tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72717980310578077162024-03-13T08:16:14.830-07:00The Tales and Poems of Faldwin the BardFaldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.comBlogger127125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-54616305270477110122009-08-07T09:19:00.002-07:002009-08-07T09:24:33.033-07:00Nationals 2009, Day 4Decathlon Slam: Two words: Ass Cherries<br />FlagSlam: Two words: Semi FinalsFaldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-10629134524249256732009-08-06T06:29:00.003-07:002009-08-06T06:57:24.161-07:00Nationals 2009, Day 3Yesterday was overflowing with amazing poetry.<br /><br />The first event I went to was the Women's Showcase. The host was energetic, the poets were awesome, and the venue was cooler than I thought it would be. It was at a design boutique called Design Within Reach. So there was plenty of seating (on really cool chairs, and the space just looked really cool. The only thing that would have made it better was good enough acoustics for people to go off mic. The next showcase I went to had this.<br /><br />The next showcase was the Death and Remembrance Showcase. This was a hard one, because it was over an hour of heart-wrenching stuff, but it was still amazing. One of the most amazing things about this event, was the audience. Normally with these side-events, the crowd is very transitory. Usually in an outward direction. People read their poem, or hear their friend read their poem, and then leave. This didn't happen. Nearly everyone was there the whole time.<br /><br />Flagstaff had the early bout. I was the sacrifice poet for that bout. This was the first opportunity I had for performing poetry at Nationals. I did a poem that I had done only twice before in Tucson. But this time I pulled it off without messing up. There was loads of awesome poetry. I remember one guy who I had seen before judging another bout, and he was giving really low scores. He was wearing a tie, and a button-down shirt that was tucked in. I assumed he was a local yuppie, who had been wrangled into judging. Then he got on stage. His performance showed an exuberance I wasn't expecting. This is what I get for jumping to conclusions.<br /><br />Flagstaff took second in that bout. Because we got first yesterday, we have a pretty good chance at making it to semifinals. We'll know for sure after tonight's bouts.<br /><br />After that bout I went to get some ice cream, and saw some people filming on the side of the road. They were apparently making a video for the local paper's website. They were filming slam poets doing their poems. I did a poem, and when I find where the video is up I will link you to it.<br /><br />For the late bout I saw Boston Cantab again. That slam was quite possibly the best slam I have ever seen. Poem after poem blew my mind, and made the whole room explode with the kind of energy you only see at poetry slams. After it was over I went back to the hotel. On the way there I saw someone running, and thought that looked like an excellent idea, because that bout had made me really pumped. So I sprinted for about a block, before my hours spent stationary caught up with me. Then I found a piece of wall to lean against and wrote a poem.<br /><br />Once I got back to the hotel I found a cipher almost immediately. I got a chance to do two poems, and hear some cool stuff, and bask in the whole cipher energy. Later that night I found some cool people to talk to. We talked about everything from anime, and the originality of art, to gender identity, and the physical symptoms of fatigue.<br /><br />Then because I knew I had to be up for the LGBT showcase I decided to go to bed. I set an alarm for 10:50, and then ended up waking up at 9:00. I suppose if I hadn't I wouldn't have had time to write this.<br /><br />I'm hungry now, so I'm going to sign off, and eat some breakfast.Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-30680815737548479972009-08-05T09:48:00.003-07:002009-08-05T10:10:12.941-07:00Nationals 2009, Day 2Oh ciphers, ciphers, wherefore art thou ciphers? This Nationals has too much talking to people, and not enough spitting at them. But enough complaining, cool things did happen yesterday, and I intend to talk about them.<br /><br />I managed to print off a couple poems yesterday at the public library, as well as use the internet that wasn't capped at 15kb/s like the hotel's is. One of these days I'm going to write a manifesto about how internet is a basic human right that shouldn't be charged for. At 3:00 I got my first real taste of poetry. This was the rookie showcase. I had forgotten how awesome this art form can be. Just words spoken aloud can evoke incredible responses. There was a guy there from Paris, and his poem was entirely in French. I have no idea what he was talking about, but his performance was so enthusiastic, and exciting, I really don't care. One of the memorable poems, incited both cheering and booing. I did not think was the possible until I heard "This is a List of People Who Had it Coming" For fear of inciting a riot I will not repeat his words.