Yesterday my copy of the new Tiger's Eye arrived containing my poems "Sunday Blue" and "Mountain Bird." Beautiful issue with some really nice stuff, from what I've read so far. Looking forward to reading more tonight.
In other news, so glad it's March. I just realized that March is possibly my favorite month. It's not that I enjoy the weather and landscape of this end of the month -- the snow's usually gone and not much is left but the accumulated dreary -- but I do like the sweet anticipation of April.
By the time April actually hits, the daffodils in front of our house have shot up, the cherry blossoms are out in full force downtown and so Spring in D.C. has essentially hit its peak, always leaving me feeling that I've missed something.
On this side of the month, it's all about the waiting. All the good parts of the year, while not here quite yet, are swiftly on their way, and that always gets me to feeling giddy, yet still somewhat serene, because we're not there yet. There's still time to be reflective. Maybe this time of year has even prompted a few (mostly harmless) bouts of hypomania some years, but I'm no psychologist, so we'll just call them "happy spells." And wish a happy March to you.
Update: Less than an hour after posting this, I learned that the new issue of The Medulla Review had launched, featuring three poems of mine. Read the whole awesome issue here, or my poems here. March is coming in mirthfully indeed.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Dancing Girl Press Lineup for 2011-12
I'm excited to see my chapbook title ("Blue Trajectory," also the title of this blog, not coincidentally) in the Dancing Girl Press Lineup for 2011-12.
Looking forward to the fall!
Also looking forward to the spring and summer in between. Winter, on the other hand, does not agree with me, although it is growing on me enough to be tolerable. I do find snow and even ice storms pretty and inspiring to look at, and sometimes a long weekend spent mostly indoors, writing, cooking, napping and watching movies, is kinda nice. This last weekend was one of those, and the back-to-work transition has been tough. The caffeine never quite kicked in today.
But then I'm always sleepy in the winter. All in all, if winter were downsized to half its length and the rest were split between spring and fall, I would be quite happy. Even the humid Washington summer could handle another week or two tacked on, I think — at the beginning, not the end.
Looking forward to the fall!
Also looking forward to the spring and summer in between. Winter, on the other hand, does not agree with me, although it is growing on me enough to be tolerable. I do find snow and even ice storms pretty and inspiring to look at, and sometimes a long weekend spent mostly indoors, writing, cooking, napping and watching movies, is kinda nice. This last weekend was one of those, and the back-to-work transition has been tough. The caffeine never quite kicked in today.
But then I'm always sleepy in the winter. All in all, if winter were downsized to half its length and the rest were split between spring and fall, I would be quite happy. Even the humid Washington summer could handle another week or two tacked on, I think — at the beginning, not the end.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
What a Weekend
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.
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.
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
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