Idle Mendacity

Haiku #386

2012-01-27T19:29:00.001-05:00

Doctor’s appointment

Like getting tooth pulled - long wait

Then finished quickly

Haiku #385

2012-01-13T22:13:00.001-05:00

Friday the thirteenth

Unlucky for some people

For me not so much

No New Year's Resolutions for Me

2011-12-31T20:15:00.000-05:00

As we come to the end of another year I have "resolved" not to make any resolutions for the upcoming year. Every time I have done so in the past I end up not accomplishing anything. I don't know why that is, but IT IS. So, for 2012, I'll just let things come as they come and meet it as it happens, and if so was up planning anything, I will not call it a "goal, nor a "resolution", but just a "plan" - something that needs to be done, that I actually take measures to make happen (instead of just resolving to do it). Words matter, even subconsciously.

Happy New Year!

Fractal: The Last Day

2011-12-31T20:07:00.002-05:00

Haiku #384

2011-12-30T16:09:00.001-05:00

Year comes to an end

Ask myself what accomplished

Don’t know the answer

Haiku #383

2011-12-14T12:30:00.001-05:00

Waiting in the class

For the students to arrive

Interminable

Haiku #382

2011-11-26T20:10:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving over

I guess vacation is done

Ready to go back?

Haiku #381 - Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T19:13:00.000-05:00

What do we give thanks
Health, food on the plate, shelter
Or just peace of mind

Haiku #380 - 11/11/11

2011-11-11T22:10:00.001-05:00

Three straight elevens
How often do you see that
Once a century

Haiku #379

2011-10-30T19:36:00.001-04:00

It snowed this weekend

Earlier, sunny weather

Wonder what happened

Haiku #378

2011-10-17T22:56:00.001-04:00

Woke up full of pep
Did nothing useful with it
Energy wasted

Haiku #377

2011-10-11T19:50:00.001-04:00

Last of red hot days
Of this Indian Summer
Fading, fading fast

Apophysis: The Green Line

2011-10-10T00:14:00.000-04:00

Haiku #376

2011-09-25T14:03:00.001-04:00

Lots of time wasted
Doing who knows what or when
And why? Good question.

9-11 - 10 Years Later

2011-09-11T20:07:00.000-04:00

There are some things one does not forget. The birth of a child, meeting the love of your life, the passing of a parent or grandparent. These are personal memories. Then there are the more “public” memories. The kinds that seep into the inner conscience of an entire population and become part of our national memory. The blackout of the Eastern seaboard, the exploding of the Challenger, the declaration of an armistice to a war. For someone from New York City (like myself) what happened 10 years to the World Trade Center, the personal and the public intertwine.

Yes, I remember where I was when it first happened. Listening to the radio as I was getting ready for school. I knew it was bad but I also knew I had to go just in case. The College was open (but on alert). Class (Intro to Art) was cancelled. In fact - all classes were cancelled. I went to my grandmother’s just a few blocks away and watched the news. My uncle worked in the South Tower and we hadn’t heard from him so we were all worried. My mother didn’t work in the area but she was supposed to meet my aunt for lunch that day in the city so were worried about her too. Slowly news started to filter in. My uncle had taken off that day and was home in Queens. My mother was in Manhattan and fine but due to the fact that they closed the roads, she (like so many others) had to walk home across the bridge into Brooklyn on foot. It was just as we heard this the two towers crumpled into dust and fell apart like a house of cards. The Twin Towers had never been beautiful building, they impressed by their size but there was no style or distinction like the Empire State Building or the Chrysler Building, yet their blocky rectangular shape had become part of the City’s fabric, as much as the Statue of Liberty. Yet within minutes, they and over 3,000 human lives were gone into ash and vapor. Somewhere the devil (or in this case Osama Bin Laden) laughed.

Later still small details like the fact that debris from the WTC landed in my sister’s old high school (a borough away) or that ash from the explosion covered the ground where my father worked (in Central Brooklyn) would tell how truly grand the scale of 9-11 extended. And there were losses as well. One of my elementary school classmates, a kid widely regarded as the most popular kid in our grade (and who was a genuinely nice guy), was one of the FDNY’s first responders to the WTC. He died there, leaving behind a fiancee and people who loved him. And people like me - of the same age & the same background who remain these 10 years later while someone who was probably infinitely better than me does not. It is a soul searching paradigm and one that will always be with me.

