Help me buy my way to an "A"... As an intern with "The Florida Review" Literary Journal, I have had the opportunity this semester to read, review and critique a multitude of submitted manuscripts from authors seeking publication in the journal. This has been one of the highlights of my semester. When I began the semester I chose to read any genre submission: Poetry, Fiction or Nonfiction. I picked my way through a lot of coal. The work at times laborious and exhausting, but every so often I would come across rough stone that with some polishing, would be worthy of publication. One of the first nonfiction manuscripts I took home for a weekend, a near sixty page piece, I could not put down. In fact, I read it twice and brought it in the following week to the intern "hot box" with a shining recommendation. I was so excited about mining this piece, I could not stop talking about it. Because of that piece, I ended up narrowing my focus toward reading the nonfiction pieces. I snatched new submissions as they entered the "just-in" box, eager for another fresh-find. Interestingly, the nonfiction category receives the least amount of entries, or so it seems but I discovered something interesting: Death and creatures. Yes, death and creatures. The majority of nonfiction submissions I read touched on those two topics. In one week I read about two murders, three attempted suicides, and four creatures: Peacocks, hummingbirds, a bat, and a turtle. Scratch that a murdered bat and a dying turtle. While some of those were pretty good, others were less than stellar. Next week is the my final editorial meeting of the semester. Collectively, our small group interns will gather at the round-table to hash out exactly what gets published in the next journal. I will be one of the collaborative voices pushing, debating, discussing and voting on making the next issue the best yet. The journal has a long history of publishing excellent work, from talented writers, but never before have I had an opportunity to be a part of its publishing team. This is where I need your help. Part of our assignment is to find new subscribers. A subscription for the year consists of two issues, mailed "hot off the press" for only $15.00. It is not a recurring (although I have a feeling you'll become hooked) and makes a thoughtful gift. Would you click the link below and subscribe to a year of "The Florida Review" literary journal. My G.P.A. and I would be quite appreciative. Amazon.com Widgets Thank you in advance, Cassie "The Florida Review" - http://floridareview.cah.ucf.edu/ Powered by ScribeFire.
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Tuesday, April 13, 2010
"The Florida Review" -- A Mining Excavation in Death and Creatures
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Central Florida Future - Dogs, Dishes, Divorce and Deadlines
...And for God's sake quit poking me.
As far as social networking platforms go, Facebook is pretty user-friendly.
Keeping up with distant friends and relatives has never been easier. Let's face it: we all wonder what that super-cute kid we had a crush on in elementary school looks like these days. You know, the one that we would follow home hiding behind the bushes so he did not see us (oh . . . maybe that was just me).
Granted, I could live without the picture of me in the hideous Rainbow Bright-meets-Paul Bunyan flannel (and you thought it did not exist), memorialized in my online photo album by a fellow high school dance corps member, but it's all in good fun.
However, if I ruled the world (or knew how to make a Facebook app), I would invent both an app incinerator and an E-mail zapper. Seriously, I have had it with the quiz thing and apps posting on my wall before I give permission.
Take for instance - ugh - Farmville! Die, piggy-cow. Die, Farmer John. Insert evil laugh here.
Maybe I am just a "bad" friend, but frankly, I do not care what animal you will be when you reincarnate. I don't want to have a pillow fight, snowball fight or a mafia-vampire war. I don't want to play in your garden or swim in your sea. No thanks; don't want a heart, or smiles, flowers, candy, cards, drinks, croissants, angels, lollipops, guns, knives, midgets, vibrators . . . Ok, I have not seen the last two, but I'm sure it is only a matter of time.
But you get my point, right? I even had someone send me an app invite called "I want to make love to you."
Really? Get a life.
Now, I realize you can block an app after someone posts on your wall by clicking on the icon and selecting %u201Cblock application%u201D on the apps page, but it%u2019s a pain-in-the-butt and I'm full-up in that department, partly because I%u2019m swamped by 769 inbox messages.
I wish it were easier to filter and block Facebook messages. I am either dense or technically illiterate because I cannot figure out how I became guests of events and groups when I have not chosen membership.
If I had my way, I would be a message-blocking ninja.
My dear friend says, "If I didn't speak to you in grade school, haven't in 20 years nor at any organized reunion we mutually attended, why would I want to read about what you are having for lunch?"
Amen!
Oh, and before I forget: just because we are Facebook friends, does not give mean sending me a text at 2 a.m. is Ok.
