Jenny from the bike

I recently started participating in a "confession Tuesday" exercise with some other poets, based on the idea that confessional writing is helpful in the poetic process. The jury is still out (at least for me and my poetry), but I have actually started to enjoy unburdening myself and airing some of my sillier quirks and foibles in the relative anonymity of the internet. Last week I confessed something for which I get a lot of well-deserved grief from Jim: I'm a closet J.Lo fan.

It's still a bit embarrassing for me to admit in the light of day and the presence of other sentient life. So I feel the need to qualify it by saying I was more a fan of J.Lo when she was still Jennifer Lopez. Back when she starred in Out of Sight and inspired women everywhere to envy her making out with George Clooney in a bathtub. Back when she had not yet merged into the media circus that was Bennifer. Back when she didn't have to write a song about how she's "real". Back when she wasn't going global with her own lines of perfume, yoga gear, and faux-fur undies. (Although I have to admit I thought "Glow" smelled really good.)

For the last few years I've kept my distance: watched her romantic comedies, listened to "Let's Get Loud" on my workout playlist, but generally steered clear of reading anything about her. A few weeks back I happened to see pictures on msn.com of post-partem J.Lo looking trim in her bikini and thought, "Good for you, girl." Taking off pregnancy weight can be tough, so more power to her. Then this morning I saw another article on msn.com, this time about how she was training for a triathlon and had a blog about it. Sorry, but if you gotta have an entourage of makeup artists touching you up for a photo shoot after a training session... that's just not keepin' it real.

NaPoWriMo #4: refrigerator

Here's that silly poem I was trying to write the other day when all my maternal hang-ups got in the way.


Fridge Raider

My refrigerator boasts a most astounding range
of science experiments both wonderful and strange
so numerous, in fact, I can only list a few
I'll hold the door wide open, so please, enjoy the view
of rancid pork chops, sour milk, fuzzy cottage cheese
a few shriveled small round green things that used to be peas
rubbery yellow Jell-O, limp lettuce, rotten eggs
an old bottle of ketchup emptied down to the dregs
potatoes covered with sprouts that have started to grow
mayonnaise last opened at least a year ago
dried up mustard with no lid, club soda long gone flat
moldy left-over tuna I meant to give my cat
lastly, something way in back I can't identify
better get a move on—I've got groceries to buy!

To wv or not to wv?

I've never felt the need to use word verification for comments on my blog. Up until now. Sadly, just in the last week I've been spammed by a few too many shysters hawking antivirus software and Brazilian cell phones, so...

Sorry.

NCS, I ♥ U

NCS, this is Your. Very. Own. Post.

Totally and completely dedicated to recognizing the thoughtful wonderfulness that is you.

You rock my rickrollin' world!