One of my favorite NYC spots

The gate into the still-private Gramercy Park. Only residents of the buildings immediately surrounding the park are allowed keys. Which, in the city that welcomes just about everyone, makes the park a glorious bastion of privacy and exclusivity. It is therefore prejudice against people who can't afford a Gramercy Park apartment? Yes, and so what? Would I horde my key like Ebenezer Scrooge if I lived there? You're damn right I would.

Celebrity Word Problems!

Richie Sambora needs to cross a river in a canoe. With him, he has Denise Richards, Heather Locklear, and Charlie Sheen. He can only carry one of the three at a time. If he leaves Denise and Heather, they will beat each other to death. If he takes Heather, it will get ugly between Charlie and Denise and also violate the terms of the restraining order. How does he successfully cross the river with everyone intact?

Click here for the answer.

Back from the beach

Not exactly relaxed, since my weekend mostly consisted of trying to find a quiet place to sit that wasn't immediately bombarded by 6 children aged 6 and under. Now, I like kids as much as the next person, and my own blood relatives are adorable -- in small doses. And not, for instance, when they're running up and down the hall at 7 in the morning outside my bedroom door, where I am hoping to sleep in on my holiday weekend.

At least there was some beach time -- after the porch-cleaning, and the window-screen installation, and the shopping. I read "Labyrinth" by Kate Mosse, which I liked, but I hoped for more putting together of puzzles. It basically involves these three books which together make up a centuries-old secret, but there's never any real revelation of HOW it works. I like the how. Ah well. I brought a bunch of other books down to the Shore that I will get to at some point this summer, and I should be able to finish another couple this weekend while traveling.

And speaking of books, my sister had me look at a box of books she brought down the the beach house, and I found a galley I must have given her years ago, though I don't know where I got it. A limited edition, numbered, signed ARC of "The Pelican Brief" by John Grisham. I so need to check on eBay if it would be worth anything to sell. Anyone want to make me an offer?

And... we're off!

Me, for the weekend, as I'm heading down to the family beach house on the Jersey Shore, and "HtDaS" to my secret agent, with her top notch list of submissions. Soon, my pretties, all will be revealed.

At which point I will need to go about making up clever names for all the real people I talk about, some of whom might not love how I describe them in print. My impulse is to go with a name with the same first letter -- Michael for Matt, for instance, or Billy for Bob -- not that I have any Michaels, Matts, Billys, or Bobs in the proposal. Should any of you who ARE going to be in the book have any specific preferences for names ("you know, ktbuffy, I've always wanted to be a Fernando."), do let me know.

And finally, as I will be out of email and internet contact for the next three days, a little happy something to keep you coming back here for your fix of Lady Optimism. Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

I hadn't wanted to say anything...

... was too scared, really, but Doyce brought it all flooding back. Dear god, why?!?!

I thought we'd escaped our pursuers, but They sent rain that drove us under a bridge for cover, and eavesdropped on our conversations with tiny little ninja sparrows, hopping from one perch to the next, whispering in their staccato morse-code... whispering threats.

We fled.

They were STABBY NINJA SPARROWS, MAN! What would YOU have done?!?

Rats. (Not mice, rats. But also bad.)

So, didn't get chosen for the next Wicked Words anthology with "The Scarf," but have decided to try a few more places with it. Why not? I love the smell of rejection in the morning!

Hopefully, not too much rejection, though. Sitting down on Friday with my "Secret Agent" to go over submissions for "HtDaS," after I make a few typographical corrections in the last version of the proposal. I also want to add a few statistics that I was pointed to by ***Dave (thanks, Dave!) in the Entertainment Software Association 2006 report that will hopefully help my book.

Otherwise, looking forward to going home tonight and catching up on some exciting series and season finales. No one talk to me about Alias or Lost, ok?

