i’m sick as a dog and on antibiotic horse pills to boot!
(i’m a Big Whiny Baby when i’m sick. =)

but things that make me feel better :

1. working on Secret Project of World Domination.

2. reading gail carriger’s Blameless.

3. seeing the fotos of megan teaching me how to
“surf” for the first time over at the greenwillow blog.
i miss my author friend!

*a classic foto of sweet pea and munchkin.
i think sweet pea is about 19 months here and
munchkin is 2 months. as you can see,
it’s the end of the world, and she is deeply
offended. ha! i couldn’t tell you whose expression
makes me chuckle more in this foto. =)

short entry, when i should not be posting at all.
back today from a mini getaway just 30 miles from
home at a fancy resort in belated celebration of
the love’s birthday. he was suprised (he thought
we were going to seattle, ha!) but had a good time.

i ate too much (no fotos, alas) and too well.
unfortunately, friday night, i finally succumbed to
munchkin’s cold and sore throat. =( i’m sick.
i guess it must be october. to all the parents
out there–may we survive this oct/april cold
and flu season.

hoping mad men will make my cold feel a
little better tonight, along with michelle moran’s
cleopatra’s daughter. which i’m enjoying very
much. “happy” monday, all! 8) it could be worse.
look at poor sweet pea…

last week started badly. i found out i needed
to drive near two hours to the court up in OC
for my speeding ticket. while spending too
many hours on hold to try and understand the
situation, my website got hacked. thankfully,
it didn’t seem to be malicious (so we hope!) but
more vanity related.

honestly, i feared for my trip to nyc. i was
afraid my bad mojo would follow me like the
pungent scent of durian. but the day started
wonderfully when i got an email from one of
my favorite authors, megan whalen turner, that
she had just finished silver phoenix and really
enjoyed it. of course, i squeed and wished i
could throw cupcakes at her.

then i got picked up for the airport but instead
of the 10 person shuttle i had hired, i got my
own personal town car!! free upgrade! wOOt!
i even forgave the driver for opening the window
and shouting MORON at a pedestrian when we
got to the airport. =O

couldn’t have had better weather when i arrived.
had just missed the showers. loved my room in
the murray hill boutique hotel (tho i didn’t take
a foto of it, boo!). on friday morning, bright and
early, i wondered out at 10.30am (ha!) to go pick
up some treats for my visit to harpercollins and
meeting the greenwillowites who worked so
hard on my debut in one aspect or another.

my writing friend wendy had recommended
crumbs and what a great rec that was! the
day was gorgeous and i really enjoyed walking–
something i don’t do enough in san diego.

i was so excited to visit my publisher that
i totally failed to take ANY fotos. haha! i got
a grand tour, saw my book in a case with
neil gaiman’s (eee!) and had lunch with everyone
at greenwillow. we intently discussed bunnies,
flowers and cupcakes–important topics in
children’s publishing. 8)

i also got a very very early glimpse of possible
ideas for the sequel’s cover. no matter what,
i know that chris will do a fantastic job with it!
very exciting!!

i then went to the silk spa near union square
for a massage! it was a very nice spa and i’d
highly recommend it. then i toodled over a few
streets east and had dinner with my friend, chris.
then groom to be, now a married man. and his
honey. i’ve known chris since i was fifteen so
over two decades. his now wife, lane,
had recommended ippudo which was DELICIOUS!
see for yourself!

pork buns! like cha shu!

my personal favorite–agedashi tofu!

deep fried potatoes with a delicious
dipping sauce.

i ordered the miso ramen. SO GOOD!
very hearty and def comfort food.
lane got the same.

chris ordered the special, wasabi ramen!

i then went to visit their new home in
williamsburg, brooklyn.

the next morning, stumbled out of the hotel
again bright and early at 10.30am (ha!). i
had a date with my friend juliet and had chosen
to meet at the le pain on 84th and madison. this
is one that the love and i used to walk to and
was a favorite place of ours to eat.

we started with a bread basket and i slathered
everything i ate in a nutella equivalent spread. YUM!

we also shared a fruit salad and a veggie quiche,
but we were so engrossed in chatting i forgot to
take fotos! =O

they have amazing breads and pastries as
well as soup, salads and sandwiches!

i really really really wanted to buy one
of their pastries but knew i had a brunch
date the next morning and all my other meals
set. *stares longingly at foto*

ten fotos and that is my first day and a half
back in new york city since 2000–when i
graduated from nyu! more posts and fotos
to follow!! =D

what a weekend! i’m glad i’m here
to tell you about it! a playgroup mom friend
was very kind to host a book club meeting at
her house for Silver Phoenix on friday night.
composed of two book clubs and two playgroups,
we had a group of women who mostly did not read
young adult or fantasy–and all seemed to enjoy
the book and were eager to discuss it.

i had so much fun and didn’t get home until after
11pm.

on sunday, i had a signing at bn in huntington
beach. many of my LA / OC friends have been waiting
very patiently for this! and i spent the morning picking
up extraordinary desserts mini-cupcakes for the
event and left an hour early to get to the bookstore.
never again.

i got stuck in oceanside for 40 minutes going all of
two miles. (i think there was an accident ahead?) and
when i got onto the 73N–i tried to make up time wailing
to a weezer song to destress.

bad idea.

guess who got pulled over for a speeding ticket?

*margie stohl asked so many great questions
at my signing. BEAUTIFUL CREATURES is out 12/09.

one time, while driving the same route home from
college, i got a speeding ticket because i wasn’t looking
in the rear view mirror (like this time!) too distracted
from reciting a recent poem i had written.
(poems are meant to be recited aloud!)

argh.

and when i told the officer i was late
for an author signing, he said what?! like i had said
i’m missing the mothership and they will take off without
me or something. *sighs*

*i’ve known tracy from online for nearly a decade!
so lovely to finally have the pleasure of meeting in person!!

next time, i’ll know to leave at least TWO hours early.
i arrived five minutes late (augh!!) but the bn events
coordinator was so nice and said they never started on
the dot, anyway.

*enchanted inkpot writers representing!
gretchen, lia, me and amaris.

it was a special signing because it was the
first that my mom and sister were able to attend!
it was also the first time that i actually read
an excerpt from Silver Phoenix (my favorite scene
in the book). we also had a fantastic question
and answer session and at the end of the signing,
a tween came over to ask me about the book.

she was very excited about it and asked her dad
if she could get it. and she could. =D

the cupcakes were very well received, altho i
only had space in my ice chest for one box (the
chocolate ones) and my carrot mini cupcakes melted.
(the frosting and the white chocolate shavings.) they
tasted great still, however.

but they sort of looked like me by the time i arrived
at the bookstore. =O
everyone who had come to see and support me
(friends new and old) were so kind and said they
had a great time. i only wish i had the chance to
speak with everyone longer. i always wish that.
i felt very “official” when i saw that my event had
been tweeted with fotos and videos uploaded during
the fact. haha! love my friends! =D

and finally, i leave you the weezer song that
was the cause for my speeding ticket. it’s one
of my favorites by them.