<br /><br />That night was beginning of the official bouts. The first bout was one that everyone was looking forward to. I was surprised that tiny bar wasn't more full than it already was. Boston Cantab, NYC Nuyorican, Houston and Madison. So many brilliant poems were on that stage. Last year at finals I mentioned a poem about rape, where a woman was on stage, but a man was doing the voice from off stage. That man was on stage that night, and his poem was almost as terrifying. He has officially become the most terrifying poet ever. He has the most brilliant voice. To use his words, "If I was your lover and all you had was my voice, it would be enough"<br /><br />The next bout was Flagstaff, San Francisco, Kalamazoo, and Detroit. The judges were low scoring the whole night. Antranormous, our local MC from Flagstaff did a piece called the Wackest MC. It was all kinds of brilliant. Flagstaff dominated the whole night, and in the end came out on top. <br /><br />After the bout was the comedy showcase. This was unfortunately not as cool as I was hoping. There was some funny poetry, but a whole load of people were in the back of the venue talking loudly, so it was hard to get into the spirit of things. I put my name in the hat, but didn't get called.<br /><br />After the bout I tried to find a cipher, but was unable too, and was too tired to stay up and wait for one to start. It might have had something to do with me being up at 8:30 that morning. This morning I got up at noon, so I should be able to stay awake until people get tired of talking to each other.Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-19653015027655852712009-08-04T05:07:00.004-07:002009-08-04T05:41:55.665-07:00Nationals 2009, Day 1.I have no idea what makes this true, but poets are usually pretty cool people. I've spent the last 24 hours hanging out with poets and it's been great.<br /><br />I woke up at 4:00 Monday morning, so I could catch a 7:20 plane. As unpleasant as that was, I did get a bagel, and a new poem out of it. I really like this new poem, and I'm hoping to find somewhere to perform it today. The flight was okay, I met someone from Amarillo, who was also a slam poet. He also produced a comic, which he gave me a copy of. This comic is amazing, and is also a webcomic that you can find at: lildepressedboy.com He gave it to me a few minutes before we were supposed to be boarding our plane, and I was so engrossed, I almost didn't get on the plane.<br /><br />Upon arriving in West Palm Beach, the first thing I notice is the humidity. The air is sticky. I am not sure how this is possible, but trust me. This year may go down as the sweatiest Nationals (though I hear Austin in '07 was pretty bad)<br /><br />I got some pizza, and then went to the kick-off party. This years kick off party I think was better than last years. Last year it was more of a dance party with loud music, which made conversations tricky. This year the event was much more social. And since I don't drink or dance, I come to parties to socialize. I gave away 13 copies of my CD. Speaking of that CD, it now has a different cover. This is it:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sgViizObC8FMcg1MZn7MiXBxJiBITuIIfEs2kPASvmevX3-_SZpQWPLxT2KjJVcUvvOjGdC8aLBBtBcAt7kgMK-ffss_Ol2uqLKYZuBhWkvyBJ4kEQi7G9p7KTB-_0WdcGOGMfshtKA/s1600-h/cdcover.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sgViizObC8FMcg1MZn7MiXBxJiBITuIIfEs2kPASvmevX3-_SZpQWPLxT2KjJVcUvvOjGdC8aLBBtBcAt7kgMK-ffss_Ol2uqLKYZuBhWkvyBJ4kEQi7G9p7KTB-_0WdcGOGMfshtKA/s400/cdcover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366087799230174434" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />After the after party I went back to the hotel, looking for ciphers. For those of you who don't know, a cipher is when poets do poetry for each other, instead of for points on stage. It's really informal, and a huge part of the slam culture, not to mention a huge part of Nationals.<br /><br />That's pretty much everything important that happened yesterday (or at least everything I'm willing to mention on the internet for everyone to read (I'll let you decide if I'm kidding or not)) I'm off to go and find some breakfast.Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-41732461564514549152009-07-23T11:14:00.000-07:002009-07-23T11:14:47.573-07:00it's just some words and stuffIn 10 days, 20 hours, and 5 minutes I will be departing to West Palm Beach, Florida for this year's National Poetry Slam. Last year I went with the Tucson team, and it was amazing. I blogged all the way through Nationals, and I plan on doing the same thing this year.<br /><br />However, this year there is a notable difference. I am not on a team. I tried out for both the Flagstaff and the Tucson team, but unfortunately made neither of them. I'm traveling with the Flagstaff team, and plan on performing at as many side events as possible. Not to mention soaking in the general awesomeness that exists off stage.<br /><br />Because I am not on a team, this means that less people will hear my poetry. And because I'm an egotistical maniac who thinks my poetry is the greatest thing ever to grace this plane of existence I decided to make a CD.<br /><br />Because I'm not going to be on stage very much, I figure that asking people to pay 5 bucks for poetry they've heard very little of, is a bit unreasonable. So I'm going to give it away for free. I am casting off the chains of capitalism, and spitting in the face of traditional business, and [insert clever metaphor here]. Mostly I just want to get myself out there. I want people to have some idea of who I am, and what I do.