old news, new news

if only there were about 35 hours in a day, i might actually get around to blogging more regularly! or maybe my life is simply too exciting ... ;)

on 15 october, the poet arrived in vienna: john siddique, that is, wonderful british writer (if you still haven't done so, check him out. now.) and lovely friend. he stayed at casa gabriel this time, so we had time to catch up and talk about life in general and love in particular.


iron man: the poet when he's at home

on thursday, 16 october, we read at shakespeare & company, a great little bookshop in vienna's first district. we had hoped for a few more people, but i guess the heavy rain that set in about an hour before the reading kept some folks away, and even i alone knew of ten people who'd wanted to come but couldn't make it that night. it was nice to see both friends and new faces. i read for about half an hour - poems from all chapbooks and some that are not available in print (yet), and john was on after me. his new poem "the knife" really got to the people. great writing. feedback was definitely good, and i think we both did a great job. so funny that a mere two years ago i was completely new to this whole reading-in-public business! who'd have thought i'd be enjoying it so much?





being the darling that he is, john agreed to come to class with me on friday morning, even though we could not offer him any money for that. i had prepared my group for his visit and they'd written response poems to his "yes" the previous day. john worked and talked with the students for a couple of hours and both sides obviously had a good time.


poeting in class

after a mexican dinner saturday night and shopping for austrian chocolates (i am not sure there are still any left at the shops), john left around noon on sunday.


having gotten over one cold, i immediately caught another, and then had a fever as well, so i stayed home from work for three days. ugh. it was good to be looked after by someone nice, but on the whole i prefer not to be sick. ;)


on 25 october i participated in vienna's photo marathon for the first time. 12 hours, 24 themes, one photo per theme, all in the correct order too. it's about creativity rather than the perfect photo, and a declaration of love to the beautiful city we live in. shame that it was the only day far and wide that the sun didn't even peep out. here are a few of the themes: 100% vienna, st stephen's cathedral, up and away, taxi!, everything's spinning, viennese hospitality. i was out and about from 09.30 until about 7.30 - lots of fresh air! i was really tired that evening, and sick again the next day. :(


spinning

unfortunately i missed several films i wanted to see at the viennale film festival this year due to the colds and fever, but i did see a billy wilder film and a documentary about bob dylan.

it was heinz's birthday yesterday - he's the other scorpio in this relationship - and will now be three years older than me for exactly two weeks. ;) apart from that, it was also the first anniversary of my divorce. what a state i was in a year ago, and how different everything is now! i am actually very, very pleased at how far i have come.

work is going well, only one week left now with my advanced group - i'll miss them. i've had more job offers but since cloning still has not advanced that far and a girl cannot be in two places at the same time, i had to turn them down, at least for now.

the last few weeks have been lovely - perfect autumn weather, my favourite time of year. early november, and the temperatures still reach 15°C (60F)! it's raining today, but that is alright after days and days of sunshine.










i still have not been to have a haircut - it's been nearly six months! i can actually make pigtailettes (*s*) now for the first time in years!



still no poetry. sigh. i wonder when it's time to give up?

oh and yes, like so many others i am very relieved that obama will be the next president of the united states. however, i hope that people don't forget that he, too, is only human, it seems that some consider him a new messiah. but there will be no miracles. still, it is a very good sign indeed. and re: that palin woman - good riddance. she really gave me the creeps.

song of the day: hotel california by the eagles.

happy things:

fun video shoot for steve gander's song copulate and populate on sunday afternoon - the weirdest "wedding" with the craziest guests ever. tons of photos (i was the "official" photographer! bliss!!), will post a link when they are online.

lovely to catch up with nathan and ronnie and harold on sunday during and after "work".


i talked john siddique, poet and friend, into coming to vienna in october (not that this was a difficult thing to do), and we are doing a reading together! yay!


