Liotta Again, Actors Galore and Updates

Ray Liotta is back. Craig has reported several sightings. He called me Tuesday night to report finding 'the Liotta' parked in a car eating a frozen yogurt. It was after 10pm and the yogurt shop was closed. That isn't really unusual behavior as far as actors are concerned. I wonder if Craig thinks 'the Liotta' is shadowing him while developing a new bit for his acting. I don't think he is. They are both Jersey raised snack loving organisms. 'veI actually witnessed the man buying snacks on more than one occasion. It would stand to reason that they would cross paths fairly often. That part of town is fairly small and somewhat cut off from the rest of the city. Though I could easily be wrong. I once did an interview with an actor while I was still on the east coast. All the while, he was learning the accent and mannerisms of my writing partner. He had a very serious Philly accent and some peculiar mannerisms. He could mimic them perfectly after a very short while. Craig is a fascinating individual. The Liotta could be observing him. I still think it's a snack thing.

This week has been better than last week on the whole. I've been able to clear out a lot of stuff from the dreaded inbox, and the apartment is back in order from the trip. I need to knock out a couple more things before I can get back to my fiction writing, I think I'll get those done before next week. I hope. It looks good for getting it done at the moment. Why the uncertainty? Things keep coming up that I'm not expecting.

Actor Interactions and Reactions

I am most often asked about my interaction with actors by people on the East Coast. I've detailed encounters with the famous and infamous in my blog. It was routine when Jon and I worked on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. My favorite moment was when Barbara Streisand admired a button I was wearing. It read 'Strip Him, Bath Him and Bring Him to My Tent.' She said that I had the right idea about men. A close second was waiting on Patrick Stewart – twice. I almost jacked up a co-worker to get to him. And I had a really nice chat with James Cameron while helping him shop for non-fiction. He needed reading material when he was 'unemployed' after Titanic. I understand that Ted Danson looked for me for a year after I left Borders Books. Somehow, I became his personal shopper. He was very nice, so I did take the time to pull the books on his lists and ring him up. That service also kept bedlam to a minimum in the store when tourists figured out who he was.

Currently, my encounters are in supermarkets or drug stores when they are usually in my way. It's funny, young actors that I know are from CW shows try to hide who they are. They do that even in areas that tourists rarely go – like the markets in Marina Del Rey near here. This is really an area for locals. But they hide behind their dark sunglasses and hats with big brims. That makes them more noticeable to me. And I don't care who they are as they are usually in my way. I've seen a number of older actors that I recognize from shows I followed in my youth. They make sure that they are seen. I always get a bright smile when I give them that 'hey I know you' smile and nod. Sometimes, I'll make a point to quietly tell them that I always loved their work.

The upshot to all of that yammering is that I am seldom star struck. My reaction when I spot a celebrity is 'Is this person going to inconvenience me? And how badly?' When you factor in the fact that I hire and work with actors, my view of them is vastly different from when I lived in Philly. They are fun and often funny. Even those that aren't leading male or female pretty have very attractive personalities. I'm not unaffected by that. After all, I have to basically fall in love with actors that I cast as a writer and producer. By and large, they are a pleasure to be around. Even the ones that have turned up at our place in the wee small hours of the morning are entertaining in some fashion. I do like how those young, studly men can be out of their pants in an instant. A fine trait, I must admit.

Still doesn't capture the pecs or the biceps!

The actors in my regular orbit are either those who are climbing the ladder to regular gigs or those who've been working steadily and are recognized but fans don't approach them on the street. I find that the actors we remain closest to are also writers and producers. There are exceptions, but that is the typical situation. Yesterday, I had lunch with one such actor. The encounter reflects our creative relationship with industry people out here. Ryohei (ree-oh-hay) is an actor-writer-director-producer. That is a lot of hats, but he's a young man. We got to know Ryohei when he came to work for me on my 'Cook Like a Uke' series. He is adorable which is why I cast him. And he could act and cook. I had such a great experience with him that I was pleased to read a script he wrote. Jon and I thought it was awesome. We gave him notes, and I'm going to teach him how to do a business plan for the film. The lunch yesterday was a send-off/planning session. Ryohei is returning to Japan where he has some really great plans for the script and some great connections to make a production happen. We laid the groundwork for what would happen with that script and made plans for him to continue doing cooking videos for me from there. I'll be putting up the first video we shot in the next couple of weeks. We've forged many creative relationships out here where we've learned as much as we've shared. These ties have really inspired us and kept us moving forward. Ryohei is one of those inspiring people that I sense will have an amazing career with the right break. He is also absolutely adorable! The servers kept fluttering over him during lunch. I couldn't blame them. There are times when I think 'if I were younger,' 'if I was single,' if I weren't so danged ethical.' People close to me that are familiar with how very naughty my writing is are surprised that I'm not consumed by those thought in the face of such temptation. Those thoughts crossed my mind for an instant during lunch. Then, I chuckled at myself and got back to my inbox.

Updates

By Monday, I will be clear of all my writing/editing obligations save for my fiction! I don't think I'll know what to do with myself! I have a great deal of new marketing duties for Sybaritic Press and my Titles that we're trying. But that should only take a few hours a week. Sybaritic Press, as I have mentioned, has a Facebook Page. Please, like us and post reviews of our titles. The link is here: https://www.facebook.com/SybariticPress. Much more is upcoming!

Stay tuned.

Long Waits, Longer Roads and Updates

I don't like to complain. My friends often fuss at me, because they may not hear that I'm having problems until they are very dire and there is the running and the screaming. Last week was different. I was actually complaining without being en route to thee ER. I had good reason.

