Civ 3 review inspiration

Was reading some Civ 3 strategy guides when I came across this hilarious tidibit at IGN.com--am posting it here since it looks like a great diving board for a poem:

And for some reason, someone thought it would be cool to add the sound of birds chirping to the game. This is honestly probably the most irritating aspect of the game. It's bad enough to hear real birds chirping outside my window because I've been up for 10 hours playing this game. When the game makes chirping sounds it triggers a Pavlovian response in me that makes me feel more tired than I am.

-- Steve Butts

Have finished my revisions for the day and tomorrow will start another double round of poem-a-day challenges at Blueline and ITWS. I *deserve* this afternoon off!!!!

Sometimes I think I'm a bee (Greek)

Recent buzz words:

• revisions (a.k.a. the list poem massacre)

• Civ 3 (or the day I woke up Greek--after exterminating the Romans and launching the spaceship)

• rejection slip from Lost Horse Press re: scrying sand mss (a.k.a. as Lost Hope Case--the rejection was good, positive, especially since I've totally trashed the old mss. Hee.)

• and lastly, book-shopping today!!

Have ordered my half-year's supply of poetry books: "The Beauty of the Husband" by Anne Carson; "How Things Are On Thursday" by Ros Barber; "The Book of Judas" by Brendan Kennelly; "Signs Round a Dead Body" by Deryn Rees-Jones and "The Beautiful Lie" by Sheenagh Pugh for my birthday. Something to look forward to, at least... together with imminent botulin injections around the eyes.

My Third Secret Love Poem is up at leaf press (Monday poem)... as sort of consolation prize for rejecting my secret love poem mss on account of my current address. Sigh.

Some days I speak Greek, think Greek, feel Greek and totally indifferent to my surroundings (which includes a dusty chocolate Easter egg that cries out to be ravished).

These past two days...

I've behaved: have recorded my poems for the fall issue of 2River View, revised around four poems today and submitted stuff here and there. Have also updated the 2005 credits and links in the website.

Also, the clothes mound on the living room sofa is has incredibly halved! Have ironed and put away some... or, as my darling hubby puts it, I have distributed the mound elsewhere.

Everything seems calm and content. Have begun spaceship construction in Civ III as Shogun Tofugawa... which means the game is about to end. Couldn't resist: have wiped out the Chinese and Roman civilizations--mainly because they were "in the way." Funny how these games simulate real life so well.

Have also discovered the breathtaking surreal art of Giovanni Cannizzo at deviantART which I'm hoping to use for the next issue of NG. Yay! Very excited about it.

Back from S. Primo (Bellagio)

And not very happy about it. First, the ride back home was terrible... it literally rained (and hailed) cats and dogs in the freeway, then we came home and discovered that some idiot neighbor switched off our electrical current. The freezer leaked water all over the kitchen floor and I had to say a sad goodbye to all the (ex)frozen meat, seafood, potatoes... and my beloved provision of chopped onion.
Just wait until I get my chair on that %$&#@ who did this!

To top it all, all computers seemed to have gone on vacation, too and wouldn't connect to the internet until tonight.

Also found a a rejection letter in the mailbox from CavanKerry Press regarding my mss, "The Lean Season". Handwritten under the form letter:

Arlene--
This is so beautifully written, but CRP has put a hold on considering any manuscript from outside the US.

Sigh!!!!

Vacation leave

We're off to Lake Como this morning for a weeklong stay in the midst of woods and bovine animals. Will be back on the 20th.

In the meantime, I've uploaded (and illustrated) my fun essay on SimCity 4 at my site: The Affairs of a Modern-Day Housewife


My three-story house as Pursky Muska mayor... those sure were the days!

Yay, Rattle! And views of my workplace.

YAY! Had a wonderful surprise around midnight last night--received an acceptance note from Rattle. Have been trying with them for years so this sure made my Thursday. Funny coincidence: was writing my bio for three candles just a few minutes before that and was undecided whether or not to add Rattle among my publication credits since that was way back in 1999 or thereabouts. In the end, I threw it in... and then wooohooo!


