(talking to Villanelle, who was underfoot in the kitchen while she was making her famous egg rolls:)
Mama: Ah la! Villanelle, why you be standing there, staring at nothing? If you aren't careful, you will end up a crunchy potato!
....
The lesson here, folks,
is stay outta my mama's way
when she is cooking, or you
will end up turning into a tuber.
From Rigoberto Gonzalez--A beautiful remembrance of the poet Ai, who died over the wknd (thanks, Tayari).
First Lucille, now Ai.
Ai's work terrified me. In a good way. She pretty much set the bar for persona poetry. Sad to know her voice is gone.
and just by virtue of my typing that out, and posting a pic of the various crocus in our yard, I have doomed us all to another foot of snow next week. I am tired of slush and white and wet. Please oh please sun, get here quickity-quick. School starts again Monday. The last push of teaching until May 15 and then I'm off until Jan 15!
My friends have once again joined forces for the NCAA tournament. My bracket's name is UNICANDYCORNS!
(exclamation included)
Don't laugh. I've won TWICE with my style of bracket-choosing in the last 10 yrs. Which brought me almost $200 in grad school. Good times.
Dustin is of course rooting for one of his alma maters (Kansas State) to win it all (oh, *honey*)...and I am of course rooting for the Buckeyes to get to the Big Dance. When Kansas or Kansas State plays, I like to make comments like "I wish KState had a better FONT for their outfits. Like the Jayhawks.' I'm sure this endears me to him to no end. But hey, it's fair, as he chose the Jayhawks over the Buckeyes and he knows how this knifes me in the meatiest
part
of
my
heart.
congrats to Oliver for his very beautiful new book, REQUIEM FOR THE ORCHARD. Just got my copy in the mail. I was lucky to see early versions of the ms and individual poems as they were being written over the past few yrs, so it is pretty neat to see them come together as a book. Here's what I had to say about it for the back cover:
In Requiem for the Orchard, the chrome bumpers of a truck meet salt cake and coral, and we are introduced to eloquent poems of witness and celebration that deftly bridge the speaker's childhood to his own first forays into fatherhood. It is impossible to return to the safe territory of the person you were before you read these achingly beautiful poems filled with terror and gracenotes. I know of only one poet who can pull this off so elegantly and with such verve: Oliver de la Paz.
Yay!! So so proud of Charlie--I remember when he was talking about his MFA thesis defense way back when at ASU. And look how far he's come! He's in good company for the Lambda Award Nominees:
Gay Poetry
* Breakfast with Thom Gunn, by Randall Mann (University of Chicago Press)
* The Brother Swimming Beneath Me, by Brent Goodman (Black Lawrence Press)
* The First Risk, by Charles Jensen (Lethe Press)
* Sweet Core Orchard, by Benjamin S. Grossberg (University of Tampa Press)
* What the Right Hand Knows, by Tom Healy (Four Way Books)
Congrats to Eula Biss for winning the NBCC for non-fiction! Yowza!
And to Rae Armantrout for winning in poetry!
We are getting a new stainless steel "look" stove tomorrow ("look" is in quotes because I learned the hard way that stainless steel and toddler fingerprints do NOT mix).
They are delivering it
between 10am and 2pm.
I want to roast something
delishus
and healthy
to celebrate
not using
someone else's
skeevy roaster
with who-knows-what drippings.
This is going to be my routine to learn the tap choreography including the roller skates after the baby arrives. Am I kidding or am I kidding?
Just back from a fun girls' trip to NYC. Like I said--there was PINKBERRY.
Twice.
There was Korean Fried Chicken!
There was giggling!
There was Wondee Thai food!
There was uninterrupted bookstore and art supply store browsing!
There was Union Square market!
And more giggling!
And that just about wraps up my travel for many, many moons.
Of course, there is no way I can jet-set off to oui-oui Paree, but it sure is fun to daydream, no? How adorable is this Parisian flat??
Made this for my website last month but thought I'd share it here too. I love that I was able to use a pic of one of the pitons of St. Lucia--the actual home of THE drive-in volcano that we visited on our honeymoon. Also? I love the sound of typewriter keys. It's one of my fave sounds, esp when I can hear the faint tap-tappity-tap-tap from Dustin (he uses a typewriter in his office below mine), then a pause when he is thinking, then the rain of keys again. One of my favorite songs in the world.