It's not! It only took one of those before my privacy settings were changed (although I confess, I did consider throwing a flaming cow-patty at the offender, but that app was not available . . . yet.)
So, want to be friends? I promise I will not infest your profile page with random, virtual-diseases.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Mark Gungor - Men's Brain vs. Women's Brain
I always thought a woman's brain was more like Pandora's box...but Gungor's explanation is funny.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Three new programs launch at media center
Central Florida Future - Article Online
By Cassie Turner
Published: Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Updated: Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Emre Kelly
UCF's Center for Emerging Media in Downtown Orlando celebrated the addition of three new programs, increasing student options and solidifying key concepts: partnership, collaboration and replication.
About 12,500 square feet of remodeled space is now dedicated to UCF's MFA in Studio Art & the Computer; Flying Horse Editions, UCF's non-profit fine arts press; and Citylab-Orlando, a University of Florida graduate-level architecture program.
These programs join several other high-profile programs at the center: The Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, UCF's graduate video-gaming school; Vicon Entertainment's House of Moves, one of the largest motion-capture studios on the East Coast; and the soundstage and editing suites of Studio 500.
“The Center for Emerging Media’s mission is to expand programs, access and opportunities for upper-level undergraduate and graduate emerging media students in Orlando, while furthering the city's vision for a creative village that will connect professionals with students to help them land high-paying jobs upon graduation," said Chad Binette of UCF News & Information.
Rogier van Etten, a software engineer at 360Ed and 2007 graduate of FIEA, said they are instrumental in securing employer interviews for students. 360Ed focuses on games with high educational content.
"The best thing you get from FIEA is teamwork: how to be an effective collaborator; how to be an effective communicator; how to be a valuable member of a team," said van Etten. "The skills you can get other places — it’s the team aspect that really stands out."
"We want to replicate what happens in the industry. Collaboration between students, departments and the community is the idea behind the entire building," said FIEA's communications and admissions director, Todd Deery.
Professors encouraged Brittany Metz, a second-year MFA studio art & the computer graduate student, to get out of her box and focus on different mediums. Metz said she joined the program because the focus is concentrated on your own artwork, and the digital media aspect allowed flexibility and broad-range artistic expression.
"I'm drawn to whimsical, childlike, nostalgic things,” Metz said, “things I can create a story out of or that recall the past.
Adding to the community learning and work experience environment, Flying Horse Editions brings in visiting artists who provide students with critiques and real-world experience lectures, said director Theo Lotz.
Beginning fall 2010, a creative partnership with Valencia Community College and the University of Florida will allow students to obtain a bachelor of design in architecture degree.
Michael Kuenstle, associate professor at the UF school of architecture, said the symbiotic relationship benefits students, faculty and community.
"Architecture is an urban endeavor. Students will gain a professional degree, immersed in the subject they are studying, while still living in Orlando, and we are able to teach in an urban environment, using the city as a library and teaching tool," Kuenstle said.
According to the UCF Web site, through a 2+2+2 program, students earn an associate's degree through Valencia, a bachelor’s degree at UCF and a master's at UF. The program aims at preparing students for careers in professional architecture, construction management and industrial design.
In the meantime, UCF undergraduate students and graduate students will be able to take elective courses at Citylab-Orlando and collaborate with top design, construction and planning faculty members from UF, said Binette.
Currently, Citylab-Orlando is working on a local urban redesign project to address different uses for future public space beneath Interstate 4 in Downtown Orlando.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Abolitionist, historian wraps up Global Perspectives series
Central Florida Future - http://bit.ly/8KleHL
By Cassie Turner
Published: Friday, November 20, 2009
Updated: Friday, November 20, 2009
Caitlin Bush
"Most Americans do not know slavery not only exists in the world today, it flourishes," said Ron Soodalter, co-author of The Slave Next Door, in his presentation in the Pegasus Ballroom Monday morning.
"Somewhere around 27 million people are in bondage in the world today. Now, that's over twice the number as were trafficked in chains in the entire 350 years of the African slave trade."
Soodalter, an active abolitionist and historian, kicked off International Education Week at UCF as the keynote speaker for the Second Annual International Breakfast. The Slave Next Door presentation concluded the three-part series on "Slavery's Resurgence" facilitated by the Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Global Perspectives and the International Services Center.
The series began with Somaly Mam, a Cambodian human rights activist, former slave and author of The Road of Lost Innocence: The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine, when she shared her experiences in September.
In October, Micheline Slattery, a human-rights activist and former restavek, or domestic child slave, in both Haiti and the United States, addressed about 300 attendees.
