Gratitude :)

A lovely bit of news...

Two of my poems have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize this year :) It's so cool when an editor not only likes your work enough to publish it in their journal, but also thinks it's good enough to nominate.

Special thanks to Susan Yount and Lissa Kiernan at Arsenic Lobster for nominating "The Noir Wife"...

And to Paul Stevens at The Shit Creek Review (scroll all the way down!) for nominating "An Introduction to the Archetypes".

(!!)

--tag--(I'm it!)

Via Brooklyn, (i.e. our lady of bloggerdom) six things I value...

1.) My family. I'm pretty sure most mothers would start off with family / child(ren). Okay, so I'm not being terribly original here, but without a doubt, I have to lead off with my family. They keep things interesting. I value being a mother, especially--what I've learned, how it's shaped my life and my work.

2.) All the wonderful, creative women in my life. The poets, writers, artists and other lovelies who inspire me. I'm grateful for both their work and their friendship.

3.) Solitude. Yeah, maybe that sounds strange on the heels of saying I value the people in my life so highly, but it's all about balance. Without solitude, I couldn't appreciate my family and friends, and (naturally) vice-versa. I also believe that a certain amount of solitude is necessary in order to incorporate the creative spirit into one's everyday life. So: I value the time I spend in my own company.

4.) Technology. This may seem odd, but it's a huge part of our lives, isn't it? Without it, I wouldn't feel as connected to the world of poetry & art & all things interesting (via the blogsphere, email, online journals, even B&N online and such things.) Think about it.

5.) The storytelling impulse. (In both others and in myself.) This can manifest as a film, a photograph (worth a thousand words, right?), a novel, a poem, maybe even a web site. (Yes, especially a web site!) To be human is to want to tell a story...Or listen to one.

6.) The present moment. It's all we have, really.

***

And now, just for fun, here's six things I value--the "B" side:

1.) Comfortable shoes

2.) Books, books, books

3.) Peel-n-stick stamps (No licking!)

4.) Home-cooked food

5.) Dogs & cats

6.) Unexpected kindnesses

***

Crikey! Am I supposed to tag someone now? Perhaps the lovely Nicole, as she visited me here most recently...

An Introduction to the Archetypes

Now available from Shadowbox Press!









***

Check out that cover art! Kudos to Melissa Culbertson for her awesome collage skillz :)


Also, two new poems are up at Mannequin Envy.

Today=Woo Hoo!

We're Live!

fall 2008

today, today, today...

Today is my annual pre-Thanksgiving baking extravaganza! So, naturally, it's all about the apple pie.

And the pumpkin bread.

If time allows, I hope to wrap up the fall issue this weekend! Tentatively, we should go live on Sunday, November 30th. (Unless we have a technological crisis--let's hope not!)

**Stay Tuned**

nothing.

Ahhh. I'm feeling existential this morning! Also, I'm killing a few minutes before I head out to take two (count 'em--TWO) grandmothers x-mas shopping.

Speaking of existential-ness: Has anyone else seen Cemetary Man (Dellamorte Dellamore) with Rupert Everett? Best. Zombie. Movie. Ever.

Seriously.

Otherwise, I'm working diligently on the fall issue (html issues continue to make layout challenging, but we'll get it done!), working on a little write-up for the very exciting Art & Poetry event with Missy and Melissa next spring, along with tackling some various and far less artsy and intriguing tasks.

Yesterday, Z. told me I had a way of explaining things that always made sense and made him feel better. I think that might be the best compliment I've received in a very long time.

:)

I'm still dealing with some major anxiety, but for the most part, I'm keeping busy enough to ignore it. I figure that's about as good as it gets.

So, I FINALLY saw Iron Man this weekend, after hearing all kinds of good reviews on the general awesomeness of RDJ & etc...

And, yeah, I enjoyed the movie (especially considering my current fascination with any kind of cyborg...) but admittedly, I was annoyed by (at least) ONE aspect of the movie:

Why are female characters (most notably Gwyneth Paltrow's "Pepper Potts"--don't get me started on that name, either---) always these static, wooden stereotypes in movies that seem intended to be guy-centric? (It also annoys me that movie execs assume that women dig sappy love stories and men dig action flicks--I LOVE sci-fi, hate anything to do with Nicholas Sparks (*gags*), and think female characters deserve better treatment in action films, comic books and the like...)

Granted, as an actress, I think Ms. Paltrow tends to play the same character over & over & over again (usually a prim & elegant lady of some kind--yeesh!), which bores me silly. I DO like Shakespeare in Love, but in general, I find her perfomances incredibly dull. However, I'm not sure another actress could have made this character any less boring & cliche.

I wish I'd liked the movie more. Three out of five stars, y'all. Sorry!


P.S. Yes, Robert Downey Jr. was excellent. I expected no less, really.

An Addendum

While I am happy about the results of the presidential election, I've got to mention that I was disappointed and sad to hear that proposition 8 passed in California, and similar bans on same-sex marriage passed in Florida and Arizona.

Apparently, America still needs to pull its head out of its ass when it comes to certain civil rights issues.

*sigh*

Whew!

I am very, very happy that Obama will be our 44th president!

I fell asleep (for shame!) before the speeches, but Z. woke me up to tell me Obama won and gave me a big hug, which was wonderful! I almost envy Z. that his very first experience voting in a presidential election is so exciting and momentous!

I am feeling both hopeful and (mostly) relieved this morning. We live in a very conservative area, so there were Republican lawn signs and bumper stickers everywhere, which depressed me. I think I saw like *one* sign for Obama. I am so glad this town is NOT representative of the country as a whole...

Today is a good day.

Have a Happy and Peaceful Election Day...

I hope everyone plans to VOTE! I voted early to avoid the crowds.

***

I have three poems up at one of my favorite feminist po-journals: ~*WOMB*~

The line-up of poets is (as always) pretty darn awesome...

Dorothea Lasky
Helen White
Michele Burnett
Julie Strand
Bonnie Emerick
Kristine Ong Muslim
Melinda Wilson
Tara Betts
Susan Slaviero
Jessica Smith
Amanda Ackerman
Megan Kaminski
Nicole Cartwright Denison
Elisa McCool
T.A. Noonan
Maureen Alsop
Constance Merritt
Talia Reed
Tara McDaniel
Jessica Bozek
Juliet Cook

I am thrilled to be among them!

***

In all other things...Just trying to keep pace with life's demands without cracking up completely. Who isn't?