That’s what makes it impossible to forget. 10 years on we still remember. 10 years from NOW we still we will. 20, 30, 40 years. As long as there are those who remember that day on Earth it will never end.

You can go to the site now. A decade on and billions of dollars spend and its still mostly a hole in the ground (compare to the Empire State Building which was built in just a few years over 80 years ago). The so-called “Freedom Tower” still is not there and yet on the whole it’s not needed. We are in no danger of forgetting or losing our “freedom” (no matter what the terrorists intended). It’s hard to think of anything greater than being attacked to fuel an American’s resolve. We are largely an indolent, libertarian people - especially in New York City. As long as you don’t bother US, we don’t care what you do. But when you attack us - we attack back twice as hard. New Yorkers are street fighters by nature. Violent, dirty, hard. This is what Osama Bin Laden and Al Queda did not understand. For us the public is the personal and vice versa and NEVER forget. That’s why New York City still stands and those who did perpetuated and thought out 9-11? Not so much.

May those who were lost and who have lost in that atrocity take comfort from that at least.

Haiku #375 - On Hurricane Irene

2011-08-29T19:41:00.001-04:00

Storm came on Sunday
Hit for just a few hours
Bit disappointed

Haiku #374

2011-08-23T23:16:00.001-04:00

We had an earthquake
That made New York City move
Once in a lifetime

Fractal: Look Close 3

2011-08-04T00:22:00.002-04:00

Fractal: Look Close 2

2011-08-03T22:29:00.002-04:00

Fractal: Look Close 1

2011-07-27T19:00:00.002-04:00

Apophysis: Kites

2011-07-25T19:02:00.002-04:00

Apophysis: Xplosions

2011-07-12T20:43:00.002-04:00

Haiku #373

2011-07-11T00:38:00.001-04:00

I hate shoelaces
Coming untied all the time
As if by magic

Apophysis: The Woods

2011-07-05T20:59:00.000-04:00

Haiku #372

2011-07-01T10:10:00.001-04:00

A new night awakes
Darkness overtakes the dream
A prelude to sleep

Apophysis: Nightmist

2011-06-26T15:24:00.002-04:00

Haiku #371

2011-06-26T15:22:00.001-04:00

Been a weekend bum
Done nothing but lay about
I regret nothing

Haiku #370

2011-06-21T19:25:00.001-04:00

Summer has begun
Bringing with it the hot sun
Time to hit the beach

Haiku #369

2011-06-15T19:28:00.001-04:00

On the rare day off
Nothing ever gets finished
Too busy napping

Apophysis: Steps

2011-06-12T16:06:00.002-04:00

Haiku #368

2011-06-09T21:39:00.001-04:00

Weather is scalding
Air conditioner no help
Now I dream of snow

Haiku #367

2011-05-22T15:43:00.001-04:00

The world did not end
As some guy had predicted
The timing was off

Apophysis: Hawks

2011-05-20T21:42:00.000-04:00

Apophysis: The Wind

2011-05-20T01:07:00.002-04:00

Apophysis: Purple Sea

2011-05-08T02:52:00.002-04:00

Apophysis: Zoned

2011-05-01T02:05:00.000-04:00

Apophysis: Wired Too

2011-04-27T16:47:00.001-04:00

Haiku #366 - Good Friday

2011-04-22T15:38:00.001-04:00

Nailed high on the cross
One last breath; gave up the Ghost
The rest is silence

Haiku #365

2011-04-01T20:44:00.001-04:00

Supposed to be Spring
Yet snow and rain coming down
This no April Fool

Apophysis: Retina

2011-03-31T23:10:00.000-04:00

Haiku #364 - Opening Day

2011-03-31T22:55:00.001-04:00

Get out mitts and bats
Boys of Summer take the field
Let the games begin

Apophysis: Break the Wall

2011-03-15T10:18:00.002-04:00

Haiku #363

2011-03-15T09:52:00.001-04:00

Cannot imagine
Destruction, pain, in the wake
Cry, weep, for Japan

Apophysis: Dragon Heart

2011-02-14T20:02:00.002-05:00

Haiku #362 - For Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T19:30:00.001-05:00

Saint Valentine’s Day
An excuse to buy candies
Drippy greeting cards

Apophysis: Soar

2011-02-07T19:42:00.000-05:00

Haiku #361 - Super Bowl XLV

2011-02-07T10:39:00.000-05:00

Pittsburgh and Green Bay
Neither is my home town team
Should I care who won?

