So Long, Blogger!

Check out my new home at http://litdreamer.wordpress.com

And don't worry; all of my posts, videos, photos, music files, and comments from this blog have been imported to my wordpress blog.  The only thing missing is this cool template.

One Year Ago...

One year ago today, I was living with my parents, in Connecticut, after having come back from Japan the year before.  I was basically unemployed, since my only income came from substitute teaching, and I didn't substitute teach that often.  I had use of the blue van my parents had bought to bring my sister to college her freshman year, fifteen years before, but had no car of my own.  No health insurance.  No idea of how to move forward.

That day, one year ago, I wrote my first blog post.

Amazing how many things can change in a year.

Now, I am living in a shared house in Seattle, employed at two jobs (though one is temporary, and I need more hours at the other), and am using public transportation.  I still don't have health insurance, but provided that I can amass more hours in the coming terms at my new job, I will be eligible for benefits after working three full terms there.

As for my blog?  My first follower was my brother.  In the first few weeks of my blog, I added three more followers.  Today, I have fifteen followers (two are hidden), plus countless others who follow me on Wordpress or who have bookmarked my blog.

I set up Google Analytics to track my followers on October 1, 2009, shortly after Ebert's "The Blogs of My Blogs" introduced me to a world of blogging outside my immediate friends, and introduced me to my first follower outside my friends and family: S M Rana (who appears as "Buzz" in my followers section, for some inexplicable reason).  My first follower outside of Ebert's blog came after I wrote a post on the movies Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.  Her name is Melee, and she recently celebrated a birthday :-)  As of right now, about half of my followers are people I have never met.

So, from October 1 through yesterday, I have had 2,026 visits and 4,162 pageviews, with an average of 2.05 pages viewed per visit.  People spend an average of 2 minutes 35 seconds on my website.  Also, over half of the visits have been from new followers.  The most visits I've had in one day?  28, which occurred on Friday, May 1, 2010.  The least has been 0, but minus an error in which I removed the tracker from my blog, that has only happened once since October 1.  This month, the lowest number of visits has been 7.

The most popular page is my homepage (including whatever my latest posts are), but for individual page visits, this page contains my most popular post.  Over 68% of my Internet traffic comes from referral sites, with only 12.34% coming to my site directly (which is a fancy way of saying that most of the people who read me are following me on their blogs or via their Google accounts).

The most interesting piece of information, however, is that I received hits from 69 different countries/territories.  The most (by far) come from America, at 1,220, with India coming in second, at 313.  Then Canada at 87, Japan at 42, the UK at 38, Uruguay(!) at 32, Australia at 30, the Philippines at 28, France at 25, and Egypt at 18 (which may, in fact, be the work of one man).  I could go on, but those are the top ten, and I think you get the idea.

When I first started writing this blog, my main purpose was to have a place to sell copies of my poetry book, even though it took me half a year to figure out how to add the "Buy Now" button in my sidebar.  And I can't even claim credit for that idea.  I mean, I did have the idea for selling through a website, but it was my brother who showed me how to set up my blog.  So, thanks dude! :-)

As I wrote, however, I found that I could use this space to write about things not covered in stories, poems, or novels, things like philosophical musings, opinion pieces, personal essays, criticism, movies, books, music.  This format allowed me to write short pieces that I had been mulling about for a while, and may give me an outlet to try out some short stories in the future.

But no writer can write in a vacuum.  I mean, we can, and I would, but it's no fun if I can't share these musings with other people.  So, thank you all for reading, and for sharing your writing talent with me.  Not only have I read some truly wonderful posts from people--which has, in turn, helped my writing become better--I have also met some wonderful people through my blog, who I haven't had the pleasure of actually meeting yet.  It's funny how, when there's no one around to talk to, I come here, to my blog, to Twitter, to hang out with some of the most interesting, creative, and fun-loving people that I know.  And trust me, just by being on the web, you encourage my literary dreams to no end.

Thank you.

Twitter-pated

Why, Greg, why?

I wouldn't be surprised if you were to look out of your windows right now and see the four horsemen of the apocalypse riding across your lawn.  After all, the end of the world must be nigh.

I have joined Twitter.

With SIFF coming up, and my having no opportunity to write long posts while watching movies AND volunteering AND enumerating AND teaching, I thought this might be the best way to get news out about what I've seen and what I'm about to see.  Because, as everyone knows, the problem is that I haven't found enough ways in which to waste my time.