A bit of Halloween poetry...

One of my newer pieces, "Origin Story" is up at the very cool journal (with perhaps the most awesome name ever!), Spooky Boyfriend.

I am especially excited to be among some of my favorite blossombones contributors--Juliet Cook, Donora Hillard, and Nicole Cartwright Denison!!

Relax. It's only love...

I don't live in California, but I think what's going on there is indicative of a larger problem with discrimination in this country. Since when do we legislate against one person's right to love and make a commitment to another?

Just wanted to mention that I think this world could use a little more love, and that I absolutely support marriage rights for everyone.

Hope you all feel the same. If you live in California (or anywhere else that's trying to discriminate against the LGBTQ community) please show your support of marriage rights for all on election day!

Peace,

Susan

From the reading last weekend at Woman Made Gallery...

What an honor to read with such a fabulous bunch of women poets! More pics are up at Switchback Books.

***

I'm spending the next couple of weeks designing the fall issue of blossombones...We've got three absolutely beautiful digital chapbooks going up next month, and I can't wait for them to go live!

Somewhere in there, I hope to get back to reading submissions for winter 2009--The deadline is November 1st, so if you're planning to submit, please do so sometime next week...We'll likely close down for subs in the next couple of months, and re-open submissions in February, for the spring issue. We're going to have two reading periods: August 1st-November 1st and February 1st-May 1st. Hopefully, this will help us stay organized and keep blossombones from getting backlogged with submissions.

Hope everyone is enjoying autumn!

This Sunday at Woman Made Gallery

"Objects of Desire"
a poetry reading with two Chicago Feminist presses,
dancing girl press and Switchback Books

featuring:

Mairead Case
Melissa Culbertson
Helen Kiernan
Simone Muench
Beatriz Ruiz
Susan Slaviero


Sunday, October 19, 2 – 4 p.m. FREE
685 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
www.womanmade.org
Light refreshments served

***

If you live in or around Chicago, please pay us a visit!

Hope to see you there.

On a more serious note...

I noticed both Obama and McCain talking about meeting the needs of children with autism in the debate last night. Not extensively, but in passing--more or less.

Yes, autism is on the rise...and as McCain clearly has been told by his campaign advisors, parents of children with autism vote.

When McCain promises me that Sarah Palin "knows about autism," I am profoundly unconvinced. Yes, she is the mother of an infant with Down Syndrome, but that does not make her an expert on all (or any) disabilities. She's been the parent of a special needs child for what? Fourteen months? I've been doing this for eighteen years. (Perhaps this qualifies me to be vice president. I can't see Russia from my house, but I can find it on a map.)

Barack Obama has it right when he says what is needed is funding, and this "spending freeze" proposed by John McCain will hurt education, including special education and early childhood services.

I'd also like to mention that children with autism grow up to be adults with autism, and I NEVER hear politicians talk about that. Never. Ever.

Let me say this again: Our children aren't magically cured when they reach the age of 21. Nor do they disappear or cease to need support in the community.

As if this transparent attempt to get me to vote for people who--in my opinion--do not care about women and children isn't bad enough, I came across this piece of garbage from Denis Leary today. His comments are so horrific, I'm practically speechless.

But of course, I don't remain speechless for long.

What follows is my open letter to Mr. Leary:

Dear Denis Leary,

I see you have joined the ranks of so-called "celebrity authors" and written a book about your personal philosophies regarding the shortcomings of the human race. For some reason, you seem to believe your fame makes you an "expert" on all things and that you have valid insights on the growing number of autism diagnoses, which have reached what many people have characterized as an epidemic.

Perhaps you haven't heard, but Bruno Bettleheim is dead, and his theories were discredited a long time ago. I realize these bombastic rants are your idea of humor, and while I support your right to say things that expose your ignorance, I feel that as one of these parents you criticize, I have a right to respond.

First, you claim "inattentive mothers and competitive dads" seek an explanation for why their kids "can't compete academically." Most children with autism are diagnosed by the age of three, long before they are asked to perform "academically." In fact, the first thing that many extremely attentive mothers notice is a child's lack of response to human voices. Many initially have their infants or toddlers tested for hearing loss, did you know that? No, I'm quite sure you didn't.

Most of the families I know would give anything NOT to hear the diagnosis of autism. To suggest they actively seek to "label" their children in order to relieve themselves from having to be active, involved parents is--quite frankly--ludicrous. Most of the parents you will meet who are raising children with autism have made enormous sacrifices for the sake of their children. They have taken out second mortgages on their homes to pay for intensive therapies or private schooling. They have postponed their own career aspirations to care for their children's needs. These are not the actions of inattentive parents, I assure you.

Your characterization of people with autism as "junior morons" is both ugly and inaccurate. Did you know that many people with autism have IQ scores that fall within normal (and even above normal) range? What's your IQ score, Mr. Leary? Would it surprise you to know that many people with autism are just as smart, if not smarter than you?

Mr. Leary, if you want to use your celebrity to spread hatred and ignorance, I suppose you are free to do so. However, I suggest you remember that the growing number of families you direct your spiteful and uninformed rantings towards buy books.

I'm pretty sure they won't be buying yours.

In fact, I am hoping that not buying your book becomes so prevalent, one might characterize it as an epidemic.

Susan Slaviero

Full Moon Night

Please check out the new issue of Dante's Heart: Full Moon Night!

It's a wonderful collection of both fiction and poetry that explores wolves and wolf folklore--just in time for Halloween!

I am delighted to have two poems in this issue: "Postmodern Werewolves" & "Little Red and the Robot Wolf"

Thanks for reading!

poetry, cyborgs, a little something sexy...

I am very excited to be the spotlight poet at Eclectica this Fall!

Get your cyborg on, here.

It wouldn't be that funny if it actually happened...

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Can I just mention--

I find it hilarious that a google search for "dickpants" landed someone on my blog.

That's all for today.

:)

My two cents about Palin, Feminism, and the upcoming election...

I’ve been relatively quiet about this in the blogosphere—the whole Sarah Palin business—because I like to process things a bit before I write about them. Of course in the real world (of the non-digital variety), I’ve been ranting about it almost nonstop. I think my mother is screening her phone calls now, and my husband has taken to hiding in the garage. To put it bluntly: I’m furious.

