been ages since I've posted to this but then, I've had a lot to do since April. Like the family trip to Switz. and working all the damn time at the day job, p/t at editing (Black Lawrence Press), and p/t teaching (this summer only at the Bklyn Veterans' Center once a week). I've also continued doing "Poem-a-Day" with my friend Mary Ellen (we'll have a chapbook together soon as she done with her latest Human Rights project). Somewhere in there, was a trip to NH to the beach (which was gorgeous but packed with GIANT sized Red Sox fans) and then a weekend in Wildwood, NJ (another gorgeous beach - this one packed with people from NJ). A couple of trips to my new favorite beach (minus the disgusting bathrooms & overpriced beach tags - $12) - Long Beach, NY. It's a quick(ish) direct trip from Penn Station and then just a 5 minute walk to the boardwalk.

I also managed to have: a dead neighbor (goodbye Margaret) who was in her apt in the Heat Wave "for some time," a lazy landlord who let the whole bldg become infest with...yes...bed bugs (not to mention corpse flies and these little teeny black beetles that kept showing up in the hallway)...In 2 days, I cleared out 16 bags of stuff - manuscripts, books, clothes, etc. etc. And a storage room full of boxes - mostly books, some vinyl, some art. If anyone needs to know how to prep against bed bugs or say...the stench of death ...just let me know, I have lots of helpful household hints. Right now I'm sitting here watching Tommy Lee Jones in "In the Electric Mist with the Confederate Dead" - not sure if he works as DR for me - even though he's a better actor than Baldwin. Baldwin somehow gets it better. Just the latest chapter in my obsession with that city. You'd think losing half my stuff & several hundred dollars during my former residence in New Orleans would've cured me? but no. Why can't I fall in love with a town like say, Denver? or Portland? somewhere I can get a safe job, a decent apt. and won't have a whole host of temptations lining up outside my door. Okay...maybe not Portland then. Meanwhile...now I'm not in school (for now) not only am I broke (thanks to all those student loans coming due at the same time) but I'm also getting some "leisure" reading done. So far, I'm almost all the way through all the Kem Nunn's "surf noir" stuff and working on all the Tim Winton. I'm sure there's a lot more in there but that's all I can remember while listening to the dulcet tones of TLJ's voice trying to do a New Orleans accent. *sigh* Probably post some photos if blogger lets me. Because, of course, my obsession with taking photos of everything everywhere continues.