Lunching on shrimp tossed with finely sliced tomatoes and cucumbers in vinaigrette. Cheap luxury. Reading a book on the nature of Time. Lazy intellectualism. Listening to Duran Duran. Instant nostalgia trip. What a world I'm living in. Time spirals in on itself. In need of new material. Wrote a new vampire poem based on half a memory of one I'd written years ago. Pretention shall be the death of me someday. For now I'm just enjoying the ride.
Peace Out,
corbid on a Sunday Afternoon
Sunday, February 29, 2004
Saturday, February 28, 2004
Friday, February 27, 2004
If your name is Tina or Lizzie...
...tomorrow would be a great day to call your oldest friend :)
friday five anachronistically... Literary Five
1. What is your favorite type of literature to read (magazine, newspaper, novels, nonfiction, poetry, etc.)? A witty magazine, a subversive newspaper, a brilliant novel, enlightening nonficiton, cleverly worded poetry.
2. What is your favorite novel? "Animal Dreams" by Barbara Kingsolver, "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman, "The Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley, "Reservation Blues" by Sherman Alexie, "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath... F***, I can't decide.
3. Do you have a favorite poem? (Share it!) "When You Are Old" by William Butler Yeats.
4. What is one thing you've always wanted to read, or wish you had more time to read? "The White Goddess" by Robert Graves.
5. What are you currently reading? A Charles De Lint short story anthology, A Lester Bangs rock criticism anthology, a book on cascading style sheets, another book on languauge development in babies and toddlers, and a couple days worth of newspapers. No wonder I feel so disjointed of late.
2. What is your favorite novel? "Animal Dreams" by Barbara Kingsolver, "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman, "The Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley, "Reservation Blues" by Sherman Alexie, "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath... F***, I can't decide.
3. Do you have a favorite poem? (Share it!) "When You Are Old" by William Butler Yeats.
4. What is one thing you've always wanted to read, or wish you had more time to read? "The White Goddess" by Robert Graves.
5. What are you currently reading? A Charles De Lint short story anthology, A Lester Bangs rock criticism anthology, a book on cascading style sheets, another book on languauge development in babies and toddlers, and a couple days worth of newspapers. No wonder I feel so disjointed of late.
Bite Me
I invited the Vampire into my chamber
Because I was bored
Because it looked pretty
Because I'm no stranger to bloodletting
And it leaves such pretty corpses
Bloodless and pockets emptied but
With stories to tell in stone
And costumes and long locks of hair
And I know how to speak to the dead
And I know how to be one dead
So I open the vein
A little more
Wouldn't want Nosferatu
To break a tooth on me
The wounds sting when they're not bled
When the beast disappears
It's time to start trolling the streets
Like some ratmad Renfield
Or the Ripper's muse
Tracing the footsteps
For others of that inclination
Elusive devils
They don't seem to congregate
And when they do it is of a dangerous sort
For the purposes of collective hunting
Of souldraining blooddraining
Of lovefeigning mindreigning
And they eat the flesh and spit out the bones
And I haven't the flesh for the task so
Here I am, back in the chamber
Licking my stigmata
Till the wounds heal or the creature wakes
In silence that echoes
Because the dead won't shut up
They're like anyone else
And I say to the thing
In its velvet lined coffin
"This Sucks"
Because I was bored
Because it looked pretty
Because I'm no stranger to bloodletting
And it leaves such pretty corpses
Bloodless and pockets emptied but
With stories to tell in stone
And costumes and long locks of hair
And I know how to speak to the dead
And I know how to be one dead
So I open the vein
A little more
Wouldn't want Nosferatu
To break a tooth on me
The wounds sting when they're not bled
When the beast disappears
It's time to start trolling the streets
Like some ratmad Renfield
Or the Ripper's muse
Tracing the footsteps
For others of that inclination
Elusive devils
They don't seem to congregate
And when they do it is of a dangerous sort
For the purposes of collective hunting
Of souldraining blooddraining
Of lovefeigning mindreigning
And they eat the flesh and spit out the bones
And I haven't the flesh for the task so
Here I am, back in the chamber
Licking my stigmata
Till the wounds heal or the creature wakes
In silence that echoes
Because the dead won't shut up
They're like anyone else
And I say to the thing
In its velvet lined coffin
"This Sucks"
Thursday, February 26, 2004
Five things I never learned to do...
