BIRTHDAY BASH BREEDS BRAINWASHING BLOVIATION

***
"MAYOR" OF Q STREET CHARGES PINKO POLITICAL PAEAN AS PRICE OF ADMISSION
***

Washington, D.C.--Deep in the Eckington hood this Friday evening, a politically active group of beatniks who assembled at the newly remodeled home of unofficial mayor of Q street, Ms. Teabelly, to wish her a very happy birthday in the "poetry slam" tradition, were appalled to find the event devolve into a anti-Republican diatribe reminiscent of the yellow journalism of MSNBC. Attendees found themselves wondering if Keith Obelmann would at some point jump out of one of the overabundant, oversized cupcakes that marked the event. Poet apparatchiks took turns goading each other on with aloud readings of their propaganda. While some of the "poems" thinly veiled their anti-Americanism in obviously socialistic metaphors (many emphasizing the "red"ness of ripening tomatoes,) most pulled no punches in gleefully proclaiming the hope that the GOP ticket would go down in flames this November. Cheryl Lamar's blaspheming, "prayer" included no fewer than 2 cheap political shots emphasizing that hope that Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin would have her political aspirations dashed on the rocks of Obama's political destiny. Stephanie Soper's poem, "Red," needs no further explanation. Darrin Howell's haiku ended with the image of a "hammer," (the rigidity of the structure required him to omit mention of the "sickle," which was nonetheless as present in the minds of attendees as the veritable 800 pound gorilla).

at least, that is how it went according to dave (THE republican). the rest of us had a great time!

this was the invite

There once was a girl named KTK
Whose house-building almost trumped her birthday.
So to help keep her goin'
Why not write a poem?
And present it to her on this Friday.

It's a combination Birthday slash House-Warming
Come check out the urban backyard farming!
See the brand new deep tub,
And the new social hub
In her fantastic chef's kitchen most charming.

You're invited this Friday at 8
With your original poem and your mate.
And if you need more
To get yourself through her door --
We'll have big birthday cupcakes as bait.
-- cheryl

the following montage is what happened... unfortunately, there were no photos of the cupcakes taken. it was a real mistake. there were heaps of delish cupcakes. i have received many requests for recipes, so check back soon. i don't have them. but still a special thanks to sarah, kimber and lindsay for making my favorite cupcakes!!!


these two princesses not only wrote a poem (with the help of their mom) but also drew pictures...

they were too shy to read so ... npr kindly stepped in



is your house your castle?
or is it just a big hassle?
there are always things to repair and replace
it never seems to end
but inside many things are found
not only empty space
love, friendship, laughter, fun
joy, learning, peace
the things that really matter most are often
hard to spy
unless you looks through the crystal ball of
a child's simple eye.
-- meredith


linZ on the stairs because she forgot to bring a poem. she said she was overwhelmed with the material she has on me.
4 trips to the e.r.
one call to poison control
co-parenting
moto accidents
holidays
vacations
etc...
she said she is going to work on it. but since she has a new house to move into, i am expecting that poem for christmas :)




darrin announced that he followed the rules of haiku to the t, presented this

jet set tri-athlete
FOK say she's "so chic"
- sound of a hammer . . .

May your bicycle horn always beep
May your basement construction be cheap
May your garden grow good things to reap

May your sewer never again seep

May you tirelessly bike up hills steep

May you cross tri finish lines with a leap

May you vanquish all reasons to weep

May you steer clear of weird, freaky creeps

May your neighbors be nice, cool peep

May your rent money accrue by the heap

May you think big thoughts wise and deep

May your candidates win in a sweep

May the Lord your soul ever keep

May you always get eight hours sleep
May your teabags never fail to steep

And may Palin never be veep

-- cheryl. this is the poem that started the whole party. she sent this to me on my actual b-day and it was this that made me realize, i wanted more. maybe i am narcissistic, but seems like one day a year you can just bask in the love of your friends and loved ones...right?

kimber, tomicah and sarah composed their poem in my kitchen. apparently after they stole some veggies...

