"SO YOU RUN DOWN TO THE SAFETY OF THE TOWN"

Pics are up on Pilcrow's flickr page. Here are some highlights:

"HOW SOON IS NOW?"

It's 5:15 am. I'm sitting at the counter in my kitchen, waiting for the coffee to finish brewing, watching the sky turn pink. I opened my eyes a half-hour ago, a blend of very, very excited (I mean, Pilcrow Lit Fest *is* upon us as of this morning), a teensy bit nervous (I don't have an assistant, after all, did I remember everything? Have I overlooked anything? I'm human; I'm sure I have-- but what?), and completely ready to tackle my to do list of last minute odds and ends (like finishing up my own rebuilt book) so as to find a moment to sit quietly and relax before the Fixx Reading Series tonight.

Suddenly the sun is over the rooftops and in my eyes.

I'm ready to start the day, the weekend. I'll be blogging as much as I can, but, well, you know, I do have a hundred or so people to host. But, for you darling folks, I'll do my best.

"STOP ME IF YOU THINK YOU'VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE"

Pilcrow starts tomorrow!

OyChicago is running an interivew and pic of me with very pink hair!

Why am I writing only in exclamatory sentences?!

"SING YOUR LIFE"

May 20th almost always stick out for me. It's my paternal grandmother's yartzeit to begin with, so the day usually has me thinking of her. So, that usually bleeds over to a day or two before and after. And, for whatever reason, the funniest/weirdest things have historically happened around me every year on this day. (Maybe because today is also Bronson Pinchot and Busta Rhymes' birthday, there is a special magic in the air, har.)

Take the past few years that I've blogged, par example. Two years ago today, my cousin got married (he planned a wedding on the same day our grandmother peeled, way to go dude) which involved: the cake tipping, the best toast ever, my brother getting stitches and a concusion, my mother sliding down a fire pole and somehow some homemade Greek moonshine showing up. Nice.

Last year, the whole week was memorable. Highlights you might recall from this week last year include seeing Morrissey in Indianapolis, witnessing that really gross four-part decapitation on the highway after a leg of book touring, toying with the idea of packing it in and setting up as an organic farmer, I thought my eyeball was going to explode, and my grandparents and I had a nice giggle together about dropping f-bombs on my blog and my fondness for tattoos.

Also, a year ago today, the Fixx Reading Series was two days away from existing. Which led to Pilcrow in ways I can't even begin to explain to you. None of it even existed a year ago. What a difference a year makes. It's hard for me to measure my own life, especially where professional sort of milestones are concerned, because here I am looking through the same eyes day in and day out and seeing mostly the details and blah blah blah. But, when I step out once in a while and put my life in the context of things I did a month , a year, a decade ago, well, that makes me feel pretty okay.

"ASK ME, UH-HO-HO, ASK ME"

Kids, this is long, but I think it went really well!

"STRETCH OUT AND WAIT"

Pilcrow is almost here! I can't believe it! This morning, I read Leah's sweet post about Pilcrow. Thanks, Leah, for the kind words of support and for all of your help with Pilcrow. I'm so excited to hang out with everyone at Pilcrow that I can barely stand it. We all know the authors who are coming, but do you know how many bloggers are coming? A lot! Show of hands?

Speaking of book-sort of things, I give you deep fried books. I wish this guy would come to Pilcrow. The guy who took the pic will be there, along with several other fabulous photographers, videographers and podcasters, milling about and documenting the whole thing as they see fit. Inclined? Great, show up and document. Cross-post your photos in the Pilcrow Flickr group. That's it! How simple.

"ALL OF THE VERY SIMPLE THINGS OF LIFE"

"Anybody that can bring a 42' yacht into a really tight dock and still have a smile is really OK in my book!"

-Pa Guth