It’s crazy how something as small as rounding the balconies can totally change a building and make it so unique looking.

Oh just me getting all teary over Wall-e.

My wife hasn’t been able to eat much at all the last week. And hospital food is awful. However, she had a bite of each of these and the bliss and joy that came over her face is why I do anything. You can tell when it’s a good bakery within 1 second of her taking a bite. Her face can’t hide it.

Healing garden at the hospital…

And I found a very promising donut shop! Lindsay and I look for donuts everywhere and if she was feeling better I’d have bought a dozen.

Back in New Haven the last few days because the wife is back in the hospital. At least today is finally cool enough for a stroll.

Here’s my yearly reminder to paint an American flag in cow blood over your doorway tonight or the ghost of Uncle Sam will collect your soul.

Here’s my yearly reminder to paint an American flag in cow blood over your doorway tonight or the ghost of Uncle Sam will collect your soul.

Little girls would be 16 today. It’s been so weird not having a cat in the house.

I have such a love and trust for physical therapists and such a hate and distrust of doctors.

Going strong at 6/6 stop-what-you’re-doing, eat-over-the-sink delicious nectarines.

Cannot recommend this book enough. Every sentence is beautiful. It’s fable and surrealism and nature and grief and just fantastic. @hubcitypress.bsky.social

Buy a copy of Postcard! Or submit some poems to Postcard! Both are fantastic options that would make me happy.

Amazing book from a favorite press.

On an incredible 4/4 run of delicious nectarines.

#2

#2

Would be kind of cool if @postcardlit.bsky.social partnered with a press to release a postcard with their new poetry releases...yeah?

First poem from what I'm hoping becomes another book-length erasure MS. #snakesonapoem

Damn. Postcard's Duotrope listing is about to be canceled because I publish one issue a year but apparently doing one in 2025 and then planning on doing one in 2026 isn't enough it has to be within a 12-month period. Y'all even use Duotrope anymore?

It's a good week to send me some poems!

Found my next erasure project!

I've never taken 10 days off before and I genuinely don't know where to begin catching up with work...

Advertise your Bluesky account with a Simpsons image.

Got home today after 10 days away (!!!) and found this beauty waiting for me. I’m even more excited about how the physical copy looks! @splitlippress.com

Found my next erasure project!

If you’re ever in Portland, Maine, Green Hand Books is without a doubt one of the best bookstores I have ever been to.

Also- LOOK at this library.

Also- LOOK at this library.

Good god, Halifax. The walk to the Public Gardens almost killed me (only like 25 minutes but I’m really weak and struggling right now) but it was totally worth it.

I would catch a cold and get a terrible sore throat 2 days into my first cruise. Luckily this is a trip with the in-laws so my wife still has excursion companions.

This is perfect. Excerpt from a longer piece by Shawn Smucker, published here: shawnsmucker.substack.com/p/please-use-ai #poem #booksky #writing

Update: I got paid.

World’s smallest violin wasn’t cutting it for my problems so I’m trying the other extreme.

In all fairness, the instructor was basically like, “thin on the upstroke and thick on the down. Got it?”

Took a stab at calligraphy on the cruise…oof.

And obviously Canada does a lot of things better than the US, but among those things are clean public bathrooms and touchless buttons at intersection crosswalks.

A few images from Quebec:

One of my favorite lines in Ted Lasso is when Rebecca rehangs the David Hockney art in her office and Ted goes, “Oo, did you draw this?” Rebecca says, “No, it’s a David Hockney.” And Ted says, “Well he’s a really talented little boy.”

Developed a degenerative neck disorder about 10 years ago. Ended my running. I have to be careful and always do my PT exercises. Anyway, it started flaring up 2 weeks ago and of course, now that we’re on vacation, it’s full-on the worst it’s been since that first time. Every movement is pain…yay.

I love that in Canada they seem to call BBQ sauce “spicy ketchup”.

Congrats to Asterales contributor @willmusgrove.bsky.social on his new story collection! And look at the gorgeous cover by @mrwojorising.bsky.social!

A few months ago, Lindsay pointed out that I don’t buy fun clothes anymore. Since the pandemic, whenever I buy clothes, it’s pretty utilitarian. So I treated myself to my first pair of slip-ons since I was an undergrad:

COVER REVEAL: I'm super excited to share the cover of my story collection After Last Call, coming out next April from @malarkeybooks.bsky.social. And thanks to @mrwojorising.bsky.social for the amazing work he did designing the cover 💙 Pre-order link: malarkeybooks.com/store/afterl...

I got to design the cover for Will Musgrove's collection! Beer plant!

Also excepting recommendations for fun, weird, artsy stuff to do in Sydney and Halifax Nova Scotia...

Also excepting recommendations for fun, weird, artsy stuff to do in Sydney and Halifax Nova Scotia...

We're going to have about one day in Quebec City before our cruise. Is there anything interesting to do? Best art museum? Food?

In nice weather, we usually get spiderwebs near the porch stairs. My wife just left and I saw her stop at the top of the stairs and use both hands to part any possible webs. If you don't know about the webs, it looks like she cast a little spell on the day before proceeding.

Going on my first cruise and first trip with the in-laws this week. I have very limited luggage space so I’m gonna try to limit myself to these books (but this may be too many space-wise but also not enough options?):