My website has been updated. It feels good to say that I am taking a break from poetry-travel till Spring 2011. My first real break from readings in (gulp) ten YEARS. I am feathering my nest. Arranging tidbits of twig and twine just so. Many of you know this already, but I don't think I have mentioned it on the blog: D and I are expecting a new little addition this summer, and with two young ones to take care of, I am happy to be staying PUT. I'll be taking the entire fall semester off to boot. For now, a girls weekend away with my 2 best gals from junior high. No wild and crazy drinks named after bugs this time: we plan on eating Thai food, bookstore browsing, eating Korean food, and oh, did I mention Thai food?? There will be Pinkberry!
In other news, I am crawling my way through THE WORKING POET--I am always on the lookout for good craft books for my classes, but this is the first one that *I* started reading...then I started writing...then I was late for class! Oops. I haven't made my way through the anthology in back, but the exercises are top notch! Perfect for that little boost. I haven't worked from exercises in years, but this was a welcome change. It can be adapted for beginning writers or people who just need a little kick in the pants, like me. Highly recommend.
I don't know who peeked into our house to get such a clear video of how Dustin and I spent our morning together. I wasn't even going to mention that I dyed my hair blond and got a sparkly new red dress, but since it's already out in cyberspace, I figured I'd share it with you all...
Hug a little doggie this week. Or a big doggie. Or a cat. Just give hugs out, freely. Don't wait for Valentine's Day. Buy yourself a jaunty scarf or ascot, if that is how you roll.
an organization near and dear to the cockles of my heart: KUNDIMAN--a group designed to foster and mentor young Asian-American poets. Oh how i WISH WISH something like this existed when I was in grad school. I have been on faculty twice and both times, it has been a life-changing experience. I am so proud and honored to be a part of this group and to help usher in new generations of writers as family. And that's really what you become when you go to this retreat. It's like a family gathering of food and drink and poetry with a bunch of dear cousins and brothers and sisters. No pretense, no posturing, no reciting of cvs. Refreshing! If you know an Asian-American poet, urge them to apply! Details below:2010 Kundiman Asian American Poetry Retreat
On the Web: http://www.kundiman.org/%5BCLB%5D_Brightside/1.Source/retreat.html
Introduction:
In order to help mentor the next generation of Asian-American poets, Kundiman is sponsoring an annual Poetry Retreat at Fordham University in New York City. During the Retreat, nationally renowned Asian American poets will conduct workshops with fellows. Readings, writing circles and informal social gatherings will also be scheduled. Through this Retreat, Kundiman hopes to provide a safe and instructive environment that identifies and addresses the unique challenges faced by emerging Asian American poets. This 6-day Retreat will take place from Tuesday to Sunday. Workshops will not exceed eight students.
2010 Faculty:
Regie Cabico
Tan Lin
Paisley Rekdal
Fees:
Tuition fee is $350. Room and Board is free to accepted Fellows.
Application Process:
Send five to seven (5-7) paginated, stapled pages of poetry, with your name included on each page. Include a cover letter with your name, address, phone number, e-mail address and a brief paragraph describing what you would like to accomplish at the Kundiman Asian American Poetry Retreat. Include a SAS postcard if you want an application receipt. Manuscripts will not be returned. No electronic submissions, please.
Mail application to:
Kundiman
P.O. Box 3168
Staunton, VA 24402-2565
Submissions must be postmarked between January 15 and March 1, 2010.
Questions?
Please e-mail any questions to info@kundiman.org
every flipping Valentine's Day, I remember that I covet an Olivetti Valentine. (you gotta click on the link if you don't know what one looks like. So cute!!) D has offered to get one for me, and heck, I could have gotten one for myself if I REALLY wanted to, but we have 3 typewriters between the 2 of us--the one I use is my grandfather's and I could never part with it. Dustin has one and one is in our writing shed in the backyard. It hasn't seen the light of day since we closed the shed in late October for the season. And to get another typewriter would be pure ridiculousness. My grandpa used to write these fun and exciting letters to me on onionskin paper --my first mail sent directly to me, not my parents. And i thought the red and blue airmail envelopes were so beautiful. And the stamps! The stamps from India were always the coolest. I love to think of him in his study writing to his first grandchild who was 5 or so when he first started writing to me. Things about the family elephant or a big fish he saw in the river. Pure magic to a 5 yr old. Pure magic, even now. Oh how I miss him. I know he would have gotten a kick out of knowing that his American granddaughter is now a writer and still uses his typewriter. My grandma gave it to me the last time I was in India. Grandpa passed away when I was in high school and my father still has never recovered from that loss.
