Fernando Pessoa's Book of Disquiet and the Moody Blues
Usually I far prefer shopping at independent bookstores to supporting the chains. But here's the problem: there are, as far as I know, no independent bookstores in either my city, Elyria, or the nearest cities/villages in either direction — Grafton, Lagrange, Lorain, Sheffield, Avon and North Ridgeville. So I have to drive all the way to Oberlin, Amherst or Cleveland, which I love to do, but don't always have time to do. Plus I feel that burning extra fuel to get there neutralizes any karmic good (for lack of a better phrase) I accomplish by buying independent. So I tend to visit the stores in Oberlin and Cleveland only when I have other things to do in those cities — that way, I accomplish several tasks on the same set of carbon emissions. I had the same moral dilemma when deciding to read during the mint farm benefit in Michigan this coming weekend — so I decided to take another poet with me and hit two readings and a bookstore on the same trip. Don't be fooled, however — I did/do all of the above more for personal enjoyment than for the sake of any so-called karmic balance.
Today, hypocritical I couldn't resist taking a trek to Borders Books in Westlake (about halfway from Elyria to Cleveland) to take advantage of a tremendous sale — one free book (from two selected racks) with any purchase. I bought a Penguin Classics paperback of Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa's The Book of Disquiet (for which I've been a long time lusting), and for my freebie I chose Michael Ryan's hardbound New and Selected Poems (the only poetry book on the free rack, though the one poem I've read in it so far is excellent). I also found a huge hardbound biography of Ariel Sharon (by Nir Hefez and Gadi Bloom) marked down from $29.99 to one dollar — and couldn't pass it up. Essentially three books for the price of one....
Finally, it looks like Geri and I might burn more gasoline tonight in order to accept James and Dianne Borsenik's invitation to see the Moody Blues perform at the Nautica Pavilion in Cleveland. A very cool venue on the Cuyahoga River — last time we were there was to see Chris Isaak in the summer of 2004.... Here's you a taste:
Today, hypocritical I couldn't resist taking a trek to Borders Books in Westlake (about halfway from Elyria to Cleveland) to take advantage of a tremendous sale — one free book (from two selected racks) with any purchase. I bought a Penguin Classics paperback of Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa's The Book of Disquiet (for which I've been a long time lusting), and for my freebie I chose Michael Ryan's hardbound New and Selected Poems (the only poetry book on the free rack, though the one poem I've read in it so far is excellent). I also found a huge hardbound biography of Ariel Sharon (by Nir Hefez and Gadi Bloom) marked down from $29.99 to one dollar — and couldn't pass it up. Essentially three books for the price of one....
Finally, it looks like Geri and I might burn more gasoline tonight in order to accept James and Dianne Borsenik's invitation to see the Moody Blues perform at the Nautica Pavilion in Cleveland. A very cool venue on the Cuyahoga River — last time we were there was to see Chris Isaak in the summer of 2004.... Here's you a taste:
Posted by Jesus Crisis at 8/11/2009 2:49 PM 
Categories: Writing and Poetry
Tags: Fernando Pessoa Moody Blues Book of Disquiet
Categories: Writing and Poetry
Tags: Fernando Pessoa Moody Blues Book of Disquiet
Fun that you have friends that live so close to do things with.. also similar tastes in music.. way cool. Partners in crime in many ways you all are... LOL.
You sound like a good shopper though... is this starting to rub off on you from GerI? Or a natural trait of your own?
It's hard to not be a sell out with regard to a book sale... sometimes you just have to go for it.
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I guess you could say both Geri and I are "good" shoppers -- but in different ways!
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my first concert after i got kicked out of the u.s. naval academy for smoking marijuana was the first Cream goodbye concert - Baltimore 1968. it was my first concert on LSD. The Terry Reid group was the opening act, and the next act was The Moody Blues, and they sang "Timothy Leary is dead - no no no no he's on the outside looking in." A great night.
Then of course the Cream went to NYC for another goodbye concert, then Europe, etc. But we saw the first one.
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Wish I coulda seen Cream in their prime!
A dude behind us last night kept yelling for "Timothy Leary!" -- but they never played it. Played the rest of my favorites, though....
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I guess it is really really awesome to hear Moody Blues at the terribly advanced age of 60 playing better than most rock bands do now in their 30s. Does anyone remember Timothy Leary? I thought he died before you-all were born!!
And to add to this blog I know Portuguese as my third language so if you are reading Fernando Pessoa in a translation I could help you read it in the original Portuguese, a lovely language. I have spent many wonderful days in Portugal both in Lisbon, Oporto and the Algarve and love Fado music. I think I will post a Fado cafe that was part of a Carlos Saura movie so you can hear the nostalgic fate songs sung by some of the best fado singers. It will be on my profile and is very different from flamenco.
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