this is a fruit that grew from the seed
that rose from the dirt
that came from the wast
that churned in the million dollar composter
that flew on the plane
to come to the yard
that rests at the foot of the steps to the room
that cooks the food
that nurtures the gal
who breathes the campaign
that champions the cause of people who hope for change
and hopes to purchase the tree
to plant in the yard
in t front of the house
that kimberly built.

then dianna decided i should jump rope. now, those who know me, know i am clumsy. and if you knew me in elementary school, you know that i am not the best jump roper. so i never made it very far, but i have to say, for being out of practice i did okay... the are jump rope songs ala d.

kim's a blogger
a toilet unclogger
got a new phone to make calls for obama-er
make no mistake, she calls swing states.
how many Electoral college votes will it take?
10, 20, 30, 40 ...

(i only got to 30...)
kimberly konk, konk, konk,
health policy wonk, wonk, wonk,
remodeled a house, house, house,
thru an economic slump, slump, slump,
she asked the bank, bank, bank,
for a million cents, cents, cents,
goodbye to margot, margot, margot
hello cash stream from rents, rents, rents
tomato plans so high, high, high
they reach the sky, sky, sky
she'll eat zucchini, ini, ini
thru next july, lie, lie
and then there was

kimberly and obama sitting in a tree
w-i-n-n-i-n-g
first there's money
then there shirt wearage
then come Palin in a baby carriage.


audrey shared this delight:
kimberly has a new home
where friends and family roam
a garden she grows of carrots in rows
feeding all but the gnarly old gnome

if red were a person,
it would be kimberly.
if garam masala had a last name,
it would be konkel
if passionate compassion had a face,
it would be yours.
-- stephanie

holly, who you will remember helped me carry the TONS of sand and soil to fill up my garden presented this:

mysterious garden
what strange force lives here?
sand, loam, rebar, and bent tin
make taste buds rejoice?

organic tomatoes
brown, then green, then red
luscious treat. giving. rotting
like birth, life, and death




bethany didn't want to read her's, but here it is. think it deserved reading...

she's cultivating a space
where people, produce, and progressive ideas grow
green, organic, and original

this is the poem that stole the show...thanks to none other than the good dr. mcgoo himself, michael douglas...

Poetry Slam.mp3

this is how the audience reacted...




in other birthday news...

i like to take long bike rides for my birthday. last year was amazing. dianna and i rode our bikes from providence, RI to norfolk, ct. lindsay was GRACIOUSLY our sag. we had an amazing time. we wanted to do it again this year, we were going to ride from burlington, vt to norfolk. but we burnt through our vacation leave so...hopefully next year. this year dianna and i planned the eastern shore ride which gets 50% odds of people awesome (which means it has 50% chance of really being horrible. like the time we left too late and nearly died riding in the dark on a very busy highway with no lights etc.)

this time it was a comedy of errors. dianna had a flat tire, which pushed our departure back a bit. i supposedly taught her how to change the tire, but i wasn't paying as much attention and i forgot some stuff myself so we ended up having to go to the bike shop anyway because the tire was mal-aligined.

i finally got to give her b-day present...she really had been wanting some gold hoop earrings. and it made her tear up...

then we had b-fast. by this time it is almost noon. but the weather is GORGEOUS, so we are feeling like it is going to be a perfect day.

then we get on rt. 50 and it starts to sprinkle, and i think maybe we should just swim. dianna is convinced that the weather will be different on the eastern shore so we keep going. the weather was different. it was a mini-hurricane down pour.

being mopey about the rain

the rain

so we went to resturant local, which is fine. over priced and just decent. as soon as we were done, the weather was perfect. but the roads were wet and dianna had to pick up her mom at the airport in 2 hours. it seemed like there wasn't enough time. so we went to the outlet mall. MISTAKE.

we spent some money and then rushed back to get d's mom. d dropped me off at haines point so that i could at least get a ride in. it was quite nice.

on monday, i had a pretty chilled day. the capstone was a trip to sushi with caroline and lindsay. we decided to try sushi ko. i give it a 3 out of 10. i just thought all the rolls tasted the same and it just wasn't that great. but at least now we know.

we came home and i opened the box from my mom...

mini teddy bears (what every 30 something needs)

and clinique freebies. they were fun party gifts.