1) Ride a bicycle
2)Snap my fingers
3)Whistle
4)Read sheet music
5)Drive stick shift
2)Snap my fingers
3)Whistle
4)Read sheet music
5)Drive stick shift
Queen Boudicca
Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni
(Also known as Boadicea) Died A.D. 60
Boudicca has been the subject of myth and legend for centuries. Revered as a symbol of British freedom, stories of her heroism have been told to English schoolchildren for the past two hundred years. In fact, she was the wife of King Prasutagus of the Iceni, a British tribe that lived near the modern town of Colchester during the time of the Roman Emperor Nero. When Prasutagus, an ally of the Romans died, the local Roman government officials decided that they would seize her wealth and lands for themselves. When Boudicca protested, saying that she was a Roman ally who was being treated no better than a slave, the Roman soldiers flogged her and raped her daughters.
This was an atrocity that Boudicca was not about to bear without a fight. She called her tribe to arms and rebellion against the Romans. The first town to suffer her furious vengeance was Colchester, known to the Romans as Camulodunum. She burned the town and slaughtered the inhabitants. Suetonius Paulinus, the Roman governor of Britain, was away in the North destroying the Druids on the island of Anglesey when news of Boudicca's attack reached him. His army proceeded south in an orderly fashion, marching twenty-four miles each day and setting camp. Meanwhile, Boudicca was headed toward Verulamium (St. Albans). She would avoid any fortified place but attack regions where the plunder was great and the defenses were weak The Second Augusta Legion, under Petillius Cerialis, met Boudicca's eighty to one-hundred thousand rebels with two thousand Roman troops. They were almost totally wiped out, with only the cavalry escaping. After Verulamium was put to the torch, Suetonius entered Londinium (London). He advised the citizens to leave, and offered to take them with him. He didn't have enough troops with him to defend the town, and the garrison there was much too small to deal effectively with Boudicca. The main part of Suetonius?army would not arrive for many days. In the words of Tacitus, he sacrificed a town to save a province.
Word of Boudicca's barbaric deeds paralyzed the British countryside with fear. Again, we have Tacitus to tell us what happened. The British did not take or sell prisoners. They could not wait to cut throats, burn, hang, and crucify. Even today, when foundations are being dug for a new building in the three towns destroyed by Boudiccas's rebels, a thick layer of ash gives mute testimony to the completeness of the devastation. There is an unexpected benefit for the historians, though. By digging to discover what parts of the modern city have this buried layer of ash, they can map the extent of the ancient towns as they existed in the time of Boudicca when they had been in existence only fourteen years
Suetonius' careful planning and patience finally paid off. Instead of rushing into battle against a much larger force, he chose a place to meet Boudicca where his 10,000 legionaries would have the advantage against her rather disorganized 100,000 rebels. With dense woods at his back to protect him from ambush, he waited in a narrow defile for her to attack. The British were so confident of victory that they brought their families out to watch them slaughter the Romans. All day long, the British sent wave after wave of attackers against Suetonius?well-disciplined troops. Towards evening, the Romans got the upper hand and attacked, trapping the British against their own wagons and pack animals. The Romans slaughtered about 80,000 Britons, including women, children, and old men, repaying atrocities in kind. Boudicca and her two daughters poisoned themselves rather than be captured and made to walk in a triumphal procession in Rome as prisoners of war. Though both of them were responsible for much brutality in this, the Boudiccan Revolt, they are celebrated as heroes in English history and legend today
(Also known as Boadicea) Died A.D. 60
Boudicca has been the subject of myth and legend for centuries. Revered as a symbol of British freedom, stories of her heroism have been told to English schoolchildren for the past two hundred years. In fact, she was the wife of King Prasutagus of the Iceni, a British tribe that lived near the modern town of Colchester during the time of the Roman Emperor Nero. When Prasutagus, an ally of the Romans died, the local Roman government officials decided that they would seize her wealth and lands for themselves. When Boudicca protested, saying that she was a Roman ally who was being treated no better than a slave, the Roman soldiers flogged her and raped her daughters.
