Out & About After Our Fav Haunt

DD & Me in our fav haunt

Page one hundred eighteen on my grind...

Between yesterday & today I wrote 12 pages to my novel.
Yay, Joy is on her grind!
We took yesterday off in the afternoon to check out our regular hang out, Indian Road Cafe, who I have to say, has really popped their menu up. We're loving it.
Also met some really nice fb people and helped two who didn't know how to add their blogs to their pages. There are so many talented people here, I'm honored to be part of a crowd that filled with oceans of inspiration.
It's cool when you get to help someone and cool too when it happens to you, and when someone will lend you a hand. That's what life's about.
Check the new pics.
Dubblex wanted me to put a selection here. If anyone's interested check out lipstick diaries at B & N for a preview of the novel.

BACK ON MY GRIND...

This has been a very strange year. I left my dept. Of Ed. job last August. Last April my short story from my novel in process was published in Lipstick Diaries and in less than a month I had sold over 110 books on my own. I began work transposing the completed screenplay into a novel and the short story, False Pride, is the beginning of the novel. What surprised me most of all was how easily Lipstick Diaries sold. It was almost as if they sold themselves. Probably J's cover does that. Several women who worked with me commented that they had seen the book at B & N and had planned to buy it anyway. What I liked most about this experience was how people came back to me to talk about it. Many people liked it that a white jewish woman involved with a Dominican drug dealer was a new story to them. One woman who I worked with and who only knew my "professional face" complained that I was "trying to be black" because of my writing style. J laughed when I told him and said he guessed she doesn't know any white girls from the hood.
I am always writing - even if I'm writing thoughts or writing conversations imagined or real. I've also written about 10 poems a month for the last 9 months, some of which I continue to work on. I've been working on the novel several days a week. Sometimes shit gets in the way. Emergencies, hospital visits & outpatient surgeries for either my love or me. Shit happens.
Overall, I'm content with my progress. It's unbelievable how busy one can be and not have a 9 to 5. It always struck me whenever I've had any time off how busy I am and how much there is to do. It's a wonder I had time to work when I did work!
I've also been going to the gym regularly since November and am feeling much better. Mostly I concentrate on weights. At first I was going no less than 3 times per week and now it's about 2 or 3. The good news is that I took off 35 of the 50 pounds I had put on. Yay Joy! Joy is gonna be skinny!!!! When the heat lets up I'll get back to the elliptical and treadmill. That will give me a jump start. The other great thing is that I can actually eat and not worry. My metabolism has picked up so I eat 3 or 4 times a day. I can actually eat more and weigh less. Do you love it?????
I'm about to write a few more lines on my novel b4 I join dubblex in bed. I worked on some poems that need reworking today too. Tomorrow we are meeting D's Daddy for dinner at his favorite Italian place.
Life is short and I want to enjoy my time on our planet. Gotta go now so I'll say good bye.

My Peeps

Yesterday we went for a walk and ended spending time in Indian Road Cafe with our friends, the crew from Augustus Publishing. Later while chilling, other people dropped by and sat with us. Vanessa Martir (she wrote Woman's Cry) was there and so was J. Will Teez dropped by and talked about his party on Sunday. There was a gal who does marketing and another guy who does movie editing for Universal Films.
DubbleX and I had our usual carafe of red wine. It was good fun all around until Anthony said he hated my new poem about the uterus and he really wasn't down with that. Will jumped in and said he's down with uteruses because his daughter has one and so does his mother so I should send the poem to him.
Eventually I agreed that most men don't like to talk about such things and that it's a mistake to give them poems of this sort unless they're down with it like Will is!
Vanessa was great fun and knows a lot of ropes and how to pull them right and started giving me personal instructions. I'm always down to learn more...

Jack Wiler

DubbleX & I went to see Jack Wiler's play yesterday at Pace University's Black Box theatre. Jack was in top form and although he said he needed to look at his words a few times, he had it down pat. Hey it's not easy to recite over a half hour of poetry from memory with no break! The story and the words are compelling, they hit home. Some beautiful turn of phrases too. I love Jack's poetry!
Although Jack & I only met on facebook by accident, he recognized me immediately. I went crazy for a few days and kept adding people to see what would happen. What did happen was FB finally blocked me from adding more & I lost interest in the add game. That said, my adding Jack led to an exchange of words (how could there be two poets who wouldn't have much to say) and friendship. BTW, the proceeds from the show all goes to Gay Men's Health Crisis, a very well worth while organization to give something to if you can.
Steven McCasland, Director is astute & talented. He broke down two of Jack's books to create this show. The entire play was extremely digestible and I'm still absorbing it today, the day after.
If you have the time or inclination, there's another 3 days running where other actors get to step in Jack's shoes. I wanted to hear Jack perform his own words.

Bronx River Parkway

POMEGRANATE STAIN

The pomegranate incense is gone yet the smell of the smoke lingers
Filling my nose with its scent
I used the last stick yesterday
And am sick with desire to smell that pungent fruit
Sinking into my veins
Like a good fix on life
The deep red burgundy of the berries merges with my blood

The pomegranate incense of my life remains
Like seeds once picked over by crows
Dry and humble they lie
Renewed by life’s rain
Each seed leaves behind a bright red stain

There’s no shortage of pomegranate seeds
When pomegranate season comes
I’ll devour them greedily
The taste of the red berry remains sweet &sticky on my tongue

I long for my pomegranate incense
The last stick burned yesterday
I’m sick with desire to smell that pungent fruit again
Its ephemeral scent lost in my garden of yesteryears
I search for yesterdays scent lost in today’s patchouli mist

Quotes from Joy

©

Peace the Planet

POWER THE MOHAVE DESERT WITH MILES AND MILES OF SOLAR PANELS

ENOUGH TO RUN THE ENTIRE PLANET ON SOLAR ENERGY

BEAUTY IS NOTHING BUT A BACKDROP FOR THE BLUES

BURY ME GREEN PLEASE

MY CONSTANT ACHE, I AIN'T AS PRETTY AS I USED TO BE...