Ode to the Education Connection Girl
You make me want to better myself –
go online, take a test,
sit in PJs in my closed-door room,
trace triangles with Pythagoras,
measure meter and homecoming with Homer.
I’d go to your restaurant with my AA degree
and a million dollars more
*over a lifetime
and tip you well.
Would you sing to me then?
Could we get connected?
I’d use my degree in audio engineering
to turn your siren’s voice into platinum.
All written content ©Dario DiBattista 2011. All posts are for display purposes only and not to be considered published.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
752. Answering Hater Mail
I'm not really this petty. But, given that the dude who wrote this comment is a former Gunnery Sergeant, and I don't have to take his crap anymore (now that I'm not in the service anymore), I just had to post this open letter.
From: Anonymous, a comment left on the link to my Washington Post op-ed on the "Marines" official facebook page.
"This story is really disapointing. Did anyone read this before sharing the link? I really expected better from a major publication, let alone someone trained in writing. The story starts with teasers that are not referenced anywhere else... in the story and then rambles on and on. I sure agree with supporting and celebrating the military victory but am disapointed to see a Marine join the ranks of the mainstream media with misdirecting headlines and marginal writing."
RE: Your comments about my article on the "Marines" facebook page.
Hey Gunny, I'm not a member of the mainstream media -- I'm a freelance writer. It's like a being a contractor for the military; you're not in the service you just provide a skill they need. They called me and asked me to write this piece.
Also, for the record, I didn't get to pick the headline.
As far as your "teasers" that you mention not being carried over, you'll notice if you will, that my story begins with big news related to bin Laden (and me listening to it on the AM radio and reacting) and ends with other big news about bin Laden (and me listening to it on the AM radio and reacting). It's called a narrative arc with a circular structure.
But thank you for your feedback. Next article I write, I'll be sure to beat the audience over the head and write more simply so it's easier to understand.
Sorry to disappoint you.
Semper Fi,
Dario "D-Boh" DiBattista
USMCR Corporal 2001 - 2007
From: Anonymous, a comment left on the link to my Washington Post op-ed on the "Marines" official facebook page.
"This story is really disapointing. Did anyone read this before sharing the link? I really expected better from a major publication, let alone someone trained in writing. The story starts with teasers that are not referenced anywhere else... in the story and then rambles on and on. I sure agree with supporting and celebrating the military victory but am disapointed to see a Marine join the ranks of the mainstream media with misdirecting headlines and marginal writing."
RE: Your comments about my article on the "Marines" facebook page.
Hey Gunny, I'm not a member of the mainstream media -- I'm a freelance writer. It's like a being a contractor for the military; you're not in the service you just provide a skill they need. They called me and asked me to write this piece.
Also, for the record, I didn't get to pick the headline.
As far as your "teasers" that you mention not being carried over, you'll notice if you will, that my story begins with big news related to bin Laden (and me listening to it on the AM radio and reacting) and ends with other big news about bin Laden (and me listening to it on the AM radio and reacting). It's called a narrative arc with a circular structure.
But thank you for your feedback. Next article I write, I'll be sure to beat the audience over the head and write more simply so it's easier to understand.
Sorry to disappoint you.
Semper Fi,
Dario "D-Boh" DiBattista
USMCR Corporal 2001 - 2007
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
751. Check Out My Op-Ed for The Washington Post!
(Click the blog headline to read the entire story!)
...When the news came of bin Laden’s death, I felt numb at first. Rather than exult, I could only mourn my friends and the other Americans who lost their lives. My roommate — my best friend and another Marine veteran — suggested we do a shot to celebrate bin Laden’s killing.
We had only imported alcohol on hand, so we chose a couple of ounces of rum from Puerto Rico instead of French liqueurs or vodkas. We continued watching the news: the slips in verbiage that confused “Obama” and “Osama”; the bold, galvanizing speech of the commander in chief; the crowds gathering on the streets of New York and at the gates of the White House. I knew, despite living in Towson, that I had to be at the president’s home, too.
I raced down I-295 in my Lincoln and scanned the different AM stations. Yes, he is dead. Shot in the head. SEAL Team 6. A good and historic day.
I parked several blocks from the White House and could hear the cheers reverberating. I saw cars zipping through the cross streets, honking their horns, sometimes a passenger’s hand holding the American flag out the window.
