Thursday, March 30, 2006

Crocuses are Up

"I must have done good for God to grant me
this world of flowers."
--Agha Shahid Ali

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

On Imagination

In my writing group in February, beloved teacher Jimmie Gilliam asked us to go and return with this assignment: to think about imagination. We might write an imaginative piece, or a meditation upon imagination, or imagine what the Age of Imagination might be like when it finally arrives (JG believes it is imminent. And will save us from the lies. Yes.)

I wrote a few raw paragraphs on this, and they were recieved deeply at group last Saturday. I am sharing them here, and watch for them on a possible broadside around Epiphany time...

There is no creation without imagination.

Imagination is an integral part of making something possible: cooking, invention, art, love. Adhering to reality at all times is not especially good for us. It doesn't make us safer. Imagining makes us more free.

I would like the child I was, the poet I am to grab an umbrella on a windy afternoon, take a run and take off into the air. As she lifts above the gray city sidewalk, she has this feeling:
I knew it.

It's the imagination which knows.

Monday, March 27, 2006


Let's see.

I am putting together stuff for the publication of my first collection of poems, Author photo, blurbs, spiffy bio. (Anyone want to provide any of these?)

I am trying to sell some Dansko shoes.

Most people adore these shoes; they just happen to cause me to twist my ankles, probably because my feet are too narrow. Size 7/8 - Med (1 3/4'' to 2 3/4'') heel. $65. Contact me with questions: celia dot white at gmail dot com.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Well, who am I to buck a trend?

I joined myspace. Sigh. Please link to me if you are similarly sheep-ed.

I got a postcard from Seville!

There is Karma soap in my future, and National Poetry Month is imminent.

That's good.

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Molten

Nickel City afternoon, cold and alluring. I went to check out the iron pour at Buff State, where radiators and other items were melted down and then poured into molds created by artists at the college and from other places, too. The liquid fire was so beautiful, and the rough smell is still in my hair.

Then I went to Rust Belt Books to drop off some canning jars I wasn't using to Lea Prentiss. Lea--poet/student/worker, was wishing for a breathalyzer on her computer, which seemed to be collecting poetry from her fingertips while she was less than aware. Eh, could be worse. For my effort, I have applesauce and tapenade coming my way at some point.

Home, I put together a tomato pie while listening to the mix CD Kristi Meal made for me (again an exchange, for a Patti Smith live show bootleg). The Musician and I had several hilarious exchanges contemplating whether the CD was called "06" (for the year) or "Ole'." I think it's the latter, but hee anyway.

I have 18-inch tall irises, a few more hours of solitude, a patched ceiling.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Ann Arbor

Jennimi gave the highlights of our trip brilliantly.

Here are some pictures:

State and Moon.
























I got a great used copy of Italo Calvino's Cosmic Comics at the Dawntreader. I also loved the category listing, which essentially provides subject location by aisle.





























Wizziwyg lacked Afro Ken paraphenalia. *cries*




















Cafe Zola.














The conference itself was great. Wireless in gorgeous Rackham Auditorium, conference blog, and excellent thinking on all things digital library. Man, it made me want to get back in the game.




Adam Smith of Google.





More photos.

Monday, March 13, 2006

You are an Encouraging Analyst.

About You

You are an Analyst


  • Your attention to detail, confidence, sense of order, and focus on functionality combine to make you an ANALYST.

  • You are very curious about how things work, delving into the mechanics behind things.

  • Along those lines, how well something works is usually more important to you than what it looks like.

  • You find beauty and wonder mainly in concrete, functional, earthly things.

  • You are very aware of your own abilities, and you believe that you will find the best way of doing things.

  • Accordingly, problems do not intimidate you, as you believe in yourself.

  • You trust yourself to find solutions within the boundaries of your knowledge.

  • You don't spend a lot of time imagining how things could be different—you're well-grounded in the here-and-now.

  • It is important for you to follow a routine, and you prefer the familiar to the unknown.

  • You're not one to force your positions on a group, and you tend to be fair in evaluating different options.

  • You're not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you're generally considerate of others' feelings as well.

  • You much prefer to have time to plan for things, feeling better with a schedule than with keeping plans up in the air until the last minute. Your decisions are well thought out, and you're not the least bit impulsive.

  • You do your own thing when it comes to clothing, guided more by practical concerns than by other people's notions of style.