Modern-day slavery includes around 800,000 men, women and children trafficked each year around the world. According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Web site, about 17,500 of them end up in the United States, with a high percentage received in Florida.
Soodalter suggests a simple Google search on human trafficking for astounding results.
In spite of major federal legislation and anti-trafficking laws passed in 43 states, 103 human-trafficking convictions have resulted, Soodalter said.
Trafficking remains hidden, is largely unreported and difficult to identify. According to the 2009 Trafficking in Persons, or TIP, report, published by the U.S. Department of State, forced labor/involuntary servitude represents the majority of human-trafficking cases in the world. The co-author of Soodalter’s book, Kevin Bales, wrote the original 156-page TIP report, titled “Trafficking Persons in the United States — A Report to the National Institute of Justice.”
“The whole thing is disserving and extending,” said retired UCF foreign language professor David Gurney. “It contributes to the antagonism from people in underdeveloped countries to Western civilizations or Western countries.”
In the 1850s, purchasing a slave ran roughly $1,200, the equivalent of around $40,000 in today's money. The reality is purchasing a slave today costs as little as $100, which makes them affordable and disposable, Soodalter said.
A trafficking victim lives in fear of violence or the threat of violence daily, he said.
Shawn Cox, victim witness coordinator and licensed clinical social worker with the United States Attorney's Office, advocates that trafficking is a crime of absolute power over someone. According to the report Cox co-authored, “Victims of Human Trafficking and Trauma,” the psychological consequences of a victim are similar to the consequences of severe or chronic child abuse or experiencing acts of terrorism.
"In case you thought slavery doesn't touch you, guess again," Soodalter said. "Chances are, the clothes you wear, the food you eat, has been touched by slavery."
The good news is there have been some inroads made recently in the area of agricultural servitude, Soodalter said. When Taco Bell refused to stop buying produce picked by enslaved workers in an effort known as the "Ban the Bell" campaign, it set a precedent that several other companies, including McDonalds, A&W, Long John Silver's, Pizza Hut, Whole Foods, Chipotle and Burger King, have followed, Soodalter said.
"The message is clear," Soodalter said. "Slavery and worker abuse will not be tolerated. Not here, not now, not ever."
Mark Freeman, public affairs coordinator for the Global Perspectives Office, said they are hoping to continue the series next spring since response has been incredible. Because of the series last spring, students on campus were so spurred into action they formed the unofficial student group “Students Against Slavery @ UCF,” Freeman said. “Students Against Slavery @ UCF” has a Facebook page, and Harry Coverston serves as the faculty advisor for the group.
"Spreading the word is the most important thing," said Frank Hegedus, a senior political science and international relations major. "There is only right now."
quotable quote
"There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life."
— John Lennon
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Central Florida Future - More H1N1 vaccines available
Central Florida Future - More H1N1 vaccines available.
24,000 vaccines requested last week
By Cassie Turner
Published: Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Updated: Wednesday, November 11, 2009
John Choi
Danny Demoraes’ brother died of pneumonia, a complication of the H1N1 virus. Demorae, a senior at UCF, received his H1N1 vaccine last Thursday.
John Choi
A month after he watched his 27-year-old brother die of complications caused by the H1N1 virus, UCF senior Danny Demoraes entered the second-floor conference room at Health Services to receive the flu vaccine.
David Demoraes was two weeks away from becoming a firefighter in August when he began complaining of a cough, vomiting and body aches. By the end of the month he had been admitted to a hospital suffering from pneumonia, a complication of H1N1.
On Oct. 3, after a month-long battle, a blood clot blocked one of his arteries, causing his blood pressure to drop to zero, Demoraes said.
“I felt his heart take its last couple beats,” Demoraes said. “My brother and I used to do everything together. Now everything has changed.”
Danny Demoraes received his vaccine Thursday — one of the 1,500 doses available to students, faculty and staff delivered to UCF Health Services, 24,000 had been requested.
“It’s worth getting the vaccine because you just don’t know who it’s going to hospitalize…who it’s going to kill,” Demoraes said. “If the school is offering free vaccines why not prevent it beforehand?”
Chad Binette of UCF News & Information said that there have been 35 cases of H1N1 confirmed at UCF. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
in Atlanta, college-aged people are within a more at-risk category.
