Vacation!

Well, things have been hectic, and too busy, and just plain crazed, but now I get to take a step back and relax because in two and a half hours I'll be on a plane, winging my way to New Orleans! Yeah! I hope everybody has a great weekend, and I promise pictures and a longer post when I return. Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Been a While

I know, it's been a while. Partially because I just haven't had much exciting to say. Partially because I've been, well, busy. Anyone surprised by that? No, I didn't think so.
As per usual, I've read a couple of good books lately:
Summerland, by Michael Chabon: I love this man's writing. His voice is so peculiar and unique, and so full of whimsy. Summerland is about a boy named Ethan who reluctantly plays on a baseball team and lives with his scientist father. One day he gets recruited as hero for the ferishers, the wee folk who live in his area, and crazy adventures occur where he meets werefoxes, Sasquatches, giants, baseball stars, and Coyote. It's great fun, and wonderful to watch Ethan and his friends discover themselves. That said, this isn't my favorite book by him. There is such love for baseball just oozing out of this book, I just can't quite get into that. I'm not a sports fan. But the writing is wonderful and the characters are fully fleshed out, and I do think it's very interesting how Chabon combines Native American folklore with a new angle on fairy folk and with a well-loved American pastime.
Middlesex, by Geoffrey Eugenides: I'm not even sure where to start with this one. It was great. Complex, multigenerational, full of secrets and history and seamless storytelling. The main character, Cal, is easy to empathize with. I love the Greek mythological references. And he really nailed the pubescent angst of children in a few moments. Highly recommended. Highly. I've also read The Virgin Suicides, which I think was his first book, and loved that one as well. Part of it, again, is the language. I'm a sucker for a well-written book, and this one has some great poetic moments. There are some fabulous images; the San Francisco peep show, the car careening across the frozen river, the Zebra Room speakeasy. And the way the unraveling of the grandfather is portrayed, it's just so perfect.
Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer: What a great vampire book. It's YA, but the eroticism of smell, of touch, really surprised me. In a good way. The descriptions of Washington, the perpetual damp, the fog, the greenness of everything, was dead on, and the contrast of that with Arizona was great. But the characters . . . Again, just well drawn, easy to understand. It is so easy to feel for Bella, to feel with Bella, as she falls in love, and faces huge obstacles to that love. And for Edward, too. The control he must have, at all times, to be with the girl he loves. It's amazing. I can't wait to read the rest of this series. And then I can't wait to read it again.
Maybe at some point I'll start doing more in-depth critiques of the books I read. Someday. When I have more time.
In other news, I've started editing my book. I was hoping for more feedback from more people, but if I just sit around twiddling my thumbs, I'll never get anything done. I'll send emails to a couple of people whose feedback I was really hoping for, but I'm not expecting anything at this point. And it's been nice to dive back into the world I created for this book. I still feel good about it. I still feel like the first section is quite strong. I have some big decisions to make for later in the book (Should I bring back some "bad guys" from earlier in the book, so they're not loose ends? Maybe the climax should happen from a whole different perspective. Should Jair and Nor's parting be different? Should I cut/expand some of the desert time, or some of the jungle city time?) but I feel really good about it so far. Maybe a miracle will occur and I'll get through my whole edit in May, although it might be more realistic to say mid-June.
And as for my apartment, it's coming together slowly. I'm going flea-market shopping this weekend in hopes of finding something great. I don't know what, but something. For my living room I'm going for a bright, sort of ethnic feel. The bedroom is staying softer, more natural. Not sure what to do with my entryway or my kitchen, but that's okay, I'll figure it out.
I'm vacationing in New Orleans for Memorial Day Weekend, and I can't wait! If anybody has any recommendations for places to go, restaurants to eat in, etc., I'd love it.
And now back to my overwhelming workload . . .