i know that this isnt really upstate but for my five-borough ass it may as well be edmonton, alberta!

we got her a bit late but right on time. the company is chill which is code for everyone has a sense of humor cuz i needs to be around folks with a good sense of humor. there was pizza, there was mac & cheese, there was salad with sunflower seeds, there was argentinian red wine (i had two sips of it, btw. damn good stuff. for 2005, i have drunk about a grand total of 6 oz of alcohol), there was ginsburg, there was sharon olds, and there were poems.

everyone is kick ass in their own style so i plan on shutting up & lettin folks drop the knowledge. tomorrow morning, we wake at sunrise for a writing exrecise! the last few times ive seen sunrise its been cuz i never got to sleep. lets see if this still remains the case.

love ya like network news loves disaster

not eastchester, not westchester, not chesterville, not chesterburgh– just plain ol chester

on the P train headin to the writers retreat. not really sure what to expect of the weekend. this is one of those poetry things where i make believe that i know what i am doing right to the point where i am nearly drowning and pray someone comes through with a life preserver.

very nervous about the fact that someone may blow my cover and realize that i am just a comedian makin believe ima poet.

here is the hotness via the BNN-

ima be heading up to worcester, ma to feature for the poet’s asylum on may 15th. apparently, this place gives their feature 30-40 minutes to strut their stuff. i’ve been able to put together some good 20 minute features but this could be a challenge. convential wisdom says i add the classics to the louderMONDAY feature, stir with a lemon wedge and POOF! 40 minute feature! worcester doesnt really know me that well but make no mistake there will be some new sheet mixed in for a lil extra sabor.

there is also some ‘chinche involving me performing in june for (if the rumors prove to be true) what promises to be some next level sheet when it comes to bronx poetry.

nearly confirmed is the Acentos second anniversary throw down with TWO musical acts coming thru. the debut of bonafide’s new band- the mona passage plus the sounds of miss maya azucena. i may have another round in the chamber but we’ll see what happens.

and for Acentos in july… mr rigoberto gonzález! in the “dont break yo arm from pattin yoself on the back” dept, i am pretty happy with mah poet trackin skills and extremely honored that he agreed to read for us. people, this man has four(!) books set to come out this year- a personal memoir, a biography on the late Chicano writer Tomás Rivera, a bilingual childrens book AND a collection of poetry!! this is definitely one of those peoples whose head i am going to pick at and hope i can learn a lil something.

on the personal tip, ima be at a writers retreat this weekend. i feel really fuckin’ bad on one hand cuz ima miss out on eric’s housewarming but i also need to start kickin my writing up a notch. there is so much wackness passing itself off as hotness and im not saying that im all that, im just sayin that i would rather die trying to write a good poem rather than live with some triteness. if you hear me do a poem more than once, its cuz i really believe in the poem and think that there is some kind of substance in it and maybe its not your cup of tea and maybe you can find 12 ways to knock it but if you sit down with me and ask, i will break down the whole thing to you and tell ya why i made the choices i made. (note- you are going to have to pay for the meal, i may be easy but i certainly aint cheap ;-))

thats all for now- reporting for the BNN, i be o.b.

back to you at the anchor desk, pony!

for long time fans, this is an amalgam of my original blog set-up (chock full o’ links) and the updated blogger format with archived comment section

hope ya like it, cuz lord knows i do. on richs recommendation, i may change the blue to a lighter shade but other than that its pretty tight especially after i took out the ugly orange color to the blog headlines.

on the individual news front- the knee rehab is going with well with better range of motion and less pain. i am still rocking the cane but i got a lead on where i can get a CLEAR CANE!!! ah sheet…

um lampin, um lampin, um cole cole lampin

i’ve also started on getting back into some kind of shape for the summer. nothing to crazy, just some fitness bands to help me get my muscles back to the grind. the way the knee is rehabbin & with the bands, i hope to get into a legit gym come actual summer time. how im going to actually put any serious weight on my bad knee is a mystery right now but i’ll figure something out.

i used to get a good deal of zen from bodybuilding back in the day. dont get it twisted, i was never a ripped up roid monster as i naver could devote enough discpline to the dieatary aspects of hard core flexingbut i held my own really well. 315 lb squat, 540 lb leg press, 245 lb bench, 135 lb military press, 275 lb deadlift- all done while i was tipping the scales at 170 lbs. i was also doing about 30 minutes of cardio as well to end the work out.

and even back then, i could not stand ranters & ravers (C’MON! GIMME ONE MORE!!! YOU GOT IT!!! YOU GOT IT!!!!!!!!) one fool tried to motivate me like this once and i ended up quitting the set right then and there. same thing with fools that would try to lift the weight for you. when dealing with serious weight, you get a lil tired by the end and may need a nudge or two to help you get out an extra rep. this is pretty cool but a lot of fools translate this into pulling the weight up for the other guy and then all you have is two over blown egos.

plenty ’nuff with the dumbbell jargon.

since i am a notoriously bad reader, i am posting this list of books i just received in the hopes that it will help me get through them in a timely manner…

MILES by Miles Davis – in an effort to help me figure out the soundtrack to my muse, i am seeking enlightenment from a man who followed his muse without fear, doubts, or question. at least that is my perception of him. lets see what i discover.

THE HEART OF COACHING: USING TRANSFORMATIONAL COACHING TO CREATE A HIGH-PERFORMANCE CULTURE by Thomas G. Crane – recommended by my boss. “for the control freak who has everything” – rich villar (poet, philospopher, jackazz)

THE LATIN BEAT: THE RHYTHMS OF ROOTS OF LATIN MUSIC, FROM BOSSA NOVA TO SALSA AND BEYOND by Ed Morales – in the same vein as “Miles”, trying to put a name to the rhythm of mah days… and yes, tata, there is a chapter on reggaeton.

SO OFTEN THE PITCHER GOES TO WATER UNTIL IT BREAKS by Rigoberto Gonzalez – recommended by omar. the titles of his poems are better than some of the 6 minute rants i hear. i do believe i have found a new voice to emulate.

and on the sneak, i plan on hitting my local corporate bookstore.slash.library and reading jose canseco’s book (i refuse to pay for it- REFUSE!) and hit y’all with a review. i have a feelin’ that its gonna be an UPHA special, foh sugar.

love ya like mangu loves salchichon