"I WILL SEE YOU"

I had such a great day yesterday!

First, the shul tag sale was huge and fantastic. I dropped a few bucks but left with a ton of fantastic stuff. Vintage clothes, artwork, tons of artwork, did I mention artwork? Oh man, good haul there.

Then, I went solo to the Printers Row Book Fair and it was fine. I say "fine" not "kickass" because I'm afraid that lit festivals I've participated have made me come to expect more sense of community and more interaction from bookish events. Milling around from tent to tent, in my opinion, makes it much harder to mingle very well. But, really, book fairs and lit fests are two different things. Anyway. For what it was, it was great. I talked to a few folks, introduced myself, handed out a few business cards, mentioned the new reading series at The Fixx and ran into a few good friends. I think, also, that since I was there late in the day on the second day, that the people I was trying to schmooze with were sun-dried and tired and ready to go home.

Then, I took the train up to Northcenter and my vegetarian ass went to Ribfest and met up with four fine friends. We ate-- yes, even I found something to eat at there (corn on the cob with chipotle-lime butter from Feed The Beast's booth), then we snuck out and hung around a little on hte back patio of nearby Gannon's Pub (go in and ask the owner about the photograph on the wall of his grandfather sometime), then meandered back to the festival in time for Baby Teeth, which was my entire reason for going to a Ribfest in the first place, really. Great show, too. I bought a cool baby Teeth t-shirt, but in the ado of chatting, the festival closing down, finding the right size shirt and such, we didn't do the money-end of the transaction and I'm a dumbass. I emailed and copped to my absent-mindedness first thing this morning when I realized. I feel like I can't wash it or wear it or anything until they have cash. I'm funny like that.

I still have the loaner phone, as I wait for my new replacement phone to arrive. I got a whole slew of text messages a little after midnight, just as I was drifting off. Oops. Come on, new phone, get here, get here, get here.

"I DON'T MIND IF YOU FORGET ME"

Random curiosities of random rank:

My Dad is home and says he just wants to sleep for two days and will call and tell all after that.

I have cable again.

I'm going first, this morning, to a good old synagogue yard sale (Hello to the grannies donating their designer vintage!), then to the Printers Row Book Fair to say hello to a few folks, then tonight, my vegetarian ass is going to brave Ribfest so that I can see Baby Teeth.



I have a loaner cell phone that is a dinosaur. If I don't respond to your texts or don't answer when you call, I probably have no idea. Or, I have no interest in talking to you. Either way, nothin' personal.

It throws me for a loop when someone completely misreads me.

Remember I decided not to cut my hair until my second novel is out into the world? Well, if I don't hurry, my moppy head will drive me bonkers.

Don't click this link at work! This was sent to me and I don't know what to think about it.

"I WAS HAPPY TO STAY"

Boy, oh boy do I have a lot to tell you guys. To begin, last night was so much fun! Unfortunately, Emerson Dameron was under the weather, and so rescheduled until next month. But, Jonathan Messinger was so very funny with his piece about liquid-filled mousepads, Neo-futurist founder, Greg Allen was a riot with his piece about a the nature of circles and orbs and lines, and as for me and my piece about fratboys... well, I have an innate inability to hear laugher while trying to create it, so I think my piece about fratboys did just fine, itself. Wait, here, I'll let you read it. S'okay. Gahead. Granted, you'll have to just imagine that I'm reading it poetry-slam style and you'll have to just image that I'm doing the voices of the valley girl receptionist, the drill sgt., and the fratboys, but I'm sure you can manage.

My favorite part, I must admit, was Abraham Levitan of Baby Teeth as the house band. He sat and took notes during each of our pieces and performed hilarious, beautiful, impromptu songs about each. I howled! So funny!

Let's see, post show, I chatted with darling Irish Ho and the wonderful Elizabeth Crane for a bit, made a few new friends including--- this is my favorite!-- a very wonderful writerly lady named Laura who told me she printed out my website pic long ago and gave it to her hairstylist for inspiration! Are you loving that as much as I am? Finally, years of hacking my own mop has paid off!

Then, I chatted more with Jonathan Messinger, Scott Stealey and had the pleasure of meeting Patrick Somerville, the fellow who was in the Chicago Reader's Fall Books issue with me last November... remember? Yes, him. So funny. All in all, it was a lovely night.

Pa Guth sent me a text message at 1am from an out-of-the-country airport as he made his way to his destination. Can't say I have ever gotten a text message from my Dad at that hour, so the timestamp made me laugh while I was having a little post-show bite with Irish Ho. It was prom night in Chicago last night, so we sat in a diner and admired the sparkled dresses and complicated hairstyles and laughed as we reminisced about our own prom nights years ago.

I think that's about it. Oh! I met my new neighbor for a sec. Remember how I hoped for a cool neighbor? Well, I only met her for a minute yesterday, but I think she carried a Nightmare Before Xmas bag. Clearly she is cool. I'm glad. Of course, I gave her my card yesterday, which lists this blog, so she is probably reading this and going, What the fuck? I'm not even here a day and this nut is blogging about me? Hells no. So it goes.