I got some really wonderful news on Thursday. My first print chapbook, Blue Trajectory, will be published by Dancing Girl Press as part of its 2011-12 series, with the date tentatively slated for this fall.
I am pretty excited about this, so excited in fact that I remained cheerful on Friday even upon learning that our furnace is broken and needs replacement, and that the replacement won't be arriving at our house until Monday. After looking at the weather forecast, though, I started to get a bit apprehensive about my prospects of not freezing to death...
Well, before long, I was looking up pet-friendly hotels by the beach and was once again high on life until learning that the one with the jacuzzi was booked and the rest tended to be highly insect-infested, based on the consumer reviews. I guess it wasn't surprising that hotels that allow pets have insects or that the only pet-friendly hotel in town with a jacuzzi was booked, given that there is a new casino complex opening in town this weekend.
However, my mood was restored when my partner exhibited his latent HVAC prowess and came up with a temporary fix for the furnace that involved a little rigging and him keeping an eye on it for the few minutes that it's running.
So, all in all, things are well in my little world, although I was deeply saddened, not to mention freaked out and angry about the shooting incident in Arizona yesterday... another reminder that the polarizing, incendiary political language is damaging our country. Sure, the guy is obviously a deranged individual. But it's not enough just to say that. He is a deranged individual in the context of Arizona circa 2011. I hope what happened will make people come together to reflect, but in light of recent trends, I'm afraid that's not what will happen. I really hope I'm wrong.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Resolutions
As a kid I made at least 20 each year. Now I am more realistic, and just barely managed to come up with nine:
- Write stuff in this blog, like this, even if it's silly, because that is what a blog is for.
- On the other hand, take breaks (whole days, if possible!) from the Internet now and then, because sometimes I suspect I am losing touch with three-dimensional reality. Also, the iPhone. It's neither a wedding ring nor a medical bracelet and shouldn't be treated like either.
- Reach out more to friends and engage in simple kindnesses to acquaintances, even if it means risking occasional failure.
- Worry less about deadlines and goals in terms of how they may validate my existence and enjoy more the process of getting there.
- Cook food from scratch more often, or ever.
- Clean the house more, because doing so always makes me feel better about life in general, and besides that, I'm less likely to trip on things. Also, be more responsible in general (although I didn't want to jinx that one by giving it its own number ;)
- Learn to play the Moonlight Sonata.
- Read more books, and less random Internet miscellany.
- Write more—poetry, fiction, nonfiction. Write better, sure. That's always the goal. But, especially, write more, since the one has a way of leading to the other.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Poem in BluePrintReview
My day, which started out with another reluctant trudge from a warm house into the cruel, unseasonably cold air, (well below freezing with a wind chill factor that makes me want to cry) has been brightened (and warmed) considerably by seeing my poem, "Photon," in the new issue of BluePrintReview, paired with a cool photo by a Norwegian artist. I love the way this journal thoughtfully marries words and images.
Speaking of "cool" and "Norwegian," I'm wondering what happened to the cold-toleration genes I apparently didn't inherit from my Norwegian/Swede grandmother and Swedish grandfather, who both spent their childhoods in places that would make the temperature outside here in Maryland seem like sweater weather. Well, maybe not. It's hard to imagine that. Cold is cold, to some extent, no matter where you're from. Maybe three wool sweaters layered on top of each other. But if it really is just "all what you're used to," then I'm definitely not used to this. Maybe in the middle of January, but not before it's even officially winter.
But at least it's an excuse to drink more fancy coffee in the morning and hot toddies in the evening. A friend sent me some hot cider packets in the mail last week and my man brought home a huge box of assorted holiday coffees the other day, and since both of those things go wonderfully with butterscotch schnapps, I am going to brave the cold for an extra five minutes after work tonight in order to purchase a bottle.
