Owner: Writing In The Mountains URL:http://krisunderwood.blogspot.com Join Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 09:16:42 -0500 Rating:1 Site Description: A branch off from Mama Says, rants, raves, some poetry, dealing with the neverending chaos of motherhood through writing Site statistics:Click here
The Middle of Winter 1970-01-01 00:59:59 There hasn't been too much to write about these days. It's the middle of winter, there is ALOT of snow on the ground-you know, measured in FEET. And yeah, I say 'middle' of winter, because there is still about two months left in this part of the world.
Sentences I Underlined When First Read Bukowski's Short Story, 'The Most Beautiful Girl In Town' 1970-01-01 00:59:59 "She had a temper that came close to insanity; she had a temper that some called insanity." p.1" Once you accept a drink, you create your own trouble." p.4"I'm interested in you and your body. I doubt, though, that most men can see beyond your body"P.4"I don't think I'd want to make that close a contact with so many strangers. It's wearing." p.5"...would laugh that laugh-only the way she could. It was like joy out of fire." p.5"...stop destroying yourself; you're the most alive woman I've ever met."p.6 Read more:First
, Bukowski
, Short
, Beautiful
, Beautiful Girl
Poems Are Up 2007-03-01 19:56:00 Some of my poems are up over at The Whole Mom. Check it out. New design too. Read more:Poems
10 Weird Things... 2007-03-06 16:08:00 I got tagged by Maple Mama-woo!1) I have a somewhat extensive collection of The New Yorker magazines. I think it goes back to 1995, with a few from 1956/7. I got most of them from the free rack at the library...2) I tend to go through my belongings (books, clothes, etc.) regularly and dispose of what I don't want anymore without a second thought. I've done this since my teens, I suppose. My mother could never understand how I could do this. She still cannot.3) In all my time in Vermont, I have not once been skiing, snowboarding, or done any other outdoor sport in the winter. More likely, you'll find me sitting in front of the fire at the ski lodge, or at the coffee house sipping something with extra espresso, chocolate, and a little nip of something.4) Speaking of espresso, I am a coffee freak. Enough said.5) It drives me nuts when people cannot speak properly. For example, saying 'expresso' for 'espresso'. I just want to scream at them-"It's ES-PRESSOOOOOOO people!!!!!!!!"6) Read more:Weird
MotherVerse #6 Due Out In April 2007-03-21 14:38:00 A poem as well as a non-fiction short of mine will be appearing in the Spring 07 edition of MotherVerse .Check it out. Read more:April
On-line Photo Portfolio 2007-04-04 22:30:00 I'm working on an on-line portfolio. Over here. Check it out. If interested in any photo, please leave a comment here or on the other site. Again, in the beginning stages. More to come. Read more:Photo
, Portfolio
Poem: The Mystery 2006-06-02 02:55:00 This can also be found in MotherVerse, Issue #6, Spring '07The Mystery
The boy in dreamsIs my sonMy daughter's brotherWhom she will never knowAnd the son of her fatherWho knows neither.So it is.The boy in the dreamsIs young-What I'd imagine him to be:Only 4 or 3.He is my sonI must give up.So it was.The boy in the dreamsHe comes without animosity or aversion-Regret not felt from either side.He is my sonI must always give up to the mystery.So it will be.Halloween 2005
Bear Pond Reading, Montpelier 2007-04-07 22:46:00 Also, for all of those in the Vermont Area, Bear Pond Bookstore in Montpelier will be hosting their annual open poetry reading (10 year anniversary!) on the 17th in honor of National Poetry Month.More info here.Tuesday April 17, 7 p.m.Bear Pond, MontpelierI'll be there, reading a few pieces... Read more:Reading
Searching In The Mountains 2007-04-07 22:28:00 Haven't posted one of these in awhile. Hell, I haven't posted, period, in a while.Ever curious about how people get to my blog, I bring you:Searching In The Mountains--Tropic of cancer henry miller sucks(yeah, occasionally)-woodwork frames for mirrors (whaaaa?)-Annie Downey (Here)-Why is pluto not a planet (yes! I still get these searches! Amazing!)-Eris, the goddess (here)-colleen mc collough-messing around poems (what??)-mothers day poem tent provide clothes label (all one search. WTF?)-mary peck buttersworth-kris underwood writing-mountain biking (hardly any of that going on here...)-pleasure tv (*yeah, baby*. Yeah right.)-messing with someone's car-duggar family (here)-MotherVerse (here)-Smartish Pace-Poetry Midwest (here)
Try Something Different For Mother's Day 2007-04-10 01:10:00 Have you all heard of Cool Mom Picks? They have an awesome Mother's Day Gift Guide. Not your traditional candy and flowers!!
