susan denning

January 2012!

2012-01-02T21:05:00.000-08:00

My first collage of 2012. I am using 4 x 4 collages instead of ATCs these days.

The Ducks won the Rose Bowl today. I was at work but the rest of the family was in McMinnville watching the game.

Melinda saw it live in Pasadena!

I have been making New Year's resolutions. I like this time of year.

Joshua Marie Wilkinson is doing lots of cool poetry things at The Volta.

New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T16:48:00.000-08:00

Laura and I went to see The Muppets today.

I am reading The Sense of An Ending by Julian Barnes and enjoying it. Max gave it to me for Christmas.

Going out tonight but I doubt we'll stay out until midnight.

Going to make some resolutions! I'm looking forward to the new year.

Boxing Day Burning the Old Year

2011-12-26T20:58:00.000-08:00

Boxing Day! I love boxing day. I have watched three Fred Astaire movies since Christmas. Which was just yesterday. We had a good Christmas!

The photo is a picture of Aslan, the lion from the Chronicles of Narnia. My friend had this drawing when we were kids in Corvallis. Her mom had an artist draw it for her. It hung in her room when we were kids.

Last summer when I went to see her she gave it to me. A few months later she died.

I am thinking about not keeping it. Sometimes I think about just burning the whole picture. It sums up a part of our childhood that is now, well, gone. She's gone and her mom's gone and I'm here. I wonder if it's not helpful for me to hold onto it.

I remember a few years ago calling this same friend around New Years, and telling her about that "burning the year" ritual. Where you write things on pieces of paper - things about yourself that you want to say good bye to in the New Year - and you burn them. I did that that year. It's a fun ritual, but most of those things I burned that year are still with me.

So there's that!

I am reading The Leftovers. I'm off all week and I like that!

Coffee's Important!

2011-11-29T19:44:00.000-08:00

<br>I I've pretty much abandoned this blog but am posting a little sporadically on Caffeine Destiny Tumblr . I will probably start posting more in the New Year there. Or I might return here. I can't decide which one I prefer.

This has been a strange autumn. My grandmother died, my best friend who I'd known over 40 years died, one of our dogs died. Then exactly a month after my best friend died I fell while running and broke my humerus and had to have surgery.

Life continues though and I am still looking forward!

In Southern California!

2011-06-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

Took this yesterday at a beach in Encinitas

Where I'll Be Tomorrow Night!

2011-04-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

April Is Poetry Month

2011-04-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

Ada Limon is posting poems all through this month, with Jennifer Knox and friends. Check it out.

I'm also attempting a poem a day, but they are very much drafts and not fit for even a little public consumption.

I'm reading Cutting For Stone. I like it.

I made this collage today.

Find Me on Mead Hunter's Blog

2011-03-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring!

The irrepressible Mead Hunter (pictured at left) featured one of my poems on his blog this week. Thanks Mead!

Cheese party last night! Turning in grades today.

Tsunami Warning Sunrise

2011-03-13T16:08:00.000-07:00

I was so pleased to spend time in North Bend with authors Carol Ann Bassett, Henry Hughes and Jennifer Richter!

One nice thing about leaving North Bend before dawn is driving Highway 38 at sunrise. With the mist and fog hovering over the pastures, the Umpqua River on the roadside, and the elk, cows and sheep in the early morning light - it was all quite lovely.

Except for having to leave my hotel room at the crack of dawn! Thank you, people who own the Reedsport gas station on 101 who opened early so people like me could get gas. They had two pit bulls and pit bull puppies in the office - I didn't have much contact with the dogs, though.

After the gas station, and after I turned on to Highway 38, I stopped at the Sugar Shack Bakery (pictured above). It was just getting light when I left there.

Turns out the warning was just a warning, and by the time I'd reached the Denny's in Albany (in the clothes I'd slept in), I wasn't all that worried about tsunamis anyway.

But my thoughts are with the people of Japan. I can't imagine the terror so many people there must be living through right now.

This morning I ran the Shamrock Run and this afternoon I folded laundry and watched Bright Star, the movie about John Keats and Fanny Brawne. I feel grateful to be able to engage in everyday, normal activities, when across the Pacific it's an entirely different story.

Manzanita

2011-02-21T18:48:00.000-08:00

We had a great time on the tour to Manzanita. A quick trip with some great people. (Left to right, Lisa Ohlen Harris, Me, K.B. Dixon, Emily Chenoweth)

I want it to snow SO BAD. I feel like this is our last chance for a really great snow storm this winter! However it seems like the only times it ever snows it is totally unexpected. So I'm skeptical, but HOPEFUL.

Country Wrong

2011-01-16T16:20:00.000-08:00

I saw the movie Country Strong last night. I liked it EXCEPT for the ending. How can Gwyneth sing that she's "country strong" and then give us that kind of ending? I shall not elaborate in case you are reading this and want to see it. If you like country music you'll like the movie.

Laura's birthday party was last night. She turns 17 Wednesday. I loved that there was a girl there who had known her since kindergarten, and someone who had been friends with her since she was younger than kindergarten!

I got an acceptance from Filter Literary Journal today. That was great news. Every issue is hand made!

Last night I had the weirdest dream. It is very boring when people talk about their dreams so stop reading if you don't like reading about dreams!

It was one of those dreams where you are in your bed, and you wake up. So I was in my bed, I woke up, and one of my teeth had fallen out. I took it out of my mouth and showed it to Michael, but then the tooth unfolded into a skull.

Then our house just started filling with people, mostly family members in various stages of their lives - so my son Max was there as a toddler but also an older kid, and my dad was there, in his 30's or 40's, but then there was also my Dad at his current age, walking around too.

And I realized, "I must be dead!" and I got worried in the dream because the dream was going on for so long I thought, this might not be a dream! I saw my friend Peggy there too. I hadn't dreamt about her in ages. At one point I had this small brown dog that I'd adopted and I thought maybe it had caused my death so I put it outside.

That was my dream. My friend Peggy died around the time Laura was born, so I think that might be why I dreamt about her. I hadn't dreamt about her in years.

I thought about it later today and I thought it was a dream telling me to lighten up about getting older. Because my house (life) is full of so many great experiences. And I'm still waking up alive! whew.

However I will not be adopting any small brown dogs in the future.

I'm reading GREAT HOUSE by Nicole Krauss and it's amazing! Perhaps the title of the book influenced my dream too some how.

Now I'm going to watch the Golden Globes red carpet!

Christmas Vacation!

2010-12-29T17:46:00.000-08:00

I made risotto tonight from my Ruth Reichl cookbook. One of the things I love about vacation is having time to cook!