So, if you're on Twitter and wish to say "hi," realize that I have a desktop computer.  Not a Blackberry.  Not an iPhone.  Not even a laptop.  A friggin' desktop computer.  That means that I will not be on Twitter 24/7.  Hopefully.  As stated, I will be on now and again, sharing info about the festival, my reactions to movies, etc.  Then, once the dust has settled (or when I get some free time, HAHA!), I will post an update about what I have seen.  Chances are, though, that they will remain in draft form for three weeks.  So, if I suddenly stop posting on this blog for three weeks, you will know why.  The good news is, you can still follow me on Twitter.  The bad news is, you have to sign up for Twitter, unless I can figure out how to add a scroll bar to my blog, in which case, you will have to sign up for Twitter to read anything I've posted as far back as an hour ago.

But I'll see what I can do.

Oh, and my Twitter name is litdreamer, because some jerk other person is using literarydreamer. ;-)

Some New Features, and A Reminder

Okay, I know I've been writing a lot of entries recently, but this one, like the one for my birthday, is very short.

I've added two new features to my sidebar, just below my profile: Books I Am Currently Reading, and Currently Working On (e.g.. novels, poetry, short stories, etc).  Books written in a gray font are books that I'm currently taking a break from, but haven't finished (they'll tend to be short story collections or other works that don't have a single narrative thread running through them).

Also, I have added some news blogs that I'm following to the sidebar, so be sure to check those out if you're looking for more blogs to follow.

Finally, don't forget to sponsor my friend, who is walking on behalf of the March of Dimes on May 8th!

A Quick Note

Since I am a writer and humanist, the issues of free speech and human rights are very important to me, which is why you will notice a new addition to my sidebar.  February 11th is Victory of the Revolution Day in Iran, which celebrates "liberty, independence, and freedom," according to Amnesty International.  Ironically, the days leading up to that celebration may be marked with an increased crackdown on those felt responsible for the protests over last year's presidential election.  In addition, other dissidents may be executed.

For anyone who wishes to post this badge on their website, Facebook page, or Twitter account on that day (or earlier, as I have done), or wants to see other ways in which he or she can help, you can go to this website: http://www.amnestyusa.org/all-countries/iran/unite-for-human-rights-in-iran-on-february-11th/page.do?id=1011702

My next post will be launching a new feature on my blog, which I'm quite excited about, though it will involve much research on my part, and also involve a thorough searching of my memory banks.

Until then!

My Updated Computer/Seattle Status

Before I get to the best movies of the decade (which I hope to post this weekend), I thought I should let everyone know what's going on in regards to my computer, this blog, and my life in Seattle.

First off, recently my parents sent my computer to me from Connecticut, as well as my printer.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that, while one of my housemates now has Internet access, he doesn't want to share his connection with anyone else, needing all of the bandwidth for himself.  Of course, I need very little, since I download almost nothing (the occasional Steam update notwithstanding).  You would think that my usage would barely cut into his speed, but whatever.  I should be getting a WiFi adapter for my computer soon, which I can use to search for a signal.  In the meantime, I'll be using library computers for Internet access.  Luckily, I found a different library near where I live with up-to-date Internet browsers (not so the library I was going to before), so now I can post AND leave comments on my blog.  Eventually, though, I hope to go in with several other people in my house to split the cost of Internet, so that I can post from home.  Unfortunately, that means I'll need to buy a router, but I believe there is a mail-in rebate that should cover most or all of its cost.

That brings me to my next point: I have no money coming in right now.  My seasonal job has ended, so, once again, I must search for a job out here in Seattle.  It is, in fact, what I should be doing right now, instead of posting this blog.  I also want to get back into teaching English to foreign students (and tutoring American students that need the help).  For that purpose, I have posted two or three fliers on campus offering my services for one-on-one lessons, and one of my housemates (who also teaches students, though usually in Spanish) has suggested posting in coffee shops, as well.  In addition, I ordered (and received) fifty business cards, so now I can pass them out not only to prospective students, but also to people in my meetup groups, hoping that one of them knows someone who is looking for someone like me to work for them.  I have also given a bunch of the cards to one of my housemates, who is Korean, and might know people looking for private English lessons.