This was an atrocity that Boudicca was not about to bear without a fight. She called her tribe to arms and rebellion against the Romans. The first town to suffer her furious vengeance was Colchester, known to the Romans as Camulodunum. She burned the town and slaughtered the inhabitants. Suetonius Paulinus, the Roman governor of Britain, was away in the North destroying the Druids on the island of Anglesey when news of Boudicca's attack reached him. His army proceeded south in an orderly fashion, marching twenty-four miles each day and setting camp. Meanwhile, Boudicca was headed toward Verulamium (St. Albans). She would avoid any fortified place but attack regions where the plunder was great and the defenses were weak The Second Augusta Legion, under Petillius Cerialis, met Boudicca's eighty to one-hundred thousand rebels with two thousand Roman troops. They were almost totally wiped out, with only the cavalry escaping. After Verulamium was put to the torch, Suetonius entered Londinium (London). He advised the citizens to leave, and offered to take them with him. He didn't have enough troops with him to defend the town, and the garrison there was much too small to deal effectively with Boudicca. The main part of Suetonius?army would not arrive for many days. In the words of Tacitus, he sacrificed a town to save a province.
Word of Boudicca's barbaric deeds paralyzed the British countryside with fear. Again, we have Tacitus to tell us what happened. The British did not take or sell prisoners. They could not wait to cut throats, burn, hang, and crucify. Even today, when foundations are being dug for a new building in the three towns destroyed by Boudiccas's rebels, a thick layer of ash gives mute testimony to the completeness of the devastation. There is an unexpected benefit for the historians, though. By digging to discover what parts of the modern city have this buried layer of ash, they can map the extent of the ancient towns as they existed in the time of Boudicca when they had been in existence only fourteen years
Suetonius' careful planning and patience finally paid off. Instead of rushing into battle against a much larger force, he chose a place to meet Boudicca where his 10,000 legionaries would have the advantage against her rather disorganized 100,000 rebels. With dense woods at his back to protect him from ambush, he waited in a narrow defile for her to attack. The British were so confident of victory that they brought their families out to watch them slaughter the Romans. All day long, the British sent wave after wave of attackers against Suetonius?well-disciplined troops. Towards evening, the Romans got the upper hand and attacked, trapping the British against their own wagons and pack animals. The Romans slaughtered about 80,000 Britons, including women, children, and old men, repaying atrocities in kind. Boudicca and her two daughters poisoned themselves rather than be captured and made to walk in a triumphal procession in Rome as prisoners of war. Though both of them were responsible for much brutality in this, the Boudiccan Revolt, they are celebrated as heroes in English history and legend today
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
It's time for...
...McSweeney's links!
More Pope Reviews
McSweeney's
Internet Tendency:Confessions of a New Coffee Drinker
Popular Children's Fairy Tales Reimagined Using Members of The Author's Family
Is It the Flu?
The American Canon of the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure
It's not easy being green...
Corbid is a bit, shall we say, under the weather of late.
Not to regale you all with the sordid details, but the gist of it is that if I don't eat, I am fine until I grow weak from low blood sugar, at which point I must eat, but then when I do I grow feverish and kind of seasick and it all begins again.
Oh there was an old lady who swallowed a fly
I don't know why she swallowed the fly
Perhaps she'll die...
(Hey, you there with the elipses! Why must you always oversue the elipses? Why must you end every sentence like this...)
Distracted ramblings of a feverish brain.
Feel free to make fun of them in the comments section.
Shall sink back into my fever dream with a soundtrack by Nick Drake, courtesy of Rhapsody which is well worth the ten bucks a month if only for the immediacy of it...(more elipses, wtf?)
