To my Watercolor section I added Leslie Sitting, Rachel Standing, and Molly. I've added a hyperlink to the Molly picture itself, so if you click on it you get a larger version. I removed Heather Sitting.

Last night I went with Shannon to see one of my favorite live bands, The Young Dubliners, play at the Belly Up Tavern. Incredible show. Amazing musicianship. During the show, everyone was jigging -- jumping up and down in place. Between being packed together and the jumping, it's quite possible that I unknowingly got someone pregnant.

Added Untitled (A. portrait in ink) and Toulouse to my Pencil, Charcoal and Ink section. Added Untitled (Reclining and Looking Away) to my Watercolor section.

Yesterday I mailed three poems (Air Hole, Where We Are, and Two Beds) to Tin House.

Added a picture of Notre Dame to my Paris picture section and pictures of the Leaning Tower of Pisa to the general Europe section.

Went to the post office in Pacific Beach this morning, after eating a great breakfast at the Eggery and before enjoying a hot tea at Cafe 976 (my favorite place to write), and mailed my short story, Naive Ants, to the Alaska Quarterly Review. While sipping on my Earl Gray tea and working on another short story at Cafe 976, I talked with two girls for a while, Melissa and Nikki. Nikki is auditioning for American Idol in Los Angeles in two weeks. I may be able to say, "I knew her when...." Our conversation started when Nikki asked if anyone's ever told me I looked like someone famous....

Returned from a month long backpack trip through Europe. Absorbed an enormous amount of inspiration that I look forward to putting to good use. An incredible experience.

Went to the post office today and picked up my large stack of mail awaiting me. Among the letters, I received a rejection notice from Zoetrope for my short story, Naive Ants. I anticipated this, as my 580 word story didn't fit with the long, character driven stories (~15 pages) they publish. I figured it was worth a shot though. When you get a rejection notice, they shove a small form into your SASE, and send it back. I received the rejection form, but at the bottom was a handwritten note saying, "I enjoyed reading your story. Thank you!" This event is a rarity, and made me feel really good.

Received a rejection letter today from the Colorado Review for my four poems Where We Are, Empty, Midwest Girls, and Dandelion. I'm pleased that they responded to me so quickly (within three weeks), but unfortunate that I received it the day before I leave for Europe so that I'm unable to submit the poems to another magazine before I leave.

Really looking forward to the inspiration I receive being in Europe. Between idle time riding on trains, sitting in cafes, and being immersed in an amazing place, I think I should turn out some good stuff.

Added Why We Broke Up to Oil and Acrylics section.

My first exposure to Christo's art occurred during a college film class where we watched a documentary about his project called "Valley Curtain." This project involved spanning a vast fabric curtain between the walls of a Colorado canyon. It was an engaging documentary, and I was fascinated by the artist himself. Many of his projects are enormous in scope, and he finances them himself by selling his initial sketches and drawings of the planned project. Today I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (La Jolla) where they devoted the entire museum to displaying photographs of Christo's projects with descriptions, in addition to his incredibly beautiful sketches, instructions, and plans. I previously had a difficult time tracking down any cohesive books detailing his oeuvre, so it was a great treat seeing his work collected into one exhibit. The museum also published a wonderful accompanying book.

Once per month, I attend a writer's workshop started by my friend, Tracy, whom I met in our creative writing class at Mesa College during the Fall 2001 semester. It's held on the 10th floor of a building located on Banker's Hill, an incredible location that overlooks downtown San Diego and the bay. Attendence varies, but this past Tuesday night we had five people. We critiqued my poem, Air Hole, and this morning, while sitting at the Mission 2 coffee shop in Pacific Beach, I put the finishing touches on it. It's done. Now, I just need to find a magazine to send it to. A problem with submitting poetry is that magazines typically want a batch of three to five poems sent to them at a time, so I need to complete a few others to accompany this one, before releasing it to the world.

Added four pencil and ink life drawings to Pencil, Charcoal, and Ink section. The pieces are Jacqueline, Kristi Reclining, Kristi on One Leg, and Kristi Sitting.

Watched Amanda Peet on the Conan O' Brien show today. Just in case she reads this journal, I want her to know I love her.

Added painting R. with Gold to Oil and Acrylics section.