Finally, during my down time I've been watching a lot of old movies and working on a short story--actually, more than one.  Once I finish the rough draft of the one that I'm currently working on, I hope to return to my novel (now that I have my printer, and bought some paper, editing it becomes possible).  The way I see it, I need to simultaneously job hunt and write, and in both cases, I need to put myself out there more and become more well known.  In politics, it's called "building the base."  In the arts, it's called "survival."

So, this coming weekend (the 23rd and 24th), I hope to post my best movies of the decade list on this blog, after which, my posts will have less to do with movies, and more to do with the thoughts inside of my head, my struggles within Seattle, and the people I hope to meet to make my literary dreams--and my permanent residency in Seattle--possible.

I'm Back! (Sort Of)

So, here's the deal: my computer is back in Connecticut.  When I was staying with my brothers' friends, they let me use their computer.  The place I moved to doesn't have Internet (though it may soon).  It also doesn't have a computer.  But, I am able to use the Internet at the library (which is where I am now).  Yet another reason to love libraries. :-)  Since the computers are often taken, however, this greatly limits how much time I can spend on them to check email, write this blog, etc., and in the grand scheme of things, checking my email (and my bills) is more important that reading blogs or writing posts.  My brother and I are working on a solution to this problem, so hopefully we can come to one before the New Year.  I'll let you all know what develops.

Until then, I will be sporadically adding posts and commenting on other people's blogs, though the posts will be less frequent and the comments will be fewer (I may, in fact, not comment much at all).  On the bright side, not being on the Internet all the time allows me to read and write more often.  On the negative side, my novel sits in wait on my flash drive until I can get to a computer to work on it some more (I've already gone through it on paper), which means that most of my writing will be focused on short stories for the short term.

Anyway, I hope to have these issues resolved soon, as I will also need the Internet to job search.  Until next time!

A Slight Interruption in Service

Some of you may have noticed that I did not update my blog last weekend (though I did post on Thursday).  The reason for the interruption was that, on Sunday, I was looking at apartments/duplexes/places to move to (I worked on Saturday), since the people I'm living with now came to an agreement with me about how long I would stay here back when I lived in Connecticut, which recently was amended from six weeks (which would have been to December 3rd) to the end of the year, though preferably before Christmas.  Since this is the first house that they've ever owned, and it'll be the first Christmas that they celebrate here, I was willing to oblige them in this request, if possible.

The search itself I shall leave for another day and another entry, but suffice it to say that I have found another place and will be moving out of here and moving into there over the weekend.  Once I move, I will no longer have use of this computer (it belongs to one of my hosts) nor of the Internet (though I can have it installed and split the cost among any housemates who wish to use it), though my brother said he would try to find a solution to this dilemma in the form of a Christmas gift.  Then, of course, there is the problem of not having a printer, though I can have resumes printed out at Kinko's or Staples, so that's not a big deal.  Printing out my novel is a bigger deal, but it's almost time for me to take a break from writing that and concentrate on shorter pieces for a bit, since I imagine many interruptions between now and when that full time job materializes (or rather, when I make it materialize).  In fact, all of this focus on finding a room, finding a job, networking, procrastinating on the Internet, etc, has left me with very little time to work on my novel.  Since I've arrived in Seattle, most of my writing has occurred on my blog, in my diary, and through responses to people's comments and emails.  Part of this is also due to my making enough time to read, whether in the form of magazine articles or books, leaving less time to write.

I will be sending out one more post before I move, since the subject is relevant to Christmas.  Ideally, I would post it ON CHRISTMAS, but that is impossible without Internet access.  I do have Internet access at work, but who wants to access their blog, or their emails, at work, where website privacy is nonexistent?  I suppose I could use a library computer, too, once I get a library card (which I can get, now that I have a lease, i.e. proof of residency), but they won't be open on Christmas, and probably not Christmas Eve, either.

Anyway, sorry for thinking aloud, but I find that if I write about a problem, I can find the solution easier, since all of my thought processes are revealed on paper (or on a screen).  Of course, I COULD write those posts ahead of time and then come back here on Sunday and hit the "PUBLISH POST" button, but that's a little silly.  Besides, my apartment search will serve as a nice companion piece to my description of my new room and house (it's a shared house), so it would be better to write that post after I've been in my new place for a little while.  In addition, the apartment search has been preserved in my diary, so there's no danger of my forgetting some important detail.  And I do have a notebook, so I can write the post ahead of time and then type it up quickly, once I have access to an Internet-connected computer.

