We are Seven

WE ARE SEVEN.
by William Wordsworth

A simple child, dear brother Jim,
That lightly draws its breath,
And feels its life in every limb,
What should it know of death?

I met a little cottage girl,
She was eight years old, she said ;
Her hair was thick with many a curl
That cluster’d round her head.

She had a rustic, woodland air,
And she was wildly clad ;
Her eyes were fair, and very fair,
—Her beauty made me glad.
“Sisters and brothers, little maid,
“How many may you be ?”
“How many ? seven in all,” she said,
And wondering looked at me.

“And where are they, I pray you tell?”
She answered, “ Seven are we,
“And two of us at Conway dwell,
“And two are gone to sea.

“Two of us in the church-yard lie,
“My sister and my brother,
“And in the church-yard cottage, I
“Dwell near them with my mother.”

“You say that two at Conway dwell,
“And two are gone to sea,
“Yet you are seven ; I pray you tell
“Sweet Maid, how this may be ?”

Then did the little Maid reply,
“Seven boys and girls are we ;
“Two of us in the church-yard lie,
“Beneath the church-yard tree.”

“You run about, my little maid,
“Your limbs they are alive ;
“If two are in the church-yard laid,
“Then ye are only five.”

“Their graves are green, they may be seen,
”The little Maid replied,
“Twelve steps or more from my mother’s door,
“And they are side by side.

“My stockings there I often knit,
“My ’kerchief there I hem ;
“And there upon the ground I sit—
“I sit and sing to them.

“And often after sunset, Sir,
“When it is light and fair,
“I take my little porringer,
“And eat my supper there.

“The first that died was little Jane ;
“In bed she moaning lay,
“Till God released her of her pain,
“And then she went away.

“So in the church-yard she was laid,
“And all the summer dry,
“Together round her grave we played,
“My brother John and I.

“And when the ground was white with snow,
“And I could run and slide,
“My brother John was forced to go,
“And he lies by her side.”

“How many are you then,” said I,
“If they two are in Heaven?”
The little Maiden did reply,
“O Master ! we are seven.”

“But they are dead ; those two are dead!
“Their spirits are in heaven !”’
Twas throwing words away ; for still
The little Maid would have her will,
And said, “Nay, we are seven !”

We are Seven is an interesting narrative poem which poses an interesting view on death. The speaker has a traditional view of death, and seems totally unable to comprehend the little girl’s more liberal ideas. The little girl feels that her dead siblings are still around in some way. She feels their presence around her. It is a very positive view of death. The speaker refuses to understand the little girl’s opinion.

Wordsworth got the idea for the poem while he was traveling around England in 1793. Wordsworth visited Goodrich Castle and met a little girl who served as a basis for the girl in the poem. He never took the name and didn’t really document the conversation, but the encounter had a major effect on the man.

The Romanticists have a specific view on children. They represent a simpler type of existence, untainted by civilization. The little girl’s ideas involving death are totally in line with this. She doesn’t view death as a super negative or bleak aspect of life. Her ideas of death pay respect to the natural cycle of renewal. Death is a natural part of life. The little girl has a much better understanding of this than the much older gentleman. The poem is an excellent example of the significance of children to the Romantic writers.

London by Blake

We talked about William Blake's social issue poems in class this past week, and I thought it would be interesting to illustrate his poem London with pictures of poverty in today's Chicago.

London
By William Blake (1794)

I wander thro' each charter'd street.
Near where the charter'd Thames does flow
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness. marks of woe,


There are an estimated 110,000 people without homes in Chicago today. A flourishing drug epidemic and the bitter cold winters claim many of these less fortunate.

In every cry of every Man.
In every Infants cry of fear.
In every voice; in every ban.
The mind-forg'd manacles I hear



Chicago contains 10 of the nation's 16 poorest neighborhoods. One half of the city's children are impoverished.

How the Chimney-sweepers cry
Every blacknng Church appalls.
And the hapless Soldiers sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls


Chicago gang violence is some of the worst of the nation. In the past year, there have been 469 homicides in the city, one of the worst in years. Many of these are gang related.

