Oy vey, the last time I updated this blog was MAY 12. I’m a total blog slacker. Sorry three people who read my blog (including my ex-boyfriend and my Mom).
Let’s see – what’s new in Kateland that merits writing about?
At the end of May I had to ask my long time friend that had come to stay with me to find someplace else to stay because her tantrums and dramatic outbursts were stressing me out so much I was developing an ulcer. Whereas I felt really bad/guilty in doing this and was super bummed out to lose a friend of nearly a decade because of it – I was actually pretty damn proud of myself for setting some healthy boundaries with a friend and sticking to them. And, doing what was best for Kate… even when that meant that someone who I cared about became unhappy with me.
Speaking of doing what is best for Kate – I decided around about the same time that I really did want to move to Chicago. So I’m in the process of arranging my life so that could happen – and I’ll be relocating from the Bay Area to the Windy City mid-October. My reasoning for this: my parents have retired, my brother is about to be a father, my best friend’s daughter just turned one… my family is very very important to me and I’d like to be closer to them. Not to mention, I’m tired of busting my hump to be able to just squeak by in California – the cost of living is much better suited to what I earn per year in the midwest. I’m beginning to learn that for what I pay for a room out here in Oakland, I could have a renovated one bedroom apartment in a trendy neighborhood of my very own… with hardwood floors n’ everything! So that’s my plan.
I went on vacation for 17 days with my family. It was a good time – we all went to the Outer Banks in NC for a week, then up to Asheville to throw an 80th b-day luncheon for my Grandma. My Grandma has what her dickwad husband calls”early onset Alzheimer’s” and what we can acertain as some definate memory issues – to what extent, we’re unsure, as she is pretty much kept away from our family by the aforementioned dickwad. Visiting with her was rough on me, it seriously upset me to see her as old and fragile and loopy. She was pretty instrumental in bringing up myself and my brothers, I remember her as funny and fiesty and full of life… it took me a while after that visit to really regain my composure. It’s the first time I think that I’ve had to deal with mortality and the eventuality of death in my immediate family. It just broke my heart to think that this could be the last time I saw my beloved Grandma.
Happier shiznit — on the same vacation I got to reconnect with one of my really good friends from high school, whom I hadn’t seen in 20 or so years. It was like not a day had passed, we totally picked right up being the same goofy girls we were back at RHS… three kids and three tattoos later (she has the kids, I have the tatoos, dur!)
I also got my hairs cut and colored while on vacation. It made me happy to be rid of the black bangs and onto some stripey, punky chunky highlights and color closer to my natural one. (I have no new pictures of me yet, so stay tuned.)
Getting prepped to go to Comic Con in two weeks. Eden (Associate Ed of GGotS) is flying in and Ray (photographer) and I are driving down from here — should be an adventure. Looking forward to seeing people – thus far have a tenative drinks/dinner thingies set up with the Kill Shakes guys, Hope Larson and Jennifer Stuller… we’ll see who else is around when I’m around, too…
Am working on finishing a complete book proposal for Chef - as this is the book which has gotten the warmest reception by literary agents and publishers. I have some good resources lined up, now I just need to flesh out the thesis so that it makes sense as a continued theme throughout the entire book… I am also working on my NaNoWrMo book idea so that it’s outlined and ready to write once November comes around. I’m damn determined that I’ll finish this one… (For those curious, it will be the story of four generations of women – starting in Finland and ending in Chicago – somewhat based on the ladies of my family.)
Speaking of books — if you are looking for a doosie of a good read, check out The Other Bolyn Girl and The Bolyn Inheritance by Phillipa Gregory. C’est tres bonne. I read over my vacation and tore through them in record time (even for me, the child of literacy professors…)
AND: In humorous news, I discovered that my dog (aka, Mr. Max Tango, Canine Private Eye) wags his tail whenever he hears the Doctor Who theme song or the vworp-vworp of the TARDIS. Aw, that’s mama’s geeky baby…
Sometimes I spend hours staring at the GGotS statistics trying to think of the way to increase traffic. Don’t get me wrong: I’m seriously happy with 10k clicks per month, but I want the site to grow to a point where either we get bought out (and I make bank) or we get picked up as part of a network (and I make bank). I think that I’ve invested enough time and money in the project that I don’t think it’s greedy or capitalist of me to want that… it’s a for profit project of love, yanno?