Long Road to Long Beach

The convention went well, but the week did not go well for me. I've got some new and tiresome variations on problems from the nerve damage chemo left behind in my feet. It was a very painful week compounded by mix ups and confusion at my Doc's office. Those were no one's fault, but the delays left me with a lot work that needed to be done before the convention and almost no time to finish. Boy howdy, my stress levels were through the roof and headed for orbit. Not going to Long Beach was out of the question. I think the stress the guilt over the loss money and not fulfilling my obligations would have been far worse. I don't think I have been as freaked out in a single week since my last surgery. And still, I had to look the part of the writer/editor/publisher in an environment where I was listed as an industry professional. Somewhere in all of the mayhem that I absolutely had to get a handle on, I had to make enough time to give myself a professional polish. Men have it easy. Jon got a haircut, and he was done. It was the same thing when we went to the Cannes Film Market. A haircut and a tux and a few shirts. He was food for a week for formal events. I needed five gowns and the accessories to go with them. Arrrgh! So, I HAD to find time for a facial and get a hot soak while shaving things. I HAD to make sure I had my hair in shape enough that I could easily style on the road. Oh, and crazy me, also decided to make a Japanese confection I've never made – mochi  – to give to special people. I am out of my mind.

I'd love to say that once I arrived at the hotel, everything became magical and joyful. Not so much. There was a convenient but long and arduous trip to the convention moving over 100 lbs of luggage (It was on wheels. Don yell at me). I got lost once I reached the station on the train. The hotel was across from the stop, but the signage was on the opposite side of the building from the stop. I walked in the other direction for some blocks before flagging a cab who took pity on me. Then there was some unpleasantness at check in that left me so irritated that along with the post visit survey the company was silly enough to send me, there will be an eyebrow singe worthy Yelp Review http://t.co/Fsuk8MdL. I didn't start to relax until after the first panel was over. A lot of really cool stuff happened at Yaoi-con 2012. The full report is here: http://www.sybpressyaoi.com/2012/10/paddles-panels-and-yaoi-con-2012.html. It's huge and full of great photos and stories about my surprising fans. So cool!

One of the best moments of the weekend was getting to catch up with one of our Privateers pals. Back then, we called her Skyia. Now, she is Laura. She is still the amazing woman of incredible height and the most gentle of voices. I was really concerned that we wouldn't be able to find the time to even grab a cup of coffee. As is the way of conventions, time never rolls out the way it is originally planned. And then, there was my energy levels at the end of the day to worry about. Luckily, we were able to carve out an hour on Saturday to grab a beer and a bite. We had almost a decade to get caught up on, but it was a relaxed encounter. Though trained as a Marine Engineer, Laura is currently a massage therapist and quite a gifted healer. She made Jon's knee feel better in five minutes, and it still feels good! I am working toward getting her up here with a massage table or going back to Long Beach to visit hers. I've had a massage or two since this whole medical ordeal began. They've always made me feel better. Given Laura's skill, I'd bet I'll feel awesome. I really want to feel awesome. I'd also like to spend more than an hour with a really neat person that has been missing from my life for far too long.

Inbox Update

The magna pile is dwindling down. I have less than 50 pages on the current book to edit. That leaves one more title in the pipeline. The team has agreed that we are going to get that done and approved before signing up for another one. Jon and I have outlined the script for the web series. I'll start work on that in earnest this weekend. I have a couple of important interviews to tape next week. I'll talk more about those after they happen. I don't want to jinx them.

Sybaritic Press finally has a Facebook page! Join us for updates and announcements.  https://www.facebook.com/SybariticPress?ref=hl

Stay tuned.

Nuns and Wapners and Lots of Busy

There was a nun in full penguin regalia in the jury pool with me on Tuesday. It never occurred to me that nuns could be called in for jury duty. It really never occurred to me that a nun would own an iphone. I really wanted to get a peek at the game she was playing, but it was awkward trying to get a look. She kept giving me the once over. I could tell from her expression that she knew I'd gone to Catholic school. They can tell, you know. I don't actually mind jury duty. It's usually a great opportunity to read. The only thing that's annoying is getting called for a panel. It usually means a second day of service. I don't mind that either, but I never get picked. There are too many connections to law enforcement in my life (My father was a cop and I worked out of a police district for a few years).

The person giving us our orientation was a Judge Wapner. Really. He is the son of the original Peoples Court judge. Judge Wapner put a new slant on the usual speech about civic duty though he did make sure to mention that Jury service is one of the very few things our government requires of its citizens. Judge Wapner evoked a tried and true TV Crime drama ploy where the DA comes into a conference room, declaring that there is a jury ready to hear a trial. If the defendant wants a deal, he'd better make it there an now. Judge Wapner said writers could never use that were it not for people showing up for jury duty. That got some chuckles. Only in LA would script ideas be used as a good reason for jury duty. I didn't get picked for a panel, so it was just one day. That was a relief. I envisioned having to rush home from downtown to get the suitcases and rush back out to get to Long Beach. A nightmare, I tell you. Fortunately, that's one I get to avoid. There are many more to get past before Friday.

Inbox Again

This week, the inbox is mostly in the background as I get my act together for Yaoi-con. I even more jazzed about this convention than I was last year, because it's practically in my own backyard. Not that going to San Francisco wasn't fun. It was great to know that I could still fly on a plane without real difficulty. However, not flying saves a whole lot of money and time. I'd rather keep the air fare to spend on stuff at the convention itself. Besides, because of the convention schedule, I didn't actually get to see any of San Francisco. Another great perk to being close is that I can see friends there that were unlikely to travel that far to get there specialty geek on. So there will be some extra friendly faces about. Nice!

