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<title>My RSS Feed</title><link>http://roberto-rodriguez.com/index.html</link><description>A Writing Life Update</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>Roberto Rodriguez</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2007 Roberto Rodriguez</dc:rights><dc:date>2007-11-09T14:36:36-08:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:44:17 -0800</lastBuildDate><item><title>Update: November 2007</title><dc:creator>Roberto Rodriguez</dc:creator><category>Update</category><dc:date>2007-11-09T14:36:36-08:00</dc:date><link>http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/November_2007.html#unique-entry-id-15</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/November_2007.html#unique-entry-id-15</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[That along with some work responsibilities that I have since let go of, kept me busy...in a good way.

The glowing bliss of a new relationship has taught me why some of our most famous writers have such tragic stories...It&rsquo;s hard to write happy.

...This was inspired by many of the events that have happened over the last year....  You can find one of the more recent posts in the essay section of this site, entitled Who Am I?...  The other project was inspired by a file folder with hundreds of jokes and funny items my friends have emailed me over the years.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Update: August 2006</title><dc:creator>Roberto Rodriguez</dc:creator><category>Update</category><dc:date>2006-08-30T14:46:00-07:00</dc:date><link>http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/Aug06.html#unique-entry-id-14</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/Aug06.html#unique-entry-id-14</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The end of August is here, and while some of you are dreading it because it means you're going back to school, others are looking forward to it with anticipation because it means that your kids are going back to school.  And yet, for those of us in the northern hemisphere, we must come to terms with the end of Summer.

...On the surface it's about the impact a stranger can make on us, at a deeper level, it's about how sad it is that we often keep quiet when another human being moves us.

The idea for the third poem, The dance, came to me about three months ago. For a long time I've used the idea of "dance" as a metaphor for the patterns we create in our relationships, be they friends, spouses, lovers, etc. In May I attended a dance concert and was able to peek at dancers in the wings waiting for their cues....  As I shared it with other writers, it became evident that a lot of people related to it, so I share it with all of you.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Update: July 2006</title><dc:creator>Roberto Rodriguez</dc:creator><category>Update</category><dc:date>2006-07-06T14:44:26-07:00</dc:date><link>http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/4c93cd865dfdea3ba9224a54b0421148-13.html#unique-entry-id-13</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/4c93cd865dfdea3ba9224a54b0421148-13.html#unique-entry-id-13</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The weeks leading up to graduation were full of final exams, and calculating final grades, dealing with disappointed students, etc. However, those stressful weeks are over, I'm appreciating my three weeks of free time, and am back to the business of writing.

...This piece came to me as I was bike riding along the beautiful San Diego Bay and I noticed a large number of lizards had come out from their usual hiding places to enjoy the warmth of the sun....  It doesn&rsquo;t need much explanation, other than to say that the reaction I&rsquo;ve received from this piece has led me to understand more fully the universal experience of the ebb and flow of confidence and self-doubt: like yin and yang, one contains the seed of the other.  The last piece, My grandfather&rsquo;s workshop is one that digs deep into my childhood and my relationship with my grandfather.

...The agent I had mailed the manuscript to has not responded so I&rsquo;m assuming that she&rsquo;s not that interested, so in the next few days I will be contacting a few new literary agents.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Update: April 2006</title><dc:creator>Roberto Rodriguez</dc:creator><category>Update</category><dc:date>2006-04-27T14:43:07-07:00</dc:date><link>http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/cefbbcab39cc893eb13eef2a87af3d0e-12.html#unique-entry-id-12</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/cefbbcab39cc893eb13eef2a87af3d0e-12.html#unique-entry-id-12</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As some of you know I work at a school that&rsquo;s been open for three years, and this June we will have our first graduating class....  In any case, work keeps attempting to take up more and more time, but through it all I&rsquo;ve managed to make progress on some of my resolutions for the year.

...Not only is it finished but a couple of weeks ago I sent it to a literary agent that has seen it before and asked to resend it once I finished and implemented some changes she proposed, so, I&rsquo;ll keep you updated on that front.

...Now that Three Bucket Money Management is done, (that&rsquo;s the working title of the manuscript I finished), I&rsquo;m ready to work more at fiction, so look forward to some new short stories and I can get back to the novel I started a few months ago.

...By the way, although I didn&rsquo;t do a Literary Website entry this month, I wanted to remind you that, in the US, April is National Poetry month.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Update: March 2006</title><dc:creator>Roberto Rodriguez</dc:creator><category>Update</category><dc:date>2006-03-26T14:41:51-08:00</dc:date><link>http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/ee564d8c5b4ad88654dddcdbabb70c83-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/ee564d8c5b4ad88654dddcdbabb70c83-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[With Spring comes a sense of renewal for some, the sense that life is all around us. And for those of us in the education field...Spring Break.

...During my childhood, my grandparents were a huge part of my life and they made a huge impact on me, yet it is only today that I realize how strong the impact was.

