It's day eight of Poem-a-day April, and I'm feeling fresh out of ideas today, so for fun, I wrote a few limericks for Lydia, Elvis, and Henry. It was a fun little project, actually. Here they are:
There once was a girl named Lydia
who flew to a town in Australia.
She arrived too late
for her dinner date
but made it for the koala polka.
There once was a boy named Elvis
who went to the moon on some business.
He wore a red tie
and the aliens asked, "Why?
We only dress formal on Venus."
There once was a boy named Henry
who climbed to the top of a tree.
He looked all around
from the sky to the ground
and then said, "I saw all I can see."
I didn't pick easy names to rhyme, apparently.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Spring break 2012 - girls gone wild! With poetry!
I am sitting in the house I grew up in with all three of my kids sound asleep by 8 o'clock, drinking a glass of wine and writing poetry. This has been one of those amazing weeks you can never plan or count on happening for fear of disappointment, but when they come about, all you can really do is just rejoice and be glad.
We kicked off a week and a half vacation with the exciting news that my first full-length collection of poems was accepted for publication by Wipf and Stock Publishers. I don't have a contract in hand yet, so hopefully this announcement isn't premature. I am still in a bit of shock about this good news. I continue to be humbled and in awe at the work of Providence to have placed me in the unique and wonderful position I have with my job. The opportunities and relationships that have developed because of my work and the atmosphere I work in have really compelled me to write and propelled me forward in a way that would have been much more challenging were I to have gone about it my own way, and I thank God that he knows the plans he has for me better than I know for myself.
I am extremely grateful for the encouragement of my "poet mentor," Michael Miller, without whose encouragement I probably wouldn't have been writing as fervently or with as much zeal. There are of course many other influences (to be thanked at a later date) but most assuredly I wouldn't be here, writing about a forthcoming book, without Michael.
So with the happy news of a book coming out in the near future, we embarked on a trip to D.C. with the kids. It was our first family vacation with the five of us, and although we approached it with some apprehension, the trip went swimmingly, partly due to the opportunity to swim (ha ha ha). The kids all slept well in the hotel room, and that is the sort of thing that can make or break a trip for us. Henry was mostly cooperative except for riding in the car, which he hates, I guess, because he screamed 70% of the time. Other than that, we ate well, swam a bunch, saw lots of animals both stuffed and alive, and walked all over the place.
Our long weekend ended with a short stay at my in-laws and a visit with Brandon's brother who drove Great Mom-O up from Florida. It is always a joy to see any part of the Florida Wells clan. We returned home for a couple of days and enjoyed the brief respite of our own private quarters. AND! Aaaaaand, we found a new home for the dingo dog! Yes, that is right, Beans the great menace of a pooch has moved on to happier hunting grounds. No, he didn't die, but I am sure he feels like he is in heaven, with a family that likes him and another dog to play with in a yard three times as big. Poor guy. It was all sweet and no bitter in parting, especially when Lydia discovered her most recent favorite dolly had been disemboweled. Suddenly, Beans leaving for a new home wasn't such a bad idea. I really don't want to think about how much that dog has cost us in stuff he chewed up, never mind all of the usual doggy expenses.
Aaaaanyway, happiness flourishes in the Wells house once more now that our fourth unruly and disobedient child has moved out.
The remainder of our vacation (or my time off of work) has been spent with family. Brandon's grandma is beginning to lose her short term memory, or has lost it completely, depending on who you ask, and on top of that she's quite deaf. Upon returning from Florida, she needed to get some of her household affairs in order, so we have spent some time (hours) at her house helping her out (throwing out magazines from 2001, sorting through junk mail, setting up the voice mail on her phone, writing notes to help her remember what we did, etc.). She knows she is losing it, which makes it a little easier to help her. She receives the help with a little more grace and a little less stubbornness than she might have a year or two ago.
We met up with my family for my mom's 50th birthday mid-week, and we did a few errands at home, paid taxes, that sort of thing, then packed up again for Easter weekend. I colored eggs with the kids and made homemade peanut butter cups (mmmm google chocolate covered Katie and you will find the recipe) yesterday while Brandon did some yard work at his folks' house, and then we went out together alone for the first time in a while. It was a way overdue night out, in my opinion, and we had a grand time, listening to Blue Lunch at Northside in Akron. We even got up and danced a couple of songs. Anyone know a place to learn some couple dances in the Ashland area? I would love to force Brandon into it.
