Trying to figure why my buddy Seth
won’t take me to hot yoga with him.
I’m super ready…

Dear Prop 8, Mormons, and Orange County,

I officiated the wedding of a straight couple on Sunday and I was thinkin’… I’ve been known to be pretty gay. Shouldn’t this mean their marriage not be recognized? Isn’t the sanctity of a straight couple at risk if they’re married by a gay dude? Shouldn’t straight marriages performed by gay dudes be revoked as a safeguard against burning forever? Please help me help you help God help us, or before ya know it they’ll be letting murderers and animals officiate; maybe even priests. Something more must be done to stop the spread of joy, and butt sex.

Looking to You For Christlike Moral Guidance Because You and Your Divorce Rates Representing Sanctity Totally Make Sense, Reverend Budworth Wakeright

P.S. I feel like y’all should go after the Universal Life Church next, to put an end to the possibility of openly human/gay people presiding over straight weddings. Once that’s accomplished we can begin voiding the millions of marriages performed by such ambiguous clergy. It’s a purification process, and should serve to bring the human race closer together. It may seem like de-evolution or Hitleresque at first, but I for one understand that you have books to live by, like – say – the Bible, which clearly states all sins are measured equally. For instance, if I call you a retarded ape, that’s a sin, unless you truly are a retarded ape, which…
At any rate, please stop.
Abort hateful mission (and I don’t mean the kids you may be raising).

(note: it’s not me.)

Holy goodness gracious.
Thank ya, Snook.
Completely smilin’ about this.

And for this:

(The European Space Agency has released what it says is the first-ever image of the entire universe which will give scientists new insight into how the stars and galaxies form. The all-sky image, produced by space telescope Planck, can also tell how the universe itself came to life after the Big Bang some 13.7 billion years ago. The satellite was launched last year by the ESA under a € 600 million project to record the origins of the universe.)

In the last mile of the 30th Annual Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon
Sarah Healy-Middleton was goin’ bananas for me
shoutin’ out powerful reminders of who we are
and why we do the things we do
but she did not lose focus on the task at hand
and was well reminding me how to physically stay righted
and how to show up in the home stretch.

Where the course opened up near supporters and spectators
Sarah rode her bike alongside me on the grass for as long as she could.
She was coachin’ her heart out when I passed a man on my right
who looked over at me with all his breath and said,
“Where do you find friends like that?”

In the moment I responded, “Well, ya can’t buy’m.”
I sure hope my answer was good timing with regards to whatever was goin’ on for him
but if anybody ever asked me again where to find friends like that
I’d probably give the same answer I’d give for how to find a four-leaf clover.
You have to look.

June 22, 2010
The world’s largest yoga class
on The Great Lawn in Central Park.
13,000 yogis.
Apparently gravity was unavailable that day.
Thank you, Flavorpill.

March 4, 2010 Hazelwood West High School Writer’s Week, St. Louis, MO

March 5, 2010 at Nuyorican Poets Cafe, 236 East 3rd Street (between Ave A and Ave B), New York City, NY, 10pm

March 8, 2010 (do not book day) Gone to see Jon Stewart taping.

March 8, 2010 at Bar 13, 35 East 13th Street, New York City, NY, 7:30pm

March 9, 2010 at Bowery Poetry Club, New York City, NY
(doin’ a “talk” about “craft” at 6:30pm before the show starts. So come talk crap-ft with meh.)

March 11, 2010 at Falstaff’s, Skidmore College – 815 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY, 8pm

March 12, 2010 at Weisiger Theater, Centre College, 600 West Walnut St., Danville, KY, 8pm

March 14, 2010 Drake Hotel Underground, 1150 Queen St. W., Toronto, ON, 7:30pm

March 18, 2010 Karen Finneyfrock’s Book Release Party at Richard Hugo House, Seattle, WA

March 26, 2010 25-minute set, a benefit for Seattle Collegiate Slam Team, Soundbridge in Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA, 7:30pm

APRIL 2010

April 1, 2010 Awkward While Airborne with Andrea Gibson in The University Memorial Center, 1669 Euclid Avenue, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 7:30pm

April 2, 2010 Awkward While Airborne with Andrea Gibson in Taggart Center Ballroom, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 7pm

April 8, 2010 with Ani DiFranco at Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel Street, Houston, TX, 8pm

April 9, 2010 with Ani DiFranco at The Paramount Theater, 713 Congress Avenue, Austin, TX, 8pm

April 11, 2010 with Ani DiFranco at Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX, 8pm

April 13, 2010 with Ani DiFranco at The New Daisy Theater, 330 Beale St., Memphis, TN, 8pm

April 14, 2010 with Ani DiFranco at The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd, St Louis, MO, 8pm

April 16, 2010 with Ani DiFranco at Beaumont Club, 4050 Pennsylvania Blvd, Kansas City, MO, 8pm

April 17, 2010 with Ani DiFranco at Hoyt Sherman Theatre, 1501 Woodland Avenue, Des Moines, IA, 8pm

April 18, 2010 with Ani DiFranco at Slowdown, 729 N 14th St, Omaha, NE, 8pm

April 20, 2010 with Ani DiFranco in Armstrong Hall, Colorado Springs, CO, 8pm

April 21, 2010 with Ani DiFranco in Arts & Sciences Auditorium, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 8pm

April 22, 2010 with Ani DiFranco at Ogden Theater, 935 East Colfax, Denver, CO, 8pm

April 24, 2010 with Ani DiFranco at Mesa Theater, 538 Main St, Grand Junction, CO, 8pm

April 25, 2010 with Ani DiFranco at Kingsbury Hall, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 7pm

April 26, 2010 with Ani DiFranco at Knitting Factory Concert House, 416 South 9th Street, Boise, ID, 8pm

MAY 2010

May 2, 2010 The 30th Anniversary Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon (it’s my first time to do somethin’ like this… you might consider showin’ up on the sidelines to shout encouraging words or throw caffeinated snacks at my mouth).

