Thanks, Emily

Despite being a huge poetry lover and an English teacher, I forgot that April is National Poetry Month. Allow me to make amends.

I got into poetry at a very young age when I found a poetry book in the trash. It had been a textbook once upon a time but it opened a new world to me. In poetry, your words could be shaped like an animal or a diamond, you didn't have to use capitalization or punctuation or proper grammar. If the poet really knew what he or she was doing they could use poetry to make you cry or laugh. A good poet can even make high school tolerable. Here are a few of my favorite poems. Enjoy.

The Bistro Styx by Rita Dove

Variations on the Word Sleep by Margaret Atwood

Lady Lazarus by Sylvia Plath

Sonnet 17 by Pablo Neruda

the Cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls by ee cummings

I heard a fly buzz when I died by Emily Dickinson

Facebook is still a choice, right?

Did Facebook become required? What did I miss? Assuming we still have a choice on whether or not to use Facebook, I'm curious as to why a bunch of bored Senators feel the need to whine about it to the extent of possibly involving the Federal Trade Commission. After all, with immigration issues, unemployment, and oh yeah, a WAR I guess this is all we have to worry about and spend tax dollars on.

My understanding is that Facebook is making some changes that would expose some information such as interests, location, and friends to places that can advertise to you. Yes, this sucks. The last thing I need is another ad for some hipster nightclub that I'd never frequent to pop up. However, if it really bugs me that much I can stop using Facebook. And guess what, Senators? So can you! And if Facebook users are not tech savvy enough as, the article states, to figure out how to set their privacy options then maybe they should not be on Facebook to begin with.

The Summer of Jenny

When George Costanza lost his job one summer he declared it "The Summer of Geroge". During that summer, George set out to do the things he wanted. While I have not lost my job, this will be the first summer in 16 years that I have not worked. Here are some things I am thinking about doing:

1. Take a cooking class. My neighborhood Michael's offers baking lessons and Parks and Rec offers an inexpensive cooking class to residents. I might learn some new techniques for baking. Even better, maybe I can learn to cook something that both Brian and I will eat!

2. Yoga/Pilates/Dance. Parks and Rec also offer these classes for much less than a studio. I could use a little fitness and relaxation in my life. If I opt for a dance class, I will need a partner. Any takers?

3. Fix up the house. For a 34 year old house, my place is in great shape. We've lived here for nearly 6 years so it is time for an update on the paint. Our couch is almost 10 years old so some new furniture is also in order. I want to experiment with some brave colors, too.

4. Teach an old dog new tricks. My pups can do lots of things. Roll over, crawl, sit, shake, play dead. But German Shepherds are smart and need their brains stimulated almost constantly or they get bored and do bad things. It's time for the dogs to learn some new things.

5. Write. I love to write but admittedly I don't write as often as I should. I have good ideas that need to move from my brain to the paper.