San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)

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Wednesday, November 24, 2010 THE STATE OF DEATH PANELS We were told over and over again that the horrors of Obamacare would leave people dying in the streets as bureaucrats would decide who lives and who dies. The reality of states taking over Medicaid plans and outsourcing them to private insurers is that the insurers do the same thing now, only with the goal of maximizing a profit from it. Case in point: One of the most destructive practices of private health insurance companies is the practice of denying care to customers for frivolous reasons. Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Human Services started including denial rates on its information section about health insurance companies on HealthCare.gov, in an effort to inform the public about this practice by the industry. It was this practice of frivolous denials that ended up costing Jacksonville, Florida woman Alisa Wilson her life. For months, Wilson, her family, and the surrounding community had been pleading with her HMO to approve coverage for a liver transplant. Although Wilson was enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program, she was not guaranteed care because she was “forced to join a private plan as part of a Gov. Jeb Bush-era experimental overhaul of the program,” meaning she had to deal with a private, for-profit insurance company to get her care, not a government agency accountable to the public. Bush’s overhaul made “Florida the first state to allow private companies, not the state, to decide the scope and extent of services to the elderly, the disabled and the poor, half of them children,” the New York Times reported in 2005, as the move was being considered. “[N]o one is proposing changes as far-reaching and fundamental as” Bush, the Times noted. After “scores of e-mails and…the help of a Florida state legislator,” the HMO, Sunshine State Health, finally gave in and approved coverage for Wilson two weeks ago. Yet her health was too severe for surgery by then. On Friday evening, Wilson passed away. And the fact of the matter is in nearly all states, some or most Medicaid plans are administered by for-profit private insurers as managed care plans. The bureaucrats getting between you and your doctor on Medicaid aren't government, they're unaccountable private insurance companies. A large part of health care reform is to hold these companies accountable when they administer Medicare and Medicaid, but of course they've talked millions of Americans into "repeal tyrannical Obamacare!" and whatnot. Unless you have the money to pay for health care when insurance companies deny it, you already have faceless drones deciding who lives and who dies for money. They're called "claims approvers". There's a reason why some states want out of Medicaid: so they can funnel patients to insurance companies, and not have any federal accountability to go along with those federal dollars.

The Third Coast International Audio Festival

The ThirdCoast Audio-Festival presents a wonderful pod-cast highly recommended for all listeners of all ages and stripes!  It is easy to forget that audio offers so much in this contemporary "Visually Stunning," World, yet, there are amongst our midst those who appreciate radio, audiowork, audiobooks, and in that category blind, and dyslexic persons certainly fit.  Excellant site, excellant podcast!

The Offstage Voice

The Offstage Voice

I am hoping this Tumblr site I created, ironically, will POST to "tumblr?" I guess, this should look, feel, be a nested dolls type of situation, if it happens. Ist.

Aeonic45 (45 is looming largeness) :) Liz

Customize | Tumblr

Customize | Tumblr

I tried to add the following to the page I created at Tumblr, however, I keep doing something wrong and it isn't working! :(

I spend so much time online, I am going to finish this up right now by pasting in what really amounts to a blog post anyway.

Time always passes. Here it is another day. I was granted a ONE MONTH EXTENSION by my Ulysses "BC" (Book Coordinator) Gesine. I feel very grateful as I wanted to ask for a month but whimped out and guiltily asked, in exact terms for "two weeks" saying I was certain I could finish both chapters from the "Sirens" segment of "Ulysses" by James Joyce within that time.

However, in the course of my typically ramblin' stylized letter, I did, toward the end "defer" to the better judgment of my "BC" and said what amounted to "Gesine, as the BC, I'd just like it if you give me some time to permit me to complete my part of the project. Obviously, you'll make any decisions, and will do so based on your longstanding experiences at Librivox which led to your assuming a difficult position like that of a "BC" fills. If you feel I must complete this within less time, you will, or if you can offer me even more time, which would be just great, you will do that. In fact, if you do not feel that you can extend my project with me any longer...but must "orphan" it now, (in other words-- take the project from me, or make me give it up as an "orphaned child" which they say at Librivox of chapters that are not "claimed" using just such language ;) then you will do that clearly! I will go by whatever you tell me to do, obviously, as you are da "BC!" What you say ultimately goes :)

And, yay, Gesine has alotted me the month I didn't have the cojones to ask for up-front. Maybe he read between the lines and figured I was actually asking for this, or, as I think actually, he just really figured that a) there's time left to complete this very long-term project and b) I will need the month to complete this.

