Reb Livingston's Blog

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Coming in January 2010

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Yesterday Gideon told me that I was the super-evil professor of crazy-talk.

He keep bringing up all the items that he believes his soon-to-be born cousin will steal; for instance, a small cardboard box he painted for Chris and the garbage in his preschool's dumpster. He also believes his cousin will be able to lift up the dumpster and throw it high into the sky.

It's been suggested that he's jealous and perhaps on an unconscious level he is, considering he's envisioning her as a thief with sup...

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C. Dale is pondering shutting down his blog.

I hope that he doesn't (for my own selfish reasons), but obviously it's his decision to make. Nobody should blog because they feel like it's expected. I sort of understand the feeling, earlier this year I was looking at Cackling Jackal, considering how it evolved and wondering if I wanted to keep doing it. I decided I wanted to do something different and made the "clean break" choice with this blog. Separating out (mostly) all the No Tell rela...

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James Allen Hall and I are the guest judges for the Caption Contest Throwdown Round 5.

As always, I'm working hard making friends.

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Over two years ago the Poetry Foundation invited me to participate in their walking poetry tour. Other poets who participated include: A.B. Spellman, Jane Shore, Naomi Ayala, Reuben Jackson, Yusef Komunyakaa, Myra Sklarew, E. Ethelbert Miller, Sarah Browning, Terrence Winch and Linda Pastan. It's narrated by Elizabeth Alexander with photographs by Thomas Sayers Ellis.

I'm not sure what exactly happened and changed in two years time, but the concept that was communicated to me was that one ...

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Gideon: If you say that word again, I'm throwing you in jail.

Me: What word?

Gideon: "Son, stop doing that."


Gideon woke up with a belly ache last night.

Maybe because he drank 8 vanilla milks yesterday.

He's drinking another one right now.

Moderation is today's topic.

That and how people make boogies.

This week Gideon is an otter.

Last week he was a beaver.

For those of you playing at home.

Whatever you do, don't call him a monkey.

He will freak on your ass.

No Tells is all freaking poetry book...

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This evening I read How the Grinch Stole Christmas to Gideon. This was his first time hearing it so I got to relive all the disbelief and shock that some asshole would actually try to steal Christmas. Earlier this week we collected pine cones to make Rebeccamas ornaments and we finally got around to putting the potpourri into little mesh bags. As far as I'm concerned, it still smells like rose farts, but Gideon and Chris disagree. 2 against 1, so it makes it into the gift baskets. I take...

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Slay a Dragon: Long ago, map makers sketched dragons on maps as a sign to sailors that they would be entering unknown territory at their own risk. Some sailors took this sign literally and were afraid to venture on. Others saw the dragons as a sign of opportunity, a door to virgin territory. Similarly, each of us has a mental map of the world complete with dragons. Where does fear hold you back? What dragons can you slay?

* * *

"You are a fear prisoner. Yes, you are a product of fear."
--P...

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Pause for a Bit: Poet Doug King on the value of incubating: "Learn to pause . . . or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you." Allow the Muse to whisper in your ear. What problems are you working on that benefit from a pause?

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