IT'S MONDAY AND I AM SOMETHING ORANGE AND BLUE AND SEAFOAM GREEN

…I have two new things, "Where Are You?" at Wufikniks and "Written In Stone" at decomP. Both are also here under "Words In Print."

…Lots of talk and tweeting about the Oscars. I thought all of the stars looked pretty and handsome. A few tried too hard to be witty, but it's difficult to know what that'd be like, standing in front of a couple thousand superstars. Melissa Leo from "The Fighter" really caught me off guard. She was so attractive, whereas in the film she was…not. Not at all. I think it was an accident, her dropping the F bomb. Her banter with Kirk Douglas was very dear. And I loved how the crowd was so respectiful to Kirk and his disability.

…xTx's book, "Normally Special" finally showed up in the mail Saturday. (And also a beautifully bound version of PANK 5.) I'd read most of the stories in xTx's collection before. Aside from the things anyone else would logically say about her work, what I notice now is how important the concept of cadence plays in so many of the pieces. Some of the writings are tiny with a punch, as flash should be, and it's the lilt of the phrasing that makes them that much more powerful, lyrical and necessary. She's quite a talent that one.

…I've been queried by a few different people/magazines, so I have some writing projects today. I love it when someone asks me to write for them. It feels humbling. Same when strangers friend request me on Facebook. No matter how many there are, I always try to reply and thank them, say I'm looking forward to getting to know them better.

…I have a thing about gummy bears. My thing is I find them irresistible. When they're fresh, they're spongy and sort of oily. It could eat a bathtub full of them. Cherry and orange are my favorites. My son bought me a bag yesterday and it's sitting right…here…next to the keyboard. I ate half the bag last night. Think I'll have a couple for breakfast. Hold on…
…YUM! So good and chewy.

…So good is also Mumford and Sons. They sound like a bunch of forlorn swashbucklers on a bender. Semisonic is another band I've been listening to a lot. "Feeling Strangely Fine" is a great album. Here's a sampler from "Secret Smile":
"Nobody knows it,
but you've got a secret smile
and you use it only for me.
So use it,
and prove it,
remove this swollen sadness from me,
because I'm losing,
I'm bruising
so use that smile
to save me from madness…"

…Here are some other things I like that you might also:
--"I have scars on my hands from touching certain people." JD Salinger
--"It's not the load that breaks you down. It's the way you carry it." Lena Horne
--"You climb a long ladder until you can see ovre the roo, or over the clouds. You are writing a book. You watch your shod feet step on each round rung, one at a time; you do not hurry and do not rest. Your feet feel the steep ladder's balance; the long muscles in your thighs check its sway. You climb steadily, doing you job in the dark. When you reach the end, there is nothing more to climb. The sun hits you. Bright wideness surprises you; you had forgotten you were at the end. You look back at the ladder's two feet on the distant grass, astonished." Annie Dillard