...As a teacher of American Government to high school students I tend to present both sides of an issue, my role there is to get my students to think for themselves not give them my thoughts.  It was nice to leave those constraints and put down on "paper" my thoughts the current situation.

...The Literary Website focuses on one of my favorite American authors: John Steinbeck, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature for 1962.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Literary Website: John Steinbeck</title><dc:creator>Roberto Rodriguez</dc:creator><category>Literary Website</category><dc:date>2006-03-25T14:39:21-08:00</dc:date><link>http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/947f875028f97d5742401181f1fae65f-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/947f875028f97d5742401181f1fae65f-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[What got me back to Steinbeck the last few weeks is that I&rsquo;ve been reading quite a bit on issues of globalization and the plight of workers.  This reading, coupled with my fascination of the human dynamics in all types of relationship, led me to pick up The Grapes of Wrath....  Aside from the social message of his novels, few writers have the ability to put you as a reader in the setting where the action takes place.

...It&rsquo;s been years since I read Of Mice and Men and even longer since I read Tortilla Flat; both of which I plan to revisit soon.  Meanwhile, if you want either a refresher on Steinbeck, or to familiarize yourself with him, here are a few websites that might help:]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Update: February 2006</title><dc:creator>Roberto Rodriguez</dc:creator><category>Update</category><dc:date>2006-03-01T14:37:53-08:00</dc:date><link>http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/c59898e737ea697fdfac149721d8d095-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/c59898e737ea697fdfac149721d8d095-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I would be a complete idiot if I didn&rsquo;t thank the man that introduced me to Neruda back in college, Dr. Marambio, of the University of San Diego.

...This month was a bit different, maybe it was all that Neruda I was looking at, but the new poem this month is called Recuerdos, and it is one of my very few Spanish pieces.

...The whole thing was supposed to be done by the end of this month, I&rsquo;m now a couple of weeks off, but it&rsquo;s not too bad.  I look forward to sharing some excerpts with you once I know if this is going to be published in the traditional way or if it will end up being a self-published book.

...For now though, some of the links are still pointing to the blogger website, which is still up, at least until I can get all the links to work properly.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Literary Website: Pablo Neruda</title><dc:creator>Roberto Rodriguez</dc:creator><category>Literary Website</category><dc:date>2006-02-23T14:07:36-08:00</dc:date><link>http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/955f3aef46d7b9f88a06d33ab98af6cd-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/955f3aef46d7b9f88a06d33ab98af6cd-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This month I thought I&rsquo;d highlight one of my favorite poets, Pablo Neruda: Chilean politician, poet and Nobel Laureate.  If there is a poet that got me into poetry back in my undergraduate days, it was Neruda....  I think I made him my favorite poet after I read his piece &ldquo;Poem XV,&rdquo; otherwise known as &ldquo;I like it when you are quiet.&rdquo;...  Another great romantic piece of his opens with the line &ldquo;Tonight I can write the saddest lines&rdquo; (Puedo escribir los versos mas tristes esta noche)

But even more than the romantic stuff, the one thing that really captured me about his poetry was that he was the first poet I read that wrote about mundane things: His piece &ldquo;Ode to the Artichoke&rdquo; (Oda a la alcachofa) &ldquo;Ode to the onion&rdquo; (Oda a la cebolla)are pieces where he applies his artistic interpretation of everyday items.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Update: January 2006</title><dc:creator>Roberto Rodriguez</dc:creator><category>Update</category><dc:date>2006-01-30T14:04:28-08:00</dc:date><link>http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/e6aa7fb56c20f66928659dfec1b95502-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/e6aa7fb56c20f66928659dfec1b95502-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My goals for this year are simple yet challenging and I&rsquo;m determined to make them a reality....  As a matter of fact, the weeks since the last update have been all about finishing up this manuscript....  I&rsquo;m hoping to be completely done with the manuscript, including re-writes and edits by the end of February.

...To be honest it has taken a backseat to Three Bucket Money Management these last few weeks.

...Unfortunately, all this work on the manuscript means that there aren&rsquo;t very many new items on my blog.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Update: December 2005</title><dc:creator>Roberto Rodriguez</dc:creator><category>Update</category><dc:date>2005-12-18T13:53:24-08:00</dc:date><link>http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/3bb430f1f499c622fd5a5209b4de37f0-6.html#unique-entry-id-6</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/3bb430f1f499c622fd5a5209b4de37f0-6.html#unique-entry-id-6</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s been scarcely three weeks since I sent you an update, but with the holidays nipping at our ankles like a rabid Chihuahua, I thought I would send it a bit early this month.  I really haven&rsquo;t added that much since last month, I&rsquo;ve spent a lot of the last few weeks grading papers and trying to finish up the semester for my students.

...With that fateful day being in December I sort of get ambushed by the trio of the impending end of the calendar year, the end of a semester at work, and the end of another year of life.

...Between grading essays on the US involvement on World War I and preparing final exams, I found time and inspiration to write Hello won&rsquo;t kill you.

