Although I haven't posted about any financial/frugal ideas lately it doesn't mean they haven't been on my mind. With the house paid off, now my main focus is building up our liquid savings and saving for our mythical retirement. Since my husband and I enjoy our current occupations so much, I have a feeling that retirement will not be our choice, but something forced upon us by circumstances beyond our control, but we'll see. In any case, someday either one or both of us will be officially retired, at least partially. I guess one could say I've been semi-retired for 10 years now, since I began working part-time, but the difference is I have not considered myself retired. I have come to realize retirement is a state of mind, not just a financial one.
In Spanish, we say a retired person is "jubilado" which technically means "freed" or "released" rather than "retired." I have felt released and freed most of my life, so in that sense I've been retired all along! "Jubilación" sounds a lot like "jubilation" in English, which of course means great joy and elation, so I guess the term is a more positive-sounding one than "retirement" which sounds like you're retreating from life.
Anyway, in the effort to save for retirement I try to keep frivolous, impulsive purchases on a tight rein but I also like to keep track of low-cost purchases that deliver high satisfaction and make life more pleasant.
This year my frugal winners are:
A Cool Gear thermos on sale at Tuesday Morning that keeps my iced tea cold for 24 hours. (The first one we got for free but its top eventually broke so I needed a new one--I now use the old one at home but I needed one with a tightly sealed top for work) Cost: $10 (normally this type of thermos goes for $25-30 at the supermarket).
A cushioned zero-gravity chair for Jim--the removable cushion alone was worth the price I paid for both the chair and cushion. It's a sueded material that makes the chair look much more living-room-worthy. Cost: $80
A Hamilton Beach room odor eliminator Cost $25. Wow, this has really helped cat-related odors in my room and doubles as a personal fan and gray noise generator as well!
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Thursday, April 20, 2017
The Ghazal Page published my poem "Rilke Returns to Ronda" -- late to report
For some reason, I never announced the publication of my latest favorite poem,
"Rilke Returns to Ronda,"
a ghazal in an earlier issue (number 63) of The Ghazal Page.
This poem was inspired by my visit to Ronda, Spain last year. I found out that Ernest Hemingway had famously visited Ronda, and so had Rainer Maria Rilke, one of my favorite poets. Rilke had been experiencing terrible writer's block and stayed a few months in a hotel in the hills there, during which he experienced a re-awakening of inspiration and began writing again.
I had been toying with the idea of writing about Rilke in Ronda but had not hit upon a way to approach the theme when I heard of The Ghazal Page's "places" challenge and realized it had to be a ghazal! I had not written a tercet ghazal before but this one seemed to demand to be one, maybe because Rilke wrote his famous "Spanish Trilogy" in Ronda!
Rilke's real first name was "Rene" so I used "reborn" in the last stanza, according to the tradition.
I make a passing reference to Hemingway as well! While I was in Ronda, my travel companion wanted to see the bullring, which is the oldest existing one in Spain, so I saw that firsthand. And the carpark we used was called "Poeta Rilke!"
"Rilke Returns to Ronda,"
a ghazal in an earlier issue (number 63) of The Ghazal Page.
This poem was inspired by my visit to Ronda, Spain last year. I found out that Ernest Hemingway had famously visited Ronda, and so had Rainer Maria Rilke, one of my favorite poets. Rilke had been experiencing terrible writer's block and stayed a few months in a hotel in the hills there, during which he experienced a re-awakening of inspiration and began writing again.
I had been toying with the idea of writing about Rilke in Ronda but had not hit upon a way to approach the theme when I heard of The Ghazal Page's "places" challenge and realized it had to be a ghazal! I had not written a tercet ghazal before but this one seemed to demand to be one, maybe because Rilke wrote his famous "Spanish Trilogy" in Ronda!
Rilke's real first name was "Rene" so I used "reborn" in the last stanza, according to the tradition.
I make a passing reference to Hemingway as well! While I was in Ronda, my travel companion wanted to see the bullring, which is the oldest existing one in Spain, so I saw that firsthand. And the carpark we used was called "Poeta Rilke!"
Sunday, April 16, 2017
"Seagrapes" published by The Australia Times Poetry Magazine
The Australia Times Poetry Magazine published my poem "Seagrapes" in February; the cute illustration is by TAT artist Shallamar Mugot. I'm very sad to find out that TAT will be closing its doors by May of this year. I loved learning about Australia via its writers' works! Poetry editor Maureen Clifford is the best!
"The Surest Poison" wins Thirty West Publishing House's sonnet challenge
Many thanks to Thirty West Publishing House for choosing my poem, The Surest Poison, as winner of their sonnet challenge! They are a micropress based in Philadelphia, which naturally appeals to me. They will possibly re-publish this sonnet in a chaplet compilation of their contest winners. This was a great way to celebrate National Poetry Month!
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