I’ve been trying to pinpoint what it is that makes me so angry about Sarah Palin. Some of the reasons are easy: I don’t agree with her beliefs about women’s reproductive rights (I’m fiercely protective of a woman’s right to choose), gun control, education, the environment, or the economy. It terrifies me that she even ASKED a librarian about removing certain books from the shelves (And that Palin tried to have her fired when she refused to consider it). It disturbs me deeply when women (who may be at their most vulnerable) are charged money for evidence collection and rape kits. She also appears seriously uninformed about a number political matters, both foreign and domestic.

And no, I didn’t know what the Bush Doctrine was, either. But I’m not running for Vice President.

I am the kind of woman the McCain campaign is trying to court using Sarah Palin. I’m a middle-class, nearly-middle-aged, white, college-educated mother. I have a developmentally disabled child. I vote. But I won’t be voting for the McCain / Palin ticket. No way.

I see a good number of Republicans stomping their feet and accusing women who don’t support Palin of some kind of deep-seated misogyny. They just don’t get it. Misogyny is what women are fighting when we protest Sarah Palin as McCain’s running mate. The selection of Sarah Palin is--in and of itself--a misogynist act on the part of the Republican party, and that makes me angry.

I’m angry when I see a woman used as a prop to further a man’s political career.

I’m angry when politicians try to dress their patriarchal ideology in a skirt and call it feminism. I think many other women feel the same.

Yes, feminism is—in part—about women being able to smash through the glass ceiling and establish careers in all the same fields as men. Sure, it’s about women having careers and families and not being criticized for choosing both. But it’s also about the fundamental rights that Sarah Palin does not support. As feminists, we want safe streets, a healthy planet, the right to choose what happens to our bodies. We want equal pay for equal work. We want our daughters to be educated about sex (as opposed to abstinence only education). We want them to have access to effective birth control, to recognize that they have the right to make choices, about their bodies and their futures.

I’m not angry because Sarah Palin is a woman, or because she’s the mother of five children and running for the second-highest office in the United States. I don't think I'm in any way obligated to support her candidacy just because she's a woman.

The problem isn’t that women have failed to support Sarah Palin.

The problem is that Sarah Palin has failed to support women.

Why poetry? (& etc.)

After all, it doesn't pay the bills, right?

There's something very satisfying about art for the sake of art, rather than $$$. I know, I know--we'd all like to be able to make a living doing what we love, but that's not always possible. There's something comforting about the fact that the impulse to create still matters, regardless of whether it results in some kind of tangible "benefit." It reminds us that we're still human. I could say more, but Amy King says it better. (Scroll down to the post for September 17, titled "Poetry is to Money as Ice Cream is to Mud.") Good stuff. Don't forget to check out the fairly extensive list of small press publishers with open reading periods, if you so happen to be shopping around a poetry manuscript...

I have no idea why I can't post directly to the essay, rather than the blog at large. I must be loopy this morning.

***

Speaking of loopy, I think I wasted an entire hour on Facebook this morning. How did that happen?

***

In other news: BITCH reached their fundraising goals, and they're still alive and kicking. This makes me happy.

Other happy bits:

-Recent acceptances from Eclectica and Goblin Fruit.

-I made the most kickass mashed potatoes with roasted garlic yesterday. Ever cook something you liked so much you're still thinking about it the next day?

-Also: I have decided that applesauce counts as a vegetable. Why not?

-October is looking busy, but in a good way :)

-I am still reading submissions for the blossombones fall special feature, and I'll be damned if I can even find a "bad" sub in the bunch. It's exciting to see so much terrific stuff...although it makes the editing process a challenge!

Save Bitch Magazine!

Thanks to Laura for bringing this to my attention!

If you have the means, please donate or subscribe to Bitch. I promise you, it is money well-spent!

Spread the word.

the writing life

So, I've been thinking quite a bit about what is means to be a writer, a poet (being outrageously sick gives one time to ponder random shit). Lots of writers seem to blog about whether or not they can claim the "title" (i.e. "writer" or "poet"), and I can't help but wonder why we're all so angsty about the whole thing. I don't know why I feel compelled to blog about this, but it's on my mind tonight.

I figure writing is the act of putting words on paper. If you do that regularly, if you're really passionate about it, then I figure you're a writer. I don't think you need a special degree or a certain number of acceptances in fancy journals--although both of those things are great accomplishments. Often, when writers send submissions to blossombones, they are apologetic about a lack of publication credits or the absence of writing degrees. I want to say: Make no apologies! You put words to paper, send out your work. That's as legitimate as anything else, really. I don't expect you to have a Ph.d. God knows, I don't have one! (Maybe someday, but honestly I rather doubt I'd be able to afford it. I'm not even sure if it's something I really want to do anymore. I love writing, reading, and research--all the good stuff--but I'm no good at the "game" [politics, forming alliances, jumping through nonsensical hoops].)

I also think there are so many ways to participate in writing communities. Writing, workshopping, collaborating, editing, publishing book reviews...It's important to read and respond to other writers, and to promote work other than your own, too. I'm thinking that I would really like to incorporate some book (or chapbook) reviews in upcoming issues...or perhaps as part of the blossombones blog. I'm trying to find ways to encourage writers to submit reviews, but so far, we don't get much of that kind of thing. Maybe I should put out a special call for subs (probably next spring) of reviews?

At any rate, now that I'm starting to feel human again, I'm going to make re-reading and responding the digital chapbook subs a priority, then move on the rest of the winter 09 business. (Even though I'm already brainstorming ideas for other themed issues and such...)

***

I'm also working on a new manuscript, which I'm totally obsessing over. I'm not sure yet whether it's going to be a chapbook, or perhaps something longer. Right now, I just want to enjoy the writing process, without worrying about where it's going. I haven't sent much out in the last few months, but I'm starting to send out work again. That's not nearly as much fun as writing, though. A few of my new poems were accepted by Eclectica this week, which I'm pretty darned happy about :)

Oh! And I think it's finally going to stop raining in the Midwest. Eventually.

I haven't been blogging much because I'm totally buried right now.

I'm trying to get a website together for a local racing club, trying to read subs for both the fall special and winter issues of blossombones, trying to edit and send out my own stuff...Ack. (Not to mention all the everyday family business!)

At any rate, if we're a little delayed in responding to winter subs this time around, it's because I'm reading two sets of submissions at once! Not my greatest of ideas...Next time, if we do a special issue, we'll shut down regular subs for a few months, I think...

I'm also having print fantasies. Oh, how I would love to do some print stuff too! ...Maybe an anthology or a chapbook series? Alas, this will have to simmer for a while.

