I got a letter back from my superviser today and I am as jazzed as I can be about my MFA program. Not only do I have the concrete sense that I am learning a ton, I also feel like the work I’m doing is enjoyable, if unpolished. It’s often hard for me to evaluate how well a poem is working until I have let it sit for six or eight weeks, even though I’ll often revise it heavily right at first and then tinker after it’s cooled. So to have another pair of eyes excited about my work is thrilling.

I’m currently reading two books simultaneously, which is something I don’t usually do. Zbigniew Herbert’s Selected Poems is a thing to behold– one of the best things I have read in graduate school so far. Even if you aren’t a great fan of poetry, you would do well to dig up a copy. The other book I am reading is Andrew Zawacki’s By Reason of Breakings, which I am also enjoying thusfar, but I haven’t yet turned enough of a critical eye towards it. If all goes according to plan, I’ll also read Wislawa Szymborska and Jennifer Grotz over the next two weeks.

I’m less concerned about generating new work right now, but I do want to bust my ass and really challenge myself with revision. I had hoped to become fearless about revising this semester, but so far, I feel like I have been hesitant. I think some of that stems from feeling like there’s not much left in the tank when I finish the first draft. I’ve cut stuff, mercilessly at times, but I haven’t done any extensive rewriting of poems once the first draft is done, because I just don’t have a whole lot left to say on the topic. I know that some of the poems would benefit from the addition of new and seemingly unrelated topics, but so much of what I have done completes some sort of game or pattern, and the really anal piece of me doesn’t want to revise out of the constraints I’d initially set. Which I know is stupid, since I know I’m likely to discover even better stuff when I turn the corner. I don’t know if it’s intellectual stubbornness or simple sloth, or perhaps a combination of both.

Now for the non-poetry thoughts, all of which will astound you and amaze you:

• Callie Peck confirmed for me that I am a puss because I admitted that I enjoy James Blunt. I can’t help it– there’s nothing quite as satisfying as singing “Goodbye My Lover” in a whiny squeaky voice. But thanks for the confirm, Cal.
• Hey there, software pirate! Don’t copy that floppy! (Seriously, watch all 9 minutes of the man that the Doctor calls “MC Fashion Disaster.”)
• Robin, what have I done to you? It’s so not fashionable to blog links on the same day they’re BoingBoinged, but oh well. This was my favorite of the Superdickery panels.
• Can someone suggest a nice shade of blue to put behind quoted material on my site… one against which links will still show up? Or should I not bother, and add a real style for quotes? And if so, any suggestions?
• OK, so last week I bought two monitors. Then one had a dead pixel, so I had to take it back. I wanted to exchange it, but they didn’t have another in stock. So I returned it, they ordered another, and I told them I would be in to buy it when it arrived. Except, by the time it arrived, the rebate was no longer happening, and they couldn’t guarantee that I would be able to get that rebate from the manufacturer. So, I went somewhere else, found a display model of a better brand, and ended up saving about $35 with no pesky rebates. Hurrah for multiple monitor support!

Great debate on lottery and education. I even resorted to name-calling. When I get off work tonight, this may be where all my time goes. If you choose to enter, be nice. These people are my friends.