Mickey Z

Cool Observer

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Buk sez: Peace

Posted by Mickey Z on 03/19 at 07:20 AM

  2. Good morning all… I can’t wait to read what Josh Frank has to tell us about his trip to Venezuela.  Just a couple of days ago, I finally got to see the film THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED. It was played here on our little local public access channel. Yesterday while at the protest, I requested that the film be shown over and over again.
    Last night on C-span, Jeff Faux talked about his book, Global Class War. While listening to him, I thought about how different things would be if the working class in the USA united with the workers in Cuba and Venezuela. I think Joe would like Faux’s book.
    Mickey, moving is a major undertaking. We all wish that we could help. When I moved to Vermont, I moved 4 times in 4 months. That did it for me. I have not moved now in 21 years. The original plan was to be here in Vermont for only 4 years so Christine could live at home and not have to pay room and board at college. I guess that plan did not work. I am still here. Like I said, I wish that we could help you.

    Posted by RMJ from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts  on  03/19  at  09:40 AM

  3. Rosemarie, how different things would be if the working class in the USA united with themselves.

    Posted by Keir from The Hague  on  03/19  at  10:00 AM

  4. On the Chris Matthews show right now on NBC channel 4 in New York is something about bloggers on the left uniting… could they actually unseat Hillary’s dominance of the left?

    Um, when was the last time anyone I knew or liked associated her with the left? But I’m a little curious what this story about bloggers uniting is about. Some reference to Russ Feigold, some internet effort to push his campaign. I saw him on Charlie Rose, and while nothing radical, still seems a stronger left voice than HC. Wait and see.

    Posted by James from Hell's Kitchen  on  03/19  at  10:04 AM

  5. Keir # 2...Ah yes, you make a good point but I was thinking about some of the things that Faux and other have been saying...if Capitalism is globalized, workers must also be united globally.

    James I missed that. Now Gen Casey is on. Murtha might be coming up next. I have given up on the Dems. They voted for the war and still most of them won’t admit their mistake. Most of them just say that they would do the war better. When one of them stands up and argues for reparations to the Iraqi people, I will support him. That is not likely to happen in my lifetime.

    Posted by RMJ from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts  on  03/19  at  10:15 AM

  6. 10:17, that leftwing blogger thing is on right now, but not very interesting…

    No, Feingold not so inspiring, just not as grating to listen to as HC.

    Posted by James from Hell's Kitchen  on  03/19  at  10:18 AM

  7. On Dems admitting their mistakes: what mistakes? Check this out: Empire, not Democracy, from Paul Street.

    Posted by Keir from The Hague  on  03/19  at  10:20 AM

  8. Sorry, link is here. Should work.

    Posted by Keir from The Hague  on  03/19  at  10:23 AM

  9. Good morning, all. Thanks for the good wishes, RMJ. Our new place has very limited closet/storage space so we’re forced to be more creative with how we store our stuff. Also: lots of downsizing (which is almost always a good thing). Today, we’re running around trying to find a used wardrobe closet.

    I’ll try to get back on later to talk about those despicable Dems. Thanks for the links and TV head’s up.

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  03/19  at  10:30 AM

  10. Keir, still no link, but I could just explore around znet…

    Posted by James from Hell's Kitchen  on  03/19  at  10:52 AM

  11. And hey, I don’t understand Znet… for a bunch of reasons, but for one, do you need to be a subscriber or not to access most articles? Or is it just the older archives you need to be a member for?

    Posted by James from Hell's Kitchen  on  03/19  at  10:56 AM

  12. I don’t know why ZNet links, and only ZNet links, always give me trouble here. Anyway: try this.

    James I think everything at ZNet is available except the sustainers and recent print articles. More than enough reading material. As for content, one has to judge for oneself.

    Posted by Keir from The Hague  on  03/19  at  11:02 AM

  13. James, I just heard the program about the bloggers. My NBC affiliate is in Albany. That explains the difference in the scheduling.

    I am not sure about the ZNet thing. I go to that site often but I forget the details.

    Mickey, yes, closet space is an issue. My daughter left home 10 years ago but her stuff is still occupying half of the closets in my little house. Once when I was in an Amish home, I noticed that they do not have closets, just a few pegs on the wall for hanging garments. They explained that they did not believe that anyone should need a closet.  Did you ever hear the George Carlin bit about a “place for your stuff”?  I hope that you are able to find a good wardrobe closet. Give us an update when you have time.

    Posted by RMJ from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts  on  03/19  at  12:18 PM

  14. I love that Amish story, RMJ. That’s always my goal: to have less and less “stuff.” I do okay...but obviously not well enough. However we just lucked “out”: We found a woman selling an IKEA wardrobe for only $20. We got there and Michele haggled it down to $15. It’s now sitting in our new bedroom.

    Thank Allah for Craig’s List…

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  03/19  at  12:22 PM

  15. Someone once said that after awhile, the stuff you used to own, now owns you. But that guy was a paranoid schizophrenic or something, right?