“For instance, between ages 5 and 24, the CDC estimates 2,196 cases per 100,000, but only 107 per 100,000 in the 65 and older age group,” Binette said. “UCF is one of the first Florida universities to receive vaccines and getting the vaccine is the best way to stay healthy and protect yourself from the H1N1 virus. The vaccine is safe and effective, and students can get it for free.”
Thomas Sutton, a UCF freshman micro & molecular biology major, agrees. Sutton said he gets his vaccine as a “force of habit” every year, but his grandmother nearly dying of the virus raised his awareness about H1N1.
Claudia Witcher, nursing director for UCF Health Services, began each session with a short presentation explaining to attendees the differences between the two vaccines. The shot is made of dead viral particles, whereas the attenuated nasal vaccine is a live virus that replicates only in the nostril, Witcher said.
“For homework, go out and tell your friends how easy it is, because we need all students to be immunized,” said Pharmacy Manager Sheryl Gamble.
Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, reported Friday that 129 children have died from H1N1.
According to the CDC, Novel influenza A, H1N1, is a new flu virus of swine origin that first caused illness in Mexico and the United States in March and April 2009. It was determined that the virus was spreading from person to person with the infection causing a wide range of flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. In addition, many people also have reported nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea. On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to H1N1.
As of Nov. 1, the WHO reported the pandemic has infected 199 countries and overseas territories and caused more than 6,000 deaths.
According to a health alert put out by the CDC on Nov. 6, most people who get H1N1 will have a mild illness and recover in fewer than two weeks. Others, however, are more likely to get flu complications that result in hospitalization and, occasionally, death. Complications can include pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections and ear infections, or worsen chronic health problems such as asthma or congestive heart failure. The CDC urges clinicians to begin antiviral treatment of suspected persons based on direct observation as opposed to relying on rapid influenza tests or laboratory confirmation.
It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to become effective in the system, Witcher said.
She recommends maintaining good hand washing practices, not sharing food or drink with others and employing good coughing and sneezing etiquette in the interim.
“My brother was all about helping people,” Demoraes said. “If anything, he would be happy that at least this message can get out there and help other people. That’s what he would have wanted.”
Monday, November 9, 2009
Students, faculty take advantage of H1N1 vaccines
By Cassie Turner
Published: Monday, November 9, 2009
Updated: Monday, November 9, 2009
Several hundred UCF students, faculty and staff received H1N1 vaccinations in the initial intranasal inoculation sessions held last week.
According to Chad Binette of UCF News & Information, within a half hour of when the vouchers for the nasal spray became available, many students were coming into the Health Center and Knight Aide to pick them up.
More sessions begin on Tuesday when about 500 shots of the injectable H1N1 vaccine will be given to priority groups established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Priority groups include health care providers, emergency medical services personnel, anyone aged 6 months to 24 years, pregnant women, household contacts and caregivers of infants younger than 6 months and people 25 to 64 years old who have underlying health conditions that increase risk for flu-related health complications.
Vouchers and consent forms can be obtained by presenting a valid UCF ID at the appointment/check-in window inside the Health Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or the Knight Aide pharmacy and convenience store, adjacent to the UCF Arena, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Binette said.
One-hour time windows for the injectable shot are available for UCF students, faculty and staff who belong to a CDC priority group at the UCF Health Services building on Nov. 10 from 11 a.m. to noon, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Arriving anytime within the scheduled time window is acceptable.
Distribution of the remaining intranasal doses of the initial shipment is scheduled for Nov. 12 at 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Students, faculty and staff must bring their voucher and consent form and arrive at the Health Center five minutes prior to their scheduled session. Those arriving after session instructions begin will need to request a voucher for another session.
There is no charge for UCF students to receive the vaccine, but faculty and staff must pay a $10 fee by cash or check.
"Students, faculty and staff are advised to get their seasonal flu shots as well," Binette said. "Seasonal flu shots are available by appointment at the UCF Health Center."
RT @UCFnews: Students, faculty take advantage of H1N1 vaccines by Cassie Turner: http://bit.ly/1UcZ2i http://bit.ly/kO6iM
Thursday, November 5, 2009
UCF to give limited number of H1N1 vaccines
By Cassie Turner
Published: Thursday, November 5, 2009
Updated: Thursday, November 5, 2009
UCF Health Services began distribution of its initial shipment of about 1,500 H1N1 nasal spray flu vaccines to students, faculty and staff on Tuesday.
According to Chad Binette of UCF News & Information, vouchers and consent forms can be obtained by presenting a valid UCF ID at the appointment/check-in window inside the Health Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or the Knight Aide pharmacy and convenience store, adjacent to the UCF Arena, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Friday. There is no charge for UCF students. Faculty and staff must pay a $10 fee by cash or check.
