First, the bad news: Despite being entirely deserving and despite the fact that I not only clapped very hard but also said “whoo!” when her name was called, A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read did not win the Best First Novel Edgar Award. But Cornelia said the guy who did win was good, so … Read more
Never put on makeup while drunk.Or fix your hair.Or try and paint your nails.
Before the main festivities were to start in the evening, we were all invited to an unofficial preparty thrown by Cornelia’s friend Rae in her hotel room at the Four Seasons. Sharon and Jullain begged off, pleading travel- and tourism-based exhaustion but Karen and I both showed, the first to arrive and severely underdressed. Everyone … Read more
After lunch we split up, Cornelia and Freya to go back to their room and start getting ready, Karen, Sharon and Juliann to stop by Karen’s friend’s fabulous apartment and then get some rest and me to head off on a quest to the World’s Largest Macy’s. This was no casual shopping trip; I was … Read more
Slept. Late, but not that late. Had time at least for a shower and a brief (but, sadly, failed) attempt to do something to my hair before Karen called and we agreed to meet up on our way to Cornelia’s. Had a little more time to stop at a Starbuck’s for a drinkable breakfast, because … Read more
Having survived, barely, my overnight flight, even getting a minimal amount of sleep, I made it into JFK just before dawn broke. After a couple false starts I managed to get myself on the right train, and only overshot my transfer station by two stops, but it was still a good two hours between the … Read more
It is generally a good idea to arrive at the airport more than fifteen minutes before your flight is due to leave. Just FYI.
Apologies for the belated blogging. Why is it that every Best Western, La Quinta and Motel 6 in America has free wireless internet in every room, but the New York Hyatt expects you to pay ten dollars a day and sit in the lobby? At any rate, here’s what I would have been writing for … Read more
9:15 pm PST: Leave Oakland par avion, having taken sufficient Excedrin PM, wrapped myself in all available blankets/jackets, put on my eyemask and earplugs. Next 5 hours: Time spent sleeping: 35 minutes. Time spent worrying about not getting enough sleep: 4 hours, 20 minutes. Earplug adjustment: 5 minutes. 5:25 am EST: Arrive JFK. 5:45 am: … Read more
When I got back from my trip to New York last year, I thought it would be a while before I went back, to the point where I lent out my guidebooks and map and didn’t bother getting them back. Then My Close Personal Friend Cornelia Read happened to get herself nominated for a major … Read more