"It swarmed the world like a great beast unseen, and the whole world heard it pass in a season of grief and lamentation, a dark celebration of the stuffs it carried to disperse, and all of it funneling upper Illinois.  In tidal sweeps and swoons of sound, it robbed the graves of dust from stone angels' eyes, vacuumed the tombs of spectral flesh, ( Read more... )

"It seems to me that man is equal of the gods, who sits in thy presence and hears near him thy sweet voice and lovely laughter; that indeed makes my heart beat fast in my bosom.

For when I see thee even a little I am bereft of utterance, my tongue is useless and at once a subtle fire races under my skin, my eyes see nothing, my ears ring, sweat ( Read more... )

One of my co-workers is going through the same marital issues I am.  This is weird and reassuring at the same time.  And we're both in the awkward position of being sorry the other one is going through it, but grateful we now have someone to talk to who understands.

I don't know.  Weird, and cool, and sad at the same time.

from "Voyvodina" by Ivan Gadjanski (trans. Charles Simic ( Read more... )

Fixed my conference paper topic so that it's on LGBTQ representation in graphic novels, how to integrate such material into the collection, and how to deal with challenges.  (HINT:  don't automatically put all graphic novels in the YA and Juvenile sections; not all picture books are for kids.  Do your research, catalogers.)

Also, I have seen for ( Read more... )

"Seventh Song" The Holy Mass for Relja Krilatica, Milorad Pavic (trans. Charles Simic)

Rejoice eleventh finger reckoner of stars
For you are the one exiled into the light
Your mind is made up with angelic speed
While the wings were given to you to catch him
We threw him on heaven's shores like a crown
To listen to the moon's breathing
Where he falls down ( Read more... )

I always need to have noise in the apartment, and music actually takes a lot of concentration for me (singing along, thinking 'wouldn't this song be great for this character/scene/etc.') so I tend to watch familiar TV shows.  And since my taste in programing is pretty lowbrow, it's not like I'm wasting a whole lot of brain power on it.  Do some ( Read more... )

"All Hallows" Louise Glück

Even now this landscape is assembling.
The hills darken.  The oxen
sleep in their blue yoke.,
the fields have been
picked clean, the sheaves
bound evenly and piled at the roadside
among cinquefoil, as the toothed moon rises.

This is the barrenness
of harvest or pestilence.
And the wife leaning out the window
with her hand extended, ( Read more... )

My academic adviser just told me that I'll have a "diverse set of skills" when I graduate, in reply to the e-mail informing him that I want to take advanced cataloging and libraries, lit, and young adults next semester.  He added that it will give me good flexibility when looking for a professional position; my personal interpretation (not of his ( Read more... )

This is really good on chicken or fish (some kind of white fish like catfish; I haven't tried it with salmon or tuna).

• 1 tomato, chopped
• spring onions (I used three; use more or less for preference)
• 1-2 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice (to taste; I like a lot)
• splash of dry white wine or cooking sherry
• salt and pepper, to taste