He wrote that it takes three times as long to do the editing for him than the actual reading. He also wrote that I will get the hang of the editing as time goes on and I gain experience and that I will get so I can read the "waves" (soundwaves) in print as if they were legible themselves, as he is now able to do, in order to know what is happening and scrutinize the recordings and figure out the needed tweaks, and find the bells and whistles that are messed up or in need of placement or changing out.

As with any job, this is really a tall glass of water to drink! There's a lot of "Insider language" or "shop-talk" that must be learned in order to deliver and make good on promises and "end-products."

Also, on the best side, I received word today from my other BC Amy from "The Marble Faun" that ALL of my chapters are "a-okay" enough to go onwards without any corrections being called for. She says things are acceptable after "PL" (or "Proof-Listening") as they stand! I was thrilled! She says that soon the whole thing, as an "audiobook" will be made available through the Librivox catalog of books. I am psyched by this, extremely psyched! I will be able to listen to my own contributions through my "Audiobooks for Free" link that Librivox offers as an application to IPod Touch and Iphone consumers. Alternately, persons that want an audiobook from Librivox can listen to "The Marble Faun" for free on any computer with speakers (internal and/or external) which is pretty much everyone's set up and has been for a very long time. People can hear all of my chapter together and fast forward or book mark the chapters as well, I believe, even on laptop or desktop through the Librivox formatting. Yay! "The Marble Faun" will soon be offered in the Librivox catalog as a complete audiobook.

I could not be more pleased, nor more proud.

Customize | Tumblr

Customize | Tumblr

This is my new and improved website. I like how it's looking, and feel confident that this is an actually kinda kewl appearing site with lotsa potential cranked in. Hope others like it. I got the idea viewing John Landers BEAUTIFUL site, and, well, just got the idea and website bug is all.

I've been trying (TRYING is the key word, argh, frustrating) to blog, at blogger.com, pretty unsuccessfully...till now.

Not only do I not have John's keen eye for symmetry, detail, effects (photography wise, he's evolved into a pro!) I don't have a wonderful art/fashion forward portfolio comprised of shots taken and developed over time!

Obviously, this isn't to be the reason for my site: the lo-fi sound aesthetic in music, is readily peppering my speech and I know, kind of, what I want this to start looking like, however, it's a "work in progress..." VERY MUCH. As "LoFi" is to music "LoMob" and the LoRes camera aesthetic keeps the Nostalgia buttons toggling. I would even say "McSweeney's Lit Magazine" is a Lo-Fi Literary confection referencing nostalgia mainly, as its theme.

Bearing that in mind, I cannot testify or offer testimonial to what may be a final draft or final cut formula I am only finding my way into now...first off, as "The Offstage Voice" or an "audio literary actor" beginning the whole newfangled hi-fi (ironically) audio-recordings endeavor.

All the pops, hisses, and distortions relished, cherished, beloved, sanctified and sought out by musical bands I particularly love and understand as "lo-fi" and "nostalgic" right now, are precisely what I have to fight my losing battle with (thus far, to the extent that there is a near perfect hi-fi sound the folks at Librivox where I am reading audiobooks aloud for free, are striving for, from their volunteer power-squadrons).

The irony is, my enemy is comprised of an array of any and all "ambient" noises (well, they are ultimately) and any extraneous sounds not made simply by my voice reading in a refined, amplified, noise-controlled and subtracted way. The aesthetic at Librivox is one completely devoid of pops, hisses and everything "lo-fi" and muffled, scratchy or so-called "unprofessional" sounding. When I began recording for the blind over a decade a go this was done on a simple tape recorder.

Now audiobooks are a staple, without giving "the blind" their due as the vanguard audience they were, and as the ultimate trade recipients of so much of the earlier experiments in literary recordings, aside from spoken word poetry, with its fire and brimstone madness and its very far from "clean, and tinctured" hospitalized green-room anestetic aesthetics.

In doing this to the spoken word, Librivox is thwarting the whole emphasis held aloft as a golden mean as the whole emphasis of indie-rock at the moment is thwarted and subjected and ignored by those who are striving for ever more perfect "sound" in home studio envioronments, even and especially in the digital mastery and the reading of audiobooks. It's really schizophrenic, to think of it in these ways, at all.

Well, I will have much more to say as I return to the site and the blog (which are linked) at another time to discuss the ins and outs of "audio voice work" as a "voice actor" I dub "The Offstage Voice" and a "Walkie Talkie" such as myself. St. Vincent's song "Actor Out of Work" strikes me as particularly poignant in my rare frame of mind. It is my current anthem, but too rich to listen to on an everyday basis, and hence, ironically, also, a bit schizogenic as a choice of my current contemporary anthem.

