the Boston Globe--it's a little rag helping to minister to NYT's gazillions--today ran an op-ed (op for opportunistic, maybe, or operations?) decrying John Stewart and the Daily Show for... cynicism. the mean spirits from that show are taking the oomph out of our political system. see, people who would be great leaders (the writer cited Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson as same, amazingly enough), are so disheartened by the cynicism put forth by the Daily Show that they never enter the fray. clearly, anyone so easily put off aint got the moxie to begin with. according to this authority, people are getting their news from DS, rather than from unbiased sources like, say, Fox News. which is malarkey. the blurb about the author of this slurp stated simply: graduated from Harvard College in 2005. I'm unclear why it's College rather than University but never mind that. Harvard's imprimatur sits smugly on the 2 bit opinions. as in: oo, this person must have a bead on the sitch. remember the Monty Python skit in which a fellow tries to convince someone that truly he (1st guy) is a psychiatrist by showing that he has a copy of Psychology Today and such. sounds similar here. yes, I went to Harvard, I even drank Guinness at the Plough and Stars. obviously I'm a smart young lad. and blah blah blah. and the Globe felt pleased to humour this genius. stupid. muy stupid.

*** self promo warning ***

to me, what Jeff and I are muddling around in with Antic View is something vigourous and thoughtful. if I may be so bold to say. speaking only for myself, but it's a matter of working outside my comfort zone, considering things I hadn't give direct thought to. we both work at writing, and facing it. just thought I should advert that much.

there are interesting poets in blog space as well, that is to say Tom Beckett's interviews, this time: Shanna Compton

the one note criticism of flarf should read what;s up at Jacket #30. is Kate Degentesh's father poem lovely? is Tarzan Peterson's piece funny? shit yeah!!!

last time I was at the bookstore (B&N), I saw that quite a few Woolf novels remain unread by me. I say that because I was thinking Orlando seems unusual in her oeuvre, but maybe I aint got a clear visual of that oeuvre. the narrative voice is light and nearly frothy, which aint no way how her other novels that I've read strike me. it's a more pop or mainstream voice. I don't mean that pejoratively. her it is consistent, politically. it's just not handled excellently. narrative tone is quite precise. I read a trilogy by Robertson Davies, I can't recall the name, which had a surreal quality reminiscent of O. I didn't like that trilogy a lot, there's a type of novelistic surrealism that is just plangent to my ear. O isn't really surreal, just of a slightly unusual reality. which she carries well enough. tho after O's sex change, I hear a more forceful note: VW making her point. certainly the dramatic situation is ripe for exploring sexual differences, but hearing V chirp into the narrative is a bit disappointing. tho I am glad she does so chirp. I think the problem is that she didn't let the book write itself. she had this pregnant conceit and wanted it to live brightly, but she forced the speaking. I still have a ways to go, but when I started hearing VW's intentions push thru, I got leery. it interests me that in novels, the mainstram can be quite varied and risky. whereas in poetry, the term mainstream is synonymous with stiff, regulated poetry. it seems to me there was a movie version of Mrs Dalloway, which there had ought, since the novel is so cinematic. I am also reading Man in the High Castle, which is a surprisingly thoughtful novel, from what I can see. Dick's an interesting writer, I'm glad I'm giving him an explore.

a public service annoucement

In the interest of belabouring the subject, here is some information about the flarfists.

Most flarfists are7 feet tall. The exceptions are 8 feet tall.

Flarfist ability to communicate with space aliens should be noted, but whether or not they are in league with the Space Emperor, the solar system's most feared cosmic dictator, remains to be seen.

All flarfists possess an uncanny ability to fix washing machines. For some reason, however, none of them can fix dryers.

Veteran flarfists can be identified by their plumage, which they keep in their sock drawers. Neophyte flarfists have no plumage.

Flarfists enjoy teleporting themselves hither and yon, as a pastime, and as a way of getting away from “it all”.

Flarfists do not eat redwood trees.

Flarfists do not believe in snow. To become a flarfist, you must declare your disbelief in snow. In making this declaration, however, it is deemed all right to lie.

Beth went out for lunch with a friend, which meant going to a home furnishings type store. not to deny me the experience, she and I went back, as there was the perfect lighting fixture for her sister. place called Home Expo, which we've passed by often but never entered. it is Home Depot's swank showroom, warehouse size but way more comfy. or not, if sensory overload bugs you. faux room after faux room, world without end. just by the door as a display of soft bathtubs. whee hah! I had the camera with me because Beth wanted to send her sister pix of the perfect lighting fixture, to get her okay. the pictures below, as you might guess, are evidence of our excursion. I was weirding out there, especially in the hive with all the lights. it was tremendously busy, visually. you should check it out. on acid.