AWP Things

1. Getting picked up from the airport and being driven around (Hi Josh!) for 90 minutes. Downtown, where are you? Then: lighting storm! Torrential water from the sky. Lightning everywhere. I thought I'd die. I survived.

2. Eduardo Corral. Sweet, sweet, sweet guy. And not nearly as bitchy as one might surmise from his blog! Canary table. Sitting with Reb. Her ass is not big enough to roast a turkey--whatever that means. A game hen, maybe!

3. Jess Mynes, Aaron Tieger, Joe Massey, and Michael and Jennifer from Hot Whiskey--beers and Smiths/Morrissey convo at the Gingerman. I tried to photograph arthropods. Two beers. Everyone sippin' on Belgians. Not me. I was patriotic.

4. Pre-UGP snacks with Laura and Joe at Moonshine (?). Beer, asparagus, crabcakes. We called Andy Mister. Bonding.

5. UGP. Free beer. Small beers. Joyful reunion with Julie Dill. Julie brought me beers all night. Fantastic readings by Jess, Aaron, Joe. Joe killed. Jordan filmed it. Other good readings afterward, though I got trapped in the crowd, talking to folks, meeting peeps, and generally being a bad audience. Highlight: watching [poet blogger] take [poet-editor]'s latest book, throw it to the ground, and trod upon it. Other highlight: Betsy Wheeler! Other highlight: Anne Boyer's wide-eyed excitement at meeting bloggers! Another highlight: the "tower of power" outdoor outhouse potty. Who else did I meet? Who am I forgetting? Briefly: Danielle Pafunda, Erin Elizabeth (who made me embarrassed...short memory). Gina Franco.

6. Less-than-satifying meal at Stubbs with Josh, Aaron Belz, and Jess Mynes. Food was just okay--not great. Jazz club after with Jess. Reading at Club De Ville. Killer readings by Schomburg, Compton, Livingston, Snyder. Missed Henriksen's. Met Tony Tost. Buried the invisible hatchet. Nice nice guy. Schomburg bought me a beer--at 3 bucks each, only 30 more to go. (Kidding, Zach!) Weird Austin taco from Austin taco truck. It neither looked or tasted like Al Pastor. And it came on a flour tortilla. No worries, though. It was delicious.

7. Poetry Foundation party. C. Dale wore a Soviet Union t-shirt and Italian leather shoes. Liberated some wine. After-party: spin the bottle. Details suppressed to protect the innocent and not-so.

8. Poet who shall remain nameless was completely rude to yours truly at the Canary table. It took a while to get over it--the only un-nice person I met all weekend. Shame on you.

9. Tony Trigilio--nice guy. Nice chat at Canary table. Peter Pereira and Dean. Nice nice people. And they bought a "Here's To You."

10. South Congress Cafe. Sublime brunch of migas, beans, potato cake, venison and boar sausage, dos equis, tequila shots.