Convention Time!

I have three panels at this Yaoi-con. Details about each panel and other upcoming excitement can be found at this link: http://www.sybpressyaoi.com/2012/10/yaoi-con-2012-preview.html. I am very pleased to be listed as an Industry Professional for one of the panels. I will be representing the freelancers or localizers from the Digital Manga Guild in a recruitment panel. While I am very pround of being a fangirl, and I don't hesitate to make that known, it's gratifying to be recognized as a professional. I've been working very hard to be thought of as one.

I have to blitz through some editing of the latest manga script before I finish my panel presentations. I'm trying to do them all in Power Point, but this 'easy' program is making me crazy. I always have issues with programs that are supposed to be fool proof. There is never a template that really fits my needs or my themes nor is there a function to really let me do my own thing. I'm going to give the program one more go before I make my own slide show. I have so much that has to be finished by Thursday night.

I will be taking lots of photos, and this time, I may even do some videos.

Stay tuned!

The Book Fair Cometh and Updates!

I had been concerned about keeping up physically during the West Hollywood Book Fair. I had visions of being unable to do anything more than sit while poor Marie was left to scurry about keeping the booth supplied with water and ice or luring potential customers. Though my medical tests are all looking good, my new normal includes a lot of physical challenges. My making any kind of appointment or commitment is still very much a leap of faith on my part. I never know until some time after I've been up and about whether I can actually go anywhere or do anything beyond my sofa. Fortunately, I was doing well – and on very little sleep.

Sybpress in the Park was a successful return to Book 

Fairs. We sold all but one copy of our newest title, Alternate Lanes: An Anthology of Travel Using Alternate Transportation in the City of Angels. We had 30 copies! My books were selling in sets of two or entire collections. I chatted up Indie publishers like the brilliant and eclectic Full Metal Orgasm anthologies and indie events like Bent-con with anyone who paused for more than a second. I have a vast collection of cards from folks with their own causes or authors who think Sybpress looked like a good option for publication. We had not done any sort of Book Fair for years, so I think it was great to find that we still knew how to work a booth and a crowd. However, the day was not without it's challenges. There was Carmaggeddon 2: The Sequel closing major parts of the 405 freeway. And then, to add to the traffic problems, there was a triathlon that closed a lot of city streets during parts of the day making travel on the Westside a real nightmare. We all had a far too entertaining a time getting to the park to set up. And these inexplicably coinciding events likely thinned out the crowd. But what really impacted the turnout and our own experience was the punishing heat. The Book Fair provided large gazebos that had panels on all three sides, but the sunlight filled ours in the morning, thoroughly heating it to the point where bread could bake. Thus, when we were out of the sun, the booth remained sweltering. We went through our water quickly. The cans of cold sodas were ingeniously used to cool down certain body parts (see above). Days like this are why I hate bras. They collect heat and moisture. Jon dislikes them for his own reasons which I won't go into. At any rate, we had to go foraging for an electric fan during one of the ice and water runs. That fan was a godsend. It made the booth bearable for the rest of the day. Despite the heat and traffic madness, it was a good day. It was great to meet all the poets and writers who contributed to Alternate Lanes. It was great to connect with old friends like Phil McNamara who was a rock star in drawing passersby to the booth. And, as always, it was delightful to have Sunshine Lliteras about. She was also very kind to get Jon and I home with all of our paraphernalia, including the electric fan. After this, I believe we are in excellent shape to run a booth at the upcoming Bent-con. We are even considering taking a big step and going for a booth at the LA Times Festival of Books next spring!

Meanwhile, the Book Fair Sales continue through Bent-con in December. For discounts on our titles of up to 30%, including tax and shipping, click here: http://sybpress.com/bookfairsale.htm .

Inbox Update

Even before we packed up for the Book Fair, I had made quite a dent in that danged inbox of doom. By this evening, I'll have submitted the last of the unscheduled manga scripts I took on. The Letterer on my team was working on these books with a different editor. That editor had to leave the project, so I stepped in right on top of the deadline. That was fun. With that out of my hair, there is only the manga already in the pipeline. My plan is to be rid of that by the weekend, so I can focus on the three power point presentations I have to finish for Yaoi-con. I only planned on doing two panels, but strange things happen during web conferences, it seems. Meanwhile, Jon is finally working on editing the Demonspawn web series teaser trailer. In a perfect world, I would like that to go live before we leave for Yaoi-con, but we are most likely losing all day Saturday to some work being done on our apartment complex. Past experience tells us that it is best to get out of the building until the dust settles. So, that is what we'll be doing. After Yaoi-con, I can focus on my fiction once again -- until Bent-con. Just kidding. I'm going to do my panel presentations for that while I'm working on the ones for Yaoi-con. My readers have been patient (HA!), and I need to get back on track. I'm  far happier when I can do even a few pages of writing a day.

I'll detail exactly what I'm doing on this year's Yaoi-con panels as well as update the status on the novels next week.

Stay tuned!

Kitchen Fame and Book Fair Shout Out

I had an interesting thing happen this morning that tickled me. The incident didn't begin as anything amusing at all. I noticed that the tub was a quarter full of water hours after Jon had his shower. I also noticed that there was a lot of metal scraping and a rumbling motor noise coming from the apartment next to ours. The last time that happened, we had a plumbing snake that came through the drain, reached the floor, then headed down our hall! Still, I had a lot of work to do, and couldn't still about idly until the plumber showed up. I had finished shaping a batch of pretzels and moved onto the croissants when there was a knock at the door. It was the plumber. I let him in and turned on the video I was using to make the croissants. I was at the part where the butter is pounded and rolled into an 8 inch square. After I finished, I heard the plumber say, 'It looks like the one on TV.' He'd never seen anything like it. He managed to see me make the basic dough and put it in the fridge. “You should be on the TV,” he said as he left. I was very flattered and quite tickled. But if I were a TV chef, I couldn't do all of that cursing! I was so amused that I didn't mind the really dirty tube he left behind as much as I might have.