May 7, 2010 at The Center School,  Seattle, WA, 9:30am

May 11, 2010 at Cleveland High Schoool, Seattle, WA, 10am

May 11-15, 2010 Vipassana

May 25, 2010 at The Seattle Slam, Re-Bar, Seattle, WA, 8:30pm

May 26, 2010 at Richard Hugo House, workshop, Seattle, WA, 6pm

It’s been a while, huh?

Well, after the Revival Tour
I kept a friend’s home warm
and Andy Cook taught me how to walk a slack line out at Santa Monica Pier.

Then I got to see my first memories of this world
visiting childhood best friend, Jimmy Jones, and his family.

Then I went on the tour of my career

(The Paramount Theater, Austin, TX)
(National Monument, CO)

Then I made entry into the second half of my life
(Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon, May 2, 2010).

I remember when I told Heidi Kunkle outside the venue in Des Moines, IA
that I’d never found a 4-leaf clover
she replied, “You have to look.”
I found one right then and there. Here it is

When I told my friend, Seth, I found a 4-leaf clover
he said he’d never found one.
I said, “You have to look.”
Today he showed me four

Now Seth spends time looking for 4-leaf clovers.
He’s stopped mowing so much.
Today as we discussed the amazing second half of his life and what it might look like
Seth began to call out one 4-leaf clover after another
then handed me a bouquet of’m.

Here are the first six

I became excited and joined in…

Here are seventeen of the twenty-one 4-leaf clovers we found in no time

Actually, there were twenty. We stopped when we found “the 21st”…

“The 21st” had 12 clovers on it, and still budding…

What more could a clover hunter ask for?
Seth’s curious as a cat.

That’s why we call him Whiskers.

That about brings us up to speed.
I have no obligations and don’t owe nothin’.
There’s a choose-your-own-adventure 360 degrees wide in front of me.
The sign over there says to teach a college course at Naropa, or The New School.
Song says to meditate full time.
Giant says to train for Cirque Du Soleil.
If I put a significant amount of energy into planning and grant writing
The Revival can pull together a full-time show
or I’ll write the screenplay now.
Feelin’ good about releasing the new book, Gentleman Practice, early fall.
Got a provisional patent finally, regarding a fun way to teach kids alternative energy.
My family wants me down in Austin and I like it.
I could invest in a home. Build another city of candles on the dresser.
Haven’t toured Europe in a while. Never toured Australia.
Go on a solo national tour, 2011? Take a new tour partner every week?
Train to facilitate ropes courses?
Work for an accelerated learning forum in Denmark?
I know a friendly house with my name on it in Kona, or Cape Town,
Venice Beach or NYC, Norway, Kansas City, England, Juneau, Ashville, Seattle…
Go back to school, for physics? Study the memory of water.
Finally run away and join the office? Make funny ads? The Onion? Boob job?
Create a local bulletin board to start a circuit of backyard BBQ’s lasting all summer?
Now New Industries? Make holiday sweaters? Cereal saloon?
I can build a hot air balloon basket outta popsicle sticks, paint it bright orangepink with yellow.
Been makin’ music for fun with no agenda.
Gonna keep fit and can hopefully help if anybody else wants to go there.
Love sharin’ it. Love sharin’.
Even the impermanence.
Share it.

Today Reverend Kathianne Lewis said two wolves live in my heart.
One of them is right with this world
and we know what kind of destruction the other is capable of.
She asked which one I’m feeding.

After most every show these days somebody wonders about
the forgiveness lines in Hurling Crowbirds at Mockingbars:

“Forgiveness is the release of all hope for a better past.”

“Forgiveness is for anyone who needs safe passage through my mind.”

I wanna reiterate that I wrote neither of those lines.
They are directly quoted from a sermon by Reverend Kathianne Lewis.
I feel pretty certain she was quoting someone else.

Practice,

(Kingfish; Seattle, WA)

November 8, 2010 with The Night Kite Revival at Dominican University, San Rafael, CA

November 16, 2010 with The Night Kite Revival, Linfield College, Oregon

November 17, 2010 with The Night Kite Revival, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA

October 5, 2010 with The Night Kite Revival at The City Opera House, Traverse City, Michigan

October 7, 2010 (ON HOLD) with The Night Kite Revival at SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo, NY

October 12, 2010 with The Night Kite Revival at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

October 13-14, 2010 with The Night Kite Revival at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

October 15, 2010 with The Night Kite Revival at Boston University

October 16, 2010 with The Night Kite Revival, Fairfield, CT, TBA

October 17, 2010 with The Night Kite Revival, Roackaway, NJ, TBA

October 19, 2010 with The Night Kite Revival at Community College of Baltimore, Essex

October 27, 2010 with The Night Kite Revival at Hendrix College, Conway, AR