The New York and Boston thing: Oh jeez, so much fun, though what I saw of New York this trip was pretty much limited to Williamsburg and Midtown, and what I saw of Boston was limited to the Great Scott and the neighborhood thereabouts. But I did get to drive around the block once in Brooklyn, because Jami had double-parked her car to get coffee and while I was waiting a cop drove up. Don’t Wait Until the Cop Comes Up to Yell at You is an important driving rule around there, I believe, as well as Hasidic Dudes in Minivans Always Have Right of Way. But then I let Jami have the car again and she drove it up to Boston, where she and Janice and I read to a couple dozen people. And I didn’t throw up. (For a minute there I thought I would. Don’t ask why.) And then the three of us held a competitive read-off where we read snippets of the most lurid parts of our books. Obviously I lost, since I’m Not the New Me is not so much about the sex and drugs than it is about awkward makeouts and binging on white bread. But I did my best against Ms. Nerve.com Stories and Ms. Tales of Clubs and Cocaine, and I had a blast trying, at least.
The bike thing: Chris bought himself a bike a couple weeks ago, which means that we can ride together, which means that I can worry less about falling off my bike and breaking something and lying in a ditch all wounded and covered with ants for days and days. So on our first day out we headed up the North Shore Channel Trail, which goes through Lincolnwood and Skokie. We went as far as Dempster, which in my mind is so far north that it’s nothing but tundra and fur traders (but no, it’s Skokie), and then we got lunch and turned around. When we looked at the map later we realized the round trip was nearly twelve miles. Twelve miles, and we were not even remotely dead. Last night we went out again, but we could only do about seven miles before it got dark. This Sunday we’re going to try the work route.
This Thing thing: Oh, ho ho, I say, because the other night I had a big Argentinian steak after the wedding of some friends of ours, and that ponderous Steak Feeling is with me still, and it sits, like a giant cat, on the metaphorical keyboard of my good intentions. No, I tell it, you can’t has cheezburger. That’s just how it is at the moment.
Reading thing: Friday night I’ll be reading with Jami (again!) and Alpana Singh at the Book Cellar. You know that means there will be wine, right?
Wendy! I am so extraordinarily frustrated. I am in Utah at the moment and I cannot find even ONE bookstore where I do not have to special order your book! I really wanted to give one to my sister in law as a birthday present because I know she would adore it (the book…probably you too, but you know, to adore the book is to adore you I think). Now before you start bashing all the weird mormons here, realize, I am one of them (I’m admitting to the mormon thing, not the weird…but I understand that in some people’s minds these two things go together, so I’m just putting it out there). But honestly, what is up with not being able to locate your book in Utah???
Which lurid part did you read? The nose-biting? I was on the bus when I read that and terrified the good CTA patrons with my stifled laughter/gasps of horror.
Well, the book’s been out for two years now (if you’re talking about I’m Not the New Me), which is ancient history in bookselling time. If a bookstore has a couple copies of a title that has just been sitting there for X numbers of months, they might just return it to the publisher to make room for other titles.
Yeah, it kind of sucks. No, I don’t know why it’s this way in Utah. It’s just the reality, I guess. Booksellers have to gamble on the fact that they can’t carry everything–and that some customers will just order online or go to a bigger store instead of special-ordering it.
Maybe you can order the book in your SIL’s name at the closest bookseller to her and give her a gift certificate to buy it when it comes in.
Did your butt hurt after all the bike riding? I did about 9.5 miles last week and my toush could feel it the next day.
Weirdly enough, it hasn’t… maybe it’s because I’ve been wearing jeans!
And Kate: yes, I read the nose-sucking scene. Heh!
Update – Found it at one independent bookseller downtown! Yeah!
Lezlee- did you try the King’s English? or Sam Weller’s? both are local bookstores with good (at sam weller’s) to amazing (king’s english) service. I’d sell/give you my copy, but all of my friends (and new fans of Wendy’s) have dibs on it. BTW, Wendy, thanks a lot, I’ve been thinking about steak for three hours now.
I have not heard of the King’s English but I actually did end up finding it at Sam Weller’s, which I adore. But it was used. But it was a used perfect copy. But I’m pretty sure Wendy gets no money off of a used book – is that true Wendy? I think it is. Anyway, yes, Sam Weller’s is awesome. I used to live in SLC and right now I am commuting up from AZ every week for several days and it odd being back in some ways…but anyway, my sister in law was laughing very hard this morning when I left her house, she was perusing the center section of Wendy’s Book with the recipe cards.
So Wendy, first the swimming, now biking, let me know when you want to start training for your first triathlon!