Book Fair Beats

Now, I must make with the promoting! At last, the week of the West Hollywood Book Fair is here! We are so incredibly excited, because we all of our books were delivered in time! No waiting and hoping any praying that we might possibly have them by Friday. I almost don't know what to do with myself. Almost. I still have a lot of work to do with creating promo materials and baking goodies for the booth and the raffle. I fell like my life is partially on hold until this is over. I'm doing a Michael Corleone with 'After the Book Fair, all my businesses will be put in order.' I can't edit any of the recent videos. And forget about working on the webseries or any of the other projects. The only thing I can make an exception for is the editing gig for Digital Manga. I signed a contract, so I have to stay on top of all of that.

Sypress in the Park will be at booth C23 at the West Hollywood Book Fair. We are in the poetry section next to the culinary stage (how cool is that placement). We're nearest the West Hollywood Public Library's entrance. The Book Fair opens at 10am and closes at 6pm. We'll be there the whole day though if you're looking for any one of us in particular, you may have to hang out a bit. We're all big ol' book nerds, and we really enjoy shopping there. So, one of us is always manning the booth with the authors while the others do their shopping or check out a panel. Did I mention the panels? They are awesome for readers or writers! Check out the web page for a map of the booths and a full schedule of the panels http://www.westhollywoodbookfair.org/ . But you aren't in Los Angeles and want to get in on the fun? We have just the thing for you! For the duration of the Book Fair and for our convention appearances until the end of the year, there is a sale of selected titles from Sybaritic Press. They will cost what we charge at the Book Fair AND those prices include shipping and sales tax! Just go to this page http://sybpress.com/bookfairsale.htm and go nuts. We accept VISA, Mastercharge, Discover and Paypal. This is also true at the booth where we also accept cash! For those who can't make it, we will have photos and video of all of the fun.

On that note, I must sign off. I have a lot of work to do, and I'm running out of time to do it.

Stay tuned!

Writer's Block, Crazy Baking and the Zen of Ramen

I'm still working my way through the inbox of horrors. I am making good progress, but what is more important is that the rate it was filling has slowed markedly. That's a relief. I don't mind helping out others where I can, but for a couple of weeks there I was seeing no progress in getting my work done at all! That doesn't mean that everything is smooth sailing. That's why I was doing all of that cooking and baking during the heat wave. I had some things I needed to work out in my head, and there were some recipes that I wanted to try.

I'd been thinking about snacks that I miss from Philly of late. During long days waiting at the hospital, I really missed the soft pretzels from Philly. They are relatively fat free, low calories (if they are only topped with mustard) and really cheap. There isn't any equivalent out here. My Dad shipped us some recently after I mentioned this. They were a welcome treat on days where there would be many hours between breakfast and lunch. The heat also reminded me of how much I missed Italian Ices  or as it is known in Philly, Water Ice. I decided to try to make both treats, so that I could have them anytime without spending a ton of money on shipping. They turned out quite well. The pretzel recipe is a gourmet version, so it is a bit more buttery than the Philly pretzel, but it is very good. The Italian Ice was very close to what I ate in Philly, but my palate has changed. I don't like dishes that are that intensely sweet. A bit more lemon zest will solve that. I also did another batch of croissants and made a batch of twice baked souffles. There will be videos for these dishes. I just have to have the time to edit them.

What could possibly be on my mind that required that much flour and butter to work through? My writing is annoying me. I have discovered that Jon was right about writer's block. It's caused by the subconscious knowledge that something has gone wrong in the story. The problem is figuring out what's gone wrong. Then comes the terrifying process of figuring out how much has to be re-written. I say terrifying, because sometimes the whole manuscript must be chucked in favor of starting anew. In this case, I am trying to start a novel that had been a script. That should be very easy. The entire story is finished. The characters have been alive in my head for quite some time. There shouldn't have been a problem, but I couldn't get anywhere with it for weeks after deciding to write the book. I realized after I had run out of baking sheets to bake on that it was an issue of point of view.

I typically write my fiction in either first person point of view or from a limited third person point of view. For example, the Soldier's books are all from Rik's point of view. Thus, they are written in first person. The Surrender books and the Ensnared books alternates the point of view between the lead characters. It's a comfortable zone for me to tell my stories. The reason I haven't been able to start this book is that neither of those points of view works for this story. In a film, the audience can see other characters reacting to the lead characters without the lead characters knowing they are being observed and possibly judged. This story calls for a number of supporting characters observing and judging without being seen by my leads. That cannot be done from a first or limited third person point of view. I realized that I had to do the all seeing or omniscient point of view. Immediately after figuring that out, I wrote my first sentence of the novel, The Proposal. I also realized that I could keep the very cool opening that I had in the script. I had a few pages written without really thinking about it. It was glorious! And I had a whole heap of snacks to boot. What is The Proposal about, and why have you never heard of this script? That will be for next week's blog. I'll have an excerpt ready along with some bookfair discounts to tell everyone about. It will be worth the wait, believe me.