It's all going to get done. It always does, right?

***

The weather is quite autumnal here in the midwest. Rainy and chilly today. Makes me want to cook stuff. I'm thinking about mashed potatoes. Homemade bread. Lasagna. I am tired of salads and summer heat.

***

Also: My partner in crime at blossombones, Melissa Culbertson, has a new chapbook available. Pick up your copy of The Fire-Wife here!

new poetry online

Right here...in Tattoo Highway #17.

***

Happy September!

Drowning

Still trying to play catch-up. I've been a little blah.

The house is a mess, stuff is piling up, etc, etc, etc...

I'd rather read right now than do anything else. I just got some new books I can't wait to crack open. Alas, giving in to this escapist urge to read novels and such just puts me further behind.

Sunday is set aside for blossombones stuff. I've got a big stack 'o subs in the inbox that I haven't read yet...mostly poetry for the winter issue. Looking forward to reading!

I have a website project to finish, as well.

I'm tired. Really tired.

Maybe someday I'll sleep for an actual all-night stretch again. That would be quite nice.

3 A.M Ramblings

So, it appears I will not be sleeping tonight. Again. I cannot figure out why I am plagued with anxiety lately. There's plenty of good stuff going on. Yet, I cannot sleep, cannot concentrate for longer than a few minutes at a time.

Meh.

Just watched a movie so incredibly bad I don't even wanna discuss it. Awful, awful.

If I wasn't so distracted I'd try and catch up on reading submissions tonight, but I need to be focused for that. I'm hoping to get through everything in my inbox by next week, though. It's good to have a goal.

Things I am tired of:

1. Doctors

2. Fuckwit neighbors

3. Ringing phones

4. Lack of sleep

5. Hot days (I am crabby, and in the mood for something gloomier.)

Stuff

Oh, lord! I finally saw Teeth a couple of days ago. Wow. Just...wow.

If I were still a Women's Studies student I'd want to write a film paper on that baby. For sure.

Also, I am overwhelmed and delighted with the quality of work people are sending us at blossombones. I've been reading digital chapbook submissions and I'm blown away. Blown away I tell you. Beautiful, beautiful work.

I wanted to wait until we close up the submission period for fall before sending acceptances, but I'm not sure I can wait that long. Stay tuned....


Plus...It's time for a gratitude post! (Yeah, I have my fluffy moments...)

Top 10 Things I'm Digging Right Now

1. Collaborative poetry

2. Mango Lemonade

3. Pathogenesis by Peggy Munson

4. Anything to do with cyborgs

5. Summer dresses

6. New pens and pencils

7. Reading mystery novels in the wee hours of the morning

8. Wearing my husband's bathrobe

9. Old photographs

10. Laughing so hard that my throat is hangover-dry the next day

Fragments

*
I wish I could wear earrings, but my immune system will not allow it. Crapity. I have these cool Celtic knots that I really dig, but they are silver, and apparently, I have some werewolf blood. They are a bane to my earlobes.

*
Okay, so I saw the X-Files movie last night and didn't think it was as bad as everyone says. It was kind of like watching a really long episode. Besides, I love going to the movies. I wish I could spend the rest of my life sitting in the dark, watching movies and eating popcorn. This would make me happy, if only the seats were a tad more comfy.

*
I am so tired of doctor visits and blood work. I love phlebotomists who find my tiny, weak vein on the first try. I do not enjoy the bend of my elbow being used as a pincushion.

*
I forgot Cathy's birthday yesterday, and must call today and beg forgiveness because I am such a lax little sister.

*
I am dangerously close to running over to the new JC Penny and begging for a job. I can stock merchandise. I can direct lost customers to the appropriate department. I have a college degree, you know.

*
What exactly does a restaurant hostess do? Just say Welcome to Restaurant X, let me show you to your table. Dude, I could handle that.

*
I would like to write a novel, but fear my attention span is too short for such a long project. Whenever I sit down to write prose, I end up saying screw this, and write a poem instead.

*
Cyborgs fascinate me.

*
I need to grocery shop. I would like to buy some cheese. I would like to make a grilled cheese sandwich with garlic butter and have it with a real (non-diet) Coke. This is a recurring fantasy.

*
This whole bout of anxiety/depression/insomnia is getting exhausting. Seriously.

I should be sleeping...

but, of course, I like switch back and forth between bouts of insomnia and narcolepsy.

I just finished watching the most effed-up movie ever: Botched. Really, I can't even comment. I'm speechless.

If you're the type who enjoys a good bad horror movie, this might be worth a rent. (But you need to be the sort that thinks nothing is too over the top. Nothing.) I will say this: it does what I believe any modern horror movie ought to do--satirize the genre. And I must admit, I was laughing. I think my husband worries about what kind of twisted person finds this stuff funny...

What can I say? Horror movies de-stress me. I don't know why.

***

As for poetry stuff, new work is online at Caffeine Destiny and Ghoti. Very exciting!

Also, I have two poems in the latest print issue of Zygote in My Coffee (#5). Available for purchase here. Dig it.

Random stuff and various po-biz...in no particular order

And now, for some politically incorrect things that I think are funny anyway:


nataliedee.com

Also, Stuff White People Like. Most recent post: #106: Facebook.

Guilty.

The list also includes things like sweaters, expensive sandwiches, David Sedaris, and tea.

Guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty.

***

In poetry news:

The Myths and Legends issue of Whistling Shade is now online! My poem "From the Diary of Vesta" is featured within its lovely and mythic pages :)

Also, if you live in the Chicago area, Melissa Culbertson and Leigh Stein will be reading tomorrow for dancing girl press!


Friday, August 8th, 8 pm
The Fine Arts Building
410 S Michigan
Studio 921


*********************************************************



Leigh Stein is the author of Cautionary Tales, winner of the 2007 Pavement Saw Press Transcontinental Poetry Award, and the chapbook How to Mend a Broken Heart with Vengeance, available from Dancing Girl Press. She lives in Brooklyn and works for a comic book publisher.

Melissa Culbertson recently graduated from Lewis University with a degree in Literature. Her poetry has appeared or is set to appear in Flyway: A Literary Review, Windows, Pebble Lake Review, Barn Owl Review, Wicked Alice, and [GROWLING SOFTLY] , a collection put together by Blood Pudding Press. Melissa's chapbook, the fire-wife, is forthcoming from dancing girl press in August of 2008.

