What comes out of the south end of a north-bound whale? The Pioneer Press (yeah we do read it occasionally, but mostly for nostalgic reasons–it used to be quite good before being taken over by the corporate creeps) had a story today about Mark Kennedy’s recent voting record. (Ok, it was from the Associated Press, … Read more
Yes, it is. But what song is it? That is your assignment for today, class. What is the theme song of the 2005 Minnesota Twins? Possible suggestions, as of 5:30 this morning: “Too Much of Not Enough”? “Thin Line Between Love and Hate”? “You Ain’t Goin’ No Where”? “My Favorite Waste of Time”? “Bases Were … Read more
A bad night lies ahead And a new day beyond that– A simple sequence, but hard To remember in the right order. —Mark Jarman, “Psalm: The New Day” Twice I woke up tonight and wandered to the window. And the lights down on the street, like pale omission points, tried to complete the fragment of … Read more
Thanks for nothing, fellas. Thanks for ruining another Friday night. I suppose I should thank you, though, for the fond and lingering –well, maybe not so lingering; maybe swiftly evaporating– memories of that glorious three-game winning streak. FYI, for those who’ve inquired: I’ve had some pretty intense squabbles with Jumbo over the last week or … Read more
“I’ll fire anyone who doesn’t lie, cheat or steal to get whatever he wants.” There’s even more news lately from the NY Times and the Washington Post about the Rove/Plame matter. Every little bit that comes out (the Post story clearly blows one of Rove’s defenses out of the water–that Plame’s name was not secret) … Read more
No man should ever find himself in the fish-belly gray light of dawn sitting hunched on the floor with a pen paralyzed in his fingers listening to Jimmy Scott. No man should ever eat plain white rice and corn chips for breakfast. No man should ever sit at four a.m., raking the soiled carpet with … Read more
Let this be a lesson to all of you. A teachable moment, as they say in the corporate world, or at least as they used to say in the corporate world. Or in the sub-corporate world. An old boss once said it to me anyway, after I threatened to shove a Big Mike’s submarine sandwich … Read more
—Abel Pann You know how your heart moves, how it lurches and staggers and sways like a beaten bell in your chest. You know how it sounds: That sound. Those noises. That familiar music. The rattle of a cold slate shingle banging up against your ribs. The squeak of its eraser at work somewhere just … Read more
What do you want from me? Answers? I’m out of answers, brothers and sisters. In fact, I’m completely out of questions. I’ve got a head full of nothing, and whatever nonsense or wisdom I might cough up isn’t going to be of any use to a baseball team that right now couldn’t find its way … Read more
Paul Harstad is quoted [Red-Handed, July], “Egypt is a very interesting place… but why on Earth would they spend all that time, energy, and resources to build monuments to dead people?” To which a Rake editor has appended the comment “They should have built more libraries!” As a librarian myself, I applaud the sentiment, but … Read more