<br /><br />However, there are a few barriers to this plan. The most notable of which is that I have no blank CDs. I also have little to no money to spend on blank CDs, and I'd rather not spend the money that needs to be spent on food at Nationals. Also I need to print the cases, so it's a bit more than a CD written on in sharpie. Speaking of the case, I have a cover for my CD. This is it:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDEnkr5uuv_CV1XltI5HCB83FsCwP8-liPuObWlY6KAqq8nX6y1tnh7BBBdZ5I3aVHxevaRZx-Yei_hksmsQ5v59zFmBCoREp07kslRwydaM1N33kMENn7mf_N95oQT6DnAVK-6OghCS4/s1600-h/poetrycd.jpeg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 358px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDEnkr5uuv_CV1XltI5HCB83FsCwP8-liPuObWlY6KAqq8nX6y1tnh7BBBdZ5I3aVHxevaRZx-Yei_hksmsQ5v59zFmBCoREp07kslRwydaM1N33kMENn7mf_N95oQT6DnAVK-6OghCS4/s400/poetrycd.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361719671703486674" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I'd like to get about a hundred of these,so if anyone wants to improve their karma and help me out, you would have my eternal gratitude. Also, I'll tell you a secret.<br /><br />I hope to be blogging more than I have been, so I should have another post up here in another day or three.Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-13858861776831105792009-05-15T14:57:00.003-07:002009-05-15T15:40:45.691-07:00Thoughts on Star Trek*The following post contains spoilers for the new Star Trek movie*<br /><br />When I first heard about the new Star Trek movie, I was ambivalent. Most of my Star Trek experience is with the Next Generation crew, and a healthy helping of Voyager. I had little to no attachment to Kirk and friends, which is probably why it took me a week to go and see it. The only reason I saw it at all was because countless people including <a href="http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2009/05/if-all-reboots-were-done-this-well-we-geeks-would-never-worry-about-reboots.html">Wil Wheaton</a>, sang it's praises. So today I went to see it. At first glance it was an exciting film with plenty of Trekkie indulging catch phrases, cool action, and even a compelling story with interesting characters. But the more I thought about it, the more I came to realize a very important, very terrifying possibility:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This film has the potential to destroy the decades of Star Trek canon that generations of fans have come to love</span>.<br /><br />Before the film came out, many people complained about the time travel aspect of the plot, arguing that the science fiction trope had reached the point of cliché. Maybe I haven't experienced enough science fiction to be tired of it, but I have no problems with time travel, and entered the film with high expectations. But then after walking out of the film, and comparing the events of the film to my knowledge of the events of the Star Trek world, I realized that Vulcan was never destroyed, and Spock never lost his mother. One of the most important aspects of a time travel plot is the point at which the "correct" reality is restored. This never happened. I have no problem with alternate realities, but they deserve only fleeting attention.<br /><br />This movie will not be the last, it is doing very well in the box office, and there is every reason to believe that there will be a sequel, maybe even two. It is even conceivable that a new TV series will be created. But these potential movies, and series will be based on the alternate reality created by the latest Star Trek Movie.<br /><br />The Star Trek canon consists of over 600 episodes, and 10 movies. All of that has been thrown out the window. That world, those stories, those people are being abadoned as a relic of the past. This epic canon is being replaced with one that will probably bear little resemblance to Gene Roddenberry's original vision. Star Trek is a story about culture, equality, and exploration. Those core values have no appeal to today's producers of TV and movies, and will likely have no place in this alternate timeline.<br /><br />Ever since TNG, there has been conflict between those wishing to stay true to Gene Roddenberry's original vision, and stories, and those wishing to follow rating trends by leaping headfirst into the popularity contest modern media has become. It seems as if the latter party has finally won. All Trekkies should bow their heads, shed a tear, and mourn the loss of our beloved world.Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-58087095638692813952008-10-10T20:23:00.004-07:002008-10-10T20:30:11.195-07:00Spaceship ExcellentA few weeks ago I posted about the Spaceship Excellent concert I went to. They finally posted the video on Youtube, though it is a bit disappointing. They tacked Flagstaff onto the end of their Roswell video and made it seem like it all happened in Roswell. There is also almost no footage of me dancing with my free hugs sign, though there is about a second of it. They did include me hugging the lead singer on the street. I didn't even know they were filming at that point. Anyway, here is the episode.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/G-PaFrmhHDo&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/G-PaFrmhHDo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-41705839041703665882008-10-09T10:40:00.001-07:002008-10-09T10:41:53.216-07:00Poetry Haiku #1<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Cool! I won the slam.<br />I did cool poetry and<br />Everyone approved.