Okay, you can laugh at the picture, but this is the most organized thing at my house right now.

My poem "Fear and Chaos" has been published at the online version of Round magazine. You can read it here. They have a theme with each issue, and they call this "The Scary Issue." I guess.

You might remember that I wrote the governor of the great state of confusion called Texas recently. My letter is here. Anyway, yesterday I got a letter from one of his minions named Dede Keith. Most of the letter is the "veto statement" that Rick Perry made when he line itemed a veto hurting my medical benefits. I wonder why taxpayers must pay 42 cents for everyone of these form letters he sends out to those who protest his decision when they have already been to his website to read the lie themselves. You can read the proclamation concerning House Bill 1 here. (You'll have to scroll down to "Article III -- Education" to get the lie I've been complaining about.

Finally, we seem to have the soccer team together. I'll be coaching RC United in an indoor season that I suppose starts this weekend. We haven't been given a schedule yet, so we don't even know when to get practices together. But we hope to have fun and build the girls' skills. Michaela and Alex will be together on the team, and that might make for some challenges, but I'll try to be hopeful. I just didn't realize how much administrative nightmares there were to taking on such an endeavor. I just found out today, after waiting with no answers from North Texas Soccer, that I could get my coach's card. The season hasn't even started yet. But do try to follow us. You can go here for the link. I hope to have a better one once the schedule is up.

Back to writing. I finally wrote my review of the Stryker/Slagle band. Tried to submit it to Blogcritics, but had some problems. Wrote the editor over a week ago, but have yet to here a response. I'm not getting paid for this review, but they did send me the cd for free, and I feel obligated to get the review in print. Also, Blogcritics prefers for bloggers to post their reviews with them before putting them on their personal blogs. This I can do, but I have kind of held on to other reviews that are in the same post. Just a note, people. That's all I ask.

Have not received my check for a review of a textbook I did several weeks ago. Not only do I need the money, but it is particularly frustrating that I have a deadline I have to meet or not get paid, but they can take their time paying me. Add to that the fact that I usually get offered these jobs when I'm in school and have less time to devote to such projects, but let summer come when I can do a bunch, and they rarely have work for me. Arggh.

Listening to the late Michael Brecker today. Hope I can get his last cd before long. One of many people lately taken too soon.