Speaking of "cool" and "Norwegian," I'm wondering what happened to the cold-toleration genes I apparently didn't inherit from my Norwegian/Swede grandmother and Swedish grandfather, who both spent their childhoods in places that would make the temperature outside here in Maryland seem like sweater weather. Well, maybe not. It's hard to imagine that. Cold is cold, to some extent, no matter where you're from. Maybe three wool sweaters layered on top of each other. But if it really is just "all what you're used to," then I'm definitely not used to this. Maybe in the middle of January, but not before it's even officially winter.
But at least it's an excuse to drink more fancy coffee in the morning and hot toddies in the evening. A friend sent me some hot cider packets in the mail last week and my man brought home a huge box of assorted holiday coffees the other day, and since both of those things go wonderfully with butterscotch schnapps, I am going to brave the cold for an extra five minutes after work tonight in order to purchase a bottle.
Friday, December 3, 2010
New Poem in decomP
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Poem Accepted in Tiger's Eye
I'm having one of those happy weeks that makes up for some of the dry spells, submission news-wise. Today I got the great news that a poem of mine will appear in Tiger's Eye.
The good news is helping me stave off a post-Daylight Savings Time autumnal mood, although I know it's coming. Every year I have to mourn that extra hour of daylight. I think many of the trees, particularly the cherries, are still in peak color around here, yet there is that imperceptible feeling that Fall is on its way out, and it feels like I missed the precise moment/day, or week, even, when this happened.
It's like this every year, only more so each one, where I watch the maps on the weather forecast and chart the progress of color on the trees that line the road on my way into work each day. For a long time it seems the peak hasn't quite arrived. I try to keep my eyes peeled for it, and then at some point, out of the blue, I realize that it's already passed. It's the same way with Spring, again with the cherry trees. I'm starting to understand Japanese poetry better, the older I get.
UPDATE: Tiger's Eye later contacted me about publishing four more of my poems, (so two in their upcoming issue and three in the next) which was certainly good news. It's just always encouraging and inspiring when an editor or reader really connects with a batch of work.
The good news is helping me stave off a post-Daylight Savings Time autumnal mood, although I know it's coming. Every year I have to mourn that extra hour of daylight. I think many of the trees, particularly the cherries, are still in peak color around here, yet there is that imperceptible feeling that Fall is on its way out, and it feels like I missed the precise moment/day, or week, even, when this happened.
It's like this every year, only more so each one, where I watch the maps on the weather forecast and chart the progress of color on the trees that line the road on my way into work each day. For a long time it seems the peak hasn't quite arrived. I try to keep my eyes peeled for it, and then at some point, out of the blue, I realize that it's already passed. It's the same way with Spring, again with the cherry trees. I'm starting to understand Japanese poetry better, the older I get.
UPDATE: Tiger's Eye later contacted me about publishing four more of my poems, (so two in their upcoming issue and three in the next) which was certainly good news. It's just always encouraging and inspiring when an editor or reader really connects with a batch of work.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Poem Accepted in BluePrintReview
I love this journal for the thoughtful way it marries words and images, and look forward to seeing a poem of mine there next month. BPR has a great blog, too.
What else? It's autumn... doing lots of autumn things this weekend: making the annual batch of pumpkin soup out of the jack-o'-lantern; raking leaves and mourning the loss of color; drinking 1-3 hot beverages a day, mostly caffeinated; preparing for the end of Daylight Savings Time. I loathe losing that extra hour of daylight, but at least it's compensated by an extra hour's sleep tomorrow morning, and since I work on Sundays, it's a very appreciated hour. And then in the Spring, the price to pay for getting the hour back is lost sleep, but only for one night. It seems sort of fair, as things go, and I like that.
What else? It's autumn... doing lots of autumn things this weekend: making the annual batch of pumpkin soup out of the jack-o'-lantern; raking leaves and mourning the loss of color; drinking 1-3 hot beverages a day, mostly caffeinated; preparing for the end of Daylight Savings Time. I loathe losing that extra hour of daylight, but at least it's compensated by an extra hour's sleep tomorrow morning, and since I work on Sundays, it's a very appreciated hour. And then in the Spring, the price to pay for getting the hour back is lost sleep, but only for one night. It seems sort of fair, as things go, and I like that.
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