Group session dates and times at the UCF Health Services building are as follows:
Nov. 5 at 10, 10:30, 11 and 11:30 a.m. and 1, 1:30, 2 and 2:30 p.m. as well as Nov. 6 at 10, 10:30, 11 and 11:30 a.m. and 1:30, 2, 2:30 and 3 p.m.
Students, faculty and staff must bring their voucher, consent form and arrive at the Health Center five minutes prior to the scheduled session. Those arriving to their session after instructions begin will need to request a voucher for another session.
Binette said this initial shipment of the nasal spray vaccine is a small portion of vaccines that Health Services has requested for the UCF community and is not appropriate for everyone, including pregnant women, those over 50 years of age and people with a chronic medical condition. The injectable H1N1 vaccine is not available at this time.
"Additional dates and times for distributing the vaccine may be scheduled if doses remain at the end of the week," Binette said.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Ten students compete in UCF scholarship pageant
By Cassie Turner
Published: Sunday, November 1, 2009
Updated: Sunday, November 1, 2009
Emre Kelly
Audience members rose to their feet and exploded with applause when UCF junior Michael Newman accepted the title of Mr. UCF 2010, beating out nine other contestants in the annual scholarship pageant.
Students watched as 10 students dressed as zombies took the stage in the Pegasus Ballroom in the Student Union on Friday as they danced to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
Newman, who won the judges’ favor and the audience popular vote, took home over $2,000 in scholarship awards courtesy of Student Government Association and the UCF Alumni Association. He said his main objective as Mr. UCF this year would be to spread awareness.
“I carry the world on my backpack,” Newman said as he performed a poem he found online called The Renditions of a Homeless Man for the talent competition. Newman dressed in layers of jackets and carried a sign that read: “Hungry any spare change helps please.”
“Students a lot of times feel disconnected from the community around us. Two miles down the road there are people that are homeless,” Newman said. “There are a lot of people that stay within the circle at UCF because they don’t really understand or realize what’s going on around us.”
Newman said during his interview that he wants to bridge that gap between the community, students and faculty, which he believes is part of the UCF Creed.
Newman is currently an ambassador on the President’s Leadership Council, the community service chair of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity and a member of the Student Sustainability Alliance.
The pageant winner was not the only student heavily involved in campus and community activities vying for a shot at the Mr. UCF title. Spectacular Knight and Campus Activities Board Director Samantha Nemeroff said 15 students auditioned for the event, but only ten competed in the pageant.
“They represented UCF in a great way,” Nemeroff said. “They are all very involved in the school and the community. Their talents were impressive, too.”
Jonathan Parker sang the bluesy Porgy & Bess classic “Summertime.” Matthew Miller, clad in a glitter jacket and rhinestone glove, moonwalked to a version of “Billy Jean” by Michael Jackson. Marcus Williams dressed in a red and white checkerboard shirt, and performed a hip-hop line dancing routine to a music mix. James Jarman broke out the red vinyl records and turntables, scratched and spun a house and Latin mix.
Tyson Nales, Mr. UCF 2009, and Dasha Gonzalez, Miss UCF 2010, hosted the pageant with a panel of five judges. The bulk of the contestants’ scores came from the talent competition followed by their audition interview, formal wear, beachwear and a final on-stage question.
The scholarship pageant began in 1989 and benefits both students and the community. Sidney Porter, Sunshine Princess and Lake Highland student, donated a midback ponytail of hair to Locks of Love and the audience favorite vote raised $920 for Children’s Miracle Network.
SGA provided scholarship awards of $400 to the third runner-up, Warren Jackson, $650 to second runner-up, James Jarman, and $1,000 to first runner-up, Marcus Williams.
Additionally, Jonathan Parker won $500 in awards for nonfinalist best interview and top ad sales. David Cohn won $350 for nonfinalist best talent and David Yu won Mr. Congeniality and $150.
The pageant is open to all full-time male undergraduate and graduate students who hold a minimum 2.5 GPA.
Nemeroff said she can relax for a week before she begins planning for the Miss UCF pageant, with 25 girls set to compete for the title on Feb. 6, 2010.