I finished Amy and Isabelle and now I'm reading Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro. I ordered Great House by Nicolle Kraus today - because I had a credit! Don't hate me local booksellers!

So far I've seen Black Swan, True Grit, and How Will You Know this vacation. I'm going to see The Tourist in Corvallis with my mom on Friday. Hoping to see The Fighter with Max, if I can tear him away from his playstation.

I like watching the Dick Van Dyke show on Netflix at night in bed on my laptop sometimes. Vacations are good!

2010-12-08T23:35:00.001-08:00

Just another word for nothing left to lose

2010-11-24T11:00:00.000-08:00

That's right, I finished Freedom. The unfortunate side effect is that the stupid "Me and Bobby McGee" song lyrics keep going through my head.

I am glad I read Freedom. I haven't decided what I think of it, overall, and how I would assess it, but I have read some good reviews of it and some stupid reviews of it (one reviewer seems not to like it because Franzen uses words like "sucks" and because time spent reading Freedom is time that could be spent reading the classics, which seems like stupid things to point out in a review - okay I'm summarizing it poorly and unfairly, but still.)

Making five pies for Thanksgiving!

I finished my Deer story last month and now I am writing another story.

Back From Sunriver!

2010-07-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in Sunriver! Michael won the Moore Cup this year!

The weather was great. Rode bikes a lot and went to the pool. Played Pictionairy last night with everyone. Alex and Max won. Laura and Natalie saw a porcupine.

One thing I love about vacation is being able to read a book in four days. I read America America by Ethan Canin this weekend. I started it Thursday night before we left and finished it this afternoon in the car on the way home. It's so great to be able to read a book that fast.

She's Back!

2010-07-06T07:41:00.000-07:00

Laura returned last night from Illinois! Michael and I sat in the backyard and watched her plane fly in. Then we hopped in the car and drove to the airport to pick her up - that's how close we live to the airport!

I dreamt last night we had Christopher Hitchens over for dinner.

Max's team lost yesterday, so baseball is over.

We are going camping at Timothy Lake this weekend.

I am going to clean my office this week and maybe make some jam. It's supposed to get hot!

I ran the Sauvie Island Half Marathon on the 4th of July. I set a PR. Yay me.

I have a prose poem is in the new issue of Quick Fiction.

I watched Thelma and Louise yesterday. We also watched Invictus last night, which had lots and lots of rugby.

I finished Raven Stole the Moon (it was okay) and I'm reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog now - I started it a few months ago.

Monday Monday

2010-06-07T20:16:00.000-07:00

I am reading Raven Stole the Moon: A Novel by Garth Stein, but - it is not his new novel! It's a re-release of a novel he published 12 years ago! Sneaky writers. But he cops to it in the preface so I am not too mad. I won it from Mead Hunter's blog (where Mead refers to it as "Garth's latest opus" ha!) a few months ago and I'm finally reading it. I like the Pacific Northwest aspect of it. And the Native American myths woven in.

I dropped off a bunch of Portland Arts and Lectures brochures at the library today and then checked out some books on Picasso, including Conversations with Picasso. After seeing all the Picassos in New York I am enjoying reading about him. Some. Or I WILL.

Sent Zanni a bunch of my prose poems from last week.

I have an Amazon affiliate account for Caffeine Destiny magazine and they have FOUND MY BLOG and so now whenever I post to my blog this other Amazon window comes up right next to the window I post in so I can find the titles of books and post links to Amazon in my posting. It's a little creepy - how did they find me?

The sun is out today. My desk at work is a disaster! It's the time of year when people send a lot of stuff my way..

Laura and I are going to watch the rest of IT'S COMPLICATED tonight, and I could do a search on Amazon and post the link to the DVD here but I'M NOT GOING TO.

Lee Montgomery has a cool column in the New York Times this week and there's a link on the Literary Arts Facebook page. I would look it up again and post it here but I have too much other stuff to do. It's worth looking up though!

Donna Stonecipher

2010-06-06T10:27:00.000-07:00

“I wanted to avoid the line break. Line breaks are seductive, but for the time being neither they nor the silences at the ends of line breaks feel right. Line breaks feel like cliffs leading to a kind of dangerous euphoria.” - Donna Stonecipher

I finished Tinkers and actually read most of the most recent New Yorker, a feat I only accomplish when on vacation or while camping. Tinkers was good but it didn't blow my mind or anything. Jeffrey Eugenides story was kind of okay! I think I liked it.

Have been reading Donna Stonecipher's The Cosmopolitan and I love it. Stu Wilson gave it to me when I was in Minnesota, so thanks Stu!

Wrote all around my vacation. Mostly prose poems and I'm digging that form.

There won't be any more issues of Caffeine Destiny. I know I said that once before, but I'm saying it again and I mean it. I have loss the will to code and solicit, two things that needed to be done intensely before each issue went up. Some day I'd like to publish chapbooks, the hold-in-your-hand kind, but that's a project for later on.

It's raining again. It is June. Laura is singing for Portland Teen Idol this morning and we are leaving soon.

I will know I am at work tomorrow because there will be no labrador sleeping nearby. And my hair will be brushed.

Sawyer at the Beach, Laura's off to Outdoor School

2010-05-31T17:16:00.000-07:00

A great weekend at the coast and Sawyer got to see the beach for the first time. He loved the opportunities for digging that the sand provides! And he met a nice Doberman who wanted to be his friend.

Laura is off to Outdoor School to be a counselor this week.

I read the thriller Dark Places this weekend while I was at the beach.

Weekend Weekend!

2010-05-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of me and Laura last night at the Love And Theft meet and greet that Laura got us passes for! They were good. Lady Antebellum was good... and Tim McGraw was amazing! Truly one of the greats.

I have to grade some papers and then I'm going to watch the GREY'S ANATOMY season finale with Laura although she has seen it before. Max doesn't want to see McGrabur today because he saw IRON MAN 2 yesterday with Michael.

How many pop culture references can I fit into one posting? Michael is watching the series finale of LOST tonight. There! I watched season 3 I think, but I'm not going to watch the finale. Maybe the last five minutes or something.

I love Tim McGraw.

I'm supposed to run 7 miles today but I think it will be more like 6.

I have been working on a story but I just don't know about me and fiction. I'm trying not to think about that though, and just write it. Like it is a non-negotiable task. Like getting dressed in the morning. We'll see! I don't get very far writing fiction and sometimes I think fiction is just the backstory for my poetry.

However! My story has a deer head in it.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T19:41:00.000-07:00

Michael made me breakfast, the kids gave me chocolate and a card (with Michael's help I'm pretty sure), and my dresser now has a vaseful of roses on it.

Laura and I went to see Letters to Juliet this afternoon - for free! Free passes to a preview screening.My favorite part was Vanessa Redgrave and all the Italian scenery.