YET I do declare, "Actor Out of Work" is the anthem for me it is. :)

Well, all, "over and out."

Hypertextual Consciousness 1.0

Hypertextual Consciousness 1.0

This is one of the FIRST old-skool new-hypertextual forked paths reading which is all about nuconsciousness, postmodernism, cybernetics, computer-consciousness, AI, hypertext. Very interesting. Also intriguing takes on sexuality. Multimedia in nature. HUGE in scope. Amerika made history with THIS! :)

Spirit Airlines - cheap tickets, cheap flights, discount airfare, cheap hotels, cheap car rentals, cheap travel

Spirit Airlines - cheap tickets, cheap flights, discount airfare, cheap hotels, cheap car rentals, cheap travel

Hmmm. Seems to good to be true, only I know it to be true. It is based on availability, plus the nine dollar per club fee is actually 40.oo per annum/year.

It still winds up a very affordable package plan. I am pretty sure one can purchase tickets for up to two travelling together (they must, I think)...

It would be a really nice fare to go to NYC and honestly, while up there, we could do a Halloween/Day of the Dead thing if it is close enough (tho those tickets may be prepurchased?)

I would love to see some great live music myself! I am gonna put out feelers to see if we could stay with Clint and travel with him to see a fine band like Deerhunter (they'll be playing up his way sometime soon). Or, perhaps Pat and I could stay with Jeff and we could ALL go party in Atlanta?! I dunno if Jeff would feel up to something like that, I have most of his CD playlist burnt tho, and maybe he would be interested in hearing those bands live for some of the songs? Stranger things have been known to occur, like seeing tiny green people from Saucer-craft in Roswell, NM! :)

Well, if we can stay with Anaite in NYC, I think that would be the best bet. Shopping is sooooo cheap in NYC. I totally remember that. Thrifting is GREAT. The weather in October-November is EXTRAORDINARY... and the bands ALL play NYC. I could catch at least one cool one, if not more than that, and Pat and I could arrange for some cheap theater tickets and see what kinda exhibits there are at the time. It would be a really nice getaway/return to my favourite living place (except for London, of course, and well, Oakland was actually quite nice as well, the way it was gentrifying and adjacent to Berkeley. I'll never forget the aromatic Pacific in SF's whole cityscape. I loved "the Mission" and the hispanic latin xicana flavor of that place MOST OF ALL! Then, in Oakland there were these aromatic trees, which in Berkeley were even more prevalent over by Berkeley college where Patti and I saw MANY great shows! We saw "Laurie Anderson's Moby Dick" (excellant, amazing musical inspired theatre, Pat loves Laurie's voice, which is pretty unique), then Diamanda Galas live, and she had an amazing operatic vocal range and had moved past only dirges and was singing songs like "Downtown" interpreted through her Greek "mourner" soulfulness, the hairs stood up on my arms and the back of my neck and I felt a strong strong clusterfuck of energy burst right in front of me, and palpate and pound inside of me with percussive hits. Finally, we saw Pina Bausch's "Tannztheater Wupperthal" which was just visually amazing, and the dancers so athletic and the choreography wunderbar, so enlightening and soooo engaging and surprising! It was great living out West for the wonderful DIY hippy-punk lively artists and dance scenes. I loved the "Yerba Buena Center For the Arts" better than ANY other Museum I had frequented. They had bubbly candy-coloured Apple Macs in their snack space where I'd surf and email to my heart's content almost every day. It sure beat paying mucho dinero at the Cyber-cafes which did great business in that Dot.commie town! The artists that exhibited at Yerba Buena were all amazing! It was at Yerba Buena I first ran into Guillermo Gomez-Pena's work. He's someone both Patti and I love for his cheeky sardonic and sexy takes on Border-Crossing and multi-culturalism which he makes into stagey shows and displays of poetics and sheer wit! And boy, what a sexy dude! I also saw him read at CityLights books, who published him. I actually had him sign a book I still own by him "The Temple of Confessions." It has photos of he and cutie-pie collaborator Roberto Sifuentes doing their performative dirty-work! Finally, I saw an amazing Butoh dance performance by a husband and wife team called "Harupin-Ha." I missed catching the WHOLE festival, but seeing this, was to FEEL it right in the gut, a sizzling tingling in the tummy or breadbasket, plus a throbbing pulsing responsiveness in the heartspace of my chest. I would feel a connection to the Dancers that was really very near totally hypnotizing. I felt a connection as if by invisible strings, and they I felt such a sense of gratitude, empathy, warmth, and hospitality alternating with sadness and other cathartic things the couple would evoke and inflect so the Audience would all be on the same page and would really feel the burn and feel the love.

