English 318

I had my last poetry workshop class on Tuesday.  I played punk mandolin for everyone and read an Allen Ginsberg poem.  Some other students played guitar, and other students read poems (by other authors).  I’ll really miss that class.  My professor was Gillian Conoley.  She is brilliant and I have been very happy to be her student.  She will be on leave in the Spring, but when she comes back, I will take more classes with her.

She made a compilation of the students’ poems about silence.  Of course I wrote one about silent film.  You could probably see that one coming from a mile away.

Then she wrote a cento using all of our poems.

Merci!

Amber R. Nelson

Snow? Here?

It rarely snows in the San Francisco bay area.  I can’t think of many places in California where it actually does snow in the winter.  I mean, we might get one morning a year where it snows and then it melts by 10 am, but not much else.  If we want to see snow, we go to Tahoe.

Today the hills here were covered in snow.  They looked like ski slopes.

And it snowed in the city of Petaluma.  Not just on the hills or in the mountains, but in the city itself.  And I was in class a half an hour away.  Arthur was lucky enough to see the snowfall.  It must have been magical.  Arthur said it snowed for about a half an hour, then it turned into rain.

What wonderful cold weather we’re having.  I must admit, it was a little too cold for me today, but I’ll be prepared tomorrow (with pants rather than tights)!

Also, my mom was really nice and got Arthur and me some Straus cream-top whole milk.  Arthur and I shared the cream.  This milk is incredible.

Merci!

Amber R. Nelson

Saturday

What an interesting Saturday.

At work tonight, some kid decided that it would be totally cool to start eating the restaurant’s crayons.  The worst part was that his parents didn’t even notice what he was doing.  We also had a very condescending ten year old come into the restaurant.  That was a handful.  Oh yeah, not to mention the two applejuice spills from the same toddler within five minutes.

There were so many kids at work tonight my face almost exploded.  But there were some cool kids too, like the three middle school girls in Cirque du Soleil masks that came in later in the evening.  And the high school girl who shook my hand when she left.

There was also a nice older woman who asked me how my day was before asking for a table.  She was the physical embodiment of happiness.

Also, there was a guy with a cool moustache.  And another guy with interesting glasses.  They made him look like a character in a Fellini film.

So clumsy toddlers, inattentive parents, crayon-eaters, and precocious children aside, there were many things at my work tonight that made me smile.

Ne mangez pas les crayons, svp!

Merci!

Amber R. Nelson

Cold weather

Despite common misconceptions, California actually does get cold.  At least in the San Francisco bay area.  I’ve been freezing for the past few days!

And what do I do when it’s cold?  I surround myself in wool.  Lots of black wool.

Cold weather also means I get to wear all my wool hats, which I can’t wear during the ridiculously hot summer months.

That’s the newest addition to my hat collection: a vintage Austrian fedora (with new feathers).  It still has the original size tag inside (which is in German).  I always thought I had a small head, but apparently I don’t, because I can’t fit into most vintage hats.  Or maybe it’s just my thick hair.  I was happy to find this hat because it fits me perfectly.

I had Feminist Lecture and Poetry Workshop today.  After class, I saw that the Ceramics Guild was selling their wares in front of the library.  Everything was so beautiful so I bought a few pieces to give as gifts during the holidays.  I also got a necklace for myself because it had so much character (and it was very, very inexpensive).

Oh, and one more thing: I recently saw the first sketches for my chapbook cover.  The artist and I have a few ideas floating around, but what she’s given me so far looks great.  It’s very exciting!  I’m one step closer to self-publishing my first collection of poetry.

Merci!

Amber R. Nelson

Everyone has a superstar

Albert Camus is my superstar.

Last year I was really into working with clay, so I baked up a little clay Albert Camus (and a bunch of little calaveras too).  He even has a little clay cigarette!

It’s not easy to find video footage of Albert Camus, so you can probably guess how excited I was to find these two videos today:

Video 1: Albert Camus at a soccer match

Video 2: Interview with Albert Camus about Russian literature

(Scream, faint)

Seriously, these videos are so exciting to me.  It’s not often I get to hear the voice of my greatest literary influence ever.

I can actually understand some of what he’s saying, but I’ll get Arthur to translate the rest for me.

Who is your superstar?

Merci!

Amber R. Nelson

Monday

I had a good day.

Today I ended up having an impromptu  lunch with my friend Margot.  It was lovely.

Also, my Freud presentation went well.  I presented on an article written about Freud’s queer contributions to social psychology and psychoanalysis.  I taught the class about heteronormativity and how it is an oppressive force in society.

But the most triumphant moment of the day:

I was at a stop light on my way home, singing “White Man in Hammersmith Palais” very passionately, with lots of motion and intense facial expressions.  The man in the lane to my left looked over and smiled, then laughed so much he didn’t even notice the light turned green.

Never be ashamed of singing in your car.

Merci!

Amber R. Nelson

Saturday updates

I was sick for almost the entire month of October with three separate sicknesses.  Now I’m sick.  Again.

So I’m at home trying to get better before finals.  I also have a presentation in my Sociology class on Monday.  It’s on Freud.  I really don’t like Freud, but I’m kind of excited to do this presentation (as long as I feel better by Monday).

Also, my mom is visiting my brother in Florida and they just spent the day seeing manatees in the wild.  My mom sent me a very cute picture of one of the manatees eating some leafy greens.  It must have been a magical experience.  The Nelson family is big on manatees.  I think that was my doing back when I was in the third grade.  I loved manatees so much that I got the rest of my family to love them too.

In chapbook news, I found my artist and we are currently discussing a cover piece.

Oh, and the chapbook has a title.  It’s called The Ancestors.

Even though I’ve only really actively started the project recently, I’ve been planning it for a while.  I’m very exicted that I’m finally getting it done!

Oh yeah, and I got my copy of Nibble #11 today.  I have a poem in there.  It’s a really good issue.  You should buy a copy.

Merci!

Amber R. Nelson

That big project…

I mentioned a big project a bunch of posts ago.  Guess what the project is?

Self-publishing.

I considered using Blurb, but as much as I like them, their prices are a little high so I decided I would do it all myself.  I’m going to assemble the manuscript, get some cover art done (I know some phenomenal artists), print it all up, assemble it, and get it out there.  It’s going to be hard work, but I will love doing it.

It’s very exciting.

Now…thread or staples?

Merci!

Amber R. Nelson

Granola Goddess

I’ve recently started making granola.  I don’t know why.  I never cook.  But for some reason, I had an uncontrollable urge one day to make granola.  Now I make it all the time.

Arthur and my mom are addicted to it.

It also gives me a reason to wear an apron.

My mom seriously bought me a big nonstick pan just so I would make more granola.  The pan makes it much easier to stir the granola, which is what I’m about to do in this photo.

I will be giving lots of it out for Sciencemas.

Om nom.

Merci!

Amber R. Nelson

Arts and crafts!

I went to French Club today and we all decorated tote bags.  This meeting was proof that the majority of the French department is made up of women.  A few guys came by, but only one was man enough to decorate a bag.  And he was from the German Club.  Don’t mess with the German Club.  They’re hardcore.

I made this:

I’m the Albert Camus fan of the club.  Other people were talking about how much they hated The Stranger.  How can anybody hate The Stranger?  Albert Camus est un maître de la littérature française!

All the paint smudges, the e in “invincible” that is painted on the back, and the big L were all unintentional, but I wanted irregularities on my bag so it could add to the punk rock charm.

Merci!

Amber R. Nelson