Life has an expiry date - what are you doing about it?

My latest motto. To remind me that the inclusion of my own poetry life in my daily work schedule is not self-indulgence, except in the most positive way.

I'm enjoying judging the online poetry competition Bookhabit.com is running. Not as many audio/visual entries as expected, given how popular YouTube is, but they've increased in Week 2, so perhaps word is getting out. Many thanks to Neil Furby for actively promoting it. I entered some poems in the first week (with permission from Clare, the organiser) to boost the numbers and to see how they were judged by my fellow judges, and they all made it through, which is encouraging. I'll disqualify myself and withdraw them from Round 3, but in the meantime, I'll be interested to see how the website visitors rate them.

I've been a busy little submitter - I've currently got poems with the Bravado competitition (9), the Wellington Sonnet Competition (2), the Takahe competition (6), Brand (a UK journal, 3) and I've sorted out a selection for Turbine as well, which I'll send off next week. Fingers crossed.

I plan to do some more writing over the weekend. My poetry group is meeting at my place next Wednesday and in my typical over-achieving way, I'm not satisfied with having written just one poem since the last meeting. Our theme is 'riposte', so I need something to [whatever the verb for riposte is] to. Sounds like a good reason to read (as if a reason is ever needed). I'll read something new, so that it's a fresh approach, and not something I've had too much time to think about previously. I do so enjoy a challenge.

Saw "WALL*E" last night - what an awesome movie! Disney does it again. I know I'm a sook, but even I was surprised that I cried at the end. I'm really good at suspending disbelief in animated movies! It was totally absorbing and I was really glad the family had the theatre almost to ourselves. We're very loud laughers and not at all self-conscious about enjoying ourselves, but it's still good not to have too many other people about to bother when we do it.

It was supposed to be a Mensa event, but no other Mensans came, which is not unusual. That's why I scheduled it for a time when my family was available to accompany me. It was Ursula's half-birthday, so our treat. My sister Bev came too. She arrived from England last Friday to look after Dad in Waikanae for a month, and is planning to come in to Wellington for all the Mensa events she can. She's not a member, but she's been to events before while in New Zealand and fits in very well.

Good to see that 597 New Zealanders have voted in the unofficial world vote for the US President (and Obama is winning). See top link, and pass it on.

Bedtime.