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Lusty Lady

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Monday, February 25, 2008

Sunshine, SAD, Miami photos, and a cupcake skirt

A giraffe display at Miami International AirportYes, it's a random giant giraffe at Miami International Airport - I have no idea why it's there.

Cartoon humidifiers
Did you know they made Hello Kitty humidifiers? Neither did I. Taken at Target.

I know that I have a whole blog dedicated to cupcakes and that many of you read it, but I couldn't resist sharing this amazing photo, especially after reading about a man choking to death on cupcakes. Also, Miami continues to be sunny and gorgeous and has helped me forget a bit of the stress and guilt I carry around all the time, though as amazing as the sun feels, I am ready to get home and get back to my responsibilities but am really glad I came. I've been hanging out with a super-fun 4-year-old who is totally sweet and has also helped remind me that I need to chill.

Last week was a rough week. Last Sunday I went to see a relative who's dying, and while I thought I'd been prepared, I really wasn't. I've seen sick people before, but never like that, and it threw me. She didn't recognize us and I didn't know what to say or do. Then there was uncertainty about whether all my readers could make it and much back and forth about who might be a good replacement, and that was really draining, on top of all the other stuff I'm working on and some other drama that happened on Thursday that I just wasn't expecting. Thursday night I got home from In The Flesh and just saw on my couch and bawled. It felt cathartic in its way, but I also felt really hopeless and was ready to quit running the reading series, which I still very well may do after this year. I'm not sure I'm very good at it, or if I am, whether the stress is worth it.

It's funny cause I actually haven't minded the winter; I was thrilled to wear my little purple bear hat, and plan to replace it soon, but I guess maybe SAD does affect me because just being somewhere where you don't have to bundle up and people are way more chill has made me calmer. I think last week it was just a combination of carrying around a lot of uncertainty about who was reading and just the general buildup of deadlines and never feeling like I'm doing enough. I'm still not, in the sense that I have several things that are overdue, but I'm making some headway and the next week or two should help get me back on track. I'm actually kindof glad that happened because it showed me how bad it's gotten, something I often fail to realize trudging through the day to day, and it helps me realize where I don't want to go again and if that means dropping the reading series, so be it. At the same time, I really enjoy the networking aspect of running it, of meeting new authors all the time, getting to share their work and the camaraderie, I just have to realize that I don't have to feed every person umpteen snacks and be so stressed about every little aspect of it, especially the parts I can't control.

View from the deck
View from where I stayed in downtown Miami, taken Sunday morning


Me at Books & Books with my new bag - duffel bag or purse? To be determined. I will say it's perfect for carry-on.

The reading at Books & Books was incredible; not only did 150 people show up, but the caliber of readers was incredible high and it was really varied and just incredible. Any pangs I had about not getting to be taped for Cinemax were forgotten. Yesterday I got the grand tour of South Beach and surroundings and we strolled along Lincoln Road and I heard about Herald Hunt, which I totally want to return for.

For those in New York, do check out another reading from Sex for America: Politically Inspired Erotica with editor Stephen Elliott and contributors Nick Flynn and Jonathan Ames tonight at The Museum of Sex. Even if you were there on Thursday for In The Flesh, they were so incredible that I'd go see them all again. Also, I'm editing Best Sex Writing 2009 which I am so thrilled about (click through for the call for submissions). I'm trying to get myself more on the non-fiction track and this vote of confidence from Cleis Press means a lot to me. I'd also love any recommendations for anything you read that might work for the book - send them to bestsexwriting2009 at gmail.com. I haven't made any official decisions, but I already have a few pieces on my wishlist. I think the biggest challenge last year was securing permissions, but now that I know the ropes, I have a better handle on that.

So back to cupcake craziness. This was made by Seattle's Trophy Cupcakes for Urban Unveiled. Trophy is also on Flickr with lots more fabulous cupcake photos (though, to be honest, none as fabulous as this one!).

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