  • The control you feel over your life is empowering to you-- you believe in your abilities and acknowledge your shortcomings. Explanations of the world that focus on destiny or fate don't really interest you. You take responsibility for what goes wrong in your life, and also for what goes well.

  • If you want to be different:


  • Try to embrace the imaginative, creative part of your personality more often.

  • Try moving beyond the things that you find comfortable—open yourself up to a broader range of experiences.

  • How You Relate to Others

    You are Encouraging


  • Your outgoing nature, understanding of others, and directness make you ENCOURAGING.

  • You want others to do well for themselves, and you generally believe in their abilities.

  • You often know what's good for people because of your caring nature and your worldview.

  • When you care about someone, you don't keep it to yourself: you are good at letting people know that you're thinking of them.

  • Because you trust people, you take violations of that trust very seriously.

  • You thrive in large groups of people, and even though you know who you like and who you don't like, you can interact well with many different types of people.

  • You have a healthy respect for people who have earned what they have, and you strive to be similar to successful others.

  • You are a loyal friend, and a good listener.

  • If you want to be different:


  • Sometimes, in the course of being encouraging, you can be a bit judgmental—this can make it more difficult for others to follow your advice.

  • While you are an expert at getting the most out of the world and taking advantage of many experiences, you might gain some insight by taking the time to be alone, reflect on things, or just observe the goings-on in the world.

  • Your Personality Chart

    »Glossary of Traits

    This chart shows thirteen personality traits. Each bar indicates the percentage of test takers who entered a lower value for that trait than you did. For example, if Confidence is at 80, that means that 80% of people entered lower values for confidence questions than you did. Based on a sample of 30,000 users.

    Confidence
    LowHigh
    84
    Openness
    LowHigh
    14
    Extroversion
    LowHigh
    68
    Empathy
    LowHigh
    84
    Trust in others
    LowHigh
    86
    Agency
    LowHigh
    100
    Masculinity
    LowHigh
    4
    Femininity
    LowHigh
    84
    Spontaneity
    LowHigh
    2
    Attention to style
    LowHigh
    32
    Authoritarianism
    LowHigh
    28
    Earthy/Imaginative
    ImaginativeEarthy
    70
    Aesthetic/Functional
    FunctionalAesthetic
    40

    Wednesday, March 08, 2006

    Luke Doucet at New World

    Luke Doucet did a mini-concert at New World Record this afternoon, with Melissa McLelland. (Buffalo didn't make the tour schedule on his site, oddly, but his online journal is enjoyable.) I liked--interesting lyrics, cool guitar and inventive playing ala Tom Waits, harmonies and melancholy in an Andrew Bird mode. Nice use of phone mic. I first heard of Doucet when he'd play at Nietzsche's, and Ron Ehmke made positive mention of him on his blog. (Checking it today, I see he described him almost exactly as I just did. Ah well, Great Minds.)

    "It's always strange to play in music stores," quipped Luke, "because all these musical legends are staring you in the face...like right there--Lindsay Lohan."

    ***

    It's a puttering, getting-things-tucked in sort of day; tomorrow Smitty and Johnny Class come to dogsit and Jennimi and I head to A-squared, MI to soak up some Digital Library Symposium goodness.

    Saturday, March 04, 2006


    Sunshine today at Amherst State Park. More pictures here.

    Thursday, March 02, 2006

    Names and Places

    Crossed the border today and saw that name on the officer's badge.

    Lay belly-down in the bathtub tonight for a few minutes and thought about the past.

    I regret nothing; want nothing back.

    ***

    I started having acupuncture a few weeks ago, to address my ovarian cyst/endo/fibroid/adhesion issues. I find it a very relaxing and interesting experience. I feel heaviness, warmth, spreading sensations as soon as the first needle goes in. I notice many subtle but distinct changes in my sleep, digestion, and sometimes quick pulse-pains in the spots I want mended. I think I'd recommend acupuncture for almost any non-emergency trouble, especially chronic pain, or even sleeplessness. (I read that acupuncture can increase melatonin production. I am certainly feeling that.)

    ***

    Reading: The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan.
    Watching: Tick TV episodes
    Listening: "Magnolia" (by J.J. Cale; Chris Smither's version); new Belle & Sebastian
    Eating: cilantro pesto and cheddar scones
    Playing: Tetrod

    ***
    Hooked; how I miss my goofy, sexy, honeysweet friend.