Christmas is nigh, and the mall sucks more than ever

I actually completed all of my Christmas shopping months ago.  Which is great, because this last week I worked 70 something hours, and was not about to want to go out to shop for two and a half families.  As a matter of fact, I was so busy that this marks the first time since I decided to write two blogs a week that I was unable to write two entries.  Which is upsetting to me, actually, but maybe twice as much time on a single, multiple-line update is better after all?

But I didn't shop for Regan's stocking stuff(ers), so I decided to go to the mall.  A huge mistake, and a waste of a good chunk of the day--my only day off.

Speaking of which, I am considering quitting one of my jobs.  It's a complicated decision; they're both seasonal jobs, but the higher paying one is likely going to end very much sooner than the lower paying one, so to quit either seems a terrible idea.  But I haven't been able to do very much at all with my graduate school applications, my writing seems to be suffering in quality, and my reading has dropped off to power-reading.

I've long been a proponent of writing in spite of work, but I'm beginning to wonder if my special ridiculous amount of time spent at work might be an exception to that rule.  More updates to come, I suppose.

Also, very good poetry news to come soon as I'm allowed to tell it!

P.S.S.  Congrats to Bianca for her grant, Ricardo for his book, Frank X. for the newest issue of Pluck! and to everyone else in the Affrilachian Poets and who are pushing back!