--"YOU'VE GOT THAT SPECIAL KIND OF MADNESS, YOU'VE GOT THAT TRAGIC SET OF CHARMS, THAT ONLY COMES FROM TIME SPENT IN LOS ANGELES, I WANT TO WRAP YOU IN MY ARMS."

…Before I forget, I wanted to share something from a cyber friend of mine who lives in Hong Kong:
林公公
"It more or less means: 'What I truly want to say to you, from the bottom of my heart: go fuck yourself'." Nicolette Wong

…I have a few things up:
--"After My Morning Shower; The Old Man in the Mirror" at Safety Pin Review
--"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at 52/250 A Year of Flash along with two other stories--"What Happened To All the Readers" and "Traveling Mercies" (Week 42 and week 48 respectively) names "Best Of."
Everything is here under "Words in Print."

…I finally--finally--finished Jennifer Egan's book, "A Visit From the Goon Squad." It was extremely well written, and even clever in parts, but it just did not do it for me. I had to force mself to keep reading it.
Purchase it at your own risk.

...I ran today. On the treadmill. Same as yesterday. I sweated a lot. It wasn't necessarily fun, but I always feel better about myself afterward.

…Feeling good about oneself is imporant, I realize, but it's never been something I've been good at.
I'm not good at talking about myself.
I'm not good at talking about my past.
I'm not always entirely honest. Not that I lie, but I omit things.
I see other people and I think: That person is a better person than I am. They deserve good things, I do not.
I often feel guilty for my good fortune, even if I have worked very hard. I think: Well, lots of people have worked hard, too, sacrificing like I have, but they are not in a great position, so why am I?
On the other hand, I am envious of other's success when it comes to writing. I'm happy for their success, yet if I'm being truthful (and this is an attribute I'm trying to fully inculcate inside of me) I am envious. I understand that this is a hard business to get into, a tough old nut to crack. I'd just really like to lasso an agent, get a novel published, and a story collection. I really would. In the meantime, I'll stop complaining, shut up, keep querying, and keep writing.
Thanks for listening.

…Here are some interesting things on a misty day in Seattle, Washington:

"If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears." Glenn Clark

"Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength." August Wilson

"You were once wild here. Don't let them tame you." Isadora Duncan

"Family can be just one person worry about your well being." Anonymous

"As a writer, it's important to get under the skin of things." Maurice Sendak

"Two fonts walk into a bar...the bartender says, 'We don't serve your type here!'"

"A revolutionary poem will not tell you who or when to kill, what and when to burn, or even how to theorize. It reminds you... where and when and how you are living and might live, it is a wick of desire." Adrienne Rich