Daylight savings. Do I love? I yes very much love. Especially as the writer. 7:55am. And with Alice and Jack away at a gathering for young mothers, a walk around Spring Lake if I’m not misunderstanding her destination, I have an hour. Coffee. Composition. Just how I want to begin this day back. This Sunday. My Monday.
Bringing papers to grade, newJournal, Poe book. Last night’s sitting in my newest writing spot: awakening, dark, sensory, pluming place for a penman. Not sure how often I’ll get to write there, but what I did last night.. quite pleased. If you could see my typing speed, right now, you’d think I already had a cup, or 3. But nothing yet. The Keurig warms up downstairs, prepares itself for duty. Going to go check… Need a few sips, to make this a REAL Coffee & Comp session.
Poe, circling my thoughts, especially with ‘Usher’. Not just themes of sickness, but also disorientation.. a haunt, hunt, of sorts. I’ll support this text, of course, but I see this short from Poe as much more than the stereotypical Goth morsel.
And now that I have this time to type, react to a day that hasn’t even started.. I freeze. Am I blocked, or do I just think I am? Hard to tell, this early. But I am thinking about next semester, already. Which books I want to select. For English 5, think I’ll do Plath’s ‘Bell Jar’, ‘Glass Castle’ again, then some collection of either short stories or essays– How about that Capote Short Story collection? You could use that as a vehicle for exploring fiction’s Art form.. balance between dialogue and exposition, tone and structure, length/balance/time/piece’s intent vs authorial intent. Strong possibility. And for 100… A collection, again, like I did last semester. This time, taking my time with it. ‘Gatsby’ again, maybe… Then.. not sure. Maybe… I don’t know. I’m not stressing over it, it’s just on my radar, very much. I know what I’m meant to do with my Life, that’s been one of the successes with this semester, already. I declared it’d be the best semester of my teaching career.. and it has already. Now I just need finish the term on a note so strong I surprise even mySelf.
Coffee.. amazing, naturally. Time, 8:12am. Departure scheduled for 8:50. Want a mocha, some kind of eat. A croissant again, most likely, pretend I’m in Paris, again. Looking over the album Alice put together definitely gave me a removed homesickness. Next year, I’ll go back. Somehow. Just for a week, that’s all I’ll need.
2014, less than 60 days away. The year I turn 35. 5 from 40. How is this happening to me? Another victory for my ever-inching foe, Time. This part in my Life, the time itself.. much the reason I’m putting everything I have.. everything.. into my Lectures. Tuesday.. take each assigned piece.. for each class.. apart, line by line. Assign theory beyond the all-too-gentle Reader-Response mode. Take it into sections, into opposites, polarities. Yes, Polarities. And reiterate that term.
Already posted to teaching blog this morning. Will take notes all day for both lectures. And I WILL type both. I’ll print English 5’s at some point Tuesday morning. 1A’s is a bit more manageable, time-wise, with me having over two hours on campus to write, type, edit, print. Burying mySelf in knowledge, text, thought. That’s my area: ALL of it. I have another Poe collection, actually. In Jackie’s Room, as that used to be my office. Think it’s in closet, off to right, and up. Let me see…
Yes. Found it just atop the Emerson collection, in one of the plastic boxes. Going to revisit, mySelf, “MS. Found in a Bottle,” this evening. Probably not “Ligeia.” Not until tomorrow, or Tuesday. And ON Tuesday, I’ll try to leave for Petaluma straight from Ms. Lisa’s house. Hopefully little Kerouac feels better by then. Otherwise, he’s destined for Grandma Sue’s, as he certainly is in morrow’s onsetting strings.
Tempted to push Self to 1,000 words for morning, but I’m stopping here, with this second cup. Going to collect thoughts for a minute. Just actually Live. As I’ve always contended: “The most Literary and Creative act a writer can commit, sometimes, is not writing at all.” Now would be one of those times I actually practice what’s promulgated.
This coffee, what
I dream about.. lighting
character, too many forms,
but I don’t want to count.
just taste.
Just had an idea! Go to SSU, Tuesday, instead of café, to locate critical articles on Poe, just as I did for my Master’s Thesis. Print, copy. The resources there far outgun what’s on the SRJC mainland. Try to find two-3 pieces on ‘Usher’. And write there, if you want. Have a coffee, bite, there instead of café. Maybe my undergrad grounds will provide another writing spot for Mike Madigan.
(11/3/13)