"Poets are soldiers that liberate words from the steadfast possession of definition." --Eli Khamarov

Calliope Nerve Part IX: Introduce Me To God is now available and free of charge featuring Love Beth Drew:

Diagnosis

Scratching your name into
my very bones a hidden
scar with a surface reflecting
the look on
my face
confounding as the
thought lined in
your brow
drinking your scent
like under the sink perfume
luxuriously cheap and all
too familiar
a sidelong glance
into forbidden glass
eye contact at the most
venal level
a constant tug
name your price
on guts
and it shall be soul
like a metaphoric
parasitic
infection only slightly
more alluring from
comparing pictures
that I’ve seen
this new dis-ease will
have to wait its
turn the style
turnstile
in one heart
and out another
leaving marks inside
each other
this ever suffering
unrequited love
role suits just fine
but as the debris
on hands and knee
keeps reminding me
I am just a martyr
past her prime.

--Love Beth Drew

Other authors include David Blaine, J.D. Nelson, Ariel Lee, and me I'm Nobius Black.

Calliope Nerve features poetry, short lit, reviews, commentary, quotations, and odd bits in a wide range of styles. All editions are free of charge. Back issues available.

To order this issue send your snail mail address to nobius at gmail dot com. Submission info is located here. (We are always looking for talent.) Internet link trades, advertising, and flier swaps available.

To support Calliope order your Amazon products via my web log: White Rabbit - *BLACK HOLE*.

Name your muse! Calliope Nerve.

And yet another law to prove politicians have too much free time.

Just found out another one of my customers is being shut down. (Another rubber facility.) Soon there will be nothing left here. (If there isn't already.)

But why should politicians worry about a real problem like that when they can worry about bingo proceeds?

This state is f******.

"A persistence of flowers. A moment of pain. But you thought I was dead." --Nobius Black

More updates soon, for now just some links.

Rick McCallum talks about the Star Wars Live-Action TV Series, his working relationship with The Maker (not that Maker!), and a Young Indiana Jones DVD.

Think Geek's got Star Wars too! (Why didn't I think of this website?)

And Drew Barrymore is voted the most beautiful. About damn time.

Oh yea, and a link to my next great idea. I'm full of 'em, just ask me. :)

Ideas that is.

Right now I'm reading the first page of a script from one of my favorite authors. That makes me smile.

I just bought some new books at the thrift store. (If you haven't read them, they're new, right?) That makes me smile.

The kids and I are about to walk over to the lake and feed the ducks and that makes me smile too. God, I love those kids.

I mailed off another one of my White Rabbit Fall! zines to the APA too. Accomplishment lifts my grin.

Later tonight, we'll have family movie night and pizza.

Before I go to sleep, I want to steal a kiss from the most gorgeous woman I know. My wife.

And somewhere in my head: poetry is flowing, martial arts routines are being pictured, and my mind is at ease.

I can tackle the problems of my world later. (So, can you.)

Right now, I'm just a smiling fool. Enjoying what I've got.

From Warren Ellis's newest project:

Someone stole your future. Don't you ever wonder who?

Here's the new business card for martial arts:



Came out good but for some reason Impress wouldn't accept our dynamic symbol for the dojo so I had to use the ying-yang instead in the right corner. However, since I'm leaving the cards everywhere possible that may be better since people instantly recognize the ying-yang as a universal martial arts symbol. In other words, it should catch the eye quickly on a bulletin board.

If you know of any bulletin boards or businesses, etc here in the area that I can leave my card please let me know. And obviously any word-of-mouth referrals would be even better!

"I can not live without words, sound, poetry!" --Nobius Black

"I have road rage and I know how to use it!" --Homer Simpson

Started the new job and so far I like it. Lots to say but I'm bushed so I'll have to say it later. :)

My boss seems to be a really good guy. I'll need to work on his conservative approach. :) I did get a company laptop and cell phone. (I've never had my own cell before... ha ha.) Also my co-workers have been very friendly and enjoyable.

Mostly spent the past couple of days learning the customers and lanes, answering the phones, meeting our drivers, assisting dispatch, etc and I sold my first shipment today from an inbound call. I'll continue learning the ropes the next few days and then hopefully we'll be off on some sales calls (the vice president will go out with me at first). I'm dying to sell freight face to face! :)

I wonder if I learned a few magic tricks would customers like to see them? I've been trying for other reasons but stink so far.

Frequently, I get preview cards and the like for new comics coming out from my comic dealer. I haven't been saving many of them other then the three I got last year for Marvel Comics Civil War series which I gave to my cousin Kenny for X-mas. I'm going to start collecting that type of thing along with my comics. Got a really nice one last week for the Independent Comic and Small Press Expo 2007 in Columbus.

I'm thinking the comic dealer will put out my business card for Aikido. Need to ask him the next time I'm there.

Nearly finished with my next White Rabbit per-zine for the APA and have enough submissions for another Calliope. Got a nice thank you email today from someone I sent Calliope Nerve number nine to.

Please wish Don-O congrats on his new book Space Age Ashtray.

Now I need to play with the kids before bed. Night all.

"Instructors can impart only a fraction of the teaching. It is through your own devoted practice that the mysteries of Aikido are brought to life." --Morihei Ueshiba

I no sooner published my earlier post and at my front door were my new Aikido business cards. They look nice. I'll get a scan up of one soon.

Fate is talking today. (Or God.)

