Oh what a difference 130 odd days make....

since last I've blogged.

First of all, Happy New Year! Although I was working on New Year's Eve, I had a grand old time ringing in the new year! Work, you say? And FUN? Yes, I say!

Anyhow, no way to get into what all has transpired since my last post, so I'll hit some high notes, and low notes...


Cousin's wedding up Northern Cali Wine country. High.
Air conditioning going out in car in August in the desert. Low. (Still to get fixed)
Got promotion at work. High. (They're still not paying me enough. Low. :P)
Quick trip to Vegas to see best bud. High.
Losing 100 bucks at a black jack table on said trip to Vegas. Low.
Losing 100 bucks to the coolest Elvis-impersonating dealer ever. High.

Finding and buying my CONDO!! Super High! (Closing in a few weeks)

Finding out that my chapbook is going to be published! Super High! (Don't worry, you'll get the post card for ordering a copy)

Seriously, I'm super excited about the little chapbook and happy it found a home!! It's a small indie publisher called Finishing Line Press (www.finishinglinepress.com), and while it won't be avaliable in your local Barnes and Noble, you will be able to order it on Amazon.com. Dude, I'll have a book at Amazon.com!!

Link of the Day

To combat the ridiculous gas prices:

www.gasbuddy.com

The X-Ray

The X-Ray

shows two screws and a rod-
metal objects you buy

at a hardware store to hold
a door in place, a curtain

up in the shower. The kind of things
that come in bulk

in small, cardboard boxes, sold
separately for pennies.

The kind of things that now
make his leg a leg and make me

cringe at the sound of any hinge.

Yay for me

I just got word that one of my poems has been accepted in Barbaric Yawp! It appears quarterly, and is a really cool 60pg periodical.

I'm excited, though they picked a pretty personal poem, one that I haven't shown my parents. Yikes, to tell them, or not to tell them...that is the question.

Yay for me. :)

American Dreamz

Forward: Spoilers ahead. If you do not wish to know anything about the plot of the movie American Dreamz, stop reading now....

Ok, so on my days off, sometimes I treat myself to a movie. The past month there has been little I've been interested in seeing, but for the last couple of weeks I had been eagerly anticipating the opening of American Dreamz. (I know, I'm a dork)

The interest was due to many things- a) I'm a sick American Idol groupie b)American Dreamz is a satire on the Bush administration, of whom I'm just sick and c)I'll see just about anything.

Anyway, I LOVED American Dreamz. It is a total satire of Hollywood, American Idol, and the Bush administration all rolled into one deliciously slick elbow-nudge. There are of course the characters based on real life people: Hugh Grant as a Ryan Seacrest/Simon Cowel self-loathing host of American Dreamz, Dennis Quaid as the bumble-headed, but good-hearted inept Prez (he looks and sounds so much like Bush, it's scary. There's even a Laura look-alike- Marsha Gay Harden), the controlling VP played by Willem Dafoe, and the white-trash-turned starlet a la Spears in Mandy Moore.

What I did not expect was the subplot involving an Arab contestant who accidentally gets on the show, only to be recruited by terrorists to blow himself up as he shakes hands w/the prez during the final show. The Arab, Omer, is by far the most complex and compelling character in the movie, and there are some surprisingly gut wrenching moments for such a satire.

Final verdict: Two thumbs up

Some Days

Some Days I Like to Arise


Before the motor of the world
has been turned on to slowly

crank out another day, in what
the French call The Blue Hour.

The hour on the cusp of
and just past the brink of.

An hour whose existence requires
its own name. I like to sit

at my kitchen counter in my good robe
and fuzzy slippers, staring out

at the back yard, letting my coffee
nudge me awake. This morning

is so still the giant fan leaves
of the palm trees dare not move.

The surface of the swimming pool
is an unspoiled mirror, reflecting

but a chink of the universe above,
but a chink of the infinite possibilities

exposed by the optimistic sun.

Apologies to a Fish

To my fish Trente: An apology for accidentally killing you


I am sorry that for my birthday
I wanted to by myself a fish.
I am sorry that I called my friend

Matt, the fish expert, and had him
meet me at the store on 37th. I am sorry
I rushed to the tanks like a child

at Christmas. I am sorry I loved
the electric blues of your body
and the magnificent fanning of your tail.

I am sorry I had the man bag you up
as I fretted over finding the perfect bowl.
I am sorry you had to ride the subway,

loud and unnerving, cooped up
in a brown paper bag. I am sorry I decided
to put you in the kitchen for convenience,

next to the whiny refridgerator. I am sorry
I ate sushi in front of you.
I am sorry for being too anxious

about feeding you, causing your water to cloud.
I am sorry for once putting you
in a shot glass as I changed the water.

I am sorry for changing your water again
too soon, shocking you to death. I am sorry
he had moved out a few months before.

I am sorry the void
was not yet filled. I am sorry
for trying to make you fill it.

