Monthly Archive for May, 2011

SURVIVAL MEOW

The Denton reading went well. I’ve never been to Denton, but it felt like the arts district neighborhood I like in Houston. The reading was in a house gallery and was full of kind people. Susan came with me and we walked to a place and ate the fried foods, and then we came back to the house gallery and I got down on the grass and got a few people to get down on the grass with me and we looked at the leaves in the trees. At midnight I felt like it was time to go and so I tricked Susan to get into the car. We drove for four hours. I was itchy the whole way home from the grass. To stay awake, we sang along to the Rushmore soundtrack and then to a compilation of Cat Stevens songs, like maybe Cat Stevens’s Greatest Hits, and during the instrumental portion we said “meow” instead of singing the music, because we were getting road weird. I was making a joyful meow but afterward, Susan confessed that her meows were survival meows. Have you ever made a survival meow?

"help me"

HOW DO I

It has been a wild few weeks.

Last night I put on my last Five Things. The show will go on with new readers and new energy from new hosts Lesley Clayton and Brittany Callender, and I’ll always be around, just a little less-so. I’m not sad to leave it behind because I don’t think I’m really leaving it behind. Also because I can’t wait to see what Lesley and Brittany do, because they are great women and will be great curators.

Now, my lease and my friends are my strongest ties to this city. I love Austin, even when it’s 99 degrees out — as it was yesterday, in springtime, for some reason — but I can’t help but feel a little jumpy to move around a bit. I was in NYC for a week, which was exhilarating in its way, and I’ll go spend some time in Oregon for a while, but the difference between travel-bed and home-bed is strong, and Austin feels more and more like a city of floating from brunch to swimming to yoga to happy hour. It was fun for years — it is still fun — but I begin to wonder about other places. New York taught me that my skills for planning and public transit and high-stress have atrophied and I wonder what other skills I’ve been losing over the years as I’ve gotten good at living here.

What else:

  1. I got some reading glasses and it doesn’t hurt to read anymore
  2. I made a cool lasagna by putting a ton of veggies in the blender to make a power sauce
  3. I’m halfway through copy edits on my book and beyond amazed (bemazed) with the skill of copy editors. My copy editor just took a screenshot of this page, printed it out and put a red x over “bemazed”
  4. I guess I’m grinding my teeth at night, much more annoying than terrors b/c it means I can’t chew almonds the next day
  5. I’m reading about Anthony Sowell again, feeling mad

On Saturday I’ll be doing a reading in Denton, TX at the Tex Gallery. On Wednesday, I’ll be paying my rent. What will happen beyond those days? Into that hazy future, Time will be our rail and the Whim, our navigator. I’ll probably drink a lot of milk.

LOOP

Please find a new story, LOOP, at Everyday Genius. All month, Justin Sirois is curating the site, posting a new story every day inspired by an animated GIF. He says I got the only gross one.

I found a new coffee shop to sit inside! The man who makes the coffee looks like maybe he’s from Canada? And the door to the bathroom keeps slamming really loud, which keeps me on my toes creatively. Also it’s right next door to tacos. Things are pretty good.

The past few weeks have been a true discovery voyage. Susan and I drove to Victoria and found out what it feels like to have carpet in a bathroom. We stood in the Gulf and saw dolphins, and then we drove home. Last week, I flew to McAllen and asked Brian for a tour of the true McAllen, a request I will never regret. I found a swimming pool and a cheeseburger in that place. Everyone was nice everywhere. Texas is the greatest state in Texas.

Now I’m watching some ladies have a professional lunch. They are wearing blazers. One of them said, “Should I also ask Holly?” and then they all laughed kind of knowingly. Ha ha ha, hmm, mm-hmm.

LITERATURE?!

LITERATURE NEWS

All week I’ve been reading the incredible new collections of two writers: Matthew Simmons and Ethel Rohan. Just you wait.

James Hynes just won The Believer Book Award.

I have readings upcoming in NYC, Portland, Seattle, Austin. Make like Carson and KEEP IT LOCKED.




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