Not to regale you all with the sordid details, but the gist of it is that if I don't eat, I am fine until I grow weak from low blood sugar, at which point I must eat, but then when I do I grow feverish and kind of seasick and it all begins again.
Oh there was an old lady who swallowed a fly
I don't know why she swallowed the fly
Perhaps she'll die...
(Hey, you there with the elipses! Why must you always oversue the elipses? Why must you end every sentence like this...)
Distracted ramblings of a feverish brain.
Feel free to make fun of them in the comments section.
Shall sink back into my fever dream with a soundtrack by Nick Drake, courtesy of Rhapsody which is well worth the ten bucks a month if only for the immediacy of it...(more elipses, wtf?)
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Dreamt I was hanging out with Lizzie and the Chrisful one, eating leftover Lucky Wishbone in one of the motel rooms at her parents' motel. And Lizzie had cut her hair and dyed it black for some reason and had purple eyeshadow and fake lashes but was otherwise gothed out to the nines, and Chris had a Bowie haircut and a red velvet frock coat. And instead of having game night, we were going to the fineline (which doesn't even exist anyomore) and then meeting friends at a certain local bar to try and solicit them to come to our Ceilidh. And in the dream Lucky Wishbone was famous for its pickled peppers...strange.
What happens to little boys who make things up...
From an interview in The Onion with Neil Gaiman:
"All my life, I've felt that I was getting away with something because I was just making things up and writing them down, and that one day there would be a knock, and a man with a clipboard would be standing there and say, "It says here you've just been making things up all these years. Now it's time to go off and work in a bank." Because my grandmother or whoever would always warn me, as they always warn children, "Don't make things up! You know what happens to little boys who make things up!" But they never tell you what happens. As far as I can tell, it involves being able to spend a lot of time at home, plus a bit of international travel, and staying in nice hotels, and lots of very nice people who want you to sign things for them. So."
Someday I want to meet the guy just so I can muss up his hair and smile at him indulgently and go "awww..."
"All my life, I've felt that I was getting away with something because I was just making things up and writing them down, and that one day there would be a knock, and a man with a clipboard would be standing there and say, "It says here you've just been making things up all these years. Now it's time to go off and work in a bank." Because my grandmother or whoever would always warn me, as they always warn children, "Don't make things up! You know what happens to little boys who make things up!" But they never tell you what happens. As far as I can tell, it involves being able to spend a lot of time at home, plus a bit of international travel, and staying in nice hotels, and lots of very nice people who want you to sign things for them. So."
Someday I want to meet the guy just so I can muss up his hair and smile at him indulgently and go "awww..."
Monday, February 23, 2004
Tarot Cards of the Day
Three of Poetry (Creativity):
'I must Create a System, or be enslav'd by another Mans I will not Reason & Compare: my business is to Create'. A creative opportunity presents itself. A lucky break is in store for you. Taking an imaginative or literary approach is favored. A revelation of truth is at hand. All the pieces are falling into place. You achieve an understanding that has far-reaching implications. In the creative process: You get the go-ahead to 'do your thing'; your project has special blessing at this time because of your ability to see an overview or get the big picture.
Woman of Music:
"Loud & more loud the living music floats upon the air". Desire for beauty, grace, and tranquility in your surroundings. Tuning in to the emotions and needs of people around you. Psychic abilities. Using your talents and charm to best effect. Finding benefit in solitude and dreams. Uninhibited exploration and expression of ideas and feeling. In the creative process: You vibrate in tune with everything around you, sensitively aware of life energy in all its forms, from which to create something new through the filter of your own consciousness.
'I must Create a System, or be enslav'd by another Mans I will not Reason & Compare: my business is to Create'. A creative opportunity presents itself. A lucky break is in store for you. Taking an imaginative or literary approach is favored. A revelation of truth is at hand. All the pieces are falling into place. You achieve an understanding that has far-reaching implications. In the creative process: You get the go-ahead to 'do your thing'; your project has special blessing at this time because of your ability to see an overview or get the big picture.