But then I realize the answer is pretty clear and easy: Continue to write good stuff and continue to publish good stuff.
And, market myself as I can.
The rest is just centrifical force….
A daily dose of bad bad poetry:
Untitled I am continuously questioning
the bizarre logic which the twisting
patterns of my labyrinth of a life
presents me with.
Choices are hard ~
What if one road
never gives me the opportunity
to return to the other road not taken?
What if the other road
turns into a dead-end
condemning me to a life
of mediocrity?
How am I to decide
the rest of my life
in such a short
amount of time
as a stop-light provides?
I got sad news yesterday. My friend Ed passed away after a ten year battle with leukemia. Eddie was someone I met in New Orleans in the early 00s. Along with John (who we lost some years back), Mark Saddington, Aaran, Janine, Rudy, Reid, Heidi, and a plethora of other wonderful people (like my Indie), Eddie makes up a huge part of my experiences and memories from when I worked at the India House.
While I hadn’t talked to Ed in about five years, I feel his loss profoundly. We were all such a tight knit crew and these people I’ve listed above, along with anyone who ever wandered in and out of the hostel as a visitor, became part of my family… we partied together, we took care of each other, we loved each other…
One of my first memories in New Orleans was of Ed and Janine. I had been at the hostel about a week, I think it was before I started working there… I had just had my heart broken by a boy (who I came to New Orleans to hang out with) and I was low on money (as I hadn’t intended on staying in a hostel or having to pay for lodging) and I had come down with a horrible case of the flu.
I don’t know if people realize this; it is WICKEDLY cold in NOLA from late December until sometime after Mardi Gras… and, the IH doesn’t have heat in the rooms, as it’s an old brothel… I was sharing a dorm room with J and Kera Lee… I had ensconced myself in bed, as I was so so so SO sick (I had like a fever of 103) and I was miserable and freezing… Janine and Eddie came into the room and bundled me up and took me downstairs where they put me to bed on the couch. They wouldn’t let me go back up to my room because there was heat in the common room of the IH… you weren’t actually allowed to sleep on the couches down there, if you did someone would draw on your face with a marker (usually Rudy)… but, because I was so sick everyone let me sleep down there for a couple of days. And, Eddie kept bringing me tea and soup and tissues… he and J sat up with me until my fever broke… he was so concerned about me, he asked me at one point for my Mom’s phone number because they were all debating if they should call my parents and ask them to wire me some money so they could take me to a doctor. But, then my fever broke…
It was still the summation that I needed to go to the doctor, because I had the worst cough… I was SOOOO against it, but Eddie and John (who was one of the owners – he was a crusty Irish guy – but, he had a soft touch where his “girls” were concerned) bundled me up and took me to John’s doctor, who pronounced I had bronchitis and Eddie bought antibiotics for me…
I just remember being rather blown away at how much the people at the IH had come to care for me, after a couple of weeks… But, that is kind of the way of hosteling… people come and go, but you take care of everyone and treat them like you’d treat your own family. At least that’s the way it is in good hostels like the India House and Pac Tradewinds here in SF and the Lucky D in San Diego and that random hostel I can’t remember the name of in Vegas… it’s the way it should be.
I was really lucky to have that time in my life, the time at the India House… it was a charmed time. And, I’m really lucky to still have so many friends from there. I have Indie here right now… I have Janine, who though I don’t see, I talk to all the time and Yvonne… Craig Goodwill is someone I met at the hostel who I keep in touch with… Bethie is the friend of the guy who broke my heart in NOLA, I count her among my IH friends… as she’s the only good thing to come out of that relationship… Mark and I keep in touch on Facebook and I recently sent him a copy of Fray: Busted for the hostel and a big packet of pictures from 00-02… And, today I just IM’d with Heidi, which I’ve done a couple of times in the past year or two, which is always great — she’s in Jersey (England) now with her young daughter…
We’ve all gone our ways – but, the India House will always connect us…
Sigh.