Reading 2007-04-18 15:48:00 So, the Bear Pond Reading
went really well. 23 people read, a few extra listening. It was a big crowd, relatively speaking. Lots of new faces this year as well as the regulars.I really need to get out and do more readings, open mikes, whatever. I could use the practice. I felt I read too quickly at Bear Pond. Need to work on that. Slow it down. Measure my words.Anyway, it was enjoyable as always. There seemed to have been a mother/parent theme running through. Sam Kolber read one of my favorite poems, Jewel Tones. Love that poem.Will write more on this later...There were so many great poems...I read The Mystery (in MotherVerse currently), a poem about crows, and this one:The Book That Has Traveled With Me the LongestEdward D. Campbell’s ‘Encyclopedia of Palmistry’ , 1996It’s been heldThrough too many moves to count,Through indomitable heat and bitter cold,North to South, and back again.It’s been almost left behindIn the woods of Vermont,Buried in the back of a carWith an In
Selling Jesus (Get me some of that God-Crack) 2007-04-29 15:36:00 The other day, okay maybe a couple of weeks ago, I was out for a walk. As I rounded the corner, I encountered the people who hand out the little smiley face stickers with the phrase 'Jesus
Loves You' printed underneath. Suddenly, that smiley face seemed so....awful. Of course, they tried to peddle Jesus off to me with their stickers and a hurried spiel that sounded curiously the same as if they were trying to sell crack to me on the sidewalk. Really, you could just as easily substitute Jesus for Crack. It was disturbing to say the least.I used to enjoy arguing with these people. Telling them that I don't believe in God, or Jesus or Heaven or Hell. Alot of the time I would be told I would be going to hell.How can I when I don't believe in it?The ones that really irk me, though, is the Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints people. They are brutal. And the most fun to fuck with, really. I've had many run ins with these people. One memorable incident was a few years ago. A pair of men in
CHBM Post 2007-05-17 22:50:00 I have a post over at Crazy Hip Blog Mamas today. It's something I originally posted on the blog awhile ago. I always liked it. Go on over and check it out.
MIA and MotherVerse 2007-06-03 20:24:00 So, I've been MIA for awhile. Been busy, you know.I got my copy of MotherVerse #6 in the mail a few weeks ago. I just have to say, what a fantastic magazine! Great stuff....Intelligent writing...well layed out...just overall excellent. So glad to be a part of it!Check it out- motherverse.com
Hey, What Do You Know...... 2007-06-09 21:21:00 Awhile back, as in June of last year, I posted this knowing I'd finish at least one of the books within a year. I surprised myself and finished two as well as delving half way into another. Woo! What an accomplishment.These days, I rarely have time to actually sit down and read a book all the way through. Not unless you count Miss Spider's Tea Party, The Cat In The Hat and the entire Madeline series. :)Let me tell you, I would recommend ALL of those books. I actually read Wicked a while back, when I still had all my brain cells functioning at a high level. A great intricate story about a legendary literary character. Have not read Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister yet. It remains on the list.Mozart's Women-go out and buy this if you are a Mozart fan. Even if you aren't, at least get it from the library. It was a breeze to read for a biography and fascinating, a hard thing to come by in that category. Think you know everything about the man? Read this book...rare insights, more info
Perfect Summer Snack 2007-06-12 17:23:00 You know, I LOVE Triscuit crackers (the original), even though they're made by Kraft. I loved them even before Rachel Ray got her hands on them and started making claims between weight loss and the cracker. Such a perfect summer snack with a little calamata olive hummus (Yum!), or as it says on the top of the box-Kraft cheese.Hey, of course they would say Kraft Cheese! The crackers are made by Kraft.I beg to differ on this....Cabot cheese is soooo much better. Read more:Summer
, Perfect
, Snack
Dirty (I 'm Not Talking About Christina Aguilera) 2007-07-03 19:39:00 Why does it seem as if guys around here are so generally dirty? As in havent taken a shower in weeks kind of dirty.Is this a new thing? Is it a Vermont thing? I surely don't remember guys being this generally dirty. it's like grunge has come back, but 10 times worse.I mean, is it so much to ask to brush your hair and take a damn shower?Is this Dirty thing supposed to be sexy? 'cause, uh, it sure as hell ain't.What happened to looking nice? To wearing pants that fit? Looking like you at least took a shower? Read more:Talking
, Christina
, Aguilera
Let's Play ( a little rant) 2007-07-02 19:08:00 Lately, I've been trying (note the word) to get a playgroup going so my daughter can have a little
more social interaction than the library and walks downtown-not that there is anything wrong with that.I posted an announcement on a local listserv I am on stating time, place, etc. I got about five or six replies saying they'd Love to come!Great!, I thought.When the day arrived, only one of the five or six showed up. The next week, same situation, same playgroup, different place.I don't know what is going on.Why not just say you can't come, rather not come, or SOMETHING.Have we become too dependent on day-care and 'sponsored' playgroups that we just feel 'uncomfortable' in getting together on our own?