UCFnews: Michael Newman crowned Mr. UCF: http://bit.ly/1x2pjS http://bit.ly/1WvEkf
Monday, October 26, 2009
One Bag Only
i break your rule…
but I want to grab you
be that girl that can say
the right thing
that can make us right
but I can't fix you and
and I gotta stop being that girl
that tries to fix everyone
else that’s broken
when I can’t fix myself
and you can't handle my overstuffed luggage
i never could pack light
deep down I know it's just an excuse
which is why I picked the fight
and forced your hand
to stop the push-pull
for us to end
what never was
better than unpacking your bags in vacancy
losing your luggage in uncertainty
and I know your right
my luggage is heavy
even for me
i have no business
involved
in more
until
one bag only
is more than a rule
…but I miss my friend
Saturday, October 10, 2009
The Joys of Being French
The First Million Years or So
600 Years of Unwanted Guests
Middle Ages and the Turn of Provence
Wars of Religion and Hocus Pocus Popes
Oppression, Resistance, Quel Renaissance!
Debating The Age of Bad Taste ou Epoch Classique?
Post-War brings Socialist Mitterand and the Revival of Occitan
The Joys of Being French, Oui or N'est Pas?
C'est La Vie in The South of France
Santon Fairs in the Var et Renoir at Les Collettes
Columns, Columns, Columns and a Bridge
Troubadours Cansos, Love Story, La Californie of Europe
Hug the road winding the Cote d'Azur
Bordeaux, Beaujolais, frescoes in Peille
Sailing to Promenade du Soleil
Down the Rhone: Orange to Beaucaire
Malabar's bulging biceps swell
Jagged Alpilles, rocky plains of the Crau, marshlands of the Camargue
For the Rhone is a Saturdays Child
On to Nimes, the Gard and Montpellier
Le Vin's de Herault and Agde founded by the ancient Greeks
Narbonne, the Corbieres and the Aude, Castles and Cathedrals abound
Last but not least, there's the Catalans of Roussillon
Getting There
By Air, By Coach, By Car, By Train
By Boat, By Bus, By Bicycling
The Song of Summer, Cicadas tune
Siesta under pine trees and game of boules
Tender is the Night with starry skies
Bouillabaisse, Aioli, Thirteen desserts
Estocaficada and onion tart
Before Laying a Bet, will it be
Holiday Destination or Life on the Riviera?
Like the Fitzgerald's and Hemingway's
You will not be the first to stay
Avec votre coeur dans la méditerranéenne.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Red Light Life
You once saw this chick with wild, fiery-red curls sitting at the stop light of Magnolia and Pine. You marveled at her hair and her shiny, silver 1963 Stingray, not sure which you liked more. Perhaps it was the feeling it gave you. She had the top pulled back and "Boys of Summer" cranked, pumping out of the cabriolet, as she puffed out a series of tight smoke circles in the air with her Marlboro Red. You knew it was a Marlboro Red because the white and red pack, wrapped in cellophane, sat on the dash, staring at you. You were tempted to lean out the window and grub for one, forgetting you quit smoking ten years ago when you were young and dumb and free and dating old what's-his-face. Yeah free. You remember that feeling. She felt like the silver-bullet train of freedom to you, in those two minutes and thirty-two seconds at the corner of Magnolia and Pine. You re-lived life before marriage and mortgages, before diapers and daycare, before disillusionment and divorce. The light turned green, that girl in the '63 Stingray with the crazy red curls popped the clutch and stole across the intersection, leaving you in her wake with your memories. You released your foot off the brake of your SUV, littered with lost Barbie shoes and yesterday's half-eaten PBJ, and once again contemplated leaving. Sighing, you knew you can never escape yourself. Instead, you stuck your hand between the seats, fished out that half-eaten PBJ, and thought who needs freedom anyway.
Vacancy
Need lurks in the corners of her closet
Trying on a ball gown, a clutch, a stole
Pretending she is anything but herself
Waffling between the here and the there, of fame and anonymity
Jimmy Choo heels, borrowed Yurman, Prada on loan
Insecure steps on the red carpet she walks
Courage in a bottle, a pill, a man, she requires
For tonight's masquerade, her anonymous task, she selects a numbing mask and
Free-flowing Vodka Gimlets to quiet her nerves
Desire harpooned that summer in Cannes
This chameleon, playing charades, she does pretend
Silk straps off her shoulders fall
Passionate promises, poor choices provoked
His smell on her she cannot escape
It’s a shame they will never know his name
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Reflections in the Water bowl
Cleaning out my car, I ran across a horoscope I tore from the Orlando Weekly a little over a month ago.