Cherry Pop Refashion Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!
wowzers! check out this amazing craft room (kitchen renovation). all those pretty jars and baubles...sigh! (scroll down on her website)
Friday was one of those days where everything at La Ranchera was coming apart at the seams.
Who has had this guy in class before? This was the TA who tried to teach me how to write fiction at Ohio State. No wonder I stuck with poetry and non-fiction workshops instead.
i cannot take 6 weeks. i dont know if my tulippen can take 6 more weeks.
but who am i kidding? I live in Freee-zonia. of COURSE winter is going to last at LEAST 6 more weeks. So here are some cute, decidedly summery DIY lemon candles that I think would be sweet for a porch dinner. Seeing as our porch is covered in dead plants and snow, I don't think we'll be out there for a while, but a summer porch dinner in say, JUNE, is my "happy place," so just bear with me as I go there for a bit....instructions HERE (for the candles, not to go to my happy place).
the semester has started this week and today I woke up to gusting winds, lake effect snow and a sheet of ice over all the sidewalk. Lovely. You all know I'm not a winter person, AT ALL, right?
Tonight my son asked me to find his whale shark (stuffed animal from the Georgia Aquarium). You have no idea how happy that made me.
best ice-breaker for a creative writing classroom that I have seen in oh, YEARS: here. (Thanks, Steve! This is genius!)
I start teaching Tues. We already had various department and all-campus faculty meetings this week. I'm teaching a dual genre workshop, an advanced poetry workshop, and environmental lit. It's my fave line-up of classes and it happens every other spring.
When I travel alone, I am a magnet for crazy. But I try to do everything to avoid this. See, as long as I can help it, I sit in the window seat. If I am wearing a hat, I tilt it over my face, if I have a blanket, I pull it over my face. If I am wearing a hoodie, I pull it over my head. If it is sunny (and sometimes when it is not), I wear sunglasses. Yes. Inside a plane. I never use my ipod unless I travel but I make dang sure WIRES can be seen coming out of earbuds in my ears. This is called TRYING TO LOOK UNAPPROACHABLE. Still, it hardly ever works.
There was the man dressed head to toe in baby blue leather who wanted me to buy his hat. Then he wanted me to guess how much it was. Then he wanted me to guess where he bought it. And so on. From Buffalo to DC.
There was the leetle old lady who fed Villanelle spray cheese on a cracker against my will. (How did she get spray cheese on a plane?)
There was the guy who called himself FatJohnny. And talked in third person. As in: "FatJohnny is gonna get mad if they don't start servin' us drinks."
There was the guy who sat in the aisle (a seat between us) who hoisted both his smelly sneakers to rest on the seat in between us. Until I couldnt take it anymore and asked him to put his feet down to which he started yelling (i mean yelling) that I was an Oreo. Yes, he called me a cookie. You know, brown on the outside, white on the inside. This was supposed to insult me. But I love oreos. In fact, they are my favorite factory packaged cookie. And Brother, if me wanting your stank and greasy feet as far away from me as possible means I'm "white," well, just go ahead and call me ALBINO. (or is that albina??)
And so on and on and on.
***
I'm taking a break from all travel and reading engagements for one whole year so I can just nest (I've been flying to and fro for reading engagements since 2002) and BOY it feels good. :)
I made these last back in December, but I thought I'd post them here now. Homemade oreos. Better than the kind at the store. And, I like to think, since I cut waaay down on the sugar, much better for you too.
Thanks to Smitten Kitchen for the recipe!
