See You Later L.A.

We're out of here tomorrow. We've sold just about everything there is to sell, just a little packing and cleaning and left. My parents are coming up tomorrow to help us move down to O.C. for May. Unfortunately this week has been a waste. I came back from Big Bear with a stomach virus and was wiped out. It now seems as if Claire might finally be succumbing to it as well.

Here are just a few things I'm going to truly miss about L.A.

1. The Food-Even though Portland thinks it's a food town, it doesn't come close to L.A. I'll admit that as far as fine dining goes it might be a wash, but how often do you spend $100+ on a meal. The $10- or less options here are amazing--every nationality, every American classic, new discoveries on every block, at all hours, everyday. From In N' Out, to Lamonica's Pizza in Westwood, to taco stands everywhere, to Koreatown for bibimbap, to Philipe's for French dips, to Canter's pastrami , chopped liver and coleslaw on Rye, to Pink's chili-cheese dogs, to this little whole in the wall Japanese place in Los Feliz selling pork katsu for $3.60, to empanadas in Venice, the food here is amazing.

2. Hancock Park-Athene and I have spent on average 2 hours a day there, everyday, for the last 6 1/2 months. A wonderful, big, green park, surrounded by the La Brea tar pits. I've never once been hassled for having the dog off her leash. It's full of quiets spots where we can eat sticks and write.

3. LACMA-Claire and I got a membership when we first arrived (we live 6 blocks away). I've been there about 50 times and never get tired of it. They finished construction to the new building in February and doubled the size of the museum. The curators are constantly revolving exhibits (including an incredible one of James Ensor's work currently being shown). I've been working on series of poems based on a number of the pieces there.

4. Amount of things to do or not do on any given day.

5. Only working about 150 hours in the time I was here.

6. My good friend Toby Forrest

7. The number of beautiful women.

8. The sun.

What I won't miss-the traffic (the #1 worst thing out L.A.), parking, our asshole next door neighbor who bumps her fucking music all fucking day, the $$$ of just about everything.

Thank you to everybody who helped make this experience a great one for both Claire and myself. I'll keep updating the blog until the L.A. issue comes out late June/early July (we just got a poem from Ralph Angel!!) We're definitely sad to leave L.A., but who knows, maybe well shall return to stay.

Wrapping Up

We've been busy around here, trying to get all over L.A. before we head down to O.C. on the 4th, then back to Portland June 1st. We've been exploring downtown (little Tokyo, the Toy and Fashion District, the great French dip sandwiches as Phillipe's), the Los Feliz-Silverlake-Echo Park area (likely where we'd want to live if we're ever to come back, the most Portlandy of all L.A.), a little bit of the beaches, and many areas in between. This last Saturday I was down at my parent's house, taking part in my first Passover seder since my teenage years. Then Claire, the dog (Athene) , cat (Odysseus) and I will be joining my parents, their dog, my sister, brother-in-law, my nephew Jack and their dog, at a rented Cabin in Big Bear this Thursday-Sunday. When we get back we only have a week in the apartment. This makes us both very sad.

We're getting through the last 100 or so submissions for the issue. We took a great poem from Carol Muske-Dukes and are trying to figure out a way to include a wonderful, but very long poem (likely 18 pages in our format) from Amy Gerstler. David St. John got his promised poems to us this week. This will truly be an all-star issue.

Santa Fe

For my birthday last week, Claire and my parents surprised me with a trip to Santa Fe. Claire and I got to spend three lovely days in the city. Even though I lived in Flagstaff for 6 years, it was my first time traveling there. It's an amazing and unique place; nothing but adobe houses, really great food (green chile every day!!), more galleries then anyplace I've ever been, beautiful landscape and amazing hiking.

We're down to about 3 weeks here in L.A. Something has happened to Claire and myself that we would have never imagined...we're sorry to be leaving. L.A. has far exceeded our expectations. Our lives are sitting in a 10 x 10 storage unit in Portland, so we need to go back. We're going to give it a year or so back home and then reaccess, hoping to be able to clearly see where our hearts truly lie. We're spending our free time exploring the city, finding all the great little pockets. Tonight we head to Koreatown with my sister, her husband and a couple of his Korean friends. I predict lots of Soju and barbecued meats.

My Reading This Saturday

For any of you in the L.A. I hope you'll come to my reading this Saturday. I'll be sharing the stage with fellow L.A. poets Marlys West, Julie Gamberg and Vandana Khanna. Here's your chance to switch positions and judge my work (I only ask that you keep the booing and hissing to a minimum as it's the first time my whole family will ever see me read). The reading takes place at Metropolis Books (downtown 4th and Main), 4:00 p.m. Admission is free. I'll have some issue of the Burnside Review to hand out for free (a blatant bribe).

Oh yeah, poetry

Seems as if the world of poetry has gone less noticed here lately.

I went to a good reading on Friday night at Beyond Baroque. The readers were Sarah Maclay (who read from her new book The White Bride), Stephen Kessler and Ralph Angel. Ralph Angel has a very strong following down here, though I admit that I didn't know all that much about him. He was wonderful. His poems are sparse, smart and heart breaking. He also translates Lorca, and read a few of those pieces (he's also promised a few for the issue!). I had a nice talk with him after the reading. He suggested that we meet for coffee in Pasadena.

Today is the final day to submit for the L.A. issue. We still have a ton of work to go through. Last week we took poems from Suzanne Lummis, Mary Armstrong, Larry Colker, the above mentioned Sarah Maclay and Deborah Meadows. A few more acceptance notes will go out this week.

Somthing About This Place

So they finished up shooting over at the park yesterday (I walked past Will Ferrell!). There's this older musician that sets up everyday of the week by the entrance to the La Brea tar pits with his guitar and banjo. He plays old folk songs targeted at the kids (and thus their parents) who frequent the museum. As I was leaving yesterday, I walked by him as usual, except this time he had hit the big time. Apparently the director had become smitten with him over the course of the week and decided that they needed him in the movie. There was a girl micing him up and getting him pretty, as others lit him.

L.A. effects you in that weird way. I've walked past dozens of movie/t.v. shoots since I've been here, lots of photographers. There's almost always that little wiggle in the back of the brain that says "well maybe they'll notice me". They haven't (except for my tremendous extra work earlier on this year). Not even the dog (who's cuter then me). But the thought (is it vanity?) is kind of exciting.

I went to see Bob Mould (of Husker Du fame) across the street at the El Rey a couple nights ago. I pray that I rock as hard when I'm his age.

A Different World

They're filming some the Land of the Lost movie down the road from our apartment, at the Park that connects the La Brea tarpits (fitting) and LACMA. Also the park where the dog and I go twice a day. I was a fan of the Sid and Marty Kroft t.v. show, especially the Sleestacks and Chaka. Will Ferrell is staring in the movie. I was just a few sips into my coffee this morning when I passed Bob Balaban (he's been in most of Christopher Guest's movies, the old drama teacher in Waiting for Guffman and the guy in charge of getting the space ready for the Mayflower Dog Show in Best in Show) on his way to film a scene.