I know I am digressing, but, as to being a Walkie Talkie, the Talkie part also needs to be addressed properly I feel.

After witnessing "Harupin Ha" I was overcome by the spirit of Butoh, as I knew it from the first-hand encounter with the couple. I bought a poster which I fear I no longer have (I should look in the garage). I had that hanging when I didn't hang "posters" out in our Dome (a pleasure Dome indeed) we inhabited out in Oakland, which was just, beyond our slender means. Plus, evil wasps lived in clusters in these outside aromatic feeder trees and I was terrifed to go outdoors. Once outdoors, having eaten a delicious gourmet hamburger while Patti ordered her favourite Portabello Mushroom burger on a bun, I'd be terrified to go to my own door past the sentinels filling the trees with their rage and menace like Furies.

Well, I wanted to be a Butoh dancer after seeing Harupin Ha. I looked up much on Butoh, and one doesn't require the same training that is so strenuous as say Ballet requires. Many of the postures adopted are actually postures meant to imitate the body of a crippled person. I thought "hey, I can sure imitate or impersonate that! I am halfway there in my day to day affairs." It was a fact I used a cane at that time my left side in the lower region and my lower back were just sooo very troubled and wracked by pain. I imagined that Butoh could cure me, could set me free, as though it were a discipline of that nature like Qi Gong or Tai Chi (which always made me feel fantastic after following a teacher or master for only a half-hour or so, enacting a set of rules, following a specific formula, embodying the form).

I am just now reconnecting with some of my past endeavors. Butoh? I'd LOVE to see more of it. I'd love to be able to participate in it, with a masterful performer/choreographer not with a charlatan or too Yankee-hybrid-dance-troupe or dancer which I have seen happen. They pith the body of Butoh and the spirit is evacuated in the process, which is to say, some Dancers, generally American, the Germans often do a fine job at interpreting Butoh, and add and mix "expressionistic dance" of the Bausch variety in which adds rather than takes away. As I have said, many Americans have ruined the Butoh dance, but then again their are Japanese who I feel emphasize the wrong things and screw the essence of Butoh up; and then there are the masters who have all but created this very young folk art! Yukio Mishima, that illustrious yet kinky literary beacon of Japan liked to watch Butoh and apparently had some kind words about it. It evolved out of the "post-apocalyptic" Japanese nightmare which also spawned anime, graphic novels or "manga" and so on. In China, the ascendency under the Communist cultural revolution created "Scar literature" which was a unique movement of a kind, and something very intriguing.

In ending, there are so many cultural veins to be mined and combined in many variegated plausibilities and "mashes" as they say; and this will become more pronounced as we are already seeing in films inspired by Japanese, Korean, and Chinese cinematic genius of today! Butoh is bound to have a more intriguing place in the history of Japan in particular, as far as adressing in its role as a "dance of darkness" the horror of the second world war visited on Japan as like on no other.

Carolyn Forche, the American poet who at one time worked in journalism and mainly for Amnesty International has some of the MOST powerful and cunning and human poetry existing as "poems of witness" as she refers to much political poetry written as exegesis of the inhuman horror's of the twentieth and now twenty-first century particularly as it relates to impunity, human rights abuses, and the fall-out (pun intended) of the wider-ramifications of participation in a war.

Her poetry is horribly, deeply, disturbingly beautiful...like Butoh can be, like Harupin Ha and the Butoh I saw. I felt in the presence of the best side of our natures, and the husband and wife duo embody so much humility; living as resteraunt owners in the bay-area where they had immigrated long ago.

On that note: I wish I wasn't so damned tired while writing this, and I wish I could get inspired with regards to writing again. It had seemed like I was, I wrote a story with Ryan in mind along with an old friend from my mental hospital stay at St. Joseph's. Sadly, I have grown rather numb as of late. I am mentally click clicking and clacking but that is NOT the same as to be moved from the interiority of one's soul, of the body, of the heart. The "jouissance" I absolutely was experiencing is sort of dying or dimming out... but it remains, and on ocassion, like today for example, it will flare right up One must work a little at being "receptive."

It's a paradox, but it's the truth as I know it.

Liz

Crystal Stilts EP mp3s, Crystal Stilts EP music downloads, Crystal Stilts EP songs from eMusic.com

Crystal Stilts EP mp3s, Crystal Stilts EP music downloads, Crystal Stilts EP songs from eMusic.com: "'Converging' is the better-written song, the little post-chorus instrumental bit really nice and cinematic, the whole thing extremely well put-together in a way that — and we say this with love and affection — some of their other songs are not. 'Converging' strikingly intersects Hargett's buried-alive vocals, JB Townsend's shrugging guitars and Adler's gesturing bass in some awesome heroin-spike harmony. Though it didn't start out as such, it's now by far my favorite Crystal Stilts moment."