This would give me writers' block (and I dont even believe in writer's block) like you wouldn't believe if this was sitting on my desk:
I would never be able to sleep in a house like this (scroll down). I have way too active of an imagination and I have been known to think statues, plants, and even a couple of times a giant oil painting (once in the middle of a poetry reading of over 200 people, most embarrassing) have come ALIVE. I can't even imagine the dust, and what would be used to replicate THE EYE??! a bead? a marble?! omg.
Yes, let me make it clear that I love peacocks for their complication. They have one of the most terrifying/annoying calls/shrieks, but their feathers are the most beautiful shades of blue and green found in nature. Their babies are so adorably plain. India's national bird, so we lived with peacock decor, esp in the 70s. Whew! But I have never been in favor of actual peacock feathers as jewelry, decor, etc. Let alone a whole flippin' bird. Egads. I think I would be always feeling like someone is watching me. I certainly would never feel settled if I was alone in the house with that thing. *shudder*
This is late, I know, as it took place a few wks ago. But can I just say one word: HAWT. When this video came out, I was...well--let's just say I didn't understand the music video b/c I was too busy trading stickers or circling around the cul-de-sac on my banana seat bike. I was all--DUH, what's the big deal about returning the car to her house. How dumb, now he has to walk back home. Bo-ring:
Now, I'm all kinds of intrigued and have been playing this song on repeat on this melty grey day.
Been following the heartbreaking story of BRESMA, a Haitian orphanage, and the 21yr old and 30 yr old American women who will not leave their 150 kids, even though they have been eligible for a free flight back to the US since the day of the earthquake. Am hoping they will ALL be able to leave as soon as possible, as supplies are running out for the 150 kids ranging in age from 3 mos to 13yrs.
from the utterly gorgeous Sarah Vap:
"I’ve tried to explain to my husband, who is also a poet, what it is like to write poems now that I am a mother.
I tell him that my entire mind and body used to focus on the feel, the nuance, the depths of my experiences, my memories, my thoughts, the conversation I was in.
I remind him I could hold dozens of books, thousands of lines, images, colors, ideas, words, concepts, connections… I used to hold the connections together! In-place, somewhere inside of me, a gorgeous pattern of wild and true connections that I’d made of the world and my life.
Now, I tell my husband, the haze, the warm soup of sweet generality has swept my mind. But at the same time, I instantly memorize the absolute millions of details of Oskar. My mind is pierced, clean-through, again and again, until I have no concentration for anything except the minutest details of his body, his diet, his smells, his variations in temperature, how he is sleeping, curled between us. What he feels like, what he has noticed.
But at the same time, something in me, something I used to participate in more directly, that something (or someplace?) is sustaining the poems on its own.
Composing and waiting, wordless until I arrive.
But at the same time. But in the same space."
......
This is the single most accurate representation of what it is to write poems now. A few yrs ago, the most often asked question at my poetry readings was about fruit or ex-boyfriends, etc. Now the question I get the most is 'How has motherhood changed the way you write?" I wish I could just carry this essay around and give it to them and say, "Here."
I cannot tell you how much I *heart* this essay. So beautiful. Thank you, Blackbird, for publishing it.
Who dis lady walkin' with my boyfriend, Coach Tressel?? Ima cut her!
Oh hells naw. I made fun of other teams walking into their stadiums lookin' all shabby all year (OSU typically wears suits) and now OSU pulls this klassy move? What is this? Was the Rose Bowl sponsored by Juicy tracksuits??!
My boyfriend gets his trophy. I get my smug satisfaction over Lee Corso choosing the Ducks to win. My readers get a rest from all things Buckeye (until August, that is). Win-win all around, yes?
Sad story of Utah mom who went missing after her husband took her young two sons "camping" in the middle of the night in freezing temperatures. Something does not smell right here at all and I only hope my fears do not come true.
D gave me a luscious set of ultra-luxe colored pencils as one of my Christmas gifts this yr and I ooohed and ahhhhed over them. . (I looooooorve pencils, all kinds)
And then, I just found out about THIS company. If you have like $600 to blow on colored pencils, they will send you a "subscription" of 25 pencils a month. I am so in love with this idea of getting a rainbow of pencils in the mail (and just LOOK at their delectable names), but um, yikes, the pricetag. And look how you can display them on a wall! It's still pretty eyecandy. Which is what we are all about in the dreary month of January here at la house o' Cornshake.
