared amongst friends on Facebook. Here are my tweets from yesterday, with minimal notes (italicized):
@Billy RIP Sky. :-( Sky Saxon of the Seeds also died yesterday. Here is his cameo in the Smashing Pumpkins' "Superchrist" music video:
RIP Farrah Fawcett. :-( @tweetdouche LOL Thanks...I guess. Apparently I get the news from Twitter's Trending Topics column. #FarrahFawcett #Iran #Shaq etc. It's a crapshoot.
RT @williamdipini Fox "We Never Tolerate Facts" News: Sanford is a Democrat! http://bit.ly/18u5FB - sounds generous, but strike two?
@williamdipini "alcohol abuse, prostitution and sexual pursuit of minors" must be in an earlier draft of the Declaration. LOL
OK D = left hand, middle finger; R = left hand, index finger. A bit hard to typo that. http://bit.ly/10IL03 RE: Strike Two - err, foul ball? @FutureCougar Seems like Future Cougar has been promoted to Future Sugar Momma. :-)
RT @abc7 BREAKING NEWS: Michael Jackson has been rushed to a hospital after apparently suffering a cardiac arrest - abc7.com ??? Unlike many people just shocked by Jackson's death, ABC7's "heart attack" tweet pretty much prepared me for what was to come...
RT @abc7 Update on Michael Jackson breaking news: We're hearing paramedics did recognize him; When they arrived CPR was already underway
Memo to InterWebians: The usual English spelling for מִיכָאֵל / מיכאל (Mikha'el) is Michael, not Micheal. Thanks. #frequent #typo When "Micheal" is in the Twitter trends and not the correct spelling, it's probably a combination of speedy typos, the dyslexic, and people who are cool with not knowing how to spell the common English rendering of "Michael."
RE: Comes in Threes - geographically and (pop) culturally assigned. Pick your three: http://bit.ly/yPOwH #MichaelJackson #Fawcett #McMahon
The Wikimocracy (Wikipedia + democracy) says who lives and who dies. #hyperbole #MichaelJackson #Fawcett #McMahon #Carradine
"This is it. I just want to say these will be my final show performances in London. This is it, when I say this is it, this is it" - MJ 6/14
Self-fulfilling prophecies are not exactly ideal. #WHH #MichaelJackson
Gonna dust off that original early '80s vinyl of Thriller and give it a spin. RIP (or get well soon?) Michael Jackson. :-(
@cmtwist :-(
Famous people dying is incapacitating Twitter.
@shondarhimes Same here. The evidence is on videotape, locked away, never to be YouTubed ever. :-\ The creator of Grey's Anatomy apparently moonwalked with her sister back in the day. Back in the day, my brother did most of the moonwalking. I was still getting the hang of walking on two feet.
Currently on Wikipedia: "At age 50, Michael Jackson died in Los Angles [sic], California due to an overdose of something." Someone actually retweeted this tweet! Awesome!
@greggrunberg I'm pretty sure his name [Jeff Goldblum] is just being used as a punchline in a list of three. Somewhat funny but in poor taste.
@ElizabethBanks Twitter is THE PLACE for late breaking news (and not political party faux typos http://bit.ly/10IL03).
@khinman You gotta pick young Michael Jackson and the J5 with "I'll Be There." Poignant. The Nightline production staff was deciding what to play at the end of tonight's episode. At the end of the show, they chose "I'll Be There." Hell yeah! Thanks, Katie Hinman (even though you all probably chose the song before and regardless of me saying anything).
R.I.P. Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Sky Saxon, et al.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Waiting for 2010 #42: Quick Thoughts on Current Events
Gov. Sanford's Infidelity: Politics aside, only a true blue douchebag would ditch his kids on Father's Day to cheat on their mom. I @ replied to comedienne/smart person Aisha Tyler on Twitter:
aishatyler Gov Sanford drama even better than Perez meltdown. "I was hiking, & by hiking, I mean having dirty monkey sex with my Argentinian lover."Shaq Traded to Cleveland: Apparently we all found out on Twitter, Shaq included. What will happen to this new Cavalier team of LeBron and Shaq? Will Cavs 2010 be winners like Heat 2006 or runners-up like Lakers 2004 (or a repeat of Cavs 2009...or worse)?
