Photo credit: Emily Rawlings. Jonathan Coulton sings songs about workplace zombies, ennui-afflicted clowns, self-loathing giant squids, and devotees of a certain Swedish prefab furniture store. In 2005-2006 he recorded and published a new song every week as a free podcast…
Author: Cecil Vortex
The Against the Day Deathmarch, Week 12
Finally caught back up, even if I had to delay posting this week to make it across the line. I was particularly hung up on the Quaternion section from the end of last week — underlining more than usual, understanding…
No Rest for Anne Frank
Anne Frank was resting. The day before she had bested the Werewolf. The day before that, an alien robot had burst into the attic. But there’s no rest for Anne Frank. Through a small window ringed with pencil-drawn tulips, you…
Choir Timeline
Harmonize those ages into a blur from 5-year-olds to 17-year-old giants with smooth tones taller than people louder than people vibrating and our little folks singing next to them us all shaking in our seats. 0
Kurt Vonnegut
In seventh grade I read Cat’s Cradle, my first Vonnegut book. I remember standing in front of the class and giving a book report. I played a newsreporter delivering the play-by-play from the book’s closing scene (“a tragedy today, here…
The Against the Day Deathmarch, Week 11
I will accept no questions this week about exactly where I am in the reading. Suffice it to say, matters were not helped by an especially raucus Dyngus Day celebration! And then I got all angry about some marketing copy…
Happy Dyngus Day! At last!
Dyngus Day is finally here! And you know what that means — beware kids sporting pussywillows and water guns. Especially if you live in Buffalo or South Bend. In an almost entirely unrelated development, So-Called Bill was angered by advertising…
An Interview with Natalie Marrone
Photo credit: Stephanie Mathews. Natalie Marrone received her Master of Fine Arts degree in choreography from Ohio State University in 1998. That same year she founded The Dance Cure, a contemporary, all-female dance company based in Columbus, Ohio, and began…
Legends from My Childhood, #5
Fourth grade was peculiar. I’m not sure this really happened. And maybe it was just because I was living in Holland at the time and it was some kind of a Dutch thing. But anyways, in gym class that year…
The Against the Day Deathmarch, Week 10
Still behind, but to quote Parliament’s immortal “Chocolate City,” I’m gainin’ on ya. Just one chapter shy of the mark now…. From the comments, it looks like a number of us have renewed energy for this adventure. Whether it’s the…