tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142238992008-07-05T14:39:05.814-04:00lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comBlogger334125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-49348919862022918522008-07-05T14:35:00.002-04:002008-07-05T14:39:05.845-04:00

I love these. From a spambot message I got today: Forms of life. In the natural world there are need such a woman for his wife. But that sting and depending upon the utterances contained in like a circle of fire, and was, o king, seen sometimes by the civil powers so this church seems to have and suras, together with the best soldiers of will cease to live.' sanjaya continued, 'yuvutsu joy of

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-59999938758227718332008-06-22T08:03:00.001-04:002008-06-22T08:03:46.832-04:00

"Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God: But only he who sees takes off his shoes." --Elizabeth Barrett Browning

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-5576024415546045162008-06-12T19:16:00.002-04:002008-06-12T19:27:49.659-04:00

Don't know why I am only now alerting my 15 readers to the presence of this book in the world. Full disclosure: I am related to the author, Rebecca Flowers, though not by blood (just incredible affection). So, but anyway, in the interest of perhaps alerting one perfect reader for this perfect summer confection of a story, here goes. Our heroine, Prudence Whistler, is the kind of person who likes

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-60047835274581699622008-06-09T20:09:00.005-04:002008-06-09T20:44:11.412-04:00

Here's a movement whose moment has arrived--at precisely the speed limit. It's called hypermiling, and it uses techniques that tend to maintain constant speeds and eliminate braking. Hypermiling maximizes your mileage with potentially dramatic fuel and cost savings. There is some evidence (a little quirky) that it could actually break up traffic logjams, too. And all you have to do is drive

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-51573240050134989492008-04-06T19:27:00.006-04:002008-04-06T19:57:41.742-04:00

...It is also National Poetry Month Always Marry an April Girl by Ogden Nash Praise the spells and bless the charms, I found April in my arms. April golden, April cloudy, Gracious, cruel, tender, rowdy; April soft in flowered languor, April cold with sudden anger, Ever changing, ever true -- I love April, I love you.

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-72368874452490036202008-02-25T07:32:00.002-05:002008-02-25T07:42:27.513-05:00

The Rain by Robert Creeley All night the sound had come back again, and again falls this quiet, persistent rain. What am I to myself that must be remembered, insisted upon so often? Is it that never the ease, even the hardness, of rain falling will have for me something other than this, something not so insistent— am I to be locked in this final uneasiness. Love, if you love me, lie next to

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-79807734843229296732008-02-16T17:58:00.002-05:002008-02-16T18:11:54.893-05:00

Steampunk refers to a subgenre of cyberpunk that is taken up with the pleasures and regrets of the Age of Steam. So much so, that steampunks will go to great lengths to outfit their modern conveniences--such as this LCD monitor--to resemble machines from yesteryear. Check out the amusing and informative (if not always user friendly) Steampunk Workshop for all sorts of ideas on outfitting your

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-27015522510909488922008-02-05T07:17:00.000-05:002008-02-05T07:27:44.295-05:00

Persephone, Falling by Rita Dove One narcissus among the ordinary beautiful flowers, one unlike all the others! She pulled, stooped to pull harder— when, sprung out of the earth on his glittering terrible carriage, he claimed his due. It is finished. No one heard her. No one! She had strayed from the herd. (Remember: go straight to school. This is important, stop fooling around! Don't

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-79384048066227511192008-01-26T08:54:00.000-05:002008-01-26T09:54:10.066-05:00

So my year is going well, though I still haven't located a source for Day of the Dead-themed magnetic grocery list pads. But I did pick up a Mexican Talavera bathroom sink instead. No. I really did. It was considerably more expensive than my first idea for domestic bliss. The contractor arrives to demolish the old bathroom on Monday. But that's not what I wanted to discuss today. Today, a

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-37919064372456238482008-01-01T12:43:00.000-05:002008-01-01T13:07:02.863-05:00

I don't know about you, but for me New Year's Eve has nothing on New Year's Day. As grumpy as I can be during the holidays, there is something about that first day of the new year that still exhilarates me, against all odds and prior experience. Today I am making lists and seeking solutions, straightening up my life and flying right at last. All without leaving the safety of

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-32456265011881420852007-12-07T17:57:00.001-05:002007-12-07T18:36:31.468-05:00

While innocently trawling for a cookie recipe, I found that a Google of "mandelbrot" gets you this information. Trippy. In other news, here is the mandelbrot recipe I'll be trying tomorrow: 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon double acting baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 ounces sweet butter, softened 1 cup sugar 3 eggs 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-69040691556553517892007-09-12T13:15:00.001-04:002007-09-12T13:30:45.289-04:00

If you know me, even a little, you'll recall I have this, um, thing that happens pretty frequently, when I hear the right words wrong, or hear the wrong words right, or...whatever, it just happens a lot, okay? Some examples are in order: There was the Bagel of Doubt incident; The Avril Lavigne "Promise me you've never gonna find your blanket" moment (all right, that was Mona's moment, but I

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-6748308122225272692007-09-01T14:44:00.000-04:002007-09-01T21:25:50.960-04:00

Why do bloggers go on and on about their traffic stats---to their AUDIENCE? Carol Burnett did not end her variety show by announcing the latest Nielsens. Musical acts may clock the number of visitors to their sites, but rarely in any detail. And even ebayers, who are asked to rate the merchandise and transactions, don't comment directly on the ebay dream itself. (and good thing for ebay, too

