I’m told that some baseball teams get to play in October. True?
While you were busy summering, I was doing things, too. Lots of things.
List ahead.
12 Things I Did While You Were Doing Other Things
1) I did this weird thing that made my guitar string unravel.
2) I read Thomas Pynchon’s “Shadow Ticket” which started great and then became a slog. I’m sure you’ve been to dinner parties like that. (I’ve been to no dinner parties.)
well we had 162 good pages together
3) I cleaned six things off my desk. For the nosy amongst you – Two yoga books I had piled on the table and then couldn’t find last week because they’d been covered in papers. One post-it note carefully placed next to my computer with nothing on it. Nothing. One cryptic piece of notepaper with “4 6 10” written on it along with some guitar chords that may have meant something. An empty wrapper from a Japanese Kit Kat. A notice that they’re disconnecting our landline.
4) I watched the Orioles lose more than 80 games this season. Sometimes I fell asleep.
at least we have pete
5) I spent almost my entire payment from a health insurance class action lawsuit on this.
i regret nothing
6) I read a poem a day. (This is not true, but it feels more satisfying than saying I tried to read a poem a day but failed most days.) (But I was glad I did on the days I did.) (So there is that.)
so many poems
7) I reached this curiously important milestone.
yes, amazon music. don’t judge.
8) I watched grass become hay.
9) I posted one thing on Instagram.
10) I noticed that our gray squirrels are getting a little reddish.
see?
11) I ran out of things to say. Oh wait …
12) I missed you.
Missed you too!
Hi Amie, I hope all is well in your world!
this morning is turning into paradise. the cannabis helps and so do you Jackie. i’ve heard from two old friends this morning too, both irish and both interested in drinking beer in ireland and i’ve never been to too many places but ireland is a place i want to go. they never colonized anyone and neither did canada……i had to look up budokan from the cover of the dylan you bought. budokan? it does sound japanese and then i looked it up and arena for martial arts….is the book his early poetry? like tarantula! that’s bizarely beautiful. is it lyrics? notes from a concert in Japan?
i’ve begun to like squirrels, again. you’re sense of humor never leaves you. great photos by the way. and what a stack of poetry. i don’t read much poetry. just kinda started because of a blog i found or it found me called Naive Haircuts. i do have a small book called Howl of ginsberg poems. i’m gonna read it before bed tonight. i’ll be drunk. poetry is like another language altogether. i’m horrible at learning new languages. unfortunately the guy took a break from wordpress like you jackie. Japanese kitkats. you’re the best!!!! there is always a holiday to celebrate, every day, somewhere in the world and for a beer i’m willing to toast the world and all its pecadillos. i learned that word from the movie Good Will Hunting, the scene when robin williams explains to matt damon what he loves most about his wife who had passed away.
Oh, Steve. I can’t tell you how I’ve tried to find words. And, I see how you write such perfect things and sometimes I’m just paralyzed. I can’t even open your posts some days because I start to feel empty inside … where have these damn words gone? Oh, that Budokan thing is a box set of Dylan’s two Budokan concerts in 1978. It had all sorts of really wild ephemera with it, most of it in Japanese –> https://baseballzen9.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/budokan-stuff.jpg Poetry aside, have you read Lawrence Ferlinghetti? Another of those beat-era poets (he started City Light Books). The way he sees the world reminds me of you. OK, I’m going to try to reestablish my friendship with nouns and verbs (occasional adjectives). Thank you for your words and inspiration. Always.
ferlinghetti i just read lived to be 102!! geeez, i hope i get some of his mojo. i wouldn’t mind living to be 100. i know the name but never read any of his poems. i will now. and i’m kind of paralyzed too, by your creations and you liking my creations.
Ferlinghetti’s “Coney Island of the Mind”. I think it will be right up your alley.
i feel the beautiful ghosts of autumn, a new one for me to contemplate, Ferlinghetti, i do know that title but never read the poem but i love that title because i’ve been to coney island and i think it’s maybe the most interesting places i’ve ever been. thank you for pointing this out, this up my ally, Ferlinghetti….i trust your instincts and clairvoyance Jackie in this maze of this life we’re all in search of next steps.
Baseball in October? Really?
Baseball in October … who knew? Oh, I watched the way the Mets fans welcomed Pete Alonso back when the O’s were there last week. It was one of the most beautiful things. Last night at the last home game in Baltimore, it was Pete who led the players out on the field after the game to acknowledge the fans and he was near tears. I understand why Mets fans feel the way they do about him and I hope that we Orioles fans truly realize what a gift we have in Polar Bear.
You write in multitudes, just like Dylan and just like the Orioles Management manages and the players play. I read this today, the day they are likely finally eliminated from the playoffs – 5 games out with 5 to play. But at 76-81, we should not even be having a conversation about playoffs so making it to the Wed of the last week of the season still “in the hunt” means even a bad losing team can have fans with hope. There is probably a poem for this.
And, here we are on Thursday still not done, or as Animal House’s Bluto once said: “Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?” It’s quite remarkable to think that there are just 3 games left and if the O’s can sweep the Yankees and the Rockies can sweep the White Sox this weekend, the Orioles will actually be in the post-season. Not likely (understatement), but sort of crazy to think this weird season isn’t over yet. And on the plus side, seeing Pete Alonso near tears as he led the team out to acknowledge the crowd after last night’s home game just made me so emotional. What a gift he’s been this season. (Also, three cheers for the Orioles for doing right by Trey Mancini this month, too.) Also (another “also”) … “You write in multitudes” is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. Thank you for that.
Sure thing and I was watching last night too and actually found myself checking in on the score of the White Sox-Royals game. It ain’t over til its over. I would at least like to see it make it to Friday night and watch Albernaz manage the game like a sudden death playoff game. I haven’t check the latest %s for the Os odds of making the playoffs, but I am guessing it is somewhere around .2%. The other way to look at this is that isn’t it something that on the Thursday of the last weekend this team is still actually in the hunt for a miracle of miracles. In years past, they would have been out of this thing before labor day.
Keep on writing.