the eye of Nova's mind

Here we are, not even at the start of winter
and already we perceive the heart of winter,

snowfall clopping down on our necks, a white anvil.
Making us fear its weight: not so smart of winter,

otherwise ingenious of insinuating
itself inside our clothes. Soon a part of winter

blooms in our breath and seeds within our bones, crafty
wizardry invoking the dark art of winter.

As I was on the bus headed to my poetry class, I couldn't help but overhear this woman behind me on her phone. Bad enough that she had a captive audience--it was really unfortunate to hear her spout off about Ebola.

Not that she's the first person I've heard talk about Ebola, not even the first to do so in a public space. But she was the first I've encountered who was relaying patently inaccurate information to those around her. Sort of like an information disease vector.

First she talked about how the dog of a woman who contracted (or is suspected of contracting) Ebola had to be put down. That is true. But she said it was because the woman spread Ebola to her dog. That was not determined at the time of the destruction. I highly doubt this turned out to be the case.

Then she speculated about why the latest victims in the US have been women. "I don't know if it's because women are more susceptible?" she began. That's when my eyebrows went up in alarm.

Captive audience. Everyone there was listening to her & her ignorance.

She did temper her conjecture a bit when she offered that maybe it was because more women were "on the front lines." I don't know if she meant that more nurses are traditionally female & the number of nurses combating the disease necessarily outweigh those of doctors, who are for more often male. I want to give this woman the benefit of the doubt.

But the nail in the coffin final straw was when she dismissed the fact that Ebola is only spread through direct contact with bodily fluids. She spoke about how some people get infected after being around a dead body & how that didn't make any sense. "The morticians, I'm sure they wear gloves, so I don't know how these people would have been in contact with bodily fluids." After listening to her friend, she said, "Yeah, it's airborne! That must be it."

After about a minute of listening to this, I turned around & looked at her. I wasn't going to say anything, but she mentioned my turning around to her friend. "It's not airborne," I said flatly. "It's only transmissible through bodily fluids."

"Well, I don't know . . . ." she said, apparently trying to leave a crack in the door.

"It's true. This is what is known about the disease. You should look it up."

"Well, that remains to be seen," she said.

"It's scientific fact," I responded, finally brusque at her unwillingness to let go of speculation. "You should look it up," I entreated again.

I would have apologized later for being somewhat short in our exchange, but she remained on the phone to her destination, which was just a few minutes further up the road.

I'm kept from updates due to a popped key. The letter is used a lot. I'll try to fix it tomorrow.

How Gary Hart's Downfall Forever Changed American Politics (NYT) -- This is a very interesting article.

Seattle city attorney requests public pot smoking tickets to be dismissed | more

Fraternity date-rape drugs females based on their "hotness" -- "Police said the drugs were administered on the basis of color-coded hand stamps. The three women who were drugged had red X's on the backs of their hands, which were given to them by the party's doorman. The bartender then allegedly poured the special drinks in accordance with the color-coded stamps."

Blood Hounds: They're Obsessed With Period Sex -- Some of this article is decent but much of it is still cloaked in the Puritan-Victorian squeamishness about sex. That's unfortunate.

George Zimmerman accused of threatening to kill a man during road rage incident

Top Colleges That Enroll Rich, Middle Class and Poor -- I knew my alma mater would be featured in this article, just by the title alone.

Sophisticated Neanderthals may have made abstract art

Why Not Having Kids Makes Some People Crazy

Australian Man Awakes from Coma Speaking Fluent Mandarin

Man allegedly cooked dog, fed it to ex-girlfriend

The new apartment does not have any patio or balcony space, so I'll have to harvest what I can & let the rest die, I guess.

It's a really frustrating situation. If I had any idea earlier this year that we'd be moving, I would not have begun this project in the first place.

Closed or lost a lot of links in the last week. Here's what's left:

Children With Autism Have Extra Synapses

Policeman accused of serial sex assault on patrol

Pleading suspect dies in police custody: 'You can breathe just fine' -- No, this is not referring to the NY Eric Gardner case.

Tongues wag over Obama’s audacity to wear taupe | more -- Really, these people have nothing else to do but criticize the color of the President's suit? Really?

Newsflash: Hello Kitty has never been a cat -- She's a little girl from England. I kind of see the resemblance now.

So, my editor friend wants me to do more than we'd initially discussed.

First, he needs me to transcribe incoming material into formats that can be used, from what I can understand because he can't use his personal printer because the formats become messed up on his machine. The person who did this last year for him can't do so this year due to new engagements. So I said sure. I like copy editing & I've experience with transcription.

More importantly, however, he wants me to find a local printer. I haven't worked with printers in fifteen years & I have no experience with local ones, except for the guy who put out my chapbook (he also presses Third Wednesday).

So, on top of locating written material for the magazine & finding artwork, I now will be editing copy & locating a new printer. Lots of responsibilities.

Again, this would be much easier if, as I had initially anticipated, I had copious free time on my hands at this point of the calendar. This will end up instead a tight squeeze.

For the first time, I made pasta e fagioli. I used a recipe from a little cooking booklet my mom gave me. I followed it almost to the letter, except I added bay leaves, crushed red pepper & (once I realized I added too much of the last) frozen corn. (Something I discovered from following Thai cuisine: sweet balances heat.)

It's pretty good! It's spicy but good. I have plenty, so I should have more than enough to supply me with lunch for the week ahead.

Lincoln with polio.
Lincoln in a wheelchair.