Swami and Flat Eric

Rockin' out here tonight . . .



. . . with Swami, his cousin, Flat Eric . . .



. . and Mr. Oizo.

Studio notes: Degas and Henri Roché pastels

Seems that flu I had over the weekend is finally winding down. I spent this morning in my studio and did a couple of quick pencil/pastel drawings. When we're traveling, I put the studio out of mind but being in it is like being in the middle of the world. Now, M. Lee is planning another big trip. The question always is how to the studio with me when we're on the move.

Interview with Isabelle Roché at La Maison du Pastel

Speaking of pastels, when we were in LA last week we saw some of the later pastel works by Degas at The Getty. Also we saw one of Degas's personal cases of (used) pastels—Henri Roché's, handmade in Paris at La Maison du Pastel. I've never work with that brand. My pastels are cheap and sold in many places. Henri Roché pastels are not. A quick web search put to rest any notion I might switch to them. A single, full-size stick costs 20 Euros, currently that's just over $21 US.

Complete set of Henri Roché pastels
1201 colors
$17,550.00

Meanwhile, in America . . .

 The neighbor is rockin' the country tunes. That means he's outside in his hot tub. Trump rages on. He and Kim Jung Un are in a dick measuring contest. This in Trumpie's first 80 days. We knew that was going to happen. These guys are twins. As for me, I'm sick . . .food poisoning, flu or whatever. Whatever it is, I haven't felt this bad in a long time. I must be getting better though. I've managed a glass a water and this. Now on to the tea.

What time is it anyway?

The Pacific ocean at dawn and a lone boat far below on the sea.

We checked out of our room in Bangkok in the morning. Our flight left at 2 AM the next morning. We arrived in LA 20 hours later or four hours later by the clock. It's now nearly 10 PM or noon tomorrow according to my body. I haven't slept since Bangkok but I'm not sleepy. Jet lag is brutal.

Spring Equinox 2017

It's morning in America, 06:33 AM PST when I started this post and the first day of Spring. For Pearl, a flickr friend in Australia, today is the long awaited first day of fall. As the sun returns to our hemisphere I hope she and her beloved companions Ms. Pips and Ms. Woolly and their world finally get relief from what has been a summer of grueling heat.

Spring Equinox night in Bangkok

It's the end of the day here in Bangkok. The high was 34° Celsius (93.2° Fahrenheit). Like I said, I didn't know it was the equinox when I woke up but the morning light gave me pause, something about how it illuminated the leaves of the trees below my window. They glowed primavera green. They called to me, drew me in, reminded me . . . even in this blade runner city . . . earth lives . . . will prevail. That area is dark now, the left third of this photo I took tonight. A lot of Thai people live in that section, under long, shared tin roofs. I don't think there is much in the way of walls between them. The trees grow wild there. They have been hacked down numerous times but grow back again, as they are now.

Happy first day of Spring and Roy, thank you for reminding me.

Swami and the Moon over Bangkok

Swami and the moon tonight
Bangkok

Publishing and republishing

Besides publishing a current list of literary magazines accepting reprints, the blog Published to Death includes a link to poetry publishers accepting unagented manuscripts. And it's not just for poetry. There are listings for all genres, including visual, and their markets and includes cool links such as . . . calls for submissions by the month, paying markets etc. Yes, there are similar sites, but this is a good one.


Of course, Duotrope is, at least in my limited experience, the best of the best when it comes to offering an "extensive, searchable database of current fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and visual art markets, a calendar of upcoming deadlines, a personal submissions tracker, and useful statistics compiled from the millions of data points". Yes, that's their description but it is what they do and they do it well. I was a subscriber until they erected a paywall. After that I couldn't justify the expense. I seldom followed through and actually submitted anything.


I did a poetry blog instead. Poetry needs to be free. However, that means if I want to publish something elsewhere, in a "real" publication, I must find publishers who accept reprints.  Annasadhorse may be one of the the least visited sites in the universe but most publishers automatically refuse anything unless they get first rights. Rock and a hard place.

Beware the Six Month Rule

Back in Bangkok after an ill-fated trip to Singapore. We were planning to stay there for five days and then slowly travel north though Malaysia working our way back to Bangkok. Unfortunately, at customs Lee ran up against the Six Month Rule and we had to cancel our plans. In fact, only after a prolonged interview with the head of customs at the Singapore airport was he allowed into the country.

