I’m a creature of habit, and never is that clearer to me than when I’m in a new situation. Uncharted territory? Hold on, let me just make a chart real quick. Terra incognita? No no, there’s a guide to it … Keep reading
Category Archives: Travel
NY day seven: A Grumpy writing date, red dot Greenlight, and some Gibsonian episodes
Friday began with another long ride on the G, followed by an awkward interval of attempting to navigate to Cafe Grumpy Greenpoint via my phone’s GPS while simultaneously holding an umbrella that kept blowing inside out. But I managed to … Keep reading
NY day six: Small world syndrome, emergency shoes, dinner and a show
Thursday: I took a long ride on the G train to Word in Greenpoint so I could meet @bookavore, aka Stephanie Anderson, in person. It’s a great store, cozy and well-curated. I bought Carl Wilson’s Let’s talk about love: a … Keep reading
NY day five: discoveries, mysteries, festivities
Discoveries: – A bent Metro card is a dead Metro card. – Three-year-old flats are no better for walking than boots with three-inch heels. – In addition to holding vehement opinions about the relative worthiness of NYC neighborhoods, people also … Keep reading
NY trip day four: taking Manhattan
When I visit a place I like to pretend I live there. From 9/25-10/2, I lived in Brooklyn — half the week in Carroll Gardens, half in South Slope. All this week, I’ll be writing about last week. On Tuesday, … Keep reading
NY day three: Food and clothing
When I visit a place I like to pretend I live there. From 9/25-10/2, I lived in Brooklyn — half the week in Carroll Gardens, half in South Slope. All this week, I’ll be writing about last week. On Monday, … Keep reading
NY days one and two: Maidens, machines and music
When I visit a place I like to pretend I live there. From 9/25-10/2, I lived in Brooklyn — half the week in Carroll Gardens, half in South Slope. All this week, I’ll be writing about last week. On Saturday … Keep reading
I will fear no bedbugs.
Or tornadoes, for that matter. I’m gonna be in New York next week, all week, engaging in a variety of literary and less literary pursuits, some of which I will perhaps document here. I am excited.
Inadvertent pilgrimage
Just back from a couple of writing-and-catching-up days with a friend. She lives far enough away from the city that it always feels like a retreat when I visit. She’s also notably non-obsessed with the Internet and pop culture, an … Keep reading
Boston Gothic
I decided it was about time I tried out black nail polish, as I have gone this far in my life without the experience. Yes, I am going to Boston for the American Library Association Midwinter meeting. Very early in … Keep reading
Hey remember how I went to France?
I finally got around to uploading more photos to Flickr. Popular subjects include architectural detail, street art, window displays, public transportation, the really cool hotel we stayed at in Rouen, the beach at Saint-Malo. Also: occasional evidence that Steve and … Keep reading
Exceptions
Prominent on my list of storytelling pet peeves is the Reasonless Revelation: wherein characters, unbidden or with only the slightest hint of prompting, share highly intimate details about their lives. It’s not credible! No one does that! I have been … Keep reading
Usual Undisclosed
About to return to the Usual Undisclosed Location, which has less Internet than it once did. Gonna try to take advantage of this rather than simply decry the lack. On a semi-related note, I read another one of those “You … Keep reading
Some travel reflections
Our first meal in Paris. You see the café au lait, the croque monsieur have not yet arrived. There are many more France pictures, and I will no doubt post more as I get them organized, but I thought I … Keep reading
Tonight I was going to write a long France post
…and then my voice went hoarse and my head went strange, and I thought about all the coughing people to whom I was in close proximity during the recent travels. And then I coughed. A lot. So instead: a picture, … Keep reading
Okay so here are a few pictures from France
No time for a long post yet, but: Here I am on the street near our hotel in Paris. View from our hotel room. Detail from one of the pillars at the Musee Cluny. Sundial designed by Salvador Dali. Stickers … Keep reading
Down time
These next few days aren’t the calm before the storm so much as the calm between the storms. (Storms of amazing opportunities, I hasten to add.) This past weekend was the first time that I’ve had a being-an-author gig so … Keep reading
Upcoming! (aka: OMG it’s October already.)
Did you notice that it is already October? (Not actually a gravestone. Part of a fountain.) It is an exciting month, is October, so this post will have a lot of exclamation points. It’s a good thing I am fond … Keep reading
Small trades
As I mentioned, while I was in Los Angeles, I went to the Getty. Twice, actually. The second time, I saw Irving Penn: Small Trades. It’s an amazing exhibit: over 200 photographs, all portraits of people with the tools of … Keep reading
Some things I learned from our Hollywood adventure
I’m sitting in a coffeeshop across the street from the comics shop where Steve is signing EVEN NOW, so I thought I’d take a few minutes to share the following: 1. Not everyone dresses up for a premiere. By a … Keep reading
Some things I saw at the Getty
For a while I was being very covert about my cell phone photography. Then I noticed that no one else was. This woman and her baby are in the midst of breaking open their tomb. I took this one because … Keep reading
Surreal
The word is overused, but I can’t think of a better one to describe this coming week. Okay, backstory: ten years ago my husband Steve Lieber illustrated a graphic novel called Whiteout, written by Greg Rucka. A while after that, … Keep reading
Advise me about my upcoming conference talk, Internet friends
Hey, readers! I know that a significant subset of you are affiliated with libraries in various capacities, and I think that is excellent. On October 9th, I’ll be speaking at the Washington Library Media Association conference in Yakima, Washington. My … Keep reading
Why yes, I am going to Chicago.
Me and my summer cold are getting on a plane real soon now and heading to Chicago to attend the American Library Association conference. On the librarian side, I will attend many fascinating meetings and programs and peruse the exhibits … Keep reading
Mine eyes have seen
I’m in the Usual Undisclosed Location for a week. Time here always provides experiences that I am unlikely to have in Portland; for instance, going to church with my mom. Red, white and blue decorations, “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” … Keep reading