Favorite poems: Lucia Perillo’s.   Her book Luck is Luck is really good.  So is the older one I’m reading.  Here are the opening lines from “In Light of the Absent Constant”  which I think set up a great premise for a poem about distance of various kinds: 

I don’t trust the few fixed sums, like the speed

of the light that falls precicely on the lawn,

there but not there, clap on, clap off–

to indicate the shadow of the tree.

Something suspicious about that kind of precision

coming from something moving as fast as

the speed of light: you would think

we’d be dealing with a blurry edge.  Blur I could trust

in what comes from a distance:

Favorite pre-election commentary:  Jon Stewart’s primer on how to create an effective attack ad, followed by an incredible video montage.  (video should load automatically in a pop-up window).

 

Favorite song:  Bob Dylan’s apocalyptic folk ditty, “Ain’t Talkin’,” from his CD Modern Times.  Here’s

 a short clip.

 

Favorite Reality TV:  Mythbusters

 

Favorite Commercial: I’ve scoured the internet but can’t find a clip or a still of the latest Cheez-It ad.  The ad is mostly just silly, but the little girl in it, I’d guess she’s about seven, has great comic timing.  Some people at a picnic table are wondering how the crackers got so cheesy.  Though there are only three of them, the girl raises her hand as high as it will go, hoping to get called on.  Cut to stupid sequence involving giant ball of cheese.  Cut back to little girl: “Cheese it,” she says, crinkling her plastic cup for effect, raising an eyebrow. Gets me every time.

 

Favorite Moment of Real-Life Absurdity:  Wandering through a six-story building looking for the office where I have an interview.  I’m clad in my smart beige suit and demure pink accent jewelry, briskly wandering the halls looking for Suite 540.  I round a corner and nearly collide with a very tall Darth Maul. 

 

Favorite Snack:  Yogurt-covered pretzels

 

Favorite Beverage:  Diet Squirt over Ice

 

Favorite Uplifting Story:  Scott Adams’ account of regaining an ability he’d thought was lost forever.  Link via Nerdygirl.

 

Favorite Paper Product: Scratch paper.

 

Favorite Health-Related Product:  Chewable vitamin C.