Finally, (whew! I bet you thought this would never end) I spent today with my cousins and their kids who all played together for about four hours with not a single whiny tear or complaint. It was amazing! I always feel as if going home to family or friends that have known me a long time is one of the rare moments when I feel most myself. I do not have to think much about what I say or how I might come off because, well, these people KNOW me. They know the awkward lanky me and they know the me that has three kids and a slightly crazy look in the eyes around 7 o'clock at night. They know the anti-alcohol (and everything else) me, and they know the wine guzzling me. Isn't there a George Strait song along these lines? All of Sarah arrives around family. There's no leaving part of the package behind.
Now, back where we began, I am happy to wrap up this post with a pat on the back to myself for seven solid days of poem-ing for the start of National Poetry Month and writing a poem a day. Maybe I can whip out another book... ;). My best work is behind me, might as well call it a career and retire to needlepoint and quilting. Who am I kidding? I know nothing about either of those things. I'm doomed to a life of writing poetry, the only thing I can pretend to be good at ( yup, I'm going to end that sentence and this post with "at").
We kicked off a week and a half vacation with the exciting news that my first full-length collection of poems was accepted for publication by Wipf and Stock Publishers. I don't have a contract in hand yet, so hopefully this announcement isn't premature. I am still in a bit of shock about this good news. I continue to be humbled and in awe at the work of Providence to have placed me in the unique and wonderful position I have with my job. The opportunities and relationships that have developed because of my work and the atmosphere I work in have really compelled me to write and propelled me forward in a way that would have been much more challenging were I to have gone about it my own way, and I thank God that he knows the plans he has for me better than I know for myself.
I am extremely grateful for the encouragement of my "poet mentor," Michael Miller, without whose encouragement I probably wouldn't have been writing as fervently or with as much zeal. There are of course many other influences (to be thanked at a later date) but most assuredly I wouldn't be here, writing about a forthcoming book, without Michael.
So with the happy news of a book coming out in the near future, we embarked on a trip to D.C. with the kids. It was our first family vacation with the five of us, and although we approached it with some apprehension, the trip went swimmingly, partly due to the opportunity to swim (ha ha ha). The kids all slept well in the hotel room, and that is the sort of thing that can make or break a trip for us. Henry was mostly cooperative except for riding in the car, which he hates, I guess, because he screamed 70% of the time. Other than that, we ate well, swam a bunch, saw lots of animals both stuffed and alive, and walked all over the place.
Our long weekend ended with a short stay at my in-laws and a visit with Brandon's brother who drove Great Mom-O up from Florida. It is always a joy to see any part of the Florida Wells clan. We returned home for a couple of days and enjoyed the brief respite of our own private quarters. AND! Aaaaaand, we found a new home for the dingo dog! Yes, that is right, Beans the great menace of a pooch has moved on to happier hunting grounds. No, he didn't die, but I am sure he feels like he is in heaven, with a family that likes him and another dog to play with in a yard three times as big. Poor guy. It was all sweet and no bitter in parting, especially when Lydia discovered her most recent favorite dolly had been disemboweled. Suddenly, Beans leaving for a new home wasn't such a bad idea. I really don't want to think about how much that dog has cost us in stuff he chewed up, never mind all of the usual doggy expenses.
Aaaaanyway, happiness flourishes in the Wells house once more now that our fourth unruly and disobedient child has moved out.
The remainder of our vacation (or my time off of work) has been spent with family. Brandon's grandma is beginning to lose her short term memory, or has lost it completely, depending on who you ask, and on top of that she's quite deaf. Upon returning from Florida, she needed to get some of her household affairs in order, so we have spent some time (hours) at her house helping her out (throwing out magazines from 2001, sorting through junk mail, setting up the voice mail on her phone, writing notes to help her remember what we did, etc.). She knows she is losing it, which makes it a little easier to help her. She receives the help with a little more grace and a little less stubbornness than she might have a year or two ago.
