« March 2005 | Main | May 2005 »
April 27, 2005
And on the 7th Week
This week we have the wonderful second installment of Unabomber Haiku from Mike Grau and This Month in Search -- the first monthly Rock Heals search engine report -- yeah I know what it sounds like; just give it a whirl.
Unfortunately, those relentless commercials for the LOCUSTS! TV movie had my angst-ridden ass huddled in a corner fearing insect plagues and kept us from making any progress toward leaving the beta behind... And worse we got behind schedule on the editing of the first Rock Heals interview. But don't you worry, we'll be back with it next Wednesday.
Week 7 Contents
more from Unabomber Haiku by Mike Grau; and
This Month In Search
Previously on Rock Heals
Week 6 Is Habit Forming with another installment of 911 Diaries, a photo from Raji, and a review of Katamari Damacy!
Week 5: Yankees In Last! (But so are the Sox) with a short play from Brian Calandra and a recipe
Week 4: Perdue, the Pope and Bellows. Oh my! with 911 Diaries, Mike Grau, and music from M_GP
Week 3 Waits Patiently for Spring Weather with a comic from John Shanchuk
Week 2 In the Time or Rock Heals with poetry from Justin Sirois; and
Week 1 Where it All Began with poetry from Mark Wallace
Posted by Rock Heals at 01:00 AM
more from Unabomber Haiku
Mike Grau
2.
Systems may survive
Permanently reducing
Cogs in the machine
7.
It’s not clear who can
Have in mind the correct types
Not so much movement
10.
We mean not feeling
But a whole spectrum of traits:
Such guilt, self-hatred29.
Real attachment
To integrate the black man
Couldn’t care less what kind
31.
Foregoing thumbnail
The real situation is
Complex, and anything
Read first installment of Unabomber Haiku >
Ed note: Mike's mission to reveal the power of the poetry locked inside the Unabomber Manifesto continues. Rock Heals looks forward to bringing you more pieces of the puzzle soon.
Also in Week 7
This Month In Search
Previously on Rock Heals
Week 6 Is Habit Forming with another installment of 911 Diaries, a photo from Raji, and a review of Katamari Damacy!
Week 5: Yankees In Last! (But so are the Sox) with a short play from Brian Calandra and a recipe
Week 4: Perdue, the Pope and Bellows. Oh my! with 911 Diaries, Mike Grau, and music from M_GP
Week 3 Waits Patiently for Spring Weather with a comic from John Shanchuk
Week 2 In the Time or Rock Heals with poetry from Justin Sirois; and
Week 1 Where it All Began with poetry from Mark Wallace
Posted by Rock Heals at 12:10 AM
This Month In Search (April)
In this (just about) monthly feature we use analyze the keyword searches resulting in traffic here at Rock Heals as a warped and unreliable bellweather of our cultural moment.
So analyzing the keywords from the past couple weeks, we find (line items show term(s), hits and percentage of total search traffic):
The past few weeks have been huge for John Shanchuk -- the people are turning out in droves to hunt him down. In a surprise development, within a month his rapid rise has eclipsed the competitors -- the ever-popular Whack Off Wednesdays, Heroin Gangrene, and even Kricfalusi 2005.
Keep an eye on the Alphabet Song and Taco Salad in May. For both, we'll see thinking unify and followers exponentiate. You can never have enough letters or taco salad in the Cult of May.
Somedays, we are what we want.
Also in Week 7
more from Unabomber Haiku by Mike Grau;
Previously on Rock Heals
Week 6 Is Habit Forming with another installment of 911 Diaries, a photo from Raji, and a review of Katamari Damacy!
Week 5: Yankees In Last! (But so are the Sox) with a short play from Brian Calandra and a recipe
Week 4: Perdue, the Pope and Bellows. Oh my! with 911 Diaries, Mike Grau, and music from M_GP
Week 3 Waits Patiently for Spring Weather with a comic from John Shanchuk
Week 2 In the Time or Rock Heals with poetry from Justin Sirois; and
Week 1 Where it All Began with poetry from Mark Wallace
Posted by Rock Heals at 12:00 AM
April 20, 2005
Week 6 Is Habit Forming
Photo courtesy of Raji who just got back from the JP
Read on...
