The Quick and the Dead (Including Photos from the OTHER Crisis Library)
First a quick note: I've been trying to post at least one new item per day in the Crisis Chronicles Online Library. But that's about to change. Now I'm gonna try posting TWO new items in the Library each day - one by a dead writer and one by a live one. Today's inaugural edition of the quick and the dead features Stations of the Lost - for Lenny Bruce (by Steven B. Smith) and A Man to a Woman (by William Carlos Williams). Smith (undead) is an underground poet/artist/legend from Cleveland, currently living in Mexico. He and his poet/artist wife Kathy Ireland Smith are moving back to the States soon and will be our Lix and Kix featured readers on 19 May 2009 at Tremont's 806 Wine and Martini Bar. Williams (dead) is a Pulitzer Prize winner who shares a September 17th birthday with me. He, too, will be at May's Lix and Kix, albeit only in spirit. Follow future Library postings at http://library/crisischronicles.com.
Steven B. Smith at Mac's Backs in Cleveland, July 2008
photo/art by Jesus Crisis
Now to the OTHER Crisis Library, the one in a spare bedroom at my house.... What a mess it is! In September, with the room bursting at its seams, I was packing things up for a possible move to our large basement, where I was thinking about holding poetry readings. When Geri's daughter and four of our grandchildren unexpectedly moved in with us, our basement became a storage unit for much of their furniture and my old upstairs spare room library became my half-unbaked treehouse hideaway of sorts. Now, after three months of me practically living in that tight space (with thousands of books), our houseguests have pretty much moved out and I'm thinking about the roomier basement again - but whether I move the library or not, I abhor chaos and am determined to start tidying it up today. I felt compelled, however, to document the disarray in photographs before doing anything else. Here is a random selection of shots:
Buddha in war corner
Time magazine open to a Mandela article
Leda wants Dog-umented
The other Tao of Jesus Crisis?
Om sweet Om
Dreams of my Father
The red, the read, and the ready for tidying up
This dragon's no drag on its bookcase
Love is in the Bear
Lucky loves the library
Chaos Corner
What would Jesus read?
What's an Indian doing in the H's?
Self portrait in the library
At least the living room bookshelves downstairs aren't a total mess
I you think this is messy just come over to my studies and see all the papers and books everywhere. Yours looks exceptionally clean and well organized.
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Thanks, Elena! I realize it's been a while, but I've never seen either of studies anywhere near as messy as this.
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Oh, my lord Crisis, and don't you look fine, and very much the poet, with all that long hair and beard. The Minister never knows what you're going to look like from photo to photo. Yes, I'm back, and back to stay, I hope. I've missed commenting and keeping in touch, although I have checked in on the blogs and comments whenever possible. You've been very busy, my child, and I look forward to reading all the poems in your library, and catching up with your poems, too. I like the "WWJ read", and the "dogumented" captions. Please visit the Church when you get a chance, and remember, The Minister has brought your fansite to Facebook, as Crisis Church, too! Blessings on you, my lord Crisis!
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Thank you, Mr Minister! Welcome back!
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Gadzooks! Look at all the wonderful books!! Gotta love it...
But you mention a basement... are you sure it is absolutely free of flooding potential? It's not too damp? I'm always afraid to put anything paper under ground level for fear of water damage... or in an attic for fear of a roof leaking... just call me paranoid! I'd hate to see all your beautiful books get damaged.
Have fun rearranging your books. I always do. My problem always seems to be locating a specific title among the couple thousand piled and stacked and boxed and shelved all over the place around here. THAT gets frustrating sometimes... and I hate it when I buy a second (or third!) copy of a book.
Hope you are reading something interesting. You mentioned a movie you got for Xmas. Did you get any books?
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You've already been ejected by a flood from you mother's basement, remember?
I wouldn't put anything of value in any basement in Elyria. Not a good idea.
I've had several floods and backups here and lost a lot of stuff. That's my advice.
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Thanks, Pinky and Elena! That's part of why I put nothing of value in the basement in the first place. I've worked off on and on in the mold remediation business for four years and have seen a hundred nicely finished basements totally ruined. But we've been here over two years now and even when lots of basements in Elyria flood, including some right down the street, we never seem to get a drop. A big reason for this is that our house sits on a steep hill. Only the very front of the basement in below ground. In back the entire basement is above ground (the back door of the house, which we use far more than the front) goes through the basement. In our last house, I had my library and music room in our roomy attic - but when it rained really hard I sometimes got nervous (had tarps stashed nearby to protect things in case we ever sprung a roof leak). This basement is as safe as they come, me thinks. Plus, we have heat and a dehumidifier running down there. But I still haven't totally made up my mind.
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As far as books, I received a wonderful volume of Illuminated Poems by Allen Ginsberg (with art by Eric Drooker) and a number of cool chapbooks (including A Mess of Blue by C.B. Crane, a poet from California who will be reading at Lix and Kix in April)! The OM in the photo above was a Christmas present. And Mom got me a new keyboard case and the new Guns N' Roses CD, among other things. I still have more books on the way (which I ordered with an Amazon gift card) - I hope to blog about them when they arrive.
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I would like to see your library and wish you would invite me over sometime. Long time no see.
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When I get it squared away, I shall!
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Hoping you get squared away soon. It has been several months now with so many people living in your house. I miss talking to you.
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As far as your possible library move to the basement is concerned.. the configuration of your basement is good. Not being fully underground it should be less damp than most.
BUT....
my experience with basements is... if they have a hot water tank down there or a laundry your always in danger of a potential flood.. even if inadvertent...
And books and water don't go mix...
So myself, I'd suggest keeping your books where you've got them... get some extra shelves.. and be content having more room for you poetry venue downstairs..
Also books don't like extremes of temperature.. with air conditioning upstairs.. even a window one it's better for your books...
By the way you got some cool stuff!!
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Oh... forgot to say .. your library looks fairly neat to me.. nothing an afternoons tidying wouldn't fix...
Some cool titles there...
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