June Post Round-Up 2007-07-01 15:48:00 Poem, Flashquake, Summer 2007This made me smile in a dark sort of way....An Open Letter To A Dick, Via Her Bad MotherReally, who doesn't feel this way at some point? Bonus points for creative use of language.I just wanted to share this because it is such a great idea (even though I don't post here anymore) :Rites and Rituals Of Mothering, via Mama SaysA special cup of coffee, via IzzyMom
Something New: Post Round Up 2007-07-01 15:40:00 Starting something new on the blog-a monthly (possibly bi-monthly) post round up consisting of various posts, poems, general writings, that catch my eye in some way. This will probably replace the 'articles and posts of note' thing I was doing earlier. Read more:Something New
What I'm Reading Right Now 2007-06-30 18:45:00 (Or will be soon) A Partial List--Packaging Girlhood, Sharon Lamb and Lyn Mikel Brown, MDThis looks interesting.Girls are besieged by images in the media that incourage them to persue accessories over acedemics; sex appeal over sports; fashion over friendship.Indeed, the concept of 'tweens' is really disgusting, not to mention padded bras for 6 year olds.This is a library book, and only a 2-week-er (as in check out for only two weeks at the library), so I will probably end up buying this book somewhere.Looking forward to reading this.-Ariadne's Thread, Edited by Lyn LyfshinAlways wanted to read this, but never got around to it. Excerpts from contemporary women's journals, including Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Marge Piercy and Maxine Kumin. I now own it, so I can take my sweet time with it.-Mary, Queen of Scots and the Isles, a novel, Margaret GeorgeSometimes I get in the mood for one of these. I read a novel about Elizabeth 1 that was set up like a biography but read as fiction. It Read more:Reading
, Right
Catching Up 2007-07-07 09:33:00 I used to be up on all the latest fiction, brand spankin new, reading the book when it actually came out, even going so far as to put an order in for the b.s.n. book. (-that's 'Brand Spankin New' book)Then, one day I just stopped.Strangely enough, this period coincided with pregnancy, the birth of my child and now going on about three years.Slowly, slowly, I am playing the game of catch up-as is evident from previous postsThing is, I want to be more current in fiction, but there seems to be slim pickin's among the Good, and more than enough of the Bad and Ugly these days.Technorati Tags: fiction, pregnancy, books, reading
A Little Redecorating 2007-07-06 22:07:00 Well, I've decided that I need a little change around here. Trying out some new stuff. Read more:Redecorating
I Have Been Illuminated...... 2007-07-05 20:24:00 Just finished Everything Is Illuminated......am speechless. stunned. intoxicated by language and plot.Technorati Tags: jonathan Safran Foer, Everything Is Illuminated, Books
Reading Itsy Bitsy Yoga 2008-03-09 21:24:18 Itsy Bitsy
Yoga for Toddlers and Preschoolers: 8-Minute Routines to Help Your Child Grow Smarter, Be Happier, and Behave BetterHelen GarabedianDa Capo Press/Lifelong Books (March 15, 2008)224 Pages, Paperback$16.95Spring's almost here, but during the winter months, it can be quite a challenge just to get outside for those with young children.Of course, weather doesn't have to be an excuse to do yoga, but it sure can work off some of that excess energy when you're stuck inside!From the back cover:Named the "Baby Yoga Expert" by Newsweek, Helen Garabedian, a certified yoga instructor, created her program with 8-minute sequences that fit easily into a young child's day. Fully illustrated with beautiful photos, Itsy Bitsy Yoga for Toddlers and Preschoolers features more than 50 simple poses a Read more:Reading
New Poet At The Top Of My List 2008-03-04 16:45:33 That would be A. E. Stallings.I first noticed her work in Smartish Pace #13 (Ghost Ship) and have been hooked ever since.Then, I noticed her in Poetry magazine. Here, specifically, and here.I just love her use of language. As is usually the case.
Are E! TV's Fashion Police On Crack? 2008-03-03 18:15:39 "Proof that pregnancy is the best accessory"Heard on E! TV's FashionPolice
: 2008 Academy Awards, after a shot of a pregnant Nicole Kidman.Accessory? Gah.Would be interested in what Her Bad Mother thinks of this....**********New post at Green Mom FindsMore new bloggers at MotherVerse
Read more:Fashion Police
Baby Einstein in the news again.... 2008-03-03 17:56:02 A recent headline from the CCFC grabbed my attention:"Infant DVDs Won't Mould A Baby Einstein
" Baby Einstein, makers of popular DVDs for infants as young as three months, has stopped billing its videos as educational, following a formal complaint from a U.S. advocacy group that the Disney-owned company was making "false and deceptive" claims that it can give babies a leg up in learning.The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is claiming victory after Baby Einstein quietly changed its website to remove assertions that its eye-catching array of colourful videos can help
New Bloggers at MotherVerse 2008-03-01 19:25:43 MotherVerse blog has a few new bloggers on the team. Stop by and read a little.
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