National Poetry Month Day 10: The Next Generation

Jenny uploaded the files of our latest Zombie Logic Press book, The Blood Dark Sea, to the printers database Friday afternoon, so it seems like barring any unforseen issues we'll be going to print next week. This will be the third book of someone else's I will have published. This book differs from my own poetry, and the other two I've published in that it is more of an Outlaw Poetry book. It's a genre I'm certainly familiar with, having come along during the last days of the small press revolution, where almost everyone wrote in a style vaguely imitative of Charles Bukowski, but what sets this book apart is the humor. I think it's going to turn out great. 

Will I ever finish another book of my own poetry? I have no idea. Google says these shorter blog posts are killing my search rankings. I need to find ways to get to 400 words. 

I could talk about Star Trek: The Next Generation on BBC America on Saturday night. It just started. Looks like a young Riker, so I'm guessing one of the earlier seasons.

Back to National Poetry Month. Oh, now Commander Data is sitting in the captain's chair. Wesley Crusher. He was one of the successful early celebrity bloggers. He also writes a lot about mental health issues. As do I. I am not, however, a successful early celebrity blogger. It has been quite a struggle. I have written for years about poetry, horror movies, politics, sports, and dozens of other issues, but nothing ever seems to find a larger audience. I now use my blog more of an extension of my memory as much as a device to communicate with others or reach a wider audience. 

All this cyber space is free. I suppose for a couple of weeks I should concentrate on writing longer, more focused pieces and see how Google likes that. I was right, season 2, episode 8. Riker is exchanged for a Clingon and things get testy between the Enterprise and the Clingon vessel. 

We went to Arby's for date night on Wednesday and I ordered a vanilla shake, then was slightly disappointed when I saw they had a mint shake available. I did enjoy my angus sandwich. They have the meats. 

The Cubs have started the season 4-1. I personally believed they should have traded Kyle Scwarber during the off season because he belongs in the American League. I think they will find a way to win without him, but what a disappointment to get hurt in the third game of the season. 

Miles O'Brien. A lot of early characters I remember but haven't seen in a long time. 

I don't think I'll ever get a Vista Cruiser Pin It

How I Failed In My Quest To Get a Haircut

Listening to Coast To Coast A.M. for the first time in a couple of years. I used to listen all the time when Art Bell was the host, and even for a while when George Nouri became the host. But several years ago it just seemed like it became a four hour commercial for liars to sell their latest lies. 

I'm having my final cup of tea for the night and quickly realizing I have nothing to say. Anonymous released a bunch of Donald Trump's private information today after declaring war on the candidate last week. Now both democrats, Republicans, and Anonymous are in an all out battle with Donald Trump and his followers. And still losing. 

I tried to get a haircut today and failed. The older gentleman I've been going to for several years wasn't in his shop today. We usually talk about the Cubs and a little bit about politics and for some reason his time in the military, but he wasn't there today. I have been expecting for some time now to find he has retired. So, I remembered this younger fellow had tried to open up a shop close by and I wandered over there, but found it was gone. So I wandered home. But on the way I saw yet a third barber shop had opened up. It was a combination barber shop and something else. I'm not sure what. Maybe curiosities. They were listening to Irishy music when I came in and looked surprised anyone else in the Universe existed. They were hipster kids, and I asked them the same question I always ask my regular barber: "Got time for a cut?"

The question seemed like a formality to me being as though it was a barber shop and I didn't see anyone else there. but they just stared at me as if I had three heads, then one of them spoke. "We only do appointments. Would you like to make an appointment?"

No, I didn't want to make an appointment. I wanted you to ask me to sit down in the empty chair you had there and cut my hair, because that's kind of how doing business works. I wish them well selling the box of old LP records they had, and I hope their taste in music gets a little better, but I don't hold out much hope for any of that to happen.




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I Wish Someone Else Would Say This

My partner told me last night she wished I would write more. I told her in general the only reaction I get to my writing is when someone wants to call me stupid, or worse, and tell me how wrong about everything I am. The problem is time bears out I'm usually not wrong. I've been blogging since 2005, when I made the mistake of starting my first blog on My Space. I could easily go back and transfer those blog posts, but they're generally about topical issues that have long since become uninteresting. But if I were to transfer the entirety of my writing on topics such as economics and politics from 2005 forward it would show I'm usually rather right, and usually about topics most people initially disagree with me about, and I usually say it long before anyone else does. 

So, am I writing to stroke my own genitalia. No. Because I doubt anyone will take the time to confirm what I just said. And if they did they'd most likely go back with the express purpose of finding something I was wrong about and use that to try and prove I'm not right. I could do it myself. Tell you all the times I was right far in advance of popular opinion. Show you how much abuse and derision I took for saying it first, saying it right, and standing behind it. 

Now that I try to log in at My Space I see they have finally erased all those years of blogs. I once estimated between 2005-2008 I had almost a million reads on my My Space blog. Since I started taking this blog seriously in 2011 this blog has reached nearly a million reads. All those readers either going away apathetic, or going away angry. I sometimes wonder if anyone came, read, and got anything out of it. With all the diagnostics available, all I really do know is that they do come. They do read at least the particular blog entry that caught their attention, but few return. 

I'v never had any intention to be a confrontational person, or use titillation to try and get attention. I never have written a word I didn't believe, or taken on an issue I didn't have a sincere opinion about. In a few weeks this blog will have it's one millionth read. Maybe it will be someone coming in to look at one of my Popsicle paintings. Maybe someone who wants to see one of the original webcomics or commiserate about their fantasy football woes. I have no idea what the next big "hit" will be. I just know it won't be likely anyone will agree with me. Just yet.

Soon, the millionth reader. In three years. I feel most have either gone away confused or angry. And, to me, that is success. Pin It

Why A Custom Domain Is Important For Your Blogger Account

My page rank for this blog just went from 3 to 0. 

Am I panicked and pulling out my hair in clumps?

No.

I knew it was going to happen.

After the last page rank update on February 4 my blog had remained stagnant at 3 despite having done quite a lot of good work in the previous three months. My choices were to go out and employ some black hat methods to maybe raise it to 4 sometime in the coming year, or go back to drawing board with a custom domain, double down on quality content, return to a 0 page rank, and hope Google recognizes how much quality niche work I do on this blog and how how much I really care about the topics I write about. My feeling was I was topped out at page rank 3 so I decided to go for the custom domain.

I coined the phrase Zombie Logic in the early 90's, and started my literary press in 1997, so I chose that for my domain name. Now for the next three months I have just decided to do what I always do: write about sports, zombies, poetry, culture, and showcase great artwork and illustrations by my creative partner Jenny Mathews. 

It was fun getting to the point where Google considered my blog credible on several niche topics like underground horror movies, haikus, even webcomics, and it will be fun going even deeper into the depths of those and other topics I don't think are represented fully in the search rankings. 


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