We met up with my family for my mom's 50th birthday mid-week, and we did a few errands at home, paid taxes, that sort of thing, then packed up again for Easter weekend. I colored eggs with the kids and made homemade peanut butter cups (mmmm google chocolate covered Katie and you will find the recipe) yesterday while Brandon did some yard work at his folks' house, and then we went out together alone for the first time in a while. It was a way overdue night out, in my opinion, and we had a grand time, listening to Blue Lunch at Northside in Akron. We even got up and danced a couple of songs. Anyone know a place to learn some couple dances in the Ashland area? I would love to force Brandon into it.
Finally, (whew! I bet you thought this would never end) I spent today with my cousins and their kids who all played together for about four hours with not a single whiny tear or complaint. It was amazing! I always feel as if going home to family or friends that have known me a long time is one of the rare moments when I feel most myself. I do not have to think much about what I say or how I might come off because, well, these people KNOW me. They know the awkward lanky me and they know the me that has three kids and a slightly crazy look in the eyes around 7 o'clock at night. They know the anti-alcohol (and everything else) me, and they know the wine guzzling me. Isn't there a George Strait song along these lines? All of Sarah arrives around family. There's no leaving part of the package behind.
Now, back where we began, I am happy to wrap up this post with a pat on the back to myself for seven solid days of poem-ing for the start of National Poetry Month and writing a poem a day. Maybe I can whip out another book... ;). My best work is behind me, might as well call it a career and retire to needlepoint and quilting. Who am I kidding? I know nothing about either of those things. I'm doomed to a life of writing poetry, the only thing I can pretend to be good at ( yup, I'm going to end that sentence and this post with "at").
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Book Two 2012 - Celebration of Discipline
Our small group worked through Richard J. Foster's Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth the first few months of 2012. In an effort to put spiritual disciplines into practice, our group spent a week on each chapter trying out the Inward Disciplines: Meditation, Prayer, Fasting, and Study, and the Outward Disciplines: Simplicity, Solitude, Submission, and Service. The third section, the Corporate Disciplines: Confession, Worship, Guidance, and Celebration, we didn't practice as a group but read through nonetheless.
As Foster repeats over and over throughout the book, spiritual disciplines are not meant to enslave us to rigid guidelines but rather are meant to set us free in all of the ways that we are to be free in Christ (if Christ has set you free, then you are free indeed!). This freedom is important to remember throughout each chapter and throughout the practice of each discipline; otherwise, we start practicing each discipline for the discipline's sake rather than growing closer to God through the disciplines, which is the true goal.
There are far too many gold nuggets worth quoting to list them all here. I appreciated each chapter immensely, felt challenged and encouraged each reading. This is a book worth reading and returning to.
As Foster repeats over and over throughout the book, spiritual disciplines are not meant to enslave us to rigid guidelines but rather are meant to set us free in all of the ways that we are to be free in Christ (if Christ has set you free, then you are free indeed!). This freedom is important to remember throughout each chapter and throughout the practice of each discipline; otherwise, we start practicing each discipline for the discipline's sake rather than growing closer to God through the disciplines, which is the true goal.
There are far too many gold nuggets worth quoting to list them all here. I appreciated each chapter immensely, felt challenged and encouraged each reading. This is a book worth reading and returning to.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
No Idle Hands Here
We've had another full, fun weekend around these parts. The rust bucket Durango retired at the Ford dealership Friday, and Brandon and I did a little happy dance that it did NOT begin belching smoke in the parking lot when they started it up. We pulled away with a 2004 Ford Expedition, pleased with our purchase and resigned to investing our money in a small oil field in Iran.
Friday night is Sarah-does-not-cook-if-the-husband-is-out-of-town night, so we ordered a small pizza for the kiddos, and Henry and I ate avocados, leftover roasted carrots, and bananas. I think - some combination like that, anyway. And after the kids went to bed, I watched the Ashland University women's basketball team play in the NCAA Division II national championship game with some friends here at the house. They lost, but boy, what a game!
After Pancake Saturday morning (now modified a smidge with these fantasmatic Paleo Pancakes for me and Henry and regular ones for Lyd and Elvis until we're out of pancake mix), we pulled out of the driveway in the new tank and headed to Mansfield for some spring shopping at Kohl's. After seven solid years of maternity bathing suits or post-baby swimsuits, I bought with confidence a swimsuit that is actually cute. The kids helped pick out the swimsuit. Kohl's is a ridiculously dangerous place to shop, because EVERYTHING'S ON SALE, which makes me feel like I can buy more than I actually need. So... we got Easter dresses, Easter shirts, shorts and pants for skinny-dad, and presents for my mom's 50th birthday. There's a good chance some of the stuff I bought will be returned later this week, since I found about a dozen Easter-appropriate shirts for the boys when we came home.