I framed some postcards I got in New York - including "The Woman In White" by Picasso, and a picture of Audrey Hepburn I bought on the street.

I planted flowers, ran 5 miles, and got some writing done. There was a great profile of Gina Ochsner in the Oregonian today. She inspires me.

Steaks for dinner! A good Mother's Day!

Acceptance!

2010-05-07T21:36:00.000-07:00

I had a piece accepted at QUICK FICTION hooray. I am reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Sawyer is one years old. Going to Corvallis tomorrow.

Minnesota!

2010-04-18T10:40:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Literary Arts I am in Minnesota this weekend. You can read about the book awards on the Paper Fort blog.

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, and yesterday I took some pictures of the house he was born in. He lived in quite a few different houses in St. Paul - when he was growing up and after he married Zelda.

I also took a picture of the Mary Tyler Moore statue downtown. Tonight I'm going to a play at the Guthrie Theater.

I like the Midwest!

Some Stuff I Did this Weekend

2010-03-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

Laura and I saw THE BOUNTY HUNTER, an okay Jennifer Aniston movie. We also saw a preview for EAT PRAY LOVE, and - guilty pleasure - I want to see it!

Watched part of a documentary on Patti Smith. There were video clips of her from the 1970's, talking about why she moved to New York. And her and Sam Shephard playing guitar. Michael and I will see her in New York as part of the PEN WORLD VOICES festival.

Read the new issue of Vogue magazine which seemed more vapid than usual and made me not want to buy it ever again. I used to love me some Vogue!.

Watched an episode of Project Runway, which I still love!

Finished my grading for winter term.

Tried to clean my office (still in progress!)

Read some of A Little Middle of the Night by Molly Brodak, the 2009 Iowa Poetry Prize winner. Has the Univ. of Iowa press adopted a sans serif font for poetry permanently? I like the poems, but I prefer my fonts serif-ed when it is poetry.

Put sheets on Max's new bed.

Took Sawyer for several walks with his new easy-walk harness. It helps considerably with the tugging on the leash. Walks are no longer a tug of war!

Michael and I are going to watch Breaking Bad tonight - season premiere!

Listening to Jim Croce on Pandora on my Gordon Lightfoot station.

Hey! I won something!

2010-03-15T12:46:00.000-07:00

Garth Stein's latest book! (It has nothing to do with Raven the Disney star, but my kids used to watch that show and I've never had a reason to post a photo of her.)

Until now.

Thank you Mead Hunter!

Once More to the Lake

2010-03-07T10:31:00.001-08:00

I knew Michael Quigley. Many years ago, in Eugene. I found out this week that he died in September, in Sacramento.

He was a big fan of this man, and this essay.

I think maybe he liked E.B. White because White possessed a certain sophistication and embodied a type of civilized discourse that Michael Quigley aspired to but never quite achieved.

Michael Quigley was rough around the edges. He introduced me to Apocalypse Now, The Return of the Seacaucus 7, Deer Hunter, BEER Hunter, and SPAM.

I knew what SPAM was before I met him, but I think he's the only person I have ever witnessed actually cooking SPAM. And eating it.

He was never really at peace, so I doubt he's resting in peace, and I doubt, really, that resting in peace would really appeal to him.

So I guess what I hope for him is he's found a place where he can keep fighting.

In peace.

Boxing Day

2009-12-26T17:07:00.000-08:00

I love Boxing Day. I am reading Let the Great World Spin. I have a new I-Mac which is so fast and spiffy! Yay for new computers.

It's Official

2009-12-22T22:12:00.001-08:00

I am on vacation until January 4th!

Look at Me I'm Blogging!

2009-12-17T22:07:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted here in ages. But I will post over Christmas time!

Kids are done with school tomorrow. 2009 is almost over.

Tin House and Now It's Saturday

2009-07-18T07:50:00.001-07:00

The Tin House 10th was lots of fun and you can find podcasts at Literary Arts.

Next weekend we are going to Kahneeta!

Mandy gos to the vet today.

It's summer and I never seem to have time to water my plants.

Sawyer is sleeping under my desk. He is bigger than in the previous photo!

No Name Yet!

2009-06-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

But we love him. Just came home today!

Last Sunday in April!

2009-04-26T09:38:00.001-07:00

Laura is out driving with Michael as I write this. Here's a picture of her and Max, taken a few years ago, when all she drove was a bike!

Last night was the Parkrose Educational Foundation dinner and auction at Holiday Inn. That was a lot of fun, and yes, adults do occassionally still dance to Play that Funky Music White Boy - but Mike does it best!

The tour went to Corvalls and Newport this week. That was fun, and we had attentive audiences. I loved visiting Newport High School with Sara Ryan.

I am running the Eugene Half Marathon next week so I should run far today. But I may just run 7. I ran 10 and a little extra last weekend, so I know I can run 13.1!

I'm reading at the Eugene Public Library in May.

Planted

2009-04-04T18:18:00.000-07:00

Lilies, iris, snap peas, forget-me-nots.

Tomorrow, geraniums and petunias and lavender.

Laura got her driver's permit today. Max had his opening day game for Little League.

Gotta run far tomorrow.

Reading the new Beckman.

Like a Day Without Sunshine

2009-03-31T21:15:00.001-07:00

PCS without Mead Hunter.

I can't wait to see where he lands.

Tomorrow National Poetry Month begins! Get your haiku on.

Spring Break!

2009-03-24T20:15:00.001-07:00

Terry Tempest Williams tomorrow.

Kids on spring break.

Shamrock Run!

2009-03-15T14:49:00.000-07:00

I ran the Shamrock Run today with Amy. I ran faster than in 2006!

I never blog these days.

Reading Tod Marshall's The Tangled Line and enjoying it very much.

Poems from Updike in this week's New Yorker. Sad but I appreciated him taking the time to say goodbye.

Hello!

Milk is Cheap!

2009-02-19T20:43:00.000-08:00

Milk is cheaper than it used to be. It's now $1.99 at Freddy's and that's not the sale price, that's just the price! Which makes it hard to be a dairy cow these days.

Yoga class tonight! I wish Laura could have come with me. You know how they say sometimes, people only use 3% of your brain power? Or something like that. I think yoga makes you realize you probably use only about 5% of your body's potential. Sitting, standing, walking, running - there's so much more than that!

Rough drafts to grade from students this weekend. But I want to see Milk (the movie not the beverage mentioned previously) with Michael before the Academy Awards on Sunday. I also want to see How To Disappear Completely, soon-ish!

I read Run by Ann Patchett over the long weekend. I liked it. I really appreciated Updike's review of it.