The scene outside the White House felt like a big hug. It didn’t matter that I had come alone; I was here with a thousand of my fellow Americans. And we were wild with patriotism, even cheering the cops who were trying to corral us away from the fence...
PHOTO BLOG OF THE SCENE OUTSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE (all photos by me):
All content ©Dario DiBattista 2011. All posts are for display purposes only and not to be considered published.
...When the news came of bin Laden’s death, I felt numb at first. Rather than exult, I could only mourn my friends and the other Americans who lost their lives. My roommate — my best friend and another Marine veteran — suggested we do a shot to celebrate bin Laden’s killing.
We had only imported alcohol on hand, so we chose a couple of ounces of rum from Puerto Rico instead of French liqueurs or vodkas. We continued watching the news: the slips in verbiage that confused “Obama” and “Osama”; the bold, galvanizing speech of the commander in chief; the crowds gathering on the streets of New York and at the gates of the White House. I knew, despite living in Towson, that I had to be at the president’s home, too.
I raced down I-295 in my Lincoln and scanned the different AM stations. Yes, he is dead. Shot in the head. SEAL Team 6. A good and historic day.
I parked several blocks from the White House and could hear the cheers reverberating. I saw cars zipping through the cross streets, honking their horns, sometimes a passenger’s hand holding the American flag out the window.
The scene outside the White House felt like a big hug. It didn’t matter that I had come alone; I was here with a thousand of my fellow Americans. And we were wild with patriotism, even cheering the cops who were trying to corral us away from the fence...
PHOTO BLOG OF THE SCENE OUTSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE (all photos by me):
All content ©Dario DiBattista 2011. All posts are for display purposes only and not to be considered published.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
750. Watching AMC after Coming Home from Helmand Province, Afghanistan
Watching AMC after Coming Home from Helmand Province, Afghanistan
Travis Bickle, I feel you: deadbeat Marine
just returned from ‘Nam,
can’t sleep because of the dreams,
but you still need a job.
Like you, my parents don’t know my career
is a falsification of time;
37 rejections so far, I’ve sold
not one word of my rhyme.
We policed the third world but scum
lives on our own welcome mats:
pimps and publishers,
drug-dealers and Democrats.
I will pull up and push up,
calligraph and fist pump;
until, like you,
I’m ready, too.
All content ©Dario DiBattista 2011. All posts are for display purposes only and not to be considered published.
Travis Bickle, I feel you: deadbeat Marine
just returned from ‘Nam,
can’t sleep because of the dreams,
but you still need a job.
Like you, my parents don’t know my career
is a falsification of time;
37 rejections so far, I’ve sold
not one word of my rhyme.
We policed the third world but scum
lives on our own welcome mats:
pimps and publishers,
drug-dealers and Democrats.
I will pull up and push up,
calligraph and fist pump;
until, like you,
I’m ready, too.
All content ©Dario DiBattista 2011. All posts are for display purposes only and not to be considered published.
Friday, April 1, 2011
749. Even When You're Not Here
I can feel your hand woven into mine,
I can see your regal face so fine,
I can stare into your wide-eyed gaze,
I can smell your scent that stays,
Even when you’re not here, on my pillow,
Even when you’re not here, on my chest,
Even when you’re not here, right beside me,
Even when you’re not here, though it's best.
I can feel your chest rise and fall,
I can see your cryptic smile,
I can watch your peaceful closed eyes,
I can smell tomorrow morning’s lies,
Even when you’re not here, on my pillow,
Even when you’re not here, on my chest,
Even when you’re not here, right beside me,
Even when you’re not here, though it’s best.
All content ©Dario DiBattista 2011. All posts are for display purposes only and not to be considered published.
I can see your regal face so fine,
I can stare into your wide-eyed gaze,
I can smell your scent that stays,
Even when you’re not here, on my pillow,
Even when you’re not here, on my chest,
Even when you’re not here, right beside me,
Even when you’re not here, though it's best.
I can feel your chest rise and fall,
I can see your cryptic smile,
I can watch your peaceful closed eyes,
I can smell tomorrow morning’s lies,
Even when you’re not here, on my pillow,
Even when you’re not here, on my chest,
Even when you’re not here, right beside me,
Even when you’re not here, though it’s best.