Filed away my comics today for the first time in about six months. Not bad, it only took an hour.

I have an issue of Mouseguard, that because of it's odd shape I had to file in a plastic freezer bag and put with one of my boxes of trade paperbacks and graphic novels. I know some people love them, but I hate odd sized comics.

Been finding a lot of gems again on You Tube. This particular one is a nice short self defense video. I love the guy's speaking style though I don't agree with all of his techniques. I teach at least 25% of the ones he uses. He does telegraph his moves a bit and relies on brute strength more than Aikido demands but then again he isn't using Aikido based techniques. :) Eventually, these are the types of videos Mike and I will be doing.

Caught the first issue of Marvel's miniseries Fallen Son. Wolverine doesn't believe Cap's dead. And he'll kill to prove it. Great opening for the series, and I love the last page dialogue between Iron Man and Wolverine.

Kids are on spring break, since mid-week it's been cold with light snow. The trend will continue for the next ten days. So much for global warming this spring. Poor Jake also has the flu.

Cleaned the basement, to keep a small practice area for myself which the kids can play in also. Finally got the cash to get at least once nice thick falling/gymnastics type mat which I'll order after I buy the wife a new dryer and washer this weekend. (I know: how romantic.) I may even be able to scratch up enough to cash to get her that MP3 player she's been eyeing.

Once I have the mat, I can try and get a few private lessons going and work more with the kids on their martial skills.

Updated my Constant: A Reader's Blog. Check out some of the books I've read. If you buy any there or via here, I'll use the proceeds (which I haven't gotten any yet) to support Calliope and to put in my kid's education fund. :)

Received a couple of zines and a flyer swap in the mail today, so I'll be mailing out issues of Calliope Nerve in trade as well as some APA Centauri flyers. We really need a few new members. (Hint, hint.)

More poetry soon, got some real inspiration from the cover of Superman 659. Funny how that works.

Here's another great image from the cover of the first issue of the new series of Wonder Woman.

And yes it is true, I did once sell a mint copy of the issue of Animal Man that cameos series writer Grant Morrison as God.

Ron mentioned Helter Skelter over at his blog today. I told him, a couple friends of mine once let me sing that song for them with their band. Hey, it may of only been in a basement studio but I was damn good. Just ask me. :) Of course, my rendition is a bit more *metal* than the original.

Most of the seeds I started indoors have grown beyond my expectations. In these parts you can't plant outside until after the second week of May since it frosts so late. I'm thinking now, I should of waited to start them. Now if they only keep growing once I transplant them outside.

It'll be nice to get back to work next week. Been brainstorming and making notes for the new job again. The planner book is again filling up with to-do lists and appointments. A nice change from recently.

A really nice change.

My brother was approved for the lease today so shortly we'll have a new Aikido/martial art school!

One of the angles we're going to use to in our teaching method is that we will videotape our students so we and them can critique right there on the spot. Much like instant replay in football. We also plan on making self defense books and videos as well down the road.

But first we need students. Does anyone know of any?

"It should surprise absolutely no one that Quentin Tarantino's Hollywood Hills home is a shrine to arrested male development. The bright yellow 'Pussy Wagon' that Uma Thurman drove in 'Kill Bill' can often be found parked in the driveway. And more often than not, a riot of exploitation-movie posters covers his floors like some messy teenage boy's bedroom. But the place that truly symbolizes the 44-year old director's raging bachelor id, the inner sanctum of his fanboy shrine, is his screening room." --Chris Nashawaty (Entertainment Weekly)

"I belong with the words. A disease of poetry. Full of light." --Nobius Black

One thing I forgot to mention in last night's post. Several people and books gave me the advice to go on as many interviews as possible if only for the practice. I concur. If you're looking for a job. Do it. Go out there and learn to sell the greatest asset God gave you: You!

This morning I'm reading the miniature edition of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

"Am I the last artist left? The last poet in Barber Town." --Nobius Black

Finally landed a new job today. I will be *the* only full time sales person for a small full load trucking firm in Medina.

The one and only downside besides a longer commute is I'll be making less money. However with the exceptions of weeks that I travel, I'll be working forty hour work weeks again. No nights, no weekends and I'll still be able to get the kids to school on weeks my wife works. (BTW, I located this job via MONSTER.)

My one and only job will be to *grow* the business and I already have a boat load of ideas for that especially since they already have some freight brokerage capability.

The atmosphere of the company is informal (which I like) and the president (he wore a T-shirt to my interview) told me the main reason he was hiring me was he could see that I not only had the right experience but I was creative. (Hint, hint: mentioning Calliope Nerve and Aikido on the resume definitely helped.) And we'll need to be creative to compete with all the big boys out there.

The company is so small they aren't even using dispatching or sales management software. We'll need to work on that. I need to be able to effectively manage my contacts, info on customers, quotation histories, secure ratios, lane histories, etc.

More on the job soon, I don't actually start until a week from Tuesday since my kids are on spring break through next Monday.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers regarding my job situation and now it's time for me to pay it forward. Not sure how yet but I'm going to help someone. Karma requires it. :)

Also ran out of my run of Calliope Nerve VIII so it's back to the copy store later this week to make some more.

Mike went and looked at a possible new dojo for us that is really close to here this past weekend. Crossing my fingers on that, evidently the place has been used as a dojo before.

Weather is supposed to turn cold again so I'm taking the kids to Rolling Ridge Ranch tomorrow so I better catch some shut eye.

Later gators.