Clear Sky Charts

I think I could look at clear sky charts all day. Equal parts Atari and abstract art, there's something marvelous about turning the clouds (or the absence of clouds) into colour.

I also think it's pretty fantastic that at any given moment I can check the astronomical observing conditions for Walloper Lake or Quispamsis or even at the Twillingate Observatory on Twillingate Island, Newfoundland--which, in my mind, is occupied by someone who spends her evenings drinking tea that's strong enough to walk across, all the while cataloguing celestial sights that are only visible from where she's standing.

Twillingate Island. Who doesn't love typing that?

So here's where I thank Attilla Danko, the clear sky chart's inventor, for letting me use one of his images.

Its colourful squares are quite literally the stuff of poetry:

Night Orchestra

A word cloud of Penn Kemp's "Night Orchestra." Or at least a word cloud of the poem's last stanza. You'd need several clouds (storm system?) to fit the whole thing.

This probably wouldn't suit every poem, but this one, I think, works well.

Dear NBA

Just a quick reminder to all NBA teams that I will once again be declaring myself eligible for the entry draft.

While I may have gained ten pounds this year and shrunk (?) half an inch, I'm still confident in my ability to make other players seem tall and athletic in comparison.

I also feel as though my beard is an asset. I really can't see how it could possibly be anything else.

To sum up: if anyone needs a 34-year-old back up (back up) guard with knee-high socks, a sound understanding of grammar, and a go-get'em attitude, then I'm your man.

I'm thinking late first--no, early second round.

Read All Over

This past weekend got off to a great start when I spotted a story in The Western News on A Very Small Something.

It hadn't occurred to me that the book trailer itself might be a source of interest, but then a lot of things don't occur to me, so there you go.

Curious parties can read the article here. Just flip to page seven.

The first review!

A big thank you to Papertrails for taking the time to review A Very Small Something. 

I certainly wasn't reviewing books when I was seven years old, so I think this writer has a very bright future. 

Well done, Myles!

Gone Fishin'

Reading tonight with Amanda Jernigan, which is sure to be a re-match of last week's "who can deliver more of his or her poems without actually looking down at the page" contest, in which I placed a distant second.

6:00 pm at Toronto's Type books. Should be a hoot. 

Only Seven Months Till Summer!