*Note from Lo "the Offstage Voice" or "Walkie Talkie" or what have you...This band the Crystal Stilts really are good, which I think this excerpt of an Emusic review lets you in on quite well! What I want to convey with this "quip" here from a reviewer is the really stellar level of writing-finesse these critics at emusic have and embody overall! I had a book once (about Shoegaze before I think it was even called shoegaze, but well, it was about Cocteau Twins, Throwing Muses had a chapter, AR Kane-- all by Simon Reynolds, a music writer I really really enjoy--the book was called "Blissed Out" and I miss it, sigh. Yes, it is lost, but I remember it distinctly and became aquainted with-- S Reynolds-- who, mind you, contributed a whole lengthy segment on the 4AD label to Emusic extremely recently. This means that the writer I enjoyed so much as a music-writer now works as a hired hand or freelance journo at Emusic, which explains somewhat, the high caliber of writing at their outfit! :)

I have my suspicions that they are a British outfit based on the excellance of their music-journos. S Reynolds is English. I can only ASPIRE to write so well about bands as all that).

Soooo, just take a gander at that snippet from a review on the "Crystal Stilts" and weep for how bloody excellant this is written. It is goddamned prose-poetry is what it is, and I think, I feel actually, it does a very good job as an impossible to do thing, which is to break a musical sound and immersion experience barrier by riffing on a page/screen.

For the music-writing alone, and how much I am learning from it, and from the arrangements of "indie-music" in the main, along with "old-skool" recording artists I have merely been unschooled about but am now LEARNING (with actual snippets, that, I confess, you can do kinda/sorta with YouTube or oldskool radio like Tampa's WDOV FM or Pandora radio (which does a thing like the Amazon or Itunes genius principle of bringing you MORE of similar sounding or similar like-minded music and musicians to learn by)but you will lack the whole wiki and freelance journo enhancement thing)!

I am keeping a cheap six and half buck a month for 12 units (or 12 songs basically) subscription. I mean how cheap is that? I love it! It's fifty cents a song. They have a great model for creating "connections" like a wiki or a search engine, in a sort of Amazon-style way. I wind up engaged, and can't get out of the rat's maze, but I have fun while I am in there ;D

Anyway, re-read the short pre-amble review up top, go to the link, it's clickable I believe and poke your nose into the Emusic page and see if it is not a temptation?! It sure was for me.

I planned on gettting the free tunes and free Audiobook (it's really free, and yes, you really can cancel without oweing anything, unlike old time Columbia records and tapes where you had to sell your soul and send back a selection EVERY FRIGGIN MONTH, and like, then you could forget and you buy it, you know! But this is FREE...if you quit during your two week introductory period, by sending them an "Unsubscribe"
note already prepared in advance if you don't want to stick with them (they make this all sooooo easy). BAM. It's a done deal.

I know because I joined with several different names and cards to get A SH--LOAD of free music (and I did get it too, which was cool :) But I stuck with one cheap subscription, highly manageble, and I downgraded from their standard. They make it so you can also change over to the cheapest subscription or another formula, whatever works. I say, it is WORTH IT. If you spend money on music at ITunes at one buck a song, fifty cents is like half.

Now Amazon has some really worthwhile deals of five buck CD's (in MP3 format mainly) or you can get something for 7.99 that is inevitably likely 9.99 at Itunes.

I am getting SOOOO OVER the Itunes thing, except, of course as necessary to make my playlists, to organize for my Iphone and Ipod, to play the friggin music I buy! :)

I keep the Emusic site as it has excellant journalism, member polls (for things like Best Album, last done though in 2008, and something I very much disagree'd with, overall, but which turned me on to a few bands also as it was a top 100 and some were pretty good-- it's mainly obvious it was voted for by younger people and others that have eclectic and marginal tastes, for they do not even have contracts with SOME of the bigger bands, but they have a lotta biggies like Arcade Fire (I consider large), Heart (VERY WELL-KNOWN, and BIG (hell, they have a song on "Guitar Hero" as that is how my nephew and nieces know them...so yeah, they are oldie goldies and gettin' a tad old), a ton of Indie artists, and then older bands from The Cocteau Twins to Bread and the Sex Pistols to older Bowie and so on.

There are some pretty good selections, and some, meh, not so good.

