Benjamin DeHaven's Blog, page 29
February 21, 2014
Under the terrible burden of destiny
This text is in the PUBLIC DOMAIN.
CARL SANDBURG
CHICAGO
HOG Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders:
They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I
have seen your painted women under the gas lamps
luring the farm boys.
And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it
is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to
kill again.
And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the
faces of women and children I have seen the marks
of wanton hunger.
And having answered so I turn once more to those who
sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer
and say to them:
Come and show me another city with lifted head singing
so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.
Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on
job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the
little soft cities;
Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning
as a savage pitted against the wilderness,
Bareheaded,
Shoveling,
Wrecking,
Planning,
Building, breaking, rebuilding,
“Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with
white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young
man laughs,
Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has
never lost a battle,
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse.
and under his ribs the heart of the people,
Laughing!
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of
Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog
Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with
Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.”
February 19, 2014
I want to quit Winners-(Harold Smith)
For the Late Johnny Cupcakes- Sorry I stole it from Harold Smith,-Fight the Good Fight. 
We gamblers came down in a silent group…to bury the man who had beaten us all and then succumbed as every mortal must, a victim of his own words and deeds and frailties…He was as gallant a competitor as I have ever known. In my desk I have a marker for $40,000, a reminder that even the greatest gambler of them all quit a loser.
February 16, 2014
Hoot Suite is Awesome. http://ow.ly/tGt2
Hoot Suite is Awesome. http://ow.ly/tGt29 Now I am going to try and break it with new years resolution message! http://ow.ly/i/4CoaE
February 15, 2014
YE63ZTNXFGGP “T…
YE63ZTNXFGGP “The only thing that could ruin a day was people and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits.”
Hemingway
February 13, 2014
Confirm this Computer
CA7HAM7Z9J59 Here is a magic code. I do not understand what SEO means. I mean I know how google works and can see its an acronym and I can probably make a valid guess and for 2$ a month I can add it to my website. At first it sounded like a great idea, but now after a full day-where I should have been playing in the snow instead of screwing around in a text editing program I am starting to hate it. And now I am starting to dislike myself, because if I remember my sally struthers history. I could be feeding a kid for the same amount of money. So sorry if you are reading this crappy post, but some search engine has required that I post the code on my blog. woooo
“Frozen in Febr…
“Frozen in February.
Slow and quiet is the snow.
Wistful dreamy today.
It’s cold but Your love glows.
Take scarf and shovel out.
White world is brisk and blows.
Frozen in February,
………me and Milo.”
by: Michelle Monaco. I always miss my boy on these snowy days. The chapter about Milo is on http://bdehaven.com at the bottom.
February 9, 2014
Thank You For the Roller Coaster of Emotions, Man at the Library
Reblogged from The Life and Times of Nathan Badley...:
In life, there are a lot of rules. I mean literally dozens of them. Every day you are told how fast you’re allowed to drive, how many items you are allowed to steal (none, FYI), how many items you can have when you go through the express checkout lane, whether you are or are not allowed to wear white based on that day’s proximity to Labor Day… the list goes on and on.
I feel the best thing to do during a time like this is to open my cell phone (yes open-I like old stuff that still works that I don't have to worry about-that's why I sneak Viagra into my cereal and dose myself.) Is to speak into my phone as if I am replying to the statement's they're making. Ie. (From your blog) -“No, I do have the first and last month’s rent. I just need to get over there." Now me into mine," No. I understand, but that hooker landlord said she was going to let that apartment slip of you weren't there by 3pm…You still at the Library, or down at the mission?"--"What street?" What?-There's a Library on Church? There's a Church in the Library? Church Street? How come your not at the mission? What street? Hello?"Mom? Who is this?--make sure to keep them in your sight, but do not lock eyes. If you don't get stabbed (which could be a possibility at this point), at least the other people being tortured will get a laugh. Maybe performing this act should be the new rule. PS-don't finish Red Badge of Courage-it doesn't end well.
Why sleep is important
Whenever you are building muscles or just jogging or swimming, the one thing that your body can't live without is sleep.
A good night sleep will give time to your muscles to recover and rest. It is usually recommended to exercise once per two days because this is the time that your body will need to recover. And let's admit it, you probably don't have enough time to exercise every day.
