Next

Well, back at last in the land of adequate computer access--aside from Southwest's delay in sending my suitcase with pj's and contact solution, leading to a less than comfortable night, I'm happy to be here. My son's kitties have grown and are following me from room to room--still very playful and jolly, small and sleek. Very different from the floofy and placid Mop, although she follows me around too. She's happy at home with her very own housesitter. No guilt! I believe in open relationships when it comes to cats.

Chicago was great (except that I was too overscheduled to be able to catch up with oursin (sob!)--there's now a fine farmer's market in Lincoln Park on Wednesdays, with live bluegrass and many moms and babies, to say nothing of much fresh asparagus, as well as morel-flavored cheese! We saw Fiorello!, cleverly staged at a very small theater, and ate deliciously sinful things (coriander flavored vodka and asparagus dumplings, followed by an incredible layered chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce, accompanied by a pot of Yunnan tea) at Russian Tea Time.

I've had a few other entertainments I'll recommend:

( 12 and Holding )

( The Book of Alix Wolfe )

Amazon is certainly convenient, but nothing takes the place of wandering through musty shelves of tattered old paperbacks and spying some intriguing title, trying to read the crumbling yellowed pages in the dim light while an old cat twines its tail around your ankles. Clicking "search" always finds you what you want, but what about the thing you don't know you want until you find it?

ETA: One nice piece of family news--my nephew (JP of The Story Game) has sold a story! Not for much $$ but it sold, to Shimmer Maybe there can be some kind of reverse lateral genetic transfer and I can get some of his talent. But I'm so delighted b/c he really does write well, and works at his writing. And this was his very first sale, so it really encourages him to work even harder. Greatly enjoy days athe beach with him and his lovely C, who writes romances (at 1200 words in a couple of hours!). We get to combine good family/beach time with a little mini writer's retreat, inspiring each other by getting out the old computers for a few hours even when the sun is lovely and the kayaks call, and then nice evening chats about writing.

So many events.

End of last week--I was a delegate to the Green Convention. I was anti-Nader, as you may recall from earlier rants. It was more reasonable than the old Left events I recall from years ago, but somehow I thought I was seeing some of the same people. And I was interested in how deeply involved so many of the people there were with Nader. He was not a major figure in any of my own political changes, but I've met and talked with him (he even sent me a book) and do respect him. But I think that now we're engaged not in an election, as we should be, but in a referendum on the war. And we MUST defeat Bush. I understand the arguments that it's a policy, not a person, and that a third party must always stand, but not now.

Then the Pride Parade in Chicago. Such fun! How much joy we get from this--but also the great feeling of community from everyone gathered on the sidewalk to watch/participate.

And then a family funeral--sadly, for a youngish (40's)man who left young children--near St. Louis. Honor H, one of the eulogies referred to your character! But so many shifts in so little time. I'm reeling.