My new Poets & Writers arrived today and it has lots of stuff to read in it and new books coming out by Joshua Marie Wilkinson and Emily Wilson and other poets I like.

Spring is on its way, which means Little League. Life is good.

Milk is cheap. If you're not a dairy cow, that's not such bad news.

I was impressed by Calvin Trillin. They don't make them like that anymore.

Check this out

2009-02-06T17:37:00.000-08:00

Ish Klein.. Then I ordered her book from Canarium Press.

It's Friday!

I'm Still Here and Happy Birthday Michael!

2009-02-05T20:36:00.001-08:00

I guess I spend online goofing off time on Facebook these days. But I will blog again soon! The blog lives! And I got some nifty collage stuff I want to use to make new collages. When the time presents itself!

Caffeine Destiny will go off hiatus in a few weeks, March-ish, and I'll announce new submission guidelines.

I'm trying to write a story.

Happy Birthday Michael! I love you.

Rabbit at Rest

2009-01-27T17:32:00.001-08:00

First Post of 2009

2009-01-11T16:23:00.000-08:00

I ran three miles today and I'm trying to finish a poem but I'm not trying today. I will finish it this week. The working title is Violins of the Great Northwest. I think that is going to be the title of my second book if my first one ever gets published. Even if it doesn't!

You can still name your books even if they are unpublished manuscripts. And unpublished manuscripts is kind of fraught with mystery. Perhaps.

Tonight is poetry group! I think...

Michael and I went to Michael's craft store and around today and that was fun.

I read an article in the Atlantic about the demise of the New York Times but I don't believe it. I should note I read it in the magazine, not on the web site.

I made my curried carrot soup.

The sky is gray. Always.

Tuesday is Michael Pollan day!

The blog lives on!

2008-12-28T09:12:00.000-08:00

Somebody asked, so I must tell you: the blog is not going on hiatus! Just the magazine. The blog will continue with its updates which are chockful of news. If you read between the lines.

This is Rita as a puppy.

Look for a poem by me in Shampoo in 2009!

On Hiatus

2008-12-27T09:31:00.000-08:00

I put Caffeine Destiny on official hiatus which felt good. Time will tell!

My "about me" blog bio is no longer accurate, as Rita doesn't live here anymore. However it feels too soon to update the bio.

She lives here still in our hearts.

Max in the snow

2008-12-20T19:50:00.000-08:00

Here's Max at Glendover golf course today!

I took the bus and the Max to Lloyd Center today (Max the train not Max my son!) and am just about done with my Christmas shopping.

I turned in my Marylhurst grades and I am officially not thinking about any teaching until the week after Christmas. Winter term starts January 5th so I have time to take a break.

Monday is my last day at work until after Christmas. It's on its way!

Last Christmas

2008-12-03T08:18:00.001-08:00

For all you young kids out there,

The Wham! version of Last Christmas is the only acceptable version. Jimmy Eat World and Taylor Swift just don't cut it.

I tried to explain this to my kids in the car this morning. I'm not sure if they believed me.

She's Coming!

2008-11-25T07:26:00.000-08:00

I'm driving to Corvallis after work to pick up mom and bring her back to Portland for Thanksgiving.

Speaking of which, a reader on a blog commented on the article on Caffeine Destiny about the history of Thanksgiving, that I think I originally posted around 2000, if not earlier. It's still kind of fun to read I think.

I'm reading On the Nature of Human Romantic Interaction, by Karl Iagnemma. It's a book of short stories - the winner of the Paris Review Discovery Prize for best first fiction - but he's a research scientist in mechanical engineering at MIT.

More soon - I have to vacuum.

Annie and Laura

2008-11-21T07:43:00.000-08:00

I took this picture backstage last night. I think they're both adorable.

Tonight Laura and Max and I are going to see Twilight. I'm not big on vampire movies, but maybe it will be good?

I made curried carrot soup last weekend and it was super easy! I kind of used two different recipes and then added coconut milk, which neither recipe called for, but I have seen as an ingredient in other soups and it was really good. All that was in it was onions, carrots, chicken broth, curry powder, a little turmeric and coconut milk! Saute the onions in butter, then add three cans of chicken broth and add the carrots (I used about three pounds). Add the curry (I used about two and 1/2 tablesoons) and the turmeric (I used about two teaspoons). Once the carrots are tender, you puree it. But don't fill the blender up all the way or it will explode, because hot things expand! (thanks to Martha Stewat's recipe for pointing that out). I pureed it in batches, and then I added the can of coconut milk afterwards.

Super easy.

Thursday

2008-11-13T08:01:00.001-08:00

Amy has a new kitty!

I need a book to read.

Laura and I are going to see Guys and Dolls tomorrow night. That will be my second time.

I finally took the big rotting pumpkin off our front porch.

Yes!

2008-11-04T22:20:00.000-08:00

I Hope He is Our Next President

2008-11-02T14:56:00.000-08:00

How to Watch The Election

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T07:12:00.000-07:00

This is Max and Laura ... ten years ago! They are very proud of their pumpkin Pez dispensers. I made the Dorothy costume that Laura has on. Max was the cowardly lion.

We carved pumpkins last night.

David Sedaris is tonight. Election soon!

Exactly

2008-10-23T19:06:00.001-07:00

He'll be here next week!

I'm Still Here!

2008-10-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

Readers I have rearranged my office! My office at home I mean. Now my desk faces the window. Aren't you glad I told you?

It's great to have a new arrangement and I figure it puts me in the right frame of mind for the new administration that will hopefully be arriving in January. Yes!

I have been reading People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.

Parkrose won their homecoming game last Friday.

I was on KBOO last night with the poetry finalists.

I am working on a new poem.

But right now, I must dry my hair.

Did it

2008-10-07T21:36:00.000-07:00

Watched McCain and Obama tonight.

Need I say more?

Anyway, I finished the Portland marathon. It took me longer than I thought. It rained a lot. I spilled a whole cup of water on my foot. My Ipod stopped working. I feel like I should have done better. However, I appreciate the fact that I did it and I am pleased about that! It was great to see my family at the finish line!

It was a learning experience and I learned that I want to run another marathon. But not any time soon! I am looking forward to Sunday morning this weekend, when I plan to sit around in my pajamas and read the Sunday paper and not go running.

I started The Short History of A Prince by Jane Hamilton and I am not going to finish it. The main character is kind of insufferable and I can't tell if the author is aware of it. There was one scene where he interacted with another character and it just seemed like the only reason the other character was there was so that she could deliver important background information that the reader needed to know. It just seemed kind of clumsy.

I liked The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton, and some of her other books. Just not this one!

Max's team won their game this afternoon and it was a beautiful fall afternoon. I am glad that autumn is here.