**********************************************************


Also: If my attention span continues to shrink, I may just Twitter instead of actually blogging. Nah.

***

General Bloggery

After a horribly stressful week, things seem to be settling down.

I FINALLY saw The Dark Knight yesterday, which was totally fabulous! (And even if it weren't, sitting in a darkened theater having buttered popcorn and slushies is always rather cheering.)

I'm so glad it's Saturday! I got a bit of writing done today, did some laundry, watched 21 and Charlie Bartlett (which were so-so, although I must agree with Melissa that Robert Downey Jr. is the shit), made vegetarian stir-fry noodles for lunch, I have a fresh jar of sun tea brewing on the patio, and I'm just generally feeling better.

I also posted a few photos of the Myopic Poetry Series reading on the blossombones blog. Enjoy!

Women Poets in Chicago: News

First, please check out the details for the upcoming reading at Myopic Books this Sunday! Two absolutely fabulous women poets will be performing--Melissa Culbertson & Lauren Levato. Be there or be square!!

Myopic Books in Chicago
1564 N. Milwaukee Avenue, 2nd Floor
Sunday, July 27, 7:00pm

Second, Brandi Homan's new book, Hard Reds, is now available (and is at the top of my wish list!). Find it here.

Cerulean thoughts...

I'm feeling a little blue tonight. I plan to curl up on the sofa for the next hour with T. Jefferson Parker's California Girl.

Then, I'll cook some dinner. Have some wine. Maybe watch a DVD.

I'm just feeling vague and blah, really.

I should probably get back to the whole daily yoga thing.

Okay, this is just awesome...

So catch Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog before it's gone!

(I think it goes *poof* rather soon--like tomorrow.)

Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris! How can you go wrong?

After being out of town all last week, it's hard to get back into my routine. Ack. Hopefully, I will be all caught up by next week.

We'll be reading the next round of submissions soon, I suspect. We're also dealing with a bit of an email problem, but don't fret...we're still getting your stuff! Also, we'll be making a few changes, which we'll announce on the blossombones blog. Soon, very soon...

***

In poetry news, I've got a new one in Blood Orange Review [online], and two in the latest Cause & Effect (#9) [print]. A few more are forthcoming this summer!

I feel like I haven't done much writing lately. I need to get back to it, I think...I'd like to have enough done to send out a big batch of poems in the fall, but so far, it's just a *tiny* stack. So why am I blogging instead of writing poetry??? Probably because it's been way too long since I've posted!

I'll also have to post a few of my favorite vacation pics! I'll do that soon, I'm sure.

the curse of the pricey shampoo, etc...

I did it again...bought expensive shampoo in the hopes it would help me to look slightly less like a cross between Al Sharpton and Medusa. So, of course, it leaked all over my bag. About a quarter of the bottle. Which I estimate to be about $3.00 worth of product. Bummer.


Also--damned immune system acting up at the worst possible time. My hands blistered up overnight and I can barely type. Ugh.

Thus, I will be blogging less while I wait for time and hydrocortisone to work their magic.


***

On the upside: My poem, "From the Diary of Vesta" has been accepted for the summer issue of Whistling Shade! Happy, happy.

confessional poesy

Blank

The new clock in this room is ticking and I realize that movement is an illusion. There is the laundry, the sun-brewed iced tea, the vacuum tracks on the stairs. My husband overslept today and I felt responsible. My son needs reminders to wash his face. I should lose twenty pounds, get a Ph.d, become someone who travels to foreign countries on a whim. India. Switzerland. Katmandu. I could do without spiders. I carry poetry in my purse, just in case. This book is you. This book is me. Only in a parallel universe can I be the one who defines us by tracing diagonal lines mown across the grass.

Is it really almost July? Where does the time go?

Poor Harley ended up having a tooth extracted today. He's quite cranky.

***

I got my hair cut...which has me feeling considerably lighter. (Okay, my head feels lighter...Maybe that's not necessarily a good thing?)

This in-between-projects lull has inspired me to clean my office. I'm about half-done. I think I'm drowning in paper! I'd post before and after pictures, but I'm too lazy, really.

Looks like we're in for a rainy day today...This makes me want to grab a pencil and spend the morning playing sudoku (which--I've been told--helps delay the onset of senility. I could use a brain recharging!)

I've got two stalled web-projects, so I'm feeling at loose ends. Meh. I should probably do some resume-sending. Research grad school programs that won't land me in a debtors' prison. Or write something I can actually sell, like a cookbook or a mystery novel. Or a mysterious and novel cookbook. Or whatever.

Okay, that's it for career-related angst.

I've started readings submissions for blossombones, and we're getting a lot of good stuff! I've still got a bit of reading to do, but I hope to start sending out some responses pretty soon.

In addition to some fab poetry, I'm also reading the new Elizabeth George novel Careless in Red. I hope it's better than the last one, which I found so depressing, I couldn't even finish reading it! (It is a RARE occasion that I actually abandon a book with no intention of returning...and What Came Before He Shot Her is one of them. Just couldn't read it anymore...)

I've got a pretty decent stack of unread books in my office. This makes me happy. Still, I have plans for a little bookstore jaunt at the end of the week. Can't wait!

I'm not a big shopper; I'm dead bored in a shoe store, but a book store--well, that's another story!

Also: Two poetry acceptances this week, from Mythic Delirium and Ghoti. Yay!

I also got a form-letter rejection for a short fiction piece, but that's okay...Am soldiering on...

Check out a few new pieces...

And a couple of familiar ones, too...

I am a featured poet this month at The Guild of Outsider Writers, which is very cool!

More Spicy Poetry

One of my "spicier" pieces, "Thanatos Seeks a Playmate" is now online in the June issue of Yellow Mama.

This kickass zine is R rated, so adults only, please!

***

Oh! And have you seen the very exciting contributor list for the first issue of Weave?

I think Margaret and Laura are about to rock the poetry world!

They're still taking subs until June 30, so check 'em out!

blossombones summer 2008

is now live!

rites of passage

So, yesterday was the big day. Over 800 kids walked across the stage, and Z was one of them.

I got a little teary at Pomp and Circumstance, but otherwise, I was just kinda hot & uncomfortable, and very, very proud of Z.

We didn't get many pictures afterward, because by the time we found him amongst the crowd of several thousand people, it was dark. *sigh*

Today, I feel just plum- wrung out. Glad it's over. Sad it's over. And a little (oddly) at loose ends.