yesterday evening i had a very good phone conversation with someone i quite like, who was not doing too great, and he told me today that he was feeling better because of me. now if that isn't lovely feedback ... :)


i had a very pleasant late afternoon/early evening: at shakespeare & co, a wonderful little bookshop in vienna's first district, i spoke to gerti (who runs it with her children) about having our reading there, and she was all for it. we had an interesting and really lovely - and rather long - talk, and after she'd heard what i do for work, she said "okay, i have to ask you straight away ..." and she told me about a street fest in the neighbourhood of the bookshop, which is the oldest part of vienna, dating back to the times of the romans. it will be held on 13 september, and she asked me whether i was interested in doing some sort of poetry "workshop" or project there, and so i told her about some ideas and experiments i do with my english classes, and she was totally happy and excited. so. i will be there on 13 september. :) we started talking about leonard cohen, i mentioned i had a ticket, she said she didn't, and i asked if she wanted my brother's spare one. she thought i was kidding. so - she is buying the ticket, or rather, her children will, for her birthday. very successful and productive meeting, don't you think? when i wanted to buy an alice in wonderland notebook, she gave it to me as a present, and i left her a copy of the secret meanings of greek letters.

i bought a book called must try harder - the very best howlers by schoolchildren (which i can use in english classes), and here is my quote of the day:

Poetry is when every line starts with a capital letter and doesn't reach the right side of the page.

oh, happy birthday to rachel! rock on, girl!


song of the day: that's not my name by the ting tings.

more john siddique

i was at john siddique's poetry workshop this afternoon - quite a few participants (among them some familiar faces: sylvia petter, nathan horowitz, jean kremlicka, and of course vienna lit's julia novak), and some very useful tips and ideas from john. we did three exercises, and i think there is at least one poem in my notes. john used poems by helen dunmore (Glad of these times), raymond carver (Jean's TV), and galway kinnell (Daybreak) as starting points for the exercises. some day i'd love to do a longer workshop with john - a couple of hours just isn't enough.





john had asked me to read a particular poem at his reading - how to bury the dead, which was published in poetry salzburg review last autumn. and who am i to say no to such a request? jean kremlicka read first, a response poem to john's Yes. john read from The Prize, Poems from a Northern Soul, his book of poetry for young people Don't wear it on your head, don't stick it down your pants, and unpublished material. he included two of my favourite of his poems, Variola and Cheap Moisturiser.





a bunch of vienna lit people, john and i went for ice cream afterwards. john's leaving tomorrow, and he is not happy about it. i'm sure i'm not the only one who's hoping he'll be back soon.



quote of the day: embrace the madness! (john s.)



sound of the day: cheap moisturiser by john siddique.

an evening out with ...

... the lovely, very fun and in-love-with-vienna john siddique, fellow poet and star in *his* own soap opera (ie life). apparently i saved him from being "bored stupid" in his tiny viennese hotel room on tuesday by joining him for dinner and conversation. amazingly enough (not!), we had lots to talk about - not all words used up in writing, it seems: we've both had a rather tough year, with lots going on, a few major changes, and the craziest things happening. we had a good laugh about life in general, and ourselves in particular, and toasted some rather unusual things. of course we did talk poetry, too: i made a few notes of must-read-books, we talked about john's new book poems from a northern soul, workshops, our poetic heroes and heroines, and john signed my copy of his latest, while i signed my chapbook for him. i'll be at his workshop and reading tomorrow afternoon, and am looking forward to both.


mr siddique has stolen my halo


almost like a pro ;)

i finished another round of 10:10 on wednesday - so effectively, i have done another 30:30, because i did three consecutive rounds. here are the last five titles:

06. another entry in the bedroom book of lies
07. potassium (k) - final
08. bios
09. august:
10. today, i don't like poetry

got a short rejection note from caffeine destiny, and one from tupelo press; i badly need to send out more subs, and am waiting to hear back from quite a few zines.

check out ms ang & co's latest baby: press 1, it looks gooooood!

i still have not uploaded the poetry in the park pictures, but here are a couple taken on tuesday evening:


gum, anyone?


pain in the neck?! *g*

the fact that i have worn a skirt twice this week can only mean one thing: it is summer.

and ... since a girl has got to have secrets - i've got another one! :-p

song of the day: california dreamin' by the mamas & the papas.