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-30931350642788725222007-06-09T07:57:00.000-04:002007-06-09T11:06:24.970-04:00

...or hadn't you noticed? After posting this tasteless screed, I am hardly the first person you'd expect to take anyone else to task for their own lapses, but this is no ordinary person, this is David Byrne. Brilliant artist, conceptual genius, insomniac demon of the lymphatic shadow of the heart. Oh, and, formerly known as the lead singer of the Talking Heads. The man who gave us the phrases

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-56069800963476435782007-06-07T14:01:00.002-04:002007-06-09T10:58:12.019-04:00

To Stuart (after Marvin Bell's "To Dorothy") You don't love me, exactly. you love me inexactly. You let my toad lilies grow by the air conditioning unit and the recyclables pile by the door. And sometimes, in the ever-more-personal quiet of our daily nights, you even tell me it's all right. You said it yourself, and it seemed true: "I try to improve things." But it's not true. Without you,

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-23428061358446252092007-06-07T05:55:00.000-04:002007-06-07T07:40:35.555-04:00

A funny thing happened while I was walking the dog last week. I became an urban birder. After all, why be mediocre at only a few things when I can add another activity for which my enthusiasm will always out-distance my abilities? It happened this way, on a Thursday: we spotted two small boys enthusiastically following a little bird that seemed trapped, unharmed but dazed, on the ground. I got

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-88598148384083241422007-06-05T11:00:00.000-04:002007-06-04T12:48:41.329-04:00

...no, and I don't need her sympathy either. But she's cool. There, I said it and I'm not sorry. If you want to know how cool, click you this link rightchere. That's right. Cool enough to stand by unblinking and watch a donkey get gelded. Oh, and she's written a few books too. And if you want to know why I am posting a link to her on my site, it's because she and I briefly kept company if

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-72964462445339275002007-06-05T09:44:00.000-04:002007-06-05T11:34:14.454-04:00

Reality Shows We've Thought of ...Then Thought Better...So Then Just Posted. Because We Can. "Oh No You DID'n't!" True Crime Stories About People Who Do the Horrible Things We've All Contemplated Tagline: How Many Times Have You Wanted to Go There?...These People Really Did. (Car-plowing crowds at street festivals, microwaving a newborn baby, torching a spouse for any reason, and other

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-84084703060385081382007-06-03T12:04:00.000-04:002007-06-03T12:17:35.310-04:00

Ah, the Pioneer Valley in general... (and Northampton in particular). via my mom-in-law, Steffi.

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-57222669660355359892007-06-02T07:27:00.000-04:002007-06-02T07:41:01.460-04:00

We adopted him two weeks ago from the Washington Animal Rescue League. He's an Australian Shepherd and his name is Aussie slang for "pal." He housetrained in a week and is now working his way through our collection of bedroom slippers. A very traditional guy. He rocks. And no, it's not too late to donate to WARL's annual Mutts Strut through my secure, guaranteed low-hassle donation page. (

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-60874118053814378602007-05-30T19:40:00.000-04:002007-05-31T04:44:50.199-04:00

Since 1991, the International Poetry Festival of Medelln has opened the ground for language and human dignity to blossom, focusing on contemporary poetry from Colombia. The Festival's web site is one way that I discovered Luz Helena Cordero, a poet of deceptively simple statement who is well represented on the Poetry International web site. I am currently searching for a copy of her most recent

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-53377126198752309212007-05-29T10:41:00.000-04:002007-09-12T13:32:09.318-04:00

Last week I picked up a charming reader, poet Marcelo Valdes from Chile, which in turn has inspired me to dust off my Spanish grammar and head south in search of information on a Colombian poet I'd admired, Luz Helena Cordero. Seeking her, in turn, led me to this excellent blog, El Libro de Isaías, in Colombia. Perhaps I will actually speak proper Spanish one of these days. One can hope for

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-51851720368808932992007-05-08T00:34:00.000-04:002007-05-08T00:49:23.326-04:00

You must read the product descriptions on this loopy little Web site very carefully to get the full benefit of its peculiar allure. In particular, scroll down and read the description for Earth Treasures Extra Large 6" Percussion Frog, of which I am especially fond. Sadly, the main link for Earth Treasures Extra Large 6" Percussion Frog has been properly translated, and loses in charm what it

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-80437436947617075892007-05-06T06:28:00.000-04:002007-05-06T07:44:46.935-04:00

O man, do I ever. Humphrey is the name of a spambot that visited me this morning to ask, "Do you want to cure yourself?" So that was one spam I actually opened, because, you know...just in case. I think it's important to open the odd can of Spam now and again, if for no other reason then simply to show The Man you're not scared. And it was from Humphrey, and I seem to get a lot of spam from

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14223899.post-85172453652101184412007-05-05T01:52:00.000-04:002007-05-05T03:19:08.726-04:00

...found here via Google tonight, while researching the work of Jean Toomer. (Okay, I really found the link here first, but didn't want to scare you right off the bat. ) (Just maybe a little, and later.) (Oh, and, here is a link only David T. and his fellow Buffalonians can fully appreciate) Plus, some news on the material plane: I saw Artist Formerly Known as Unpublished Tom in the flesh

lisa schamesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01066379458312876698noreply@blogger.com