I think that all throughout school (high school, college, etc...) graduations seem so far off...and by the time we get there, it's gratifying, yet somehow anticlimactic. I felt the same way when I finally finished my BA. The anticipation was rather thrilling, but life afterward was not so very different.

I'm rambling of course. Who really knows what lies ahead for any of us?

New work online...

My flash fiction piece "St. Catherine of Alexandria Writes Her Obituary" is now available at Apollo's Lyre.

***

Also: blossombones summer 08 should be live by Monday. Stay tuned!

I'm looking forward to a rather quiet June, I think. With Mercury in retrograde for the next few weeks, I figure I'll just work on the projects already on my plate, so to speak. No pitching new ventures, no sending out submissions (if I can resist the impulse!), just wrapping things up. Perhaps it will be a peaceful time...

I rather like a period of solitude / personal creativity now and then.

First up is the website for blossombones, of course! I hope to have it online by next week...

I think I'll catch up on some laundry and vacuuming this afternoon (thriller!), make spaghetti for dinner, maybe find a bit of time for some yoga.

I have three big projects to do, and three weeks to complete them. A nice symmetry there, eh?

The Shit

has hit the net!

The Shit Creek Review, that is!

I have three poems online (here, here, and here) in the new Masks issue. I am blown away by the gorgeous artwork and design at SCR! Not to mention a great selection of literary works... Rock on, Shit Creek!

A few more poems are also up at The Chimaera (the Belonging and Alienation issue). Another really terrific online journal. Go pay them a visit!

Happy Birthday M!

Today is my husband's birthday. Welcome to the old 3-6 my dear!

Of course, this means big doings in the kitchen. A mess of homemade fajitas with all the goodies...I bought some really nice-looking tomatoes yesterday to make from-scratch salsa, etc...

I am hungry already. Bring on the Coronas with lime!

If only the weather was cooperating...Alas, it will be a rainy-day birthday dinner. All the better to light the candles by, I say!

The list of things I ought to be doing is daunting. So, of course, I'm fooling around with my blog instead.

Having just endured picking up Z in the nightmarish High School parking lot, (where I was almost creamed by other vehicles like three times), I need some chill time. Or a margarita. Ack. I live five minutes away. It took 45 minutes to get home. Yeah, it's that bad. Finals week, you know?

I'm also updating my resume (again) in case Dionne Warwick is hiring psychic friends. I have decided the job market is utterly sucktastic. I should write Harlequin Romance Novels. I bet the pay is pretty decent.

I must also avoid the kitchen, where an excellent vanilla bean cake, fresh strawberries and real whipped cream beckon.

'Cuz I already had that for breakfast, yo.

crackle

Feeling much, much better.

Hard at work on the summer 08 blossombones. I'm really excited about the looks of this issue...and the fabulous lineup of writers therein!

Also: check it! Three of my poems are featured at the new online zine, Brain Box. Very cool indeed. I think Brain Box has a really great look, and a nice variety of poetry and artwork, too. Visit them. And submit some poems, too! They're currently taking subs for the next issue.

(As a side note, I had bit of trouble loading them in Safari. If you are a MacUser--as I am--use Firefox to visit the site.)

***

More bits and pieces are forthcoming. In the meantime, I got some spiffy new glasses. (The last pair being over four years old and crooked...'cuz I totally sat on them and then just tried to twist the frame back into shape myself.) These are much, much better:



I especially dig the bit of rhinestone bling at the corners.

***

I also did something totally ridiculous the other day, and bought an $11.00 bottle of pomegranate shampoo. In the spirit of in for a penny, in for a pound, I also bought an $11.00 bottle of conditioner.

Let's not even talk about the green tea infused hair gel.

My hair smells mighty nice. And the frizz has calmed a bit. Not sure it's worth eleven bucks (x3), though.

cough. hack. sniffle.

Crapity. I hate being sick.

I am missing one of the plays at the Goodman today, (I have season tickets) because of this whole fever/cold/sore throat business, which came on rather suddenly Thursday night.

At least I am considerate enough not to go anyway and cough all over the other theater-goers!

But I still hate to waste the ticket.

So, I'm a little bummed about that.

***

I am half-way done with the proofs for Summer--more are going out today. I took yesterday off to rest and such.

***

I also just finished reading Demon Theory by Stephen Graham Jones, which is so, so, fabulous. I shall have to write up a little rave for goodreads! If you dig horror film, humor, pop culture trivia, and all that good stuff, you'll totally love Demon Theory. Actually, I plan to read it a second time, eventually. It's that good.

Check it out!

The summer lineup for blossombones is posted here.

Thanks to everyone who submitted! Y'alls rock.

ramble

Warm days are popping up on occasion...this always makes me feel a little crazy. Like I want to sit on the roof and drink beer and stare at the moon crazy. Or maybe I want to write something extra weird crazy. Don't know for sure.

Speaking of crazy, Harley the semi-wonder dog is driving me out of my mind. He stares at me. Like ALL the time. He's getting extra-needy in his old age. I love my dog, but it's gettin' a little creepy. Wonder what he's thinking...

He probably just wants my sandwich. Or my mac and cheese.

So now I'll have to purge my brain and write a story about a dog. A creepy horror / sci fi thing that makes no sense, except to me. Maybe I'll post it when I'm done. Uh huh. Maybe.

I have a feeling it's going to be a strange summer.

***

I have finished responding to all the poetry subs...both exciting and exhausting, this editing thing. I love it though! I get to read some amazing stuff, which I can't wait to share with you all!

We've got some damn fine short fiction for summer too!

I can't wait to get started putting it all together! Expect us to go live by mid-June.

***

Currently Reading (Fiction): Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link

This book is everything good short fiction should be...beautiful, strange, utterly enchanting, and just a little scary. I love it! It's one of those books you hope will never end...

Currently Reading (Poetry): ECTOPLASMIC NECROPOLIS by Blood Pudding Press

Everything from BPP is so wonderfully unexpected! I've been flirting with the pages for the last couple of days, checking out the poems here and there, in between loads of laundry or during optometrist-recommended breaks from the computer screen. I'm just digging all the varied and intriguing voices lingering between the folds of paper...And I'm totally thrilled to be a little part of this collection!

You should totally buy one, you know.

***

And:

A few new bits of poesy...coming soon!

***

I seem to blog in fragments, these days.

cool happenings & what I've been reading/watching/doing...