Haiku #360 - Groundhog Day

2011-02-02T16:09:00.001-05:00

No groundhog shadow
Means we get an early Spring
Can not believe it

Haiku #359 - The NFL Playoffs 2011

2011-01-17T18:11:00.002-05:00

Jets beat Patriots

I think hell just froze over

Saw some pig (skins) fly

Apophysis: Unraveled

2011-01-09T14:11:00.000-05:00

Apophysis: Explosion

2011-01-08T21:46:00.002-05:00

Yet Another New Year!

2011-01-01T00:19:00.002-05:00

Haiku #358 - Fare Thee Well, 2010

2010-12-31T23:09:00.001-05:00

The year that was not
Bad as I thought it would be
Remembered fondly

Apophysis: Auld Lang Syne

2010-12-31T13:50:00.001-05:00

Apophysis: Gold Strikes

2010-12-21T22:49:00.002-05:00

Apophysis: Slow Motion

2010-12-20T18:37:00.000-05:00

Haiku #357 - The 8th Night of Chanukah

2010-12-08T22:16:00.001-05:00

Victory of faith
Spread the word forever more
Festival of Lights

Haiku #356 - The 7th Night of Chanukah

2010-12-07T22:39:00.001-05:00

Presence evident
Lights flicker; do not flame out
Continued burning

Haiku #355 - The 6th Night of Chanukah

2010-12-06T21:28:00.001-05:00

More time is needed
To make fresh supply of oil
Can light last longer?

Haiku #354 - The 5th Day of Chanukah

2010-12-05T20:39:00.001-05:00

Drip, drip goes the oil
Into candelabra arms
Tiny flames appear

Haiku #353 - The 4th Night of Chanukah

2010-12-04T22:17:00.001-05:00

Not enough oil left
To light up the menorah
Need a miracle

Haiku #352 - The 3rd Night of Chanukah

2010-12-03T22:15:00.001-05:00

Only made possible
By the hammer of Judah
Called the Maccabee

Haiku #351 - The 2nd Night of Chanukah

2010-12-02T23:24:00.001-05:00

Antiochus reign
Veiled the Holy of Holies
We must cleanse temple

Apophysis: Flaming Eagle

2010-12-02T00:30:00.000-05:00

Haiku #350 - The 1st Night of Chanukah

2010-12-01T22:59:00.002-05:00

Victory is won
False gods gone; light must return
Someone get the oil

Apophysis: Purple Band

2010-11-30T22:45:00.000-05:00

Haiku #349

2010-11-30T22:22:00.001-05:00

Plenty leftovers
Can last one several weeks
Always cook too much

Apophysis: Feathering

2010-11-25T12:08:00.000-05:00

Haiku #348 - For Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T12:00:00.001-05:00

Thankful for blessings
Yet for the bad things in life
Whom do we thank then

Apophysis: Burst

2010-11-18T10:43:00.001-05:00

Apophysis: Wayward Wind

2010-11-15T17:31:00.000-05:00

Apophysis: Pot

2010-11-11T10:16:00.000-05:00

Haiku #347 - Halloween

2010-10-31T16:55:00.001-04:00

Dressed up like turkeys
Asking Santa Claus for treats
On All Hallow's Eve

Apophysis: Bramma Waves

2010-10-30T00:34:00.000-04:00

Apophysis: Half-Wing

2010-10-27T22:06:00.002-04:00

Apophysis: Caverns

2010-10-25T20:22:00.000-04:00

Luc Besson's "The Messenger": How NOT To Make A Film Based on a Historical Personage

2010-10-25T20:19:00.001-04:00

Back in August, The Mad Monarchist had a review of a truly terrible film, Luc Besson's 1999 purported biography, The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. It's well worth reading (and if you haven't seen the film and may one day be considering it, please do so - it'll save you 2+ hours of your life).