DeRamos @aishatyler ...on Father's Day, too, ignoring his kids' macaroni ashtrays (kids don't do ashtrays anymore, right?). Gov. Sanford's a douche.
(UPDATE!) aishatyler @DeRamos super-douche.
DeRamos Can't wait for the @THE_REAL_SHAQ most valuable puppet. #Nike, strike up a deal. #Shaq #Cleveland #LeBron #Kobe #puppetA Pau Gasol puppet would also be good.
Obama's Potential Healthcare Solutions on ABC: Back to politics: I watched most of the primetime program and its extension on the Nightline timeslot. You know what? I say go for the experiment, if the public, non-profit, government-subsidized insurer is alongside private for-profit insurers. We'll see if how many people choose quasi-socialism over the status quo of pseudo-capitalism (because, you know, all that collusion and everything involved with health care and drug companies).
Then again, maybe we could go for about six more months of debate. Open minds, nuance, numbers, and the lack of buzzword mudslinging (socialism!) are all essential in this debate. I'm with @jaketapper (ABC's Jake Tapper) in that pseudonymous trolls are not welcome in important debates anymore. However, they can continue to tweet and blog their fearmongering and disingenuous spin, as is their right and one of the many acceptable consequences of a free country. But we should continue to abstain from feeding aforementioned trolls, even if the temptation to mock them is overwhelming.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Waiting for 2010 #41: Chord du Jour Cheat Shirts
It's time for another round of shameless self-promotion!
Anyhow, we at DeRamos Media run a periodically active blog called Chord du Jour (currently on hiatus) that focuses on teaching bits and pieces of (hopefully) useful musical knowledge to people who stumble upon the blog. While the site itself is on hiatus, we've been producing merchandise relevant to the aims of Chord du Jour, usually in the form of Cheat Shirts.
Basically, you wear a Cheat Shirt, strap on a guitar, and look down to see how to play a couple of scales. We've tried these shirts, and truth be told, it kind of works. Cheat Shirts tend to work better on flatter bodies (i.e., boobies and beer bellies might pose some problems) and for guitarists who sling their guitars lower on their bodies (relatively on or below the belly button).
We are constantly churning out variations on the design, but here are the two newest Cheat Shirts by Chord du Jour:
The above right-handed guitarist design is slightly lame, with a "Space Rocker" theme.
The above left-handed guitarist design is slightly creepy, with a play on words "Sinister Guitarist" theme (because sinister = left).
Currently, one scale is the Blues Scale (with hollow circles for root notes, special dots for blue notes, and supplemental minor pentatonic notes highlighted). The other helpful fretboard hint is the Mixolydian Mode (with hollow circles for root notes and supplemental major pentatonic notes highlighted). We will soon branch out to other scales and modes in future designs.
The classic Chord du Jour design is also available for righties and lefties:
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Waiting for 2010 #40: Histeria! for Today
I really liked the cartoon show Histeria!. It was a great successor to Animaniacs, which itself was light years beyond Tiny Toon Adventures. The show had a great balance of irreverent comedy for all ages (in layers of humor) and relevant historical information. Anyhow, here's a clip of the Spanish Inquisition short (seriously, the Spanish Inquisition in a children's show), which is relevant for today in at least two ways:
1. The dangers of totalitarianism and theocracy (a lethal combination for many), no matter the political and/or religious starting point. (Ahem, Iran, ahem.)
2. Lucky Bob's homage to the recently-departed Ed McMahon (click here or go to about 2 minutes and 38 seconds in the above embedded video). R.I.P. You are correct, sir. Yes now. Hi-yo!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Waiting for 2010 #39: Ronald Mallett's Time Travel Quest
We'll have to call this temporal irony.