The other things I found when we came home were ants. Loads and loads of ants piled up on the floor in the kitchen. Apparently I dripped something from breakfast onto the floor and didn't get it cleaned up. Their congregation on the floor made extermination a breeze, though, and I haven't seen another one since. I'm sure everyone else has noticed the alarming abundance of insects out already this year. We don't usually have ant issues until summer. It's March (in case you missed it). Looks like we're in for a buggy year.
To sum up the rest of the weekend, there was a visit to the bookstore, a symphony event at the university, a trip to Medina for dinner with my folks, and church this morning. I'm hoping to spend the rest of the afternoon finishing up the clothes sorting and getting the house in order before the work week. We're heading to D.C. for a long weekend over spring break (woo hoo!), and I'd like to have most things in order before the week gets going. So, I'm planning on trying blackened chicken and guacamole with some sweet potato wedges for dinner tonight, something quick to prep and cook without a whole lot of attention.
It's been a full weekend, for sure, the kind of weekend that makes you feel like the time was well-spent. We milked every minute.
Friday night is Sarah-does-not-cook-if-the-husband-is-out-of-town night, so we ordered a small pizza for the kiddos, and Henry and I ate avocados, leftover roasted carrots, and bananas. I think - some combination like that, anyway. And after the kids went to bed, I watched the Ashland University women's basketball team play in the NCAA Division II national championship game with some friends here at the house. They lost, but boy, what a game!
After Pancake Saturday morning (now modified a smidge with these fantasmatic Paleo Pancakes for me and Henry and regular ones for Lyd and Elvis until we're out of pancake mix), we pulled out of the driveway in the new tank and headed to Mansfield for some spring shopping at Kohl's. After seven solid years of maternity bathing suits or post-baby swimsuits, I bought with confidence a swimsuit that is actually cute. The kids helped pick out the swimsuit. Kohl's is a ridiculously dangerous place to shop, because EVERYTHING'S ON SALE, which makes me feel like I can buy more than I actually need. So... we got Easter dresses, Easter shirts, shorts and pants for skinny-dad, and presents for my mom's 50th birthday. There's a good chance some of the stuff I bought will be returned later this week, since I found about a dozen Easter-appropriate shirts for the boys when we came home.
The other things I found when we came home were ants. Loads and loads of ants piled up on the floor in the kitchen. Apparently I dripped something from breakfast onto the floor and didn't get it cleaned up. Their congregation on the floor made extermination a breeze, though, and I haven't seen another one since. I'm sure everyone else has noticed the alarming abundance of insects out already this year. We don't usually have ant issues until summer. It's March (in case you missed it). Looks like we're in for a buggy year.
To sum up the rest of the weekend, there was a visit to the bookstore, a symphony event at the university, a trip to Medina for dinner with my folks, and church this morning. I'm hoping to spend the rest of the afternoon finishing up the clothes sorting and getting the house in order before the work week. We're heading to D.C. for a long weekend over spring break (woo hoo!), and I'd like to have most things in order before the week gets going. So, I'm planning on trying blackened chicken and guacamole with some sweet potato wedges for dinner tonight, something quick to prep and cook without a whole lot of attention.
It's been a full weekend, for sure, the kind of weekend that makes you feel like the time was well-spent. We milked every minute.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Book One - Best Spiritual Writing 2012
Well, I finally finished a book. It took me a while, mostly because I've been a lazy reader, but also because this fine book was just thick with the stuff that gets you thinking. The Best Spiritual Writing 2012 is a diverse and stimulating collection that includes both poetry and essay, work about wonder and awe, politics and chapels, evil, light, Cesar Chavez and the Dalai Lama, Judaism after the Holocaust, apparitions and visitations, and much much more.
The advantage to an anthology like this and the other Best Ofs that come out each year is that it's likely the reader hasn't really thought much about the majority of the topics, at least not recently. I can't say I've considered how to reconcile faith in God after the Holocaust as a Jew. And besides those things that I haven't thought about there are the subjects I wouldn't have even known about if not for the selections made by the editor. I love this kind of stretching, this kind of push to understand more of the world, spiritual and otherwise.
