More personal than usual, but I'll back off next time

The first day of the new year.

The last day of Chanukah.

Dana and I are watching episodes of Homicide, Season 6, like crazy so we can finish up the season before I head off to Chile. I am reading poetry like crazy to prepare for Chile. This has caused a few poems to eke out of me lately.

Some excellent emails today and yesterday by writer friends and non-writers. Richard Huttel keeps sending me really good poems. He's trying all sorts of insane things out this last year or so, and that's always good. debby florence wrote me, "You're my friend, not my publicist." Bill Knott is coming to Missoula and she's actually going to study with him. That's amazing.

Kevin and Gil came over to Dana's the other night, and we hooked them on The Office. Dana taught Gil how to make potato latkes.

David McFadden wrote me something unbelievably shocking but also brilliant. This is what he does.

I'm feeding Mary's cats while she's away, but only one of them comes running when I arrive. The other two are, presumably, upstairs playing pinochle.

Never before have I gone from one New Year's Eve party to another. In fact, I usually shun them. Last night, first to Alana's, a lovely little gathering. Then to Beatriz's, a slightly intimidating larger gathering that was really nice nonetheless. Fancy people were there. Cozy homes, both of them.

My mother's friend Norma -- her best friend just about -- left me a message yesterday. I've got to phone her back. I've got to. I was amazed by how much her voice sounds like my mom's sounded. The tone.

Sent out my New Year poem today to my email list. Got a few swell notes back. It was the second year in a row I wrote something upbeat. I'm getting predictable. Everyone knows I'm a fraud now.

Want to try to translate a poem of mine into Spanish, to make a leaflet for distribution in Chile. Anne Maclean has agreed to look it over for me, because my Spanish isn't so good. Her husband, Ben, sent out an end-of-the-year song lyric about shaving cuts yesterday. A great piece of writing.

Over and out.