My Poem

so much depends
upon

the Starbucks
schedule

posted on brown
cork-board

with a green
push-pin.

blah

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No China For You

Mixed news, everyone. I will not be going to China. At least not to work with my friends going there.

I got an e-mail from Mr. T that says his school is only hiring three teachers with this round of hiring, and will probably want Brits to balance out the exuberance of the Americans with the next round of hiring.

I'm sad.

There's a hole in my belly created by the fear that I'll always be stuck in the position that I'm in. It was filled with the idea that I could teach in China for a year, but that hole is empty again.

I'm still going to Sonora tonight, and for the weekend, so I can get a passport. Now I won't have to pay the extra $100 for expedited service. That's good.

Mr. T graciously offered to help me find another job in the Middle Kingdom, and I've accepted.

Now I'm off to drown my sorrows in the GameCube.

PBS

Beginning with "1900 House," but more in the spirit of "Frontier House," this "Colonial House" on PBS is pretty cool. I'm waiting for the town to have its own version of witch trials, though.

A Poem

I thought this was right for today.

How to Write a Political Poem
By Taylor Mali

However it begins, it's gotta be loud
and then it's gotta get a little bit louder.
Because this is how you write a political poem
and how you deliver it with power.

Mix current events with platitudes of empowerment.
Wrap up in rhyme or rhyme it up in rap until it sounds true.

Glare until it sinks in.

Because somewhere in Florida, votes are still being counted.
I said somewhere in Florida, votes are still being counted!

See, that's the Hook, and you gotta' have a Hook.
More than the look, it's the hook that is the most important part.
The hook has to hit and the hook's gotta fit.
Hook's gotta hit hard in the heart.

Because somewhere in Florida, votes are still being counted.

And Dick Cheney is peeing all over himself in spasmodic delight.
Make fun of politicians, it's easy, especially with Republicans
like Rudy Giuliani, Colin Powell, and . . . Al Gore.
Create fatuous juxtapositions of personalities and political philosophies
as if communism were the opposite of democracy,
as if we needed Darth Vader, not Ralph Nader.

Peep this: When I say "Call,"
you all say, "Response."

Call! Response! Call! Response! Call!

Amazing Grace, how sweet the‹

Stop in the middle of a song that everyone kows and loves.
This will give your poem a sense of urgency.
Because there is always a sense of urgency in a political poem.
There is no time to waste!
Corruption doesn't have a curfew,
greed doesn't care what color you are
and the New York City Police Department
is filled with people who wear guns on their hips
and carry metal badges pinned over their hearts.
Injustice isn't injustice it's just in us as we are just in ice.
That's the only alienation of this alien nation
in which you either fight for freedom
or else you are free and dumb!

And even as I say this somewhere in Florida, votes are still being counted.

And it makes me wanna beat box!

Because I have seen the disintegration of gentrification
and can speak with great articulation
about cosmic constellations, and atomic radiation.
I've seen D. W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation
but preferred 101 Dalmations.
Like a cross examination, I will give you the explanation
of why SlamNation is the ultimate manifestation
of poetic masturbation and egotistical ejaculation.

And maybe they are still counting votes somewhere in Florida,
but by the time you get to the end of the poem it won't matter anymore.

Because all you have to do is close your eyes,
lower your voice, and end by saying:

the same line three times,
the same line three times,
the same line three times.

Short Version

Okay, I've seen many movies since the last time I wrote. Since I don't feel like writing out long reviews for everything, I'm going to give you the short version.

Jersy Girl--5 April 2004
Good movie. Not Kevin Smith's best, that honor still rests with Chasing Amy, but better than Dogma. It's the story of a man raising his daughter after his wife dies in child birth. Many laughs and scrunched faces trying to hold back the tears. The Sweeney Todd stuff alone was worth the admission price.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind--5 April 2004
Movies like this are what make me want to work in that industry. What would your life be like if you could erase all your memories involved with one person? That's what this film is about on one level, but there are so many levels. I wish that I could go see it again so that I can just get that moment of pure "WOW" when it ends.

Hellboy--8 April 2004
Eh, it was okay. Sort of a normal comic book movie: introduce the origin of the main character, introduce the bad guy, introduce supporting character, kill an important supporting character (a father figure if you can), make the main character choose between being a hero or not, happy ending. Some of the special effects were good, but whenever Hellboy was CGI, he became way too floppy. I wasn't excited to go see it, and wasn't excited to have seen it. At least it was a cheap movie.

Kill Bill, volume 2--18 April 2004
Great movie, except for one thing. I liked the first and was so happy when the second came out. This one finishes the quest of revenge for The Bride. She meets her child, we learn her name, and she accomplishes the title of the film. (Was there ever any doubt?) The dialogue is crisp, better than that which was found in Pulp Fiction, and popping. And there's a martial arts master with a long fake beard. The only thing that I didn't like was the last fight with Bill. Just watch the film, and you'll see what I mean.

13 Going on 30--9 May 2004
All the old ladies in the audience summed this one up well when they said, "That was cute." It's not exactly the Big retread that I thought it would be, which is good. A girl in the 80s turns thirteen, wishes she was thirty, and wakes up seventeen years later. I liked that her life wasn't easy and that she didn't get everything she wanted and work was full of jerks trying to screw her. My biggest problem was the ending. It should have ended right after she and her best friend ran up the stairs. Up the stairs then cut to: credits. But it didn't. Oh well.

Mean Girls--9 May 2004
Excellent film. Angry at the stupidity of high school, but very funny. I laughed much. I was impressed with the acting and the snappy dialogue. Tina Fey needs to write more screen plays, she's a good talent. Go. Watch. Laugh. Carful of the bus.

Van Helsing--9 May 2004
It sucks. Don't go see it. People are morons, making this the highest grossing film in it's first weekend. I didn't pay to see it. (HA!) Avoid at all costs.

Knee Game

After my grandma had both her knees replaced a few years ago, I've been wondering what, exactly, went on. Now I know.

Unite

According to every other customer I saw today, the Kings (a basketball team, for those out of the know)are doing fairly well. Usually, when they do this well, they end up playing the Lakers in the playoffs. Using this, I've figured out a way to unite the people of Los Angeles. This would require the Kings and the Lakers to be tied in games and the final one must be played in LA; the Kings would win by one point in the last second of overtime by fouling some LA player, but not being call on it.

I think this would unite every man and women, every race, every religion, and every sexual orientation in LA. They would riot on a scale only seen in movies.

Ah, unity.

Land of Red

Okay, I've done it. I've sent my resume off to China. That means, for the few who do not know, I may be spending a year or six month teaching English to students who actually want to learn, but in China. The Middle Kingdom. Last land of the Commie. I don't know how much fun I'd have, if I go, but I know I'll learn a lot.

Anyone who wants details can get the words from Shelley's fingers.