Damn

Damn. That's said with the inflection of one who is exasperated, not one who's angry or surprised...
I'm just so upset about how certain things are going with a particular past project, and I just don't know what to do about it. I do know it's holding me back on other projects, and I don't like to get nasty with people, especially when those people come off as being very nice, sweet, overworked types. But sometimes you have to stop worrying about the 'thems' in your life and stand up for yourself, right?

In other news, I got my first submission this morning for the anthology, which was a nice pick-me-up for the morning. And to make it even better, it was made by a woman who has been published before in various places - she has experience as to all the smaller details of submissions, and the poem, thank you Jesus, didn't rhyme, wasn't as literal as grief poetry tends to be, and was accompanied by what would amount to an excellent cover letter.

I know that I'll be getting poetry from parents who have never been published and aren't aware of the poetry community or how things are usually done, let alone with the finer points of the poetic craft. That's ok, because honestly, that's true of the vast majority of people, including the grieving parents who would buy and read this anthology. Therefore, they'll relate to the less experienced poetry as well as, perhaps better than, they would to the metaphorical and allusionary poetry that I hope to also receive.

I still have no idea how Xlibris got my email address, but I've gotten several emails from them - all from a "real" person, not form letters. They offer nearly exactly what I'd need, and have managed to get me very interested despite my resistance and financial situation. Perhaps they're borg?

I went out and bought a few more things for the P-A store, little things like paints and craft supplies that I'll need to personalize the gifts. Apparently, though I didn't know it, ribbon is expensive. I have a feeling I'll be making a rather large out-of-pocket expenditure to get the ribbon I'll need to do these. I want good quality, and so far all I've found online is either out of my price range or doesn't accept paypal. I thought I lucked out. I found a site with great prices that offered me the option of buying in smaller quantities/lengths, and offered me a discount, and had exactly the ribbons I wanted in perfect colors. I then found out that they don't take paypal. I suppose I'll have to wait for the Visa Check card to arrive if I intend to buy through them.

More waiting, and I'll say this again: I am not a patient person.