Aquarius: (Jan. 20- Feb. 18) Here's a preview of the accomplishments I expect you to complete in the next four weeks. Number of karmic debts paid off and canceled: one. Bad habits replaced with good habits: two. Holes blasted in your theory about why you can't do more of what you love to do: 300. "Necessities" lost that turn out not to be necessities: one. Psychic wounds successfully medicated: one. Confusing messes that evolve into interesting opportunities: two. Romantic obstructions eliminated: one and a half.
Interesting time for a telling horoscope.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Ivory Peonies
Somewhere in the dark corners of my mind
The places we go to hide
I wish I were four and still a child
You say grow up, be a little more mild
I never asked you to stay and wait
In fact I think I warned you I'd be late
Flowers only bloom in the spring you see
And it’s been winter for eternity
Explains the cold shroud around my heart
And you thought i was just playing tart
No babe, but dessert sure is sweet
Yet haven’t you learned that I ain't
I made you a pie, you baked me a cake
We spent that whole winter down by the lake
Trying to fix, to forgive, to forget
Strangers out of season, frozen with regret
I told you I did, I warned you I would
Get bored with gardening in the cold wood
He thawed my ivory peonies one magical night
Now from you I run with fright
Back to the comfort corner of my mind
Very safe place to go and hide
I'll pretend I'm four, a prodigious child
I can't hear your screams, your call of the wild
Some say a cold-water death can be euphoric
For your sins, I know you will burn for it
You and your dreams, now locked in a hard cell
I hope I haunt them from my cold watery hell
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Change
“It’s coming.” Said you
“What’s that?” Said i
“Change.” Said you
“Change? Change has come and gone and come again. It’s the only constant. You’ve been busy. Haven’t noticed.” Said i
“But I’m afraid of change.” Said you
“The hardest part is waiting. With change you skip-the-line. It’s a VIP pass straight to the ride.” Said i
With desperation you looked at me
I could see adequate fascination in your deep blue eyes
You questioned my actions
An intensity only you could deliver.
Remember the only constant in time is change
and only change is constant
I warned
Trying desperately to make you understand
the future is not something I can tell
nor do I know if I can give
what you want
if I only knew what it was
And if I did know these answers would I relinquish them so willing?
So time lingered
as predicted
adequacy became waning
as I warned
Parting company was easy, no hard feelings
except for a slight loneliness we had both dealt with before
with others we cared only too little about
It’s too bad we felt this way
for we too
remain constant
as changes always do
Monday, August 3, 2009
GLITTER GULCH
Out-of-date neon signs, long past retirement age, line Fremont Street. Their colored bulbs radiate an unwavering glow on the downtown Las Vegas streets. It is close to seven o'clock but the day's heat clings to the air, stinging her eyes, as she exits from the back seat of the of the Town car. She gives a wave to the driver and quickens her pace entering the Horseshoe through one of the revolving doors lining the entrance. The cigarette smoke hangs in the air, like a cirrus cloud, causing her to wince. The room is low ceilinged and buzzes with ample fluorescents and gambling euphoria. Tourists, digging for gold, clutch metal coin buckets in the crooks of their arms as the clink of their booty echoes. They are permanent fixtures, screwed to row-after-row of slot machines. That's Sin City, she thinks.
Benny Jr. insists that you can still 'smell the chips' in the Old Vegas Horseshoe, on account of them being the same since Grandpa Binion opened the place in 1951, forcing the other houses to change from sawdust joints to classy, carpeted casinos. Benny always tells her, 'they don't make em like this anymore.' Roxy wishes he would change the forsaken, threadbare carpet, but old cowboys seldom change.
"Would you radio Benny and let him know I'm here and will meet him in the Steakhouse?" She says brushing past Amanda the thin, freckled clerk at the registration desk. She checks her watch; three minutes until seven. She learned over the years you did not make Benny wait, you waited for Benny.
"Sure thing, Roxy." Amanda calls after her as she enters the elevator she hears the ting of a slot machine bell, a lucky winner screams at a jackpot win.
She presses the button for the twenty-fourth floor giving herself a once over in the floor to ceiling mirrors that adorn the elevators antique interior. Her lips are shaded Dangerously Red, matching her dress, complete with a low-plunging neckline and killer curves, all courtesy of Benny. She steps off the elevator and into Binion's Ranch Steakhouse where Benny is waiting at the vintage mahogany bar. He slides his rocks glass across the bar and signals to the bartender, Petey, for another. She checks her watch again, noting it is one minute after seven o'clock. Her stomach muscles tighten as she gauges the expression on Benny's face. He smiles at her tipping the brim of the cowboy hat covering his jet-black hair. The tension releases in her gut and a sheepish grin spreads across her face.
