Wow. I am energized and overwhelmed at the same time. Yikes. I have two more new publishers interested in my freelance services. (I think. I hope.) This means that if they both take me on, I may have too many clients calling me. I can actually CHOOSE which projects to take ... a freelancer's dream. I like all my clients at this point. I don't think I'll be sending my resume around again any time soon.

Really neat thing happened today: R and I were shopping in the Montclair Book Center and on the periodicals shelf was a recently published glossy lit mag that has my poem in it. Just to walk into a store and to be able to pick something up and turn to a page and see my words. A great feeling. It was a real motivator to send more things out now!

Tomorrow starts the 100 Words postings. I am excited! I hope I can create some good stuff.

I had better get to some work before bed. I am really tired but my brain is too active for sleep. I hope I can stay up a few hours. What happened to the days when I could stay up way into Showtime at the Apollo?? No more friends. I get way too tired.

Oh, one more thing. I found an awesome book at the bookstore. Pi, the letters of Bruce Rogers. He was an awesome book and text designer. I have thought of writing stories of him before, so maybe this will help. In the letters it looks like he talks of his font and design ideas. Very cool.

My Favorite Spam of the Day: bimonthly cereal

Reyes Estrada wrote this to me. I am not sure if "cereal" means something other than breakfast food, but what kind of message would it be if it does mean that? It led me to thinking about cereal addictions, all the boxes that Seinfeld has on his shelves, all the hidden boxes in R's closet. A secret addiction of sorts. Is this an offer of a way to cut your intake? I'm not going to find out.

PS: Saw Monster. Amazing acting. Just her facial expressions and body movements. To quote myself after movies like this, I'm still processing.

Just a quick post before I go back to work. This is really more like going to a confessional. I should be at the gym right now, but ... I have to get a good start on this project or I'll be in trouble. I have so much going on that I am getting confused about what day it is! I just put the Devils game on so I don't get distracted by Carson and his taunting or Kyan's mocking the random bathroom. Anyway, I am not avoiding the gym. Honest. I WANT to go. I even tried to put on those great jeans I own just so when I didn't fit into them I would get pissed and really want to go. I'll do crunches later in the comfort of my own home.

Nothing much to report regarding writing. As sad as that is. Wait, actually, there is something I looked into:

In looking into tools for writing I discovered this site, which is really just what I need. Like being back in school. The commitment keeps me going. I invited my writer friends to join me; so far only one has agreed to do it also. Wimps. Ahem. Well, we're going to start Feb. 1, and at the end of the month I'll see what happens.

Before I go ...
My Favorite Spam of the Day: I have a gift for you hippo

Shirley Stanford really made me feel cared for at first, but that last word there, now that's just not right. It plays on my sensitivities of late. I wonder what the gift is ... a yoga mat? barbells? Ben & Jerry's Phish Food? I hate to say I'll never know.

Well, I spoke too soon about 50 degree days. Here we are with record lows and snow. Again, global warming I say. It's a good day to sit in and get all this work done. If I can complete these projects today I might even have time for some poetry work. Heavens.

Had a good poetry group meeting this month. We agreed that the group is important to all of us, even if we stray from poetry here and there in our lives. The group forces us to talk about writing and contacts. It forces me to send out my work before the next meeting so I have something to report!! I won't be entering that chapbook contest because they want something like 50 pp. and I just don't have it. I do have a few other places I could send to. We'll see. Again I wonder if I should switch to fiction for now. *sigh*

I managed to get my alumni card updated, so now I can go to the library as the new me. In a book of R's, I looked up the info about the Chinese and the jars, but that nasty word "allegedly" prefaced the description, so now I wonder if this is worth pursuing at all. I did go out to dinner with K this week, and she and I reminisced about the old days when we talked of writing historical romance novels together. I don't doubt that she would be much better at it than I. Over her spicy bloody mary, she said she'd want to write a pilgrim plot, and she is the colonial expert of course. Who else but a Plantation actor would know? :)

I'm reading Anna Karenina again, and I'm in the middle of Not Always So. It's not what I expected (the latter) ... the essays are too focused on meditation practice, directed at the students in the room. I thought it would be more like the Hanh texts about everyday life. I still haven't finished Angels & Demons, but that is because I was terrible about getting to the gym last week.

Just saw (finally) Pirates of the Caribbean. Don't know what the fuss was all about. I want to see Monster but it's not around here. Damn.

Okay, time for
My Favorite Spam of the Day: impractical fracture arrow hamlin

Jeanie Bright sends along something very poetic. In fact, I think I'll make it my writing exercise to create a poem using these four words. I'll even post it here if it works out.

Until later folks. I'm off to the world of science proofing: "Analysis of Dynamic Optical Imaging Data"

So I looked for a good while for the Chinese jar kids and I found nothing. I didn't go to the university library though, so that is the next step. Perhaps this is all fiction to begin with? Who knows. It sounds good though. Could still be written.

I am going to decide this week whether to enter a chapbook context. Entry fee is $20. I'll investigate the quality of the press first I guess and then decide. I think I should enter regardless since I have to jump start submissions this year. Or maybe I should check if there are better ones going on this month. My poetry group meeting is sunday so I should have a plan on submissions to present to them by then.

I finished Russell's The Sparrow this weekend. I hope my reading group doesn't lynch me for suggesting this. It just wasn't what I expected, although it will bring about some good discussion I bet. Serves me right for suggesting something before I read it myself. I think I'll add a comment to Amazon about it. I am trying to do that more often for books I read now. Why not.

Time for
My Favorite Spam of the Day: I wish it were summer

First, I am impressed with the proper grammar that Letitia Snyder used in this message. Rarely does this happen with spam. Second, I can't echo this sentiment, Letitia. When winter in the Northeast equates to 50-degree days, I know we're in trouble. Basically, as I see it, hot and humid summers suck more than warm winters. And I hate warm winters.

Let's refer to the NRDC web site about global warming: " ... if we don't curb our emissions of heat-trapping gasses like carbon dioxide, temperatures will rise between 5 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit over the next century. That increase will cause, for example, alpine meadows in the Rocky Mountains to disappear, sugar maple trees to vanish in the Northeast, and greater risk from storm surges in the Southeast. Rising temperatures will also exacerbate water shortages (especially in the West) and cause New York City to steam in the summer like Atlanta does now." Peachy.

Ah, 2004. It feels good. I'm starting the gym on Monday & I'm cutting out all the crap I've been eating. (I'm sorry, most of the crap.) I'm doing other wonderful things to get my life in order. I'm definitely going to write more. I've got to.

Newest idea: Write of one of the Chinese children who were raised in jars. Would need some research. ... I wanted to hit the university library anyway ... I really should.

I've got to write to my friends who I've been lazy with and see what's up with the poetry scene in January. I'm sure the NJ Poetry Calendar has something of interest.

Okay, it's time for what I am going to call My Favorite Spam of the Day. Why waste the talent of these ingenious spammers by just deleting all their missives? I'll post my favorite subject line (a clean one!) each time until, in the near future, I cancel the addresses that carry all this garbage to me:

My Favorite Spam of the Day: My antenna on cell sucks

Dona Drummond wrote me to let me know that she's unhappy with the quality of her cell phone calls. And I'm glad she did. I send out a long-distance wish that her reception gets better.