What I especially love about the names of these pencils is that each name could be the jumping off point for a poem: sugar frost, first date, octopus, paprika, coconut--oh wait. I think that was my first 2 books already! ;)
The Betty Draper Evening Gala Gown GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!
Grosgrain does it again, this time with a gorg Betty Draper-inspired maternity dress!
Hello, my pretties! So sorry I have been MIA for so long. End of the semester crunch and all that. Blah blah beefcakes.
I hope you are reading and writing some lovely things.
I am reading EATING ANIMALS by JS Foer; The Year of the Flood, by Margaret Atwood. I will most probably be teaching them in my Environmental lit class this Spring, along with INTO THE WILD, THE LIFE of PI, and REFUGE, by Terry Tempest Williams. Of course, there will be a smattering of poetry thrown in there, but I am psyched to basically be discussing books I love.
I am especially interested if EATING ANIMALS will make me change my meat-eating ways. I have also been known to scarf down the occasional fastfood burger too, so we'll see...
Here we are, at a blue moon tonight no less, and tomorrow my love has given me a great gift:
the chance to shop in the morning and veg in front of the TV all afternoon/evening as the BUCKEYES play in the Rose Bowl. He will be cooking up all kinds of snacky snacks for me so I can watch the game and the highlights/stories behind the players-montages that I love and am a total sucker for them. Total heaven. I am sure my son will be on the couch with me, playing with his hotwheels cars or asking me to read a book about trains so of course I will comply.
But I am making breakfast tomorrow: stuffed french toast that I adapted from Liss in BG. And there will be BACON!
Bacon!
Next month, after we get back from the Bahamas and seeing this place, I will be delving into writing writing writing and I cannot wait. My desk is cleared off and ready to go, 2010. I have a new magic mouse for my imac that is as smooth as buttah.
May you all have a wondrous and lovely 2010!
ps. Bacon!
Social Darling Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!
Sorry darlings, I need this dress. Need. It's like she reached into my brain and picked out the perfect frock. Actually, all of Grosgrain's ideas are like that, but this dress is especially fetching.
2 wks left to go in the semester and I am doing my last snips of grading before Finals roll in.
I love this time of the semester: Review, revise, revise. There's barely any new class prep since I have my students working on polishing up their portfolios. Donuts to be brought. And for the extra good classes: coffee a la Tim Horton's neat-o travel boxes.
D hung lights at la Ranchera for the 1st time since last yr we jetted to Florida early and it is amazing what a little bit o' sparkle can do to a house in the bleak cold and rainy night. It feels so good to be home with a Christmas tree up and aglow, and a boy who wakes up, rushes over to the tree and counts all the birds (we have a LOT of bird ornaments, inc. --DUH-- two peacocks) that he can find before breakfast.
Looking fwd to doing some fun reading over break and prepping for one of my fave classes to teach: Environmental Lit. Every day I am so flipping psyched to teach these amazing writers and hear what students think. I don't want to jinx myself, but I have never ever ever had a bad/quiet group for that class. Here's hoping that continues for 2010!
ps. and since I usu. teach INTO THE WILD at some point for that class, now that the movie is out, we'll be able to watch that for the last wk of classes. Thanks, Sean Penn!
it is the holidays, so you may notice that I have changed up my sidebar --> from "Jettin'" to "Cravings." ---------->
Little and not so little things that I have a hankering for. My birthday AND Christmas are one month away after all. ;) Because I am always craving something...things obviously that I do not need (except for decent tiramisu. THAT I need), but that have caught my eye. ;)
my fave is the little blue birdee necklace. Isn't that so sweet?
Chirp, chirp!