But imagine that on an artist page they connect you up with ALL ANNOUNCED SHOWS for that band on a Calendar (for the next few months), a Wiki link, Links in some cases to Youtube video and then there's always lots of other bands which they find some commonality with, and sometimes it's true, sometimes I will dispute. They have excellant reviews of EACH and EVERY album (almost without exception) done by really rippin' reviewers so you're not just on your own but have a roadmap, like your own subscription to Spin or Rolling Stone but with a higher quality I attribute to the British music press I used to read in "NME" (New Musical Express). They often group bands by "Label" which helps when you are a label-whore as regards 4AD and Beggar's Banquet (like me ;)

Well, enough said. If anyone wants to get that free introductory deal at Emusic, please, just drop my name as a referral as I can get more music if you stay with them. But do not do that, just get the free music and drop the membership by all means, unless, you get hooked, like me :)

Good luck, and happy hunting!

OH and btw, there is also a great free deal at "Audible.com" where you get a free Audiobook and can quit that membership, BUT (A BIG BUT) it is NOT as easy to just "quit" like they say it is, which it really IS at Emusic. Just throwin the deal they have out there, but be SURE you want the Audible as you will have to work on quitting their club. I found that annoying. At Emusic, quitting is a cinch, really and truly! :)

Go with Emusic if you want a good and intriguing FREEBIE that is REALLY a FREEBIE and they will also let you have an Audiobook free. Just remember, you must cut your ties to both their Audiobook club AND the music club if you opt for both freebies. Otherwise, it is a cinch.

Audiobooks are costly and I am starting to actually like the passivity of being read to. Awwww. It's almost like having an imaginary friend (or two or three?)

I mean, I read at Librivox.org and BACK to my original Walkie-Talkie build I am working on... if you really LIKE hearing Audiobooks, and you like classics, GO to Librivox.org online! They have it so you can download audiobooks for FREE (no strings at all) which are "public domain" and read by volunteers like me :)

Plus, if you have an Ipod and/or Iphone you can get an App. which lets you listen to their audiobooks absolutely free and download almost all of the titles they have in their vast, enormous library! If you download to an Itunes player you can burn to a CD and listen as you please. So many options! I plug in my Ipod and listen as I please (or Iphone, I try and have both charged, but I can't store as much on my smaller drive Iphone).

You can listen to Wuthering Heights while doing your dishes at home, or if you are a student like my nephew and nieces, you can select books that they assign you in class to read to have read to you!

We read selections mainly from "Project Gutenberg" where public domain books have been translated (mainly) and made available FREE (to upload to your computer in print form, mainly in TXT form). So you've a bunch of options...ALL FREE!

No excuses not to get nerdy and read or be read to! I'm still reading "Ulysses" by James Joyce which is a notoriously HARD READ (no one should try this at home ;) I'm also just finishing up with "The Marble Faun" chappies I was assigned for Nathaniel Hawthorne. But, as an audience member I am listening actively off and on to "The Love Letters of Abelard and Heloise" which is an amazing and truelife spiritual yet earthly love story. Anyway, I like hearing the letters read aloud. It seems to add a dimension for me personally. Well, I just made a really short story really meandering and long, but I am so ADD what else is new frankly :)

I hope someone gets something out of this besides my silly capering.

I'm being a pushy "pusher" today.

So humor me.

Buy "Bliss" by Simon Reynolds for his take on "oceanic music" (which he brands The Cocteaus) and "jouissance" which women were only discovering, or so we thought, in the 80's and 90's. It's a type of pleasure we supposedly have the goods on. "Jouissance" basically is what Simon R. feels is implicit in Elizabeth Frazer's gamboling joyousness in her soul-expressions-- and, it is from Feminism, before that went into "Post-Feminism" and lost a lot of its fashionableness (too bad, but at least we got bands like Hole out of it :)

Get a free brand new audiobook from Emusic. Get 15 or more free songs from Emusic. Join then quit, or join and stay at whatever member level you feel comfortable with, your option... (Do drop my name if you think you may stay, I will get free music too, which is NOT why I am writing this, but believe what you wanna, whatever, just get the free goods, it's a cool scott free offer!)

Get a free audiobook to read from Librivox on your puter ANYTIME (no credit cards necessary). Or, go to ProjectGutenberg.org and get free "Extext" copies of classic books and public domain literature. Go geeky!

Well, if nothing else, have a peek at Emusic via my little link, or just read the sketch of the Crystal Stilts which I excerpted. They're quite good IMO. Loveeeee those reviewers descriptions. I think they do a band-up job of describing effervescing musical special FX! I mean that. I WISH I WROTE THAT WELL!! Grrrrr.

