In Which Is Inaugurated Tomato-Rama 2010

My parents went to Sam's Club this "black" day

And all I got were just ten lousy pounds

Of fine tomatoes. With these, they did say

"We like your sauce and paste," I think, so -- 'zounds! --

E'en as I munch on turkey re-heatings,

I blanch and peel two dozen romas, then

Will spend the rest of this fine evening,

A-cooking them on down. Such time has been

Ideal for catching up on podcasts, so

Here I begin, but, spoiled for choice, which shall

I start with? Quirks and Quarks? A novel? Oh,

There's Planet Money, too. How my morale

Doth rise as I so contemplate a night

Spent in the kitchen, growing e'er more bright!

In Which I Divulge A Secret

I do quite well without cable TV,
As I have said before. But really, how
Is this, these days, a possibility?
Tonight shall be a good example. Wow,
Have I got hours of entertainment planned!
A new-to-me podcast, and You Tube clips
(A lot of these) shown to me by a grand
Array of wondrous friends, and then some blips
Of William Burroughs with Dave Cronenberg!
I'm overwhelmed a bit, just keeping track;
Have made a list and it's quite long. My word!
Good thing it's Mriday and I've got some slack.
And really, as my nights go it's not rare.
My TV might as well just not be there.

In Which Iambic Confetti Is Thrown For Phil Rossi

A troubador who scares one sexy is
Our dear Phil Rossi, but that's far from all,
There's music, too, when he reads one of his
Great podcast novels; that Virginia drawl
And growling voice is perfect for those tales.
If you'd prefer some print, here's Crescent, creeps
In space for all. I've gladly watched its sales
A-soaring; 'specially as our boy just keeps
On having wee ones. Piper joined the crew
Just days ago! And Phil's started a blog,
Not Just a Dad. You see why I say "phew!"
To top it off, he has a way with grog.
So all signs say his birthday will be made
Of finest win. Such shall be our crusade.

In Which I Squee For A Wonderful Guy

Today is Seventh Son Day, a long while

In coming. As we watch his numbers rise

With J.C. Hutchins, let us pause and smile

For him and us. At last our poor wee eyes

Partake in what our ears so long have known!

That baby-faced JC is sure no slouch,

That there's no pleasure quite like when our own

Do well. That sprawling out upon the couch

With paperback or Kindle is more fun

When it's a friend in there. Oh, JC, dear!

While Personal Effects was a delight

And brought the chills and of course brought the fear,

It's this one that feels like the triumph of

Your work and friends and all you've come to love!

What I Have Learned So Far As A Baby Podcaster

The sound of smacking lips is most loathesome:

Recording while one's mouth is dry's not smart.

The KATE STATION is comfy to talk from

But Dell Range traffic noise is like a fart

In church: just what we never want to hear.

Audacity, that wondrous software, saves

My list'ners from those sounds, keeps the stream clear

(Though eats up time removing them; we're slaves,

Perfectionism cracks the whip). But naught

Can change my diction. I talk slowly and

Am told I sound like I've been nearly caught

Midway to some far sleepy, dreamy land.

And oh yes, how the Show Notes are my pals,

Some things just must be seen, their rationales.

In Which I Rashly Take My Sonnets Audio

I can't recall just why or when or how

I got the notion to podcast my stuff,

But so I did, and so I do endow

The internet with this (as though enough

Of us weren't on that bandwagon;

It must be near collapsing from the weight

Or would be were it real). I doubt I'll stun

You with my first attempt, just hope no hate

Comes my way for it. I'm no Slau Be Sharp:

My studio's my office, and my dog

My only audience. She did not carp

At anything I did but chewed her log

Of Rawhide. Yes, I'm gazing at my shoes.

It will get better as I pay my dues.

In Which The Biomechanical Filmmaker Is Congratulated Twice Over

Oh no, I say, perhaps we'd all best run --
Though he could catch us on his motorbike --
Brent Weichsel now is twenty, having fun,
And he just got some news I'd also like
To share here with my readers, who should know
Already of his film work from his site,
The news that it has reached a great plateau
Of recognition. I am pleased to write:
A Parsec nomination now is his!
His podcast on filmmaking is a must
For anyone with int'rest in that biz
Or in how art is conjured from the dust
Of basements or the mental rubbish bin.
Underdevelopment is for the win!

BONUS SONNET: In Which I Wish A Certain Podcaster A Very Happy Birthday!

A busy man is Geo Hrab; alas

Not even his industr'ousness can save

Him from th'advance of age, the years that pass

Unasked as we pursue all that we crave.

Each drum he beats announces that more time

Has come and gone; each podcast he records

Names out the best of what each week sublime

Has brought to his attention, and the hordes

Of Geologic fans try each Thursday

To crash his server when the call goes out

That new high silliness has made its way

Onto the internet. Let us all shout

Together, in his honor, "Vibraphone!"

And "Happy Birthday" ere the day has flown.

In Which I Consider A Bout of Furniture Shopping

The office in my house is where I'm at:

It's full of desks, typewriters, books and stuff,

Including my computer (fancy that!).

These days I'm finding, though, it's not enough.

I've recently come late to a new game:

Of pod'iobooks - recordings of new works

By authors who tweet with me, know my name,

And sometimes read my sonnets. Only jerks

Accept attention but don't give it. Shame!

To rectify this I there dipped my toe,

And Rossi, Sigler, Lafferty and more

Grabbed onto it and pulled me down below,

And carried me far from the peaceful shore.

I'm happy there to swim, but now I find

My office chair is numbing my behind.

I Also Love The 365 Days Of Astronomy But That's Really Hard To Put In A Line

The Internet has brought us wondrous times,
Email, iTunes, Facebook, all have their place.
While Blogger helps me share with you my rhymes,
As does RhymeZone (it's not always the case
That I am ready with just the right word
To finish off a line). One app above
All others brings me joy. You might have heard:
As entertainment, podcasts have my love.
George Hrab, Sandra Tsing Loh, and NPR,
Wil Wheaton, Marketplace, Rebel FM,
The Naked Scientists and Stardate are
Stand-bys; BSGcast... still more of them
Even the president now has my ear:
His address is podcast, and has no peer.