I was particularly moved by Tony Hiss's "Wonderlust", originally published in American Scholar, and Billy Collins's poem, "Gold" has stuck with me. Also "A Chapel Is Where You Can Hear Something Beating Below Your Heart" by Pico Iyer (from Portland). And "Rescuing Evil" by Ron Rosenbaum, from First Things is an extremely accurate reflection on what happens when we eliminate the concept of evil and write it off to all sorts of other things, as if crimes and violence are biological and not choices we make. The essay ends with a powerful line I'd hate to share and give away too much of what is so good about the work.
So there you have it - the first of ten books I intend to read for 2012.
In other news, I think I'm going to give the poem-a-day in National Poetry Month (April) a go once more. At the least, I'll get back into the habit of thinking poetically, right?
The advantage to an anthology like this and the other Best Ofs that come out each year is that it's likely the reader hasn't really thought much about the majority of the topics, at least not recently. I can't say I've considered how to reconcile faith in God after the Holocaust as a Jew. And besides those things that I haven't thought about there are the subjects I wouldn't have even known about if not for the selections made by the editor. I love this kind of stretching, this kind of push to understand more of the world, spiritual and otherwise.
I was particularly moved by Tony Hiss's "Wonderlust", originally published in American Scholar, and Billy Collins's poem, "Gold" has stuck with me. Also "A Chapel Is Where You Can Hear Something Beating Below Your Heart" by Pico Iyer (from Portland). And "Rescuing Evil" by Ron Rosenbaum, from First Things is an extremely accurate reflection on what happens when we eliminate the concept of evil and write it off to all sorts of other things, as if crimes and violence are biological and not choices we make. The essay ends with a powerful line I'd hate to share and give away too much of what is so good about the work.
So there you have it - the first of ten books I intend to read for 2012.
In other news, I think I'm going to give the poem-a-day in National Poetry Month (April) a go once more. At the least, I'll get back into the habit of thinking poetically, right?
Saturday, March 10, 2012
First World Problems: An Encounter with Infomercials
Excerpts from tonight's airing of THE PRICE OF SEX: A documentary on human trafficking.
"I was locked inside without a passport. I was inside all the time. I wasn't allowed out. Even the windows were shut. We were always working. Sometimes 50 clients a day. I have the same thoughts now that I did then: I wish I'd never been born. I'd be better off dead than living like this."
Does the sun make your deck or patio so unbearingly hot that you can't use it? Are you stuck inside on beautiful sunny days? I discovered that a SunSetter retractable awning is the perfect solution, and here's why...Call now, and save!
"'It was the Muslim holiday of Ramadan and the Turkish men are not allowed to have sex with anyone but their wives. So we had no clients. I woke up, got dressed. I went to the balcony and the door was open. I went down the pipe. But I didn't get very far.' She jumped, falling three floors. When she woke up, Jenya couldn't feel anything below her waist. She spent nearly a month in the hospital but before she could receive surgery, the pimps were allowed to take her back to the brothel... no one cared that she was partially paralyzed from the fall, or that she defecated on herself. The clients continued coming, it was business as usual."
Just when you think you have enough space, your things grow. It gets cramped, cluttered, and out of control. But now there's a smart solution for storing too much stuff and not enough space. SpaceBag Vacuum Seal storage bags... Everything stays compressed, AND protected. Guaranteed to keep out dirt, bugs, and moisture.
"There were girls who had been there for six months, a year, three years... They got used to it. What's to like there? That everyone violates and tortures you? A man gets on top of you, does his business, gets off, and leaves. It's pure evil. Plain and simple."
Oh, dear. Oh, dear! Ooh, dear. I'm not exactly sure what happened here last night. I was out helping people save money on car insurance. Geico, fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.
"As you can see, on all the corners are the police, the pimps, and the girls... When you go into the brothels, what's the first thing you see? First? Meat... But that's not the right question. Not the first but the last... the last thing you see... is pain... Those girls are new entries. They're so young. Yeah, no more than 20... Fifteen years ago Erina was trafficked to Athens. Men aren't the only ones to blame. As the saying goes: If you lift your skirt, the man will come. I can't be alone. I can't. I gotta talk to beat the blues. When you feel sad, what do you do? What do I do? I cry and cry, go out for a smoke... I think... But mostly I go and lie down so I can stop thinking. I offered to take Erina back to Bulgaria, to the children she left behind. She turned my offer down."