All content ©Dario DiBattista 2011. All posts are for display purposes only and not to be considered published.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
748. Was I Satisfied at Central Connecticut State University?
This came in the mail the other day: a survey of my undergraduate collegiate experience at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). I think it will be more fun to answer some of the questions on here.
1. How satisfied are you with your experience at CCSU?
Somewhat Satisfied
3. Which of the following co-curricular activities did you do while at CCSU (Check all that apply)?
Student Club or Organization
Residence Hall Staff
Other non-classroom activity; please specify: 1) Going with underage musicians to a local blues bar, getting them drunk, and playing sweet rock and roll and blues. 2.) Karaoke, every Friday.
6. What do you wish you could have changed about your experience at CCSU?
Fewer girls from Connecticut or New England (no offense, my RA loves). In fact, almost every girl there should have been brought in out-of-state from the South, or Mexico. Also, if maybe somehow, CCSU could have merged with Yale, became a satellite campus, and disqualified the majority of the student body from attending – that would have been cool.
15. How satisfied are you with your CCSU preparation for your current job?
Well, given that I deal with demanding customers at a restaurant (because my degree in political science is mostly worthless here in Maryland where no one’s ever heard of CCSU), my two years of experience as a resident assistant with petulant and uncouth freshmen at CCSU prepared me very well for being humiliated and treated like shit on a daily basis. Thanks, CCSU!
1. How satisfied are you with your experience at CCSU?
Somewhat Satisfied
3. Which of the following co-curricular activities did you do while at CCSU (Check all that apply)?
Student Club or Organization
Residence Hall Staff
Other non-classroom activity; please specify: 1) Going with underage musicians to a local blues bar, getting them drunk, and playing sweet rock and roll and blues. 2.) Karaoke, every Friday.
6. What do you wish you could have changed about your experience at CCSU?
Fewer girls from Connecticut or New England (no offense, my RA loves). In fact, almost every girl there should have been brought in out-of-state from the South, or Mexico. Also, if maybe somehow, CCSU could have merged with Yale, became a satellite campus, and disqualified the majority of the student body from attending – that would have been cool.
15. How satisfied are you with your CCSU preparation for your current job?
Well, given that I deal with demanding customers at a restaurant (because my degree in political science is mostly worthless here in Maryland where no one’s ever heard of CCSU), my two years of experience as a resident assistant with petulant and uncouth freshmen at CCSU prepared me very well for being humiliated and treated like shit on a daily basis. Thanks, CCSU!
Monday, February 14, 2011
747. Top Ten Ways You Know You're a Writer
I’ve wanted to start doing lists of top 10s and top 5s forever now. Might as well start here. And the list:
10. You blog more than you jog.
9. You have a favorite pen, which you use until it runs out of ink. If you lose said pen before it gets used, you’re genuinely upset. When it runs out of ink, you’re also genuinely upset.
8. You know that a workshop has nothing to do with Tech Ed or a home improvement project
7. The fact I didn’t use a period in number 8 is driving you nuts.
6. The fact I just used a cliché is also annoying you.
5. Though you really do support and love them, you also secretly hate every other writer on the planet, especially the ones more successful than you.
4. You spend tens of thousands of dollars on an MA or MFA program, knowing that it is unlikely you will ever make that money back with pure writing.
3. A byline in the New Yorker would be just as glorious of day as the day your first child was (or will be) born.
2. Walking through a dark alley is “interesting”; writer’s block is “scary”.
1. You read this entire blog to learn more things about yourself that you already know.
10. You blog more than you jog.
9. You have a favorite pen, which you use until it runs out of ink. If you lose said pen before it gets used, you’re genuinely upset. When it runs out of ink, you’re also genuinely upset.
8. You know that a workshop has nothing to do with Tech Ed or a home improvement project
7. The fact I didn’t use a period in number 8 is driving you nuts.
6. The fact I just used a cliché is also annoying you.
5. Though you really do support and love them, you also secretly hate every other writer on the planet, especially the ones more successful than you.
4. You spend tens of thousands of dollars on an MA or MFA program, knowing that it is unlikely you will ever make that money back with pure writing.
3. A byline in the New Yorker would be just as glorious of day as the day your first child was (or will be) born.
2. Walking through a dark alley is “interesting”; writer’s block is “scary”.
1. You read this entire blog to learn more things about yourself that you already know.
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