My Friday Evening Music

This week's selection made me work. I've tried for years to figure out this song's title so I could actually bring it up on YouTube. I only figured it out recently because of a Todd in the Shadows video that referenced music in 1982. The chorus is catchy, but the rest of the song doesn't quite match up to it. Out of the three songs I picked, Melissa Manchester's is the most interesting. I'll probably like it so I can hear it again, but I don't know if I could justify playing it in mixed company.

 

WAYTA, 9-17-26

Sleepy Joe something.

 

Wisdom with Conviction

Bruce Wise and Wise Words closes out Oddball Magazine. 

Thank you for reading us this week.

Who We Are

Janet Cormier's Bamboozled No More! is here.

Read it now for Friday at Oddball Magazine.  

City Haiku

Early fall harvest,
buses overflowing with
blossoming students. 

 

Irked

When someone puts up a $6 paywall to watch a video of them reading when the video is free on YouTube, you have to wonder what their thought process is.

Two-Step

Sometimes only I get the joke to my photo titles. That's fine. I'm the one who has to keep coming back here. Not you.

My Friday Morning Music

I probably heard this Doobie Brothers song in the car and didn't pay it mind, but then I heard the chorus in the Forrest Gump movie and wanted to hear it again. When I did, I was like, Eh. Despite the catchy chorus and the voice of Michael McDonald, this song just doesn't come together the way songs like "What a Fool Believes" does. Do all songs I find disappointing come from the seventies? We'll see.

 

 

Leopards Eating Faces Update!

 

Putting Kash Patel this week may be premature because he's not gone yet, but he's the first person who may have fed himself to the leopards!

City Haiku

September evening,
Halloween store stays open
for early haunting.

My Reply to Someone Who Sleeps with a Biden Shaped Pillow

 Seriously? It all has more of a fade to black feeling for me. Also, who is president now?

 

Peonie Boy

 

Read Chuck Stebelton's poem in the latest weekly poetry entry at The Arts Fuse.

Too Much

James Van Looy is back with It's All One Thing at Oddball Magazine. 

Happy Birthday, John Burroughs

 

 

Happy Birthday, Roland Bastien

 

 

Stone Soup Poetry All Open Mic, 9-16-26

From this week's online gathering. One more all-open mic as Stone Soup gets its footing back after a summer break. More to come!

 

  

Somehow, We Lived to Wave Again

Thanks to everyone for coming out yesterday to Stone Soup's all-open mic. Please come back next week for special feature Lee Desrosiers.

 

Afternoon Flea Bite!

 

"Saint Alan" makes an appearance in Roberta Beach Jacobson's Five Fleas Itchy Poetry  along with work from Noah Berlatsky,  Patrick Sweeney, Roberta herself and many others. Thanks to her for including my work again.

 

Oh, Wow

This Wednesday wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Better than last Wednesday.

Let's celebrate by getting together for Stone Soup's all-open mic. 

I hope you join us.

Not All Scorched Earth

The Chad Parenteau's Lost Causes newsletter for September 16 is up now at Substack. 

 

Things Are Different

Welcome new contributing poet Lilly Purdy and returning artist Thomas Riesner as we close out Oddball Magazine for Wednesday. Thanks for reading us. 

AI Shills Without AI

Chris Farley characters really are the best way to represent AI hucksters.

 

Aiming High

We start off Wednesday with the enigmatic Bryan and our returning photographer Jennifer Matthews. Welcome to Oddball Magazine on this special day of contributors.

 

Tending to Her Garden

 

Susan Sklan has her turn in this week's Lyrical Somerivlle. Read her poem now at The Somerville Times.

September 16: The All-Open Mic Continues

Being in a relationship with a teacher means I view September as the official start of the "new year." Please accept my apologies for the slow start. Come to our second all-open mic in a row tonight, and I promise to announce our first feature for September soon.

Join us on Wednesday, September 16, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM ET by clicking this link.

The meeting ID is 837 0804 4470

Password: stonesoup 

 

Look...

I'm all for wanting Jamaica Plain to keep it's local vibe, but promoting the message on the windows of the empty lot where the beloved Boomerangs thrift store used to be sends out a mixed message.

 

A Moment of Comics

When I was a kid, I didn't see or read many comics where Green Lantern Jon Steward and Green Arrow hung out. They seem like such an obvious pairing. The page below is not only the only team up of them I read as a kid, but it's also my introduction to Jon Stewart as a character. From Green Lantern #165 written by Mike W. Barr with art by Keith Pollard and inks by Dan Adkins.

American Haiku: Seven Republicans with Tears in Their Eyes

When I started my Sarcastic Haiku series, I wrote my first American Haiku. An American Haiku doesn't care about tradition, formality or history. it takes as long as it wants to make its point because America. You can read others I've written since by clicking here and scrolling down. 

American Haiku: Seven Republicans with Tears in Their Eyes

 

Lord Savior Trump,

we're terribly sorry, but

we just don't feel like killing brown people anymore.