It's been a pretty good week, so far.

a. ECTOPLASMIC NECROPOLIS is now available from the very fab Blood Pudding Press! You'll find it here.

b. Lots of good stuff coming in for blossombones! The final lineup will be posted soon, once we're done reading submissions...

c. I got to spend a lovely, quiet Saturday afternoon watching Once...which was really terrific! (Thanks, Melly!)

d. I just finished Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye...Loved it. My favorite line: "I belonged...like a cocktail onion on a banana split."

Seriously. I just wanted to underline all the cool, stylish prose. I love that noir-ish stuff!

e. I am back on the yoga/pilates wagon, so to speak. Although I'm putting together an early morning workout on my own (sans pricey classes). I've got student loans to pay, yo.

I find it weird that the guy on my yoga DVD says things like: "Let the inner corners of your eyes relax backwards."

Say what?!?!

f. May is just around the corner! I suspect warm days ahead :)

I couldn't let the day pass by without this:



Happy 18th, Z.

***

I wanted to do something extra-embarrassing, like post a baby picture, too. Alas, my scanner is acting wonky. I suspect sabotage.

***

Speaking of parenting stuff (sort-of) this freaks me out!

Does anyone else find the messages in this "children's book" a bit disturbing? And the barbie-doll mom? Good Goddess!

The messages about the mommy being "prettier" after plastic surgery (in terms of specific body parts, no less--like her nose or belly button) are extra-creepy. Plastic surgery is a billion dollar industry folks...and it looks as if this particular book is intended to plant the seeds of insecurity and want in the heads of young girls. Apparently, women are supposed to be beautiful. Being a mommy makes you less so, and thus your body is in need of repair. A thinner tummy, a better nose, bigger breasts...you get the idea.

It also suggests that "prettiness" is a prerequisite to happiness.

So-called "prettiness" is clearly defined as a certain--and very specific--type of body and face. A thinly veiled attempt at marketing this sh*t to younger and younger customers? I think so.

This book ranks right up there in the world of evil marketing next to Joe the Camel cigarette ads.

Seriously.

I am feeling rather productive today...

Birthday cake for Z. is on order, as are various surprises. He will be *18* next week. Where does the time go?!?

Floors are clean, laundry is rolling about in the machine. Harley is all scheduled for a trip to the groomer. Restaurant reservations? Done. Eye doctor appointment? Done. Paperwork for sub certificate? On hold till July/August. Probably.

Taxes are done, too. (As well they should be...Today is tax day, after all. Of course, that's mostly Mike. I don't like doing taxes. Ugh.)

**

Very little writing going on, though. I feel kind of unfocused after a mad ten straight days of writing. I've got web site stuff to do, too. Ack.

***

I do have a new poem online at the very sexy electronic zine, Yellow Mama. You'll find it here.

Also, check out the wickedly clever zine Grievous Jones. Writing the Id? Art for art's sake? Hell, yes.

April is not the cruelest month, but rather a nice one. This blue lobster looks pretty cool, eh? He's hanging out on my blog to celebrate my three poems in the Spring 2008 issue of Arsenic Lobster! Check 'em out, if you please!

A few more April bits are forthcoming, including two poems in [ECTOPLASMIC NECROPOLIS]...a delicious multi-writer project from Blood Pudding Press! Check out the lineup:

Aimee DeLong, Shane Allison, Eddie Watkins, Nava Fader, Rebecca Loudon, Candace Turlington, Brian Foley, Misti Rainwater-Lites, Ken Pobo, Suzanne Grazyna, Andrew Lundwall, Adam Fieled, J.R. Pearson, John Moore Williams, murmurists, Rachel Lisi, Brooklyn Copeland, Susan Slaviero, AnnMarie Eldon, Melissa Severin, John Rocco, Nicole Cartwright Denison, Donora Hillard, Jayne Pupek, Sean Kilpatrick, Sharon Zetter, Jeff Roberts, Daniela Olszewska, Juliet Cook, and Rachel Kendall.

A very cool collection of writers...I'm rather awed to be in such fine company!

***

This writing one poem a day biz is tiring. Admittedly, some of them really suck rocks...however, I figure I can revise a sucky poem, whereas a blank page is rather useless.

I am also taking a brief respite from sending out submissions to focus on writing. And reading subs for blossombones...I'm trying to make some decisions, which is always difficult, when people send such fine poesy!

We are still taking subs, through May 1st!

More bad B.E.C. news--

Big Evil Corporation, that is.

This business with Amazon is really upsetting.

If that's how they do business, I will have to order all my stuff from Barnes & Noble, from now on.

kibbles & bits

To the elderly gentleman who saw fit to remove his shoes and prop up his feet last night at the Drury Lane Theater:

Dude, this is NOT your living room!

***

As quickly as promised, IX webhosting has everything back online this morning, and all seems to be working, including the blossombones website!

I worry too much about techno-glitches; the move went rather smoothly, and we were only offline for about a day.

***

My poem, "Take This Medicine On An Empty Stomach" is up at Kill Poet 4.

It's very cool indeed to be included in such a bloody fabulous lineup! Featured poets include: Jay R. Ligon, Cathleen Daily, Doug Driame, Niko Krommydas, Brian Townsley, Rachel-Ann Howard, Tammy F. Trendle, Paula Doane, Amanda Addison, Rod Naquin, Shanna Dixon, William Taylor Jr., Gail D. Kelley, John Dorsey, Zachari James Popour, Susan Slaviero, Chris Groah, Joelle Grundy, Misti Rainwater-Lites, Adam E. Laskey, Lester Allen, Aleathia Drehmer, Olivia Carteaux, Thomas Dejosia, Richard Wink, & WJB

Do check it out!

***

Do you know the most beautiful sentence in the English language? I do:

"Your Amazon.com order has shipped."

No?!?

Check out all this poesy!

I have two poems--"Payday" & "Lepidoptera, in celluloid"--up at a very cool online journal: Thieves Jargon.

Be sure to pay them a visit, because they are just a little bit spicy!

***

I also recommend checking out this fabulous review of the Blood Pudding Press zine, [GROWLING SOFTLY]!

Melissa Culbertson (my charming and delightful partner-in-crime at blossombones) gets some kudos for her mad poetry skills!

I have just ordered a copy for myself, which I cannot wait to read...

