Maybe a better starting place

Maybe the place to start when talking about poetry forums is what is and isn't working.

So, do you workshop your poetry? Where do you go? Where don't you go? Why? Why? Why?

If anyone doesn't want to go public with their places and reasons, send me an email. I'm very interested.

Designing the perfect poetry board

Talking about poetry boards makes me wonder what really would make a good one, if started today from scratch. For example, I prefer PFFA's software to any other. I prefer Gaz's former single forum for all poetry setup. I like a mix of newcomers and oldtimers, form and free. As few rules as possible. Many styles welcome. Discussion encouraged. Arguments allowed.

The closest thing to this currently is the Gaz. But there have been a lot of poets who have fled the Gaz over the years because of various political power plays and general goofiness. Other forums, though, simply don't get the traffic, other than PFFA and Erato--and both of those forums have been damaged, perhaps irrevocably, by high-profile abuses of power.

In a previous comment, I mentioned to Howard that perhaps the status of the online poetry forum has reached its maturity. Perhaps it was a boom time and now things can settle into a slower period. Or perhaps it was a fad, and now things will simply die.

If all of the best and brightest from every board got together, I bet that something amazing could come of it. It might be nuclear war rather than a great poetry board, but it would still be amazing.

Oh my

Rum cake flavored popcorn.

Yeah, I know. I'm all about the popcorn lately.

But this stuff is like crunchy heaven. It's like butter rum lifesavers melted over popcorn.

Trust me.

So Gazebo has added a metrical board

Without looking, I'll make a guess--it's filled with people writing strictly rhymed and metered doggerel.

The older I get, the more I dislike "light" poetry. If it doesn't have some heft to it, I don't want to bother. Bah.

In general, I'm disappointed about the split. I haven't looked around to see if I would still be allowed to post my stuff on the main board. One of the things I really don't like about Erato is the exclusivity and narrow-mindedness. I'd hate to see a better board follow that same path.

This is the life

Still a little sick, but I'm feeling the love since Steve gave me a belated Valentine's Day present.

Heated computer gloves!

Hot diggity, I'm in love. With him and with these gloves. I'm toasty!

I assume I'm not at death's door...

... since I just made Steve go get me cheese corn.

Or maybe I should assume it's really bad if I'm craving cheese corn. Go out with a bang?

In any case, I feel better. Thanks to all for the good wishes. Something worked.

Now my keyboard has orange fingerprints all over it.

So sick

Send healing thoughts. And a blankie. *sob*

The funeral home visit

A coworker lost his father over the weekend, and last night was visiting hours at the funeral home. His father had been sick for years, so while there was no jubilation at his death, there was some relief.

The coworker and I had often discussed whose situation was better--his or mine. His father was ill, with a long, slow decline. Mine visited me in the morning and in the afternoon he was dead. I didn't watch my father suffer, but I also didn't get to say goodbye.

What a trade-off.

It's hard to convince myself that I'm lucky, but I think I really was. Still miss my daddy, though. Religious belief would be comforting, but I tried for over 25 years to believe and it never really worked.

Another trade-off.

I have Girl Scout cookies, Samoas, on my desk. I don't think there's really a downside to that.

I think my gizzard has been squished

Back at the doctor's for an ultrasound. They made me drink great quantities of liquid, then smooshed my bladder until I begged for mercy.

It would be a good interrogation technique for "24."

"Tell me where he is, Dad, or I will squish your gizzard!"

Jack would do it, too. You know he would.

Friend threatened with lawsuit

A friend of mine is being threatened with a lawsuit for what looks like the dumbest reason in history. But she's afraid, and I'm not a lawyer. I know a few of you reading are, so if anyone would be willing to look at an email and give a very general impression, I'd be grateful.

Conjunction junction, what's my malfunction?

Gah. Doctors and tests. It would be one thing if I could get all Camille and wanly hide my encroaching death. A little Violetta and I could do some soprano vocal gymnastics and be all tragic. "Amami, Alfredo!"

But noooo. It has to be things like potential kidney infections. There's a reason people don't write operas about kidney infections. One can't be wan and tragic with a kidney infection. Well, one could, but I can't.

Whew, bios are hard

A new issue of MIPOesias will be going live soon, and I had to record a number of bios for it. Bios are really hard to record, much harder than poems. All those names!

If I butchered anyone's name, I'm so sorry.

Let there be light!

Electricity was finally on for good (I hope) today, which meant I was finally back at work. Woo.

You know, I actually like my job--when I'm not doing it. Gee, I wonder why.

I'm still not writing. I don't have the itch. I'm reading a lot, and playing online games of Werewolf/Mafia. But poetry just isn't where it's at at the moment moment. So, you all have to pick up the slack. Get along there, little dogies!

Ouch, that metaphor was so mixed, I think it actually became a can of nuts.

Back in black, and blue

We have electricity again! Dayum, am I ever a child of the modern age. I couldn't function without lightbulbs and cable internet.

I was home yesterday and again today because of an ice storm that has wiped out the county. It's beautiful outside, but dammit, where's spring?

One more week, one more week, one more week, week, week

Until pitchers and catchers report. Hi ho, Silver!

The world's biggest jerk

I cannot tell a lie. I have seen (and done) some truly jerkish things. But I think this takes the cake.

My coworker got a call from her husband wherein he announced that they were getting divorced. She was at work. She was about 15 feet away from me (I felt the urge to type in "as the crow flies" which would be a bizarre image, even for me). 15 feet away as her world ended.

Damn. If there's someone who deserves to be chained to a rock while crows peck at his liver, it's that dude. Eagles. Vultures. You make up your ancient myths; I'll make up mine!

Wordpress go boom!

Well, I attempted to transfer over to Wordpress, and now I have an empty blog over there that claims to have all the posts from over here, I just can't see them. The import got hung up somewhere around post 150. Obviously, I talk a whoooole lot.

Somewhere, Father Harwick is sniggering

You know the Bible 95%!

 

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

It's one of those days

You probably know the kind. You're just unhappy, for no good reason.

I want out, but I don't even know what I'm in. Just a life.

As I'm typing, I'm looking at my hands. They look blue-veined and old. I don't feel old inside. I feel like a sullen teenager, wondering where all the fun is.

We have a "Level 1 Snow Emergency" on the roads. I don't even know what that means other than it means I'm too chicken to go out and drive around in it. They always say that teenagers have no idea of their own mortality. When did I lose that ignorance? I'm so aware of my own mortality I'm surprised I don't live in a padded cell.

This'll go down on my permanent record!

I'm on academic probation.

Because I am a slacker and a bad person and a Taurus.