<br /></span></div>Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-83169032663889166002008-09-27T18:38:00.000-07:002008-09-27T18:38:57.549-07:00An Excellent DayThis morning I went to a peace march with my "free hugs" sign. The march itself was a lot of fun, but I didn't actually get that many hugs. After hanging out at city hall for a bit, I decided I would head out. I hadn't walked a hundred yards, and a man in a NASAesque jumpsuit, got a hug, and asked me of I like music. When I told him he did, he told me that Spaceship Excellent had landed in Flagstaff.<br /><br />"<span style="font-style: italic;">The</span> Spaceship Excellent?"<br /><br />I had seen these guys on YouTube. It was rather surreal to see them in real life. I hadn't ever heard their music, but they were on the internet, how could they be bad? It took me some time to find them (though I did give some free hugs on the way) When I did find them in a local taco shop, they had recruited about four people from the peace march. I spent the next two hours dancing three feet from the band, my free hugs sign in hand. There should be a video up on their website soon, and I will post it here.<br /><br />I think this free hugs sign is changing me. I never used to dance. I have resolutely refused, to move from the wall at several parties. Maybe it was just because I didn't have to worry about what to do with my hands; maybe it was because this music was so easy to dance to; maybe because I was only a few feet from the band, but I would never have done the things I did today a year ago.<br /><br />I have decided that I will do my free hugs thing on Thursdays when I only have one class. This free hugging business is quite addictive.Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-89326324601738649052008-09-23T20:20:00.000-07:002008-09-23T20:20:50.428-07:00Best Day EverI normally don't smile very much, so I was worried, that I wouldn't smile at people. Who wants to hug the frowning guy? I feel like I've been smiling non-stop for the past 8 hours. My face is sore.<br /><br />I showed up about an hour before the angry man said he would be there. I wanted to avoid making it seem like I was only there to oppose him. I walked to my post and held up my sign. About three seconds later a guy walks up and gives me a hug. I was hugged by a guy on a unicycle. I was hugged by about five people at once. And for every person that hugged me, ten walked by and smiled. It was those people that made this day amazing.<br /><br />When the angry man showed up his wife looked at me and said, "The same demon spirit on every campus, free hugs. Why don't you hug Jesus?"<br /><br />This made me very happy. Firstly because I got a response. I was hoping that they wouldn't just ignore me, though I would have had a great day even if they never showed up. Also because it means that people have had the same idea as me. These hate-mongers go to campuses around the country, and at those campuses, someone doesn't just yell at them, or ignore them, but actually takes productive action.<br /><br />After the angry folk had been there a few minutes, someone from Student Life shows up and tells me I have to go to their other free speech zone, because this one is reserved by the religious nuts (well, she doesn't use that term, but you get the idea). Of course the other free speech zone doesn't have the same foot traffic, and foot traffic is necessary to my cause.<br /><br />Fortunately there was a student organization fair nearby, so I asked the Peace and Justice group if I could go stand by them. Interestingly, though there was more people, I got less hugs. Even the number of people that smiled decreased. After thinking about it (one of the few pastimes a free hugger has other than smiling and hugging) I figured it out. All of the booths around me, made people pay less attention. They just wanted to walk by without someone handing them a flyer they wouldn't read, or try to make them sign something. Many people just didn't see me. Those people that did assumed I was part of a club. They wondered what I was trying to make them think or believe by giving out free hugs. A crowd had begun to form around the angry people, so I decided to relocate.<br /><br />I stayed across the path from them, only occassionaly crossing over to get free hugs from the hecklers/spectators. After awhile I decided to be a bit more bold with my free hugging. The angry guy had already refused a free hug, but his wife had not. She was talking at the moment, so I walked over and asked her if she would like a free hug.<br /><br /> She told me it would be innappropiate for her to hug anyone other than her husband. She then went on to say that Jesus that would not go around giving out free hugs. I told her I thought he would, and she started quoting bible verses. But I plan to combat her. I have some bible verse of my own.<br /><strong><br />Ecclesiastes 3:5</strong><br />A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to <b>embrace</b>, and a time to refrain from embracing;<br /><br /><strong>Acts 20:1</strong><br />And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and <b style="font-weight: bold;">embrace</b><span style="font-weight: bold;">d</span> them, and departed for to go into Macedonia.<br /><br /><strong>Genesis 29:13</strong><br />And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and <b style="font-weight: bold;">embrace</b><span style="font-weight: bold;">d</span> him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.