Music: Final Cornjob Ipod summer playlist:
Acetone Acetone
Beastie Boys To The 5 Buroughs
Bill Fox Shelter from the Smoke
Bonnie "Prince" Billy Master and Everyone
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
For Squirrels Example
Guided By Voices Under the Bushes Under the Stars
The Intimate Restaurants Crypt Kicker
Kincaid Plays Super Hawaii
Portastatic Slow Note From a Sinking Ship
Saves the Day Ups and Downs: Early Recordings
Sportsguitar Married, 3 Kids
Tilly and the Wall Bottoms of Barrels
Vehicle Flips For You I Pine
Wesley Willis Feel the Power
Yo La Tengo I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One

Fantasy Baseball: I'm in 4th (out of 19th). I'm poised to make a move. And everyone wants my Mark Prior. I'm not sure why I can't give him up. He's no good.

Dance Lessons: No new dances learned.

Two more days.

***

Also: Mathias and I and our reading board have half of the 8 mannies picked for Octopus Books. This feels good. Find the edge of your seat and slide toward it.

Overheard in the cornfield today:

1. "Are you making an island?" "Yes. What else would I be doing?"
2. "You know, they sing classic metal stuff like about killing orks."

Also: I'm going to netflix Tron right now. Am I cool?

A and I went to our second ballroom dancing class at the Pla-Mor Ballroom tonight. That's right. I said it. My posture is getting better. Basic steps for the following dances have been learned so far: Fox Trot, Swing, Waltz, Country Waltz. My favorite: country waltz.

Books received:

The Song of Igor's Campaign translated by Bill Johnston
New Translations Osip Mandelstam
Stack by Edwin Frank
Flight Test by Lewis Warsh
shelley gave jane a guitar by Richard Meier
Remnants of Hannah by Dara Wier
Occupational Treatment by Taylor Brady
Flowers of Evil by Charles Baudelaire

I don't know which to read first. I've already nibbled a bit in all of them. I think I'll go with the Lewis Warsh first (he is quickly approaching the middle pack of my po-favs list). Then I'll hit the Meier and the Wier. The 'ier-er's.

I gots my new (old) Cutbank 63/64 and the inaugural international issue of Washington Square Review. Your boy is represented on the first page of both. First poem honors--check, check.

I've been getting a lot of other great reading material via post lately. I'll list them off for you this tomorrow maybe.

Going out to a fancy-schmance dinner this weekend with A. Been wearing this ring for five years now.

I'm a sad blogger. Denny and Bri are moving away. To Tulsa. Tulsa just got a lot hipper. A and I and Lincoln will miss them. Good luck. Stay gold.

Also: This is my new favorite picture of Denny.

The Clean Part is going to eat at the big people table. We just got picked up by the Sheldon Art Gallery on UNL's campus and will host our poetry party there in 06 and 07. Check it. There are rumors floating around about some killer poets coming, like GC Waldrep, Joshua Poteat, Allison Titus, Gabriel Gudding, Matt Hart, Hadara Bar-Nadav, Laura Sims, and the Wave Books Poetry Bus. And more. Oh, there's more. You'll see.

18 more days.

Then I'm going to a Cubs game.

Last night, while driving home, our car got egged by some punk(s) behind a bush. This made me angry. This morning, on my way to work, I past the scene of the crime, but apparently the punk(s) had fled already. You got away this time.

My fantasy baseball team, The Mendoza Lions, is sitting pretty at the All-Star Break. I've been hot lately and am now within striking distance to start the second half of the season. I like baseball.

Also, I like Matthew Rohrer. I can't stop reading these.

Took the day off cornjobbing today (didn't go in). Fixed the drainpipe. Finished reading the mannies for Octopus round 2. Now we'll be sending what's left to outside readers. Hung with M and J. Beers. Boardgames.

Cool po-biz news: Maureen is going to publish a poem of mine, "The Truth About Canada," as #12 in Big Game Books. Big Game Books is cool. You should know about this. Doubly-so now.

I'm going to unload a few selections from the pre-21st century nostalgia photo box that I was rummaging through not too long ago. They'll vary in subject matter, but this first batch is just C of O related.


Will and Riley on pipes or something.


Tony isn't respecting my wishes to lay back and relax on the lawn under the St. Louis arch.


Czech whippersnapper, Martin. This pal went on to play pro baseball in Australia and has been sailing around the world for the past 3 years with some folks on a little sail boat. He's one of those people. Yes, that is a Gish poster in the dorm's entryway. Where is that poster? Where is that album?


Eureka Springs, AR.


Web and I above the Buffalo River.

If Anna Moschovakis' poems were cookies, for the past few months I've been the cookie monster. Her stuff is amazing, and I've been looking for it everywhere. And today, Turtle Point Press sent me a copy of her first full length, I Have Not Been Able to Get Through to Everyone. A lovely surprise. When I opened up the package, I closed my eyes and could still see last night's fireworks burned on my retina.