College Life Redo

So first of all, a very happy birthday to my conference co-conspirator . I hope you have an awesome day. If you come to VCFA for the alumni day I’ll see you there. If not, here is my family’s traditional birthday breakfast just for you. Enjoy! (I’m going to announce the CFP for 2010 at lecture today.)

You may have noticed the early hour of this posting. Sometimes writers get up early to savor the early morning peace before the chaos of the day begins. I just can’t sleep past 5 am here. Perhaps it is that we eat dinner at 5 pm or that I drink tea and wine before I go to bed, or that my honey is not here to snuggle, or that the bed is too small in my dorm room, or that mattress is not as good… whatever the issue, it is insanely frustrating. My bedtime doesn’t seem to matter. My bladder seems to rule the situation and then I can’t get back to sleep despite the sleeping mask and earplugs. Oh well, I suppose I’ll make it up when I get home or I’ll start savoring the early morning peace before the chaos.

Insomnia
By Anna Boll

I curl.
Head and toes
touching cool
cinder block.
Mimicking
the solidity
of you.

Five on Friday

1. Some people are seashore people, I love the mountains. I love to see the cloud shadows slide over the folds and peaks of the land. As I drove north through Vermont today I felt that I was painting with my eyes. In my imagination I was squeezing oil paint silky slipping out of the tube onto my glass palatte: greens, blues, and violets. I could imagine mixing the green and violets together to make those places where the land undulates into cool shadows and slapping the deep olive green of the pines onto the canvas with palette knife their prickly needles poking the colbalt of the sky. I am a mountain person.

2. Because I had a shorter drive today, I was able to tool around a little on my way to school. On the advice of I stopped at the Northshire Bookstore. I don’t write this very often but– OMG! Here are a couple of pics. Jessica and her staff of amazing children’s book sellers were just awesome. So helpful and welcoming. These are the places I dream of visiting as a published author.

3. I am happily moved into VCFA, my bed is made, my clothes hung up and my roommate, Melanie is wonderful. I’m not sure if it is luck of the draw or if there is some effort to match people according to backgrounds and interests but they scored on this one.

4. We just play 2 truths and a lie, can you tell which one is my lie? Put your answer in the comments.

A. I taught Middle School for ten years.
B. I hiked the Appalachian Trail from Maryland to Maine (but not like Governor Sanford.)
C. I ran for the Maine State Legislature.

5. We are headed out to watch Milo and Otis on the quad. I feel like such a coed.

On the road again…

Yesterday I packed the car with clothes, books, my lap top, and a fan and hit the road headed for my first Vermont College residency. After a long day of driving I met up with last night and he told me about his most recent contest to give away a copy of BUG BOY the winner of which was chosen by a horse race. Check out the race and Eric here.

Today I move on to the second leg of my journey tooling through Vermont on my way to Montpelier. It is a sunshiny day here in North with comfortable temps and I’m eager to see what this chapter of my life brings. Wish me luck!

1.I’m pleased to say that we are safe and sound in Pennsylvania with my parents. We spent most of the last month, and all of last week boxing up our things, sweating in the heat and humidity, packing the trailer and moving from St. Mary’s County, Maryland. This stop at my parent’s home is for the month of July and then we are back to our home in Maine. After reading the blogs of other New England friends it is obvious that they are saturated with rain. I hope things dry out a bit by the time we get back… but even if it doesn’t, we know what we’re getting into.

2. I’m getting very excited about the Vermont College residency that is coming up quickly. I’m doing all my required reading and workshop notes. My bag is packed (as long as I wear the same clothes for the next 10 days) and the financial aid stuff is moving forward. I still have to look at the workshop choices and try to make make some decisions. Even though this seems like a solid step forward in my development as a writer, I still have a little bit of a lost feeling. Is this what I should be doing? Should I just be giving up instead of investing this time and money in something so subjective and unstable?

3. If you didn’t get to see the images from my Art Show and Sale they are up on my facebook page. Here is the link. If it doesn’t work… you may need to have a facebook account.

4. I’m working (pretty much pro bono) on an illustration assignment. The manuscript is a collaboration of two high school students for a Portland non-profit. The experience should be interesting as includes some cultural research. have you heard about an African dish called Fufu?

5. Grandma and Grandpa get to have us for a whole month and are even taking the kids for one week on their own. Unending thanks and gratitude! (I’m really looking forward to a break.)