my roots

The one in the middle is my great-grandfather.

My dad, circa 1941(ish)

My parents, as newly-weds.

My grandparents, in Mexico. This is the bank-robber grandfather, btw.

My parents' wedding.

blurry

I never got around to posting pictures of the horses because they all came out terrible, and after the first couple days, the novelty of running around with my camera pretending to be a photographer ran out. But here are a couple of blurry ones from dinnertime one night. The white guy is my pal, Banjo, and the black one is Stevie (named for Stevie Nicks, btw). There are three others who, unfortunately, won't be represented here.


And one last pic of Taylor and Turbo, my constant companions while I was on the farm. They are the cutest, sweetest things I've ever seen. I really wanted to take them home with me.


So, now comes the fun part--packing the suitcase and getting ready for the overnight bus ride. I'm ready to be home, although that feels a little suspect since I only lived in my apartment a week before I came here. I'm no where near unpacked, so it's going to be a little stressful when I get back. And before I know it, school again. Hoping I can pack a little more summer into these last two weeks.

Anyway, good-bye Ohio, I'll miss you dearly. But not as badly as last August.

A much needed ego boost

After Hours has accepted my poem "Advice from a Hotel Maid" for their next issue. That's two journals/five poems in less than a week.

Thanks, universe, I needed this.

My regular readers will know that my confidence as a poet/academic/person has taken a hit this last year, what with my rather uninspired transition to city living and PhD work. It's good to be reminded, even in this small, largely subjective way, that some folks (besides the ones that love me already) appreciate my work.

Two of the poems were written during my MFA, one was written while I was still in Akron playing the adjunct game, and two were written during my first semester in Chicago. I think that's a pretty good spread.

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I got sucked into the abyss that is cable (err--satellite) television for the last couple of days and have not met my goal, which was to write ten pages in less than a week (okay, originally it was to write ten pages in 3 days, then five, then in less than a week). My friend Kristina is coming to the farm to talk poetry on Wednesday, so the new goal is to have ten pages by the time she gets here. I do have 2 new pages, so that's 8 that I still need. I'm channeling Maggie Anderson here, and her 10-pages-in-a-weekend assignment that kicked my ass/provided a much needed break-through in my writing the summer that I was working on my thesis.

Speaking of Maggie Anderson and the post-Bisbee writing assignment, I should give a shout-out to this year's Wick Fellows, including my friend Frank. I think they're starting their workshop tomorrow and will be heading out to Arizona next week, but I could be wrong. At any rate, I wish them much joy and artistic inspiration and camaraderie.

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And before I go, one more picture of my idyllic home in the country. I'm so wishing I could stay forever.

morning musings

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I still wish I was a better photographer. Or at least knew better how to use my camera.

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4 poems accepted for Arsenic Lobster this morning! Now comes the fun part: writing withdrawal notes. Also, they want a "less academic, more lively" bio. This is one of my greatest fears...having to stray from the form and say something interesting about myself. Perhaps one of you should write my lively bio...

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I haven't left the farm since Monday afternoon. I made some progress on Monday and Tuesday, but yesterday, I watched TV most of the day. There are a million things I want to do while I'm here, but I also have to remind myself I'm kind of on vacation. This is the first time since, oh, I don't know, 2006 that I haven't had to work and also haven't had any real (read: professor enforced) deadlines. I have to allow myself to relax and decompress a bit. I'll be here two weeks--I don't have to get everything done in the first three days.

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I was going to try to quit drinking coffee while I was here, but that's not working. Also, made a rule back in May that I wasn't allowed to drink alone anymore, mainly because I always buy a bottle of wine and then don't finish it, thus wasting money, but I've been drinking wine on the porch every night, all by myself. So much for rules/resolutions.

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Today is my sister's birthday. Happy Birthday, Beth!

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I think I'm going to have taco bell for lunch. Then I'm going to go to one of the street side produce stands and have something very fresh and very healthy for dinner. Hopefully there will be zucchini involved. Maybe even an eggplant.