Speaking of the Solders books, my talented cover artist, Adrianna Ferguson, Did a really cool and funny blog on how she does those amazing covers. It is very interesting, and it can be found here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbp5xm8R2VQ

Zen and the Art of Ramen

Since the lovely lunch I had with Digital Manga team member, Joel, I have become more obsessed than ever about making a real bowl of ramen soup. Forget about Cup of Noodles or Top Ramen with it's pack of sodium infused death. I mean real ramen made from scratch with fresh noodles with broth made from bones simmered for many hours. I was crestfallen after the lunch with Joel. I understood that the heavenly broth I had at that shop was made with roasted pork bones. I've never made pork stock. Heck, I'd never seen pork soup bones anywhere – not even in my amazing ethnic market which has the chicken feet. And then in the circular for Top Value Market, I saw a sale for pork neck bones. I realized that would be perfect for a great unctuous stock. I got a big pile of them for less than five dollars. When I told Joel about my plan to attempt ramen broth, he suggested I watch Ramen Girl (above).  I remembered Anthony Bourdain talking about that film during the Hokkaido episode of No Reservations. He described it quite accurately and without derision but doubted the heroine's addition of corn to her ramen. He found out that this was common to Sapporo ramen. I was surprised that Joel suggested what was a chick flick to me. I don't watch them as a rule, but I was intrigued. It was the tale of a young woman who is dumped by her boyfriend shortly after arriving in Japan. In despair, she finds herself in the local ramen shop. The soup makes her so happy that she decides to learn how to spread such joy. It was quite charming. You can see the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GYSwiaNz2o Tampopo  was a better film, but they both were good at exploring how the mastery of something that seems so simple can put a whole life in order. Tampopo was sybaritic in its celebration of the pleasures food can bring while being really funny and touching. You can see the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbp5xm8R2VQ Meanwhile, I've made and incredible pork stock. It's like jelly, it so full of marrow collagen goodness. Ah, but this is only the first building block. Next, I must master the art of cooking pork bellies.

For that and the big pre-bookfair blog is next week,

Stay tuned!

Humidity, Day Tripping and Updates

Sybpress in the Park

It's Wednesday, and I'm already exhausted. I had lengthy errands on Monday and Tuesday that kept me out in the heat and rare humidity for much of both days. Okay, Los Angeles, we had a deal when I moved out here. You can be hot enough to melt pennies, but you are NOT supposed to be humid! On Monday, I had sweat through my clothes enough that I had to shower and change when I cam home. That just doesn't happen here. Despite the all clear from my Docs, I am still tethered to General Hospital for prescriptions that must be issued monthly and the B-12 shots. Yesterdays sojourn involved getting the prescription filled – I had no energy to wait for it Monday. Then, I had to make my way all the way to West Hollywood  to pick up promo materials for the Bookfair. From there, I had to go to Culver City for the Farmers Market and to meet Marie to discuss the Bookfair. There was also the possibility of martinis and snacks during our meeting. Speaking of the fair, be sure to visit our new web page: Sybpress in the Park.

Both days involved extensive commutes. I'm used to that and well prepared for them. I've taken to traveling with a collapsible cart rather than a tote bag. I carry a parasol, a hat, a sweater, a liter or more of water, a snack, a book and whatever I'm picking up along the way. A Tote bag would be too heavy before I leave the house. This cart is stylish, and it holds up to 110 pounds. I can also fit it in a single bus seat with me and not be in the way of other commuters. I gave such advice in a recent advice blog I wrote for the upcoming Yaoi-con. It was a funny blog that people have found helpful. You can read it HERE. Incidentally, the paperback version of Altered Lanes: An Anthology of Travel Using Alternate Transportation in the City of Angels is now available! Click the title to purchase from Amazon.com..

Normal Bric a Brac

I don't mind the commutes. For the most part, I'm traveling between rush hours, so the buses and trains aren't mobbed. I'm always happy to visit West Hollywood. It's a beautiful neighborhood of tree lined streets and tony shops frequented by even tonier people. I believe it has more gyms per capital than any other part of the city, so most of the men are delightful to look at. There were some jogging about in tiny shorts that made me long for my net gun. Jon really needs to invent a net gun that can take down a young man! Is that really so unreasonable?! Where was I? Oh, right. I expect shops with fancy bric a brac that most people would find eccentric. However, I was not expecting to see huge stone giant robots guarding the parking lot of a really expensive clothing store. These statues are an incredible depiction of some high level geekiness. Jon tells me that these are not one specific robot, but an amalgam of at least three different robots. I must confess that I couldn't follow the elaborate details and histories behind each character that made up the robots. Jon was talking kind of fast at that point and I was full of martinis and some apple and cinnamon elixir that the Culver Hotel bartender was experimenting with. It was a cross between an apple pie and a whole lot of liquor! Jon plans to further investigate the statues when we are at the Bookfair. I plan to let him.

I enjoyed getting out with people and seeing some different scenery than my living room, but I still need to find a balance between activity and rest. As it is, I go through a flurry of activity and then can't do much of anything for a couple of days. Finding that balance is a matter of trail and error. I am learning what my limitations are albeit slowly. A few months ago, I would have either tried to wait at Costco for my meds despite the exhaustion, or I would have tried to do some shopping at Costco yesterday even if that meant dragging those purchases to West Hollywood and Culver City. I do need to do some shopping at Costco, but it can wait until later this week. See, I am learning. So, no nagging!