But most thro' midnight streets I hear
How the youthful Harlots curse
Blasts the new born Infants tear
And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse


The life of a prostitute is not easy in Chicago. The average prostitute is beaten up once a month by a client. They also fall into heavy drug use, debt, and poverty.

It seems clear that the face of poverty has not changed much in 200 years. Blake's bleak view of London has many parallels here in Chicago.


-B.E.

Roses in Blake

The Sick Rose by William Blake

O rose thou art sick,
The invisible worm,
That flies in the night
In the howling storm

Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy:
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.
(1789)

Roses are a pretty giant symbol in Western civilization. They have been a symbol of love and sexuality since ancient Greece. As the Western concept of romantic love developed through our stories, roses starting growing into our consciousness as representing aspects of love. Red roses became connected to passion and sexuality, while white roses became to represent innocence and virginity. We still make the same connections. We give roses to loved ones on Valentine's Day and a myriad of other holidays, a few of them seem to be made up by the Flower and Candy conglomerate (Sweetest Day, anyone?).

Blake seems to be making a point about our concept of Romantic Love. A sucker for symbollism, Blake must use the rose in this poem as a symbol. The rose is sick, he claims; maybe our view of romantic love doesn't work for us. Blake thought that prostitution was a result of our traditional monogomous relationships. STDs like siphilus were also quite a problem in Blake's day.

This poem has multiple levels and, thus, can be intrepeted in multiple ways. I believe the poem is Blake's commentary on modern love. Blake noticed problems that he attributed to romantic love: prostitution, STDs, and unwanted children. In "The Sick Rose," he takes a classic symbol of Romantic love and parodies it. He says the rose is dieing.

-Barry

The Tyger

The Tyger
By William Blake
01 The Tyger.
02 Tyger Tyger. burning bright,
03 In the forests of the night;
04 What immortal hand or eye.
05 Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
06 In what distant deeps or skies.
07 Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
08 On what wings dare he aspire?
09 What the hand, dare sieze the fire?
10 And what shoulder, & what art,
11 Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
12 And when thy heart began to beat,
13 What dread hand? & what dread feet?
14 What the hammer? what the chain,
15 In what furnace was thy brain?
16 What the anvil? what dread grasp.
17 Dare its deadly terrors clasp:
18 When the stars threw down their spears
19 And water'd heaven with their tears:
20 Did he smile his work to see?
21 Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
22 Tyger Tyger burning bright,
23 In the forests of the night;
24 What immortal hand or eye,
25 Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?


I found “The Tyger” by William Blake incredible. After ruminating upon it, it seems really subversive, but it is very subtle. He is able to package all of his radical theological claims in a children’s poem.

The poem tackles the problem of natural evil—an ethical dilemma that thousands of theologians, philosophers, and everyday citizens have wrangled with since the dawn of civilization. Why do natural tragedies, like earthquakes, tidal waves, and volcanoes, exist? Does this disprove the existence of God? Or is the world naturally evil? It is one of the unanswerable questions of human existence.
Blake discusses this issue in a very interesting way, and covers it all with imagery and symbolism. The “tyger” in this poem represents natural evil; he is terrifyingly huge, cunning, and powerful. But he is part of the natural world. Line 21 asks the underlying question of natural evil: “Did he who made the lamb make thee?” Did God, who created the harmless and innocent (not to mention tasty) lamb, also create the murderous tiger?

However, I would not say Blake is personally criticizing the existence of tigers. The tiger seems to have as much right to live and do his thing as the lamb. The narrator seems to have it wrong. He is so terrified by this animal that he is blinded to the natural cycle of thing. I feel Blake, as a Romanticist, would say the tiger is as beautiful as the lamb because both are of the natural world. We are supposed to see that the narrator is mistaken in his initial judgment of the natural world. Although the tiger can be scary, it’s also awe-inspiring.