...I urge you to take a look at Jaime's blog, she writes with a depth of emotion and honesty that I admire.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Update: November 2005</title><dc:creator>Roberto Rodriguez</dc:creator><category>Update</category><dc:date>2005-11-29T13:47:50-08:00</dc:date><link>http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/7430b4f48769dc4bfa36a3a0c37127a8-5.html#unique-entry-id-5</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/7430b4f48769dc4bfa36a3a0c37127a8-5.html#unique-entry-id-5</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[All I can say to that is, when that&rsquo;s what the muse gives you&hellip;you just have to go with it.

...I played with it a bit and although most of my poetry doesn&rsquo;t rhyme much, this one is my own little ode to Dr. Seuss.  Believe me, I fall way short of the good Doctor, but if you put your tongue firmly in cheek, I think you&rsquo;ll find it funny....  The only curious thing about this one is that it sat in the depths of my laptop for 6 months under a different title.

...The essay this month, In this season of happiness and joy, is all about happiness&hellip;well, not really&hellip;more the lack of it and our constant search for it.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Literary Website: Poetry for kids</title><dc:creator>Roberto Rodriguez</dc:creator><category>Literary Website</category><dc:date>2005-11-15T13:32:39-08:00</dc:date><link>http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/0cc4c2612bde19e55d3072d1d0eeafae-4.html#unique-entry-id-4</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/0cc4c2612bde19e55d3072d1d0eeafae-4.html#unique-entry-id-4</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As I said last month I want to use this space not only to highlight my own writing but to share some of my findings on the web or other media outlets.

...I liked many of them, but the quality can be a bit uneven, but I'm willing to admit that it may simply be an issue of taste.  Either way, I recommend you bookmark this site and add a bit of poetry to your day.

Giggle Poetry is just a fun site that has the aim of introducing poetry to children and making it fun....  It's a fun website for kids and for adults that still have a little kid in them.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Recent Posts...</title><dc:creator>Roberto Rodriguez</dc:creator><category>Update</category><dc:date>2005-10-24T13:24:50-07:00</dc:date><link>http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/6f6023578a67fd55cd692908e5417d04-3.html#unique-entry-id-3</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/6f6023578a67fd55cd692908e5417d04-3.html#unique-entry-id-3</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Yet last month for the first time I wrote some poems based mostly on the experience of others: Emptiness is all that's left and Anxiety.

...I mentioned my weight loss journal earlier and if you read the personal essay Introspection, you'll see why losing weight has become so important to me.  The newest essay, A busted window, was inspired by someone breaking into my car. Believe me, when I was writing, I was surprised by what came out.

...Three Bucket Money Management is the long standing project that I've been working on. I've been stuck trying to make some changes that were suggested to me by a potential agent....  But a good friend made some suggestions that might get me unstuck and give the agent at least some of what she wants to see.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Poet Laureate</title><dc:creator>Roberto Rodriguez</dc:creator><category>Update</category><dc:date>2005-10-23T09:41:52-07:00</dc:date><link>http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/508af54f2a6149983d3b89272b5bd7ee-1.html#unique-entry-id-1</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/508af54f2a6149983d3b89272b5bd7ee-1.html#unique-entry-id-1</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[And part of my writing is my reading and authors that inspire me or that I aspire to....  But as I was driving home from work on Friday I heard an interview with him on NPR's All Things Considered.

...The Poet Laureate is appointed by the United States Library of Congress....  The library of Congress has a fantastic website highlighting poetry in general and Kooser in particular.  You can access this information on The Library of Congress Poetry Home page.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Friends</title><dc:creator>Roberto Rodriguez</dc:creator><category>Update</category><dc:date>2005-03-29T09:15:01-08:00</dc:date><link>http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/0afdb1608b6c36b2ad796ef99338c439-0.html#unique-entry-id-0</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/0afdb1608b6c36b2ad796ef99338c439-0.html#unique-entry-id-0</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Part of the process of doing so is to share some of my writing and allow it to see the light of day and the scrutiny of others.  This is the point where you get to read it, identify with it, not identify with it, love it, hate it, critique it, read more or never read it again.

Someone recently taught me that you truly become an artist when you let your art go and allow others to make it their own.  So it is in that spirit that I've created this blog; this is where I will share my writing.  Some writing is academic, some is fiction, other is poetry, others are simple essays on a variety of topics.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>What if?</title><dc:creator>Roberto Rodriguez</dc:creator><category>Poetry</category><dc:date>1997-06-06T09:47:23-07:00</dc:date><link>http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/86f454267288453a16ae44b219f3350e-2.html#unique-entry-id-2</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://roberto-rodriguez.com/files/86f454267288453a16ae44b219f3350e-2.html#unique-entry-id-2</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[What if you're not?

...What if you&rsquo;re sun and I&rsquo;m moon?

...What if I&rsquo;m for you and you&rsquo;re for me?...  What if our past led us here, to this place?  What if we don&rsquo;t follow our path?]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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