Sunday, September 19, 2010

Uh oh

Was innocently walking Greta on Ocean by Miramar, one of our old hangouts (yes, Greta is now somewhat — 4-blocks — ambient), when we passed by a small poster for the Friends of the San Francisco Library Book Sale. Now, we're talking about a household that should be selling, not buying books. And I'm unemployed! But, because I'm unemployed, I can go early. And often.



See you there!

Gonna concentrate on the poetry books. And I'll look at the photography books for John. Hey, it's September. It's almost Christmas.

Now, I don't know why the link didn't come through, showed like a big hole in this post. I've re-inserted it, but with no confidence.

Anyway, scored big at the sale, so big that I had an agonizing walk back to my car with several large heavy bags. Had to park up the street on my hill all day because of PG&E shenanigans. It's not been fun carrying a 40-pound dog, and I couldn't deal with the books. Hence they were still in the car until this morning, when I got them here.

Let's see: several photo books for John, a large Blake-illustrated version of Dante, and poems by: A. Sexton, J. Ashbery, C. Dennis, T. Lux, N. Flynn, E. Montale, M. Peacock, D. Baker, R. Dove., Y. Komunyakaa, P. Neruda, W. Stevens, R.M., Rilke, C. Twichell, L. Gluck, A. Rich, C.P. Cavafy, B. Collins, M. O'Rourke, O. De La Paz, C. Marvin, the Vintage anthology, ed. by McClatchey, and The Metaphysical Poets, ed. by Helen Gardner.

I'm sure I could get more today, only I'm not going back, unless someone else is carrying!

Saw Lisa and Erich.

[Link does not show. If someone knows why, tell me!]

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Mixed Blessings




[photo of Greta on a happier day]

First, in the you never know department … My entire section of Picasso women poems has been taken. Details to come, as I haven't signed a contract yet and an approval is involved. But I'm very thrilled. I sent out four of these as part of a 15-page query to a poetry publisher, in hopes of placing HUE AND CRY, and the book wasn't taken but these were. Probably the best rejection I've got, if not ever, in a long time.

Meanwhile, John is away at VCCA (and I haven't told him this yet, but I doubt he reads my blog), and Greta Garbo, our 15-year-old dog, is sick. She has an ear infection that is apparently giving her vertigo and makes her tilt. Poor little baby! I'm leaving in about an hour to attend Melissa Stein's reading, but then I have to rush home to wash Greta's ear with an earwash and give her some pills. (She hasn't eaten anything all day, and her favorite treat, a strip of dried chicken, sits untouched by her left foot. It's very sad.)

N&J helped me enormously last night, confirming that Greta wasn't just being weird 'cause John was gone, and drove and carried her into the all-night pet hospital for me. This ain't an Academy Award-type thank you: I could not have done it without them.

More later …

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Update on the above: I've signed an agreement with Narrative Magazine to publish all 12 of my "Picasso Women" poems, an entire section of my new manuscript (and they pay!). This brings my acceptance rate for 2010 to 19 poems! This is unbelievable! I'm so thrilled.

Greta is doing a bit better. The problem is an old-dog vestibular ailment rather than an ear infection per se. Yesterday we even tried a slight walk at 6:00-ish. Then she woke in the middle of the night for what seemed like no reason but was this morning revealed to be a raccoon intruder in the basement. Muddy paw prints and water bowl, not from G., as she's been upstairs. Good for Greta, my old watchdog, but unfortunately, not easy to get back to sleep. As a result, I now feel like shit.