We talked briefly in class about how beat-poet extraordinaire Allen Ginsberg would perform this poem live. I’m in an advanced directing class (as a theatre major), and one of our assignments is to devise our own piece. I think I’m going to bring it in, because there are some fascinating elements that would make in a multi-faceted piece of theatre. Obviously, there are the questions concerning natural evil, but then there is the dynamic of the terrified narrator versus the somewhat docile-looking tiger (according to the image on the plate). I think it would be a strong candidate for the basis of a theatrical work. Wow, isn’t it fun to cross-reference classes?

Review: 'Longa Viagem de Volta pra Casa' by Eugene O'Neill

One of the most magical aspects of the on-going Eugene O’Neill festival at the Goodman Theatre happens when a company takes a play by the founding father of American Realism and crams it full of the abstraction and experimentation that has characterized the modern theatre. When badly done, the O’Neill’s Nobel Prize-winning dramas lose coherence and the characters become cardboard cutouts. In the hands of a skillful director and team, however, the themes behind O’Neill’s work become strikingly clear. Experimental takes on these nearly 90-year-old plays can reveal ideas buried deep in O’Neill’s heavy language. Companhia Triptal, hailing from Sao Paolo, Brazil, perform O’Neill’s early “sea play” trilogy (for the first time in the United States) with complexity and an inherent sense of wonder; it’s almost as if they never knew O’Neill was known for his realism.
To be honest, the text of the “sea plays” is not particularly great: they were among O’Neill’s first attempts at writing. The language can be wooden and antiquated. However, Companhia Triptal perform the plays in Portuguese, which has a revitalizing effect on the World War I-era colloquial. The subtitles projected above the stage, on the other hand, need to be rehearsed more. The errors in projecting the subtitles cause a pretty big rift between the audience and the actors. With everything else pumped full of creativity, it seems that they could have done something really awesome with the subtitles.
The real magic in the performance does not come from O’Neill’s language itself. Instead, the staging of the plays and experimentation with the space are the real draws. At one point in Longa Viagem de Volta pra Casa (or The Long Journey Home), the lead character is drugged, and to simulate “the spins” he climbs onto a doorframe and is rapidly spun around. There is live bottle blowing. Wooden crates are stacked up and knocked over. This isn’t merely O’Neill, this is O’Neill in the 21st Century.
O’Neill based his “sea plays” on his experience as a merchant marine in World War I. The Long Journey Home is about the difficulties the sailors faced once they landed ashore. For the metaphor lovers, it’s telling us that you can remove the sailor from the sea, but you can never remove the sea from the sailor. Supposing most of the audience aren’t sailors, Companhia Triptal is telling us that going home is harder than it sounds. The actors embody the themes incredibly, transforming from living statues to humans motivated by love and/or greed and then degenerate to unfeeling automatons. There is a fascinating use of repetition in the play that makes it appear like the story of the play is actually an everyday situation.
Although spinning these plays in a modern light can highlight hidden messages, the abstraction of O’Neill misses a good amount of the time as well. At one point the house lights turn on and this has no effect on the audience besides letting everyone see the people they are seated next too. And sometimes the bizarre physicality makes the characters ungrounded and unbelievable. They lose their reality in a way. O’Neill’s plays depend on his characters, and making the characters too weird conflicts with the text and the audience can’t figure out who to root for.
It takes bravery and intelligence to perform plays that were written before Prohibition. By using the past century of advancement in theatre, Companhia Triptal is able to sniff out relevance. People are still struggling; they are still getting screwed over. By appealing to universals and drawing upon a myriad of theatrical traditions, they can blow the dust off of these early works. It’s pretty amazing these “sea plays’ can pull out emotions almost a century later, but there was a reason O’Neill was awarded four Pulitzer prizes.

Star rating: ***

Resurrection

Hello readers.

It's been a long time.

Half a year by some accounts. I figured the middle of January would be as a good as ever to kick this sucker back into gear. So get ready, and stop crying.