Woman of Music:
"Loud & more loud the living music floats upon the air". Desire for beauty, grace, and tranquility in your surroundings. Tuning in to the emotions and needs of people around you. Psychic abilities. Using your talents and charm to best effect. Finding benefit in solitude and dreams. Uninhibited exploration and expression of ideas and feeling. In the creative process: You vibrate in tune with everything around you, sensitively aware of life energy in all its forms, from which to create something new through the filter of your own consciousness.
my internal dj is persistent
I'm afraid I'm going to have "Radio Free Europe" stuck in my head for days...
Saturday, February 21, 2004
Friday, February 20, 2004
Bowie Review Part II
The lights dropped. There was some amazing digital animation onscreen featuring a backing band and a blonde man with a harmonica. From backstage, came a familiarly deep, laughing voice...
And the crowd went wild...
He started in with "Rebel Rebel." He was wearing a black denim jacket with tuxedo tails and tight black jeans (dear god) as he posed and strutted and teased the audience. Mick Jagger has nothing on Bowie in their collective middle age.
Two songs off "Reality" followed (great album.)Then Bowie's cover of "Cactus" (even better live.)Then a big tease with "China Girl" (offered to let the audience sing, sat back and listened for a line or two, then took the stage and said "well, that was just fuckin' tragic, I'd better sing it myself.")
At this point, it all becomes a blur of transcendental blissfulness. I remember there was lots of material from the Eno compilations, especially "Low," and he played both "Man Who Sold The World," and "Life On Mars?" to Lizzie's great delight. He dedicated "Heroes" to the people of America, post 9/11.
At some point the topcoat and then a zebra striped jacket beneath fell away, revealing a skintight t-shirt of unknown logo. Jesus the man is well built for being 58 years old!
The band included the incomparable Earl Slick on guitar and the origianl keyboardist from "the Spiders" and of course Lizzie's "imaginary girlfriend" on bass. I'll let Lizzie explain that one...Anyway, suffice it to say, they rocked. But nothing compared to the encore...
The Ziggy Stardust Encore.
It began with "Hang On To Yourself' which I consider one of the world's first punk songs:
"Well it really comes out better on a stolen guitar/you're the blessed/we're the Spiders from Mars"
I was pogoing in my 4 inch boots and red velvet and tossing my pigtails wildly. Lizzie was transfixed (and corseted in plaid, in case you were wondering.)
It continued:
"Five Years," "Suffragette City," and last but not least "Ziggy Stardust" itself. So that the last words our idol sang to us were...
..."Ziggy played gui..taaar.."
We were fifteen years old again, not grown women with Hello Kitty accessories.We were awestruck. We were starstruck. We were speechless. We barely spoke the whole way home, just listened to CDs and digested the experience. Even skipped the traditional Waffle House outing on the way back. I think we were a bit physically and psychically exhausted. I for one slept like a wee baby thereafter.
Anyway, I shall die fulfilled now. I have indeed seen God. And if I haven't said it properly quite yet, I'll say it now:
Thank you,Lizzie!!!
And now, as if that weren't enough, here's a Friday Five:
When was the last time you...
1. ...went to the doctor? About 3 months ago.
2. ...went to the dentist? You don't want to know...
3. ...filled your gas tank? Today!
4. ...got enough sleep? Sunday, for a change.
5. ...backed up your computer? What? You mean it doesn't do that for me?
And the crowd went wild...
He started in with "Rebel Rebel." He was wearing a black denim jacket with tuxedo tails and tight black jeans (dear god) as he posed and strutted and teased the audience. Mick Jagger has nothing on Bowie in their collective middle age.
Two songs off "Reality" followed (great album.)Then Bowie's cover of "Cactus" (even better live.)Then a big tease with "China Girl" (offered to let the audience sing, sat back and listened for a line or two, then took the stage and said "well, that was just fuckin' tragic, I'd better sing it myself.")