The sun used to make our outdoor deck and patio space so hot and uncomfortable you couldn't use it. But then we discovered the SunSetter retractable awning! Our SunSetter retractable awning opens and closes in 60 seconds. It keeps our patio about 20 degrees cooler! It provides instant shade--and instant protection--from the sun's harmful rays. And our SunSetter cost under $700. But now, you can get your SunSetter for as little as $499 when you call now to get this special $200 certificate...Life is better under a SunSetter!
"Who were the clients? Who? Arabs, Moldovans, Russians, British, Americans, everyone. Everyone. Hindus, Pakistans. From the lowest class to the highest. Understand? ..."
"Men here prefer the new girls who have been used less. Their bosses slip drugs and ecstasy into their drinks so that the girls are flirtier and more fun. // What? Am I saying too much?..."
"Criminals avoid prosecution, it's the women who bear the burden. Alessia chose to deal with the consequences. 'I will tell my son. They'll say, 'Oh, your mom was like that.' Of course now he doens't understand but when he's grown up, I'll be ashamed.'"
Sometimes your dog really is your best friend, but not when you are driving around a bend. You tell him to stay, but all he wants to do is play! Introducing the Click N Stay! The ultimate solution to keeping your dog in his seat, so you can be safe and secure in yours...
"The Price of Sex" is written, directed and produced by Mimi Chakarova. Visit www.priceofsex.org to find out how you can help.
"I was locked inside without a passport. I was inside all the time. I wasn't allowed out. Even the windows were shut. We were always working. Sometimes 50 clients a day. I have the same thoughts now that I did then: I wish I'd never been born. I'd be better off dead than living like this."
Does the sun make your deck or patio so unbearingly hot that you can't use it? Are you stuck inside on beautiful sunny days? I discovered that a SunSetter retractable awning is the perfect solution, and here's why...Call now, and save!
"'It was the Muslim holiday of Ramadan and the Turkish men are not allowed to have sex with anyone but their wives. So we had no clients. I woke up, got dressed. I went to the balcony and the door was open. I went down the pipe. But I didn't get very far.' She jumped, falling three floors. When she woke up, Jenya couldn't feel anything below her waist. She spent nearly a month in the hospital but before she could receive surgery, the pimps were allowed to take her back to the brothel... no one cared that she was partially paralyzed from the fall, or that she defecated on herself. The clients continued coming, it was business as usual."
Just when you think you have enough space, your things grow. It gets cramped, cluttered, and out of control. But now there's a smart solution for storing too much stuff and not enough space. SpaceBag Vacuum Seal storage bags... Everything stays compressed, AND protected. Guaranteed to keep out dirt, bugs, and moisture.
"There were girls who had been there for six months, a year, three years... They got used to it. What's to like there? That everyone violates and tortures you? A man gets on top of you, does his business, gets off, and leaves. It's pure evil. Plain and simple."
Oh, dear. Oh, dear! Ooh, dear. I'm not exactly sure what happened here last night. I was out helping people save money on car insurance. Geico, fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.
"As you can see, on all the corners are the police, the pimps, and the girls... When you go into the brothels, what's the first thing you see? First? Meat... But that's not the right question. Not the first but the last... the last thing you see... is pain... Those girls are new entries. They're so young. Yeah, no more than 20... Fifteen years ago Erina was trafficked to Athens. Men aren't the only ones to blame. As the saying goes: If you lift your skirt, the man will come. I can't be alone. I can't. I gotta talk to beat the blues. When you feel sad, what do you do? What do I do? I cry and cry, go out for a smoke... I think... But mostly I go and lie down so I can stop thinking. I offered to take Erina back to Bulgaria, to the children she left behind. She turned my offer down."
The sun used to make our outdoor deck and patio space so hot and uncomfortable you couldn't use it. But then we discovered the SunSetter retractable awning! Our SunSetter retractable awning opens and closes in 60 seconds. It keeps our patio about 20 degrees cooler! It provides instant shade--and instant protection--from the sun's harmful rays. And our SunSetter cost under $700. But now, you can get your SunSetter for as little as $499 when you call now to get this special $200 certificate...Life is better under a SunSetter!