Tomorrow is IT

2008-10-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

I run the Portland Marathon tomorrow.

Stay tuned!

Last Weekend of September

2008-09-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to Gresham with Laura; the Parkrose Cheer squad was in the Teddy Bear Parade. It was funny to see all these people, young and old, carrying teddy bears. Horses and dogs had them too.

We went to Mcminnville yesterday and watched the Ducks demolish WSU.

Guys and Dolls was great and I've been humming tunes from it all weekend. Came home afterwards and watched the rest of the debates.

This time next week I will be done with the marathon!

I think Hud is my favorite Paul Newman movie. What's yours?

Guys And Dolls

2008-09-23T07:02:00.000-07:00

Michael and I are going to see Guys and Dolls on Friday at Portland Center Stage. I can't wait.

Parkrose won its first football game in a long time on Friday!

It's autumn everyone!

Weekend!

2008-09-14T15:05:00.001-07:00

I ran 20 miles today. That means I can run the marathon, unless I trip or something. My goal is to come in under 5 hours, which I can do. Who knows maybe I'll run it in 4 1/2 hours. No, I don't think so.

Michael and I saw the movie Tell No One yesterday. It's a French thriller! I thought it was great.

Laura and I saw Willy Porter and Raining Jane at the Alladin Theater Friday night. They were really good and I'm looking forward to seeing Raining Jane and Sara Bareilles in October.

Max was on t.v. Friday night, showing his Parkrose pride! His first football game is Wednesday.

I'm reading Empire Falls and looking forward to meeting Richard Russo on Thursday.

Here is a link to poems by Reginald Shepherd that were in Caffeine Destiny a few years ago. I was sad to hear that he died.

Thursday night

2008-09-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

I want to find time to mess around and make silly collages.

I want to write some new poems.

I want the marathon to be done with.

I want my office to be magically cleaned by little elves.

I want to have time to bake bread.

I want to miraculously lose 20 pounds, just by thinking about it very hard.

I want someone to take my poetry manuscript and publish the hell out of it.

I want Obama to be elected.

There!

School Starts!

2008-09-01T22:35:00.000-07:00

Laura starts high school tomorrow, and Max begins 7th grade on Wednesday.

Carly starts First Grade this week! Congratulations Carly!

We had fun this weekend in McMinnville. I had the most enjoyable run of my whole marathon training on Sunday with Amy.

It's hard to believe summer is just about over, but it is.

Not National, Still Poet-ish

2008-08-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

I got my letter from the nice National Poetry Series people today and my manuscript has not been selected as a winner this year. Which would have been exciting, but hey, Frank O"Hara never was a National Poetry Series poet either. I like this picture of him!

I was a finalist and they told me in May that I was a finalist so I've been waiting. So I heard today but I will press onward!

I ran 15 miles yesterday. I was supposed to run 17, but only did 15. (note to self: how embarassing - I already mentioned this in the post from yesterday. People who are training for marathons are BORING!)

I wonder if Frank O'Hara ever ran 15 miles.

I appreciated this interview with Chase Twichell in the current Poets and Writers. I read it in print but here it is online and it made me think that Caffeine Destiny could end eventually and that would be okay. At what point is enough enough?

Here's a little Frank for your Monday evening:

My eyes are vague blue, like the sky, and change all the time; they are indiscriminate but fleeting, entirely specific and disloyal, so that no one trusts me. I am always looking away. Or again at something after it has given me up. It makes me restless and that makes me unhappy, but I cannot keep them still. If only i had grey, green, black, brown, yellow eyes; I would stay at home and do something. It's not that I'm curious. On the contrary, I am bored but it's my duty to be attentive, I am needed by things as the sky must be above the earth. And lately, so great has their anxiety become, I can spare myself little sleep.

Back from Eastern Oregon

2008-08-24T16:48:00.000-07:00

I had a good time in Enterprise and La Grande. It's beautiful out there. It was good to see Zanni - and Rich, and David and Jody.

Today I was going to run 17 miles but only did 15. The Portland Marathon will be interesting! We'll see how long it takes me.

Laura and I saw Hancock last night. Laura's going to Mcminnville later this week, and Max has football camp.

Okay, just a few more papers to grade.

Fall 2008 is online

2008-08-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

It's here!

Max and I saw The Dark Knight last night. I liked it. He's 12 now!

Back to work for me tomorrow.

Laura has daily doubles.

Michael has new glasses.

I need to finish some poems.

My tomatos are starting to ripen.

I hope you like the new issue.

Friday

2008-08-08T07:06:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to run 8 miles this morning but I only ran 3.8.

The Augen gallery here in Portland has an exhibit, Bande à part: New York Underground 60's, 70's, 80's that I am going to see, either today or later next week. I read Andy Warhol's Diary a long time ago.

Tomorrow Max comes home from camp - hooray! Laura and Lily have their showcase for Rock and Roll Camp at the Wonder Ballroom.

Max Winter, whose work has appeared in Caffeine Destiny and many other places, as well as in the fabulous book The Pictures, will be on The Joe Milford Poetry Show on Saturday. You can listen to it live or it will be archived after the show.

Three Day Weekend!

2008-08-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

We're going to Seattle tomorrow to see a Mariners game.

Then Sunday Max is going to Camp Collins for a week. Laura starts Rock and Roll Camp Monday.

I have Monday off. I'm going to take Laura and her friend to Rock and Roll camp and then come home and write. Not grade papers or post to blogs or anything. I'm going to get writing done.

New Caffeine Destiny is going up by the end of the month.

It's August, the month of endings.

and Max's birthday!

I haven't made a collage in a while. Maybe I will Sunday.

2008-07-25T06:16:00.000-07:00

Last week it was Frank Bidart, this week's picture is of Frank the horse! At least his ears. I took this photo when I was riding Frank in Colorado. It was my second horse ride. We rode up a rocky path and then down a rocky path in the Rocky Mountains. I was worried he would stumble, but he never did. We rode up Glacier Basin and looked down on Glacier Creek. It was one of the best parts of our trip to Colorado.

The photo on the right is Michael and I in our fashionable bucket hats at Bear Lake. You can't see from the photo, but they say Colorado on them. Maybe I will start making bucket hats with the Caffeine Destiny logo on them. Would you buy them? I know you would!

If you are wondering if I saw any elk, I did not. Max saw a herd of them. My brother-in-law Howie saw a bear. I am envious, but I saw lots of bunnies, and I got to ride a horse!

I'm reading Plainsong by Kent Haruf. Laura and I went to see Mama Mia on Wednesday. I never really liked those Abba songs when they were popular, but I loved watching Meryl Streep sing them!