The Six Month Rule requires that, to enter the country, your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates. A list of countries that have this requirement here. Lee's passport expires in April. We picked up six month tourist visas for Thailand before leaving the US, so we didn't learn about the rule until Singapore. They could have turned him away right there but, after showing return travel arrangements, he was permitted entry. Plus it probably helped that his passport was already full of stamps from other countries, some proof anyway of our nomadic life-style. We felt very lucky, especially after learning that Singapore is very strict about it. So, beware the Six Month Travel rule or you might find yourself on day one of a trip headed back home on the next available flight whatever the cost, whether you can afford it or not.

But we did stay five days in Singapore. More about that later.

Pattaya

Morning in Pattaya

Some call Pattaya the wild west of Thailand. We were there for a conference so, other than streets thronging with nearly naked bar girls and fat, grubby sexpats with girlfriends younger than their granddaughters, we saw none of it.

Evening in Pattaya

A friend at the conference did mention however that, while on the lunch break, a ladyboy grabbed  him by the crotch and tried pulling him in for a drink. I'm not sure Trump would like Pattaya. He likes to do the grabbing.

It was inevitable

Mysteries on Sukhumvit

Four more or less identical mirrors hang above the sidewalk on the front of a strange shop along Sukhumvit, one of Bangkok's busiest streets. They are too high up to use as mirrors so why they are there, as ornaments, protection from spirits or whatever, I do not know. Whenever I pass by, the door is locked and the shade pulled, thus it remains a mystery.

To be continued . . .

The Silent Majority aka The Deplorables

Silence is compliance . . . PERIOD
Here is the very long list of Republicans who have remained silent on Trump's refugee ban. Time to dump the spineless, compliant Republican Party!

THE DEPLORABLE GOP

The Deplorable Republican Silent Majority

source: Vox

Lunar New Year 2017

Tis the year of the Fire Rooster according to the Chinese lunar calendar, so Happy New Year. Here's wishing you all the best in the coming year. They say if you encounter a dragon on the lunar new year, give him money. We did so we did. Dragon was moving fast so Swami had to follow him into a girlie bar to put money in his mouth.

Swami and the Dragon
Bar on Sukhumvit soi 22

Americans protest Trump nationwide

The Big News today, the gigantic event that took place today . . .

The numbers speak for themselves

. . . is that millions of Americans protested the swearing in of the most vile, sexist, racist, liar, the most corrupt, the most compromised, toxic, hate-spewing, stupid, impulse driven creep to ever darken the door the White House ... Traitor Donald Jackass Trump.

Trump is nothing more than a statistical anomaly from the twilight zone. He lost the popular vote by a greater margin than any President in the history of the United States. It is only because of the outdated "electoral college" that he now wields immeasurable power but . . .  We are stronger. This loser didn't even have the balls to attend his first press conference.

Squirrel Appreciation Day

It's Squirrel Appreciation Day.

Make a squirrel's day.

Ringling Circus dreams

This spring the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus is emptying its cages and folding up its big tent forever.

When I was in my early twenties I nearly joined Ringling Bros. circus. A job was waiting. Well, a job was waiting for Billy Grummel but we both knew Joey, the "one time with a dime" guy who ran a ring toss game on the midway and our mutual lover. Billy could work on the midway. I dreamed of taking care of the elephants. But all that's another story. My point is, I too once loved the circus but today I celebrate its demise.

I didn't know then what I know now. I didn't realize that elephants who, in the wild, might enjoy a 100 mile stroll before breakfast, are tortured until their spirit breaks then sold into a life of slavery. Except for when they perform, give rides to tourists, haul logs, beg on the street or at a temple etc. they live in chains.

So good. Ringling Bros. circus is closing. It only took 36 years of petitions, protests, legal wrangling but finally, finally it's closing. Thank you to all who wrote letters, signed online petitions, sent in a few bucks, explained to the kids why "we aren't going to the circus", joined a street protest when the circus came to town, talked to a friend about it, blogged about it ... whatever ... cared. The voice of compassion has been heard although, of course, it was the loss of revenue that carried it to the ears. It's all good.

And now . . . .