I like this

So, every day I try to click on all the blogs off to the side there, see who has updated, and what they've written. Maybe my readers have checked on some of them too, and found some new favorites of their own. Tim, for instance, whose website contains his weekly newspaper faux diary entries from throughout his life. Or the Fug Girls, whose daily skewerings of "celebrity" fashion are laugh out loud funny. Sars, over there at Tomato Nation, doesn't post quite so often (although you can read more of her stuff on Television Without Pity), but often the wait is worth it for some really brilliant stuff. Go read. I'll be back here busily working.

Trade-off

Ok, so thanks to an hour-long call last night to a tech support person in India, we were finally able to get our home wireless connection back up and running. And so, of course, I get to work this morning and things are all kerfluffled, and emails that I thought went out with no problems because I didn't get error messages instead disappeared into the ether somewhere.

So. An update. Wireless internet at home. Malfunctioning email at work. Apartment still mouse-y. Toilet got fixed. I am still, and plan to be for the near future, happily living and working in NYC.

Quick! While it's working!

So, the apartment is falling apart around us (and not in a cool Spike-and-Buffy way). It's like we're suddenly living in the wild, with malfunctioning toilets, Chester's cousin, and, worst of all, an internet connection that taunts us mercilessly. Wireless? it seems to ask. You want wireless? Oh no, I'm sorry. You can't have that. Can't connect to the dedicated network you set up six or seven dozen times in the last three days, repaired, set up again, ran diaganostics, bought a new router, and had several people look at. I tell ya, it's beyond frustrating.

I'm hooked on for the moment to one of the 50 some-odd other wireless networks my computer picks up -- none of which is the network emanating from the other room, for which I'm paying monthly. I believe this post is brought to you by the kind people at chuck.net, whoever they are. Yesterday, I was able to get a few emails thanks to the folks in Apt. 2C -- not that my building HAS an apartment 2C, mind you, but that's the network I found. I'm staying away from "poison pill" though -- you just never know.

In other news, before I go, remind me not to bother going to see The Prodigals again, please? They're still good. And the folks I met with on Friday at Paddy's enjoyed the show, but their sound is so very different than what it was when it was Gregory, Ray, Andrew, and Brian, that it sounds wrong. Off, somehow. I found myself twinging on a couple of the songs -- not that they sounded so bad, exactly, just that they were so far from what I was expecting to hear that the melody seemed harsh. Ah well. I did notice that Paddy's now seems to host the Mickey Finss every Saturday night, according to the banner, which I believe is Ray and Brian's new band. May have to check that out.

And now I'm off!

Swinging party, baby, yeah!

So the party last night was a rousing success. How can I tell? Well, I ended up finishing a couple of bottles of wine with my boss and one other colleague, in the kitchen, snacking on leftovers, at 1 in the morning. And I think I'm going to get an assistant, at least part time.

Also, I was very very very hungover this morning. To the extent of -- went in for a 10 o'clock meeting, came home and went back to bed. Only now able to contemplate food again without feeling nauseous.

So yeah, a very successful party!

Partytime!

We're back to back fiestas here at ktbuffy-a-go-go! Tonight is my office's annual pre-BEA cocktail party, for which the caterers are setting up as I type. Tomorrow, the roomie and I are having a few folks over for card-game-related goodness, and Friday the ever inventive Trey Gauche is hosting one of his regular happy hour events. I have an exciting out-of-town guest again this weekend as well, with various entertainments planned including an Irish rock band on Friday night (after happy hour), a scavenger hunt on Saturday, and other assorted New York fun over the course of the weekend.

In other news, check out Action Comics issue #838, featuring Max Barry's book Jennifer Government as read by Clark Kent! I'm sure he'll blog about it shortly.

Busy busy busy...

... but you know how sometimes, being busy helps you feel MORE energetic? I think all my lethargy of last week was caused by feeling like I had to finish "HtDaS," and having that done and off my desk for the time being, even with an onslaught of publisher meetings this week, I feel ready to take on the world! Woot!