Week 6 Contents
I wasn't even on the clock... by D_, our paramedic in the field; and
Katamari Damacy: Tetris 2004? (a review)
Previously on Rock Heals
Week 5: Yankees In Last! (But so are the Sox) with a short play from Brian Calandra and a recipe
Week 4: Perdue, the Pope and Bellows. Oh my! with 911 Diaries, Mike Grau, and music from M_GP
Week 3 Waits Patiently for Spring Weather with a comic from John Shanchuk
Week 2 In the Time or Rock Heals with poetry from Justin Sirois; and
Week 1 Where it All Began with poetry from Mark Wallace
Posted by Rock Heals at 12:30 AM | Comments (0)
I wasn't even on the clock...
D., as told to Rock Heals
So, I’m walking to my car and this homeless guy on the street stops me -- Hey, are you a doctor? (I was wearing my EMT shirt.)
Well, no. Not --
He didn’t really register what all I was saying -- he was onto his next sentence before I’d answered -- Can you look at something for me?
He was already bending down a little -- then he pulls his pant leg up and... Christ!
His leg was black. Not gangrene -- beyond that. (Ed note: don’t type “gangrene” into Google Images.) But more than anything it stank. I mean stank. It had gone through infection, through early gangrene with all its beautiful colors, through later gangrene where things turn chalky white, through gross, to just DEAD. I’ve seen things, but never have I smelled anything like this.
I tried to keep the all-pro face -- but it was clear that I was disgusted. I reflexively turned away with my hand over my nose and mouth.
After a moment passed, I was back and started asking him how it happened (heroin addict, injecting into a vein, vein collapses, keeps on injecting into the developing sore, straight up WRONG -- I’m piecing that together from a mess of an explanation), how long it was like this (2 weeks in that condition -- so it’d been dying for like a month), did it hurt (yeah, and it was “a little bit squishy”) and so on.
He asked me if it would go away. Now, mind you, this wasn’t going away. What was going away was his leg up to the knee. But this guy was straight-out thug and I wasn’t about to give him the good news.
Man you gotta see a doctor about that. And I’m just a student. You should go to the hospital and get that looked at right away.
We were walking along and happened upon some cops at this point, who more or less took over the situation and got the guy out of there.
Crazy.
POSTSCRIPT, three weeks later: I see the dude hanging out on the street, no leg to the knee and out-of-his-mind high.
Also in Week 6
Katamari Damacy: Tetris 2004? (a review)
Previously on Rock Heals
Week 5: Yankees In Last! (But so are the Sox) with a short play from Brian Calandra and a recipe
Week 4: Perdue, the Pope and Bellows. Oh my! with 911 Diaries, Mike Grau, and music from M_GP
Week 3 Waits Patiently for Spring Weather with a comic from John Shanchuk
Week 2 In the Time or Rock Heals with poetry from Justin Sirois; and
Week 1 Where it All Began with poetry from Mark Wallace
Posted by Rock Heals at 12:20 AM
Katamari Damacy: Tetris 2004?
Jamie Gaughran-Perez
So I'd never written an Amazon review -- but when I picked up Katamari Damacy late last year, I couldn't resist. So... here it is. Go get it. Now.
Addictive, deceptively simple, very well executed... Very basically put, you collect stuff by rolling over it with a sticky ball, but its amazing how gracefully perspective shifts as your katamari goes from 1 inch in size to 1 mile and from collecting shirt buttons to skyscrapers and bridges.
And if you thought "All Your Base Belongs To Us" was funny in any way, you'll really enjoy all the story interludes.
Be warned, the graphic approach is very very basic and will remind you of pixel art or C64 games at times -- this is no doubt completely intentional. But if you are looking for super-realistic graphics, don't come here.
Also in Week 6
I wasn't even on the clock... by D_, our paramedic in the field
Previously on Rock Heals
Week 5: Yankees In Last! (But so are the Sox) with a short play from Brian Calandra and a recipe
Week 4: Perdue, the Pope and Bellows. Oh my! with 911 Diaries, Mike Grau, and music from M_GP
Week 3 Waits Patiently for Spring Weather with a comic from John Shanchuk
Week 2 In the Time or Rock Heals with poetry from Justin Sirois; and
Week 1 Where it All Began with poetry from Mark Wallace
Posted by Rock Heals at 12:10 AM
April 13, 2005
Week 5: Yankees In Last! (But so are the Sox)
Yeah, I know that ain't the Yankees. (thx Raj for the pic).
A lot going on at ye ole Rock Heals. We're trying to get out of beta limbo; you'll see the templates beging to shift in little and big ways over the next few weeks (we hope).