    (Tyler)

    Posted by James from Hell's Kitchen  on  03/19  at  12:25 PM

  16. Btw, hello to Keir and James.

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  03/19  at  12:26 PM

  17. ...and to Mr. Durden, too.

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  03/19  at  12:27 PM

  18. Mickey, the new wardrobe for $15 seems like a great find. Sounds like Michele is a great negotiator. I might need her services any day now. IKEA is Christine’s favorite. I have 1 IKEA footstool that I use for holding everything except my feet. Right now it is loaded with books and newspapers as usual.

    Bush was just on TV live. I noticed that he now is mentioning, at every opportunity, that the troops are all volunteers who really want to be in Iraq. Rumsfeld has been using that line as a strategy for a long time now.

    Posted by RMJ from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts  on  03/19  at  01:06 PM

  19. Owen and Mickey:  Thanks for the Bukowski infusion.  An all-time hero—I remember the day he died like yesterday.  It’s one of the last times I got really, really drunk, ended up walking on cars and burning an old, ratty couch in an intersection near my house.  It’s never too late to exercise one’s teenaged angst.

    Posted by Hawk from Boulder, CO  on  03/19  at  01:08 PM

  20. Hawk #18: “Exercise” or “exorcise” teenaged angst?  Nice to see you here!

    RMJ #17: ROFL Volunteers!  The military targets deadenders fro places like rural South Texas where if the high school grads stay home, they’ll be in a condition barely distinguishable from peonage.  They offer world travel, a salary, etc.  The kid’ll volunteer for just about anything then!  And his/er Vietnam-vet pop or grandpa, living on military retirement, disability, and Social Security, who drives 200+ miles each way for VA health care because we “can’t afford” all these sick vets, generally says nothing to discourage him/er.

    It’s nauseating.
    (Incidentally, I send love and hugs)

    CatLady #3: Democrats, of the Left?  I hurt my sides guffawing over that.  They’re so far right, on my 60s-calibrated political scale, that Nelly Rockefeller couldn’t get the 2008 nomination for being too liberal.  Would Goldwater’s “Extremism in the defense of liberty” speech even make a ripple today?

    Any thoughts re: Modest Proposal?

    Michele Z: Good work versus IKEA girl!  There’s a job in the Foreign Service awaiting you.  wink

    MZ: Moving sucks.  Moving 14 years’ accumulation...!  Into a less generously closeted space...!!  It might be wise to get and take some serious tranqs.  You know, a cheeseburger should put you out like a light!  And taste good too!  :-0

    Keir #2: How very different, and IMHO how very much better.  From your mouth to...well...gods’? ears.

    Posted by Mudge from Austin  on  03/19  at  02:35 PM

  21. Yes, great to see Hawk here, and hey man your own blog’s looking cool as ever. Damn, I covet that beard of yours (and the blog entries are great too!). Wish I could read everyone’s blog equally all day long…

    Mudge, hang on with that thing with the thing, and yeah, those Sunday morning news show things are only good for background noise, nothing new, really dull.

    Looking at that Buk poem, I’m reminded of the Talking Heads’ “Heaven”, from the early 80s whenever: http://www.talking-heads.net/lyrics_fear.html
    Scroll down, past, yep-- Life During Wartime.

    Posted by James from Hell's Kitchen  on  03/19  at  02:58 PM

  22. Mudge:  “exercise” vs “exorcise”:  I did both!

    James:  Thanks for the kind words, and it’s good to look in on you Expendables.  Changes going on here, as always—I feel for Mickey having to move, much like Mudge’s recent relocation.  We may need to move at the end of September, though we really like where we’ve landed and will try our best to manifest a way to stay.  Midway through my 40’s, I’d like to actually buy a place at some point—it’s always seemed like a pipe dream to me, but it’s a pipe I’d smoke if I had the chance.

    Posted by Hawk from Boulder, CO  on  03/19  at  03:15 PM

  23. Hi everyone...Mickey’s adventures today remind me of when I moved here to Vermont from Cape May. It cost too much to move my furniture so when I arrived here I had to build my own. Having no talent and no tools did not hinder me. I went to Woolworth’s and for about a dollar I bought some screwdrivers. The furniture that I bought was the “kit” type that needed to be assembled. Christine needed a desk so that was first on the priority list. On the kitchen floor, I assembled the desk. It was fairly large and I was proud of my accomplishment. Christine helped me carry it up the narrow stairway. At the top of the stairs was a small, very narrow hallway with a sharp left turn leading to her room. We managed to get the desk that far but then realized that it was too big to go through the doorway without removing the door. Meantime Christine was impaled on the wall behind the desk. She could not move in any direction and I was not strong enough to move the desk and carry it back down the stairway by myself to make room for the removal of the door. Eventually a neighbor arrived and he helped free Christine. ....That is one of the times that I wished that there was a “Husbands for Hire” group here. There are some towns in Maine where a group like that helps damsels in distress.

    Posted by RMJ from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts  on  03/19  at  03:40 PM

  24. Hello Expendables. After much running around, it is indeed a pleasure to come home and find such a great group of folks here. Thanks for all the encouragement/commiseration. Absolutely great to see Hawk back in action.

