Crow And The Sea

by Ted Hughes (from Crow: From The Life And Songs Of The Crow, London : Faber and Faber, 1970)

He tried ignoring the sea
But it was bigger than death, just as it was bigger than life.

He tried talking to the sea
But his brain shuttered and his eyes winced from it as from open flame.

He tried sympathy for the sea
But it shouldered him off -- as a dead thing shoulders you off.

He tried hating the sea
But instantly felt like a scrutty dry rabbit-dropping on the windy cliff.

He tried just being in the same world as the sea
But his lungs were not deep enough

And his cheery blood banged off it
Like a water-drop off a hot stove.

Finally

He turned his back and marched away from the sea

As a crucified man cannot move.

My Trip (For People Who Like To Click Links)

I had a very nice mini-vacation last week. On Thursday afternoon I took a beautiful drive here to meet up with my best friend. The day was clear and I arrived there in the late evening, just as it was getting dark. We ate some of this, watched TV, then watched another show on DVR and some of a DVD before going to bed.

On Friday morning, we ate these (I had some of this on mine), watched more of this, and I looked at some of his old LP's like this one while he played my new guitar. Then we drove into town and hit the post office, the bank, and this place. We shopped here, ate lunch here, and then did some more shopping here (where I got some of these to bring home to The Boy). Then I spotted this store where we were lucky enough to find some of my favorite chocolates. We shopped here for groceries, then went back to the house for a game, which we played while listening to the CD we bought. The mail arrived, along with a gift for me (so sweet!). We cooked a delicious chicken stir-fry dinner and watched the DVD we had purchased earlier that day. Before and after the movie, we saw an exciting baseball game on TV. Then to bed.

Saturday was the day of the big book sale, so after breakfast and a stop at a drug store (because I had the sniffles), we made our way there. It was crowded, but fun to pick through the rooms and rooms of books; we each found a few interesting things, including this, all for very cheap. Then we stopped for a soda and a juice while I filled up my gas tank. We went for a private and pleasant walk near here, following a trail through a closed-down mini-golf course to a pretty meadow beside a red barn. It was all so very... this. Then it was time for lunch here. And of course, we browsed here, where I got this interesting set of... things (does anyone know what they might be?) and some candy.

We went back to the house for some song-swapping, Sox and Skip-Bo. Then dinner (he had leftovers from Friday night, while I had this), after which we watched the remaining episodes of this. Afterwards he gave a private piano concert just for me and the kitty. Later, we started another game but soon opted for the show and sleep.

Sunday was my departure day, but first we decided to head back here for breakfast, and here again for a few things. Then back to the house, where I finished packing my stuff and we played one final game while listening to his jukebox music.

The weather was sunny, breezy and beautiful all weekend long; although I was sad to be leaving, I knew my drive home would be pleasant. So, after we said "til next time!", I got on the road, listening to some re-discovered mix tapes, including one with great alternate versions of all my favorite Beatles songs. I've been back to work a few days now, but my head is still on vacation, and my ears are still hearing the Ab Fab Four For Jan.

Snow Globe

"April is the cruellest month..."

A few weeks back, I thought it was safe once more to set outside the beautiful glass globe my best friend gave me. It's one of my favorite things; a hand-blown sphere dotted with specks that absorb light during the daytime and glow like a galaxy at night. However, today it was looking more like a snow globe:



Here's where it lives on my shelf during the cold months, and where it's been put back for another week or so:














Yeah, I'm pretty sick of snow, and wondering if I'll ever see the back garden looking like this again:

Father Kurt

I was probably too young to read Breakfast Of Champions when I first noticed it on my stepfather's bookshelf. Actually, I didn't read it when I first noticed it -- with its Wheaties-slogan title and its garish orange, yellow and blue jacket, I probably thought it was a book about sports. But adolescent boredom eventually led me to pull it down and look through it. I remember being so surprised that there were pictures: the author's own artless line drawings which illustrated the darkly comic text in a way that reminded me of The Little Prince, which we had just read in English class. I finished Breakfast of Champions in an afternoon, and I remember feeling changed... more grown-up in some way, because I had read and understood and genuinely liked this ironic adult novel.

