...people in the summertime want sonnets...

Had to renew the library card, since they won't leave it active if you don't show up for a year. Snagged anything interesting in the New Books section near the check out counter so I didn't have to make a circuit through the tenseness of the place. For some reason the adult floor has this almost stunning expectancy in the air. It's not an inviting place and I don't think it's the decor. It has the periodicals, so the guys come out and park there - I'm sure saving a hundred bucks going that route.

Grabbed "The Art of the Sonnet" (2010) by Stephan Burt and David Mikics. I was just happy to see something that was worlds apart from the intellectually anemic book sections of Walmart or Target (I know who buys those books, so they are surely filling its intended need). "Sonnet" is a survey of the poetic form from 1557 to 2009 taking examples and lightly explaining their essence and place historically. The sections are only a few pages per each sonnet, like little petit'fours, always done with a great appreciation of this specially appointment closet of writing.

Of particular interest to me was the Petrarch tradition and how much like a song in its native Italian:

"Nessun mi tocchi," al bel collo d'intorno

scritto avea di diamanti et di topazi.

"Libera farmi al mio Cesare parve." - Poem 190"A pure white hind..." 'The Canzoniere'

["No one touch me": around her beautiful neck

this was written in diamond and topaz.

"It pleased my Caesar to set me free."]

Then, to my poetry stand-by book ("Poetic Meter and Poetic Form" (1965), Paul Fussell, Jr.). This was found in the old Book Baron in Anaheim (now gone to make way for another Latin grocery store, can't have enough apparently). "Writing a good Petrarchan sonnet is difficult; writing a superb one is all but impossible."

Having put myself through the ringer to pound one of these out, and acknowledging how they easily fall short, sonnets are a pain in the ass. But, in their way, extremely addictive to wrangle with. Arranging words in one way, putting the stressed notes here, less forced quatrain development (or at least, attempting to make it look less forced) - how many frustrating moments spent seeing that desired thought in one's mind, only to fail miserably in describing it well.

I recommend "The Art of the Sonnet", with a bit of rich chocolate, and equally rich Andy Williams. Now back to assuming I know what I'm doing over here.

...cliche: 1890s term as either stereotype or stencil...

"A usually pejorative general term for a word or phrase regarded as having lost its vigour through overuse." - Oxford Companion...English Language

Can't help but think of the cliche that comes in the form of a person, or worse, a series of tired ideas. After evolution and the tread of decades, we still engage in tired intercourse with meaningless egomaniacs. The only audacity is a few weekly lottery tickets...even though I can't cling but to ex machina deus.

New picture site of Knotts. Viewpoints in my eye when I look at the place. Also new Deviant Artwork. My goal is to post interesting colors that make great fridge magnets.

The next anthology is coming by end of the month. If you're interested the first is still available here.

Add me on Facebook and Twitter if you've the chance!

..sasom i en spegel...von Sydow...

If one wanted to add a degree of stilted gravitas to a picture, then one would seek Max von Sydow. As witnessed by the grind of B and C level dregs at the bottom of the Netflix barrel, there's not many with the singular talent of actually adding to a film. I have yet had the time to watch every von Sydow film, but of the ones I have seen, these are some. Note I'm not saying they're the absolute best of his repertoire, but are somewhat important (I actually left off Ghostbusters II):

1. "Through a Glass Darkly" (1961) - von Sydow plays the father, Martin, in a family drama by Ingmar Bergman. As we head down the list of films, not owing to von Sydow's obvious talent, you'll see a wide drop-off from such watershed films as this. The film must be watched quietly and as intensely as it was created. The acting is technically perfect - the subject matter is rough: a family works out the years of callous issues in a 24 hour period as their mother succumbs to an illness.

2. "The Exorcist" (1973) - as Father Merrin, von Sydow's performance (along with Jason Miller and Ellen Burstyn) create the pitch perfect movie that few have been able to touch in the bottom of the dregs, horror movies. If anything, Exorcist transcends the genre to this day - as it was handled by the sober Williams, Friedkin and Blatty.

3. "Three Days of the Condor" (1975) - what's better than von Sydow as a villain, especially as he hunts down CIA agent, Joe Turner (Robert Redford) in another watershed film that puts the suspense genre in highest form. I think in this case, a subdued De Laurentiis, with director Sydney Pollack, hits all of the right notes and handles the source material with some regard (whereas the recent suspense genres seem to hate the whole game, I'm thinking The Saint and the Bourne series).

4. "Conan the Barbarian" (1982) - the genre could have been cast the same way, had it remained true to this film and Dune. But, the business decided to create a slew of trash that really watered down and pretty much destroyed it, up until Lord of the Rings was re-handled by someone passionate about the best of the genre. Blink in this movie and you may miss von Sydow, who plays King Orsic. Set aside your preconceived notions (about director Milius and the genre) and Conan is actually a pretty decent film.

5. "Strange Brew" (1983) - anyone that is a fan of this movie, probably had to have known and enjoyed the SCTV sketches. If not, it may not make as much sense about these jingoistic Canadian brothers who really love beer. von Sydow plays the evil Brewmeister who attempts to take over the world with a titular blend of beer. Only funny if you watched local television in the 80s in the middle of the night.

