fri / la la la la / yo! it's friday & i'm grading away

kristen e nelson rocked my adv poetry class last nite. her automatic writing / meditation / first memory retrieval exercise was superb. mediation on writing about parents / family resonated with the students. thanks so much kristen!

miss LL. im gonna go to the canyon next weekend. won't you come with LKL?

taking a break grading for photo op. grading's boring on a fri nite. my soul shrinks.

what im listening to

hey max sympathy / if you're out there / im showing my adv poetry class your renegade chapbooks tonite

i met max sympathy back in 2008 while bartending the ole lobby bar at Hotel Congress. he is/was a librarian in prescott if memory serves me & was in town on something business/library stuff at the u of a. he gave me two copies of his chapbook. i love them. he goes around to bookstores & slides them in the stacks. i love that. clarissa, last week in adv poetry, spoke of finding a poem in a tree. i love that too. i am thinking about different ways to avenue poetry into the world--love that max sympathy makes such beautiful home chaps & yes the work is reminiscent of Whitman aesthetic & is oftentimes just superb--& renegades them into your hands by proxy.

maxsympathy.net. send him love. poets need love.

wed / roooough / rode horses / dd's going away dinner / dave's birthday tomorrow / granny coley's birthday today

tues / one class down / slight monsoon / cutting up at b-line

oh my goodness we're so hottt. dr danielle leaves friday for two months of residency tryouts. salinas first, then ventura second. what will i do without d? sigh-o.

puttanesca going away dinner tomorrow nite. happy/sad. happy/so sad.

tuuuues / office hrs / planning / still grading

Rouch & G

mon / three good classes / wee bit tired / news

my dear friend gordon massman asked me to read w/ him in athens, ga on nov 3 & so i'm reading w/ him in athens on nov 3. am stoked. if you don't know gordon, gordon is one helluva writer whom i am blessed to keep acquaintance with; he's magnificent.

gordon just started a blog where the first book he reviewed is kay ryan. here's the ending:

The book’s inside flap copy suggests, “…Ryan is…as intense and elliptical as Dickinson, as buoyant and rueful as Frost.” As preposterous as this is, were it true, the world does not need another Dickinson or Frost. The world craves originality, not derivativeness. It is all too painfully obvious when a contemporary writer imitates a master. They almost always fail, laughably, in public, and are mercifully forgotten after a brief flirtation with celebrity.

So we have this oblivious Sunday driver ensconced behind her steering wheel creeping 15 mph below the speed limit behind whom drivers fume, excoriate, gesture, squeal, swerve, and weep. A sort of female counterpart to Mr. Magoo who untouched glides through crack-ups, extinctions, hospitalizations, nervous breakdowns, and suicides.

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“Shocking, intense, vulgar and honest” are the words English/Communications Professor Gordon Massman uses to describe his poetry.

The New York Quarterly Foundation will publish a 400-page collection from 3,000 original pages of his poetry this month called “0.174: The Complete Numbers Cycle.” Massman has been composing poetry for 40 years. This will be his fifth book.

“The title comes from the Visible Human Project where the human body was sliced into .174 mm strips,” Massman said. “Theoretically, I sliced my brain in an attempt to make public every male fantasy, desire and motivation.”

sun / grade / red garter w/ sister mija mara v / poems packers / grade

yo, it's good to be a PACKER. 27-17!

the bears are my least fav team in the league...stank bears.

me: kill the bears. killllllll. lovie smith & his one note expression is going down.

abe: lorrrdyyyyyyy
mother effer
i am flying to chicago right
nowww
put me in the game

i am on a flite to chicago
meet me in the air honey
bring tequila

me: yo!

abe: welll shit
mega sloppy
a limpin hopefully win

me: go pack go!

abe: phewy yesssssssssssss

me: yessss!

abe: YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

me: Yessssssssssssss Packers yes!

These poor Vikings though.

abe: Vikings didn't eat their porridge this year honey

me: they shoulda let the rook play over mcnabby

abe: adroit call by regal desert you correcto honey

sat / grading my life away / waffle house / transposed as prof in every corner of room, tucson, cafe, making dent in 80 essays in my possession / fall sets in slowly

penance for getting consumed by my own work/aka general life yesterday is stress attack grading today.

grita chills for everyone tho. has gained summer weight loss back fully as i suspected she would hardly moving her ass around this lovely shotgun duplex we call home.

i always pause to enjoy flaubert's platitudes. 'dolphin. carries children on its back.' 'doubt. worse than negation.' love it.

fri / hi i feel alive today

yesterday i felt like death.

