New Blog

Added a few links off to the side there; one in particular I wanted to point out. PoBiz is the blog of one Roger Jones, one of my professors in the English/Creative Writing program at Texas State. I took a couple of Dr. Jones's classes and worked with him during my stint at Persona (the Texas State literary journal). Pretty sure I've learned more from him than anyone else about poetry & the practice thereof. His blog's well worth the read. Poetry and related topics. Go and read.

# posted by Daniel at 12:29 PM.

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Texas, marriage, & other states of bliss

Much has come to pass since last I posted here, O my readers. There was by all reports a lovely wedding on Monday. Fanny and I were involved. We're married now. Things is good. We just finished hanging a hammock chair from a tree in our yard. The hammock was a wedding gift. The tree was not. My (ahem) wife is out there now, swinging contentedly while she finishes a book about Pablo Neruda. Later we're going to drive up to a farm & buy corn.

I don't have the energy for a full & proper writeup of the wedding and reception. I will say that we thought them a resounding success. Various friends handled all aspects of the day--food, music, preaching, photography, and everyone without exception came through in fine style. Matthew delivered the greatest toast in human history, culminating in the classic line, "Here's to French toast and Texas tea."

Lots of family and friends were in town. I met my in-laws for the first time. This could've been bad. One likes to meet one's future relatives before one starts shelling out cash for a wedding. But whatever concerns I might've had came to naught--Guy and Francyne are fun, gracious, and hospitable, and I look forward to getting to know them better (I also look forward to learning French so as to be able to get to know them better). All the Priests and Priests-to-be made it up as well--both my parents, Ed and Linda, my brother Christopher and sister Christina, as well as my dad's wife Jenni and Chris's fiance Heather. It was great to see everyone. Tempers and personalities clashed a couple of times, but no more than expected under the crowded and hectic circumstances. Friends Nate, Michael, and Devin all made it up as well.

Good as it was to see everyone, it was even nicer to get away. I trust everyone understands the sentiment. Honeymoon was at Point No Point, a nice resort/cabin thing an hour west of Victoria on the rugged and rocky Pacific coast. Equal parts sunshine and fog the three days we spent there. And then the best part--arriving back here and there being no one else in the apartment! (Well, perhaps not the best part. But this after all is a family blog.)

Our next big adventure is a trip back to Texas in October. We'll fly this time. I'm officiating at my brother & Heather's wedding. We hope to spend a couple of days in the Hill Country as well. It'll be good to set foot again in the homeland, hear people say "howdy," eat some barbeque and proper burritos. Then at the end of December we're flying to Quebec for New Year's, which promises to be one of the more surreal experiencesof my life. Myself and Fanny's entire (50+) extended family, drinking beer, insulting each other in French, and singing the most off-colour folk songs imaginable. Willie Nelson be with me.

P.S. Should anyone find themselves overcome with the urge to buy things for other people, one might scratch that particular itch here. Or here. Not that I'm dropping hints or anything. I just know how much it sucks to have an itch and not be able to scratch it.

# posted by Daniel at 12:56 PM.

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