Monday, March 6, 2006



Good morning, Chicago!

Here's Henry overlooking our great city from the building's rooftop deck. It's a great space and we'll hopefully be able to enjoy it more once the weather improves. Which I've really been yearning for as of late; I'm usually not a hot weather person. I like a cozy sweater and some brisk autumn breezes, but the past few weeks I've been missing summer terribly. Right now, the idea of sitting in the sun on the roof with a lemonade and a Wodehouse novel is ungodly appealing. Soon enough, I guess.

But speaking of reading, I've just finished 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and it was pretty damned exciting! Trevor asked me if Nemo finally turned into "[one of the] greatest villain[s] in literary history" as his book had referenced, but I don't think he quite made it there. He was too human, even if I didn't understand his motives. But he did some awful things, and maybe someday we'll find his manuscript floating off shore of an island in the Pacific. If we do, I hope I'm on the beach sipping something out of a coconut when it washes up. (see? warm weather again!)

Trevor finished his book, too. The Jonathan Ames collection he was reading kept him laughing to the very last page. But now that he's finished that one, he'll be keeping up with our 'sea' theme and got The Perfect Storm and The Old Man and the Sea. I guess we'll 'sea' which one he starts first. Ha! 'Sea'! God, I'm good.

T. also just got back from Atlanta. He had a good meeting with the Home Depot folks, brought back two of the catalogues Pettersen shot for--a faucet book and a fan book (they both looked great)--and he brought me back a bobblehead! It's fabulous and goes perfectly with my collection! His name is "Homer" (I didn't name it, honestly...), and he's got a hammer and a tape measure, and he's wearing an orange Home Depot hat and smock. He's pretty great.

Also, my friend Jenn, who's getting married in July, asked me to read something for her wedding! It's a huge compliment and I'm honored to be a part of their celebration. But I get to choose a passage myself, so the next few months will be super Jenn and Jeremy focused. I may have to spend some time at the library researching them.

Paula--my FUTURE SISTER-IN-LAW (it's really just too exciting that I'm going to have a sister-in-law!)--is going to do her own research this Thursday to pick things out for the wedding registry! She's into picking their new stuff, and Greg's interested in shooting the scanner gun and all of the bar codes on the glasses and pots! They're a perfect match! At least we'll finally be getting rid of Greg's Harvest Gold dishware. It's about 30 years past due.

It's so exciting, though, because I get to focus on fun, gorgeous new dresses to wear to all of the upcoming wedding-related events! Engagement parties and showers and rehearsal dinners! Where's a girl to start shopping?!? It's almost too much to handle. But I think I'll manage (I've actually already started brainstorming. Surprise, surprise.).

Well, until next time! We'll have some new book news, GregandPaula and JennandJeremy wedding news, more story news (I don't have any new updates, but I've just finished a Stuart Dybek short story that was truly inspiring, so maybe I'll channel some of my own Chicago thugs for my next piece; I've done it before!) Have a glorious hump day, all you people!