Also on-order from the wonderful world of etsy:

Planchette by Juliet Cook

Bee Spit by Kristy Odelius

The Partial Autobiography of Jane Doe by Daniela Olszewska

*I can hardly wait for all these goodies to arrive!*

gettin' eggy

With the approach of Easter / Ostara, I find it interesting that Ghostie (our pet cockatiel ) is now laying eggs. Again.



I don't think she's particularly fond of having her picture taken. She's a cutie, though.

At any rate, I will have to try and sneak the egg out while she's not looking, because she rolls it around on the floor and hovers over it until it cracks and leaks, which is rather yucky.

***
In non-pet related news, I'm posting a reminder that we're accepting submissions for the summer 08 issue of blossombones through May 1st. Anything submitted after 5-1 will be considered for the winter issue.

If anyone is interested in submitting a poetry review, be sure to contact Melissa! We would be interested in publishing reviews in the prose section, which tends to be a little thin!

***
I am also constructing a blogroll of writers, artists, and other generally kickass people on the sidebar here. If anyone would like a link--especially if you have contributed work to blossombones--please drop me an email and I'll add your blog to the list! (Send your request to susan [at] blossombones [dot] com.)

***
I also just found out that I will have some poems in Thieves Jargon this week, which is very cool news! I'll post a link when they go online.

Get your morning cuppa poetry...

At Zygote in My Coffee, Issue 103.

I'm pretty pumped to have a couple of poems in there, along with some totally kickass poets whose work I really admire, like Jayne Pupek, Melissa Hansen, and others...

***

Today is also the new moon, and I feel as if I am waiting, waiting, waiting. For what? I have no idea... I think the moon just has that effect on me. To distract myself from feeling distracted (say what?!?) I went to see The Other Boleyn Girl today. It was okay. Nothing spectacular, but not bad, either. Entertaining, if you like that kind of thing--and I do--so long as you are not the nitpicky type who gets irritated when folks like to fictionalize history...

A fond farewell...

Please pay the March issue of Flutter a visit...my poem, "The Wife of Coins, At Supper" is featured this month, along with works by Roxana Cazan, Bebe Cook, Steve Bloom, Jim Carson, Richard Fein, David McLean, Carl Palmer, Ramsy, & Cy Bish Port Street. Sadly, the journal is going on hiatus, so this may be the last issue...

It's a lovely journal, and I am proud to be a visiting poet for March.

New work online...

The Spring 2008 issue of Umbrella is open, and I am very happy to be in it!

My poems, "Ukemochi on Her First Date" & "Lucifer: a self-portrait" are featured in the special section, "How Divine: Poetry and Prose", along with many other delightfully spiritual & mythic tidbits.

Enjoy!

This winter seems endless...

Blah.

Feels like I need to hibernate just a bit longer. Plans for the evening: laundry, cooking a big batch of pepper steak, and (hopefully) watching Notes on a Scandal on DVD.

Can't wait to see the temps hit 50, and maybe take the dog for a walk...

computers are better than parfaits

New website

online: www.susanslaviero.com

I should blog more...

But I've actually been writing like mad for the last week or so. Severe anxiety sends me right to the poetry journal, usually. Lots of persona stuff, because it's fun to contemplate being someone else, especially when I'm feeling blah.

Perhaps I am writing too many persona poems, but it's good therapy.

A few delays with a website project, which is a tad frustrating. I like being able to cross stuff off my to-do list.

I also like being able to work from home, but I think it's making me a little batty.

Waking up from the funk...

I hope! It's February, and I've been a tad morose since X-mas. Today, things seem a bit brighter. (even without the sun!)

Three acceptances (for eight poems total) last week, which is pretty awesome! (More about that later.)

I even feel up to working on my own personal website (which has been nothing more than a non-functional home page graphic for over a year now.) I've redesigned it about four times, but just never felt satisfied. (thus, I never uploaded the damn thing.) I'm starting over (again) with something simple, but hopefully still professional looking (kind of!). I hope to have it up by sometime next month...we'll see...

I'd also like to try writing more prose stuff. It might be fun to do something different, eh?

I think the weather is starting to get to me...I'm looking forward to spring! I'm tired of wearing wool sweaters every day. Enough already!

It's even too crappy to take Harley for a walk. Slushy. I always come home with wet jeans' legs.

I am seriously tired of winter.

***

I bundled up and went out in the sleet/snowstorm to see Atonement yesterday.

Brilliant. The cinematography just blew me away. Well worth going to see on the big screen!

Check it out:

I am too nice:

I often avoid saying "fuck" when really, no other word describes so many things, so well.

***

I avoid conflict whenever possible, often to my own detriment.

***

I really do want a tattoo, but I keep wimpin' out.

***

In my next life, I'd like to be a total badass.

1, 2, 3, therapy.

Now, I don't usually blog about rejections ('cuz everybody gets them, and of course it's a bummer, but an unavoidable part of being a writer, I suppose...) but I thought it might be helpful to talk about how to cope with all that anxiety...

Thus: this is not a whiny post, but rather (I hope) a productive one!

First: when I get a rejection, I try to send out two more submissions the same day, if possible. Makes me feel a bit more active. (They don't call it a submission for nothing, folks!)

Second: I cook. Man, do I cook. Batches of cupcakes, homemade pot pies, vats of mashed potatoes...if it's comforting and time consuming, I'm making it...So you'll often find me up to my elbows in pastry dough, especially after a series of form letters have crowded my email (or snail mail) box. I also like to browse around here for new recipes!

Yesterday, I made homemade chicken pot pie with biscuit crust. I should have taken a picture for blogging purposes. (I have leftovers, but they just aren't as pretty.)

Third: Don't forget the wine! After a couple of glasses of good red wine, I usually forget why I was feeling bummed in the first place...

This is my new fave red wine.

(If it wasn't so bloody cold outside, I'd also suggest taking a nice long walk. Commune with nature. Bring your dog. Pick up his poop. Remember how very insignificant all this stuff is, anyway.)

because making fun of Tom Cruise never stops being funny...

Or:



Anyway, if everybody knew the Scientologists were promising spaceship parties with sno cones and sex droids, more people might sign up for the trip to outer space. Or whatever.

Creepy.

People Google the strangest things...

to arrive here.

For example:

"rain mythology"

"Irish Catholic guilt"

"how milk is made in woman's body"

& (my personal favorite)

"philosophy on figuring out life"



(Yeah, I love my stat counter. Makes me feel like James Bond.)

blossombones winter 2008

is now live!

Why not start off the new year with some thought porn?

Get a little Lesson in Cartomancy here.