Upon leaving the toddler class today I passed in the parking lot a woman who is well known in town, whose family attended the same church as our family, whose children were in school with me. She did not recognize me but was very friendly and said hello to K. Were I not in a rush to run errands I would have talked with her. And now, back at home, I think of her, and I think of the memorial service for her son -- my age, my grade through school -- held right in that same church those years ago, and I know that before I had K when I would see her, she was the woman who owned the Sears house down the street, and now that I have K, she is the woman who lost her only son.

What having children does to you -- sometimes the moments are glorious and sometimes the thoughts are hard to bear.

Well, I did it. I cancelled the hosting for my website, although I did renew the domain name. Weird to see nothing there now. I just could not justify paying each month for a site I never update. I think I'll host some pages with another co. next year. First, to regroup and see what I want to do with it, whether I want a new domain, etc. Something more professional for writing, editing ... we'll see.

I'll miss my original site but I have the files here. I apologize to all the Robin Hood and Lepage fans who would go there!

Attended a fun toddler bday party today thrown by a couple we met in Lamaze Class. Hung out with some very nice people there (and very nice toddlers!). I found it especially interesting to talk to a woman whose child attends the same daycare as our friends' child. She asked me what I did as work, got to talking about editing, publishing careers, etc. She used to be a rep for RR Donnelley in Chicago. We both were sad over the state of publishers and printers now, how they merge and change so quickly. Then she said that since she left printing, she finds that other places are all about "business," whereas in publishing, people had full bookshelves in their offices, which came from interesting and smart people being in those offices and an engaging place to work. I agreed that our field does draw creative, knowledgeable, if not anal, people. She agreed. We sighed. We both miss that kind of work atmosphere. At least I am not totally out of it, just working on it from here.

Just read this piece on the new HarperCollins imprint Broadsides. My favorite quote (almost ever!) is from the chief, Adam Bellow:

"We're on the cusp of an explosion of intellectual activity on the right."

I really need not say more.

Except that I think the imprint name is spot on.

I just learned that one of my haiku that was included in an issue of Now Culture was nominated as a Best of the Net 2010 poem. I am very honored, and this was really just what I needed. Been very down about my lack of creative writing. Although I do "write" often, I have not been focusing on poetry.

So, yea! Very cool.