... the PlayFirst site two weeks ago and has been at it ever since. It is all very shameful and shameless, like that lascivious not-so-handsome prince in Fairy Godmother Tycoon. A's official reason is she's just scouting for good computer games to present her niece as soon as she comes of age (not for another 10 years). 
So, what else has A been up to — apart from metamorphosing more and more into Lex, that bookworm with orange glasses, helium-packed voice, green pallor and too many tongues in one cheek?
• On October 29th, A gave in to her baser instincts and fell off the 30:30 wagon. In three days she played Chocolatier, Plant Tycoon, Wedding Dash, Build-a-Lot, Cake Mania and Burger Rush. All rather silly games, but she managed to scratch that itch until it bled and stopped itching.
• A picked her scabs off the floor and returned to arranging them on paper (called poetry). Today is day 11 of Round X. Again.
• After a brief vacation, A is back in the novel-writing sandbox with her favorite playmate, Valerie. We have, more or less, reached the milestone of 20,000 words. There's been a lot of conjecture about God and wine. At some point, A made the hero write: I'm not sure I don't believe in God. After all, I believe in wine.
• Because she fancies herself a fiction writer now, A is trying to inject dialogue into her everyday life. The trick is to pretend it's just God wanting more wine or the wine wanting more of God.
• A had to operate on her laptop because its internal fan was making all sorts of indecent helicopter noises. Inside, she found tons of fluff.
Fantastic, A muttered, a computer who gets hairballs.
What did you expect? Your laptop fan is the closest thing we've got to a vacuum working around here, the husband quipped.
It was a good thing that after the operation, the laptop has had the good sense to keep silent. The husband has been silenced as well. Like God or wine, dialog may have deleterious side effects where a spouse is involved.
• A spent a couple of days photoshopping more pictures for the upcoming issue of Siren. In the process, she realized she's an awful photographer. If there's any straight line in the picture, she's bound to get it crooked. Her eyes were so disgusted after the first day that they gave her a migraine. Pure spite.
• Even though A hasn't driven in over a year, her reputation remains alive in everyone's hearts. Because of the tighter alcohol control on Saturday night drivers, her sister-in-law's husband proposed to make A drive them home sober — this to prove to the authorities that it is actually dangerous to be sober while driving.
• Not a peep out of A's Secret Love Poems chapbook copies yet. She suspects it's become a post office love secret.
• The husband emerged victorious from a smit fraud virus battle (his third). It's a really scary beast because it gets through despite all the anti-virus programs we've got on and once it's in, it deactivates them. A was cheering him on through it all — because she knows it's just a matter of time before her laptop catches it, too.
I'll charge you heavy for the house call, you know, the husband snickered.
You can't, A replied sweetly. We live in the same house together. Plus, you're the husband. I get to use your services for free. It's in the constitution.
• What else? A has decided to do the laundry today... before the pile of dirty clothes topples over, buries her alive and takes over the house and her recently opened Restaurant Empire.
Recent publication:
• The first issue of Cha: An Asian Literary Journal is now up with poetry by Bryan Thao Worra, Russell C. Leong, Reid Mitchell, Heng Siok Tian, Cyril Wong, Bob Bradshaw, Kavita Jindal, Leung Ping Kwan, Christopher Kelen, Mani Rao, Nicholas Wong, Elbert S.P. Lee and someone with a morbid fear of geckoes (especially copulating ones).
An interesting blog and three new 'zines:
• Came across Poet Hound while fooling around with my submissions. It's a blog dedicated to connecting people to poetry whether it be for the first time or attracting seasoned veterans. Some really fab market reviews. If, like me, you wake up some days and don't know where to send your stuff, let the pooch lead you to it!
• Mascara Poetry is a neat 'zine which publishes a wide range of styles and voices. They're particularly interested in the work of contemporary Australasian poets, but consider work from around the globe. The keyword with them seems to be innovation.
• For people who haiku and senryu their hours away — Roadrunner Journal may just make the Wile E. Coyote in you howl.
• Taiga is a print journal scheduled to go to press in the Summer of 2008 and are accepting submissions for the their first issue until February 29, 2008. Based on what I've gleaned, they seem to like poems that are crisp, clean and eerie — humor is seen as a plus.
So, what else has A been up to — apart from metamorphosing more and more into Lex, that bookworm with orange glasses, helium-packed voice, green pallor and too many tongues in one cheek?
• On October 29th, A gave in to her baser instincts and fell off the 30:30 wagon. In three days she played Chocolatier, Plant Tycoon, Wedding Dash, Build-a-Lot, Cake Mania and Burger Rush. All rather silly games, but she managed to scratch that itch until it bled and stopped itching.
• A picked her scabs off the floor and returned to arranging them on paper (called poetry). Today is day 11 of Round X. Again.
