Ever want to do something high stress in a greenhouse in summertime? Last night I gave a reading in a coffeehouse with sun streaming through a large glass wall; it was 80 outside, and probably 95 inside. Wow. I was lucky my mascara was waterproof.
Note to self: only accept readings in cold parts of the country, or places with air conditioning. No more Southern California readings in places with no air conditioning. And, the place had one giant step up to the stage and no ramp – not crutch-friendly at all!
Other than the miserable heat, and the embarrassment of trying to get onto the giant stage with one good leg, the reading went okay. A decent turn out, got to hang out and talk a bit with fellow blogging poet Adam, met some local poets, and sold a few books.

Now we’re off for a few days on a little well-deserved holiday. Sure, a holiday on crutches, but better than no holiday at all! Sure, a holiday where I’ll have to grade stuff for my class, but still! It’s also the first real “road trip” we’ve taken in a long while.

I was realizing that since I’ve started teaching I’ve gotten really behind on my reviewing. Teaching seems to soak up all my spare time and energy. I’ll be moving during my two months off, but hopefully I can get back on the wagon. It’s also been tougher, it seems, to place reviews; less venues these days are interested in poetry, especially paying venues. Maybe I’m just not querying the right places. I’ve fallen behind in sending out poems as well. It’s hard to find the right balance between work, poetry-related work like submitting and reviewing, and writing.