At a young age, Dr. Ronald Mallett resolved to time travel to save his father's life, who died in 1955. In the process of fulfilling this lifelong dream, Mallett learned physics, earned a Ph.D., is now a tenured professor at the University of Connecticut, and is apparently close to having his space-time bending machine prototype come to life. He's a real-life Daniel Faraday, I suppose.
Unfortunately:
The hypothetical only works from the moment it is turned on and forward into time. Therefore, Mallett cannot travel back to 1955 and thus fulfill his life's mission.
Which is good because:
If Dr. Mallett actually saved his father by travelling back to 1955, young 10-year old Ronald would never have been truly inspired to become a physicist on a mission to build a time machine. Young Ronald would not grow up to become time travelling Dr. Mallett, and no one would go back in time to save Ronald's father, thus inspiring Ronald to become a time traveling physicist, who would go back to save his father - and creating a crazy on/off time loop paradox, not to mention the ramifications for everything else in the universe (and the grammar of this sentence).
But then again:
Without telling anyone else, Dr. Mallett might have been able to figure out how his space-time machine could travel to 1955. In which case, Dr. Mallett could have tried to save his father in 1955, but since whatever happened, happened, he failed. And young Ronald was still inspired to become a time traveling physicist.
Alternatively:
Dr. Mallett probably realizes the consequences and possibilities of time travel. If he could physically travel to 1955 (or earlier), instead of preventing anything, he could just find a way to hang out with his dad for a day. Then he'd mysteriously travel back (or elsewhere) later. Since whatever happened, happened, whatever Mallett does in his travels is what was supposed to happen anyway.
On the other hand:
Who's to say that Mallett's time-bending machine will be any stable for use? Will the machine itself provide a constant location for time travellers to go from Time A to Time B? If not, it might send people to another time, but to a random location - whether another part of the Earth or a location along Earth's orbit around the Sun. If the latter, that would not be good for anyone.
Finally:
Maybe Ronald Mallett should take a cue from Daniel Faraday and try to make himself (and others) unstuck in time instead, via consciousness time travel. 64-year old Dr. Mallett could zap himself (or take some crazy drugs or hypnosis or whatever) back into his childhood, aware of his present but happy that he can spend some time in the past, probably not being able to change anything to affect the future.
The moral of the story is:
Make sure all your memories are happy and/or interesting. If consciousness time travel exists, you wouldn't want to be caught in bad times. In any case, make the most of your experiences.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Waiting for 2010 #38: Cell Phone Pix of Father's Day Food
I hope those who celebrated had a Happy Father's Day earlier today. Without going into too much detail on the fun celebration of today, here are the highlights, as far as food is concerned:
I am not much of a culinary artist, but I think I can make a decent short order cook at a hole-in-the-wall diner. Anyhow, there are few people in the world for whom I am willing to rise at the crack of dawn and cook an ad hoc breakfast buffet unconditionally. Needless to say, pictured above, from the top left, counterclockwise: Blueberry muffin, corned beef hash, turkey bacon, beef sausage, wheat bread French toast, white bread French toast, scrambled eggs with mushrooms, and a pancake that turned out puffy like a biscuit. Not pictured, but on the menu, are banana muffins and turkey sausage.
Of course you gotta have a barbecue around noon time. Few things are timelessly manlier (timeless as in caveman manly) than pieces of animal (in this case, cow) impaled with pointy sticks. Not pictured: Beer. And shots of Tennessee whiskey. And glasses of Scotch whisky on the rocks. (Not all at once, of course. Don't be silly.)
This is apparently a sacrifice to the gods of paternity. I'm not a fan of when the fat drips into the fire, creating mini-explosions.
This is one of the sacrificial burger patties with sauteed onions and mushrooms, Swiss cheese (although my cell phone camera misrepresents the color), sandwiched between two hamburger buns, and surrounded by oven-roasted, seasoned, fry-cut potatoes. With an ice-cold, Caffeine-free Diet Pepsi, it was excellent.
Okay, I might have to detoxify for the next two weeks. In about two weeks, of course, is the Fourth of July, where it'll be much of the same as today. Happy Father's Day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