There's this challenge at Jude's blog to post a picture of one's workplace. So here are mine... the Dali figure is from V and I quote:

Each morning when I awake, I experience again a supreme pleasure--that of being Salvador Dalì.

Acceptance notes from three candles and Smiths Knoll

YAY! Received two acceptance notes from two great journals these last couple of days:

three candles is taking two poems: There is very little left and The Cloud Goddess Recalls a Paper Boat

while

Smiths Knoll, a UK-based print magazine (and paying market), will be publishing Seasonal Craving and quite possibly The 24th Secret Love Poem.

Spent the day working on V's website today... and cursing pointedly at faulty javascript commands. But it's looking goooood!
Her essay, Kodaikanal, Annotated is a hilarious dictionary-type account of her trip to India. Very original!
Interviews with Leonard Gontarek and Marilyn Chin as well as our collaborative poems from Bundles of Letters, Including A, V and Epsilon (tentative book title) are up!

Lazed around yesterday looking for Blueline emoticons and avatars to upload on the site when I found this:

and have been ever since. Teehee.

That's it--I give up!

With two birthday parties this weekend and less than a week to pack for the Lago di Como trip, I just can't concentrate enough to talk to percolators and ingratiating female mustaches, and then write about it. Plus, my website and Valerie's need to be updated.

It's also about time I spend quality time with my hubby who's on vacation at home....
Which, of course, comes after shamelessly brushing and rebrushing my Barbie's hair. I know, I know--at my age!

But if Chuck said, and I quote:

Age is good. Experience.
Paunch is better. Substantial.

Then it goes to follow that:

Barbie doll is good. Acceptance of infantile behavior.
Nylon hair is better. Significant communion with one's Id.

I'm very tempted to use the hot curling iron... not sure if that's a good idea though. Hmmm.

Mail surprise and new workshop!

I'm doing the happy dance today
because a littly birdy sent me a collection of surrealist poems by C.D Wright, "Steal Away". I mean doesn't reading lines like:

There are enough signs. Of lack of tenderness in the
world. And yet. And yet. All you have to do is ask. Anyone
here can extol the virtues of an onion. Where to get barbecue
minced, pulled, or chopped. The hour of the day they have
known the thorn of love.

--from "Deepstep Come Shining"

make your multiple selves go !!!

THANK YOU, Valerie!!!!

Have also joined a new poetry workshop: three candles which focuses on critique and revisions. The fact that everyone comes under their own name is very reassuring. I've really never liked the mask of nicknames many people use in other boards... probably because I haven't got the imagination and flair for inventing a cool one for myself. Teehee. Loser!


Arlene

"Desecration of Doves" update

I'm very pleased to discover that my book is now also available through:

Amazon.com (at $9.95)

Amazon.co.uk (at £5.73)

Powell's Books (at $3 more the normal price )

and Barnes and Noble (with 10% discount for B&N members!)

Also got tickled by this B&N note—

People who bought this book also bought:
• Odyssey Homer, George Herbert Palmer (Translator)
• The Iliad and the Odyssey Homer, Samuel Butler (Translator)
• Prophet Kahlil Gibran
• Heartsongs Mattie J.T. Stepanek
• Rose That Grew from Concrete Tupac Shakur, Foreword by Nikki Giovanni, Leila Steinberg (Introduction)

DUH


Arlene

Acceptance note from...

Defenestration:

So you wrote us at Defenestration
Full of fire, wit, snap, animation!
We're sold! You're in queue,
You lucky dog, you,
To be published! (Well, that or mutation.)

Teehee... that's the funniest one received so far.

Also received a tentative acceptance note from the print magazine, Smiths Knoll (UK)--just some questions and a note that in England, it's the pathologist's job to perform autopsies, not the coroner's or the medical examiner's. I'm crossing my fingahs! It's such a drool-inspiring market. Sigh.

Have uploaded the "Links" section of my website and have updated the 2005 publication credits.