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Listen to this news: My Rouch Mandy just booked a movie! She's going to be dancing in the forthcoming Gangster Squad (2013) which will star Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Sean Penn, & many more. This is HUGE news! Couldn't be more proud of/happier for my sister! She proves one can be an A+ mama & still get it done onscreen. Work!


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i don't know if it's because im on drugs for cat poisoning or what, but i read this on LL's tumblr & i seriously laughed my ars off:

http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/its-decorative-gourd-season-motherfuckers

happy fall yall.

wed / longest day of life

mama sent me this pic of the bridgetown courthouse this morning. this is my hometown courthouse yall!

in the waiting room at the doc office--waiting on blood test results (yeah needles were involved = nonplussed ab that shit)--i downloaded an app that shows you what your future baby will look like if you feed it your pic & then your mate's pic. well i don't have a mate so i used eminem's. below is the image the free baby match app gave me & eminem.

tues / office hrs / planning time / fried chicken

this song is forever me & LL. changing into our city clothes on the roadside to athens, all of 20 or 19, two southern dirt girls into a million things both good & bad & those lessons therein. love to LL.

late mon / one last, a lullaby

mon / good day of classes / talked to mama / went on a longass run all over tucson listening to explosions in the sky / it's raw / dirt city

sometimes late at nite when i should shower & get in bed & read & get ready to go to bed, i watch/listen to tim barry & lucero videos on youtube. i don't do this often. it takes a certain mood. perhaps it's because i'm writing a lot & the poems are informed by this music over the last three years. that's what i think anyways. book two has been slow going & with each year the title gets longer & longer.

sun / ponies

ive been a lil down in the ole dumps the last two days. did ponies/dog sunday pull me out of hole?...yeah i do feel a little better.

sat / restful trip / safe passage / laze

up! chaotic sat i guess. chaotic in mind. too much livin on earth, not enough raw joy sans stressin, as i told annie yesterday, tell myself this morning. what a grl needs is fun. drivin/road time. went to get mm who was just as stressed. dropped in san xavier to lite candles. prayers for women. then trekked down to tubac. ate at elvira's & then we did a little shopping. then right back & just like that the world cleared itself & now i'm lying on the bed & now im thinking oh jeez i don't wanna go to this poetry reading in a hour but i gotta. gonna try to see jake beforehand. i could seriously rest.

fri / wheat of the mind / one largescale nap

hard time gettin up this morn. tired. taught grammar/mla to my u of a students. was as interesting as i can make it running round barefoot the classroom at 10am. yes.

went to mms after class & sat in the garden & had tea. these monsoon rains have brought us a beautiful green desert & flowering.

went & picked up thomas from the poetry center & ran him out to tucson international. we're old friends. how's the day. lifelong friends just like that. i like people like this, you've know them forever somehow.

i did wrong & went to taco shop & got a humongous burrito. bad taco shop, bad. im pretty much comatosed.

reconnecting w/ jake who's only in town til tuesday. trying to sleep a lil. working tonite in the office w/ mm...& ive been told, puttanesca, which is always a good word on friday.

thurs / just got back from the poetry center where thomas sayers ellis brought it

canceled my reg adv poetry class & we took a "field trip" to the u of a poetry center. whut! all ten of us were giddy out of our ears to all be together at a poetry reading & goodness gracious did thomas sayers ellis give us a reading. visited with him afterwards & eric said to him 'this is my first ever poetry reading' & just shook his head up & down & ellis shook his hand & there was a lot of appreciation in the exchange. priceless moment/s. i am in love with this class & the experience of teaching poetry. it can be magical. i give it all of myself & get more back than these students know.

wed / straightaway work!

last nite annie & i went to two targets & i got some missoni stuff for my g-bear because im the best auntie in the world...but yall know that by now, yes? cute lil crochet looking bright missoni sweater. g will like it.

up! tired this morning...but i must say i had a good class at the u this morning, cept i need class time to be longer than 50 mins. im used to an hour & a 1/2 & 50 min is just not long enough. i can barely get my mouth open & going & 50 mins is gone. mm is back in town. yay! had lunch w/ her & then jetted to pima nw.