"Who were the clients? Who? Arabs, Moldovans, Russians, British, Americans, everyone. Everyone. Hindus, Pakistans. From the lowest class to the highest. Understand? ..."
"Men here prefer the new girls who have been used less. Their bosses slip drugs and ecstasy into their drinks so that the girls are flirtier and more fun. // What? Am I saying too much?..."
"Criminals avoid prosecution, it's the women who bear the burden. Alessia chose to deal with the consequences. 'I will tell my son. They'll say, 'Oh, your mom was like that.' Of course now he doens't understand but when he's grown up, I'll be ashamed.'"
Sometimes your dog really is your best friend, but not when you are driving around a bend. You tell him to stay, but all he wants to do is play! Introducing the Click N Stay! The ultimate solution to keeping your dog in his seat, so you can be safe and secure in yours...
"The Price of Sex" is written, directed and produced by Mimi Chakarova. Visit www.priceofsex.org to find out how you can help.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Hello and Goodbye, AWP
Hello, home. Hello, dog, whose behavior seems miraculously better after a week apart. Hello, thermostat set at just the right temperature. Hello, eastern standard time and your accommodating capacity to keep my baby asleep until a godlier hour than central time. Hello, taller, smarter, better enunciating children-- has it only been four days?? Hello, patient and dessert-producing grandparents, and thank you. Hello, town whose population might know the name of one contemporary poet (besides me, ah ah ah). Hello, DVR and free wireless. Hello, sweet potatoes and grilled chicken and food I didn't have to order or inquire about the nutritional content. Hello, eight dollar bottle, and goodbye eight dollar glass, of wine. Hello, open space to breathe. Hello, mud and trees and snow and tulips pushing through, and goodbye black and wet asphalt, icy, breath-sucking wind, marble, concrete, glass, concrete, and concrete.
Goodbye, friends from other places, friends who can carry a conversation about truth and narrative, farms and marketing, about poets and writers and panels. Goodbye, five hour ride across Indiana. Goodbye, Sirius XM radio. Goodbye, husband, and time alone (almost) with you. Goodbye four days with no pick-up or drop-off or gymnastics or homework or babysitter. Goodbye, ethnic variety. Goodbye, writers I know and writers who might know me (ha ha ha). Goodbye, high-heeled dress shoes, black-and-gray wardrobe, standing and talking all day, and hello, clogs and blue jeans and t-shirts. Goodbye, extroverted Sarah, and hello, introverted Sarah. Hello alarm clock. Goodbye "going out for a drink" and "where do you want to eat tonight" and "it's just a few blocks away" and "we can split a cab" and "should we take the train?" and "I think we'll walk" and "do you see the shuttle yet?" and "sorry I missed you!" and "so good to see you!" and "see you next year!" and "Brrrrrrrr!" Goodbye, Chicago union workers picking up my empty boxes and discarded discount subscription flyers. Goodbye, brand-new rental Chrysler Town and Country with the video rear-view monitor, and hello, Ford Fiesta, Dodge Durango. Goodbye, toll roads. Goodbye, AWP, goodbye.
Goodbye, friends from other places, friends who can carry a conversation about truth and narrative, farms and marketing, about poets and writers and panels. Goodbye, five hour ride across Indiana. Goodbye, Sirius XM radio. Goodbye, husband, and time alone (almost) with you. Goodbye four days with no pick-up or drop-off or gymnastics or homework or babysitter. Goodbye, ethnic variety. Goodbye, writers I know and writers who might know me (ha ha ha). Goodbye, high-heeled dress shoes, black-and-gray wardrobe, standing and talking all day, and hello, clogs and blue jeans and t-shirts. Goodbye, extroverted Sarah, and hello, introverted Sarah. Hello alarm clock. Goodbye "going out for a drink" and "where do you want to eat tonight" and "it's just a few blocks away" and "we can split a cab" and "should we take the train?" and "I think we'll walk" and "do you see the shuttle yet?" and "sorry I missed you!" and "so good to see you!" and "see you next year!" and "Brrrrrrrr!" Goodbye, Chicago union workers picking up my empty boxes and discarded discount subscription flyers. Goodbye, brand-new rental Chrysler Town and Country with the video rear-view monitor, and hello, Ford Fiesta, Dodge Durango. Goodbye, toll roads. Goodbye, AWP, goodbye.
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