In the meantime, we'll keep churning out a little something something great every Wednesday. This week we mix it up, and show new sides to the rock healing.
Brian Calandra hails from NYC with his ten minute play, Deliverable. We only wish we could relate less to this piece.
And a simple recipe for an update on the taco salad that goes great with your favorite tequila-based beverage.
Hey, submit your shit! submissions at rockheals.com
Week 5 Contents
Deliverable by Brian Calandra
Californian Taco Salad to enjoy with a good drink
Also on Rock Heals
Week 6 Is Habit Forming with another episode of 911 Diaries and a review
Week 4: Perdue, the Pope and Bellows. Oh my! with 911 Diaries, Mike Grau, and music from M_GP
Week 3 Waits Patiently for Spring Weather with a comic from John Shanchuk
Week 2 In the Time or Rock Heals with poetry from Justin Sirois; and
Week 1 Where it All Began with poetry from Mark Wallace
Posted by Rock Heals at 12:15 AM
April 20, Baltimore Poetry Reading (@MICA)
April 20th, 2005, 5:30 pm
@MICA -- in the Station Building
A Narrowhouse Reading with:
Kevin Thurston
Justin Sirois
Lauren Bender
Andrew Miller
Posted by Rock Heals at 12:07 AM
Californian Taco Salad (for accompanying a tequila drink)
Yeah a recipe... got a problem with that motherfucker?
It is the season of cilantro. Have you noticed how damn good Cilantro has tasted for the last month? Is it something in the soil?
My latest cilantro-infused eating is this update on the Taco Salad, perfect with your favorite Tequila-infused beverage (La Paloma is my favorite -- and surely a recipe to come). It comes in two parts -- the chips and the salad.
Start with the oven-preheating and chip prep; switch over to pulling the salad together, and so on. It’s light and easy. Get on it.
Serves 4-ish, as a side.
“The Chips”
You need:
- Vegetable or Canola Oil (Vegetable or Canola)
- 2 Small Corn Tortillas
Make ‘em:
1. Preheat the over to 425
2. Brush a cookie sheet lightly with oil
3. Brush Tortillas lightly will oil on one side
4. Cut tortillas in 6 pieces and place dry-side-down on the cookie sheet
5. Bake about 10 minutes or until they look crispy but not burnt
“The Salad”
You need:
- A good bunch of spinach (or one of those 5 oz. bags)
- 2 Avacados, cubed
- 2 Mangoes, cubed
- Tomatoes, diced large
- 2 loose tablespoons of rough chopped cilantro
- Juice from have a good lime
- Olive Oil to taste
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Make it:
1. Place the ingredients through the cilantro in a large bowl.
2. Squeeze lime over the ingredients.
3. Add a couple splashes of Olive Oil. Salt (somewhat generously) and pepper.
4. Toss gently -- you don’t want to destroy your avacados (if you want to make guac make guac -- if you want to make this, be gentle).
5. Test the levels and adjust salt and oil as necessary.
The Finish
Serve in bowls ringed with the chips.
Have someone make your drink while you put on the final touches.
Kick it.
Also in Week 5
Deliverable by Brian Calandra
Also on Rock Heals
Week 6 Is Habit Forming with another episode of 911 Diaries and a review
Week 4: Perdue, the Pope and Bellows. Oh my! with 911 Diaries, Mike Grau, and music from M_GP
Week 3 Waits Patiently for Spring Weather with a comic from John Shanchuk
Week 2 In the Time or Rock Heals with poetry from Justin Sirois; and
Week 1 Where it All Began with poetry from Mark Wallace
Posted by Rock Heals at 12:05 AM
April 06, 2005
Week 4: Perdue, the Pope and Bellows. Oh my!
The birds of Virginia are flying within you
and like background singers they all come in threes.
A bit going on this week?
The debut the long-awaited 911 diaries, with the "Blood Mystery,"
A sampling from Unabomber Haiku by Mike Grau; and
A little musical treat.
Git to it.
Week 4 Contents
911 Diaries: Blood Mystery, D.
Unabomber Haiku, Mike Grau
The Alphabet Song, M_GP
Also on Rock Heals
Week 6 Is Habit Forming with another episode of 911 Diaries and a review
Week 5: Yankees In Last! (But so are the Sox) with a short play from Brian Calandra and a recipe
Week 3 Waits Patiently for Spring Weather with a comic from John Shanchuk
Week 2 In the Time or Rock Heals with poetry from Justin Sirois; and
Week 1 Where it All Began with poetry from Mark Wallace
Posted by Rock Heals at 07:00 AM
911 Diaries: Blood Mystery
D., as told to Rock Heals
We’re called to the seen late on a Saturday -- your typical apartment complex. It’s an old woman (most everyone we deal with is old -- it goes with the work) who called 911 when her husband fell in the bathroom, and was bleeding.