The photo on the right is the view of the Rockies from the YMCA at Estes Park, where we stayed. Colorado was gorgeous but it was good to come home to Oregon.

Leaving Tomorrow for Colorado

2008-07-18T15:34:00.001-07:00

Last night I went to hear Frank Bidart read at the Tin House reading. He was great. He read outside and it was dark by the time it was over. He said something - which I am no doubt misquoting here - about how the most important thing for a poet to do is to figure out how to get on the page their own understanding of how they determine meaning.

Yes, I have totally mangled that. But it makes sense in my head!

I stood in line to get my book signed. He knew Robert Lowell, so I read some letters to Frank Bidart from Robert Lowell this morning, in my Letters of Robert Lowell.

Tomorrow we are heading for Estes Park. Laura is going to cheer camp at OSU, so she won't be with us. She'll be cheering!

Here's a link to an Estes Park web cam!

I ran 14 miles today. Now I need to pack!

The Police and Elvis Costello

2008-07-13T19:29:00.001-07:00

We saw Elvis Costello and the Police on Friday night!

I ran 9 miles today.

I am reading Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje.

More soon.

4th of July!

2008-07-04T15:56:00.001-07:00

It's the 4th of July and Max is in Washington D.C.! Laura and I bought fireworks today and I saved some for him.

I ran 6 miles today. I made a pasta salad to take to Holly's and we're leaving soon. Debbie's in town!

Summer!

2008-06-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

We had fun camping although the weekend sure went by fast. That's Michael and Laura at the campground! Bats came out of the trees at night and that was kind of cool.

Max and Laura have new bikes and I rode Laura's last night. It felt great to be on a bike again! I used to ride a bike everywhere in Eugene.

I am reading Without End by Adam Zagajewski. I am going to read The Ghost Writer by Philip Roth once I get my hands on a copy.

Debbie comes to visit next week! My tomatos have yellow flowers on them.

Where I'll be this weekend

2008-06-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

Leaving tomorrow for Timothy Lake! Camping with everyone.

Tomorrow is summer solstice.

I have been running a lot. Writing poems in the early morning.

Yay for summer.

Weekend

2008-06-08T17:19:00.001-07:00

The weekend is winding down and I had a good one.

Max's team lost yesterday, so his season is pretty much over. But they had an 18 win, 3 loss record which is pretty fantastic. We are going to a Mariners game in Seattle in August!

I watched a lot of the O.C. on Saturday night - season one. Laura wasn't feeling well, so we watched several episodes. Sometimes nothing else will do. This is Laura's last week of middle school.

I'm going to start taking the Max train into work more I think and I was thinking, maybe I should get a bike and then I could ride the bike to the Max. Just a thought. But then I read some things about how it's kind of a hassle during rush hour to find a place to put your bike on the Max. Although I still wonder what it would be like to have a bike again.

I ran 8 miles yesterday. I pulled a lot of weedy grass in my backyard today. I cleaned my office. Worked on poems.

I am reading Strangers by Taichi Yamada. It's a Japanese novel about a man who gos to his hometown and finds his parents living there. But his parents have been dead for over 20 years. It's kind of spooky and I like it.

I Am Supposed to Be Grading Papers

2008-05-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

Look, it's the new WITS director at Literary Arts! That's Portland's own Mary Rechner.

The new Deschutes Brewery in Portland is just like the one in Bend. Sort of.

Monday I start my marathon training. Wish me luck.

I brought home some cactus. Tomorrow Max has a baseball game.

I have no quote for the day because I'm supposed to be grading papers.

Here I go.

Quack

2008-05-29T19:58:00.000-07:00

There is like four baskets of unfolded laundry in my basement. Maybe five.

I haven't called my mom in like two weeks.

I finished When She Was Good.

Monica is getting ducks! I'm very excited for her.

Very Smart Kids and Queen Cows

2008-05-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

The picture is a Rauschenberg painting. I hope he is having fun, wherever he is. Rest in peace!

Max and Laura are very smart kids. I know because they showed Michael and I at their student-led conferences at school tonight.

I am reading When She Was Good by Philip Roth.

Baker City was fabulous. The streets are gorgeous there - wide streets and mountains in the distance. People leave their bikes unlocked on the sidewalk. It's true, I'm not making it up!

I have been reading about cow etiquette. It's really fascinating! There is always a queen cow. Cows who are higher in the social heirarchy don't have to walk as far for their share of the grass.

Leaving Burns, Heading For Baker City

2008-05-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

There they are, at the Harney County Libray.

Burns is flat, quiet, pretty.

My motel room has a desk with drawer handles made from bent horseshoes.

You can hunt antelope here in the late summer, by the Malheur River. And elk. Maybe that's where some of the heads at Central Pastime came from. We went there last night. There was a big buffalo head which was kind of cool except of course I felt sorry for the buffalo.

I go now in search of birds and coffee. Then on to Baker City!

If We Reach Idaho We've Gone Too Far

2008-05-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving for Burns this morning with Charlie and Lee. Jeff is already there! Robert's on his way.

I have never been to Burns. I have Diet Coke and Oreos in my car. And soon, a full tank of gas.

Wish me luck!

May Day

2008-05-01T07:16:00.001-07:00

So you know what that means! But if you don't remember, refresh your memory here and here.

I need to make more collages! I haven't made any in ages.

Next week I"ll be in Burns and Baker City. This weekend I'm running the Eugene Half-Marathon.

Tonight I'm going out to dinner at Jake's with my husband of 18 years.

I love him.

The View from My Hotel Balcony

2008-04-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

I'm in Astoria this morning. Last night Tom Blood, Monica Drake, Susan Fletcher and Kristian Williams read at the Cannery Pier Hotel, where we're all staying.

Their work is all very different, but somehow it all comes together in an interesting way. Monica's book is about a girl who works as a clown, Tom's a lyric poet, Kristian's book is about government torture and Susan's book for young adults takes place in the Middle East. It always happens in these readings that I notice connections, even in work that seems very disparate.

The picture to the left is Tom at the reading last night.

I'm spending the next hour or so trying to finish some of my own poems for poetry group Sunday! Then I'll explore Astoria a little. On foot! And drive down to Newport for the reading tonight.

My internet connection seems intermittent. I'll post this now, while I can! (the ship was passing by my room so I took a picture of it)

Friday It Is!

2008-04-18T07:19:00.000-07:00

Do you like my Yoda title for this posting?

It is Friday. I'm going to the Oregon Literary Coalition meeting at Marylhurst today.

Michael and I are going to Sometimes A Great Notion on Sunday.

Max has a game tomorrow and it might snow!

I got up early this morning and worked on my poem which is nearing completion.