Eddie was hilarious… one of the best people I knew. He was all jokes and sex and satin sheets… I still have leopard print pillows that were his at the hostel, in addition to the big Tinkerbell mug someone had given him as a gift at the IH that he gave to me when he left for Florida in 01… Je t’aime, Eddie… RIP. I like to imagine that he and John are off somewhere arguing (like they used to) and looking down on us India House-ers…
To any IH peeps who read this – if I know you or not – much love and laissez les bon temps rouler! <3
So today has been a busy day. Tally from Loading Ready Run sent me her wrapup from W00tstock — a geeky event involving Wil Wheaton, Adam Savage and many more which occured this weekend — I have to say, reading her article I’m seriously jealous that I wasn’t able to go. (You know I love me some Adam Savage… sigh, dreamyMythbustingscienceguy…)
Speaking of Wil Wheaton: He was awesome enough to post this Night Court vid on his blog a few days back… aside from being Harry Anderson goodness, it is also one of Brent Spiner’s finer comedy television moments…
Also there’s breaking news about Amanda Palmer in Cabaret at the ART (my old stomping grounds, yay Cambridge)! And, I’m listening to my friend Keane’s first studio album with his band, Festizo, as I’m reviewing it this Friday — granted, it might be kind of biased, as I love a.) Keane and b.) Festizo… but, it’s a seriously good album, none the less. If it sucked I just wouldn’t review it, yanno?
Other than that just trying like hell to wrap up the [REDACTED] project today… I want to get all the stuff for it packed up and shipped off to [REDACTED] as I think it brings a heaviness, weight and negativity into my life that I’m trying to shake off. Working on this material makes me emotionally exhausted for more than one reason.
Tasha is sick again… boo. I have to run to the store to get her supplies… while I’m out I’m going to try to suck up some sunshine and grab myself a chocolate shake… you know, because I deserve it.
Today, while being the official day to celebrate Mother’s Day, also happens to be mah Mommaship’s 60th birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM! (I love you!!!)
I could write an ode to my Mom and how awesome she is… but, she already knows how I feel about her (as I tell her regularly)… so I’ll refrain and keep some feelings private, except to say: Mom you’re the best Mom in the world and I love you and you’re my best friend… I’m very lucky to be your daughter.
Mushy.
I did tell her on the phone today that I was the “prettiest and sweetest” reason she celebrates Mother’s Day (the other two reasons being my stinky sarcastic brothers).
So with me… I’m working on getting all the [REDACTED] book transcripts and research materials into order to send off to [REDACTED]. It’s tedious and annoying work – at this point. I guess I feel like there are so many other ways I could be spending my weekend… yes, I know I’m getting paid for this, but I still have a sour taste in my mouth because of the behavior of [REDACTED]. Whatever. Once it’s all done, it will be done… and, I’ll get a research credit and some more money once the book is published.
I found a store on MacArthur Blvd. who is interested in selling the hats and scarves I’ve been knitting… it’s going to be a consignment deal, but still – hoorah!
Meaning: I need to go to the Berkeley knitting store (Stonemountian and Daughters) to stock up on stuff… I’m almost out of black yarn and I broke one of my knitting needles… boo.
Other than that… not much interesting going on here this weekend. Was going to take Max out for a jaunt today but it’s raining, so I think instead we’ll be cuddling on the couch watching movies. Have been pretty much grounded this weekend due to anxiety attacks and related symptoms… blern.
And now for your daily (sorta) dose of bad poetry…
The Kera Lee Song
Kera Lee…
She’s so pretty…
Even when she’s shitty…
Or, gritty…
Which happens a lot
in this city…
That’s Kera Lee.
She’s fairly witty…
And, a friend to kitties…
Oh, oh, oh Kera Lee…
I said – Kera Lee..
Woah, oh that’s Kera Lee!
