Category Archives: Howl

Too bad it wasn’t called “Cough”

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Haven’t been “Howling” much recently. Between the holidays, work and now this nasty cough I’ve come down with, my thoughts have strayed from my project.

Amy has us working on “uncluttering,” or the purging of all the crap from our life, leaving only things we need and have a place for. Thus far, it’s working. We’ve reduced our wardrobes severely, and finally attacked the mess that was our dining room table. Soon, we might actually be able to eat in there.

I’ll post updates on the Unclutter 2010 project as well. I hope to have photos of our spaces once we’re done.

I’m on lunch at work right now. Today is Friday, for me. For most of you, it’s Tuesday.

Damn, it feels good to be a Timelord.

So what’s next?

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Took a short break from Howling today. I’m still digging though. And I got a neat idea.

While reading the poem aloud to try to nail down the inflections, I decided to perform it and post it here. I haven’t recorded yet, but I should have it up here in the next week. Hopefully my Bluetooth headset holds out.

I’ve also determined that to fully grasp what “Howl” is all about I need to have more knowledge on Dada. Another subject that I know squat about. I’ll let you guys (all zero of you) know what I find out. If you know about Dada, please share. There’s no reason not to turn this part of the project into a discussion.

The “Howl:” designation for post titles has been ditched as well. It didn’t look good to me any longer. If you want posts on “Howl” and my journey, use the tag cloud on the right. All “Howl” posts are tagged “Howl.”

No, I’m not out of my Vulcan mind!

Speaking of emotions, or the lack thereof, Happy Saturnalia to those so inclined. My mother has convinced me to take part in the pagan tradition of acquiring a tree, so we’ll be doing that soon. We’ll probably keep it through Christmas, as is the modern way.

Enough for now. Pizza tonight, Amy graduates tomorrow and next week, a two part Christmas celebration with two families.

Howl: I might understand this better on drugs

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Amy has an interview this morning, and the Aveo, while running, doesn’t sound like a car that can make it to Pflugerville. So I drove on the rented Beetle, and finished “Howl.”

I was never into the Beats. I took one look at On The Road and thought Kerouac was a moron who heard about Finnegan’s Wake, dropped acid, and started writing.

I sound like a classical lit major.

In any event, I’ve gotten through a reading. Just one for now. I liked the meter, but I couldn’t tell you what the hell Ginsberg is talking about.

That will take additional readings coupled with research. I figure if I learn about Ginsberg, and his muse Carl Solomon, I’ll have a lock on the first part of this project.

I hate being so clinical about poetry. I’d like it to be emotional, but I can’t tell if this poem is a celebration or if it’s an epitaph.

Howl: Introduction

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Ten years ago this past June, I was eighteen years old and graduating high school. My English teacher, Mr. Schneider, gave me a copy of Alan Ginsberg’s poem “Howl.” Within, he wrote a personal message inspiring me to find my own “howl.”

Yesterday, I turned twenty-nine. Over ten years have passed since that day.

I found a that book while looking through some things in our hall closet. I thought about Schneider, and I thought about what he wrote.

To this day, I’m not sure what he meant, nor mad I sure if I have a “howl” to speak of. And it made me sad.

Now, I tend to get sad around my birthday as it is. Since meeting Amy this has lessoned, but it still stings a bit each year. Therefore, I decided I had to do something to alleviate my moroseness.

I decided the answer would be an experiment. I need to blog more; this goes without saying. My writing is not what it used to be, and I could use the practice. I also wanted to explore Ginsberg’s classic poem, Ginsberg himself and try to figure out what Schneider was trying to tell me.

By the time I’m done, I also hope to determine what I think my “howl” is, and if I’ve found it.

I have all kinds of new toys on my Mac thanks to MacHeist and their crazy bundles. I also intend to spend more time with the Mac Mini on my desk rather than feeing me crap on my TV. Perhaps we’ll all learn something.

Come on a journey with me, friends.