    Woolworth’s, RMJ? That’s almost as dated as my Gimbel’s post yesterday.

    No cheeseburger, Mudge...but Michele and I did indulge in a vegan burrito in Williamsburg.

    Cat Lady: Have you ever seen the Talking Heads flick? I saw it a few years back at Film Forum and was blown away.

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  03/19  at  04:20 PM

  25. Own the SMS dvd, man… grew up on the original cd, glad the dvd has the whole movie. Too bad Byrne can’t get along with the others anymore.


    Now Jonathan Demme’s made that Neil Young concert movie, hope that’s just as cool, though I’m not as familiar with the stuff that’s in that.

    Posted by James from Hell's Kitchen  on  03/19  at  04:36 PM

  26. Huge congratulations on the Italian translation of “Spins,” Mickey.  Hope great things rise out of it.

    Argh, what a weekend - my birthday celebrations & St Pat’s ...

    May I give a drinking suggestion to the whole Expendable Nation?  Always keep your whiskey in the freezer.  It removes the need for ice cubes, & makes it slip down a treat. 

    Apologies for my absences recently, & I’m afraid they’re going to continue - lots to do, plus brain not working properly due to a variety of factors. 

    Hope all well.

    Posted by Chris Wood from Manchester, England  on  03/19  at  05:14 PM

  27. Belated Happy B’day, Chris. I wish you would’ve warned me so I could’ve posted it here. Many happy returns, my friend. We look forward to enjoying your regular presence on the board.

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  03/19  at  05:43 PM

  28. Very many thanks, MZ.  Hope you & Michele feel settled in your new home very quickly.  I take the point on possessions & downsizing, & have been trying to clear some of my useless accumulations away.  A lot of things in my house are family bits that have fallen in my lap & don’t want.  It feels heinous to have furniture you don’t want or need, & I need to find good homes for so many things. 

    If you or Michele don’t mind the quick jog n swim to England, I can let you have a fantastic sideboard.  This was left to me ... & I’m not exactly the sort of person who collects decorative plates & all that shit, so it’s free to anyone who wants.

    Posted by Chris Wood from Manchester, England  on  03/19  at  05:57 PM

  29. Happy Birthday Chris.  Did I recently miss JOS’s birthday?

    Mickey, I was waiting for a comment about Woolworth’s. The 10 cent store was quite a thing back in the old days. 20 years ago when I moved to Vermont, there was a Woolworth’s here. After it closed it eventually became the site of the first Wal-mart in the state.

    We are now having a bit of snow but tomorrow is the first day of Spring.

    Posted by RMJ from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts  on  03/19  at  06:19 PM

  30. Chris #25: Happy birthday, Pisces boy.  How old again?

    Sideboard?  I gave my niece and her husband the family one when I lost the house, and you know what?  I miss it not at all.  I miss, interestingly, nothing I “lost” except the books which are in boxes and just inaccessible.  Interesting, eh?  Stuff does NOT make one happy.  Cold whiskey, now, THAT makes one happy.  For a while.

    Cat Lady #24: Saw the SXSW premiere of the Neil Young movie.  I bet you’ll see it no matter what I say, so...go see it.

    MZ, check your email.

    Posted by Mudge from Austin  on  03/19  at  06:24 PM

  31. Mudge, with minor qualifications I agree that stuff does not make for happiness.  The only stuff I need to be happy are books, music & movies, so if I have the necessary equipment for those I can live quite cheerfully without bijou dinner plates & rare teapots.  Come to think of it I don’t have a teapot.  How very unEnglish!

    I turned 31, btw.  Not an age of major significance.  Turning 30 did not particularly ruffle my hair.  I do not subscribe to the view that ageing is so very important - it’s the mind behind the wrinkles that matters.  P G Wodehouse said that life begins at 60 which, as he lived to (I think!) 93 & was still writing his divine magic when he finally handed in his dinner plate, is an inspiration. 

    Sideboards are shit.  Nobody should have one, except I suppose some tit has an “ironic” sideboard in “hilarious” bad taste.  Fuckers.  The rich imbeciles who’ve moved into my neighbourhood recently have homes full of tat like that ... and badly chosen stereos, shitty enormocars etc etc.  I seriously doubt any Expendable is sitting amid a collection of rich junk and fretting over scratches on their $2000 coffee tables. 

    Cold whiskey can make one feel wonderful for a brief time, but as I was reminded today, can also leave one feeling so delicate that it appears someone has parked an enormous lorry on one’s head.  Having marked the two events of the past week properly, I shall return to my usual life of soberly fiddling through the week.  Excess in moderation should be the watchword.

    Posted by Chris Wood from Manchester, England  on  03/19  at  06:40 PM

  32. Chris #30:  Ah, 31...fifteen years ago...how magical.

    Stupid tat is the basis of an entire, multi-billion-dollar global resale industry.  eBay’s made Jeff Skoll rich as Croesus and look what he does with it: Finances Syriana!  Gotta love the boy for that.

    Posted by Mudge from Austin  on  03/19  at  08:55 PM

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