My brother and his significant other (also named Katie, whom I adore – she’s a pistol) are expecting a baby boy this coming September. Of course this excites the h-e-double-hockey sticks out of me… I could only be MORE excited if they were having a little girl… I’ve been dying to become a true auntie for a while now. I know, I know — I have my Minion (T&K’s daughter, who happens to be ONE today…) And, El Bebe… but… still…
So I’ve been on a knitting jag…
I haven’t been able to find much yarn that I liked for knitting infant items… I found some acrylic yarn at Walgreens (of all places) that is pretty good… but, albeit hypo-allergenic, it still feels cheap to me. So to Etsy I went and purchased this hand dyed turquoise yarn from Autumn Fibers… a little pricey at $20, but my nephew is totally worth it. I wove in a yellow elastic I had purchased for hat making and the result it this adorable little nib of a hat… I also put a tie on the brim of the inside so that Katie can adjust the size of the hat so baby will be able to wear it longer than a normal newborn hat… it’s my most successful hat project to date. It was a pretty simple Stockinette variated with a purl stitch… K5 rows, P5 rows, blend in the elastic every other set – until you’ve got a hat the size you want. BO and then close the hat (on the inside) by weaving the yarn in and out of the knit fabric and pulling tight to create the little deelie-bop on top. I used a yellow acrylic yarn to accentuate where the top and the deelie-bop meet…
Totally cute.
Not much else going on. Working, counting down days until a.) vacation in North Carolina with my family, b.) Grandma’s 80th birthday in North Carolina, c.) a week in Kent and at the lake house relaxing with my Mom. At said time I will also be visiting T&K and the Minion, hanging out with the obnoxiously preggers Katie and dying my hair… why does the hair dye rate?
Uh, I’m going back to my natural color – blondish-red – which my hair hasn’t been since 1991.
Heh.
PS: I made out with a SUPER HOT girl at the Lex on Saturday… not like that’s huge news, I’m a kiss slut… but, damnation she was HAWTTTTT…
And now for your daily dose of bad poetry…
Drunken Poem Written on a Cocktail Napkin
LATE
I love the way that you watch me walk
across the bar to the pool table.
As if you took your eyes off me for a second
I might disappear.
LATER
How can my heart belong to someone else?
No matter how illusory he may be?
Yet, my body is here giving you vague
approximations of the visceral response
which I connect mentally
to deep seeded emotion
contained in my soul,
belonging to another,
but fuck you’re here, right?
LATER STILL…
I have secrets you’ll NEVER learn.
Not even if you employ the “Chinese tickle torture.”
Sorry, bub.
I don’t know why this is cracking me up so badly: I am sitting at my desk in my brand new bathing suit (which I bought for my upcoming vaycay with da fam from Zappos, it arrived today…) and a skii hat (that I knitted) listening to to Wicked. It just strikes my funny bone… I know, I’m a weirdo.
I’ve had a rough couple of weeks in terms of work and just life — did this medication detox for ten days which left me feeling like a limp vegetable. Watched a lot of TV, didn’t get much done…
But, in good news my friend Indie is here… she’s visiting for the summer. It’s nice to have her around, even though she’s kind of high maintance…. Love her to pieces, but damn she is!
Indie is someone who I met in New Orleans in 2002. I actually didn’t much care for her the first tiem I met her, but Janine put her into *our* dorm room — and, Indie decided that she was going to make me her project — that I’d be her BFF by the end of her trip… And, it stuck.
Though she’s somewhat younger than I am, she and I are kindred spirits in the end — she’s a very very good friend whom I do anything for. And, she’s one of those people that just gets me, so I don’t have to either explain or justify who I am or why I do the stuff I do — she just knows.
She’s actually a comfort to be around. Regardless of the fact that she’s “New York loud” –she almost got into a kerfuffle at the post office yesterday because of this– or has weird needs for specific foods… she’s Indie. At at the very worst, she’ll make me get out and do a lot more adventerous stuff than I normally do. Je t’aime Indie…
So, in other news — am about 3/4 done with the book proposal for Geek (my new book) — it’s going well, I will be glad when the proposal is knocked out so I can get back to fixating on the book. I have several new interviews to conducts this and next month. I’m stoked, the chapters are looking great…
The site is going great. I still haven’t heard anything from The USA Today regarding the job in Chicago… but… whatevs. In fact I just talked with some peeps over at Yelp about a Junior Editor position, so if I end up getting that I’ll stay in SF.