Speaking of "Woot!", we finished the first Shard TF last night, which was done with a minimum of fuss by a great group of people, many of whom I hope we can persuade to sign on for Shard #2 shortly.

In other news, for Mom's Day yesterday, I went with mine and two of my sisters to the newly reopened Morgan Library, which is really impressive. For a couple of reasons, actually, 1) for the collection, which includes drawings by Da Vinci, Rembrant (see below), Picasso, Pollack, Blake, and many more; letters and manuscripts from Frankenstein to Babar; and a library that includes not one, not two, but THREE Guttenberg Bibles. And 2) for the buildings themselves. Morgan built a freestanding library and office, and then his son added a library annex, all of which are beautiful, and gorgeously complemented by the recent renovation, which built a glass atrium to connect them with the main residence, and hold more space for lectures and the collections. Anyway, you can read more about it here and here. If you're in the city, you should go.

NY street colors

Saw this wandering around Brooklyn last night, and thought it pretty.

Relief!

Ok, it's Friday afternoon, the week is winding down, and today -- Today! -- I turned in the latest and greatest version of "How to Date a Superhero" with hopes that my agent will think it ready for submitting. There may be a few typos and such, but my fingers are crossed that it's ready to show to editors, who will then beg to pay the big bucks to publish me, and fund my cross-country travel to meet my fellow CoHers.

I took care of some of the other piles on my desks, and am hoping to spend the rest fo the afternoon catching up on my reading, and getting ready for next week. Have a great weekend, all!

Tired

I haven't been all that witty and pithy and wise this week, have I? I'm dog-tired, I'm afraid, and just hoping to get HtDaS finished and to my agent tomorrow so she can read over the weekend. In the meantime, work has been KICKING my ass this week, and the pile of stuff to do doesn't seem to get any smaller unless I stay at work until the wee small hours of the evening. (I know, it doesn't make any sense. So sue me. I'm tired.)

I think what I need, what I want, is like an extra day. Not necessarily a day off, since, as I said, more than enough to keep me busy at work. Just one more day tacked on the weekend, perhaps, where I can sleep in, watch some tv or a movie, read manuscripts and peruse magazines, and basically get all caught up with my life again.

Because next week's going to be even worse.

Good lunch, bad copier

You know how things are going along really great? You have a fantabulous lunch with friends that qualifies as work, so you don't feel guilty for pulling out the corporate card, and being away from the office for 2 1/2 hours, and then you come back to a meeting, which isn't even a bad meeting, but everyone's feeling a little blah, and then, and THEN...

The copier refuses to behave?

And you find yourself cursing out inanimate objects, and people start avoiding you, and apologizing before they speak to you, because they fear you?

Yeah, it's THAT kind of day.

Where the heck have I been?

I am feeling remiss in my blogging duties, and shall endeavor to get all up-to-date and stuff.

Friday! Long hard day at work (sort of -- I mostly worked on revising HtDaS. It's so close I can taste it!), and then I met the lovely and talented MJ at a shindig hosted by Yi Shun in a rooftop garden near the Manhattan Bridge. MJ chose to focus on the shop nearby selling live chickens, I prefer to remember the jungle atmosphere. Although, bars like that remind me just how darn glad I am that NYC's gone smoke free.

Afterwards, MJ and I spent a donkey's age getting back uptown, including what I believe was a ten or twelve mile hike upstairs from the world's deepest subway. I may exagerate. Still -- I felt justified in getting ice cream afterwards, and then headed home, where we were met by the roomie and our buddy Jay for a stirring game of Game. Now available online for your work-avoiding pleasure!

Saturday morning, at the crack of dawn (again, see above re: exageration), I roused MJ from her nest of pillows on our living room floor, and she and I met the Harlem Snowflake for the Revlon Run/Walk. Started off in Times Square with about 40,000 other folks, and finished up in Central Park some 3 odd miles later. Thanks to everyone who was kind enough to donate to the cause.

