Friday, December 31, 2010

Resolutions and Shit

Here's my list:

1. Workout at least 5 days a week (Cardio and Strength)
2. Watch less TV, read more (see below)
3. Make more time for Em and Elliot
4. Submit all my manuscripts to contests/press (FULL COURT PRESS, YA'LL!)

OK. So, there it is. Four things. I think I can do all of those. I'm already dong these, but the resolution is to keep those going...

I still plan on watching Criminal Minds...I can't get enough of that show for some reason, but that's on at night, when we're winding down, getting ready for bed, so...

In terms of TV on DVD, well...The Wire has one more episode till we're done (Oh, Omar!), and Dexter awaits (Season 4), other than that, I think we're gonna take a series break for a bit. Just watch flicks, catch up on new releases.

Books:

The Prestige (Currently Reading) - Christopher Priest (so far, the film was better...maybe I'll blog about it when I'm done)
Imperial Bedrooms - Bret Easton Ellis
The Corpse Flower - Bruce Beasley
Angle of Yaw - Ben Lerner
The Frequencies - Noah Eli Gordon
American Owned Love - Robert Boswell
Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro (if my dad ever finds his copy)


Plus, I might hit a used book store and pick up something else (next paycheck? Maybe?)

Maybe re-read some Vonnegut?

*

Chas Hoppe and I are gonna start working on a collaborative poetry book. I have no idea where it's gonna go, but I'm excited to start.

*

Alright, dinnertime.

later dudes and duderinos

J.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

How many days has it been?

17 days. That's how many days. It's been busy, and for those of you who read my other blog, then you know what I'm talking about. See, I was told I had to blog over there before I blog here. So, it's the holidays, and I have barely any days off (I'm working Xmas Eve, Xmas, New years day), but it's OK. I'm not mad. I asked to work them (more money). I've been trying to squeeze in writing and submitted in-between dad-duty and work. I'm getting a lot more done than I thought. I think is because I figure out where I'm gonna submit before I do it. I gather all the things I need (make lists) and then when I get a few minutes at home, or mostly at ITT-TECH (before classes) I submit a wave of stuff. I've got so much out there it's hard keeping track even with things like submishmash and duotrope and new pages and many of my note books. but I'm managing OK. IN fact, duotrope is a lifesaver, though I'd rather have my own system, I just never have the gumption to set it up. Anyway.

I've been writing a lot. Work gets slow sometimes, and when it does, I'll jot down some lines, write parts of a story, or a poem, or I'll organize a manuscript, and figure out where some holes are, where I need to write more. I just made a list the other day of all my projects, and it's a little crazy. Being someone who had given up on poetry till my final year of undergrad, and even at WWU in the MA program, I wasn't taking poetry seriously till Oliver's prose poem class, I was surprised to see how many completed or mostly-completed poetry projects I have. There's Wolves, Chapel, Rule (my trilogy of performances-in-verse), and there's We're All Just Failures In Successful Skin (my first book of poems, most of which I wrote as an undergrad. It's about my parent's divorce and my grandfather's bullshit when I was in my teens and twenties), and there's Las Cruces vs Bellingham, which is about Bellingham and Las Cruces, but mostly it's about the last couple years of my life: all the changes, the moves, the challenges, the friendships, and the failed relationships, before some of the best things that ever happened to me), and there's my recent project that seems to be about a city and adolescence and crime(?) (I'm trying to figure out whether this would be a good project to collaborate with a certain someone whose work I really love. I think I may be sending him an email soon, but I'm trying to figure out what exactly I want the project to be. Maybe I need fresh eyes).

Then there's my fiction projects (The Story Thief, Bumping, Real Vampires. And then there's The Mission Tapes.

I've been writing a lot of short stories that are really absurd or magical real. I've got a bunch done, and a handful of halfies. We'll see what comes of these, but I know I've got a fiction chapbook out of what I have.

I have this goal right now. Before I finish graduate school, I want to have publish two full-lengths of poems (or have them accepted for publication), and at least one fictional book published. I know, grand dreams! But I think this is realistic. I've been getting published more and more frequently. I think, for one, I'm learning how to submit, how to send the right kind of stuff, and how to know which journals are right. I can't read every journal religiously and learn exactly what they publish, but I can learn what kind of stuff they publish from know what kind poets (or writers) they do publish. A lot of that listing I talked about earlier in this post, is figuring out what piece is right for what journal.