So, to clarify, I may not be posting to my blog for a while, or it may be sporadic, depending on what scheme my brother comes up with.  But, there will be one more post near the end of the week, right before I leave for my new place, so tell your friends, as I'd love for that post to break 100 hits.  Since I've been tracking this blog (in October, soon after Ebert praised it), I've had over 1,000 hits, with "What Happens in Between Sunrise and Sunset" getting 78 hits (that only includes hits to that specific page; it misses anyone who found my blog site and just started reading the entries posted to the home page).

Here's hoping this blog'll be around for 1,000 more hits!

My First Blog Award

One of my followers, Melee, has decided to give me the following award for my blog.  As part of the deal, however, I must answer the following questions.  Reminds me of those "get to know me better" surveys that my friends would email me in college.  Anyway, I shall do my best, and perhaps you, fair readers, will learn a little more about me, without learning too much, of course. :-)

1. Your hair: I have thick hair, but my scalp is bothering me at the moment--a combination of dry weather and shampoos that are probably too harsh for it.  I should just go back to Head & Shoulders Intensive Care.

2. Where is your phone: Next to this computer, though I don't like the thought of my phone signal killing bees.

3. Your father: I look like him, but with a smaller head and more hair. ;-)

4. Your mother: Misses not having me at home, but then, she should be used to my sojourns abroad by now.

5. Your favourite food: Pizza, though I'll eat anything delicious.

6. Your dream from last night: Not sure, but I had a strange dream a few nights ago where I was repeating my senior year of high school (for some reason that's never explained in these dreams), except that this time I realized that, since I graduated from college, there was no need for me to be going back to high school.  The second part of that dream was quite bizarre, too, but I'll leave you with the first half, as I have many more questions to answer.

7. Your favourite drink: Looks like I got a British award (notice the spelling of "favourite")!  Anyway, I'm not sure if I have a favorite drink.  I like water, other times I prefer milk.  As for alcoholic drinks, I LOVE kiwi and lime sours.

8. Your dream/goal: As stated at the top of this blog, to become a professional novelist, poet, and playwright.  In addition, I hope to get married, have children, and have numerous opportunities to travel all over the world.

9. What room are you in: The computer room, which doubles as my bedroom, until I move to an apartment.

10. What is your hobby: Reading books (novels, poetry, etc.), watching and discussing movies, surfing the 'net (need to do less of that, methinks), writing stories, writing on my blog, listening to classical/pop/rock/operatic music.

11. What is your fear: That I'll hold myself back from being the person that I can become.  And to be alone in this world.

12. Where do you want to be in six years:  Gainfully employed, be published as a novelist, have my own place (either a condo or a house), be married, possibly have kids, and still be living in or near Seattle.

13. Where were you last night: Part of the night I was working; the rest of the night I was here.

14. Something you are not: I'm not a mean, selfish, and uncaring individual, nor am I female. ;-)

15. Muffins: Blueberry muffins are the best!

16. Wish list items: Can I put "an enjoyable full-time job" on that list?  And a laptop, since I don't want to impose for too much longer on the hospitality of my brother's friends, and I'll need some sort of computer with Internet connection when I move.

17. Where did you grow up: The technical answer is in Connecticut, but really, most of my growing was done in Virginia, England, and Japan.

18. Last thing I did: Answered number seventeen.

19. What are you wearing: A college sweatshirt with a hood (but without a zipper, so not really a hoodie).  And pants.  Sneakers, too.  And underwear.  And socks.  And a watch.  And glasses.  And another shirt under the sweatshirt.

20. Your TV: I don't have a TV here, so I end up watching whatever my hosts are watching.

21. Your pets: All dead. :-(  I used to have a hamster, a Grow-A-Frog, an ant farm, and a (family) dog.

22. Your friends: An eclectic bunch from all over the globe.  My closest friends all tend to be intelligent, wise (which is not the same thing as being intelligent), funny, personable, and artistic (or into the arts).  And passionate.  They (and I) don't sleepwalk through life.

23. Your life: In transition right now, but at least not stalled.  I can't wait to see where it goes from here.

24. Your mood: I'm glad I'm not working today.  In all of the jobs that I have held, yesterday was the worst first day I've ever had on a job.  There were some bright spots through the gloom, but there was a lot of gloom.

25. Missing someone: More than one, but at least I can stay in touch via the Internet and my cell phone.

26. Vehicle: The bus, and my feet.  And other people's cars (they drive me around, folks, just so that you don't get the wrong idea).