Took it easy the rest of the day -- had some lunch, watched some tv, played more Game, took a nap (ah! delicious nap!) and enjoyed some CoH time in the evening. Got Superspeed on my little Slayer, which may just be the funnest thing. Zoom!

Sunday, I slept in. Got caught up on Doctor Who and a couple of my other shows, got my nails done to be ready for spring sandals, read some of the Egyptian mystery by Elizabeth Peters I'm currently enjoying, and did a bit more work on HtDaS. (Again, tasting it!) Finally ended the night with some dastardly villainy and a very pretty new power. It's all purply!

Finally, to today, Monday, getting a pile of stuff off my desk, chatting with my sister, going to the (boo! hiss!) dentist, and looking forward to the Munchies tonight.

What have YOU been up to lately?

"A personal library needs no justification"

From an essay by Allen Jones in the New West, on owning books:

At the end of the day, and despite my own self-recriminations (all this money, all this effort, and to what end?), perhaps a personal library needs no justification. What's the alternative, after all? Outside these book lined walls, there's nothing but confusion. The culture at large has set itself directly against the slow, contemplative rigors and pleasures of reading. The self-involved cynicism of a David Spade and the cocky self-righteousness of a Dick Cheney. We're still running out of oil and the ice caps are still melting, carbon in the atmosphere and a moron in the White House. I've got my Shakespeare and Dostoyevsky, and so, at least for the moment, can ignore the fact that there are those in the world so obtuse as to actually stop and think about Pat Robertson.

Also, lest you think I've forgotten about SoaP

Read this. Wish you, too, could be a movie executive. Discuss.

C is for Cookie!

And now we do the dance of Girl Scout Cookie time!Funnily enough, when I went to pick up my four boxes, I was convinced I had ordered Tagalongs -- after all, how can you go wrong with chocolate-covered peanut butter? But I must have been confused when I placed the order, because I had two boxes of Thin Mints, one of Do-Si-Dos, and no Tagalongs. What I did have, instead of peanut buttery goodness (and right next to them on the order sheet) was a box of "Cafe Cookies."

"What are Cafe Cookies?" I asked the dad of the girl scout from whom I'd ordered. "Oh, they're like Ginger Snaps."

Booyah!

Song break!

Tra la! It's May!
The lusty month of May!
That lovely month when ev'ryone goes
Blissfully astray.
Tra la! It's here!
That shocking time of year
When tons of wicked little thoughts
Merrily appear!
It's May! It's May!
That gorgeous holiday
When ev'ry maiden prays that her lad
Will be a cad!
It's mad! It's gay!
A libelous display!
Those dreary vows that ev'ryone takes,
Ev'ryone breaks.
Ev'ryone makes divine mistakes
The lusty month of May!

Whence this fragrance wafting through the air?
What sweet feelings does its scent transmute?
Whence this perfume floating ev'rywhere?
Don't you know it's that dear forbidden fruit!
Tra la la la la! That dear forbidden fruit!
Tra la la la la!

Tra la! It's May!
The lusty month of May!
That darling month when ev'ryone throws
Self-control away.
It's time to do
A wretched thing or two,
And try to make each precious day
One you'll always rue!
It's May! It's May!
The month of "yes you may,"
The time for ev'ry frivolous whim,
Proper or "im."
It's wild! It's gay!
A blot in ev'ry way.
The birds and bees with all of their vast
Amorous past
Gaze at the human race aghast,
The lusty month of May.

Tra la! It's May!
The lusty month of May!
That lovely month when ev'ryone goes
Blissfully astray.
Tra la! It's here!
That shocking time of year
When tons of wicked little thoughts
Merrily appear.
It's May! It's May!
The month of great dismay.

When all the world is brimming with fun,
Wholesome or "un."

It's mad! It's gay!
A libelous display!
Those dreary vows that ev'ryone takes,
Ev'ryone breaks.
Ev'ryone makes divine mistakes
The lusty month of May!