Fear and Loathing and Food Both Fast and Slow

One of the upsides of commuting is the time it gives for reading. Over the last couple of days, I devoured The American Way of Eating by Tracie McMillan. The book is an exploration of the produce food chain from farm to table. Ms. McMillan gathered her information by working as a field hand picking grapes, sorting peaches and cutting garlic on vast farms in central California; working as a produce stock clerk at two Walmart Super centers near Detroit, Michigan; and working as an expediter at an Applebees in Brooklyn. Each job had its challenges and satisfaction. She met fascinating people in each location and learned a great deal about how people at different strata survive on the wages they make. I was shocked to find dubious payment and employment practices reported at the Walmart and the Applebees. The book was as engrossing as it was educational. I think the best thing I got out of McMillan's book was a reprieve from the guilt I'd been shouldering for not having done a lot more healthy cooking before now. I have no excuse for not shopping and cooking healthy right now. I have a lot more time to plan, shop and cook. I have more knowledge about cooking than I ever have before. And I have an insane number of options for healthy produce and fresh baked goods. But when we were both working – especially when we were working odd hours – it wasn't so easy. McMillan's own struggles made me understand that even when you know what to do about a healthy diet and have some where with all to do it, time to plan and properly shop can be a huge issue. And neither she nor I have children. I have an even deeper admiration for my mother and her efforts that kept our family from the drive through except on very rare occasions. Aside from easing my guilt, the book also answered a growing question I've had about some restaurants I've visited in recent years. When I thought that I could do better making the same dishes at home, it seems that I was right. Applebees, it was reported, mostly microwaves pre-portioned side dishes and the sauces were mixed from powders. The cooks there said that they didn't cook so much as they assembled. I don't think I've made a powered sauce of any type since I was 19 and living on my own for the first time. McMillan's book was extraordinary in it's scope. It didn't lay out any easy answers, but I think it will make those involved in this quandary look at the questions differently. Aside from localizing the food supply, many consumers need to be given strategies to plan meals so that they can shop and prep effectively enough to follow through. We're a land of plenty with two food networks. This is something we should be able to figure out.

Updates

The in box remains stubbornly full of things to edit and promo materials to create and other things to write and production things to cross off.

New Book, Lotsa Lunches and Grande Margaritas

Yes, the blog is a day late. I have my reasons. I have been trying to slog through the inbox of the damned. Then, suddenly I have a multi-volume manga to edit that I didn't expect on top of the multi-volume manga I knew about. And I did have three grande margartias during one of the best working lunches I've ever had. You see, they make the drink grande for a only a dollar extra, so why not? And it was also buy two margaritas get one free Wednesday at Kay n' Dave's Mexican Restaurant. I'm a writer. It is not in our DNA to turn down a free margarita. Strangely, that isn't why the blog is late. I was waiting for the latest title from Sybpress to go live. Now, it has on Amazon Kindle. The paperback should be live in a day or two. I'll give a shout out when it does.

Alternate Lanes

I am very proud to announce Sybaritic Press' first non-fiction anthology, Alternate Lanes: An Anthology of Travel Using Alternate Transportation in the City of Angels. Here is the synopsis:

This is the city, Los Angeles, California. Within the county are over 500 miles of freeways and 6500 miles of streets. According to the latest census, the population is over 3.7 million people. Yet the California Department of Motor Vehicles states that there are more than 6.6 million automobiles in the county. Los Angeles is world famous for being car crazy. However, there is a significant part of its population that gets around quite well without ever using an automobile. The largest provider of public transit which includes buses, trains and light rail reports a ridership of 1.6 million per week day, making the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) the third largest in the country. And that is just one of a half dozen very active transit agencies in this county. There are also 377 miles of bike paths with a plan to increase to 1600 miles. Add to that the runners, rollerbladers and walkers, and it's clear that Los Angeles moves in many different ways. Alternate Lanes: An Anthology of Travel Using Alternate Transportation in the City of Angels is a fond though often unflinching and irreverent look at transit that doesn't involve an automobile. This collection of eye opening prose and poetry is by some of the best writers and poets who call Los Angeles home.

More than the blog was waiting on this book. All of our advertising for the West Hollywood Bookfair was tied up in having a link to this new title. Now that we have somewhere to send possible buyers, we can finish off the web page and post cards. We can also put in our order for books in the booth. I am really, really relieved that there were no problems with the files. This is the first book in a very long time with interior photos. The last experiment left us all traumatized. The photos look great. Maybe I'm finally ready to try that cookbook!

Lunch Lady

In the last week, I have had two occasions that caused me to write a Yelp review. In both cases, I was in the company of a charming gentleman and enjoying amazing food. Last Friday, I was delighted to meet one of the talented translators I work with for the Digital Manga Guild. Joel was en route from his hometown on the east coast back to Japan with his young son. I was very excited about meeting him as I found his running commentary on the last manga we worked on so entertaining. We met in Little Tokyo at a very popular Ramen joint called Daikokuya. It looked like a diner inside – even had red vinyl booths, I suppose it was diner like, food wise. The menu was Japanese comfort food. It's famous for it's ramen made with pork stock made from roasted pork bones. This is nothing like the little packages of dried noodles with the foil flavor pouches. This was an astonishing bowl of wonder. The stock was so flavorful and luxurious. The veggie toppings were fresh and crisp. I couldn't finish it all, but it was amazing. I will now be tormented until I can figure out how to make that broth! Joel was entertaining in person as well as was his son. The handsome little fellow did very well entertaining a stranger when he really wanted to be in a pool. He even gave me a hug when we parted company. Joel did not disappoint in person. We laughed a lot, and he taught me about a performer from the US who is huge in Japan. This young man is not a rapper. Jero is a singer of an old form of Japanese balladscalled Enka. Just take a lookie here: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x551ef_jero-michinoku-hitori-tabi-japanese_music . It seems that Jero-san is from Joel's home town. Neat.

