I THINK YOU HAVE THE WORLD’S BEST SMILE

…The writing bug has returned. Well, first my insomnia continues. Today I awoke at 3:30, yesterday 4:30. I read. I wrote. I drank coffee thicker than motor oil. I did not use cream or add sugar. I made sure it burned my lips and tongue, made sure it scorched my throat. Then I wrote some more--12 poems and three stories. The poems were very tragic. Surprised, aren't you? The poems were all very dark, bitter and vitriolic. They will probably stay dark, unseen from anyone's eyes but mine. That's okay. It felt good to expunge those words.

…I saw "Insidious" yesterday. It was creepy. Especially the first 3/4's. The last 1/4 was too over the top and silly. But I jumped a lot and shredded my napkin and squirmed, so that's always a good sign that a fright film is effective.

…My son and I spend a lot of time together. I'm very grateful for that. He's a terrific kid. I wish I could properly convey how wonderful he is. Yesterday, after eating crepes, we were listening to Rocket Summer (his pick) and I told him a story about two squabbling writers (I might as well have been describing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict) when he says, "Why can't we just all get along?"
Exactly.
He also told me that I always have to be right.
He also claimed I can be a jerk, as well as an ass.
But he said he loves me and I believe that to be true.

…Celebrities seem to become a whole lot more popular once they die. Think: Michael Jackson.
I remember people making fun of Elizabeth Taylor a lot. They talked about her divorces, her weight gain, her friendship and staunch support of M.J. during his child molestation trial. But now that she’s dead, people have put her on par with the iconic woman she so infamously protrayed; Cleopatra.
I always liked Liz. She was so beautiful, the very definition of the word "attractive" in that you could not look away from an image of her. I'd also never heard of anyone having purple eyes.
I'm glad people are showing her lots of love. It’s just too bad we have to die in order to be appreciated.

…On Sunday, these are some things I love (in no particular order):
Gummy Bears
Post-Its
Children
Children's laughter
Photography, especially black and white, especially portraits
Sweet Tarts
Someone's daughter
My son, my daughter
Ixtapa
The Airborne Toxic Event
Sunsets
Cabernet
Diesel (the store, the brand)
Kelly Minka
Tulips
Certain swear words, especially when used by certain females at certain moments
Quentin Tarantino films
Sprees, especially the chewy kind, especially the tropical chewy kind
Aquamarine
The feel of puppy fur
How happy puppies always are to see you
Making people laugh, making you laugh
The beauty of a good snowfall
Les Miserables
Music, always music
Raymond Carver
Round Table pizza
You