• After a brief vacation, A is back in the novel-writing sandbox with her favorite playmate, Valerie. We have, more or less, reached the milestone of 20,000 words. There's been a lot of conjecture about God and wine. At some point, A made the hero write: I'm not sure I don't believe in God. After all, I believe in wine.
• Because she fancies herself a fiction writer now, A is trying to inject dialogue into her everyday life. The trick is to pretend it's just God wanting more wine or the wine wanting more of God.
• A had to operate on her laptop because its internal fan was making all sorts of indecent helicopter noises. Inside, she found tons of fluff.
Fantastic, A muttered, a computer who gets hairballs.
What did you expect? Your laptop fan is the closest thing we've got to a vacuum working around here, the husband quipped.
It was a good thing that after the operation, the laptop has had the good sense to keep silent. The husband has been silenced as well. Like God or wine, dialog may have deleterious side effects where a spouse is involved.
• A spent a couple of days photoshopping more pictures for the upcoming issue of Siren. In the process, she realized she's an awful photographer. If there's any straight line in the picture, she's bound to get it crooked. Her eyes were so disgusted after the first day that they gave her a migraine. Pure spite.
• Even though A hasn't driven in over a year, her reputation remains alive in everyone's hearts. Because of the tighter alcohol control on Saturday night drivers, her sister-in-law's husband proposed to make A drive them home sober — this to prove to the authorities that it is actually dangerous to be sober while driving.
• Not a peep out of A's Secret Love Poems chapbook copies yet. She suspects it's become a post office love secret.
• The husband emerged victorious from a smit fraud virus battle (his third). It's a really scary beast because it gets through despite all the anti-virus programs we've got on and once it's in, it deactivates them. A was cheering him on through it all — because she knows it's just a matter of time before her laptop catches it, too.
I'll charge you heavy for the house call, you know, the husband snickered.
You can't, A replied sweetly. We live in the same house together. Plus, you're the husband. I get to use your services for free. It's in the constitution.
• What else? A has decided to do the laundry today... before the pile of dirty clothes topples over, buries her alive and takes over the house and her recently opened Restaurant Empire.
Recent publication:
• The first issue of Cha: An Asian Literary Journal is now up with poetry by Bryan Thao Worra, Russell C. Leong, Reid Mitchell, Heng Siok Tian, Cyril Wong, Bob Bradshaw, Kavita Jindal, Leung Ping Kwan, Christopher Kelen, Mani Rao, Nicholas Wong, Elbert S.P. Lee and someone with a morbid fear of geckoes (especially copulating ones).
An interesting blog and three new 'zines:
• Came across Poet Hound while fooling around with my submissions. It's a blog dedicated to connecting people to poetry whether it be for the first time or attracting seasoned veterans. Some really fab market reviews. If, like me, you wake up some days and don't know where to send your stuff, let the pooch lead you to it!
• Mascara Poetry is a neat 'zine which publishes a wide range of styles and voices. They're particularly interested in the work of contemporary Australasian poets, but consider work from around the globe. The keyword with them seems to be innovation.
• For people who haiku and senryu their hours away — Roadrunner Journal may just make the Wile E. Coyote in you howl.
• Taiga is a print journal scheduled to go to press in the Summer of 2008 and are accepting submissions for the their first issue until February 29, 2008. Based on what I've gleaned, they seem to like poems that are crisp, clean and eerie — humor is seen as a plus.
8 comments:
Arlene, I have just received a copy of Poet Lore with your poem in it, strong and straight work, I enjoyed it.
Best, Davide
Hey Arlene,
God, wine and the vacuum + hairballs...loads is happening up your way : )
Did you do the driving challenge at the end up...can't believe you're not driving after all the fab poetry you got out of the experience! ; )
Oh and can you put my name down for a signed copy of zee chapbook ...hope they haven't got lost in the post.
I can hardly say that word ch..b..k without breaking out in a rash (all revealed in my last blogpost : ))
Much enjoyed your Cha: contribution - have got same copulating geckoes here too!
laters
x
crisp and clean i don't get. eerie, though, falls from your lips. your virtually virtual lips.
where is that chap?!
come around when you get back to the *real* world, from your alien invasions and chocolatey fantasies.
x
Arlene, thank you for having told me about Seam. I have submitted.
It would be great to appear with you there.
All the best,
Davide
Now I know why my cat has an affinity for my laptop--it's the hairball connection.
it's not hairballs, silly, it's the laptop's navel lint! doh!
don't get lost in your virtual worlds, missy.
mx
I just wanted to let you know that I sponsor a poetry contest with a $10,000 first place prize every month. I thought your poem would be a good candidate. Just click my name for the site. Keep on writing...
Thanks for the Roadrunner plug, Arlene!
Jason
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