"Rox, the usual?" Petey asks polishing a wine glass.
Roxy nods and turns her attention to Benny planting a kiss on his left cheek. "Hi baby, sorry I'm late."
Benny retrieves her Chardonnay off the bar and takes her by the elbow leading her to their corner table overlooking the Vegas valley. Her breath catches in her throat as she gazes out over the cornucopia of shimmering lights. Benny and the Vegas lights brought her from Dallas and they are the reasons she remained after leaving she stopped performing each night on the strip.
Roxy hangs her purse on the back of the chair and takes her place at the table. "Benny, you said you had something important to talk to me about." Benny, opens his mouth to speak, their lanky waiter, James, brings over their salads.
"Mr. Binion. The usual for you. Caprese salad and the Pear and Gorgonzola for you madam. Your porterhouse and lobster will be out soon." James says sliding the dishes in front of them.
Benny stacks a thick piece of mozzarella on top of a ripe, red beefsteak tomato and slices into it. "Wanna bite?" he asks.
Roxy shakes her head and pushes a candied walnut around the plate with a fork. Her palms are sweaty. James returns and slides the tables candle towards Roxy. He places a steaming, twenty-one ounce Porterhouse, Au Gratin potatoes with a crisp, golden-brown crust, a bright orange Australian lobster tail, and a heaping mound of sautéed baby asparagus in the middle of the table along with two extra plates. The flame catches her eye, it orange, blue and white colors dancing the white wax. Benny prepares her plate, selecting tender morsels from each category. The converging smells assault her making her light-headed. Roxy reaches across the table and grabs her glass of ice water. She takes a big gulp, stifling the urge to vomit. She pushes her plate out of the way.
"What's the matter?" says Benny.
"Oh, it's nothing. I haven't been feeling too good lately. I'm not too hungry anyway. Didn’t you want to talk to me about something?" Roxy says changing the subject.
"I do. We'll get to that." Benny signals to James. "We need a bottle of champagne and two flutes. Bring only the best in the house for my girl here." James returns and pours the bubbly into two glasses. "We've been together for some time now ya know Rox," he pauses reaching into his pocket, "I'd like you to marry me." Benny extracts a golden ring topped with a three-karat diamond from its velvet home.
Roxy gasps, exhaling as she reaches for the ring, the dancing flame exhausts itself. "It's beautiful." She says admiring the brilliant stone.
"Sorry uh, boss, I don't mean to bother you but uh we got a shark we took outta the pit. It ain't his first time neither." Bruno the head of security for the casino interrupts.
"Bring him on into the kitchen. I'll meet you there." He turns to Roxy, "I gotta show a friend some cowboy hospitality. I'll be right back."
Roxy stands. She feels her ears grow hot the fire spreading over her face. "Benny, I'm warning you…we have been over this a thousand time…"
"Roxy, sit down, shut up, and don’t' move." Benny exits.
She hears Benny's booming voice over a clatter of pots and pans, followed by a man pleading. The pleading turns into a wail of pain before silence. Two Horseshoe security guards pull the sobbing man through the dining room. He clutches his hand in a blood soaked linen.
"What did you do?" Roxy says in a whisper a look of horror on her face. "What did you do?" She says again raising her voice.
"You know we don’t play with fish in my house. If I were Grandpa Binion that fish would be two feet under in the middle of the desert, instead of missing a finger." Benny says as he dips his linen napkin in water to extract three dots of crimson from his shirt.
Roxy looks out the window at the glitter gulch below. In the distance, she sets her eyes on a thunderstorm bypassing the valley, illuminating the black horizon with flashes of lightning. Her eyes go wide. She looks at the ring on her finger, up to Benny and back down to the ring and takes it off.
With a slow, trancelike movement, she bends gathering her handbag. She pauses, touches her abdomen, and drops the ring into her full champagne glass. "Mr. Binion, I have to let you go." She says as she backs away from the table before fleeing from the restaurant.
She does not stop for Benny's angry cries. She does not stop on the stairs for twenty-four flights. She does not stop during the two-mile walk down Fremont to her apartment. She does not stop through an hour of frantic packing or through eighteen hours and twelve hundred miles of desert driving. She does not stop until she gets to her Mother's door, and rings the bell.
"Mama, I'm home." She cries, bursting into tears.
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