baroqueMorales

I am relatively new to blogging, although I have been a dogged reader and writer for many years. I also recently learned that this technology, but not terminology has been around since about 1996! although did not hit popular consciousness (ok, I didn't even have reliable broadband at home until 2002) until after 9/11 via journalists scathing critique U.S. international diplomatic initiatives, etc. For myself, I started this from simply needing an outlet, more satisfying than ranting about topics with my friends over beers and such. I wanted a personal locus of defined topical writing, and images, in order to see that a "collage" of myself would look like after I'd worked on if for a significant period of time. It's been interesting to see just how long it takes me to develop this, to have concretely identified topics and content with enough significance to write about and "publish." Friedman, made an excellent point he discovered when writing his last b...

My mom, a true original has been a fan of Country Music Legend Merle Haggard for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid in the 80's she would alternate working back to back double shifts at the restaurant and then go on tour with "The Hag," eventually taking up pedal-steel-guitar. From 1987 - 1992 she kept a room in our house dedicated to country music, complete with a state-of-the-art stereo and sound system and a massive LP collection. On most days I would come home from school, the house would be filled with music, loud and pure. If she were practicing downstairs, I would sneak in to listen, since she would always stop playing if anyone else was home. That time is imprinted on me, in such a real tangible way. Even though I have an active dislike of country music, since it can be too sentimental or maudlin, I have fond memories of my stepdad and she in matching, gorgeosly hand-tooled cowboy boots and dressy ornamental western shirts with silver and pearl-snap butt...

South West view of 9th & Jefferson St, on lunch break.  

Blue Gaurdian 2004, Poloroid photo by: Connor Bailey 

In September of 2001, I saw poet Eric Ott, a.k.a. "Big Poppa E" at a live slam at Bumbershoot on a hot Saturday afternoon, where people literally howled with laughter, he also tossed out these cute little micro books of poetry, one of which I kept for years, until I gave it away to someone else. He is best known for poems such as "Bitter Ex-Girlfriend Haiku." A WussyBoy Manifesto," and "Short People Rock!" He has a wonderful site with audio/video files to listen to here . I mention it now, as I revisit old artists that I was positively influenced by in the past.

Sunday after Eric left to Reserve duty in Norfolk was a day spent alone. I always find it a little disconcerting since I normally spend all my waking hours providing care and attention to others, the typical working/mom thing...In order to keep from being bored or even worse, self-absorbed, I tend to keep focused on primarily printed media, since I am steadily growing to hate commercial television and to a lesser extent, the low-grade cable that we have. Commercial TV with the short, choppy programming, it's constant barrage of the incessant repetitive advertisements, precisely target-marketed to statistically significant groups shown to be watching a given channel at a given time, just serves to annoy me, make me feel inadequate, anxious and lonely. Being generally bookish, but more interested recently in topical, seasonal culture and trend analysis, I've been reading dated materials primarily such as the NY Times, Newsweek, Business Week and expensive, glossy magazin...