Noodles.

I ate this noodle orgy the other day.

Well, at least my portion of it.

Thank you, mom.

I'd like to think of a metaphor involving noodles and poetry.

I'd rather sleep now, however.

Maybe tomorrow.

At sea.

Feeling a bit like this fish lately. There's a comfortable (and stylish!) chair looming behind me, but I can't sit in it. I can only sit on the coral. Ouch. No thanks.

This is not a commentary on my office desk chairs, however. They are exceptionally pleasant and supportive, and not situated in a bed of gravel.

So far today time is creeping by. That's good. I have plenty to fill it with.

A whirlwind.

A new office doesn't feel like a new office to me until I set up the outgoing message on the voicemail. Or, rather, until I "administer personal greetings." This is one of many artifacts from my administrative days, which sometimes seem to have educated me more than eleven years of college. I performed some heroic feats with a paper cutter today, too. Oh how glorious.

Right now I'm in the midst of HR paperwork (for my assistant) and computer drive set-up (for me). Sometimes my first instinct with all of this is "Oh Crap!" but then I remember that I actually can do it. Talk to me in a week and I may feel differently.

Forgot to mention: I recorded the NEOMFA office outgoing message on the first try, without giggling. A first!

Great essay over here, at Gallaher's place, and here at Archambeau's.

Spending the rest of the afternoon catching up, writing lists, commenting on student poems, doing too many things at once.

I've started really liking hard copies of things. I wrote a bunch of contact info on sticky notes. I'm not sure what that says about the current state of the world.

Now 49 pages into my new manuscript, started in January. I'm just going to keep writing until the summer's done, and then start thinking about sequence. All of the poems are either out at journals or already picked up, including the one I wrote last night.

When you kick your own ass on a regular basis it stops feeling like a kick and more like a pat.

On the road.

Dear Brain,

* Please put up your away message soon. You're going out of town this weekend, Brain.

* Brain, you will undoubtedly pack a lot of work to bring with you, and you have to do some of it. Be warned, however, that you will not do all of it.

* Brain, please remember that you have to read that Edgar Sawtelle monstrosity for the book club that you moderate. Remember, the book club? You are no longer in graduate school, so please do not plan to read it in its entirety 1) in one day; 2) at a bar; 3) on a bus.

* Brain, I will not tell anyone that you are simultaneously really enjoying your new administrative gig AND falling in love with teaching all over again, and with poetry all over again.

* Brain, two poems in a week is enough. Everybody, almost, says you need a vacation.

* Brain, don't forget to pack a jacket in case it gets cold.

* Brain, do not bring a bunch of books with you. You won't read them.

* Brain, if this isn't the strangest summer ever, please don't tell me. I can't imagine it.

* Brain, yes, I know that I am lurking in the background of that photo, so don't point it out like you're smart or something. I can see right through you. It's two-way glass.

The stacks.

Everyday things seem to speak to me all of the time. I like being in the library when it's empty. I feel like I'm watching myself walk around in there. I miss spending so much time at the press.

Now I'm teaching, and it's like I'm falling in love with poetry all over again. Ten students, intro to poetry writing, I almost forget it's five days a week for an hour and a half.

On Sunday I went to the beach with my parents and my kids and even though there was a lot of chasing and some syllabus-proofing, it was such a relaxing day.

Six weeks of summer left. It's blowing my mind. 45 pages into the new poetry manuscript. Another new packet to send out. At least I'm getting things done, right?

The revenge of the summer.

Just finished (mostly) one of my biggest tasks of the year, and right on its heels will be teaching my summer class, editorial work in various spheres, and the new administrative gig. It occurs to me that I haven't had a day off in a really long time. If I don't get a single day off this summer, I will be very disappointed in myself.

I don't just want to write a poem tonight, I need to.

Big things.

All I can say is that I'm cooking something up, and it's something big, and it has something to do with poetics.

More details forthcoming!

What's growing in Akron right now.

Above image notwithstanding, now that my week-long photo journal is done I keep seeing perfect things to photograph. Huh.

In case I haven't mentioned this outside facebook, at the beginning of 2009 I decided to write a new poetry book ms. And guess what? I'm on page 43 now. And I really like this one (a first for me). I've been writing at least two poems per week. It's kind of nice being inspired, and pleased with the results.

Can't believe my summer class starts in less than a week. What the heck? It's a poetry workshop, though, so I'm excited. And in the fall I'm only teaching one class, due to certain new administrative duties. ONE CLASS, and one of my favorites to teach.

Oh yes, and I've now read over 450 poetry book mss this summer. Yeow.

Big day.