Bad Breaks

Doubly bad news.

Carson York and John Boyett are out.  The two Oregon seniors (actually they've both already graduated) were the only two remaining members of the team to start in the 2010 NCG against Auburn.

Their savvy leadership and big play abilities will be sorely missed.

In addition, Josh Huff, Oregon's best receiver is out, along with several starting linemen.

Oregon is in deep poop.


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Bloggie Detail

Detail of a painting by K.C. Bacon.


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My Guitar

The guitar with which I will compose the music for A Marvelous Paranoia.  It's an old Yamaha.


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Political News

This, which is not surprising.

And this, keeping in mind that I believe they are both bums.







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Cultural News

The author of this piece is no Ben Fong-Torres or Greil Marcus, but he has a thing for Dylan and so do I.







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Sports News

(John Boyett, an All-American down and out for the season)

ESPN's Ted Miller says it's a worrisome situation.  He's right.

Losing Boyett, a great leader on the Oregon squad, is huge.  In fact, injuries are piling up in Eugene.  It's somewhat freakish, as the guys getting hurt are upperclassmen whose proven skills should have carried the team.

You can't count on nothin' in football it is true.

The youth movement is on full-bore now and the PAC is suddenly looking tougher with the emergence of several teams that, given reality, could give my Ducks a go-round.

UCLA is one, obviously, after torching Nebraska.  Fortunately the Ducks won't play them this season unless they knock USC out of the South Championship and Oregon wins the North.

Which happened in fact last year, because the Trojans were on probation and UCLA backed into the title game.

OSU looked like a dominate defensive team against Wisconsin, though I still can't see Mannion as a force at QB.

Arizona looked flat out scary, running hard to the ball on defense and showing excellent overall team speed.  Like UCLA's QB Brett Hundley, Arizona's QB Matt Scott looks fast and plays smart.

Arizona State also slapped Illinois, but it's hard to evaluate that game. Illinois is bottom tier these days.

Importantly, it is hard to evaluate my team as well.  Its two opponents have made Oregon look bad on a few occasions but didn't have the horses to truly threaten the status quo.


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Notes from the Bottom of the Pile

Welcome to my blog.

It's been awhile.  I took last week off.  I hope you don't mind. The psychotropics I've been ingesting like aspirin haven't kicked in like they normally do, so the fog of existence has at times been somewhat nasty.

It may be time to visit Dr. Benway yet again and have another surgery, or perhaps change my prescription.

I've been waiting...waiting...

My notes and observations of the past few days are in a shambles, but I shall gather them as best I can and clue you in.

The cool news is while I haven't been capable of producing my usual iconic prose at this site or feel the orgasmic release that comes with announcing the publication of an expected new book, I've added a few links to some important recent video work that defines the Round Bend ethos.

Up went a link to my Bukowski homage, a stellar collaboration with Buddy Dooley.  This is just a start folks,  so don't get antsy for more just yet.  One day you will be pleased and giddy about having known me and this wonderful blog.

One day RBP will smack you right between the eyes and the exhilaration to follow will scrub you clean.  The total memory of your sins will collapse.  You too will be free.

Up went another link to a video capturing the essence of Charles Lucas's Ubiquitous Serpentine.  The magic in this one is quite apparent and pleasing to the eye, much like the artist's website and intoxicating view of the molecular universe.

If you need a preview of Lucas's newest project in development, which you certainly do, I suggest you watch Rust: An Interview with Charles Lucas.  It features an interesting profile shot of Dooley in its opening as well as a number of the new photos that will comprise "Rust."

Prior to the sickness, did I mention The Deemer Interview?   This one is brilliant.  It came together late last month when I took Deemer for a walk in the park.  We chatted about his childhood and his work as both author and educator.

That's it on the press news for now.

It's time for the sports report...

No, on second thought I'd better not get started.  The nurse will be here shortly with another dose.  If I don't eat something before I take that shit all hell breaks loose.


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Convention Blues

Been there, done that.

Another view.







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My Projects

I'm looking forward to producing a number of personal video projects in the coming months.

The work on my video memoir is ongoing, and I'll have some original raw footage of England to incorporate into it next month.  Ought to give it considerably more breadth than it has.

Got to get the voice right on this, or it will simply be wrong.

I'd also like to produce a few more "read" pieces like the one I did of Jack Spicer.  Composing the shots for these will be the challenge.

I need to mull these things over, brood and experiment.

Finally, if I can muster the energy, I'd like to produce a video teleplay of The Opening.  I think it is my best play and just might be doable, provided I can find the actors.  A simple two camera shoot is feasible, I believe.


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On Kerouac

Suggested by K.C. Bacon.  I haven't seen this, but it indeed looks interesting.

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Uncle Tupelo

Uncle Tupelo was a revelation for me, especially during the early 90s No Depression era.  There is a fine soulfulness in this cover of the Bob Dylan version of a song with disputed roots.  It has wonderfully simple and plaintive acoustic work; an expressive and singular voice.

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No Choice: Hedges Slices Neoliberalism into Tiny Pieces

(Pictured:  Alexis de Tocqueville when he coached at UCLA)

Welcome to my blog.  I give you this link as a gift.

Chris Hedges is a rare thinker as commentator and right on as usual.




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The Weekend

The big story of the weekend was football-related.  The season finally arrived.

I managed to escape the unbearable lightness of being this weekend while enjoying a couple of games that I had long looked forward to.

Life is eighty-percent dread and twenty-percent something else, one reason I like to be entertained.  Quite incapable of entertaining myself, I rely on diversions to find contentment.  To not do this is to invite madness, which is always near-at-hand anyway.

Like many football fans over the weekend I was curious about the quarterback situation at Oregon.  I'd say they have a good one based on his short appearance Saturday night.

Yea!

My experience back in the day dictated that the team's best athlete didn't usually win the quarterbacking job.  The job went to the brightest fellow.  His smarts didn't have to be what are now referred to as football smarts, but the other kind.

Book smarts.  Football smarts didn't matter (they hadn't been invented).

He had to be a scholar in other words.

That policy had average kids like me confused.  Why, I wondered, did Joe play quarterback when he was neither a good passer nor fast runner?  It didn't make sense, and if the point wasn't to win why was I out there busting my ass?

My old team was regularly humiliated when I played in high school, and I always felt that happened in part because we had the wrong guy under center.

We didn't have a chance given that reality.  The final score could have at least been closer.

I certainly didn't enjoy getting thumped every Friday night on the football field back then, just as I do not like being thumped at anything today.

Who does?

My quarterback, Joe, was student body president and a straight A scholar.  He also had a great faith in God and threw up a lot of prayers that weren't answered.

Couldn't play football a lick.  Naturally, I disliked him because Tom or Don should have been playing quarterback.

One notices injustice, or should.


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Emptiness and That Sick Feeling That Comes With It

Welcome to my blog.

Another week, another political convention.

What a show!

Can this one be as delusional as the last one?

I'm betting it can because, by God, this is America, and Americans are exceptional.

Just ask them.


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Tough Morning

You know what the first clue is that somebody in your housing community doesn't like you?

When you leave your apartment in the morning dog shit is scattered in front of your door.

I speak from experience.

This place is lovely, inhabited by a fine group of idiots.

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