Where I hang my hat

After 38 hours of travel we're, well, "home" or back in Bangkok. They tell me missing December here means missing the best weather of the year but, IMO, the weather is still nice, that is ... overcast and "cool" . . . 28° C or 82.4 F. That's "winter" temps in Thailand. I'm not being facetious. Bangkok malls are all carrying winter clothes ... poly jackets, heavy coats, sweaters, hats, gloves and just yesterday a friend, a westerner, even complained it was cold. Having just left Oregon where winter cold froze the dog poop in my daughter's backyard, allowing for a speeding, aroma-free removal and a giant snow storm left my mother-in-law and her cat, Alley, stranded at home surviving on dwindling rations, 28° C is not cold. Oh well. Reality is relative.

Ok. Gotta go. Meeting a friend in an hour.

Day One, 2017

Happy New Year.

Is this idea of a "new" year merely a stupid fantasy? Oh well. Who cares? As Heraclitus said, change is the only constant. In that light, painful though it may be, here's hoping changes in this new year led to new, better beginnings.

Also, in keeping with the season, I published a new poem on AnnaSadhorse, Horary for the Third Millennium CE.

Winter Solstice I Ching - 2016

First hexagram:

K'an - #29 - Danger

Changing line #5

The dark waters of this pit will rise no higher.
Your greatest danger now lies in panic.
Keep your wits and you will escape.


Changing to:

Shih - #7 -  The Army

Good fortune.
No mistakes if you follow a course led by experience.

It's Sober Santa time again

The Christmas season is upon us and one of the my few loyal readers made a special request . . . that, for old time's sake, I re-post Sober Santa. So, without further ado, I give you Sober Santa.

Ho-ho-ho!
Merry Christmas!
Let the games begin!

Click here to play

Other places . . .

On the move again.

Bangkok mailbox

At the moment we're back in Taiwan, the rainy island

Taipei Cultural Center

which is either a sovereign country or renegade province

Rainy day in Taipei

depending on who you talk to.

Sovereign movement

Tomorrow we fly back to the U.S.

Photo tags poem

for Christmas with family and friends.

Snowman in Taipei

I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone . . .
the kids, still overwhelmingly sweet, raucous and innocent
and the adults, cherished friends. Ain't life grand?!

Open when not closed . . .
- Taipei shop -

I can't wait to commiserate with them about the goddam fuck show of a
U.S. Presidential election. Trump? What irony! America's self-appointed
new-age elitists, good ol' boy women and the USSR jointly elected an
impulsive, revenge driven, gold-plated vaudeville scammer.
America has fallen through the trapdoor. 

Life in the gap
- Taipei -

Then, after the first of the year, it's back out into the dirty old world again.

Biker dude dog

While his human was off shopping, this little fellow seemed to be enjoying a fabulous adventure on the motorbike.

When he realized I was standing there he turned and said, in no uncertain barks, "Get outta here". I immediately regretted ogling him. He was deep in his game and, quite understandably, did not appreciate by-standers photographing him.

Don't worry. It all worked out OK. I quickly moved out of sight, though I did take one last photo before going on my way. As for the dog, the second I disappeared from view, he roared off again on the open road.

Supermoon over Bangkok

Hello moon . . .

. . . old friend.

Fiends on high

So Donald Trump picked Steve Bannon as his Chief Strategist. No surprise but wow, just wow. Bannon is a depraved, scorch-the-earth fiend. The air is bad here in Bangkok today, a "very unhealthy - the entire population is more likely to be affected" purple on the air quality index, but the toxic stink polluting the world is coming from America.

Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold

The sea is calm tonight

The tide is full, the moon lies fair

Upon the straits; on the French coast the light

Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,

Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.

Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!

Only, from the long line of spray

Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land,

Listen! you hear the grating roar

Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,

At their return, up the high strand,

Begin, and cease, and then again begin,

With tremulous cadence slow, and bring

The eternal note of sadness in.

Sophocles long ago

Heard it on the Ægean, and it brought

Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow

Of human misery; we

Find also in the sound a thought,

Hearing it by this distant northern sea.

The Sea of Faith

Was once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shore

Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.

But now I only hear

Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,

Retreating, to the breath

Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear

And naked shingles of the world.

Ah, love, let us be true

To one another! for the world, which seems

To lie before us like a land of dreams,

So various, so beautiful, so new,

Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,

Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;

And we are here as on a darkling plain

Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,

Where ignorant armies clash by night.

-- Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold

This via Sled Press at Sixteen Tons -- Thank you. It helps tonight.