Like most long periods of time, a lot of things have happened in the past six months. Black dude elected president of the United States. I moved back to Chicago. Worked as a happy-go-lucky SOB at an effin' Jamba Juice. Dark Knight continued to be awesome. I'm working hard on set designing a show going up next month. Got a printer, socks, and a coupon for Applebees for Christmas. Turned 21, drank legally. 2008 Olympics, that Michael Phelps. Was in a Brecht show, as well as wrote a 30 page biography chapter about Brecht for the worst class I have ever taken. And the economy tanked like a biznatch.

But we'll get through this together. Hopefully.

Here's to the rebirth of blog.

Yes,
Barry

Check it Out

Radiohead's Nude as performed by crappy old machinery.


Big Ideas (don't get any) from James Houston on Vimeo.

I wish I had this kind of time on my hands. Nothing I have accomplished has ever came close.

Sadly,
Barry

Independence Day

Happy Fourth of July ereone.

Hoped you like the fireworks.

I sure did.

Peace, love, + soul,
Barry

P.S. 'Willows on Fire' would be a sweet band name.

Life's a Beach

Live from the Eastern seaboard:

Hey people. So I'm here at the Outer Banks in North Carolina, about 50 yards away from the Atlantic Ocean.

Thought I would say I'm thinking of you, but I'm not really. JK, you guys are never far from my mind.

It's been pretty nice here. I'm a water sign, so I'm always at home around bodies of water. But I've got really awful sunburn already, so everything is in perspective.

My internary so far has been pretty basic: boogie boarding, swimming, shelling (don't laugh), a little crabbing, ice cream, etc. etc. Perhaps it'll get more intense. We'll see.

Keep it real, land-lubbers,
-Barry

Barry on the Way

I'm on my way to North Carolina. Oh yeah.

We're going to Washington, D.C. first. Never been there. Should be fun. Should be fun.

First real break of the summer. Good thing I didn't kill myself.

Love,
Barry

Ann Arbor Adventures!!!!

This past week has been decently exciting. Classic summer 2008.

Monday I went, alongside my main man Drew, to the home of University of Michigan, scenic Ann Arbor, Michigan. We had food, fun, and the occasional fire.

Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasures.

On Campus:

Master of mastadons:

Hookah:

Francy-prancy breakdancers:

We went to a fancy Greek restaurant and got the flaming cheese. I never bought anything on fire before. It was awesome.

Life goes on.
-B

Powerless

There were some giant storms in the Northwest Ohio/Southeast Michigan region last night. In the midst of one, I decided to go over to my main man Drew's residence, witnessing lightening, fallen tree crap, and lots of dust.

There there was a metaphorical "storm" in the sense of crazy partying with drunk hill-billies. My friend's stepdad and me finally made nice after I accidently ate his lunch one night. It was pretty cathardic.

I came home this morning to find the power had left my house. We have a well, so our water goes off when the electricity goes off.

Basically, this meant I had to go to work tired, hungover, and unshowered. I was not in the mood for people's crap. But today was pretty easy. Lucky me.

I work so frickin' much. I am so frickin' tired. It kinda sucks, but I have over $1000 in my bank roll, which is more than I have ever had in there before. That rocks.

I rock.

--Barry

Year of the Potato

This seemed important to pass off to you guys.


How to Celebrate the International Year of the Potato
"As wheat and rice prices surge, the humble potato is being rediscovered as a nutritious crop that could cheaply feed an increasingly hungry world."

The United Nations declared that 2008 is the International Year of the Potato. The celebration of the International Year of the Potato (IYP) is intended to raise awareness of the importance of the potato, as well as agriculture in general, in addressing issues of global concern, including hunger, poverty and threats to the environment. This article provides some ways for you to join in the celebration of the humble spud.

Steps
Learn about the reasons why the potato is an important food crop. The humble potato is being rediscovered as a potentially very useful food crop that can be easily grown in many parts of the world as a source of nutritious food. The benefits of potatoes include:

Global nature - they have been transported all around the world and are grown almost everywhere

Ability to feed the hungry - the potato is able to produce more nutritious food per area of land and in harsher environments than any other major food crop, providing "up to 85 percent of the plant is edible human food, compared to around 50% in cereals".[2]

Nutritious - potatoes are good for you. They are rich in carbohydrates which provide long-term energy and they have the highest protein content for the root and tuber family, "with an amino-acid pattern that is well matched to human requirements".[3]

Increasing future demand - there is an increasing trend in eating potatoes around the world, indicating that potatoes will become more and more important as a substantial food crop.

