The Winter Olympics, Proofs, and the End of the Second Trimester

Where Meredith, L, and I live is fairly close to the US/Canadian border. We're about 20 minutes from one border entrance and about forty minutes from another. All that said, the supposed crush of incoming traffic from spectators that had originally been predicted doesn't seem like it's happening. Of course, this can all change with television exposure, once the Olympics are underway. I was listening to a Canadian indie station on my way to work this morning and some of the skating rinks are having ice melting problems, so they've had to place a plastic sheet to "simulate" ice. Oh that'll be fun to watch.

On that same radio station, they were listing all the road closures. I'm so glad I'm not in Vancouver right now. So glad. I had ambitions to go see some of the events, since it's so close to me, but those ambitions clearly (as evidence from this post) went away.

I'm going to remain in my cozy house with my family.

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Received proofs for a Black Warrior Review chapbook I wrote. I'm not sure when exactly it'll be out, but I predict in time for AWP. It's weird work--a large chunk of the "Dear Empire" poems I had been writing since 2007. Seeing it formated in a manuscript style showed me bits of the narrative in a clearer way than I had seen it as files on my computer. I'm excited about these poems, even though they're very weird. Very weird.

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We will be entering the end of the second trimester at the end of the month. I must say we're more relaxed about the pregnancy itself, it's the other things that are driving us crazy--the difficult work schedules, the growing needs of L (who's fantastic, bright, cheerful, and curious), and my rising administrative duties. I can't begin to tell you how lucky we are that my parents were flexible enough to move near by. I know we wouldn't be able to afford daycare with Meredith's recent loss of income.

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Other things I'm muddling through--the NEA application, booking readings (and I'm trying to figure out a schedule that is fair to the babies and Meredith), trying to write.

I don't mean to complain. So, sorry.

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I've still manage to play Mass Effect 2 in chunks. I've recruited Thane, Samara, Zaeed, Garrus, and Mordin. Go go go! Vanguard--the only way to play.

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