Falling and Laughing

K., Erik, 1977– Falling and laughing Chicago: 2007. p. : ill. (some col.); imaginary dimensions. Coarse language sometimes used. Non-fiction, except for bits fabricated by author. SUMMARY: Music-, dog-, word-besotted Chicago man discovers he enjoys talking back to the internet. Fun times ensue. SEE ALSO: SUBJECTS OCCUPATION: Lapsed librarian, current designer, aspiring flâconteur (rare minotaur-like creature that is half flâneur, half raconteur).

SUBJECTS Falling and laughing 1. Thoughts--their shape. 2. Thoughts--ones had while walking dog. 3. Thoughts--ones that made me laugh. 4. Thoughts--the kind I’ve got. 5. Spleen--its venting. 6. Japery--assorted. 7. Words. 8. Music. 9. Books. 10. Obsessions--varied. 11. Animals--facts. 12. Animals--made-up things.  13. Dogs--beloved halfling Rottweiler. 14. Birds-- the bowerbird. 15. Birds--the great bustard. 16. Illinois--Chicago--residents--lives and customs. 17. Happiness--its pursuit.

Close Drawer

In 1966 he succeeded Stephen Spender as consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress — a job we now call poet laureate — and he enjoyed his term in a way few have since. He held a news conference, ripping into Dylan Thomas for who knows what.

Deliverance, by James Dickey, turns 40

James Dickey, two-fisted poet laureate. The U.S. started going soft when its poet laureates stopped delivering ranting press conferences. W.S. Merwin, you reading this? You need to get drunk, call in some reporters, and tear Billy Collins a new one. Also, Garrison Keillor should be strongly rebuked, both on general grounds and specifically for his foray into the erotic sonnetry. C’mon, W.S. Do the right thing for America.

My Mantra

For some while now I have been interested in transcendental meditation—the kind that the Beatles ran off to India to learn, and that David Lynch espouses.

It’s pretty complicated to get into it, though—my understanding is that you have to go to Iowa and take an intensive weeklong course, at the end of which you receive your own personal mantra, the sound-phrase you recite when performing your meditation.

Until I’m able to take the trip to Iowa, I’ve been using what I think of as a placeholder mantra for myself. I repeat it over and over in times of difficulty, and it calms me down. When you get your actual mantra, I think you’re supposed to keep it like a secret, but since this is just a placeholder, I thought I’d share it with you in case you want to use it. It’s “quonset hut.” Here’s how you do it:

Quonset hut
Quonset hut
Quonset hut
[repeat 437 times]

HTH

I had a dream, I had an awesome dream

Being pulled on a tiny sleigh by Bruce Springsteen. He was pulling me pretty fast (unconscious “Born to Run” reference?), but in the dream I really wanted a lash so I could make him go faster. If I see Inception, will it teach me how to conjure a lash in a dream?

Man, I wanted that lash so bad.

This is how Gem has been sleeping lately to stay chillwave. You can kinda see the one box fan on the floor; there is an additional fan out of frame so she is getting a two-way breeze on her belly.

P.S. Sometimes I let G sleep in my bed DON’T JUDGE

This is how Gem has been sleeping lately to stay chillwave. You can kinda see the one box fan on the floor; there is an additional fan out of frame so she is getting a two-way breeze on her belly.

P.S. Sometimes I let G sleep in my bed DON’T JUDGE

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

“There is a Place,” Silver Jews

Dear readers of F+L,
Hi, how has your summer been? Mine’s been really chillwave. By that I mean I’ve been listening to Waves, Beach Coast, Best House, and a lot of other underground bands you probably haven’t heard of.
I also went to summer day camp, where I crafted an extremely complex Ojo de Dios (God’s Eye) using particolored yarn, multiple sticks, and Native American imagery (pictured above). Not a bad day’s work, right?
Anyway, speaking of chilling, I’ve also been away because I’ve been doing some pro bono marketing work for the American Energy Conservation Alliance. They needed some catchy slogans for their summer reduce-air-conditioning-usage campaign, so I did some blue-sky concepting with them and came up with the following slogans, which you’ve probably seen on posters, bookmarks, etc:
Don’t be an energ-loser
Keep the ‘stat [thermostat] warm 2 B cool.
It isn’t hot 2 B cool 
N.B. “Cool” is being used in two different senses above. Some people (dunces) have complained that this is confusing. I condemn them.
N.N.B. The last slogan was accompanied by a caricature of Paris Hilton in order to connect with the tween demo.
In conclusion, the previous things I mentioned above consist of what I’ve been doing this summer.
As for this blog intanet site, I might start musing, riffing, etc. on here again soon.
Yours correspondentially,
Erik

Dear readers of F+L,

Hi, how has your summer been? Mine’s been really chillwave. By that I mean I’ve been listening to Waves, Beach Coast, Best House, and a lot of other underground bands you probably haven’t heard of.

I also went to summer day camp, where I crafted an extremely complex Ojo de Dios (God’s Eye) using particolored yarn, multiple sticks, and Native American imagery (pictured above). Not a bad day’s work, right?

Anyway, speaking of chilling, I’ve also been away because I’ve been doing some pro bono marketing work for the American Energy Conservation Alliance. They needed some catchy slogans for their summer reduce-air-conditioning-usage campaign, so I did some blue-sky concepting with them and came up with the following slogans, which you’ve probably seen on posters, bookmarks, etc:

  • Don’t be an energ-loser
  • Keep the ‘stat [thermostat] warm 2 B cool.
  • It isn’t hot 2 B cool

N.B. “Cool” is being used in two different senses above. Some people (dunces) have complained that this is confusing. I condemn them.

N.N.B. The last slogan was accompanied by a caricature of Paris Hilton in order to connect with the tween demo.

In conclusion, the previous things I mentioned above consist of what I’ve been doing this summer.

As for this blog intanet site, I might start musing, riffing, etc. on here again soon.

Yours correspondentially,

Erik

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This dropdown caused me to pause and think hard for a moment about who I like better: animals or children.

This dropdown caused me to pause and think hard for a moment about who I like better: animals or children.

If there’s one thing I love hearing at the gym, it’s the Old School 70s Funk channel

Because I like to feel super mellow and loose when I work out.