Later there were trips to Book Thrift, the store where used paperbacks were sold by thickness; the owner/cashier would stack up your purchases, measure the stack height with a ruler, and charge a dollar per inch. I got Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five, Wampeters, Foma & Granfaloons, and my favorite (to this day) Slapstick. All through high school, college and life beyond, I had the pleasure of anticipating and purchasing Kurt Vonnegut's new books as they were released: Jailbird, Palm Sunday, Galapagos, Bluebeard, Deadeye Dick, Hocus Pocus. To me, reading Vonnegut was like listening to Bob Dylan or even The Beatles: a shared generational experience (although again, I was born a bit too late to be an actual member of the relevant generation). But it felt personal at the same time, because I had discovered this author for myself and I could always identify with at least some of the themes in each book.

I loved Kurt Vonnegut for his prose and his philosophy, his ideas and his ideals. His catchphrases became part of my consciousness and his persona, expressed through the lectures, interviews and essays of his later life, became very dear to me.

He was born on the 11th and he died on the 11th.

So it goes.

Ten Of The 70 Games I Found In The Attic

“You know, the Parker Brothers took the time to think this all out; I think we should respect the game.” – The Sopranos' Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri on the Monopoly free parking rule

This week is Spring Break for The Boy and me. Since the weather is still snowy, we needed some indoor entertainment, so I went up into the attic in search of games we might play together.

Mexican Train and Chicken House Domino Game - The name alone intrigues, doesn't it? This is a game I got for Christmas a few years back. It's similar to regular dominoes, except each player works outward from a hub to make his own "train". The hub has a switch which can be set to "TRAIN" or "CHICKEN". Pressing the center of the hub makes either a "toot-toot" or "cluck-cluck" noise. I'm still not sure why. There is no reference in the instruction sheet to the sound options. When I played this with friends, we pressed the hub at random intervals just to distract each other.

Quest For Makuta Bionicle Adventure Game - Because this was one of those games that The Boy would often ask for at the height of his obsession with a particular toy or TV show, I didn't expect it to be as much fun as it is. Quest for Makuta is a complex and ever-changing game with interlocking board pieces, strategic elements, puzzle elements and beautiful graphics.

Pokemon Master Trainer - Another of The Boy's toy tie-in games that turned out to be really enjoyable. The object is to make your way across the board to the Indigo Plateau, catching Pokemon along the way (with the help of dice throws). The Unknown Pokemon Dungeon contains four rare creatures which, if captured, almost assure you of winning -- unless the other player is also able to reach the Dungeon before the game ends. Colorful and fun.

Snail's Pace Race - The Boy got this one when he was very young. Colorful wooden snails race along the board track, advancing when their color is rolled on the two dice. Since it's the snails and not the players who are racing, no one loses. This was perfect for my kid (who, at age 6 or so was known to weep and wail "my career is over!" when games didn't quite go his way).

The Doonesbury Game - I got this back in the early 90's and I don't think I've ever played it. A look at the instruction card might explain why, although I suspect that this is the kind of game that requires a fun gathering of creative people in order to make it enjoyable. And I can't explain why, but creative people never seemed to gather at my house in the early 90's.

Facts In Five - I asked my mom to buy this at a garage sale in the mid-1970's. It was a "Bookshelf Games" edition, which has since gone missing and been replaced with a less-attractively packaged 1964 version I found on ebay. Facts In Five is sort of a more intellectual precursor to Scattergories; players have to fill in a grid with categories across the top and initial letters along the left-hand side. But what categories! 'Artificial Satellites'. 'Scientific/Engineering Organizations'. 'African Military Figures'. I realize now that I grew up wondering if I'd ever be smart enough to play this.

Happiness - Touchy feely I'm OK you're OK free to be you and me pop psychology fun! This game was all about Hang-Ups, Self-Improvement and (curiously) Fate. Six little mini-games on the big 3-D board made it interesting to play. Fun playing pieces, spinners, reward keys and rainbow racks made it a pleasure to look at, too. My stepsister and I would often play this together, the subtext being "Oh, yeah? Well, I'm WAY more self-actualized than you, so there!"

