So what's a nice person like you doing in a place like this? My boiler room is open to all who care to enter and take a look around. Just be careful not to touch anything that looks hot, fall through any open deckplates or hatches, or grab anything that looks like it might grab you back.

I'm usually bouncing around the deep blue sea in search of any port in the storm. I've been doing this for about 24 years and all I can say is "Man, what a ride!" Going to sea is not for the faint of heart, nor is it a place to be if you want to stay connected to social groups. However, it's wilder than you could possibly imagine and even in this civilized world, there are plenty of places to let your hair down.

When I'm not making sure the engines are going up and down or round and round, I'm usually up in my office/stateroom writing poetry, working on my novel, practiciing or writing music, drawing, reading, or just plain old playing computer games. There is no place else to go, but then you have no commute, so there's plenty of time to do those things for which you never thought you'd have the time.

I am a co-publisher for an exciting new publication called "New Poets Press". Our website "www.newpoetspress.com" should be up and running by the first of April. Check it out! No more worries about rehashing old themes. We have a way for poets, new and experienced, to get published or cited as a contributor in hard bound collections of poems documenting our times.

Our website also has a section that provides helpful tips for writing and publishing poetry, and links to other poet and poetry sites.