the smedley log - suburban scrawl

The eve of ‘08

I’ll begin with a note to all those who might visit this afternoon or evening, wishing everyone a happy, healthy 2008.

The past year has been interesting, sometimes in a good way. Sometimes not so much. I moved this past year and I expect to assimilate to the new surroundings and reality eventually – but not quite yet. I learned a few new things about myself this year, especially in the past few months. As usual, I wish I could have learned some of those lessons without the accompanying experiences, but I’m not sure I’ve ever learned much of anything the easy way.

Still, I have hope that the new year will bring good things, as I hope it does for everyone reading this. And speaking of reading, I’ve begun concentrating my writing efforts elsewhere. If you’d like to check out the new target of my efforts, feel free to visit  .

Best wishes for the new year,

howard

cancer 9

boost immunity
expose yourself to those with
generous spirits.

Friday random ten
(such a dirty habit)

I’ll see you again when the stars fall from the sky,
and the moon has turned red over…

One Tree Hill – U2
That’s Just What You Are – Aimee Mann
One Way Out – Allman Brothers
Dare You to Move – Switchfoot
Rosebud – Ryan Adams & the Cardinals
Willingly – Vigilantes of Love
Four Seasons in One Day – Crowded House
Lakini’s Juice – Live
Solidify – Sheryl Crow
I Wanna Be Like You – Los Lobos

Worlds above and worlds below:
Ben
Cziltang
Jessica

poor trade

growing up you’ll find
people lose in innocence
what they gain in age.

Christmas greetings…

I hope everyone’s holidays go well this year and that the new year is a great one.

Friday random ten
(lemonade stands everywhere)

“I’m afraid I’m not all that you see
all along the coast of me;
I’m camouflaged,
a desert mirage,
a nobody…”

Nobody Number One – Over the Rhine
What You Need – INXS
Daylight – Better than Ezra
Mr. Magoo – 77s
Moondance – Over the Rhine
On the Good Ship Lollipop – Lost Dogs
Endgame – R.E.M.
James – Huffamoose
Bartering Lines – Ryan Adams
Too Cool for School – Fountains of Wayne

Heart-strings that play soft and low:
Ben

altruistic impotence

what good is it when
those with the best intentions
tend to lack the means?

Referrals

Traffic to the smedley log has dwindled over the past few months. This hasn’t surprised me in the least, especially considering how little attention I’ve been paying to it since I moved in September. I’ve come to accept my dwindling share of the blogosphere since then.

All of which made a small spike in visits all the more obvious the past couple days. Two factors went into the aforementioned spike. One was Troy Worman’s generous outstanding blogs meme, which happened to include this site. While I don’t have the energy or time to create a similar list (I’m not quite sure who would have that kind of time), I did want to acknowledge the effort Troy put into it. Check out his exhaustive list, if you can. There are a bunch of good reads on it. Troy is also currently blogging at Process Geek.

The second source of increased traffic was from an even more unexpected entity. I was actually getting hits from the Wall Street Journal website, specifically the page pictured below:

Can you see it yet? Look a little closer:

While it’s kind of cool to be getting referrals from the Wall Street Journal, it’s cheapened a little when the post they link to doesn’t really have much to do with the article on their site.

Friday random ten
(just like two balloons)

They were making available the dreams of the past,
for a limited time, while the supply lasts…

Offer – Vigilantes of Love
Happy Being Lonely, Lonely Being Happy – Vigilantes of Love
Comfortably Numb – Dar Williams
Jezebel – 10,000 Maniacs
Blossom and Blood – Midnight Oil
Grey in L.A. – Loudon Wainwright III
Hunger – Nicolai Dunger
Loves Comes Tumbling – U2
Constantinople – The Decemberists
Sock Heaven – Steve Taylor

Happy coincidence: The first two songs had me wondering if the entire list would be coming from the Vigilantes (which for me would be no problem at all).
Inspired by Knocked Up: The Loudon Wainwright number is off the soundtrack album from the aforementioned motion picture. On a related note, I’ve been attempting to solicit haiku from a couple of my Modern Letter Project contacts. This week, one of my most faithful (and entertaining) correspondents sent me one, and it’s inspired by the same film as the Wainwright tune. (I’m not sure the writer consents to this publication, but she had to know it was a possibility, right?)

You don’t get pinkeye
from wayward poop particles.
That is just a myth.

All people with dreams:
Ben
Fred

At least they’re not bragging about the copy-editing

From the text of an ad touting Philadelphia Media Holdings’ improved circulation numbers in last Sunday’s Inquirer special business section:

“Critics had said ‘pigs will fly’ before the Inquirer and the Daily News gain circulation. Well, they flew earlier this year and they’re flying again. The Philadelphia Inquirer had it’s largest circulation gain in five years and ranks #1 in daily circulation growth among the top 50 U.S. newspapers. The Daily News has had it’s first circulation gain in nine years. And not to be outdone, philly.com experienced a dramatic 42% growth in pageviews.” [emphasis added]

I’m one of those folks who’s genuinely rooting for the local newspapers to do well, so I should at least commend the Philly papers for improving circulation in a climate increasingly unsympathetic to dead tree journalism. Being familiar with a few of the faces behind the Inquirer and Daily News, I’m truly happy for them.

That said, here’s a brief grammar refresher:

its = possessive form of “it”
it’s = “it is”

one that got away

wanting her happy
should’ve been more important
than just wanting her.

Friday random ten
(breaking the fall)

“You see so much,
see not much at all…”

Estoy Sentado Aquí – Los Lobos
North and South of the River – U2
Too Busy Thinking about My Baby – Marvin Gaye
The Other Side of Summer – Elvis Costello
Much Different – Richie Angelucci
We’re the Same – Matthew Sweet
Sinaloa Cowboys – Cracker
Stupid – Toad the Wet Sprocket
I Still Love You – Glen Phillips
Glory and the Dream – Vigilantes of Love

I don’t add the commentary on songs much anymore, but I have to say, among a bunch of fantastic tunes on this list, the Glen Phillips song is a great love song – by which I mean a song about people appreciating each other for who they are rather than their superficial trappings. I could go on about several of the other songs, but I’ll spare you the inevitable ramble that would follow.

Can we stop playing these old tattoos?
Ben
Fred

If I had a million dollars…

I was recently thinking about a concept I’d call a “lottery list.” In short, it’s a theoretical list of people or causes you’d help in some dramatic way if you were to win the lottery (or come into some other significant windfall). [Read more →]

currency

I’m not who I’ve been,
though I can’t remember when
things were different.

Tony Baloney

I ran into Tony yesterday.
He must’ve been on his break
when he spotted me in line at the food court.
We sat and talked over lunch.
It had been a while.
[Read more →]

conversational confession

cool menthol woman,
with lips as fast as lightning,
how you speak to me.