New Poem

What I've Lived On The Past Three Days

Three big stalks of broccoli
from the organic food store,
a cup of white rice

from the convenience store.
The rumble of your voice
in my ear. Too much coffee.

Two yogurt cups.
Two classic rock ballads.
Two hours of live jazz.

Some chicken and cereal.
The hidden naughty behind your eyes,
and the smile you reserve

just for me. Not enough sleep.
Four glasses of 2% milk,
three over-ripe bananas,

a dozen store bought cookies.
Our inside joke, the scalding touch
of your hand on my lower back.

One good movie and popcorn.
One chapter of Dostoevsky.
One raging wildfire.

Another New Poem and Writing Challenge

Following in tattered sneakers behind a great poem by Maxine Kumin called "Credo":


Credo

I believe in magic. I believe in the beauty
of tiny rain drops as they land gently

in the pool, shimmering like diamonds.
I believe in the greyness of the clouds

and all it reprents as a manifestation
of evil in the world. I believe more

in the silver lining. I believe animals and plants
have souls. Our dog waited over a week

until we returned from a trip to die.
She looked at us, said goodbye, and was gone.

I believe in the healing power of my mother's
homemade turkey soup she makes once a year

after thankgiving, making enough to freeze
for six months. I believe a good heavy rain

cleans more than the air, cars, and sidewalks.
Between man and woman, I believe in electricity

that blinds. I believe that slugs have a purpose
for thier slow, slimy crawl across the earth.

I believe that whoever invented corsets
should be shot. I believe a mother's spit

can clean caked-on grease off a frying pan.
I believe Beethoven's deaf ears were a gift,

his fingers were not fingers, but magic. I believe
I have been here before. I beleive I never left.


The Challenge: Write your own Credo

New Poem

ok, just a fun little diddy...



To My First Husband

We were only eight, but we knew what sparks were.
You were just being a good neighbor,

coming to welcome us as we moved in.
I remember I liked your thick mop

of curly brown hair. You stayed for hours
helping me move boxes and unpack.

Within two days, we were playing house,
making my brother play the family dog,

and within a week, before all the pictures
were even hung, we were married. How pure

and right and effortless it all was
to our unformed juvinile minds. We had nothing

but instinct, untapped and raw.
But we knew what we wanted.

Since then, there have been few times
when I have been as sure about things

as I was that day, walking toward you
across the floor in shorts and a tee shirt,

pledging forever, accepting your plastic ring.

Blood Lotus

Check out this great new online literary journal from some kick ass Spalding people.

www.bloodlotus.org

oh yeah, and I have a poem in there too! :)

80's Highlight

So I attended the Women in Film Palm Springs networking breakfast this past weekend and got to meet Loraine Dupres, a tv/screenwriter most famous for writing the "Who shot JR?" episode of Dallas! It was great fun, and I'm going to the Women in Film L.A. networking breakfast this Friday, where the guest speaker is the screenwriter of "Memoirs of a Geisha" and whose first credit was one of my favorite flicks - "Shag." Should be a fun time, and trying to work on the whole networking thing.

PS. Finished my taxes for the year! 11 months of freedom! :)

New Poem

Ok, so I haven't posted a new poem in a really long time, so I thought I would throw this one up here.


The Casino

The sound of slot machines is different before
noon, as if that is the hour of change from sin

to not, from taboo to tolerated,so at 10am the floor
of the casino is a noisy graveyard, a grim

ghost town of blinking neon begging for attention, and rows
of pitifully empty chairs, save for an old man

in one, slumped, feeding a nickel slot slow-
ly bite after metalic bite. His mind understands

the futility of it all, how he might as well
be tossing his money to the bottom of a lake,

but he comes so that he can tell
he lived another day, he comes to take

the lever in his hand, pull down, and wish,
that single motion, that short span,

and it all comes down to this:
a waiting game that no man has won. No man.

Wanna go to Russia? Call for Entries!

If you are so inclined, check out this writing contest. Only a $10 entry fee for a trip to St. Petersburg, Russia.

http://www.sumlitsem.org/russia/contests.asp

Only 3 poems and deadline is Feb. 28th!

Countrymen, Lend Me Your Ears

Since Bush's re-election in 04, TWO of my greatest fears have come true--the loss of not one, but TWO Supreme Court Justices. Robert's confirmation last week has made me a bit bonkers about who is going to fill the next slot, and now Bush has nominated Harriet Meirs. I don't know anything about Meirs yet, but I want to let everyone know how vital it is to keep abreast and get involved in this issue. The appointment of a Supreme Court Justice is HUGE. It affects not ONLY our generation but our children's generation. Everyone has their own hot button issues, and mine is female reproductive rights, which Bush has done everything in his power to make more difficult, or take away. And just the other day, the Senate failed to renew the Violence Against Women Act, (http://www.now.org/issues/violence/100105vawa_alert.html), which should have been a NO-BRAINER. This just pushed me over the edge, and I will now be following Bush, and Meirs, more closely.