Next week I'm going to Astoria and Newport with the Oregon Book Awards Author Tour.

One of Laura's fish may have had a baby fish.

Marjane!

2008-04-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

Well she was lovely. I really enjoyed her visit!

Michael is re-doing our kitchen. He took out a cabinet today that had been between the dining room and the kitchen. So now there's plenty of light in the kitchen. I wonder how it will all end up!

Yesterday the office was closed. I wrote drafts of two poems. I made lasagne for dinner! That was a treat as I hardly ever have time to make dinner anymore during the week. And Max has baseball practice several times a week and doesn't get home until 7:00.

Sunday poetry group is meeting at my house.

I am going to read Joe Sacco. Marjane mentioned him.

Katy Lederer will be in the next Caffeine Destiny. I asked her two years ago. She remembered!

Two to Go!

2008-04-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

In our event parade! Lucille Clifton will be here Sunday, and Monday it's Marjane Satrapi!

Elizabeth Gilbert was amazing. The audience was mostly women! It was a great evening.

I need a new book to read. I'm between books, although I have seen books I want to read and by this time next week I should be reading something!

Laura will be a cheerleader next year! And Max is switching to the tuba.

I have to clean my office. Tonight Battlestar premieres.

It's National Poetry Month but I have yet to write a poem in April.

Gilbert and Clifton and Marjane oh my!

2008-04-02T19:26:00.000-07:00

It's a busy next few days for me!

I'm looking forward to all our events.

We had a great time in Leavenworth, and it snowed!

I haven't been on Facebook much. The new term started. So it's a busy time but it's Spring!

Happy Birthday Debbie!

Max's baseball season starts Saturday. Tomorrow Laura has cheerleading tryouts.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-21T19:05:00.000-07:00

Edward Hirsch will be reading here in Portland on Monday, March 24th. Please leave me a comment if you'd like to see him!

The kids are on spring break. I'll be on spring break after Tuesday.

I read last night in Salem. That was really fun, and Dad and Jane came and that made it even more fun.

It was great to hear Cecelia read.

Always very reassuring to look out in the audience and see Michael. To know that even if I totally make a complete fool of myself, he will still like me.

Mom coming up tomorrow. Happy Easter!

Holy Week

2008-03-15T17:31:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe Easter is a week away.

I started reading A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers last night. I like it. The narrator is learning English, so at the beginning the English is halting.

Stephen Sondheim was here last week, with Frank Rich. It was exciting to meet him. I have been listening to Sondheim tunes ever since.

Tomorrow is poetry group, and then I'm at the Multnomah Library, for the writer's resource fair. Giving out information about the fellowships and the book awards.

It's raining and I need to take a shower.

Michael is done with school!

Seven Notebooks

2008-03-02T21:11:00.000-08:00

I am reading Seven Notebooks by Campbell McGrath. It's poems and prose and I'm really enjoying it. I'm also still reading The Theory of Clouds. Clouds and notebooks!

Laura and I saw the movie The Other Boleyn Girl today. That was fun. We shopped a little too.

Debbie sent me a scarf she made and a shawl. They are both lovely and I like to think of Debbie in her studio apartment in Manhattan knitting her niece a scarf. How sweet. I have been wearing the shawl tonight while I look at student papers. It's a nice deep burgundy.

How I Love a Three Day Weekend

2008-02-17T19:03:00.000-08:00

What I've Done So Far This Weekend:

Went to the Spotlight dance competition in Oregon City, where Laura danced with Carlea. We left the house very early and it was very foggy on our way to Oregon City. Laura and Carlea were good, one of the few hip hop dance numbers at Spotlight. The rest was tap and jazz and other stuff. I thought Laura and Carlea were the best.

Picked up Girl Scout cookies that people ordered so I can give them to them!

Saw Pinback with Michael at the Wonder Ballroom. We enjoyed it. But after hearing them play for a while the idea of sitting down really appealed to me, and I was glad that Michael felt the same way. We left before the encore. But what we saw was great.

Ran 5 and a half miles.

Thought of titles for unwritten poems on my run but haven't written them down yet.

Met Daneen to talk about our new writing group. Poetry! It was just Daneen and I today at the Bipartisan Cafe, but in two weeks we will be at Daneen's house and there will be more of us!

Dyed my hair.

Watched the first Battlestar Gallatica miniseries, that we own on DVD. Now I want to watch the entire series. I love Laura Roslin.

Read some of the Theory of Clouds. I read some of the 2004 Best American Poetry because Lynn Hejinian edited it and I saw her last weekend so I wanted to remember who she picked for that edition.

Read some more of a friend's book so I can write a blurb for it.

Here's your Gertrude Stein excerpt for today: A light in the moon the only light is on Sunday.

Tomorrow I have another day off! Thank you Presidents!

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T18:58:00.000-08:00

I am supposed to be grading student papers. Here I go.

Flowers for valentine's day! Lovely lovely flowers.

I am making creme brulee.

A poet I like asked me to write a blurb for her upcoming book.

Another poet friend has a new book out and it's sparkly and fresh.

I admit it, I have book envy.

Laura has a dance competition this weekend. Max has Little League tryouts.

I am writing a poem this week. I will finish it soon.

Li-Young Lee is coming next week. To the Newmark. I will be there too.

I have papers to grade. Here I go.

Your Gertrude Stein quote for the day: A vegetable garden in the beginning looks so promising and then after all little by little it grows nothing but vegetables, nothing, nothing but vegetables.

Sigh.

Dead Fish Museum

2008-02-07T19:50:00.001-08:00

Wow it's been quite a week for books and me (I can say that because this is MY blog).

Mary Oliver on Tuesday! She read and talked about writing. Tonight, just around the corner at the Heathman, Charles D'Ambrosio read from The Dead Fish Museum and talked about writing. He is working on a novel, and I thought he said some interesting things about writing essays and writing stories. If I was a loquacious blogger I'd talk for several paragraphs about what he said but you know by now that's not my style. I saw him. He was good.

I have signed books by Mary and Charlie now and I like getting books signed by authors. I like what Mary said about showing up to write every day. Charles is pro writing programs! Go writing programs! Meet other writers! Connect! Teach each other stuff!

I have been playing this stupid stupid game on Facebook where you put things in your pack and then you also steal them from other people and you get points if you make sets. I allow myself 10 minutes or so doing this every few days, although Saturday, when I first started playing it, I think I spent like 20 minutes. It's kind of like an aggressive GO FISH card game. I think it also can be seen as a kind of metaphor for something having to do with consumerism.

If you're not too tired to think in those ways, which I kind of am right now. Plus it's kind of trite to say something is a metaphor for consumerism because that's like so easy. Except Ratpack (I think that's the name or something) is about GETTING STUFF, so I don't think it's entirely off base. But maybe too obvious.

