Best New Poets...and other writings

Ack!

BNP has finally read two of my three submissions, which means results shouldn't be too far away...

God, I would love to get another one of my "ill-formed offspring" in ink.

I've been working feverishly on my portfolio - while trying to move at the same time - but have had some surprisingly good results. Just penned a poem I adore, "visiting lady lethe (late one friday evening)," about my late great-grandmother. I've asked Professor Pantano - Edge Hill University - to look over my portfolio and see what needs tweaking so that I'm more competetive as I go to apply for my MFA this fall. Hopefully, this will help my chances and - if nothing else -I'm having a marvelous time and getting some much needed input.

I'm really excited about where this is headed...I feel possibilities dancing around in my brain, and I absolutely love it. It's a wonderful place to be (famous last words: I'm waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under my feet in the form of rejection letters and a "your poems suck" declaration from Prof. P, lol).

So we'll see how things go!

In the meantime, I'm off to do some NEFEC homework (ugh!) and enjoy Father's Day. Best wishes to all, and to all...an MFA acceptance? :D Take care, folks.

Low Carb Kick

It is official: I am now, in part, a health nut.

After recently stepping on the scale and discovering that I gained 20 lbs - 10lbs during my volitile relationship and 10lbs after the break-up of said relationship - I have decided enough is enough. There's no way I'm going to sit here and become a blard-o-saurus just because of some stupid boy who broke my heart. To pervert Dorothy's statement as she clicked her dainty heels together, "I will not be a Mack-truck. I will not be a Mack-truck. I will not be a Mack-truck."

I've never really been one for diet and exercise; my metabolism - up to this point - has always been active enough to where I've never needed to do such things. Obviously, those days have come and gone.


In a way, though, this is kind of exciting. I've always wanted to eat/live healthier, so now I have an excuse to summon the motivation to do so. I wanted something that would work fast...and something that is totally new to me, so I opted to try the low carb approach.

And it has been hard. Brutally hard.

Seriously. Normally all that I eat is carbs: bread, pasta, rice, bagles, ugh!!! I WANT IT NOW!!!! :P I could kill for some tortellini...or some chocolate cake.


But no. I resist. I perservere. I carry on - and the pounds do not. In one week, I have already lost 6 lbs just by cutting the extra carbs out of my diet and replacing them with protein and fiber. :D Tilapia, that yummiest and least fishy-tasting of fish, has become my new best friend. Gorton's sells a wonderful butter/garlic dressed variety; it's also killer with just a little bit of salsa on top if you're itching for something spicy. Pair it with some "Simply Steamed" seasoned veggies and, dear Lord, I'm in diet heaven. It's really not too bad!


I'm trying to keep my carb count to 20 g net, a la Atkins, at least for the first two weeks (though I must confess, if I go a couple over I'm not going to have a heart attack). To help stave off my carb cravings, I'm looking into a baking alternative: almond flower. Only about 2 net carbs per 1/4 cup of flour..which means I could have LOTS and LOTS of cookies to get me through! Or muffins...or cake...

If you're feeling moisture flying at you from across the screen, please forgive me. I'm salivating pretty intensely at this juncture.


Newest Wish List Item:

To steal a line from the Beatles: "I WANT YOU! I WANT YOU SOOOOO BAD!!!"

The catch: sugar creates carbs too...so I will see if I can use splenda/other yummy substitutes and still get the effect I desire. Who knows? If I find anything particularly yummy - even if its outside of the realm of baked goods - I may just post the recipe here!


I'll keep you posted: in the meantime, I'm off to eat some chicken and broccoli! Yum! Toodles!

Summer Dreamin'

I've decided that this summer I am going to "dream big" and keep busy. I distinctly remember emerging from the end of my previous summer thinking to myself "Goodness, where did it go?" and "How did I so completely and utterly waste it?"

I've been itching to have an adventue as of late - to stretch the bounds of my comfort zone and do things I wouldn't normally have time/be inclined to do. I'm really hoping to adventure into the realm of the abnormal, and have a marvelous time doing it. It's not about "succeeding" at anything this time around: just about enjoying the ride. :D

Here's my adventure checklist - We'll see which items I mark off (or add later on, lol):

1) Visit Christina and her new baby!!!! This is a must!! :D
2) Have a "Girls' Weekend" Beach Trip to St. Augustine. I'm a native Floridian and I've never been...yes, I know: it's pathetic - hence its location on my to do list.
3) Audition for American Idol when it comes to Orlando - just for kicks and giggles. *cue AI theme song: duh duh duh duh duh duh duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh duh!*
4) Spend a much needed week with Tori Sandbrook in Boston, MA
5) Spend some time with the family in North Carolina...I love me some mountains. I'm hoping to get in some hiking, cavern exploring, horseback riding, white-water rafting goodness.
5) FINALLY read some of the books I've been dying to read
6) Continue to build my poetry portfolio and, hopefully, get accepted into a poetry journal for publication
7) Work on my would-be chick-lit/urban fantasy novel

Here's to adventure! :D