He said "hand that pen over to ME, poetaster!"

My most productive week in AGES. Two sestinas and a poem about Massachusetts! And I'm not even doing July NaPoWriMo. Sadly both sestinas are silly and foaming at the mouth with emo (mainly because I was trying to find out whether sestinas were better when written in a big fast almost-stream-of-consciousness whirlwind rather than labouring over every end-word - still not sure really, and wondering if they aren't just simply annoying). Then on Thursday I went to the first of Roddy Lumsden's "50 States" readings at the Scooterworks Cafe - 50 poets, 50 states of America, huzzah, 50 poems. It was really good. I took Immy, and we sat there and sipped our neverending caffeine drinks, played Connect 4 and got the giggles over Idaho like the cool people we are. THEN Roddy comes up to me, says that the person doing Massachusetts tomorrow night has pulled out and would I like to do it instead?

And I thought: WARGH MASSACHUSETTS WHAT.
And I said: "Yeah, sure!"

And went home to eat Wikipedia. In the end the poem was hardly about Massachusetts at all - all vaguenesses and INSERT-CRAP-EMILY-DICKINSON-REFERENCE-HEREisms - but it did win me a bottle of bourbon. (Roddy: "Are you eighteen now or will I get arrested if I give this to you?") Earlier that night I became possibly the first person ever to get turned away at the bar for trying to order a glass of milk.

So, writing poems, learning Greek, hanging around in this glorious town that I live in. I've been a bit stressed lately for no reason - well, for REASONS, but not actual important ones - and it's made me kind of ill (stomach currently not digesting anything that isn't porridge. Or occasionally Cheerios). So I'm thinking of turning over a new leaf. The "Life Is Insane And You Can't Control It No Matter How Hard You Try So Stop Being Such A Bloody Capricorn And Be Happy" leaf. Let's hope it works.

Also, this. It's true.

Today I went to the Poetry Library and read Rosemary Tonks books out of the rare and out-of-print section. I am, sometimes, very easily pleased.