Peace, Harmony, and Love freely given to everyone that visits my Blog, love you all tons, xoxoxo. If it is today. Have a very good Sunday! ;) I listen to Sufjan Stevens songs to pray (I really do lol). His songs are totally spiritual, and I can pray in that way, which music facillitates so well... and many religious traditions the world over will attest to.

LibriVox

LibriVox

I am making an attempt at making myself do ever more work at the audio site Librivox, where I have texts appear to me in an orderly fashion, where I have signed up for them and been approved in what is known as "The Magic Window." When what I read is "proof-read" it is said to be "PL'd" or "proof-listened" actually. There are people who solely "PL" and many persons where more than one hat. I am keeping myself fairly parochial now by just doing readings, but I am also a newbie. Those more advanced persons often become "BC's" or Book Coordinators, setting up the reading of a public domain book or play or other written materials in entirety. Then, there are those who take on solo projects; reading an entire piece themselves. Generally chapters of books are farmed out as is the case with the two books I have been working on and have to finish by deadline this month (we have two months to finish, many people find this generous, I know I did at first, but it is actually quite taxing doing the work of "re-recording" after one's "sound file" or "reading" has been "PL'd" and directions for correcting things come down the pike. Then, for me, I keep being referred to "A Newbie's Guide To Recording" and they mean business man! One must keep down on "plosives" (popping p's or over sibillant squirty s's). I tend to pop my p's when I begin reading then, I get into a groove and it stops occurring, however, it is not permitted at all. In truth, it just doesn't sound good. Then there are annoying small things, mistakes (which I've been caught making, reading one word where it actually had a different similar meaning word in its place, a mistake of automatism, and gestalting), and sounds like the creaking of the desk, the click-clack of my mouse as I scroll downwards on my reading document, which would be WORSE (far worse) printed and "rustling!" I have to equalize sound, do damage control on noise by doing "reduction," re-read messy areas or areas of mistakes, and oh so much more. It makes the process a bit less "fun" than one would expect from what basically amounts to an acting gig of sorts, after all. Some of the things we do to make the PL persons and the BC satisfied for a "listening public" include drudgery, if one is honest and tells the truth. Of course, I am told that the drudgery becomes second nature after a bit of work at Librivox, and then, one hits a comfortable stride which I am a bit away from in my learning irons as of late.

Also, I am trying to begin writing some things again (mainly fiction, I am a bit daunted by the idea of writing poetry as I feel very harsh on myself-- aware that much of what I wrote in the past which I felt was poetry at the time, doesn't feel like it really stood the test of time, I am a very harsh critic, in effect)!
In preparation and advent for a short story, a longer prose poem (perhaps) and work on playwriting or my Sorjuanista novel of olde I am trying to get some of my own pleasure and priming reading in. I am in the midst of reading "Alias Grace" by Margaret Atwood. It is a period "woman in prison/sanitorium" piece of lit. with a male Doctor who I feel will become in some way or other, something of a romantic interest. It's very interesting and alluring. It reminds me a little however of the book "Affinity" by Sarah Waters who I think wrote her novel first. The funny thing is, while I find the authors to be similar, Sarah Waters has been taken very much to task by none other than Jeanette Winterson who finds her in some way insufferable (as she writes, mainly, lesbian literature, which I suppose, Jeanette feels is her forte, and of course, both Jeanette and Sarah write historically, but with far different bents and intents!) while she adores Atwood! To me, there's not a major difference between Sarah Waters and Margaret Atwood, per se. I am sure Jeanette Winterson would bridle at that comparison, but it is how I call it, and say "a Spade is a Spade, and a historical fiction of a woman in fiction is just that, a Spade, as well." Anyway, I cannot wait to finish the book but I postpone completion, as I do with my audio readings, as I want to prolong the pleasure of a good read as well! :)

Then, I have a ton of other things staring me in the face. But that is quite enough for now. I went on a binge with my Iphone and "phoneography." I downloaded a lot of free apps. For some I paid an extra buck or two to have more equipped full-version apps. They were just so intriguing, did so many things to a photograph, took a photo so interestingly, and were all around such a load of fun! Then, my Mother went and got bent out of shape that I was making "Commie Pinko Posters" using "ravishing" (uhh, NOT) photos of myself, and adorable photos (yay) of my babydogs. I put a great deal of simple-simon easy-peasy (to quote "in the Loop" a brill movie) FX into play. I made myself into "Whistler's Mother a la Babushka" and a few other stock old fashioned characters by putting my face into an existing mold. It was quite interesting and with NO learning curve, which is beguiling with all the tech. savvy stuff I am constantly being deluged with. It was just seductive silliness I permitted myself to get carried away with. Ever the narcissist or the exhibitionist as they say. Though my dogs in the end, rule the roost and the day :)

I may post some new photos soon, I will do at Facebook. Maybe I will wait to see the response, from Dad and James-- favourable. James liked the "vending machine/photo booth" shots with the dogs. Dad actually liked my Commie-Pinko posters-- which is something I picked up by hearing him yell about "Commie Pinkos" all my years growing up! I sort of have a soft-spot for Commie Pinkos after hearing them denounced all those years (sigh) ;) Mom... well, I actually have to wait to find out what she wants to tell me. Apparently she has a message to deliver (maybe it is that Commies are Godless? Who knows?!) I feel sorry being so silly as to enjoy taking the piss out of my Mom, who is a good old Mom, when you get down to it.