My office is a mess. I ran three miles today and I have been working on a poem this week that I'd like to finish a draft of soon.

My dogs want their walk.

Persepolis!

2008-01-30T19:36:00.000-08:00

I saw Persepolis this afternoon and I loved it. I'm going to read Persepolis I and II.

I finished Pillars of the Earth! It is the longest book I think I've ever read.

You are not supposed to feed puppies cupcakes but sometimes you just can't help yourself.

I have been messing around with Facebook, but I'm not sure what it's for. If you take away the hugs and the pokes and putting stuff on people's walls, what's left? A poet sent me a virtual strawberry and encouraged me to send one back and then the message said, "together, we can fight global warming!" So I sent a few others to "friends" and it seemed funny and also, kind of sad. Because it really won't fight global warming. But maybe it was meant ironically. Or maybe it's just a Facebook fun thing to do, when you need time off from fighting global warming.

Tomorrow I have the day off (from work I mean, not from fighting global warming, as I spend very little time actually fighting global warming, although I do recycle and sometimes take public transportation).

Max has a chess tournament this weekend.

When I turned 5 I celebrated my birthday at a Farrell's in Eugene. I also celebrated my 21st birthday in Eugene. I remember when I turned 35 I thought I was SO OLD. Ha!

When I was three, I think, my mom made me a cake from a magazine recipe. It was like a bear or some kind of animal and our Siamese cat ate the ears off it. The ears were like gingersnaps or something.

Michele said something very useful today about my poetry manuscript. Because the idea of putting this year's poems, and all the poems to come, back in that first manuscript, making room for them somehow in a manuscript that I feel very DONE with, doesn't appeal to me at all. And she asked me if it was done and I said, yes. She said, then it's done! And I should just believe that it was going to get published eventually and the new poems go in the 2nd book.

So! It's done. It'll get published and then I'll already have a 2nd book well on its way when that happens. Funny how I couldn't just tell myself that and still needed my thesis advisor from 4 years ago to tell me that and somehow give me permission! Well! Thesis advisor, it's just a never-ending job.

It also reminded me of a conversation I had once with Michele when I was in school and she asked me how I decided if a poem was "done", and I said, uh, well if someone publishes it, I guess. Lame answer I know. She said at the time, oh so then you let someone ELSE decide?

Reb Livingston's rant on her blog made me smile.

Debbie your book is on its way to you!

I received this book today!The web page that displays this book has been permanently bookmarked in my web browser for almost two years, as I've been thinking about buying it for a long time. And then I opened a present today and there it was!

Wherever you go, there you are!

New Issue is Up!

2008-01-27T17:49:00.000-08:00

The new Caffeine Destiny is up! Check it out.

I have been having fun on Facebook.

Laura's hair is now a very pretty red.

I want it to snow.

I'm almost done with The Pillars of the Earth. It's been a long read, but it's good!

Some Things I Did Today

2008-01-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

I ran three miles, over to Hendricks Park and back to the hotel room.

I ordered a nice meal but didn't have time to eat it. Cecelia brought it to me later and I ate it even later in my hotel room. But I didn't have silverware in my hotel room so I ate it with my hands.

I went into Track Town Pizza just to be nostalgic. Didn't get any pizza.

Cecelia, Track Town Pizza, Hendricks park - I'm in Eugene!

With the Oregon Book Awards author tour.

More soon, from Portland.

Reading Tonight at the Press Club

2008-01-10T22:43:00.000-08:00

Which was a nice location for a reading! Rebecca Loudon didn't make it but was there in spirit. I gave one of my poems to someone who said he liked it.

If you respond before Tuesday I can sell you a copy of the anthology for $12 which is a bargain. After that I'm sending them back to Reb.

Going to bed now.

Saying Goodbye to 2007

2007-12-30T20:46:00.000-08:00

This is from a Keats altered book I'm working on.

Soon it will be 2008. I'm ready!

Christmas Vacation

2007-12-28T19:36:00.000-08:00

I am having a good vacation so far!

I got a cool new blue ipod from Michael for Xmas. And one of those Nike plus things that attaches to your ipod and tracks how far you run. Amy and I are doing challenges - I ran 3.5 miles today and Lance Armstrong congratulated me at the end!

I watched MANY episodes of Project Runway and a few less many of Biggest Loser this week.

I"m reading Then We Came to The End by Joshua Ferris, working on the new Caffeine Destiny, and enjoying life in general.

Sending out my manuscript to a few places tomorrow or the next day. I was first runner up in the Kore Press manuscript competition so I decided that was a good sign.

Max got a cell phone for Christmas. We gave him the complete Chronicles of Narnia on audio CD, which I think he will listen to eventually.

I am listening to the Challengers by the New Pornographers. I am a huge Neko Case fan so I hope she comes back to Portland in 2008.

We're going to Pinback in February.

Christmas Vacation

2007-12-21T19:24:00.000-08:00

I am on vacation! I want to clean my office and get my manuscript submitted to a few place and make some collages over the break. And begin getting the new Caffeine Destiny done, but I'm not going to push myself to get it done super fast. By the end of January is fine.

Also, over vacation I'm going to sit and stare at my Christmas tree. I enjoy that a lot.

I am listening to WNYC, broadcast from New York City. I haven't done that in a long time.

I am reading Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. I want to finish it over vacation.

Interesting article in the New Yorker this week about how much Gordon Lish edited Raymond Carver and how Carver didn't like it so much, after the first book.

I made fudge but it didn't set. So free super soft fudge to the first ten people who respond!

I am so kidding.

It's December!

2007-12-11T21:10:00.000-08:00

Our tree is up.

2007-11-17T09:23:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting interview with Kristy Bowen.

Last night's party for the Oregon Book Awards finalists was fun! A great turn out and excellent readings.

This weekend it's raining, I have papers to grade and we're going to Mcminnville.

I haven't made any collages in a really long time, but over the holidays I hope to.

I know

2007-11-12T20:55:00.000-08:00

I never post anymore! But I'm not ready to surrender the blog. No! I can do it!

Ah well.

I read at Wordstock this weekend and that was pretty fun. It was good to see Zanni! I have been getting up early to write - I aim for three mornings a week.

The book awards are very soon and this Friday is the party for the Oregon Book Awards finalists at the Ace Hotel. It's free so please come!

Maybe in December I will post more often. Yes!

2007-10-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't written much in this lately, it's true.

I am reading Istanbul this weekend.

Max's time won their football game yesterday.

There will be poems by Katie Ford and Brenda Hillman in the winter Caffeine Destiny.

Later this week I will write more. I swear.