27. Something you're not wearing: A hat.

28. Your favourite store: It was Best Buy, but they don't sell enough old movies (and by old, I mean anything released before last year).  If virtual stores count, then Amazon is my favorite store.

29. Your favourite color: Light blue, like the color of the sky on a whispy summer day.

30. When was the last time you laughed: I might have laughed yesterday out of necessity, but I was laughing pretty hard at times on Thanksgiving.  Group games are awesome!

31. When was the last time you cried: Hmmm, that's a tough one.  I usually cry when seeing an emotional movie, and while I teared up a little bit while watching An Education, I haven't really cried in a while.

32. Your best friend is: Intelligent, witty, and beautiful, and someone with whom I could talk with all day about absolutely nothing and think it was the most interesting conversation I've ever had.  Plus, she was there for me a few critical times in Japan.  Having said that, I'm blessed to have had more than one during my lifetime.

33. One place you go over and over: When I was in Japan, it was Akihabara.  When they weren't busy, the maid cafes there were great places for me to practice my Japanese--until they started catering to foreign customers.

34. One person who emails me regularly: That would be best friend number two, who always emails me about events happening at the Mark Twain House.

35. Favourite place to eat: Wherever there's good food and good company.  I'm sure that, the first time I visit Connecticut from Seattle, I'll think that my parents' home is the best place in the world to eat.


And now I guess it's my time to pass this award on, so I'll pass it to Elara, who draws really wonderful pictures on her blog (feel free to just copy and paste the award from this post onto your blog, if you don't have time to answer any of the questions). 

Tomorrow I go to see Red Cliff, so I hope to have a review of that movie posted by the following night.  Until then!

Greetings from Seattle!

Greetings from Seattle, everyone!  I landed a little before eleven yesterday morning (PST) after a somewhat turbulent flight from Chicago (though seeing the Cascade Mountains in all their glory made up for it, I think). The flight from Hartford to Chicago was slightly worse in that, after waking up from a nap, I felt nauseous, being slightly dehydrated and having not loosened my sneakers before I dozed off.  Untying them and taking my feet out of my sneakers, while taking deep breaths, prevented me from "fainting upright," which happened once before on a flight.  Of course, lack of sleep the night before was also to blame.

Today I was treated to a typical Seattle day.  In other words, it rained.  Most of the day, the rain was a slight drizzle, to be broken up by sun, which was then covered by clouds, which fell again as rain.  At least it wasn't too cold outside, and I did see the sun twice.  Plus, the foliage here reminds me of Connecticut, though there are more pine trees here than there.  Particularly stunning was the foliage along a boulevard near the University of Washington, which reminded me of that day, almost two years ago, when I took the Japanese Proficiency Test at Tokyo University.  Same trees.  Same color leaves.

As of today, I have yet to explore the city proper (I'm staying in a suburb on the West Side), though I did get to experience city traffic today--again at the University of Washington, which is apparently called "U-Dub" by the locals.  So, I have nothing really exciting to report, except to say that, even though I have seen little of the city, and interacted with few of its inhabitants, I'm already really liking this place.  Maybe it has to do with all those good luck symbols that I saw in the week leading up to my flight--including an influx of lady bugs.  Lady bugs!  Maybe it's the more laid-back attitude I've noticed here.  Maybe it's the landscape.  I know it certainly ain't the 9.5% sales tax, though there is no state income tax, which means that if one were to live and work in Washington, and live near Oregon--where there is no sales tax--then one could, technically, only pay federal taxes.  I wonder if some people do.

I'm not sure if this post will substitute for my Sunday post or not, since I'm not in any sort of job searching routine yet.  I have a feeling my posts will be sporadic and short, but more frequent--for a time--than they have been in the past.  I should be getting into a routine by the time November rolls around, so my posts should become more regular around that time, too.  Now that my mom is reading my posts, however, I'll have to be more careful in what I say. ;-)

FYI: I've now switched over to Pacific Time, which apparently affects every post I've written on this blog.  The dates shouldn't be affected, but the times for all of my previous posts are earlier by three hours.

Some Changes to My Blog

My poetry book

Please check out the side bar to see some of the extra features that I have added to this website, including a search option, an easier way to subscribe to my blog, and links to blogs to which I have currently subscribed.  Also, a poetry annual being released by Wild Leaf Press will include three of my poems.  The book will be available through their website starting October 15th.

