Mr Mascellani's Musings

Good News

I have received some good news: Verse Libre
wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
CONGRATS!!!
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
CONGRAT!!!
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
WOW WOW
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
I got to tell everyone at my community about you
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
you are going to be famous
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
wow!
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
so happy for you.
S. Hunter-Wilson says:

David says:
Thanks. yeah it's the old cliche it IS an honor just to be nominated.
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
yes it is.
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
you know how hard it is?
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
wow!
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
I was thinking of submitting to them
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
but they are not going like my work
S. Hunter-Wilson says:

S. Hunter-Wilson says:
I just no it
David says:
Do you know much about the pushcart prize?
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
the work in there is too good
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
yes I do
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
I have done a lot of research on it
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
it is right under the Pulitzer
David says:
fuck!
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
didn't know that?
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
lolllllllllllllllllllll
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
do you know that you got to go through at lot just to be nominated
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
and once you are
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
you are in the zone
David says:
I knew that it was prestigious but not that prestigious
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
some of the best of the very best don't get nominated
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
everyone knows about your poem when you are nominated
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
it is put in good and everything
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
and you are filed
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
so much...
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
see all the literary magazine who participate in it
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
are competing
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
they submit their nominees
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
you could win David
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
if you win
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
you WIN BIG
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
you got a great chance of whinnying
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
that is what I want sound and silence to participate in
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
but it requires a lot of work
David says:
is there only one winner or a series of winners? -I'd be happy if I got a 'honorable mention'
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
here I will send you the link to the info
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
and all the magazine that participate in it
S. Hunter-Wilson says:
those are the ones you want to submit your work too

The Pushcart Prize

The Pushcart Prize XXV

December Makes Me Remember

December is the first month of summer in Australia.
And whenever it rolls around I am reminded of
school holidays -the Christmas/Summer holidays.
Six weeks of freedom- beautiful.

When you were a kid they seemed to last for ever.

But the heat, my God, the heat, don't get me started on the
heat. I don't give a damn what the 'research', the 'facts' or
the 'experts' say, the heat and the humidity of the 60's and
70's were much more relentless then they are today. In those
days there was day after day,week after week of scorching
heat and torturous, paralyzing humidity.

But there are so many memories, the ice cream van,
the sprinkler, The backyard pool, the local swimming baths,
the beach. One fond memory I have is of spending time
with my family on the verandah waiting for the house to
cool down enough so as that we could sleep. I also
remember suffering from the sunburn, scratching mosquito
bites despitereeking of insect repellant, enjoying a shandy,
the conversations, and the sights and the sounds: the stars,
the traffic, the passersby.

Today, one million years since I've left school, for the whole
month of December When I am at work I feel as if I am working
during my summer holidays.

Book Review

I have finished reading Gould's Book of Fish: A Novel in Twelve Fish by Richard Flanagan
The next book I will be reading is Three Dollars by Elliot Perlman

Sweet

Something good happened to me the other day.

But before I tell you about it, let's go back in time a couple of months.

(FX: sweepy, swirly Gilligan's Island-like 'dream sequence', going-back-in-time' mist).

My life had been travelling along quite nicely when things began to go financially askew. Basically, what
happened was that I received a pay that was short because of a couple of sick days I had taken-and some
bills arrived-and I had to borrow some money.

Then a few more bills came and for the next few pays I had to more money to tide me over to the next pay.

And then other day, Friday, happened. All I had to do was make it until monday afternoon. My pay would
be in the bank. I would be able to payback everybody I owed money to and things would be back on an
even keel.

(I actually earn an above-average wage and I normally do quite well,but for the last two months or so things
just went wrong.)

So it was Friday,three days before pay day, I was working the night shift. All I needed was the train fare to
work and back and a packet of cigarettes. I was two dollars short.

I may as well as been a million dollars short.

I didn't know what to do. There was no way I could do a 12 hour night shift without any cigarettes and there
is a $100 fine if you are caught travelling without a valid train ticket. And there was nobody I could or wanted
to borrow money from.

There was nothing else for it but to buy the cigarettes, a ticket to work, and take a chance on travelling
home without one. If I got caught. I would pay the fine.

So, I started the walk to train station, my heart heavy, when the good thing happened:

when I was about half way to the station, I happened to spy, on the ground, a bright, beautiful, shiny new
two dollar coin.

Thank you,God.

The next morning, as I travelled home, I quite happily showed my ticket to the ticket inspectors and
I smiled at the railway police who were checking tickets at the stop I get off at.

I am no longer in debt and I now have some extra money and the latest Buffy DVDs are in store.
Life is good again.

Sweet.

Aquarium Update

.

All's not well in my tank. My peaceful Gouramis have turned feral-behaving all boisterous and aggresive.

It's an all male tank, so that propably something to do with it.