Where I'm At

So Meredith and I are looking at houses on Saturday. I'm excited and terrified. We met with a realtor and a mortgage broker yestreday. We had so many numbers thrown at us. Meredith, at one point, nudged me under the table because my eyes were glazing over. . .

1st Mortgage? 2nd Mortgage? Escrow? Huh?

In other news, the new quarter started at Western Washington and I'm very very excited. It's also almost April which means it's almost summer. Yay summer!

AWP Afterglow

I'm so tired. I think the heat contributed to my fatigue but there was also such a rush of good feeling during those four days in Austin.

Anyway, if I didn't get a chance to say goodbye (or hello) for that matter, "Goodbye and Hello." I can't believe how many five-minute conversations I had. I wish the week had been longer but I also know that if it were any longer I'd be deathly ill.

In the end, I had a great time, had some fantastic food, spent moments with old friends, and drank in some wonderful poetry. See you all in Atlanta.

Restraint

I want to buy books at AWP but I need to put a collar on my wallet. It's so hard to show restraint, too. You walk up and down the bookfaire aisles and sitting at the tables are poets showing their wares.

I remember one year at AWP, I actually packed a separate bag in order to carry all the new AWP books I figured I'd be bringing home. Sure enough, the bag got filled.

The worst/best day is when all the journals are reducing their rates or giving away their copies so that they don't have to travel with the weight. It's REALLY hard to restrain myself on those days.

So, I've got to come up with a list of "MUST HAVES" before going. Got your eyes on something you'd like to share?

R142H. Kundiman: Love Songs of Asian American Poets

(Marilyn Chin, Patrick Rosal, Purvi Shah, Mary Chi-Whi Kim, Marlon Esguerra, Sarah Gambito, and Oliver de la Paz)

Kundiman is a nonprofit literary organization dedicated to serving Asian American poets. At the heart of our offerings is the national emerging Asian-American poets' writing and mentorship retreat at the University of Virginia. Retreat participants--faculty, students, and other Kundiman affiliates for a reading to celebrate the organization and reach a broader audience. The event will serve as our national debut.