I was able to go to lunch with Dustin today--such a rare treat! There is no one else on this planet who is better company and I was so happy to steal a few sips of his Coke and talk about holiday plans and cooking ideas. And! we didn't talk about teaching once! Hee, hee, i kid. It's actually not that hard. I know our students have sometimes asked if we talk about them at home and I think they feel slightly disappointed when I say no. I always joke that it may be completely shocking, but we do have lives outside of teaching, and so, we talk about those things. I won't say students NEVER come up, but it is certainly the rare occurrence rather than the norm. I mean, our offices are just down the hall from each other in the department, so if something comes up--we talk about it in school, just like I do with any of my other colleagues. When we are home, I'd much rather talk about dinner, football, a new poem I just read, a new poem he wrote, our son, which movie we'll see next, playdates, and oh, just about anything else. I mean, seriously, when you have a husband who has the greeniest eyes and the cutest dimple when he laughs and can do 5 distinct voices of trains in the Thomas the Train books to mesmerize a whole gaggle of kids, the LAST thing I want to do is talk about students. :)
I'm taking the rest of this academic year off from non-family related travel. No readings, no AWP, no more residencies. I've been keeping a pretty intense reading/travel schedule pretty much non-stop (I even taught a wklong summer residency 2 months after my son was born) since 2002. It's time for family. I'm still writing, still brewing, still sending work out there. But I'm so happy to be doing it from the place I love most: HOME.
I'm almost finished reading BLUETS, by Maggie Nelson. A chapbook based entirely on the obsession of the color BLUE.
I should have been finished 2 months ago, but my husband took one look at the first page and stole it away from me and devoured it. Suffice it to say that we both love this. And it's a deceptively simple idea, yet genius all at once!
Here's a little interview with Maggie.
Here's the book.
I am thinking it would make a great gift. Bonus if your beloved also loves the color blue.
What is your favorite color?
Mine is mostly red. But for the last few yrs I have been deeply drawn to a dark aqua, a peacock blue of sorts. Like THIS.
Sometimes I feel like painting the foyer of our house this color. Just because. And maybe I might someday. Imagine coming home to that blue, perhaps with crisp white accents and frames. Delish!
What is your favorite color?
a mini-tiny-itty interview with the Poetry Society of America!
I am so proud of Kundiman and Alice James. This is, simply, going to be an incredible collection!! Cannot wait to see who wins the very 1st award! ............. Kundiman announces Poetry Prize The Kundiman Poetry Prize for Asian American writers New York— Kundiman, Inc. is pleased to announce the inauguration of the Kundiman Poetry Prize in partnership with Alice James Books. The prize is open to emerging and established Asian American poets. The award of $2,000, publication of the winning manuscript, and sponsorship of a reading make this a highly desirable prize. Submissions are accepted from November 15, 2009 to January 15, 2010. Guidelines for submission are available to http://www.kundiman.org/%5BCLB%5D_Brightside/1.Source/prize.html Alice James Books is a cooperative poetry press with a mission is to seek out and publish the best contemporary poetry by both established and beginning poets, with particular emphasis on involving poets in the publishing process. For more on Alice James Books, go to http://www.alicejamesbooks.org/. Kundiman was founded in 2002 to provide opportunities for Asian American poets to perfect their skills through education and performance and to promote Asian American literature as a vital part of American letters. Its programs include a summer poetry retreat, held annually since 2004 and a reading series in New York City. Kundiman’s partnership with Alice James Books for The Kundiman Poetry Prize is made possible through the support of Fordham University. For more information on Kundiman, go to http://www.kundiman.org.
Had an incredible visit here in Free-zonia last wk where, in spite of hail and icewinds, our visiting writers, Ross and Pat brought the house down--almost 200 faculty/students in attendance. Can't wait to teach tomorrow, as I know the students are going to be bubbling over about their visit. What incredible ambassadors of poetry they are. If you ever get a chance to hear either of them, DO IT.
next semester brings Alison and Deb and Laura. Can't wait!
an you even stand how adorable this Daily Drop Cap is? I mean, Can You?? I think I might have to start all my blogposts with a C just to see the wee little birds.
It was only a matter of time to see someone making fun of one of my beloved crafty sites, Etsy.com. Look at the adorable art prints like this one. And the amount of peacock-related stuff is insane (Husband, are you listening??). LOVE.
Introducing Regretsy: Handmade? It Looks Like You Made it with Your Feet.
And yes, these are all (unbelievably) real listings on etsy.com. I love that there is a whole category for cats. Or Twilight-related "crafts." hee hee. geez, louise--some of these are just IN to the SANE.
Shabby Apple Dare to Design Lawn Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!