Here’s your daily dose of bad poetry:
Redneck Irish Lust Arrogance extreme…
the cocky walk of male.
I watch the twinkle in your blue…
STOP
make that, FUCKING BLUE eyes.
You’re driving me slowly insane.
Shut the fuck up, go-away!
I do not need this brand
of self-inflicted punishment.
Images of you, ideas of what I would do to you,
invading my dreams
leaving me sweaty and breathless.
Come hither glances and heavily laced innuendo,
over three feet of highly polished
Mahogany… What time do you get off, baby?
In this summer of my hot desire
I surely do not need trouble like you.
(That one was for Ronan who used to bartend at the Morgue who I would get drunk and make out with… ah good times, good times…)
I’ve been in Chicago for the past six days, covering C2E2 (a comic con) — man I can’t even tell you how badly covering one of these wipes me out. This morning I slept until about 10:30 am, got up and got some coffee, threw some laundry in the machines and then proceeded to pass back out until 3:30 pm.
One of the benefits of coming to do anything in Chicago is that I get to save on hotel expenses by staying with my Aunt B… she’s been spoiling me all weekend (packing me breakfast, making me dinner, buying me beer)… it’s been lovely! And, I get to see my grandpa, my cousin A (who has been delightful this trip, she’s really growing into herself), hopefully my cousin L – along with my good friend Beth AND one of the GGotS writers, Bethany.
Been a good trip. Interviewed both Gail Simone (finally, yay!) and Neil Gaiman (!!)… plus picked up a TON of books (mostly comps – this is why what I do is so worth it and cool!!!)
Though the trip did start off a little rocky: Flew into Milwaukee and ended up having to take a $200 cab ride when my rental car was botched. Boo-hiss… (However, given John Cleeses’ $5,100 cab ride due to volcanic ash, it kind of seems almost reasonable now… haha, NOT!) Thankfully I have figured out a better way to get back to the airport tomorrow: Metra to Kenosha, Bethany will then pick me up and take me to the airport.
Will be a little strange, haven’t been to K-Town since 2004, and inevitably I’ll be paranoid about running into you-know-who… but, fuck him in the ear. Metaphorically, of course. Whatever. I have a new crush now, so it’s beyond pointless to even fret over it…
Granted my crush probably has no interest in me other than business, but it still gets my mind off of that.
The other exciting news is that I had an interview with a big-ole-stinkin’ news publication while in Chicago, they are interested in me as a travel writer… if I get the gig, I’d HAVE TO relocate to Chicago. Kind of excited about that possibility — really miss my family at the moment, would like to be a bit closer… And, apparently Beth will have need for a roommate come August (the job would start in September) so it might actually work out to be easy-peasy-pie… Granted, I’d have to deal with winter. Yuck. But, it would be worth it for this job, fo’ sure.
That’s about all I got right now — no bad poetry today, my journals are in Oakland. Looking forward to getting home to see my little Maxie-moo and sleeping in my own bed…… sigh, ten hour flying day awaits me. Thank god I downloaded some movies from iTunes. Blech flying.
Haven’t felt much like writing here lately. Effectively [REDACTED] has broken up with me – were we ever together? Basically he’s decided that since he’s going to be in grad school for the next two years he doesn’t have time for a girlfriend.
I’ve been waiting for nearly ten years for this man to make me a priority in his life. I give up. So, world, consider me single and ready to mingle…
Actually I don’t much feel like dating at the moment. I suppose that’s normal.
Work is good – getting ready to go to Chicago (where I will not be moving) for nearly a week to cover the C2E2 conference. Though I’m a little melancholy about the trip (as I had hoped to spend time with [REDACTED] and to look at some apartments) I’m still stoked. I tentatively have interviews with Neil Gaiman and Gail Simone for GGotS – which will be great – because those high profile interviews are driving hecka traffic to the site. I’m going to be meeting with a couple of corporate sponsors about placing some paid ads on the site – and, when I get back I have a “super secret” meeting with a pretty high level publication to discuss a potential partnership. While I want to keep the site mostly privately owned, some ad sales and a paid partnership with an good publication would be very nice. Mostly because I’m shelling out a couple of grand a month to make this site functional and I’d like to a.) be able to stop doing that so much and b.) maybe pay myself someday.
