Jesse Drucker's piece in today's Salon, A tale of two killings, is a must-read.

Former NYC Mayor Koch on current NYC Mayor Giuliani:

"He has no credibility at this moment and he should understand that people are going to boo him," said Koch. "But notwithstanding that he should try to reach out -- because he's the mayor. That's his job: to reach out to people, even to those who believe you're not fair. That's your job and if you don't like that job you shouldn't be mayor."

You shouldn't be mayor. (Or Attorney General, or Senator... but that's a whole other story.)

This is what I was looking for. See also the smaller box arias from Sleepers Awake.

Mmm. I also found a photo of Patchen reading with the Charles Mingus Band.

And Mercury is still in retrograde! I can't take any more of this, and for someone who doesn't necessarily factor into her life things like the fact that Mercury ought to maybe just get a job and get back on course, the last few weeks have made me reconsider. Things is messed up around here.

Don't be caught unprepared: Richard Nolle, CPA (Certified Professional Astrologer), has a chart of Mercury's confusion, from 600 BCE to 2400 CE.

And am I really leaving Dorothy Parker's New York for Dirty Harry's San Francisco?

More found photos.

Exquisite noir: Add your own paragraph or two to a "neo-noir" story-in-progress at Noir Alley. It's a nice-looking site... and the slang (or "noirspeak") translater is kind of fun, too.

waiting for death
like a cat
that will jump on the
bed

I am so very sorry for
my wife

she will see this
stiff
white
body
shake it once, then
maybe
again

"Hank!"

Hank won't
answer.

it's not my death that
worries me, it's my wife
left with this
pile of
nothing.

I want to
let her know
though
that all the nights
sleeping
beside her

even the useless
arguments
were things
ever splendid

and the hard
words
I ever feared to
say
can now be
said:

I love
you.

Bohemian Ink hosts a great Buk page, including links to many Bukwerks online.

Go look at "The Second Coming" on Deuce of Clubs. It's better than before.

Should I be worried? Is this a sign of getting old? I'm freelancing on a project right now that's much more product development than "web". And I'm liking it.

Have you seen Steve Kang's Mathematician Trading Cards? (Though I think it's time for Steve to update some of his pages. In his links area, he refers to Amazon.com as the "underdog".

A short, old Wired piece on Soleri and Arcosanti.

New Mexico Abandoned Ghost Towns; yep, I'm planning another desert vacation. There is some really nice photography on this site. I'm not sure if it's the author's, but it's gorgeous.

The Window
Marina Tsvetaeva
5 May 1923

In the sweet, Atlantic
Breathing of spring
My curtain's like a butterfly,
Huge, fluttering

Like a Hindu widow
To a pyre's golden blaze,
Like a drowsy Naiad
To past-window seas.

Translated by David McDuff, 1987

With an Atlantic and sweet
Breath of spring --
As an enormous butterfly
My curtain -- and --

As a Hindu widow
Into the golden-tongued crater,
Like a dreamy naiad
To seas beyond the windows...

Translated by Michael Naydan, 1992

On Peter's recommendation, I'm reading Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point. I'm not halfway through it yet (my only time to read is on the subway, pathetically enough), but it's every bit as fascinating as Peter suggested it would be.

"If I can't dance then its not my revolution"
"The hell with your revolution if I can't dance."
"If I can't dance, I don't want to join your revolution."
"If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution."
"If I can't dance to it, it isn't my Revolution."
"If I can't dance, you can keep your revolution!"