Pre-departure post

Leaving for Manila in less than 19 hours. Been good today: packed my luggage, maintained kitchen cleanliness, pored through the poems in Blueline for inclusion in the Marginalia section of Niederngasse... and yes, finally finished revising my AV&E poems.

List of recent ayes and nays:

• Acceptance notes: The Aurora Review wants three poems and Pemmican has scheduled my poem, Hot tubs for their Spring 2006 issue.

• Rejections received: ForPoetry.com (nicely apologetic), Hanging Loose (form letter) and The North (handwritten note, see below):

Dear Arlene Ang
So sorry to take so long & in the end not to take any poems from your Sept submission. We were tempted by 'The 34th Secret Love Poem' -- which ACUMEN or ORBIS magazines might take?
All good wishes

I know I've said it already, but let me say it again: the Brits send the most heart-warming rejection slips. I hoard these personal notes more than love letters. They also have, more or less, the same handwriting... which makes me feel as if I'm dealing with only one person -- all these years -- secret-admirer-wise. Hee.

• Update on language skills of my 10-month-old niece: Ma, Pa and Eeeeeeeyoooouuuaaaaaah. Very verbal, in fine contrast to all the bouncing puppies I've raised in my life. Teeehee.