We’ll see.
Freelance work is still trickling in — I have a chat scheduled with an editor at my studio about doing some freelance work for the USA Today travel section. That would be neat. And, I’ve been percolating on some pitches to send to Geek, Bust and WIRED this month. We shall see.
In an effort to stimulate my creative juices I’ve decided for every post I’m going to put in one “bad poem” or “bad short story” that I wrote in my angsty youth. Mostly because re-reading writing and copying it from one medium to another is supposed to help writers block AND also because I think that it might amuse anyone out there reading my online diary thingie that this blog has become.
Without further ado:
Untitled (written summer of 2002 for my favorite NOLA bartender, Ronan)
I built a shrine to you
on wooden beams,
boxed it in with a red
bow and buried it
deep in my heart.
My illusory idol,
it was a Sunday.
And, blasphemy flowed
fluently from your
beautiful lips…
Like the roaring red
water of the mad Mississippi,
or, the ample amber
lager flowing from the tap…
Both washing away memories
of our late night sins.
I’m seriously annoyed that I didn’t end up sleeping until 7am… again. That kind of insomnia totally derails my plans for the day… now it’s just going to be doing my level best to work for a couple of hours, maybe run and not eat crap……… Stupid dog. Stupid insomnia.
So I keep having totally jacked dreams. When I finally did sleep last night I had a dream about Tarot card Jarrod. He was an old guy who told fortunes and read cards back on Jackson Square who I knew when I lived in New Orleans in 2001-2002… I kind of wonder what happened to him. He was always so sweet and gentle, but he was clearly nuts… He was tall – huge – long flowing white hair and he wore capes all the time. I suppose that was part of the costume for a fortune teller on the square. I don’t know that he actually had psychic abilities — but, he absolutely was uncanny about reading people — he used to regularly tell me shit about myself that I didn’t know, yet knew to be true when he told me…
Well, actually, the way I knew he was crazy was that he had this “ghost wife.” I’ve been trying all night to remember her name – Cashmere or something – a girl, many decades his junior, who he met on Jackson Square. He said she seemed lost and he took her in and took care of her… Apparently they fell in love and got “married.” Then she died. By drowning in the Mississippi River.
Sounds tragic, right?
Uh-huh… crazy. Here’s why:
The woman he claimed was Cashmere was still alive and kicking and going by another name. Now the story isn’t completely crazy – because a lot of people I knew AND trusted to be sane told me that these two were actually together – married and the whole bit… But, apparently -this girl whom we’ll call Helen- was faking another personality… Or, when she reverted back to being HELEN (a bartender in a pretty prominent Quarter bar and someone I used to actually hang out with) she disavowed all knowledge of being married to Jarrod and knowing who Cashmere was…
So Jarrod is convinced that Helen was posessed by the spirit of Cashmere.
And, that Cashmere killed herself by drowning in the Mississippi so Helen could have her life back…
It’s a nutty story, but very old-worldy, spooky New Orleans romantic when told… lots of fog and wet cobble stones and a sad old man in a cape… One day I’d like to write this story…
Oy vey, the last time I updated this blog was MAY 12. I’m a total blog slacker. Sorry three people who read my blog (including my ex-boyfriend and my Mom).
Sometimes I spend hours staring at the GGotS statistics trying to think of the way to increase traffic. Don’t get me wrong: I’m seriously happy with 10k clicks per month, but I want the site to grow to a point where either we get bought out (and I make bank) or we get picked up as part of a network (and I make bank). I think that I’ve invested enough time and money in the project that I don’t think it’s greedy or capitalist of me to want that… it’s a for profit project of love, yanno?
Haven’t felt much like writing here lately. Effectively [REDACTED] has broken up with me – were we ever together? Basically he’s decided that since he’s going to be in grad school for the next two years he doesn’t have time for a girlfriend.