There ARE things you can do if you agree with or disagree with her nomination and/or if you want to get more involved in general!!:

Write/call/email your Senators
Sign up for your political party's office in your town
Watch the Meirs confirmation hearings
Write Letters to the Editor

But here is my dumb/naive/asinine question: Bush says that Meirs is a good choice because he knows she will govern "by the law and not on the bench." Which means, he expects her personal opinions not to get in the way of her judgment, which I agree with--BUT-- you cannot tell me Roe VS Wade decision was not made with judgment alone-it was as an emotional issue back then as it is today.

Surprises and Wonderful Rejections

I got back early this morning on the red-eye from my 'look-see' trip out to LA, which, admitedly a bit to my surprise, I loved. The sun, the palm trees, the cute model-slash-actor men everywhere. All in all, it was a great trip and pretty much solidified my decision to move there in a month. I met alot of nice people, many who are in the industry, which was cool, and got to go to the Entertainment Tonight set at Paramount Studios thanks to an old family friend. Fun stuff!

Anyway, looks like ETA is October 28th, arrive in LA Nov. 6th, after a stop over at Spalding for residency and to graduate! woo hoo!

Oh, and before I left I got a wonderful rejection letter from the Austin Film Festival telling me that the script I send didn't make it to the next round. Not only was it personalized, it was a positive rejection. A couple quotes from the letter:

"Our readers were extremely impressed with the quality of work, and found the decision making process very difficult. Your hard work and great writing effort really shone through.

Entering contests is a great opportunity to bring attention to your work, but we hope you will continue to persue other areas of interest with your script.

The Austin Film Fesival and I encourage you to follow your passion and keep creating new stories and characters."


Anyway. A good letdown. :)

Trip to LaLa Land

Ok, So I have been neglecting my blogging duties, but I am back. A random rundown of events since my last posting:

1. Completed my fouth feature lenght screenplay as well as putting together my thesis project for my MFA program, and they both turned out well if I do say so myself :)

2. Took bartending class for two weeks. Freaking awesome! It was so much fun!!

3. Attended a Steam show in Missouri. What's a Steam show, you ask? A place to kick back with cold beer, ride refurbished tractors and wear overalls. Something I would not normally get to do, but it was a great time, dispite the absolutely rediculous heat.

4. Decided to take a trip to L.A. to check it out for a possible move there. Random? Not really. I simply asked myself if I wanted to be a screenwriter bad enough to move there and the immediate answer was 'yes.' I love New York, but it's not going anywhere.

5. Saw a wonderful free production of Twelfth Night in the park. Lovely. :)

6. Became an aunt for the third time to another adorable puppy named Babe, courtesy of my brother and his girlfriend. :) (See the above picture)

Gotta Love New York

Ok, this JUST happened, and I happen to be at home, and I thought it was a funny story, so I wanted to share...

I was sitting at my computer (which is right next to my living room window, and one window is wide open) working when all of a sudden the sound of breaking glass is heard. Now, my window faces the back little alley way -- Not very scenic, and its where all the fire escapes are.

Now, I live in a safe building, but none the less, breaking glass is never a sound you want to hear at the next building over. So I go to the window and look out, and I can hear where it's coming from, and can see a figure, but it's too dark to determine anything.

But the funniest thing was seeing other people in the building come to their windows to see what was going on. One lady called out "I'm calling the police." And then a guy chimed in with "shut the hell up!"

Then the person, a woman, doing the 'breaking in' calls out "It's me! I forgot my keys!"

And everyone went back to their business. I've alway feel safe here, but I felt even safer after that. Thanks neighbors!

Fun in Philly

A couple of college friends and I met up in Philly for a girl's weekend. Amy is on the left, Corinne is in the middle, and moi on the right. I had never been to Philadelphia, so I was very excited to see the Rodin museum, run up the Rocky steps and ring the Liberty Bell.

Did we do any of that? haha, nope. Instead we decided that we were going to eat and drink our way through the weekend, and we did! Upscale Pan-Asian and wine Friday night dining al fresco at Twenty Manning, crepes and cider for Saturday brunch at Beau Monde, then pre-dinner beer and oysters on the halfshell appetizer at The Oyster Bar (I think) and then Mexican with Pink Cadillac margaritas at El Vez.

I rarely splurge on nice meals, so this was indeed a treat. And we remained surprizingly sober, thanks to obscene amounts of food and water.

So, if you're in Philly and need some places to eat, check out:

Twenty Manning
Beau Monde
El Vez

Diatribes of the Day

This is something I just learned at work the other day--did you know that in certain states, it's forbidden to use the word "Imagine" in an text book because it "promotes witchcraft." I was absolutely stunned and completely furious. Since when did imagination become a bad word? The day we discourage imagination in children is the day we doom ourselves.

And another thing. Sandra Day O'Conner has announced that she is stepping down. If you're looking for me, I'll be in Spain, a forward thinking country who has just legaized gay marriage! Bring on the sangria!