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I guess that's all I've got for now. I'm sure it was terribly boring.

wildflowers

and slowly, the grass and the trees and the flowers and the big open sky are pulling my self back to my self.

I'm in love

with my new apartment. Can't wait til I'm all moved in.

It's clear I'm not a photographer, but here's what I saw at the zoo

Summer break

Blogger Buddies

With Steve and Anne at the AWP dance party.

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My modem is broken. No blogging or facebook from home until Tuesday. Sigh. More then, maybe.

Snowbound, part 2

Back in Chicago

After a few days of tourist-y revelry with my bf and a couple of friends, I'm sitting in my apartment enjoying a rare moment of solitude. John (he's decided not to be annonymous anymore) is walking to Jewel because he's stir crazy, even though the peapod guy should be here any minute, and I'm trying to wake up and start getting something done. Back to school next Monday, and I have some pre-Week 1 homework to do and some class prep as well. Unfortunately, I'm thoroughly in vacation mode and having trouble switching gears.

So, instead of answering emails and doing work, I'm going to post some pics.

Me & John at Tweet, the best place for breakfast ever.

The lox platter. I'm not a fan of salmon, but it sure looked pretty.

These bloody marys are amazing. They use Stoli Pepper and wasabi! Yum.

I was so busy taking pictures of our food and drink that I forgot to take pictures of people. Here's Little Eric showing off his scotch flight at Bar on Buena.

Life is nuts. School is hard. Blogging will have to wait.

Maybe tomorrow.

In the meantime, a photo. NEOMFA alumni at the Windsor Pub. One of many unofficial reunions to come.

Family

Cook-Off Candids

Dear Readers, here are some snapshots from life on the road.

First, the day I got electrocuted. Someone should have reminded me that metal + water + power lines is not a good combination. Winston-Salem, NC:
Next, Valeria, our Russian front counter girl. She's 19, very smart and not lacking in attitude either. We share a hotel room on the road, where every morning she forces me to listen to Avril Levigne. Ugh. She taught me how to say bitch in Russian. It's suka. That's phonetic spelling, by the way.

Last time I did the BBQ thing, I met Al Gore. This time, JoDee Messina. I was actually pretty psyched. She said her necklace smelled like pennies. Then she kicked ass on stage. I know country music isn't really cool these days, but this chick can sing.
My hotel room in Kansas City was on the 26th floor. This is the view from my room.

Also in Kansas City: Tami dances circles around Brisket Bob during the Los Lonely Boys concert. Tami is my favorite.
And the legendary Brisket Bob. He's been flipping ribs (and formerly Brisket, obviously) for 20-some years.

Gone, Baby, Gone (or I Used to Work Here, Part 3)

I think this will be the last post about poor old Carroll Hall. If I'm still in Akron when the landscaping is done, I'll give you an after.


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In other news, A. Van Jordan read yesterday and totally knocked my socks off. I'll be reading M-A-C-N-O-L-I-A during my break today so I can ask him smart questions during workshop. Okay, I'm really not the question asking type, but we'll see. At any rate, he gives a good reading. But at one point, I thought he said Nemesis was the Greek goddess of midgets, and I thought that was really weird. Then I realized he said Greek goddess of vengeance.

Before the reading, I hung out with Dawson and Little Eric. Always a good time. Doesn't Little look tough in that picture?

PS - I neglected to mention the wonderful photographer behind the camera. I was also hanging out with the one, the only, the Colt. Sorry Frank.

And some of my students came for extra credit. These guys play for our soccer team, which is apparently a pretty big deal.

And later, to deal with the stress of PhD decision day, I went to the bar. This isn't my Guiness, but it was poured so nicely I just had to take a picture.

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I got a super nice rejection from OU yesterday. I was waitlisted and everyone accepted the initial offers. Looks like I'm off to Chicago. (Unless something miraculous happens with Mystery School #2.)