Jero and Enka Singers

My other lunch date was with the always witty and entertaining Jody Wheeler, writer, filmmaker and raconteur. We met at a place I pass by once a week on my way to the Culver City Farmers Market, Kay n' Dave's http://www.kayndaves.com/pg_find_culver.html. It's a really cool Mexican restaurant. To save time, I'll just quote my review here. This place is great in any way that a restaurant can be judged. The food is freshly made. The flavors are complex -- even in a simple taco. The service is friendly, attentive and swift. The prices -- especially the specials -- are very reasonable. Oh, and the drinks are delicious and generous in size. I really adored the house margarita! During my last visit, I had the duck enchilada special that also had rice and a veggie and apple salad. It was incredible and only $7! It is understandably busy during lunch. The service is so good that it makes a great option for the office workers nearby. I can't recommend it enough. Jody and I talked about everything from Bent-con to Yaoi-con to filmmaking, web series, fund raising. It was so much fun, yet somehow we got a whole lot of business done. Awesome. I really look forward to the next encounter.

Alas, I must get back to work. I still have that danged in box to slog through. I've been having too much fun this week.

Stay tuned.

Craig, Strange Visions and Scary In Boxes

These tomatoes are astonishingly good!

The photos have nothing to do with the text of the blog. Readers have expressed an interest in our Tuesday afternoon outings. 

 

Craig called on the Sunday after the shoot. Jon and I were making like vegetables in front of the TV. There were piles of equipment and costumes and props shoved into corners. It would take me a week to deal with those. His tone was that mix of amusement and excitement that often gives me a reason to worry. He wanted to know if Jon or I had been past Ballona Creek on Saturday. For the disaster film buffs among you, Bollona Creek is the handy conduit used to channel molten lava from Beverly Hills to the Pacific ocean in Volcano. We actually live near the creek and occasionally walked the bike path. However, we didn't typically cross the creek as we did when we lived in Playa del Rey. I knew better, but I asked why anyway.

The view of the bar from our favorite spot.

“I saw a 300 pound hairy, naked man frolicking in the creek,” he said. I could tell that he shuddered. “He was really hairy. If I'd been up north, I'd thought he was a bear. But he was happy.” Craig was most perplexed about why no one in the apartment buildings surrounding that part of the creek called the cops. He was even more perplexed when a library patron rushed into the building to have him call the cops on the hairy naked man who had traveled a mile since Craig last saw him. I was happy to report that neither Jon nor I had scene that vision. I was particularly relieved after having seen some really bad nakedness the week before at the Culver City Farmers Market. Let's just saw it involved a leathery bag lady, a loosely fitting sundress and a sudden, strong breeze. I guess she liked that free feeling in the summer time.

This is our spot in the hotel lobby bar.

It was good to hear from Craig, disturbing images notwithstanding. He's been a bit scarce this summer doing his Oliver Wendell Douglas thing growing corn and 'maters and peppers and such when he isn't being a librarian. I miss him, of course, but I am a bit vexed at him. I think he put something strange in my library file. Or maybe he just said he would and let my imagination take over. I swear the librarians at my branch have been looking at me strangely. Hmmm. I think he's being my nemesis again.

Inbox of the Damned

A view of our favorite libations.

I can't really complain about all that has been heaped upon my to do list. I volunteered for 80% or more of the pile. And I can't really say that the extra work has kept me from finishing my latest titles. I was having much more trouble with them last year when I was doing relatively little. I am making progress, but not as quickly as I would have liked. Meanwhile, the work I've been doing has a lot of benefits aside from monetary ones. I'm building a reputation as well as my brand with the manga and short stories. That will have a big impact on the books sometime next year, if all goes well. And the books are on track and fun again. I'm just a bit slower than I was a few years back. There is a work around to all that won't be ready for the West Hollywood Bookfair. I just have to slog my way though it before Monday. There will be no volunteering for something new until everything is uploaded or put to bed. I must be strict about this! I'll try not to be grumpy though.

Next week, look for a new page on Sybpress.com for the Hollywood Bookfair. There will be some great links to the authors of our titles, some info on our new titles, and lots of links to all sorts of indie fiction, poetry readings, etc. It will change frequently in the run up to the Bookfair, so check often!

Stay tuned!

Teaser Shoot Field Notes

Here is the full skinny on the teaser shoot. It's a lot of detail, but I think it will give a detailed account of how jammed packed last Saturday was.
http://demonspawntales.blogspot.com/2012/08/teaser-shoot-field-notes.html

Pastrami, Epiphanies and Actor Bonding on the Shoot

The big revelation came when I decided to buy the pastrami at the deli. I didn't buy a sandwich – just the sliced pastrami and the Swiss cheese. How is that a revelation? It's just deli meat, after all. There was a time and one that is not that long ago when I would have made the pastrami from a brisket. There are a few recipes for the home cook. I have the spices, and I had the time at the point I considered it. I realized that making the pastrami was a crazy thing to do for such a tiny shoot. The actor wouldn't be eating the sandwich. Actually, there was no guarantee that we would show the sandwich. As far as that shot went, there was nothing to be gained by having homemade pastrami. Further, there was far easier and far less expensive ways to feed the cast and crew. I had entertained the notion of serving the homemade pastrami along with some home roasted turkey breast for lunch. But beef prices are crazy right now and apparently, it's not turkey season at any of my markets.Forty dollars for lunch meat just seemed appalling to me. Resisting that impulse showed that I had gotten some sense into my head about pushing myself beyond all sense and reason. That was a very happy thing, because I still had a lot of hats to wear on Saturday. And I still had a cast and crew to feed. And a pastrami sandwich to make. Incidentally, the soup in the container is real and homemade, but only because I happened to have stock in the freezer and noodles in the pantry.