At this point, it all becomes a blur of transcendental blissfulness. I remember there was lots of material from the Eno compilations, especially "Low," and he played both "Man Who Sold The World," and "Life On Mars?" to Lizzie's great delight. He dedicated "Heroes" to the people of America, post 9/11.
At some point the topcoat and then a zebra striped jacket beneath fell away, revealing a skintight t-shirt of unknown logo. Jesus the man is well built for being 58 years old!
The band included the incomparable Earl Slick on guitar and the origianl keyboardist from "the Spiders" and of course Lizzie's "imaginary girlfriend" on bass. I'll let Lizzie explain that one...Anyway, suffice it to say, they rocked. But nothing compared to the encore...
The Ziggy Stardust Encore.
It began with "Hang On To Yourself' which I consider one of the world's first punk songs:
"Well it really comes out better on a stolen guitar/you're the blessed/we're the Spiders from Mars"
I was pogoing in my 4 inch boots and red velvet and tossing my pigtails wildly. Lizzie was transfixed (and corseted in plaid, in case you were wondering.)
It continued:
"Five Years," "Suffragette City," and last but not least "Ziggy Stardust" itself. So that the last words our idol sang to us were...
..."Ziggy played gui..taaar.."
We were fifteen years old again, not grown women with Hello Kitty accessories.We were awestruck. We were starstruck. We were speechless. We barely spoke the whole way home, just listened to CDs and digested the experience. Even skipped the traditional Waffle House outing on the way back. I think we were a bit physically and psychically exhausted. I for one slept like a wee baby thereafter.
Anyway, I shall die fulfilled now. I have indeed seen God. And if I haven't said it properly quite yet, I'll say it now:
Thank you,Lizzie!!!
And now, as if that weren't enough, here's a Friday Five:
When was the last time you...
1. ...went to the doctor? About 3 months ago.
2. ...went to the dentist? You don't want to know...
3. ...filled your gas tank? Today!
4. ...got enough sleep? Sunday, for a change.
5. ...backed up your computer? What? You mean it doesn't do that for me?
Tarot for the Day (William Blake deck)
Liberty: An emerging and powerful sense of personal freedom. Hearing a call to action. Awakening to a deeper level of awareness or sense of spiritual self. A rebirth or basic change of state. Making an important decision or judgment, perhaps one long delayed. Being released from limiting circumstances.
Child of Painting: Riding the wave of prosperity. A time to show your hand and reveal your innate powers. Enjoying a position of material advantage. Putting forth charisma. Hedonistic enjoyment. Drug experimentation. Surfing the Internet. Total absorption in your activities. Trusting your body and instincts. Open to new experiences. In the creative process: Now is a time to experiment with processes and materials, taking great pleasure in what you learn and create.
Child of Painting: Riding the wave of prosperity. A time to show your hand and reveal your innate powers. Enjoying a position of material advantage. Putting forth charisma. Hedonistic enjoyment. Drug experimentation. Surfing the Internet. Total absorption in your activities. Trusting your body and instincts. Open to new experiences. In the creative process: Now is a time to experiment with processes and materials, taking great pleasure in what you learn and create.
Thursday, February 19, 2004
Or maybe it's just me.
Happened to catch about 5 minutes of "Oprah" today and was a mite perplexed. A couple was sitting there beaming as the wife rather sweetly explained that she didn't blame her almost total lack of sexual fulfilment on her husband, and that she knew he loved her very much, etc,etc. She confessed that she continually "faked it" because she didn't want him to feel bad.
Um...
It occurs to me that if you don't want the guy to feel bad, then maybe you shouldn't bring him on Oprah and tell the world how bad he is at sex. You know, for starters.
Um...
It occurs to me that if you don't want the guy to feel bad, then maybe you shouldn't bring him on Oprah and tell the world how bad he is at sex. You know, for starters.
The Velvet Underground
Have fallen in love with the second Velvet Underground album, particularly the song "The Murder Mystery."
Shall have a new mix tracklisting up in the near future including this and many other things...
Shall have a new mix tracklisting up in the near future including this and many other things...
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