<br /><br /><strong>Genesis 33:4</strong><br />And Esau ran to meet him, and <b style="font-weight: bold;">embrace</b><span style="font-weight: bold;">d</span> him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.<br /><br /><strong>Genesis 48:10</strong><br />Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and <b style="font-weight: bold;">embrace</b><span style="font-weight: bold;">d</span> them.<br /><br />I may have someone else read these, so I can maintain my lack of confrontation. I won't be able to stay for as long tommorow, as I did today. (I was there for over 8 hours today) But if one person walks by and smiles, then my effort is worth it.Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-81058694603576340642008-09-22T17:55:00.002-07:002008-09-22T20:12:44.588-07:00Hugging HatredToday on campus, there was a very incendiary, very hateful, "Christian" man. He espoused every hateful viewpoint you have heard Christians espouse. He shouted, condemned the gay students to hell, mocked those disagreeing with him, and was overall angry hateful, and close-minded.<br /><br />Though there were exceptions, many of the students responses were inspiring. One girl in particular sticks out in my mind. She had been on several Mission trips and had helped bring dozens of people to Christ. She and a few others did one of the bravest things I have ever seen. They prayed for this man.<br /><br />In the midst of all this hate (even some of the students were being rude to him) they showed a compassion that is little seen among today's people. In response to all that this hateful man said, I said "You're wrong, but I love you!"<br /><br />He is going to be back tomorrow, and was planning on making a sign with those words, but I decided on something simpler. "Free Hugs" There is going to be a lot of hate at this gathering tomorrow, and I intend to bring some love into it. Though I wish it was, this idea is not an original one. A man in Syndey came up with it first, and it has sparked a worldwide movement. For more information, just google "Free hugs"<br /><br />I'll be sure to post more after tommorow, and when I get my sign done, I'll post a picture of that.<br /><br />Edit: Here is my beautiful sign.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1WufM8tPxVWMxoDatmSKyXyLVBvxNHaatTyM5CnquRptBPclualBuDB8M3Vh7T5O-lmVFWYs5Yl6w_Xnwhr_tZ20cRFrNAFDks-Odpm0qP6phS4aARzwnE396RlxJLs7vBXmF2RAXvE/s1600-h/Photo+22.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1WufM8tPxVWMxoDatmSKyXyLVBvxNHaatTyM5CnquRptBPclualBuDB8M3Vh7T5O-lmVFWYs5Yl6w_Xnwhr_tZ20cRFrNAFDks-Odpm0qP6phS4aARzwnE396RlxJLs7vBXmF2RAXvE/s400/Photo+22.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249049300422205058" border="0" /></a>Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-75957164622646807222008-09-15T21:23:00.002-07:002008-09-15T21:25:58.367-07:00Observations Haiku #3<div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">Doing laundry blows<br />Hot air onto my clothing<br />And it really sucks.</div>Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-60173633729361375592008-09-14T16:55:00.001-07:002008-09-14T16:56:35.976-07:00Observations Haiku #2<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">All day spent reading.<br />My weak eyes are quite weary<br />Reality: blurred.<br /></span></div>Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-52196028796607922642008-09-14T09:19:00.001-07:002008-09-14T09:21:42.462-07:00College Haiku #1<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Early Sunday morn'<br />Mixed Blessing. Peaceful reading,<br />Dining hall still closed.<br /></span></div>Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-28116445552921712442008-09-14T00:00:00.003-07:002008-09-14T16:28:49.438-07:00Observations Haiku #1<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Are words on dumpsters</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Devalued by where they live?</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Or diamonds in rough?</span><br /></div>Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-32378330432097632492008-09-13T18:23:00.001-07:002008-09-13T18:24:21.509-07:00Flagstaff Haiku #1<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Such nice bus drivers<br />I get on returning bus<br />"Hi again" she says<br /></span></div>Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-4734335418322749512008-09-13T13:53:00.000-07:002008-09-13T13:53:52.138-07:00Vegetarian Haiku #1I haven't been blogging a whole lot lately, so in order to encourage myself to blog more, I am altering the format. I am going to try and post at least 1 haiku per day, about my life, or my thoughts, or maybe about something completely random. I may still post other things, but this will at least get me focused back on blogging. So without further pointless rambling, here is the first haiku<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Vegetarian<br />Changing my palate, so that<br />French fries are gross now.<br /></span></div>Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-32763644494353675752008-08-30T18:24:00.000-07:002008-08-30T18:24:36.878-07:00Ablic RightNo this is not an obscure philosophical ideal. It is not the latest fantasy novel, and it not a foreign word. Perhaps it will make more sense in context:<br /><br />Ablic right ame intion dowment the liber and eved int who had advocate begar owning convent off the.