Learn about the different varieties of potatoes. There are many varieties of potatoes and different potatoes are suitable for different uses. There are potatoes suitable for baking, roasting, boiling, mashing, steaming and frying. Ask at your local potato distributor for information on the best types of potato for your cooking needs.

Learn about the nutrition benefits of the potato. Potatoes have received a lot of bad press from those insisting that potatoes make dieters fat but this bad rap is undeserved. Potatoes are low in fat; it is what you put on a potato can make it fattening but by itself, potatoes are not a fattening food and can easily satisfy hunger cravings quickly in small portion. Potatoes contain many micronutrients, including vitamin C, iron, B1. B3, B6 and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus and magnesium, and contains folate, pantothenic acid and riboflavin. In addition, potatoes contain valuable dietary fibre and antioxidants to help prevent age-related diseases.[4]

Note the effects of cooking styles on potato nutrition. The method that you use for cooking potatoes impacts on the nutrition level of the potato.

Boiling causes a big loss of vitamin C, especially for peeled potatoes

Frying potatoes and making French fries/chips reduces the mineral and ascorbic acid content and causes the potato to absorb a lot of fat

Baking causes a higher loss of vitamin C than boiling but retains other vitamins and minerals.[5]

Make some potato recipes at home. Get cooking! Almost everyone loves the potato in some form or other and you can put your culinary skills to use cooking potatoes at home. Look for potato recipes on wikiHow and share some of your favourite potato recipes here and with family and friends.

Grow your own potatoes. Potatoes are really easy to grow and children can also join in the fun of planting them and watching them grow. For more details on growing potatoes for yourself, see our article Plant Potatoes.

Tips
The Bangladesh army is including a 125g potato per member of the army regardless of rank to supplement a decreasing rice diet.[6]

Warnings
The starch in raw potatoes cannot be digested by the human digestive system, so avoid eating potatoes raw.

Avoid potatoes with green skins. The green indicates the presence of glycoalkaloids, which are toxic. These areas are not destroyed by cooking, so cut away green areas prior to cooking or discard entirely green potatoes.


I never realized potatoes could hurt you. Besides launched from a spud gun.

--B Man

Happy Memorial Day!

So in keeping with the holiday, I will tell you one memory which really freaked me the f**k out.

Yesterday, I picked up my first hitchhiker. I was done with work, and this old guy I worked with asked if I could give him a ride to the cash-place to see if he could cash his check. He said he would buy me dinner if he got his check cashed. I reluctantly said okay, considering the free food. So we start driving around the ghetto going to a few of these places. Needless to say, I was getting a little fed up and just wanted to go home.

So we finally stop in this one place, he goes in, and then I'm approached by this young African-American man and he asks how far of a walk it is to UT. I'm like, a little ways, and he says he'll give me $10 if I drive him up the street.

I think for a moment. $10. Possibly getting my car jacked.

$10.

So I let him in, and the guy comes back out and says they wouldn't cash it, and asked if he could borrow $10. Whatever. He's supposed to get me back Wednesday. He then sees the guy, and kinda freaks out. We go. It turns out that he doesn't have $10 in cash, but on a card, so we need to stop at a gas station. I end up driving pretty far out of the way for this (mind you, both me and the old guy had our eyes glued to this guy in case he pulls a piece) and when we get there, his card doesn't even work. GD it.

Oh, but hey! His friend lives just up the road and probably has some cash on him. So he gets back in the car and I take him to this house. Now this is getting more and more shady by the second, and the old guy I'm with is freakin out. So I drop him out by this house, and watch him knock on the door to no avail.

Realizing I would never see the money and that this sketch-trip was fruitless, I drove away before he realized we were gone.

Then I drove this old guy home, and the whole time he was saying how sorry he was that he got me in too that, blah, blah, blah....and I'm just thinking, "Wait, explain to me how you are any different?"

