midwest - transplant

Our dear Mr. Robot has told me he thinks Lincoln might be nice this time of year...

posted by mideast-transplant @ 4:38 PM 3 comments

I have a confession to make. I love haiku. Most (if not, all) of you who are reading this probably know already; you were all around during my college years when I was doing those silly postcard haiku clubs. I was so excited to buy my first Richard Wright haiku book so many years ago, This Other World, and it still excites me to read.

But what you probably don't know is that I wrote haiku obsessively during my third and fourth years of school. I wrote it while walking home late at night and while in the car on my way for groceries. I saved what I thought were my best ones in a little notebook I bought in Italy. And, for better or worse, I'm going to air them out here. Here are my first two from way back when, from the drivers' seat of a car. Enjoy.

In concrete we write
our names, scribbling in long loops
across the country.

He stuck his head out
and yelled straight at the girl
standing on the street.

posted by mideast-transplant @ 8:59 PM 2 comments

Sarah, you need to drop everything and make one of these. Right now.


via Whip Up.

posted by mideast-transplant @ 2:17 PM 2 comments

signs of spring

#1, a new Easter plant. Since I managed to overwater (well, somehow kill) the bulb from last year's Sun Star, I decided I deserved another shot at it. This time, the plants sold at the store look burlier: the stems are thicker, the buds are larger, the blossoms are hardier. It seems like it has a better shot at life. I guess I only have myself to blame if it doesn't survive...





#2, a shirt and tie for Ben, who presents his doctoral defense in a week and a half. I've been saying that this is ben's first suit, but that's not exactly true. Ben's first suit was in high school. But it's his first in that it's his first legit suit - his first "I chose this myself" suit. He and I shopped for the shirt and tie on Saturday; here's the finished combo.





#3, Tanqueray and tonic. The inaugural drink came last weekend. I don't know about anyone else out there, but I think there's nothing like gin and tonic in the summertime. There are still a few months before summer begins to peek through, but the first tank and tonic of the year still tastes sooooo sweet.





#4, blossoms in the backyard. For some reason, I've never noticed this bush. Maybe it's because it's hidden between the evergreens, in that narrow walk between the driveway and the back door. Maybe it's because I've been looking forward to this spring breaking more than most. Maybe it's because this time of year there's usually still a little snow on the ground, so going into the backyard doesn't seem so fun. In any case, it was a happy surprise to rediscover this bush on the way to the grill this weekend.





#5, this post. I started this blog about a year ago. Over the last six months, things have been busy and stressful; as you can see, I've hardly posted. Maybe no one's reading anymore, and maybe that's a good thing. That means even less obligation to perceived readers to some particular kind of content. Spring is about new beginnings, and this is one for me. I look forward to a fruitful, interesting summer, and (hopefully) new destinations and new projects. Stay tuned.

xo,
martha

posted by mideast-transplant @ 10:13 PM 1 comments