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Sunday, July 31, 2011

Sunday, sundry--

Photographs by Mary Morris Youmans.
My Sunday afternoon shenanigans--

By the time you read this, I may well be tootling past the Saratoga battlefield, on my way to summer camp. The mother of three is a perennial ferrywoman... And the youngest child of three is busy, busy, busy.  He has a lot of excess energy to discharge after a year of football, wrestling, hurdling, high jump, and relay.

Why I haven't read your novel yet, and also why if you don't have a novel you should not bother writing one for me because--

I have the  most enormous of all enormous stacks of novels that I have promised to read, all by people I know or e-know. With a life like mine, that appears to have been an insane set of promises. Please read me your book and copy it onto CD, writer friends, so that I can listen to it when I am ferrying. (And while we're at it, tell me why, why, why did I give birth to children who don't give a hoot about learning to drive? The only one who cares is the youngest, but he's 14. Ferrywoman forever!)

I like the sound of this one--

I'm going to have to read Jeffery Donaldson.  He's Canadian! Review here.  I thought Jeffery Beam was the only poet "Jeffery" rather than "Jeffrey." (I also have a brother-in-law who is a "Jeffery.") Donaldson is yet another neurologically interesting poet, too. Nothing like loosened brain wiring to help us out!

You poets out there, pondering where to send--

I sent to Pirene's Fountain for the first time, and I must say they are boomerang masters! They're right up there in the top ten fastest returned answers ever. I sent them something late at night and found the decision in my box when I looked this morning.  (So I now have 50 Red King poems coming out or recently out. I need to send more, need to polish more, need to find hours more.) More and more I like webzines because nothing else can match the number of readers.

What mac should I get, and what frills should I get?

I'm still pondering that question, having a generous-hearted mother who says I should no longer have such a piece of  *&%#! as this thing I type on... Left to its own accursed devices, it leaves out many letters when I type fast. It also practices cursor-leaping, in which the cursor zooms to a new spot for no good reason whatsoever, so that if one is not watching, a great muddle is made. Gary says a MacBook Air, and I think that a good idea.



11 comments:

  1. While I win the prize for learning to drive late in life (50 years old), I think you should offer incentives at least to your daughter to get her to do it.
    Jeremy got his license on time. He did lose it for a year though because he was so arrogant about obeying traffic signs and liked to go too fast for a while there. The punishment cured that.
    I will check out Pirene's Fountain. I got an answer from Victorian Violet in about one day too! They took two of my poems, including a yoga one.

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  2. Sorry to be the bearer of worrying news, but do double check recent consumer warnings about apple/mac laptops. Happened to hear on NPR news this weekend that there are major issues with the battery--as in malware, spyware, viruses, hackers, exploding batteries etc. (what's wrong with all those talented young people doing all this stuff anyway? Obviously not enough good poetry in their lives)

    If you know a genius at the apple store (one of the kids who works at the genius bar--and has for more than a year) talk to them before you buy. Best advice comes from the kids who work with both pc and mac for a living. They really know their machines--and what to steer clear of. Believe it or not, some of the smartest i've met work at our local staples.

    Good Luck!! Wishing you Good Laptop Buying Karma11

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  3. Just arrived home, and there is Crazy Mountain sheep vindaloo bubbling on the stove...

    Robbi,

    Oh, I knew she took them, and that was good. Didn't know about speed as my three were requests. That's excellent! Plus Karen is very nice, too.

    zephyr,

    How ... sad.

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  4. She seemed really nice. But I've had very good luck in editors these days.
    Sorry about the laptop. Is nothing sacred???

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  5. The Vindaloo sounds peachy. One of my favorites.

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  6. Certainly rare. And Mike is a grand cook... just gets better and better.

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  7. Sending to places where other people you know (and whose poems you like) placed work is always helpful, I think.

    Drat it, I think not! Not to these stealth warriors.

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  8. I have had two MacBook Pro's and I absolutely love them. I never had any problem with file sharing or anything like that. My computer is worth more than my car but it does things for me that my car cant do.

    Speaking of cars, I was hesitant to start driving when I was 16 becuase I didnt want to take the responsibilty of it. Then one day I woke up and it was just like, ok, I'm ready.

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  9. Susanna,

    I may hope that mine get a license by 30 or 40, then, I suppose! Maybe 20 (too late for one.)

    I'll have to go to the NPR site and see what they said since I was ferrying during NPR time and didn't have the radio on...

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  10. Maybe just present them with a fait accompli, Marly! Lessons start Monday. :-) That would be my approach - but then I am a far more selfish mother than you, I think.


    I agree with Susanna about Macs. I've been using them for about 15 years, and not had any trouble (I also have a Mac Air)

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  11. Clare, I shall learn at your knee! XD Lessons aren't so easy to find in the boondocks. Perhaps we shall have to do it ourselves. Urk.

    Yes, I do need a new thing that you type on (don't want to alert the current one. Toshba can be vindictive!)

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Alas, I must once again remind large numbers of Chinese salesmen and other worldwide peddlers that if they fall into the Gulf of Spam, they will be eaten by roaming Balrogs. The rest of you, lovers of grace, poetry, and horses (nod to Yeats--you do not have to be fond of horses), feel free to leave fascinating missives and curious arguments.