Happy Birthday, Puma Perl

 

 

Happy Birthday, Aaron Goldstein

 

 

Beautiful Leftovers

This shot taken while sitting on rickety chairs at the unbussed section of a restaurant's deck and waiting to be called to the main dining room while being surrounded by wealthy people who reuse to move the first two times you say "Excuse me" is a perfect capstone to this summer. I still have videos to post, but as far as photos go, I think I'm done.

Your Wednesday Morning Poetry

Through this essay I found a poem by Palestinian poet Fady Joudah. Read "Mimesis" on the Poetry Foundation website. 

To Generation X

Obvious, really.

New Trailer Out

New season at last!

Special for Today

Jamilla VanDyke-Bailey offers up an essay and book review. Enjoy our beefed up Tuesday at Oddball Magazine. 

New Series at Last!

Never Say, Part One: Remember. Read it on my Patreon.

Tall Order

CJ The Tall Poet appears with artwork by Edward Michael Supranowicz. 

Happy Tuesday from Oddball Magazine. 

This Week's Most Distinguished Network Name

It's amazing what people will name their online networks. I'm always trying to hijack Wi-Fi when I'm commuting, so I often come across a number of interesting names. Every Tuesday, I post the most impressive and/or cringe-inducing names. 

Again, the world mocks my lack of public Wi-Fi where I live.

Damn

I can't handle the chaos.

 

Oddball Stories with C. Christine Fair

Thank you for reading Oddball Magazine this Monday.

 

Been a While

 

"Right Now" is my latest Truth Social blackout poem up now at Medium.

Downgrade

Poet John Roche and artist Eric N. Peterson team up for a special Monday post at Oddball Magazine. 

 

Tonight: The Contro-Verse Open Mic at Urban Media Arts in Malden with Keaton Howl

From 7:00 to 8:00 PM. Doors open at 6:30 PM. At Urban Media Arts on 145 Pleasant Street in Malden, MA. Hosted by Anna Geoffroy and Ethan Mackler. Click here for more information.

(Tap Tap Tap)

Anne Skove's latest comic of accomplishments is up now.

Read "She Who Laughs Lasts" is up now at Oddball Magazine. 

This Series is Starting to Hurt

 

It's Later Now, Part Fifty-Three: Special Parking. Read it on my Patreon. 

No Satisfying Click

Mike Mesterton-Gibbons slams the phone down on a recent AI battle to help kick off the week. Welcome to Monday with Oddball Magazine. 

Missed Last Monday

I forgot to note last week that my poem "Phase" was published last Monday as part of "luckycreature" Shawn Scott Smith and his Mucky Mondays publication. Thanks to Shawn for the opportunity.

 

Get to the Tiny!

We all need an emergency cute injection for Monday, so here's Tiny (pronounced "teeny"), who I've seen quite a bit of this month.

Practice Haiku

“Not in Service” sign
flashing on top of each bus
over and over.

Happy Birthday, Bruce Morton

 

 

Happy Birthday, Ryan Bozeman

Keep writing. 

Happy Birthday, Megha Sood

 

 

Start the Monday with a Little Victory

I love that this graffiti from Big ⇡ 02130 is still up. Probably because with it's green Woodstock birds against the green backdrop it looks like it was part of the original design. 

This Week's Friendly Reminder

Labor Day is long done. Back to work.

My Monday Morning Music

This week I'm focusing on songs that don't hit the way you hope they do. My inspiration came when I heard the chorus to "This Is It" by Kenny Loggins. It made me want to listen in the song in full. When I did, I was disappointed. Aside from the chorus, the song had nothing else going for it. We know Loggins wrote better, snappier songs in the years to come, but it's ironic that his one hit not based on a movie soundtrack is among his weakest.

 

 

Happy Birthday, Jack Powers

In Search of a Goat with a Vote

I would love to write something up about the Goat with a Vote group which was active in 2000. The above photo was taken from the debate at the first George W. Bush and Al Gore debate at UMass Boston on October 3, 2000, but I first encountered them during the Republican National Convention earlier that same year in July and August. 

One of My Favorite Photos

One of my ongoing tasks has been to sort through documents and photos from the early 2000's. This was from the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia. This image of the cop by the anarchist symbol and Mumia sticker had just the right amount of symbolism I could get behind. Sadly, I was sick and hospitalized before I could do anything with this material. I plan on coming back to this and other material from that event-filled year.

How It's--AAAAAHHH!

Ah, America.

Your Weekly Dose of God

My partner's mom had this in her room before she passed away. 

Happy Birthday, Audrey Mardavich

 

Happy Birthday, Kacy Fallon

Glad your work's out there again.

My Saturday Haiku for Bluesky, 9-12-26

Saturday is just

one more morning where the sun

screams "Get back to work!"

Out

I’ll be off the grid for hours.

Maybe for the entire day.