In the throes of grading a bunch of student chapbooks and book reviews for my “advanced” class. See? We do make them work hard for their grades! Then I will be done with grading for a month or two. And maybe catch up on those book reviews I’m supposed to write…
A note of variable importance: Last night, on So You Think You Can Dance, they did a “Superhero” dance with the last three girl dancers. With costumes. Hilarious good times. (Of course, I’m voting for Jeanine. Name solidarity.)
Also in the throes of trying to decide where to move next. It’s preventing me from sending out poems via snail mail because I don’t know the address I’ll have in two months. I think we won’t stay here, but I’m not sure where to try – Colorado? Napa? Sedona? Colorado is cheapest, but those cold winters scare me. I’m worried Napa (and environs) is too wet (allergic to mold) and expensive (though it’s beautiful.) I’m not great with heat/sun and that makes me nervous about moving to Arizona. See what happens when you really have the freedom to live anywhere? Nothing but angst! If I moved purely based on poetry and culture, it would have to be the north-of-San Fran area, though both Boulder and Sedona do boast some arts-and-culture-y type stuff. Maybe I should throw darts at a map, or flip some coins. I’d like to find someplace we could stay for a few years. Moving all the time can be stressful and costly.
I will miss San Diego’s weather, beaches, and their terrific Zoo and Wildlife Park. (MEERKATS!) And all the nice poets I met! That’s the good thing about moving – you do meet people you don’t expect, and they’re often wonderful.
Well, Hoppy Easter!
In honor of our favorite stale marshmallow seasonal treats, please check out the “Peep Show” in case you haven’t already seen it on the Washington Post – some demented dioramas!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/20/AR2008032002753.html?nav%3Dhcmodule&sub=AR
(may have to register to view – and PS – don’t naively google “peep show” and hope this will show up, like I did!)
I’ve been doing some thinking about big changes in life – whether to move out of our new small town (our landlords decided they’d like to come back earlier than they thought), where to move, what kind of job I should be looking for…
I’ve begun to think that although I like freelance writing, something more regular, and more engaged with people, might be nice. I’m actually thinking of applying for (gulp) teaching jobs. It’s pretty intimidating stuff. Low-residency program work would be ideal, since it’s flexible, I could work from home most of the time, but still interact with people at residencies and through e-mail. And other kinds of work – editorial, publishing, working with magazines, or kids – also seem feasible. I’m starting to feel healthier as the weather gets warmer and drier (cue 40 degree weather and rain for a week…) and also more energetic. Which makes me antsy to start doing more with my life.
And if you had a chance to live anywhere, you have a known asthma problem and allergies to mold, where would you move? Here are some of the places that come to mind – the San Jose area, Boulder, Arizona, New Mexico…I’m looking for suggestions, so please throw them out!
(Some of the places I’ve had lots of respiratory problems – the Southeast, especially Florida, Cincinnati, LA, and, now that the relative years of draught have ended, the Northwest. So it seems like wet, moldy, and pollution-y places are on the outs.)