Next time I'll tell him that I have to get to another job right away. Enough adventure for one day.

Wait, that's not what the holiday's about? Well screw you.

Happy Holidays,
Barry

Lost in the Supermarket/Exhaustion

So I've been working a lot. Quite a lot.

I'm working 37.5 hours a week petitioning people for signitures. Went to Napolean, Ohio the last two days. Met some interesting folks--lots of old peeps.

I found out there is a Florida, Ohio. I thought that was wishful thinking.

Also I've been working a few hours at the Tuxedo shop. Gettin' some of dat cash flow.

And lastly, I'm working re-stocking (basically moving around crap) the cracker/cookie aisle at a few Meijers in Michigan. Very important. I'm pretty educated in cookies now--you could hit me up some time and we could have a discussion.

Basically, I'm really tired. I work every day until at least two Monday's from now.

Life goes on, but I'll go to bed.

--Barry

Finally....Barry Meets the Mayor

Yes, it has finally occured. Carty Finkbeiner, the mayor of my grand hometown of Toledo, and myself, had a little chat today.

I am that important.

I was doing my job, petitionings mofo's as they pass, as per usual. I work for this group trying to get Paid Sick Days for everyone who works in Ohio. Pretty cool. And I get well paid. And a bunch of crack-heads ask if they can have my job everyday. It is that good.

Well, anywho, I was downtown at the Government Center, getting people to sign. A sympathetic security guard (go figure) tipped us off that we could nab more people in the back. So we moved. It was pretty nice because there was only one entrance and everyone was forced to go by us. Haha. Easy prey. And then he walked by.

I was about to ask him for a signature, but then I realized who it was. The mayor. I sort of stood flabergasted and then he asked me what I was petitioning for. I told him as he was walking away.

Pretty impressive, I know, but that's not all. He came back, and started talking to me again. I was spittin' out facts and figures like you would not believe. He said he hadn't come down on one side or the other, but he definitely wanted me to send him some literature. And I was all, "Yes, sir, Mr. Mayor." Basically, I am his personal ambassador for this cause. Basically.

So, yeah. Barry gots connections. Don't mess with him.

Peace out now, y'all,

Barry

Lots of IHOP Coffee

I just spent three hours in an IHOP and prolly drank about 8-11 cups of coffee. I'm sorta wired........and I gotta wake up at 9:15 tomorrow morning. Uh-oh.

My day off was alright. Rode my sister's bike to the library, which was a mistake. That seat has to be the most uncomfortable thing I have ever placed between my legs.

In other news, I have achieved "pro" status in Wii Tennis. My little sister still beats me. Don't worry, I'm working on it.

Since this is kind of a boring "what Barry did today" post, I'll just fill y'all in. I called up my main man Drew and we chilled at the neighborhood Kroger for awhile. He's become one of those born-again vegetarians, and he was buying all that kind of new-age crap. Then we went to our other old haunt, Timbo's. It's an ice cream place--I believe they are trying to crack into the Chili Mac market, though. I'll tell you how that goes.

Not wanting to go back to his house, and feeling horny for adventure, we did what the cool kids do and ended up at Barnes & Noble. I had 8.99 left on a gift card from Christmas, and I bought Sun Tzu's "THE ART OF WAR" and a book on making ice cream sundaes. An interesting combination.

Also, there was a woman in there training a seeing-eye dog. When would a blind person ever go into a book store? A question I may never know the answer to.

Finally, we ended up at the IHOP at 11. We left at 1. In between I had some of their very admirable Stuffed French Toast and a lotta lotta coffee. Like three pots between the two of us. We talked about the usual stuff--recession, hangovers, the African-American experience, music pirating, etc. etc. I really wanted to steal a coffee mug that said "IHOP," but Drew pussyed out on me. Next time. Next time.

My mom's gonna get pissed if I keep poundin' on the broken SPACE bar, so I better shut up.

Hella awake,
--Barry

P.S. Credit card debt--it'll getcha!