The Bride Game - Gosh, did I ever love this game when I was young. There was something about the art nouveau style of the cards and the soft pastel colors that just captivated the girly-girl side of me. I could never decide whether to be a Formal Evening Bride or an Informal Bride (with that oh-so-chic floppy picture hat). This is another one I was compelled to re-purchase as a grown-up. (I can't ever imagine a time when I might have said "sure, let's throw away the Bride Game", but I guess it happened somehow.)

Tricky Mickey Magic Colorforms - Technically not a game, but I couldn't exclude this childhood favorite. I wonder how many little kids actually tried to amaze their friends with this thing? I mean, by the age of four or five, the concepts of transparency and color matching are pretty much concrete, right? It was still a fun set, though. Now if I could only find the other Disney colorforms I had as a child, featuring Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle Cow and a three-dimensional pop-up stage, I'd be truly fulfilled.


Stay Alive - The original survivor game. The TV commercial featured a group of kids stranded on a desert island, a la Lord Of The Flies. The game washes ashore: "Let's play!" Despite Stay Alive's hideous colors(especially those olive green and burnt orange marbles), I always liked this game. It was a front-porch favorite -- when I was growing up, we kept most of my games on the front porch. It worked out well for rainy days; if I had to come in from playing, I could just pull in a friend or two and we'd be occupied for the rest of the afternoon.

Here's the full list of games I found in my attic this week. So... got any board game memories of your own to share?

Abalone - The Amazing Game Board Book - Backgammon - Barrel of Monkeys - Batman & Robin Monopoly - Battleship - Quest For Makuta Bionicle Adventure Game - Blinkers - Boggle - Brainquest - The Bride Game - Candyland - Chairs - Chess - Chutes And Ladders - Clue - Connect Four - The Couch Potato Game - Cranium Cadoo - Doonesbury - Facts In Five - Fairly OddParents - The Great Dalmuti - Guess Who? - Hands Down - Happiness - Harry Potter Trivia - Jenga - Life - Marvel Trivia - Mastermind - Mexican Train and Chicken House Domino Game - Monopoly - Mousetrap - Nickelodeon Ultimate Trivia - Operation - Outburst - Outburst, Jr. - Pocket Farkel - Pokemon Master Trainer - Pokemon Monopoly - Pop Smarts - Rack-O - Rugrats Uno - Scattergories - Set - Settlers of Catan Travel Edition - Skip-Bo - 'Smath - Snail's Pace Race - Song Burst 50's and 60's Edition - Sorry - Squint - Stage II - Star Wars Epic Duels - Stare - Stay Alive - Stratego - Think 'N' Jump - Tipover - Top Trumps Lord Of The Rings - Top Trumps Simpsons - Top Trumps Star Wars - Total It! - Tri-Ominoes - Trivial Pursuit 20th Anniversary Edition - Trivial Pursuit Volume II - Uno - Wordrop - Yahtzee - Yahtzee Jr. Pokemon Edition

"Enter Easter..."

The First Thing I Read This Morning

The featured poem on Writer's Almanac today affected me more than I can even say. I don't even know what I would wish more: to be able to write like this, or to be written about in this way.

Bad Cats

More cats... I can't help it; they're "my favorite beings" as The Boy used to say. This picture is actually a kitty litter advertisement that I scanned and now use as my wallpaper at work. Click it for the big version.

Spring Awakening

Yesterday afternoon I visited my mom. She still lives in the house where I spent my adolescent and teen years. I used to do a lot of walking in the woods behind our house -- it was where I first felt connected to nature, really.

Sometimes as early as February, the yellow aconite are already popping out through the snow and dead leaves in the woods. Yesterday they were in full, abundant blossom:


Just as lovely, if more delicate, were this crocus and its neighboring crocus-to-be:


Back at home, springtime made itself known mostly through its effect on kitty behavior. Pip wanted out very badly:




Trust was already in the sunny driveway, snuggling the blacktop:


And laid-back Millie, who had been out all Friday night, decided to just curl up on the comforter in a sunny bedroom:


The humans of the house have had to devise a verbal shorthand to keep track of which cats are indoors and which are outside. AKI (pronounced AH-key) means "all kitties in", while AKO (AH-koh) is "all kitties out". Something tells me that more and more AKO days are on the way.