Organizing your writing life

POST HOLIDAY SHUFFLE: Hoping to lift the melancholy of Superman Returns, I decided to watch one of the Netflix movies stacked up on my coffee table on Saturday night. I picked from the three at random and got The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. I read the books as a kid (and enjoyed them) and I've see the BBC adaptation and the cartoon version, so this movie sorta underwhelmed me. Visually stunning, good performances by the kid actors and magnificent special effects (especially bringing the animal characters to life), but it was a "been there, done that" experience. The only reason to watch (and really the only reason it was on my Netflix queue) was Tilda Swinton. Her take on the White Witch was refreshing and frightening. She carries the film, so I would recommend it just for her.

Sunday was my day of sloth. I didn't leave the house. However, I did manage to work on some new poetry, get my novel ready for another submission, finish up a grant report, and update www.collinkelley.com and www.poetryatlanta.com. I also began the re-design of the Poetry Atlanta site. It's going to look completely different when I'm done. The current version looks amateurish and hard to read. I plan to have the site completely redesigned and posted for the August update.

I had Monday off from work, but wound up there anyway because we're moving into production, so there's much to do. Then I had a ton of errands (bank, post office, haircut) which took a better part of the afternoon. I was able to get home and get back to some writing. I was on a roll this weekend. I also watched The Big Lebowski, which I hadn't seen in four or five years. I love the Coen Brothers and while this film is considered a lesser work (sorta like QT's brilliant Jackie Brown), I think it's one of their most hilarious. Any film that can gather Jeff Bridges, John Goodman AND Julianne Moore has got to be hot shit and it is.

On Independence Day, I slept late and then went over to a barbecue that I'd just as soon forget. It was held by a friend, poorly planned and badly executed. I wound up being the bitch and walking out, but damn...when you say 4 p.m., don't wait to serve food until 7:30. I was long gone before that...rescued by co-worker Liz and hubby Rob who had me over for burgers. Of course, a massive storm came up just before fireworks started and pretty much rained everything out.

So, the short work week is great, but going to kick my ass. Friday night is Poetry at Portfolio Center featuring the fab Laurel Snyder. Come out and show us some love. Oh, and I signed the lease on the new apartment in my complex. This time next month, I'll be off the ground floor overlooking a, hopefully, quiet courtyard.