Well, enough of this "statusing." I am pretty sure a "Status" (like I am used to doing from Facebook now, though I am still longwinded) does not a Blogosphere entry make! On that note....exactly!

LibriVox :: View topic - [LIT/ROMANCE] The Marble Faun by Nathaniel Hawthorne - tg

LibriVox :: View topic - [LIT/ROMANCE] The Marble Faun by Nathaniel Hawthorne - tg

Here's a link to the "project" ie: reading for "The Marble Faun" by Nathaniel Hawthorne I have undertaken with the very lovely group "Librivox recordings." Their main site can be accessed at "Librivox.org" if you'd like to listen to any titles in their very large catalogue of works available in and from the public domain.

Admittedly, some of the recordings are uneven, and can stand to be re-done, but in a day and age when even the older public domain works cost upwards of ten dollars for an MP3 at audible, the mainly free recordings at Librivox are a breath of fresh air indeed!

Here is my open letter to Librivox and as regards my current work with them, particularly, on "The Marble Faun" project...

Dear all,

I really enjoy doing the readings in "the Marble Faun" mainly as the architectural and artistic descriptions, as well as travellers and gothic styled imagery are MOST appealing and 19th century to me, at least. Also, I love the overwrought, dramatic, 19th century emotionalism and sentiments.

I feel the character's growth is a reflection of their different more organic times (despite industrialization). Nice to find, jumping ahead chapters, that the characters don't remain stuck in their moral morasses and oubliettes but manage to extricate themselves as they mature, and aid and abet each others maturation, artistic, emotional, and spiritual growths in the long run!! I really like this book, am surprised it is Hawthorne, considering his notions of "sin" quite frankly, though, of course, he wrote "the Scarlet Letter!" I still feel strongly I would like to be able to read more of the latter chapters as well...they seem to be giving me back more than I give...as is often the case with "acting" as well (which I haven't done in ages :) What a very pleasant surprise this book has been. Thank you for the opportunity to grow as I return to reading books aloud, and in particular am slowly getting with the learning curve here at Librivox, and it's particular demands; and mainly; to grow as a reader with such a gem of a work, and project, oh hand!!

Sincerely,

Liz Mourant

:mrgreen: :9:

The Marble Faun, Chapter 22, Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Marble Faun, Chapter 22, Hawthorne

Well, my first chapters at librivox are now both uploaded. While I feel I'd like to re-record Chapter23 at least (if not 22 here also)...I have already had this Chapter submitted for testing considered "complete" with only some technical glitches to be ironed out. Here's a link to the sound file...or so I hope will upload now here!

Librivox Public Domain Recordings

Yup. It's official. I'm a Walkie Talkie now! I'm going to be reading aloud from the written public domain material available for a free download at Project Gutenberg in e-text format; from The Marble Faun, by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  I am to read Chapters 22-25 thus far. I will be posting links to the uploads I make (though this is not technically allowed) or will work-around and post a sound-file. I am going to keep track of how my venture into the wonderful world of AV for "books on tape" basically.

For those with an Ipod or Iphone there's an app. from Librivox with which to obtain most of their catalogue of public domain books. It is a very extensive catalogue already. I am also applying to read from James Joyce's Ullysses and might, if time permits, apply myself towards finding out if the books by Virginia Woolf can be REDONE (they are, frankly, awful, right now, and I love her work, and at times they'll make a second recording, in fact). They are also recording from Les Miserables, at this time.

Well, it's extremely early and I want to take a short nap as we are taking the dogs to get their nails clipped!  Sadly though, Sage has been getting shaky spells and vomitted last night twice for the second time in several days.  He seems to be feeling icky and needs to be watched. Poor baby. His life is always eventful, and Mia just gets in the way when he is not feeling good, because she never has a sick day in her life (some dogs have all the luck).

Peaceout!  From yer favourite Madame Pseudonymous...

PS Like I said I will post a link when this has all gelled. I mean, they found the reading acceptable, but I want it to sing like a bird!