<br /><br />Makes perfect sense now, doesn't it? No? Well, what if you heard it spoken aloud by a talented actor? i.e. myself.<br /><br /><object height="110" width="300"><param name="movie" value="http://media.imeem.com/m/RHjgFYy0Wx/aus=false/"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://media.imeem.com/m/RHjgFYy0Wx/aus=false/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="110" width="300"></embed><a href="http://www.imeem.com/faldwin/music/nyz2oiVx/keybrcom_ablic_right/">Ablic Right - Keybr.com</a><br /><br />I'm sure you can tell me what this means now can't you? Are you sure? Well I suppose I will have to tell you. In my stumblings about the internet I discovered <a href="http://www.keybr.com">Keybr.com</a>. This site is intended to help you practice your typing. But I find it is worth so much more than that. Perhaps it is simply because I am such a Shakespeare nerd, but saying the words that the program produces, is endlessly entertaining.<br /><br />A beautiful combination of Jabberwocky and Shakespeare I could almost see this site being used as practice for actors. Try saying the words with emphasis and meaning, when true meaning doesn't even exist. I would ramble on about the alternative uses for this site, but I can't think of any more and the advocate begar is calling.<br /></object>Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-41455592130583017882008-08-24T16:53:00.001-07:002008-08-24T16:53:32.601-07:00The Spoony Adventures of Faldwin the BardSingle serving microwavable soups. Seemingly a convenient for college students to get food without having to make the arduous hike to the dining hall. However, the designers of this product overlooked one important element necessary to the consumption of soup: spoons.<br /><br />If they truly understood the college student, the manufacturers would have included a small disposable spoon in the package of soup. But alas, it was not meant to be. When I first realized that my collection of single serving microwavable soups were useless without that critical utensil, I immediately began to scheme. My first plan was to use some other implement in lieu of a spoon. But pencils lacked the scooping capability, and the top of the package of soup, was too unwieldy to handle. I needed something that combined the holding properties of a bowl, with the ergonomics of a stick. After a few unsuccessful trials with bamboo and coconut shells, I realized that only the genuine article would do.<br /><br />But where to acquire it? Most stores require that you purchase several spoons at once, often with matching forks, and knives. Disposable utensils were out of the question, being an environmentally conscious bard. And so I turned to my last resort: burglary.<br /><br />The aforementioned dining hall overflowed spoons, forks, and cutlery of all kinds. I had often seen some of this precious stainless steel, being thrown away by accident. Being an environmentally conscious bard, I couldn't allow such waste. So at my next visit to the dining hall, I cleverly avoided all stews, soups, and ice creams. Nothing on my plate required a spoon. But when the time came to get my utensils I took one nonetheless. My steely prize "accidentally" fell into my knapsack, and I went on my merry way.<br /><br />Now one might think that my troubles were over, now that my prize had been obtained. But the single serving microwavable soups are not equipped with heating devices. Not having a microwave, I took the elevator down from the sixth floor of my hall, to the first floor kitchen. I put the container in the microwave, and calibrated it properly. But I wasn't wearing any shoes, and the tile floor in the kitchen was cold, so I left the microwave to heat my meal in peace, and went up to get my shoes.<br /><br />I head back down to the first floor, only to realize that I do not have that one important element necessary to the consumption of soup: a spoon. So back up the elevator I go, into my room, to search for my spoon. I soon realize it had been in my pocket all along. So, I go back down the elevator, remove my soup from the microwave, and eat it. It was delicious.Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-11938350618359050032008-08-22T10:02:00.001-07:002008-08-22T10:21:28.795-07:0014 BoxesOr more accurately, two suitcases, seven cardboard boxes, two backpacks, one garment bag, and a footlocker.<br /><br />I am leaving for college. In only a few hours I will pile all that stuff into a rental car I still think will be too small, and depart for Flagstaff, AZ. I am going to be attending Northern Arizona University, to study elementary education. As my mini-bio the left says I hope to become a teacher. But I'm not thinking that far down the road just yet.<br /><br />All I can think about now is college. I get to live on my own, do what I want, eat what I want, and go to bed when I want. (Not that I haven't been watching anime into the wee hours of the morning already) Having a roommate should be interesting. I've shared a room with my brothers for most of my life, but this is different than that.<br /><br />I would wax on more about the philosophy of home, and travel, and moving on in life, but the rental car is here, and I must load it. Here is some college tios from the point of view of the wisest group of people in the world: ninjas!