Poetry In Plain Sight - Sean Raymond Hill

Sean Hill has no way of knowing this. I went to school with a roomful of guys with big Afros. I'm sure one of those Afros caused me to almost flunk French.







I came back to the present because it is better in the here and now. Sean is an actor and poet who was one of the guess poets at the most recent get together. This is a poem because today, no matter what day it is, we need a poem.

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Poetry In Plain Sight - Don Kingfisher Campell 2

There are all sorts of ways to say I love you, I know you are present and thank you for affirming me. Poets are always reinventing the message.



It is a one to one to many relationship. Strangers are always included. Don is the ringleader of the San Gabriel Valley Poets writing workshop and poetry readings. His poety blog helps you to keep track of all his doings in the area.







Any poem that mentions the James Mason Thunderbird commercial is okay by me.



James Mason was a fine actor, a classy guy. But he was a real person too. There are times when the money gets funny. You have to do (within moral/ethical guidelines) what is necessary support yourself and your family.







Perhaps the reputation of Thunderbird wine was much different than it is today. From the two times he says "unusual taste" I am guessing no. Mr. Mason classed up the joint but the wine has traveled downhill in an alley near you.



Nasty, wicked stuff.

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Smoothies and Vibrators on a Thursday Afternoon

Yes there are more important things to do in the world. I have chosen to sit at my desk and drink an ice cold Strawberry smoothie.



As I peruse the Tweet stream friends are talking about that vibrator movie. I don't like the name of the movie, Hysteria, but that has more to do with the old pathology of doctors treating women as a literal bag of symptoms.







I like the idea of women going to a place where they can have therapeutic orgasms. So yeah, in theory the movie sounds okay.



As part of BlogHer 2011 swag I got two silver bullet things and a hunk of pink plastic with a disco ball at the end of it.



Thanks Eden Fantasys.com!



Not quite sure what to do with them. I'll figure out something.



Ok, yeah I know what I could do with them. It it is good to have tools in the kit. Diversify and broaden the horizons.

I think I want to put some mango, coconut water and tamarind powder in the mixer. Just to see what happens.

Watching a movie about repressed wealthy Victorian women going to the only place where their sexual needs are met under a cover of "illness" does not make me all gooey. I sure could use a good laugh though.



I remember going to the various on-line vibrator museums in the early days of the Internet. They were a hoot and not at all scuzzy.



Still clogging the tubes are:

• Good Vibrations Antique Vibrator Museum at GoodVibes.com
• The Vibrator Museum - old school web pages filled with twitching devices
  
  

I don't have enough mango left. Added it to the remaining strawberries and ice. Works just as well.

Where was I? Oh yeah. So it is 2011. It is almost okay to admit you have sex toys. But not really. It will make obtaining a new job more interesting. I'm okay at the Salt Mine for now but should I leave it this post could be problematic.



They will look at the two candidates. One will have grey hair and glasses. She'll look like some one's auntie. They run my name and "Oh, my Mr. Zlocknicledo, not her, the woman is to ... public with her opinions."



Too late. I done did it. But I have to speak out loud because women going through peri-menopause and menopause need to know there are options.



Sometimes you have a mate and sometimes you don't. Things have to be dealt with or there are consequences. You want no part of the consequences such as that energy builds up and you not only want to do the seventh fleet but afterwards you want to consign the whole ship to hell.



Intellectually you know that is wrong but intellect has no control over estrogen zipping all over the place and androgen saying "Peek a boo, baby."



You will apologize less if you take care of yourself, how ever you define it.

Me? I'm just drinking a smoothie.

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Glen A. Palmer on Jumping In on the Noise

There are times when people want to jump in and change the direction of what you wrote or want it to conform to what they think you should have done.



It take a lot to be willing to listen not only to the other person but also listening to your internal compass. This is Glen A. Palmer from the blog, The Gentlemen's Standard.Glen 's blog mixes in male fashion, faith, I don't know any other way to say this, man issues, and other good stuff at his blog.

I do encourage you to visit his blog because you will not see him represented in mainstream television or the news media. This is a child of a single parent. Look to see what he has accomplished and continues to create before you slap a stereotype on him.

