Train in Vain

Something important was lost when the MBTA got new trains for for the Red Line. While the robo-announcer's voice is always chipper and intelligible and courtesously reminds you to remember your belongings when exiting the car, I miss the personal touch that a real, weary human voice (amplified by the tinny PA system) provided.

Consider this my tribute to the world that was.

All aboard!

(My wife claims that the automated turnstile didn't double charge her Charlie Card during her last inbound trip from Quincy Center, so my info may be out of date. The last time I rode south of the Dot, it was to have a root canal procedure done, and the less I think back on that experience, the better.)

Threat or Menace?

If you follow my other blog on a regular basis, you might have noticed that I tend to make a lot of references, directly or indirectly, to comic books. With pronounced WOO-BIN, my intentions were to adhere to a clearly defined focus -- regional matters, provincial observations, and, of course, my occasionally impenetrable Boston accent -- instead of the stream of consciousness meanderings that characterize Armagideon Time.

Comics, an easy fallback topic and frequent crutch, were not to be featured here unless they were specifically germane to the subject at hand...such as fulfilling a request by one Michael Sterling of Ventura County, California. "Mikester" asked to hear my dulcet tones applied to the opening captions of 1990's Spider-Man #1, the Todd McFarlane production that proved that being a fan-favorite artist is no substitution for actual writing skills.

Comics fans being comics fans, however, the comic sold a shitload of copies and played no small part in instigating the "hot" artist-driven boom (and catastrophic bust) cycle of the 1990s comics market. "ADVANTAGEOUS," indeed.

So here you go, my dramatic recitation of Todd McFarlane's unforgettable contribution to literature....

Advantageous!

...and if my slapdash effort fails to sate your appetite, here's a Kevin Church remix that oozes with the kind of ambiance that you just don't get with a Karaoke Revolution pack-in USB headset and a freeware audio editing program.

Advantageous Remix!

Kevin also put his unparalled talents to use in whipping up this rave-tastic repurposing of my inaugural audio sample.

Gee Scarlett (Remix)

I couldn't ask for better internet friends.

Waxing Poetic

The Bay State has a rich poetic tradition, from Anne Bradstreet and Phyllis Wheatley to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Emily Dickinson to Elizabeth Bishop and Sylvia Plath.

All are wonderful in their individual ways, but there is one piece of verse concerning this fabled region that stands above all others. It speaks to my soul as few works are able to, perfectly capturing a the essence of a place both geographically and spiritually familiar to me.

Here's an excerpt...

Modern Poetry

...though it pales in comparison to the complete genuine article that no person of culture should be without.