Back from Thanksgiving travels. I spent hours in the car with my parents writing poetry about being in the car with my parents. Obvious perhaps, but maybe a good poem will come from it. I started two other poems: one about going out Thanksgiving night and the one about fire building. I took off this coming week just to write poetry, so I hope some of these things gel then.

At 1 a.m. this morning I gave three of my newer poems to my cousin for him to post "anonymously" on the Cowboy Junkies boards. He says they have a writer's "room," and he is curious what the regulars there will say about the poems. I will have to check the boards and see if he does it. I am still not sure why he wants to, but I'll see what happens.

I got my terminus issue. It looks very nice. Confirmed for me that no matter what happens in my life from this point forward, I will be publishing under my maiden name from now on. I want to be consistent in publishing from this point on.

I've been wondering about what emotional state I must be in to write my best work. I haven't felt creative at all of late. I hope I can write well and be happy.

I started reading Return of the King this morning at 2 a.m. I got through about 20 pages. I better read fast so I can catch the film.

Not literary but something I did today: I bought two things for myself. Not something I usually do in Nov. & Dec. I bought a large framed and matted original black charcoal sketch of a Central-Park-like scene in winter (w/ gazebo in distance) for $20 (seemed too good to be true) and a friendship rope bracelet for my right wrist for $2.95 (reminded me of the one I had in my youth that I loved so much and wore until it was darkened and frayed).

Tonight I am not sure whether to write and prepare for Highland Park or to update my web pages. Maybe I'll do both. At least I should get some of these new poems into the computer and out of my notebook.