Sleep is 100% necessary. It's a fine balance that requires tweaking. and after the over consumption of oats soda last night and the 2am Taco Bell Disaster which ended in "half on-half off" upside down couch sleeping with a gut full of calories, I can assure you it would have been really easy to sleep too much. But luckily I was looking at your blog and saw do sit-ups. So-damnit I did and punished not only myself for my foolishness but also the neighbors dog who is over visiting this week. The poor dog was forced to flee the room-when what he originally thought looked like a fun activity on the floor turning he could be a part of turned into an experiment of what happens during 3 sets of 100 crunches with a gut for of bourbon and reprocessed beef fat and cheese burritos. …And back to the Spirutine. Looking forward to your blog.
February 7, 2014
Blob, blog, blob, blog, bloB-Please help an idiot!
I think my brain is fried from staring at the Blogosphere. I am still not sure how I am finding any blogs-which is a definite concern to me and a testament to how computably challenged I have become. I am-I am sure they are everywhere. I started this journey first to fulfill a contract, second for selfish reasons, and 3rd because after a PR person laughed in my face when I said my marketing budget was $10,000 (which took me a long time to build up), I became quite agitated. But after I started researching what writers were doing to try and promote their books I had to shut off all my notifications and it hit me-why would I want to be a part of this? Clearly there is something ridiculous about the current process and I certainly wasn’t going to pay some PR person to jam a product down someone’s throat. I also told the publisher I would not be inviting my friends to a forced book signing at a Barnes and Noble, because other than that group-no one knows my name. I would however gladly invite a group of friends to a tavern with an open tab for a release party and if they wanted to read something- it would be there if they bought the next round, or introduced me to their wives sister (John). Just kidding John can’t read anything unless there is a picture of a naked woman above it.
But jamming up your friends is not my idea of what friends are for, and I am learning that’s not what this circle is for either. In fact my particular book which comes out in July, might be one of the choppiest things I have ever written, but the subject is controversial and it is building steam. Maybe it will be the most sued book ever. Now that would be great to be a part of.
The reason I am contacting you-BLOG world. Other than to vent, is for guidance. I want to interact and read and find good information, and when I finally struggled through the basics of launching a blog-I actually found peace and for the first time since my book got picked up, I was finally able to write under no pressure and felt a release I haven’t felt in a long time. Ah yes-I remember why I like to write, and I suddenly found the missing time to read again. I also started to find information I found invaluable, including a news reader-(although I didn’t subscribe to ESPN and can’t figure out how to turn it off)-and seriously who needs that much information about sports. I have laughed out loud at some of the great things I was reading. Especially Nathan Bradley’s expose on life. So is there any advice you could offer as to the best way to interact, build, and request readers or at this point or even just filter out the people who have nothing other to say than-hey my book, look here, a book, free book? Want to win a book? How about a chapter? #book #anything I can think of that might trick a person. Also #sexvampire #Iam robbing your server as you read this #Banana. I know this might seem like a strange request-but considering how tapped into the market all these marketers are telling me they are-there must be something I am missing. I apologize for the length of this Blog. I just had to get that off my chest. Thank you in advance for any guidance you might be able to offer. Have a great weekend. How do you even get someone to find your blog? That would be something good to know I would think. 
LOL. Thanks again. I even included a free service announcement in this to help people!
Drawing my own sails
Quickly, I remembered my new publicist ordered me to pay the SEO marketing specialist $20,000 to build a fan base on a blog which I had no desire to understand or participate in. You see I had written a book, a book I didn’t care for-a book that was really just a copy of a journal I had received from a friend of mine. Actually it was the base of a nasty lawsuit. But the blog is where the trouble started. I started seeing things, I was an actually interested in-similar goal and ideals and I longed again to connect. I fired my publicist and friend the SEO marketer on Google circles just to prove a point. Up yours marketing man-I know what the Face book is too. I like to call it The Facebook when I meet nice girls who can’t tell how old I am. This way I can instantly get at their father complexes and still look young.
We are 7 months out till publication and already I am frustrated annoyed, agitated, and haven’t written in weeks. How could I? How could I possibly find a moment of peace to collect a thought or tell a story? I found my mind slipping, along with my small jar full of left over poker winnings, I was now calling my retirement fund, to any interested parties.
Who am I kidding; there hasn’t been an interested party in months. My poor internet server is probably clogged full of things it can’t un learn in my quest to take my few moments of freedom and focus on the task of a temporary solution to loneliness rather than exploring a long term solution to my current confusion. I am not a unique and beautiful flower. Thanks Palahniuk. You’re like that cut at the roof of my mouth that would heal if I could just quit licking it.
Yes I stole that. Or paraphrased poorly at least. A good writer borrows a great writer steals. (That’s stolen too). From a great writer.