6. "Minority Report" (2002) - only interesting piece is von Sydow's character, but in a heavy-fisted story that can never step up to the concept. With this an A.I., I feel is the decline of Speilberg and the summer audacity. I wonder if the movie were extended to really concentrate on the rings of the plot and more von Sydow, how much better it would have been. Not a watch that'll necessarily waste your time...

7. "Shutter Island" (2010) - only interesting in that von Sydow is still working. Born in 1929, the man has worked for so long. Unfortunately, this is another film with a high concept, a convoluted script and one that Scorsese did his best with. DiCaprio is a very capable actor, but this bit was rough. The hardest part for me to suspend was that any institution would honestly put its entire staff at risk, much less the patient, in an elaborate game to heal him. Must have been a much better book - but now that I know the ending...

Hopefully, Christopher Nolan can snag von Sydow in something quiet and dark and one that has as much power as Bergman did so many years ago. I think the audience deserves it, no? And, no, I don't mean Batman 3.

...mög Gottes Engel mich dir zeigen!...

Reading through the healthy introduction to "The Epic of Gilgamesh" (Penguin, Sandars, 1972) it is fascinating that the epic nature of the hero follows a structure that should be familiar to all. The story's origin stretches to the third millennium B.C. and yet, some 4.5 millennia later, I can hold the story in its most complete form - as was pieced together by extant sources over a period of many decades.

The hero of this tale was one of the early kings of what is now Iraq. He is great, with all of the fearless qualities that we inherently seek in a leader. He conquers - but ultimately cannot conquer death. So he sets himself on the road to immortality.

The story, as pointed by the editor, divides itself as "a meeting of friends, a forest journey, the flouting of a fickle goddess, the death of the companion, and the search for ancestral wisdom and immortality" [sec 5, pg 22]. I thought immediately of Lord of the Rings - but, the end of the journey for Frodo was to not search for wisdom, but ultimately destroy it. The Ring created chaos, in that the gods and man were too familiar. Man thirsted for power and immortality, but it would end in death (for himself and those around him).

It is interesting to note that the conceptualization of Heaven and Hell derive from very ancient analogies. Sumerians believed in righteousness as a token for the place where all heroes go - the Babylonians believed in Hell as a place where the "dust is their food and clay their meat, they are clothed like birds with wings for garments". It was from the latter and to the former that Gilgamesh suffered for after the death of his friend, Enkidu.

What comes to mind in both these cases (although I'll suffer a nerd branding), is the episode of TNG, "Darmok" where an alien puts himself and Picard in harm's way to physically and temporally make an allegory similar to Gilgamesh and Enkidu. That's science fiction at its best for me: pulling the ancient forward to the technologically enmeshed present.

One wonders if the hero's epic journey is fulfilled in our own.

...deviantArt photo postings...

...added a new photo for purchase at deviantArt...

"Pirate in the Morning" was not staged. It was actually something I stumbled on in the wee hours of the morning last week. Obviously, the toys are strewn about the house, but this little guy seemed like he was off to war.

Peruse the gallery, but "Vegas from the Venetian Bridge" makes a great magnet for the fridge. Thanks for visiting!

...in restless walks she'll prowl the night...

...that would be June. She's a little gloomy, though.

Been much talk around my house on nerd stores - especially with Father's Day around the corner. Nothing wrong with the appellation mind you. Figured looking into a quick 7 list of online nerd/geek meccas to point out what the 21st century idiot likes. No order:

1. Neatoshop - great place to geek out

2. Entertainment Earth - if your looking for figures, here's where you star

3. ThinkGeek - gotta love the vibe, they bleed nerd cred

4. Barnes and Noble - books is where nerd-ing begins...it's fundamental

5. Etsy - uber-geek base, +1 for recycling materials too

6. Phat Collectibles - local place...shout-out!

7. The Onion Store - affinity for the non-sequitur

(Working this past two weeks on second anthology and some web videos this coming weekend. Thanks for popping in!)

...they've made their supper and opened wide the windows...

...the air was unnaturally still. No cars moved past their little house; it was that time of day when normally it would be the opposite. They could share a moment at supper, with the windows up for a change. The curtains barely moved.

The wife moved without a sound. She never did, thought her husband. He rubbed the back of his neck and produced flecks of small concrete. His callous hands rubbed against his shirt. He shifted from one leg to another, standing at the far end of the kitchen.

He asked her politely if she needed him - he was always looking for ways to be of help. She equally refused. She set out the dishes, the utensils, the food. It was all down without the need of anyone. It would have impeded the day.

They sat and did not look outside. The meal was capable. It was a chicken dish. There was rice pilaf. There was watered down grape juice.

The husband talked about the weather that week. For once he put a relish into the description that the wife found herself clinging to. She looked at him without pain, without admiration. She could sense the house around her - it was their life's work.

There was the grass that was mowed and pawned over. Corners where the dirt was swept bi-weekly. A corner of the attic where little rocks from Truckee were kept, not for any reason. There was fine china, just a single set, from their wedding. (Only an aunt from Trenton came to visit.)

She sighed. His voice was measured for a time, but stopped as if he couldn't figure out the next word.

A rumbling came in the distance. The house begin to shake. Outside the world was darkening. The two did not move from their seats.

They closed their eyes and the husband reached across the table for her hand and found it. The end came in a screech - no longer than a quarter of a breath. The articles of the house broke into their basic states. They were quickly no more.