<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HCAuWZ4iWxI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HCAuWZ4iWxI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-23671182253518070742008-08-10T22:43:00.001-07:002008-08-10T22:43:56.478-07:00Nationals Wrap-up<p style="color:#008;text-align:right;" align="left"><span style="color:Black">Before I went to the National Poetry Slam, I said that it was a big party disguising itself as a competetion. Now having gone through the experience, I see that it is so much more than a party.</span></p><br /><p>In June of this year the Slam community lost someone great. Her name was Shannon Leigh. I never knew her, but last year she wowed everyone on the individual finals stage. She took third place, but many say she was robbed. Everything that I have heard about this young woman is amazing, and I am sorry I did not know her.</p><br /><p>The grip of capitalism cannot be escaped, even after death. It is very expensive to die in this country. So many people bought, Tshirts, CDs, and books of poetry by and for Shannon. There was such an outpouring of support, for this young woman, and her family. Almost immediately after she went into a coma a Livejournal community was started, and continued after her death.</p><br /><p>People say that the slam community is like a family. I saw that evidenced everywhere Shannon's name was mentioned, and even when it wasn't. We didn't just lose a poet, and friend. We lost a sister.</p><br /><p>Shannon was not the only phenomenon that opened my eyes to the beauty of this event. On Wednesday night, two of the people from Mesa announced their engagement. I cannot think of a better place to propose than the National Poetry Slam. I cannot confim anything, but there have been rumors that they will either get married, or repeat their vows, at next year's Nationals.</p><br /><p>Everyone you talk to about the National Poetry Slam will tell you this, but it really does have the atmosphere of a family renunion. Everyone knows everyone, and even though I knew hardly anyone it was easy to talk to people, and make new friends. Poets are great people.</p><br /><p>I can never fully explain what the National Poetry Slam is like. It has to be experienced. The ony thing that I know is that I want to go back next year.</p><br />Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-6481515954485494912008-08-09T19:59:00.003-07:002008-08-09T20:20:53.020-07:00Nationals Day Last - Charlotte WinsFinals night was amazing. There was poetry that made you cheer, and laugh, and stand on your feet. There was poetry that scared you out of your wits it was so beautiful. There is a reason that these teams were here. The four teams were Boston, NYC, Austin, and Charlotte. Charlotte won last year, so I was rather disappointed when they won again. But it was an amazing show. An amazing experience, and I'm glad to have been a part of it. Tomorrow I will post a general summary of Nationals as a whole. See you thenFaldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-70672455434404784142008-08-09T12:42:00.004-07:002008-08-09T13:21:12.404-07:00Nationals Day 5I didn't go to any of the day events this day. That probably had something to do with the fact that I was out till about dawn. Then I went grocery shopping. I bought some bagels and granola bars. I had lost my bagels, but then I just found them behind my laptop. The laptop that has hardly moved since I checked into this hotel. They were clever, but they have been found, and I have taken my revenge.<br /><img src="file:///var/folders/TH/THhpxdXsE5SWe2xHlByIwE+++TI/-Tmp-/com.apple.PhotoBooth-T0xa101e0.tmp.4I9PrG/Photo%206.jpg" alt="" /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihicDvotnHskwj2MqKUVZLmvxH54g-h4oqw_p0G9jKcTvpH_ZoW2tB_ntXu0FxBd0-t1MMQBQk0Qh5U9f04EuugCDWyQK9MPzAxHzJaGDlTPGWFUYFzSX0VI9eqF6B1HHSzAH4EXVuQS8/s1600-h/Photo+6.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihicDvotnHskwj2MqKUVZLmvxH54g-h4oqw_p0G9jKcTvpH_ZoW2tB_ntXu0FxBd0-t1MMQBQk0Qh5U9f04EuugCDWyQK9MPzAxHzJaGDlTPGWFUYFzSX0VI9eqF6B1HHSzAH4EXVuQS8/s400/Photo+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232609787579450594" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Obviously a last and a second to last ranking was not good enough for Team Tucson, but it's okay. In the words of my very wise team member, we served as the foundation for this event. Without us, those at the top of the pyramid would have nothing. I went to a semifinals bout, which had a whole bunch of awesome poetry. After the semifinals bout was group piece finals. The top twelve teams with the top scoring group pieces, that were not in semifinals competed.<br /><br />Some of the poems were amazing. The writing was really good, and the movement and group interaction made it better. Phoenix did really good, as did Honolulu, and New York Urbana. However the whole evening was not jaw droppingly awesome. Cleveland did a piece that was more experimental theater than poetry. Chicago's team... There are no words to describe it, but I will try.<br /><br />They did a poem about sperm. About ten lines into it several dozen people burst from back stage, hands behind their backs wiggling and swimming through the audience. The crowd went wild. People were on their feet. They had recruited every person they could, most of them on other teams to contribute to this spectacle. No one heard most of the poetry in the middle, but no one really cared. When it was over people began chanting "12! 12! 12!" If anything deserved that impossible high score, it was this.