Await No Longer, Friends

First, apologies.

I have a duty to you, my loyal readers/spambots, and I have failed you. And for that I am sorry. I will serve penance by reciting 20 Hail Marys WHILE COMPETING IN A HOT DOG EATING CONTEST AND PUTTING THE WHOLE THING ON YOUTUBE!!

Not really, but I thought it would get your attention so you would read the rest of the post.

There has been a lot going on in my life since my last post.

Guys and Dolls.

End of my Sophomore year.

Going home.

Going to Columbus to landscape.

Getting a new job.

That's what I'm doing right now. I got a job petitioning people in the Northwest Ohio area for getting a bill concerning Paid Sick Days on the ballet in November. I am forced to talk to a bunch of people, which is probably the most fascinating aspect of the job (Besides the great pay and the awesome hours). But I get to hear what a whole lot of random people from all races, classes, and homelessnesses have to say about their beliefs concerning politics, business ethics, and the economy. It's pretty fascinating.

Some woman called me a "Socialist Scumbag" yesterday. Probably the highpoint of my week so far.

Also, every one of my colleagues is less than 6 years older than me. And all of them have children already (well, one chick with the name "Trey" tattoed across her knuckles is only WITH child, but I figured that counts). It makes for a barrel of laughs.

So far the job is like a walking tour of downtown Toledo. It's kinda cool getting to intimately know the major city where I grew up around.

I really like this job so far.

I'm tired of writing. I'll get more information to y'all's later concerning junk and stuff.

Perpetuating the lie,
Barry

P.S. Another guy said I was doing that.

First Day of Spring and this Happens...

First day of Spring today, and already a tragedy. It seems one can't even ride a boat without being attacked by huge flying venomous fish.
And they complain that too many species are becoming endangered because of overfishing and pollution. I say, not enough, sir.



Jumping eagle ray kills boater off Florida Keys
Thu Mar 20, 2008 2:00pm EDT

MIAMI (Reuters) - An eagle ray leaped onto a boat off the Florida Keys on Thursday and stabbed a woman with its barb, knocking her to the deck and killing her, a Florida wildlife investigator said.

"It's a bizarre accident," said Jorge Pino, an agent with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The woman and her family were aboard a boat in the Atlantic Ocean, off the city of Marathon in the Florida Keys, he said.

"A large ray jumped out of the water and collided with the victim and somehow the barb penetrated some part of her body, which caused her to fall back and hit her head on some portion of the vessel," Pino said. "We don't know exactly which one of those things caused her death."

Local media said the animal's barb had impaled the woman through the neck.
Eagle rays are common in warm or tropical waters and are often seen near coral reefs. The spotted creatures can grow to more than 8 feet across and have two to six short, venomous barbs near the base of their whip-like tails, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History's Web site.

The rays often swim near the water's surface and can leap out, especially when pursued, but are generally shy of humans.

"All rays leap out of the water from time to time but certainly to see one collide with a vessel is extremely unusual," Pino said.

Extremely unusual, or the wave of the future?

Here's a picture of the SOB. You decide:

Notice the woman's visor. Would not want to get by one of those...

Reminding you to watch out for the rays this Spring,

--Barry

Skyscrapers Scraping

Today is a wonderfully warm day here in Rogers Park.





Also, it was a pretty decent day for me, a student attending the "Yale of Rogers Park," aka Loyola University Chicago.





But that's besides the point. Did you hear they finally released pictures of New York Governer Mike Spritz's prostitute friend?





I love the photos chosen for this AP story. Please notice the contrast:

Dang, she's fine. Him, not so much.

Apparently, this Ashley Alexanda Deprey has a well-maintained MySpace page, but I was unable to find it. He also has three teenage daughters. Ha.

I wonder if she used MySpace to find clients. And I wonder if she was free-lance or worked for somebody...but I bet she's pretty expensive either way.

Hmmm.....I wonder if I could become a MySpace Pimp.

There is money to be made. Any honeys looking to make a little scrilla? Send me a headshot, and then maybe we'll talk.

I love spring,

--Barry