Because I live for Spring, I must try, try again!!
the full moon going on right now is called the Frosty Moon. Or the Beaver Moon. And I still haven't planted my gobs of tulip, daffodil and hot pink iris yet. I am futilely waiting for it to get at least into the 60s again, but I think that ship has sailed. Boo.
The Farmers Almanac says, “This was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Full Beaver Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now actively preparing for winter. It is sometimes also referred to as the Frosty Moon.”
Frost? Ack, not yet, not yet, pls.
So Publisher's Weekly didn't see fit to include a single woman in it's "Best of 2009" top 10 list. This deserves a Seth Myers "Really?!" segment from Saturday Night Live: "Really, Publisher's Weekly, REALLY?!"
And out of the top 100, only a fraction are by women. This is 2009, no?
Here's some that shoulda coulda woulda made the list in my humble opinion...
Sarah Gambito, Delivered (poetry)
Kim Addonizio, Lucifer at the Starlight (poetry)
Rebecca Wolff, The King (poetry)
C.D. Wright, Rising, Falling, Hovering (poetry)
Laura Van den Berg, What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us (short stories)
Holly Goddard Jones, Girl Trouble (short stories)
Audrey Niffenegger, Her Fearful Symmetry (novel)
....
and that's just off the top of my head! I am sure there are tons more that I can think of if I wasn't in the middle of commenting on a gazillion response papers and flash-fictions. And trying to convince my son that there are, in fact, NO "Mo peee-ple!" outside our door, waiting for halloween candy.
It is SO not the weather for this in WNY, but I totally covet covet this dress. Omg. Isn't swiss dot heavenly?? She outdoes herself in design every time!
Shabby Apple Dare to Design Limoncello Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!: "Read the tutorial here"
When I found out Michael Jackson died, D and I were vacationing in Sarasota. We heard about it on Siesta Key from some passersby, as we had banned internet and tv from our sweet little beach bungalow. At first I was thinking "Why are so many people talking about Michael Jackson?" Then I heard a little girl blurt out "Michael Jackson DIED?"
my heart stopped a bit. Sure, he was mostly a joke as of late, he did his fair share of WEIRD things (hello, baby-dangling,
anyone?) When we got back to our bungalow, D agreed that we could turn on the tv just this once to see what was going on. And his death was confirmed. I couldn't breathe.
The MJ I am sad about is this guy:
To a kid growing up in the 70s/80s, he was simply magical. He was a little kooky, but he was so ALIVE.
Let's talk about the awesomeness of this video (my fave, even more than Thriller):
1. Smoke machine
2. Sparkle outfit, including stripey pants
3. Sparkle BOOTS
4. Lasers
5. Supahfresh dance moves
6. Did I mention the sparkleboots??
It's such a simple video: him, some lights, and a sparkly outfit. And he looked so HAPPY here. And dare I say it, handsome. It breaks my heart to think of MJ self-loathing so much that he cut up his face dozens of times. How much HATE and SHAME you must have to go through with that over and over again.
This is like hundreds of days late, but I was just thinking of how this song always made me happy, how much this video makes me happy, and how I wish I had those sparkleboots for halloween. Or just because.
retty soon I will run out of cinnamon bread, and the whole house will be thrown into a tizzy. My son depends on cinnamon bread for a treat or sometimes, part of breakfast. I depend on it in the mornings with my cup of hot cocoa. D is I think ambivalent about cinnamon bread. This is the most inane post in the universe. I just wanted to use the daily DROP CAP, as seen HERE.
Has anyone seen the fuggery that is SandraLee's Semi-Homemade? It's a show on the foodnetwork. Back in the day (pre-baby) whenever I caught a bit of this show, I would yell for Dustin to come downstairs and watch her insane "desserts" and "tablescapes." It was like getting drunk without all the mess. Ah, good times.
At any rate, here is one of her WTF desserts: ice cream shaped like a baked potato with a gross pat of "icing" butter on top. Because of all the shapes I wish I could have for ice cream, a BAKED POTATO always was tops on the list.
I think one of the commenters on this video said it best: This makes my soul cry.
an unseasonable 65 degrees today in Freezonia! this makes it even more hurty when it dips back down to the cold temps.