That didn’t quite prepare us for what we arrived to.
The bathroom was covered in blood -- all over the shower tile, up the walls, the ceiling, and of course everywhere on the floor. Real horror-show stuff.
The gentleman in question is conscious, but a little woozy, as to be expected after losing all this blood. He isn’t complaining of any pain and is explaining to us that he doesn’t need to go to the hospital. Quick inspection doesn’t tip us off on where all this blood is coming from -- he’s covered from head to toe, but no obvious gushing.
We know he needs to go in, but we can’t force him to go under these conditions, believe it or not. So we need to convince him. My partner and I stand him up real fast -- he’s old, and low on blood, so of course he faints immediately. Unconscious patient? He’s gotta go in. The rules are the rules.
We load him up and take him in. To make a long story short, they hose him off in the emergency room and the only injury they can find is a small cut in his ankle.
There is no fucking way all that blood came from his ankle. His wife was there. We’d checked with neighbors while we were there, nobody seemed to be missing. Some shady stuff -- we reported it to the on-duty officer. Sounds like some Goodfellas type shit is going down in Bethesda.
911 Diaries, the Backstory
Soon after meeting D_, Rock Heals was treated to story after amazing story on what happens out there in the DC EMT scene. It’s some crazy living out there -- I imagine you’d hear the same or worse from the Metro PD… Consider this your chance to do all the rubbernecking you need to -- cuz when you rubberneck on the road your next, or just making my commute that much slower and pissing me off.
Some of the stories will be recent, some old, but all good. All good. Some whack shit is going on out there in your backyard. Every day.
Also in Week 4
Unabomber Haiku, Mike Grau
The Alphabet Song, M_GP
Also on Rock Heals
Week 6 Is Habit Forming with another episode of 911 Diaries and a review
Week 5: Yankees In Last! (But so are the Sox) with a short play from Brian Calandra and a recipe
Week 3 Waits Patiently for Spring Weather with a comic from John Shanchuk
Week 2 In the Time or Rock Heals with poetry from Justin Sirois; and
Week 1 Where it All Began with poetry from Mark Wallace
Posted by Rock Heals at 12:10 AM
from Unabomber Haiku
5.
We give attention
We confine our discussion
And we have written
14.
Women are as strong
Clearly are nagged by a fear
Capable as men
22.
No social problems
Would have to invent problems
For making a fuss
26.
They goof off at work
The thought and the behavior
Results in a sense
33.
The need for power
We call it autonomy
Discuss it later
44.
But for most people
One does not have adequate
Eating disorders
Ed note: Mike's mission to reveal the power of the poetry locked inside the Unabomber Manifesto continues. Rock Heals looks forward to bringing you more pieces of the puzzle soon.
Also in Week 4
911 Diaries: Blood Mystery, D.
The Alphabet Song, M_GP
Also on Rock Heals
Week 6 Is Habit Forming with another episode of 911 Diaries and a review
Week 5: Yankees In Last! (But so are the Sox) with a short play from Brian Calandra and a recipe
Week 3 Waits Patiently for Spring Weather with a comic from John Shanchuk
Week 2 In the Time or Rock Heals with poetry from Justin Sirois; and
Week 1 Where it All Began with poetry from Mark Wallace
Posted by Rock Heals at 12:08 AM
The Alphabet Song
Yeah it's a bit rough, lo-fi even; and maybe the recording misses the beginning of the song; but this is pure SONIC GOLD!
 |
The Alphabet Song (mp3, 683k) M_ (on drums and vocals) |
Also in Week 4
911 Diaries: Blood Mystery, D.
Unabomber Haiku, Mike Grau
Also on Rock Heals
Week 6 Is Habit Forming with another episode of 911 Diaries and a review
Week 5: Yankees In Last! (But so are the Sox) with a short play from Brian Calandra and a recipe
Week 3 Waits Patiently for Spring Weather with a comic from John Shanchuk
Week 2 In the Time or Rock Heals with poetry from Justin Sirois; and
Week 1 Where it All Began with poetry from Mark Wallace
Posted by Rock Heals at 12:06 AM