<br /><br />Now obviously this broke nearly every rule in the book. So the poem was not even scored, and immediately disqualified. But again, no one really cared.<br /><br />The only thing left to happen now is finals. The finals bout will apparently be between Louder Arts, Charlotte, Austin and Cantab I really hop that Louder Arts wins. They are from NYC, and have some of the most impressive stuff I've seen. I will post details about who won, and how, when the finas actually happens. Until then you will just have to speculate.Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-32257487197175495242008-08-08T22:55:00.003-07:002008-08-08T23:16:57.973-07:00Nationals Day 4Sorry I neglected to post this day, but here it is now and day five is on it's way. The first thing I did this day was go to the Hustle panel, intended to teach poets how to get more streams of income. I didn't learn a whole lot, but the panel was moderated by Taylor Mali. Being a bit of a fanboy, he was much of the reason I went in the first place.<br /><br />After that was the nerd slam. I had been looking forward to this one since I found out about it's existence. Unfortunately I did not get to perform, but listening to the trivia was fun, and I heard a lot of good poetry. I also got a consolation prize because they ran out of time and didn't draw my name. They gave me a big stack of comic books to add to the ones they were giving everyone else. So I'm going home with this:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpL-yvSwfBZDCWKl6CDD-LCP2tiR2bh1Zc4rKpqNBPWBY3cIQHWKN083h4gmjJdGFjXEy9DkUIN8Jcu_EdSOkdAg7icZoNB-5svGAyFAAfyr6MaQpvrwWRjsDron4gsLThhurPVUNP9Vc/s1600-h/Photo+5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpL-yvSwfBZDCWKl6CDD-LCP2tiR2bh1Zc4rKpqNBPWBY3cIQHWKN083h4gmjJdGFjXEy9DkUIN8Jcu_EdSOkdAg7icZoNB-5svGAyFAAfyr6MaQpvrwWRjsDron4gsLThhurPVUNP9Vc/s400/Photo+5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232395187622206354" border="0" /></a><br /><br />That night we had the late bout, so we got to see some poetry before us. The poetry was awesome, even though the lights, the sound, and the judges were all screwed up. But one out bout started the judges giving 2s left, the lighting improved, and the sounds we could deal with. I won't go into all the details of the bout, but basically everyone did an awesome job, and Team Tucson came in 3rd of four teams.<br /><br />After the bouts I went to ciphers. Wow. Just wow. I did the gnome poem, about how the garden gnomes are taking over the world. in the middle of the poem, a security guard walks by and I start following her, screaming about how all the lawn ornaments are conspiring together. It wasn't my best performance, but it was definitely the most fun. I didn't get to bed till about 6 in the morning. Speaking of ciphers, I am off to one right now. I will post Friday's events tomorrow.Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271798031057807716.post-77094437676201109522008-08-07T01:02:00.003-07:002008-08-07T01:26:10.005-07:00Wins, Losses, and Who Really Cares? - Nationals Day 3I woke up at 10:30 this morning, to go to the classics reading. I had a great time getting there (one way streets and artsy architecture are confusing) At the classics reading I read every single piece of classic poetry that I had with me, or memorized. There were only about seven people in the room, so we all got to read a bunch of stuff.<br /><br />After that I walked down the street into a pizza shop, bought a slice of pizza, stole their pen, and wrote 23 haikus. The haiku showdown was in an hour and I didn't bring any haiku. I then proceeded to get knocked out in the first round. Now I have all these cool haiku and no one to share them with. I need a cipher.<br /><br />That night Team Tucson had it's first bout. I drew the fourth slot for the first round. Kelly did a poem about her brother going off to war. In the second round we through a group piece about booger eating. I didn't write the poem, but I'm in it. That poem got the best audience reaction of any other poem at that bout. It also got the lowest score. An excellent combination in my mind. So many people commented about that poem after the bout.<br /><br />We ended up getting fourth place out of four teams, but we rocked all of our poems. We made all the right decisions about what poems to throw up. Everyone on the team including myself was very happy with what happened.<br /><br />At midnight I competed in the Decathlon Slam. This event is very difficult to describe, but what is most important to know is that it has very little to do with poetry. There was a food eating round, a sit-ups round, a trivia round, and even a round where you had to kidnap an erotic poet from the erotic reading going on at the same time. The winner was almost always completely arbitrary. For example I learned in the trivia round that nudity was banned from the National Poetry in the year Chicago. There were several rounds that were won by the moderator, a man in a Mexican wrestling mask. The competition was a team one, and by the end of the ten rounds my team had won none of the rounds. As such we were declared the winner of whole slam.<br /><br />Before I sign off I will grace you all with this haiku that no one but me has ever seen before. You should be honored.<br /><br />Paradoxical prejudice<br />The accessible entrance is locked.Faldwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04068790717881803262noreply@blogger.com1