The Morning Dump: Crusty old poets, dealing with difficult people, the merits of Michael Bay and desecrating the Internet

If you like crusty old poets as much as the next guy then you are going to love this visualization of the poem Blue Bird, written by the infamous drunkard Charles Bukowski, and done by the people at Uppercase magazine. But that’s not to forget that Canada has it’s own famous, cantankerous drunken poet, Al Purdy. And while his works may not sell out at as quickly at book stores, this video of his poem At the Quinte Hotel, narrated by himself and starring Gord Downie, shows he’s just as good as Bukowski, if not better.

End of Decade lists can get tiresome, but that’s no reason to ignore Matt Zoller Zeitz’s “Directors of the Decade” series at Salon.com; Zeitz writes thoughtful essays where others just make linkbait. Be sure to check out Michael Bay at number 10, where the film writer provides a sober, fair analysis of someone most would rather ignore or ruthlessly mock.

Tara Stiles is a Yoga expert and contributor for the Huffington Post. Her most recent column is about dealing with difficult people, but mostly reads like a hilariously over-dramatized account of her traumatic experiences in educational environments. I’ve never understood people who had life changing stories from kindergarten or had formative life experiences based on how bad their high school years were. Perhaps I lack empathy, but I can’t help but just laugh at Stiles’ anecdotes about her sad-sack teenage era, even though I know she is attempting to gain emotional currency. I suppose it’s a cultural difference between Canada and the U.S., right there with ketchup chips and saying soda.

Celebrating a landmark birthday just before the end of a seemingly-full-of-promise 00’s has got me all angsty and cynical. Things weren’t supposed to be like this! Maybe my decade-long habit of chilling, hanging out and other varieties of loafting are to blame, but why point the proverbial finger at myself when I can blame the Internet? During a time when epochal lists are making the rounds, the Village Voice’s count down of reasons “Why This Decade Sucked” is mad refreshing. Especially reason number 10: “Social Media Ruined the Internet” which addresses aforementioned feelings as a necessary by-product of increased social isolation thanks to the WWW.