As someone who loves Joan of Arc and believes, much like that legendary cynic Mark Twain, that she was "by far the most extraordinary person the human race has ever produced" I find the film nauseating and disrespectful and don't want to waste time explaining it. But it is a foremost example of what NOT to do if you are planning on making a film on a historical person.

When you have to begin your movie about one of the most chronicled people in pre-modern history (we know more about Joan through her trials and re-trials than virtually any other person in medieval history) with a gigantic lie - that of her sister (who DID exist and was NOT murdered) being murdered and raped all because the filmmakers could not imagine Joan actually being motivated by anything so "silly" as patriotism or religious sentiment then you know the movie is not worth it. And it doesn't help when you pretend your main characters is Joan of Arc when it's really someone you made up - the thing about Joan was (and this struck people at the time) is that all the while she said God had sent her she was very normal, plain-spoken, even keeled, she was even very witty, smart and sharp (read some of her testimony and see what I mean). Milla Jovovich portrayed her a screwed-up manic religious fanatic - not the kind of person that could have scared the English or inspired the French.

Apophysis: Roses Bloom

2010-10-18T20:17:00.003-04:00

The Playoffs are Here!

2010-10-06T10:55:00.000-04:00

So the baseball playoffs are starting. I haven't really blogged throughout this season if only because - as a Yankees fan - I was just expecting my team to make the playoffs. The fact they lost to the Rays for the American League East title doesn't really mean anything these days (sad but true). Wild Card Teams have gone on to the World Series. THIS is when the season really begins. THIS is why Brian Cashman (and every other GM) stockpiles players with zillion dollar contracts who don't do much in the regular season (yes, I'm looking at you AJ Burnett). THIS is the time to start paying attention - because in a limited series anything can happen and any pitcher can shut down a team and anyone can get a lucky bloop hit and POOF! the series is over and the underdog has won.

Sooo, having said that.....GO YANKEES!

Apophysis: Shake

2010-09-28T23:27:00.000-04:00

Haiku #346

2010-09-28T10:48:00.001-04:00

Enough of rainy days
How can anything get done
By staying indoors

Haiku #345

2010-09-26T13:56:00.001-04:00

This a dying month
Opening with such promise
Goes out with a sigh

Apophysis: The Pond

2010-09-20T18:17:00.002-04:00

Apophysis: Battery

2010-09-15T22:37:00.002-04:00

Haiku #344

2010-09-15T21:46:00.001-04:00

A moment of peace
Amid the world’s distractions
Hard to attain it

Haiku #343

2010-08-27T22:28:00.001-04:00

Remember that day
One you wanted to forget
Well it just passed by

Apophysis: Splatter

2010-08-23T20:07:00.000-04:00

Haiku #342

2010-08-17T15:24:00.001-04:00

High humidity

Sweat pours down in bucketfuls

Perspiration sucks

Haiku #341

2010-08-16T19:40:00.001-04:00

Insurance issues

Coverage so byzantine

Hard to decipher

Haiku #340

2010-08-09T17:43:00.001-04:00

Waiting on the door

Open and reveal what lies

Beyond that first step

Apophysis: Purple Rays

2010-08-07T18:52:00.003-04:00

Apophysis: Reflect

2010-08-06T21:33:00.004-04:00

Haiku #339

2010-08-03T22:27:00.001-04:00

What is this thing sleep

Lethargy fills the body

Overcome the senses

Haiku #338

2010-08-02T17:00:00.001-04:00

These things are too tight

Leave an imprint on the skin

Size is deceiving

Apophysis: Lost Spaces

2010-07-31T19:30:00.002-04:00

Apophysis: StormEye

2010-07-29T22:49:00.001-04:00

Haiku #337

2010-07-27T21:11:00.002-04:00

On a crowded bus

Barely room enough to stand

The price of cut backs

Apophysis: Discordant

2010-07-26T17:52:00.003-04:00

Haiku #336

2010-07-24T22:16:00.002-04:00

Saw a sign that said

Certified pre-owned autos

In other words - used

Apophysis: Hold Back

2010-07-21T20:57:00.002-04:00