Sounds of the 70s

I'm getting ready to tackle a project and thought I'd cast out a wider net to get input. So here's a question for the poetry folk: who do you think are the essential poets of the 1970s?

I've got my personal list, influenced by what I like and have been able to find and read readily--but I know it's only a smattering of what's out there. So I'm just floating this.

IDQotM: $$$ Changes Everything

This is in a dead heat with "When You Were Mine" as my favorite Cyndi Lauper song.

Sweet Hell

Eric sent me this. It's my favorite thing right now (besides the Bollywood Thriller clip with transliterated subtitles...yes, Aaron, I'm still watching it.) OH and I should mention NSFW.

More funny videos like the "Cooking by the Book" at Heavy.com

IDQotM: "Change of Heart" Live

Prezzies

I got to work yesterday morning and found a gift bag on the office counter with my name on it. Friends of mine had bought me a Warren Wilson hoodie (their son's an alum.) It didn't strike me until later in the day that it was only a month until my first residency...I think I have everything squared away and taken care of in terms of paperwork and all that jazz...now I just have to finish my homework assignment.

It's going to be a crazy month, so I think by the time I'm about to hit the road for North Carolina I'll be more than ready to go. I decided to go ahead and accept a promotion, it's nothing too major, just formalizing some things I've already been doing for the owners. We're still hammering out some details regarding hours, but they're determined to make sure I have time for my course work.

IDQotM: Cyndi Lauper, "Carey"

GeeGaws, Turkey Skin, & Looking like a Doofus

I've been on a binge lately, buying things that I find visually interesting...usually I just buy shoes, books, and cds. Over the last few weeks I've just been buying little things that strike me. God knows with winter coming I need something to look at.

~*~

Evie made it through her first Thanksgiving with us. By made it, I mean she managed to eat her weight in stuff she begged. We've discovered that she loves cooked carrots and steamed broccoli. However she's not exactly pleasant company after. Usually I give the cat some turkey skin as a little holiday treat--I finally had to lock the dog in the bathroom so Fletcher could actually get his snack. Shameless. I'll have to be careful or the dog will be obese.

~*~

I got a new cap for winter. I'm sick of wearing ski-caps, so I got a wool Cadet cap. I wore it the other day for the first time to see if I'd like it. As soon as my mom saw it she said "You look like a doofus. Can you return it?"

IDQotM Pink, "So What"

Happy Thanksgiving--Eat Lots of Pie!

Because I Wanted to Post Something

It's been fun seeing other people's responses to Mary Biddinger's pop quiz. So, here's mine.

1. When was the last time you wrote a poem?
About three weeks ago.

2. What was its title?
Ontology: Britney Spears

3. What was one image from the poem (if applicable)?
Sequined panties.

4. Do you currently have a poem percolating in your brain?
Yes. It's in process. It's different.

5. If you answered "yes" to number four, what is one image from that poem?
A cheese and lettuce sandwich on white bread with mayo.

Sub-Atomic Dog

I'd talked earlier in the year about getting a house-dog. I eventually decided that it'd need to be put on hold indefinitely, what with going to LA for the Lambda Retreat and the if/when of the low-res program. But, a former co-worker called to see if I'd like to take her dog, a three-year-old Pom-Peke mix (soooo butch...but I did want a small dog) because her husband's allergies was making keeping Evie difficult. So I met her, I fell in love, and now I'm a new doggie daddy again.

Surety

Yesterday was my cousin's memorial service. My mom had to work, so I had to go solo to represent our side of the family. It wasn't as rough emotionally as I thought it would be. But it helped me clarify a few things.

*When I die there are two things I do not want: a bagpipe version of "Amazing Grace" and any version of "His Eye is on the Sparrow." I will accept a bagpipe version of "John, I'm Only Dancing" or "Ashes to Ashes."

*I have fantastic friends and I am luckier than I deserve.

*If you're not on my side, I have no use for you.

How...Festive

If you want something new for your holiday decor--try this.

They have craft options for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hannukah!

Your period comes every month, but Xmas comes only once a year. So bring
that menstrual joy to this holiday season with these tampon tree decorations.
From a string of tampon lights to a star at the top of the tree, feminine
hygiene has never been so festive!

Well, Damn

Grace Hartigan has died.

A few fantastic quotes from the obit:

“I didn’t choose painting,” she later told an interviewer. “It chose me. I didn’t have any talent. I just had genius.”

“Pop Art is not painting because painting must have content and emotion,” she said in the 1960’s. On the other hand, she reflected at the time of the Whitney show, “I’d much rather be a pioneer of a movement that I hate than the second generation of a movement that I love.”

“Or perhaps the subject of my art is like the definition of humor — emotional pain remembered in tranquillity.”

“Now as before it is the vulgar and the vital and the possibility of its transformation into the beautiful which continues to challenge and fascinate me.”

Whoa, Nelly

Yesterday I went up to Pittsburgh with Aaron, Tommy, and Irene. Irene and I were taping episodes of Prosody with Jan Beatty for WYEP in Pittsburgh. It was fun and I didn't drop any of the 7 dirty words...and actually I think a couple of the edits I made on poems are improvements and not momentary dodges.

After that was the bookshopping. We hit four bookstores before we headed back to West-by-God. I don't want to think about how much I've spent on books in the last ten days. Tuesday, Irene and I are going back up to Pittsburgh with Aaron for a reading he's doing--we're planning on hitting two more bookstores that were closed last night. Voracious.

Thank God

I stayed up until 2 am watching returns. I'm groggy but I'm happy. I kept getting weepy last night and am still tearing up randomly this morning. I am proud this morning, you betcha and also.

Anecdotal

I have a love-hate relationship with Andrew Sullivan--I find him equally necessary and infuriating. But today, I'm grateful he's around on the net. He's posting emails from his blog readers describing their voting experiences. I can't really keep up with the news today and really it'd probably just make me crazy if it did...but these little reports from folks out voting today are just what I need. You can find them here.

My Mama for Obama

My mom just called--she voted. Not much of a crowd at our polling place when she went, though the poll workers said there was a crowd waiting before the polls opened. For the first time in her life she voted for a Democratic candidate for president.

Last night I found out one of my favorite cousins had died. He was about six months younger than I and I always thought of him as a counterpoint. He'd had a lot of problems: addiction issues, rehab stints, jail time, accidents and incidents. He was an unapologetic roughneck but was always very sweet and tender when he dealt with me and my mother. I'm just processing it all right now.

I Need a Program

There needs to be a 12-step program for those addicted to tracking polls.

I don't know what I'll do with myself come Nov. 5.