Villanelle will have to be jacketed. And Villanelle does not like to be jacketed. 
but the NY lottery has these commercials that make me want to squeeeee in delight!
Dang it! Now i have to retool my whole strategy. And I guess I can't dress up my son as Balloon Boy. Rats.
No amount of looking good in a suit in daylight hours can make up for your general jerk-ery as of late.
That is to say, you are being even more of a jerk than usual. I still can't forgive you for Sal.
Also? You're not even that handsome when your hair is all amussed.
ps. I hope the date bread gives you tummy problems.
Sincerely,
Corn Shake (who secretly loves that Sally Draper used one of her fave exclamations to express disbelief: "Jeez Louise!"--or more accurately: "Jeeth Louithhhe!")
What is this?? Could it be?? Mine EYES!!!
The sun is shining with not a cloud in the sky for the first time in ages. I can actually see the grooves and wrinkles in the squat pumpkins on the porch.
Oh you should be so lucky to receive a package of goodies in the mail from Ms. Rebecca Loudon, aka, The Radish King, aka dreamiest funniest quirk-tastic poet blog HERE.
I cannot even list all the goodies, but besides a flippin' amazing FORKLIFT OHIO CARPENTER's PENCIL, there were:
poppy seeds
a dried seed that looks like a fig that i want to turn into a stamp and make prints on paper with turquoise paint but it is too pretty
to ink up so it will sit on my desk instead
wooden hummingbird bookmark
amazing box o' matches with mystery inscription
and other assorted goodies.
Thank you, Universe, for the grace and wit of Ms. Radish King. Seriously the most darling thing in the mail this week. Even more darling than the stripey sweater in size 2t that HAS A DACHSHUND ON IT for my son.
raise super giant mugs of hot cocoa with homemade marshmallows to my friend Kelli who just found out she won the White Pine Poetry Book Award for her 2nd book of poems!!
Kelli's first book, Small Knots, was the first book I ever agreed to blurb. I wanted to be able to stand by my convictions and not do some slapdash hanberdashery job that doesn't mean anything b/c there are a gatrillion books blurbed by the same poet(s). You know who I'm talking about. With any book I blurb, I want to believe in the poems and also the PERSON. It's funny, b/c I have only met her in person i think once or twice(?), but I feel a special kinship with her blog, her daily musings about life and what is IMPORTANT, what really matters-- like health and family and being kind to the planet and each other. Oh and her family is pretty adorable too--with her cute Filipino firefighter husband & her daughter has the prettiest hazelygreen eyes I have ever seen in a little girl. Okay, I will stop embarrassing them now.
And a person that has taken on a veritable zoo of needy pets, from dogs to cats to hedgehogs(!)--you just know that person has a very kind and patient soul. Anyway, I am so so proud of her b/c Kelli is one of those rare poets who always takes the time to champion others even if her cards don't show the winningest hand. She never moans or says the contest is rigged or says it isn't fair. She buys poetry books as gifts and supports presses and journals that she believes in. She has had her big slice of writing success too and never ever gets the least bit 'big' for her britches. In short, she is a great role model and I am proud to call this beautiful person and writer my friend. Congrats Kelli--I KNEW it was just a matter of time...
Does anyone know why Oprah cannot keep rhythm to save her life? I love her, but dag. The lady cannot dance.
Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!: "Ban.do"
Seriously, Grosgrain has outdid herself on this giveaway. I mean, for reals, this has got to be the most exquisitely detailed Halloween outfit I have ever seen! And no, I won't make my son wear this if I win. I just know plenty of little girls and their mamas who would be DYING if they won this ggggorgeousness. Now if only she made one for adults...swoon!
fun crafty times with my little guy this wknd:
peeled crayons and divided them into colors (with a few variances in color, just for swirly fun). spray and old mini-muffin tin with PAM, place crayons in each cup, at least 1/2 way full, to ensure maximum strength of crayon cakes:
Bake at 275 degrees for like 8 min or just enough to melt:
voila! Crayon Cakes that will stand up to wee little hands and haven't broken (yet)! I'm making a bunch of these for my friends' wee ones for Christmas and maybe put them in little clear bags with bright ribbon:
