Post Cards from the Past Two Weeks

We slept with lots of windows open last night, and around 2:30, I awoke to strange sounds:  mechanical and like someone doing a drum riff over and over.  At times it seemed close and other times far away.  I know that there's overnight work on water lines occurring nearby--could that noise be part of the process?

In any case, I couldn't get back to sleep.  I feel both rested and a bit scattered.  Let me just record some impressions from the past few days.

--Yesterday morning I woke up feeling sore.  I decided that a dip in the pool was what I needed.  And so, as the sun was rising, I swam back and forth.  It was remarkably restorative.

I need to do this more often, both swim in the pool and do the kinds of activities that are possible because we live in this house.  I need to walk to the beach and the lake more.  I need to swim in our pool. 

--I've sent out some poetry submissions--hurrah.  We're getting to the end of submitting season, the end of the academic year when so many journals shut down for a few months.  It was good to realize that I haven't been as deficient in submitting to journals as I think I have been--not as diligent as in some years, but not a complete laggard.

--My Monday night boot camp class worked out to an 80's mix CD.  When "Rio" came on, I said, "This is my favorite Duran Duran song.  I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I have a favorite Duran Duran song."

--So, I listened to some old Duran Duran on my way to work yesterday.  I've already admitted a bias, but those were well crafted pop songs.

--I wish I could do my hair and make up like those Duran Duran boys.

--I also listened to Frankie Goes to Hollywood and thought about what was sexually subversive in the mid 80's and how innocent it seems today.

--Two weeks ago, I'd have been on the road for several hours.  I'm still savoring the memories of getting together with old friends.  One of them said that she was sad that I was no longer writing novels because I had shown such improvement with my last novel (which I wrote during 2003-2004 and then finished revising by July 2005).

--Maybe I should send her the collection of linked stories that I recently put together.  Maybe I should read it myself first.  I haven't taken the time to sit and read it through from cover to cover.

--I should put together a submission plan for both the collection and the individual stories.

--When I'm thinking about publication, I'm wanting to spend the summer thinking about book-length projects.  Could I secure enough of those to make a path to a new career?  Could I have that in place by the time I need it to be?

--Our school's president has announced his retirement.  The school's stock continues to slide.  We live in interesting times.  And I'm seeing similar developments throughout the higher ed world--yes, interesting times. 

--I continue to feel gratitude for my colleagues.  Yesterday, one of them said to me that she sees my summer as a time of completion, after this recent time of rest.  She sees great success for my projects.  I hope she's right.