End of an Era

Well, it's been a while since I've blogged and much has happened. First, it's a new year! Second, I've been on vacation for a long time and actually rested. Two weeks is a long time not to work, worry about the normal grind. I spent most of my vacation resting, and cleaning house mentally and spiritually. You'll be glad to note, I am healthy - no real issues going on, even managed to have a half-decent relationship with my estranged father. It's not perfect, but I guess it's as good as it will get. As far as everything else, I'm revising my business plan, working on two books, and about to send my teen anthology to an editor to do some comprehensive editing so I can reprint the book this Spring. So far, great comments from the teens on the book. It's been very hard to get myself to do any adminstrative work, but I guess that will happen on Tuesday when I return to the schools. I am also writing a grant for a summer program that hopefully will be picked up by the city.

Besides that I guess it's life as normal. End of an era, beginning a new. I'm about to do a body detox program for a 1 or 2 to get myself refocused on balance in my healthy eating habits, but nothing too extreme. I'm also working on organizing my poetry that I have taught over the years. I envision some sort of poetry gallery where I can highlight all the youth's poetry. Imagine that -- poetry by children from K - 12, from 2001 until the present time. Poetry from youth in my programs litter my home and it's out of control so I'm gonna begin to batch the items annually and try to keep them all together and out of the way. Right now, I hate that I have little or no space to highlight them. The funniest poetry item I have is a little poetry tree made from poems written in my classes at one of the parks. One of the coolest thing I did last year was help the park present a poetry gift to Margaret Burroughs. I hope she enjoyed the poetry the kids wrote and gave to her with the gift.

The best thing I've done over my break was very simple. I stacked up on my THE WIRE , Seasons 2, 3 and 4. I know Season 5 (last one) starts tonight. I'll buy the DVD when it comes out late in 2008 or early 2009. I also like Dexter, a show from Showtime, and that is one of my favorite shows as well as the WIRE. Washing my locks twice a week during the break provided me with a relaxing way to be taking care of myself. Movies were my thing during the break, even though Chicago had some nasty weather. I hate snow, but I hate staying in as well. House music night was off the chain last wednesday and I expect do that again, Martin Luther King's weekend.

Planning for me this year is dealing with getting my pass port. I got invited to the Frank Furt Book Fair, not sure I'm going but it's in Germany. I also am working on a lot of details with my book company, new authors, mentoring them, and getting new projects on the ground running. Well, I only have 1 more day to enjoy before my real life creeps up and slaps me silly.

I hope you had a great holiday season, enjoyed your family, and rung in the new year with love and renewal in your heart.

Until we meet...

Mocha Sistah