two really really good classes. i love my nw students. they make teaching so much fun. def blessed this semester. i hit another target on my way home & lots of goods were still there. i pulled through a chik-fil-a & wanted the whole menu. i didnt. i talked to daddy, mama, & mandy in succession which almost never happens. hit the gym & now im just straight chillin.

im taking my adv poetry class to see thomas sayers ellis tomorrow at the poetry center. stoked. mara & i are going to have dinner tomorrow beforehand. life is pretty good, yall.

mon / class class class...the day got better & better / had a lovely nite

lots of time put into my classes. time put into my writing as well. time also to make new friends. and it still rains on & off in tucson. i wore a lite sweater last nite. it won't last.

had office hrs today. am pretty worn out. im waiting on annie, we're going to go pillage target for missoni goods. hopefully something will be left...

sons of anarchy tonite. im stoked.

football sun / im laid out on the couch / much fun all weekend / d's bday party / go vikings

major monsoon activity yesterday, rain coming in both front & back door & i hosted d's bday party here at my house. it was supposed to be a backyard party but backyard had river activity going on. regardless, i manned the hell out of my lil green grill. shrimp & sweet corn of course. the last of the mojo sauce. heartbreaking. yeah we had a good time. below are pics of me & all my grls in one place which never happens. we did some dancing last nite. my fav pic below is d telling the annoying greek guy in all our faces 'oh no no no!' fun nite.

thurs / whut's up with my PACKERS? / 42-34

yeah, so, i missed the first nfl game--YO--it was my Packers too, because of adv poetry. kickoff happens & i had to get in my car & drive to campus. on the way to campus, a major accident on I-10, I'm at a stand still & literally crying on the phone to abe who's at the bar in alabama screaming bout the first quarter--which, are you kidding me?--the packers were literally running over the saints. debated getting strep throat. decided what the hell & went to poetry. poetry nite was pretty amazing. i like my class very much. turns out the pack won. all in all, a good nite. GO PACK!

deanne's article over at truthdig

9/11 and the Damage Done
by Deanne Stillman

over at truthdig.com

wed / killin it at the gym / will someone phone the u & tell them to fix my sitch cause im tiiired of waiting & everybody gettin it wrong / somebody

tell this man "jax" from 'sons of anarchy' that he is something else. by something else i mean oh yeh & then why is it that i only like "outlaw" type men characters in film tv writing & of course my real life. gimme a tim riggins "texas forever," gimme timothy oliphant from justified, among others you know, etc. what is my deal?

anyway the "sons of anarchy" season 4 premiere was so darn good. tues nite will be a good nite.

packers & poetry tomorrow. abe the morbid joker took the liberty of signing my name/address for the packers annual catalog which arrived today & suddenly i need a #12 jersey, shower curtain, lyla needs a packers cheerleader outfit, coffee mug, etc. too much.

tues / grading marathon whut's up with that / gym where they aint but one cute thang / at least there's one / monkey

lyla g is a monkey-bear.


i feel like giving the world a pop quiz tomorrow. im gonna do it too.

mon-sun it's labor day / overcast tus does that mean rain? / respite / dollar general / writing

i am catching up on sleep today & work! yesterday i cleaned & laundry & rode my pony max & lounged around late nite & wrote & was just generally unresponsive & i enjoyed it muchly. i have been writing hrs today & it feels good. i have grading to do. & the gym & the grocery store, etc. but i am happy & most appreciative to the world it's labor day. i very much so needed this day.

i miss whitney! & her little snickers who is a cat-dog who doesnt like other cats, ie mine, his lala country cousins.

sat / whitney came into town yesterday / various fun things happening

went to casa vincente for dinner - congress for cumbia! - ches for last call - up! today - dos cabezas tasting room - sonoita rodeo - steak out! - chillin!

thurs / hallo september / yeah! yeah! / my fav month to say hi to / foooooooootball!

packers 20 - chiefs 19. getting it done in preseason though some real tight finishes. that's aug for you...won't be like that from here on out, no.

vikings 28 - texans 0. shutout. rook webb got to play & i missed it. i am sort of obsessed with the rook. am stoked to see the vikings playing well. go vikes!




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poetry class was tonite. was interesting.

my sister whitney comes to town tomorrow. yes!