kitchen utensils, nigel, and requests for soup ladles

admittedly, that's a strange header. but i suppose those of you who come here regularly, and those who know me, won't be *very* surprised at that. still - my first question of the day has nothing to do with the issues announced in the headline: why, WHY is the weather pixie actually smiling when it is snowing again? honestly, that's not the reaction i would have expected, and certainly not mine. it's cold again, and i don't want any more of the white stuff!!

i have written more conversations with assorted kitchen utensils. they are going after me now whenever i come near the kitchen. my extra-long chopsticks attempted to pin me to the wall, and the garlic press threatened to crush me if i refused to speak with them and write about them. i've got ten days. if you do not hear from me again, you'll know what happened.

my new computer class has also brought some inspiration. they might not exactly recognise themselves in my poems, but they would certainly see me in a different light. no, lauren, they have no idea how loony i am. not yet anyway. *harhar*

and now it's the nigel hype over at the 30/30 forum. i swear i will never voice my opinion about names again (for instance ethel sounding like someone born old, and with dame-edna-like hair; or walter sounding like someone who's always dribbling and picking his nose in dark rooms like the guy sitting next to me at the movies yesterday; or tiffany reminding me of unnaturally pink frosting on cakes, the name alone makes my teeth hurt!). it all started with these lines:

i always assumed he was called nigel or archibald, some toothless / kind of name, limp like a nightshirt, spittle-coloured stains and all.

- and they were inspired by a short conversation with my friend birgit at the end of the latest harry potter movie.

now arlene has written a poem called Nigel Loves Michi, to which i had to reply, of course, with Angie Loves Nigel. What followed was arlene's Squeeze in which another nigel can be found. Next: Nigel Is Fuming (thanks to bo for the title - he works with a real, live nigel and my title is taken from bo's latest email). and today i found arlene's poem The Nigel-and-Michi Film: In Slow Motion. so, my turn again. and it's day 21 btw! :)

also, there has been some michi-arlene collaboration which had me in stitches last weekend. really delightfully weird stuff, in alphabetical order though, of course. *L* we have not posted it anywhere yet, but i would like to post at least some excerpts here. watch this spot.

re the soup ladle: i had a conversation with it, as you might have guessed. one thing it told me was this:

have you ever noticed the uneven distribution of letters in alphabet soup? / last time i encountered a Y, it was broken, addled with exhaustive loneliness.

sharon asked for a ladle in one of arlene's poems, and there it is now, and it won't budge. though secretly i believe the soup ladle, sticking out of somewhere, and being placed in someone's hands, is a metaphor for something else entirely. though, naturally, arlene claims innocence.


apart from all that madness: new computer class started on monday morning, first 7, now 9 students, they're nice, and we are getting on well. am teaching 6 hours per day now. more money!

new english class started on monday evening, a2 intensive, that means nearly 3 hours. 7 students, and we had a lot of fun.

two movies yesterday evening: walk the line, and good night, and good luck. i can recommend both, for different reasons; they are very different types of movies, of course.

i was surprised at the acting / singing in walk the line, kudos to phoenix and witherspoon. of course it would be interesting to know what mr cash himself might have thought of the film. reducing his story to two-and-a-bit hours of course means that things had to be simplified, and i am sure there are some cliché things in the film, but i have not read cash's autobiography and not followed his life that closely. one thing i learned was that june carter actually wrote ring of fire.

good night, and good luck. is an important movie, its 'subject' certainly not outdated; it comes in different guises today, and one would wish for journalists like those portrayed in the film. david straithairn's performance, in particular, is brilliant.

i have a new name now: minna. gudrun's son simon calls me that now. i like it. it's cute. :)

song of the day, or week, has got to be something by jenny lewis with the watson twins. probably rabbit fur coat, for its story, and the music, too. check out their album.

now news on subs. no chapbooks received. still no 'reviews' written. i'll be back, chopsticks permitting.