Finally, if you still wish to purchase Digging Up the Past: Poetry from High School (1994-97), you can now do so directly (see sidebar, near the bottom).  Please do not send any money to my P.O. Box (previously linked), as it will soon expire.  You may want to act soon, however, as I don't plan on printing any more copies once my current batch runs out, and I have less than twenty copies left to sell.  Of course, if I get an explosion of people hitting the "to buy" button, I may reconsider. :-)

Roger and Me (no, not the movie)

Maybe I should have written this blog entry yesterday, but reflecting for one day on the euphoria of the moment has given me more perspective on the matter, perspective that I lacked yesterday. After all, didn't Wordsworth describe poetry as "emotion recollected in tranquility" in his Preface to Lyrical Ballads (see paragraph 26)? I think the same can be said for other forms of literature, of art, as well.

Who knew that putting my novel aside for a week (as mentioned in my previous entry) would fire up my creative juices on my blog? Yet that was but one catalyst. The other was praise. Praise from none other than Roger Ebert.

I have followed Ebert's blog the longest of any of the blogs I read on a regular basis, though I've only commented on it a handful of times. I haven't commented more because I either have had nothing to say, or because other people's comments say all I have wanted to say, and then some. Since Ebert's comment about my blog, however, I've realized two things:

1.) I feel more like I'm part of an online community now. His blog on blogs (where he replies to my comment, nineteen down from the top, which I've posted under my real name) made me not only notice the names of people who scatter comments throughout his blogs, but feel CONNECTED to them, since they are indulging in their passions in a way similar to my own (and, of course, now I can check out and comment on their blogs, and vice versa). I have linked to two of the blogs he mentions since yesterday, one by a thirteen-year-old who writes better film reviews than some professional reviewers I've read (not Ebert, of course ;-)), and a Canadian woman who writes such gorgeous, giving prose that it makes my writing look like feeble attempts by a chimpanzee. Actually, that's going a bit too far, but she's very good.

2.) I feel like my blog matters. Of course, my friends have left comments from time to time, which also validate this blog, as have other people whom I don't know, but to have a Pulitzer-Prize winning critic tell me that, if only I had commented on one of the last few blogs he had posted, he would have included my blog IN HIS BLOG, well, that's a whole new level of validation. Wonderful, surreal, and just plain awesome. Suffice it to say, from now on, I will be commenting on his blog (and others) more often.

Here are the links to the two blogs I mentioned:

The Flick Pick Monster

Etheriel~Musings

And, of course:

Roger Ebert's Journal

Blog Update

I have changed the labeling on my blogs, so now it should be easier to find blogs pertaining to specific topics. Anything labeled "Literary Dreams" has to do with my growth as a writer, and anything that furthers my chances of getting published. So, anything pertaining to acceptances, rejections, how my writing is going, writing conferences, etc. will be found under this label.

The rest should be self-explanatory, though I would like to note that "poetry" refers to the topic (which I have yet to write about), while "poems" includes poetry that I have written.

I may add more labels as time goes on, and I may amend the ones currently in place, but if I make any major changes, I will let you know.

Welcome to My Blog!

Hello everyone!

For my first blog entry, I thought I'd let you know what this blog will be about and a little bit about myself.

First of all, I'm a thirty-year old male still living at home with his parents. *Sigh.* But, I did live in Japan for three years, so from the time I graduated college to now, I've been here for five years, which is probably four years too long.

For the past five years or so (longer if you include the outline, shorter if you start from the independent rewrite I did while in Japan), I have been writing a novel. I also published a poetry book a few years back and am working on another collection, though I'm trying to get some of those poems published independently in magazines in order to create a groundswell of support for the collection before it comes out. Unlike the first one, I'd like my second poetry collection to be published through a respected third-party publisher (the first one was through a self-publisher/vanity press, depending on what you want to call it).

I'm maintaining this blog primarily for literary pursuits, meaning that anything to do with my novel and poetry will be posted as a blog entry. I think I can manage one blog every week--maybe more, if I have a really exciting week. Also, anyone interested in buying my first collection of published poetry (and so far only collection), Digging Up the Past: Poetry from High School (1994-97), can follow this link to the Connecticut Poetry Society's website, under Member News: http://ct-poetry-society.org/membernews.htm


Until next time!