I revisiting Dexter. Emily hasn't seen it. We're on Season 3. I can't wait to revisiting the Trinity Killer in Season 4. We're also wrapping up the Wire. Season 5, disc 3!

I've been playing guitar a lot because my little bro brought me his Fender acoustic. I've been playing for Elliot. He seems to like it. And it gives me a chance to write for Mission Tapes. I've got a lot of songs. I have no freaking idea when this thing will get off the ground, but I need a 4-track. Anyone got one they want to donate or let me borrow for an extended amount of time? Which reminds me, I need to get my microphones back.

Emily just got the OK from the doctor to workout again, so both of us are working out again. Hopefully, I can keep going. I'm tired of being fat. I just want to wear my jeans and tees without feeling uncomfortable. Plus I'm trying to eat right. We'll see how that goes.

Anyway, there's more to write about, but I'll save that for another blog. Hopefully that will come sooner than later.

Love ya,
Jooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosssssssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Sunday, December 5, 2010

A Couple Things:

1)

I love being a father. It's the most rewarding, yet most tiring thing I've ever done. I know I should be blogging on the other blog but I just had to say this. Em is a trooper. While I'm at work all day she's with Elliot. And he can be fussy for hours. The other night, Em slept maybe 2 hours and didn't sleep again till the next night. It seems to be getting better, but I'm out pretty cold at night, and I don't know if Em's just not waking me as much, or if Elliot is sleeping through the night. Anyway, Em is a great mother and the best wife.


2)

I miss grad. school. I miss it. I mean, at least I get to teach and write, but still, I miss it. I miss sitting in a classroom talking about poetry, fiction, film, whatever as though it actually matters in the grand scheme of things. Because, let's be honest, it only mattes to those who care about it. Right? Well, anyway, I can't wait to dig back in. September. I'm curious to see how it all works out with Elliot, with Em going back to school, with coordinating all the public transportation and schedules. I guess we'll see. But I'm just stoked that in 9 months (?) I'll be in grad. school. Now, that I've left NMSU and I'm not in school, cool things are happening down there. I get nostalgic and wonder if leaving was the best idea. But it only takes me a second to realize we left, not just because I wanted to go to a more intense school (we'll see if that actually happens), but because we wanted to be in a city (and because we wanted to take a year off to be around family and friends), and also because there were things I just couldn't reconcile at NMSU. The jist of it? I was extremely let down as a first -year. Would it have gotten better? Yes, I'm sure it would've. I'm sure I would've ended up enjoying my time there as much as possible. Why am I asking all these questions that I'm going to answer? (I yell at my students about these kinds of questions). I understand why they do it. I just think it's lazy. Anyway, I miss grad. school. It's that simple.

3)

I'm still finding time to write. Most of it in jotting notes down in front of the TV when we're watching. The rest is on breaks at work, slow points at work, or at school inbetween classes, or while my students do their in class writing.

I finally finished compling This is the Way to Rule. It's huge! 189 pages. Though, I think that It'll probably be 120-130 when I'm done. I've got some cutting to do (not to mention new poems I have to write to really nail down the beginning, the middle, the end). I'm also gonna do this thing that friend from work suggested. I have some poems that go "listen: can you hear the gates creaking?" or "listen: those aren't fires cracking out there." or whatever (I made those up). So, most of the poems are prose poems covering the narrative of the people traveling around, chasing the wreckage, putting out fires, blah, blah, blah. I also have this is the way to rule and this is not the way to rule poems. So, what my friend suggested was taking those one liners and putting them on their side, on the edge of the page. So, you have the main poems, then you have the side poems. The trick will be to get the one-liners to tell a story, follow an arc, as well as the main poems. In fact, the goal is to have them address a subtext, subplot. So that the reader can read the book two ways.

4)

I still haven't seen Harry Potter. I need to!

Also on the list: Never Let Me Go.
but I should probably read the book first. If I can find it....nowhere, maybe I'll have to buck-up and go to a non-used book store.

5)

No more all Wednesday class at ITT-Tech. I teach Wednesday night and Friday night. GE 217 (Composistion). I can't wait for the day when I can teach Lit and Creative Writing class. i hope I can convince Colubmia College to allow that. I mean, shit, four years of experience should give me a leg up.

6)

The Mission Tapes is on the brain.

Alright, that's all for now. I just wanted to keep blogging as much as I could. So, here you go. Comment on this. Tell me what you think. Tell me your ideas. Let's talk.