I may not agree with everything on his blog but I do appreciate that his voice expands the discussion of what African American men are thinking and talking about.

Glen spoke at part of the panel on Authentic Voice at Blogging While Brown 2011 in Los Angeles.

Update 9/16/2011: I made an error. The speaker's name is Glen, not Greg. I don't know who Greg is but he is not Glen. I swear I checked and even visited the blog to make sure I had the right blog address. I did, just not the correct name.  I have to fix the video but, yeah. I goofed.

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Yvelette Stines on Finding Time to Blog

This is Yvelette Stines talking about the need to making time to blog. She was one of the three panelists for the Authentic Voice session at Blogging While Brown 2011 in Los Angeles.







Yvelette has a blog called Caming Corners where you can get tips and advice on inspiration, health and beauty topics.



Postscript:

The air conditioner unit in the hotel was super loud. I had to find a software program that reduced the machine noise and amp up the speakers because there was also no working microphone.



It is not the best audio, but trust me, it sounded like she was speaking on the airport runway before I found a solution.

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It Was Rush and Then It Was Gone

I have been to seven BlogHer conventions. Each one has a different personality and tone. The energy and engagement changes from year to year. You should know that each year that I have gone I usually say to myself, "Ok, I've done it no need to visit again."



That last for about eight months and then I want to see folks and give it another go again. Because of the unexpected joy. This is a video from 5secondsformom on a Flash Mob dance at lunch.







It kinda represents what we can get out of the conference. Make it happen. Dance if you want it. You want business and professional sessions? Yes it was there. You want to learn how to make money via your blogs? Had that too.



You want to talk about camcorders and editing options? Righty-O there is a Geek Bar. Need your swag fix? You can be accommodated.



This year I really wanted to meet new folks and I did. I had to put out the effort and push past some of my inner bashfulness. (I'm more introverted than I let on, I just fake it well.)



There were moms. There were women who do not have children. Men folks. Transgendered folks. Most of all there was talking. And some squeeing. I have adapted to it.



If you can't squee at BlogHer then something is wrong in the world. I'm not a squeeker, I tend to ackkk!



Where There Bad Things?



Yes. The San Diego Convention Center Wi-Fi was spotty and non-functional for me at my Geek Bar session. It was for a lot of people. It happens. Folks do not believe that 3,000 Internet savvy women can cripple or knock out their system.



There was a thief who stole 15+ wallets that orbited the exhibition hall.



My knee didn't like the walk from the hotel to the convention center but the body needed to move.



It does seem that more marketers are creeping in the door but on the positive side maybe we can help them understand that not all women are moms, moms are not stupid and that perhaps you need to come to grips that this is now a multi-dimensional community.



Don't roll up bringing tired old scrips. Listen. Talk. Engage.



It takes a while to figure things out. Still processing. Not sure if I will go to New York City again. I'll let you know around April.

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The Road So Far and Wide

I remember back in the day when I would see Leo Buscaglia on television, it seemed all of the time. I have always remembered the story he told about his father asking him, "What did you learn today?"

I woke up this early this morning. My body forgot it was on vacation. I listened to The History Guys podcast on Walt Whitman’s attention to wounded soldiers in Civil War Hospitals.

It was about love, tending and connections. Things I have not felt of late emanating from the public discourse.

I putter though the idiocy of the budget crisis and I just want to disconnect from everything.



Almost. And then I got to thinking. Leo's father's question came up again.

"What did you learn today?"

It is that love thing. We have been fed such as nasty diet of bile and political ickyness that we have no national capacity to love anything or anyone not in our direct tribe or vested interest.

We will sink the nation because there can be no accommodation to consider the greater good. For all of us, not just corporate or power interests. Not just for the poor folk. Not just for foreign national's interests.

So. How do we reclaim our love for our country? How do we non-hate based carbon units not just take it back but embrace and nurture what we believe to be our better self?

There has to be some kind of reconciliation. We are no where need that concept. Not now. I haven't any answers. I just know that I am not built for disengagement unless there is absolutely no hope of change.

There has to be a better way.

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