BACK! (y volver volver volVER. . .)

Hi all,

Back from San Anto where I had the most incredible time with all of my longtime pals & stranger-friends, and new real good friends. It was great. I performed Saturday night with pianist/composer Gabrielle Lena Frank. I hope the recording came out. It was awesome—and fun, most important. I'm hoping to take her to Washington with me in October to perform at the National Museum of Women in the Arts where she has already performed and says they have the most beautiful piano. She lives in the Bay Area so I'll be able to see her when I visit my brother. More hopes for the cd. I met with my publisher, and was working on the finishing touches on the books & printing up a draft to show Bryce long into wednesday night and morning of the 14th when I last commented (waste of time?) on this blog while waiting for the pages to fall from my printer. Madness. I had a 10:30 flight that morning. Which I missed. I took a taxi to the airport & had the most amazing conversation with one of my favorite sort of human being: Philosopher Taxista. (Thanks, Navine.) I went off without sleeping all night, and very little these past few weeks finishing these books. I finally figured it out when I turned to my friend & interviewer (conversations: "It's a community art project" ~A.S.) Alex Stein, waiting at a later flight gate where I flew stand-by. I said, "It's like I got this Lear jet, and it takes so long to fuel up and taxi, and it takes so much runway that once I get it into the air why would I just want to drive it to Longmont?" "Why not take it to Paris?" I later tell La Sandra. Before I got sick, really sick again—on the way to sushi which always seems to be the only solid food I can eat when I'm sick. Miso soup.. A perfect solution, Sandra's suggestion. I don't know what it is about sushi. Who was it who said, "It's your chumash ancestors." 'ho They built the world's first plank boats. I was afraid I'd miss my reading, I was so sick. (Sandra had to stop her car in the middle of the road while I piled out to fertilize someone's lawn.) When I got back to the hotel I was afraid to nap for fear of being too groggy. Then I realized I had subconscious ritual. I made it conscious. I realized I did a certain thing, or series of things to relax me before a reading (to forget about "me" and allow a persona in the Aristotilian sense). It's a secret, so all I'll say is what I told friends when they asked how I was feeling. "There's nothing that a little dancing to classic motown won't cure."

I missed delivering my paper (performative theory) for the Balancing Creative and Academic Life (or something like that, we all know what it is along that oblongata) on 2pm Saturday for the wretched wretching. So I'll post it, next, on the blog.

I haven't had the opportunity to publicize or otherwise inform my friends & readers that I have this blog which I started in March. Now that the books are done, I'll be able to do that. And, return emails. That's why I like the blog, it suits a procrastinator like me. It's all right here & right away. I like how it helps me, a shy guy*, connect. So, Saturday night at the Latina Letters Conference was a great way to reach a lot of friends & fellow literati at once. I announced the blog and my publisher had cards for the new book made up with the url on them. Cool. So, I'm being visited by about hundred of the artists, Latina lit-crits & fellow Xicanerati who were in attendance.

so more soon, just got in the door a few hours ago, time to order sushi & miso soup

before the second set of galleys arrive. No wonder nobody does major artbooks anymore!

This trip was intense and all a lesson in the power of intent.

Xiao


P.S. Buy a copy or two of the Michigan Literary Quarterly Review.

P.P.S. Don't anybody else go and die, I have too much to do.


*don't be so literal, ese"