So Much for New Year Blog Theme

Sorry, folks, for making a big to-do about a new blog theme and then posting nothing for days. Work's taken over my life these days. Big deadline on Monday, then three more in rapid succession to follow right after that. Through it all, trying to 'touch' my novel everyday, hoping to have the next draft finished by the end of the month. (!) Very exciting. But then will have a lot of work on my hands, combing through the big, messy, tangled threads of the thing, this massive literary undertaking that I've claimed as my writerly work for the next year at the very least.

Poetry's been coming to, through, me lately too, which is always strange. Even when most of what I was writing was poetry--back in my college and immediate-post-college days--I never really considered myself a poet. That word seemed to be reserved for people far more driven by the word than I, and far more self-centered. Sorry to all the poets out there, but gotta keep it real! I'm probably just jealous, right? There may be some truth to that. I'll keep it real, like dat, yo.

So maybe sometime after next Monday I'll find some time and energy to write about Brokeback Mountain, which has been in my mind on a daily since I saw it a couple weeks ago. Also read the short story--bought the paperback, but the hardcover copy costs $14.95! for a frickin' short story! I liked the movie better, more detail and emotion. The story seemed to skate over some of the more charged scenes and subplots as if afraid to delve too deeply. It would have been interesting to read this story as a novel. I think it could have taken over that large of a literary space.

Okay, enough rambling for now. I'm going to treat myself to a quiet evening of reading. Just started reading Hemingway for the first time--can you believe it? Recently finished Dream Jungle by Jessica Hagedorn as well as Voodoo Dreams by Jewell Parker Rhodes. (Yes, dreams are a theme in my novel). I've been making my list of books to read in 2006, and of course there are too many and I don't think I'll be able to finish it, but who cares? I've also committed to reading one poetry collection a month, which will be a first for me.

Also saw Walk the Line last night. It was decent. Hopefully I'll blog more about it later, especially in comparison to Ray.

Wish me luck meeting all my deadlines--
Rona