I managed not to work myself to a frazzle and get to the shoot exhausted. I was very tired, mind you. I don't sleep well before a shoot – even small ones. But I wasn't running on fumes. There was almost too much to do. We had a schedule that we had to keep to get the actors (whose time we were gifted) out of the house and onto their other appointments while getting all the shots on our list done. I'll go into the nuts and bolts of what we did and when we did it on the behind the scenes blog I write for this web series. You can visit there now and see some of the photos from the shoot HERE . Just go the the LINKS menu on the right. I'll post a link in an announcement here when that goes up. On this blog, I'll just cover what was going on in my head while all this mayhem unfolded. The primary hat I wore on the day of the shoot was sound technician. I had a mike and a mike stand and audio software (thanks, Bruce). But someone had to be on a headset making sure the dialog was actually recording. It's a pivotal job, but not physically difficult. However, that kept me from other tasks while shooting a take. In between takes, I was rushing around like a hummingbird to make sure actors who weren't in the current shots were in costume and getting their makeup done. After I made the sandwich, I had to keep checking to make sure none of said actors ate the sandwich. Jon brought a dozen gorgeous donuts from a shop very close to us in the Happy Corner strip mall. On a side note, those donuts are so incredibly light that we swear the unassuming owner had to have trained in Paris. Despite the donuts, actors do wander quite a bit and most eat a great deal.

Though I didn't have time for some things I would normally do – like take a photo of that magnificent sandwich or casual shots of the actors, I made sure that I could at least check on them as I jogged from room to room in the house we were using as a location. I'd hear a snippet that let me know that my Vampire and my Doctor were running their lines together. I also liked what I was hearing of their choices on how to read the lines. I could hear the chemistry between them. “Oh, good. They're bonding,” I thought on one pass through. On another pass, I heard them chatting with my FBI Agent. It was a ribald exchange that cause me to think, “Oh god, they're bonding!” It's a fine line with actors and bonding. The line between tight knit cast capturing lightning in a bottle to a set that's run amok is a very thin one. Jon and I are always outnumbered. I don't want to tell you what they found while pretending to research on that laptop. Sunshine Lliteras, or set dresser/makeup maven, asked me if I realized that all four of the actors were deeply twisted. I knew that two of them are, but the other two really surprised me. Sunshine thinks I am attracted to a certain vibe from the folks I work with. I must admit, even my crews tend to be on the wacky side. What's interesting about that is that the initial hires were all via e-mail. Maybe I can sense wackiness through email.

The shoot was a frenzy, but it was a fairly organized frenzy. While Jon and I shot one set of actors in one room, Sunshine did makeup and set dressed the other. When Jon and two of the actors helped put the living room back the way we found it, Sunshine and I set up the green screen and the table. Somewhere in the middle of all that, Sunshine and I quickly set the meal up to heat. I chose a favorite Ina Garten recipe, lemon chicken with garlic and herbs, basmati rice and a mixed baby greens salad. Instead of boneless chicken breasts, I used in bone in chicken parts from a picnic pack. I quickly picked some red onions and cucumbers to go on the salad. All we had to do was put the chicken and the sauce in a baking dish. The rice went into another one. I decided not to stop shooting to eat, because we were very close to finishing. Of course, I was starving having not eaten since 5:30 am – it was 1pm. I also managed to not go to the bathroom for all that time either. That happens with all of my shoots. I just don't find the time. We kept moving, because we had great momentum. The new fangled camera needed very little in the way of extra lighting, so there wasn't the fifteen to twenty minutes of tweaking (if we're lucky) between shots. Jon went from shot to shot with barely a break in between. We thought we would finish with the house put back together by 4:30 or 5pm. We were finished with the house put together and eating at 2:30. I was lounging on my sofa at 3:30. That was awesome. And it was so nice to see Jon working a shoot again. He looks intense and frenetic, but he was having a great time. He was jazzed the rest of the weekend.

There were some disappointments connected to the shoot, but they were minor. I didn't get the use the orchid I took great pains to buy at the Farmers Market. The green leaves faded into the green screen. I'm am so glad that I only spent ten dollars on that and not sixty dollars on that bonsai tree. Besides, I get to keep the very pretty thing which is supposed to last up to eight months. I wanted to have more than one shot of my vampire in period clothing, but that proved to be too complicated to get done in one day along with all the dialog shots. Ah well, that why the finished product is called a teaser. It's a hint of things to come. Jon says I'm vexed because I like seeing cute guys in pirate costumes. I think that is beside the point. We'll save those shots for another day.

Overall, I'm deeply pleased at how well that shoot went. I am paying for it physically though not as much as I thought I would. I need more than today to get some real rest or I will be in trouble. A couple of actors have called to fuss at me about doing too much on my own. There was talk of hiring me a minder, so I behave myself. I've got that covered in the actual shooting budget, believe me. I can't do five days like that in a row. However, it meant the world to me to be able to do it at all. I had some bad moments this past week. My yearly mammogram put a terrible fright in me that amounted to nothing mere than a Doc being careful due to my history. I must have looked plenty freaked out though, because I was told the results (all clear) before I left. The humidity has brought back sinus headaches like I haven't had since I last lived in Philly. Not fun. But overall, I am stoked at how well things went and what that says about the future.

There is more. There is Craig and the naked guy he thought was a bear, but that'll be for next time.

Stay tuned.

Julia, Nervous Tummies and Film Shoots

Long before there was a Food Network and Cooking Channel, there was Julia Child on PBS. I watched her as a child for pure entertainment. Her shows were often as funny as they were informative. She just tickled me. I really wanted to try to cook her recipes when I was a kid, but they were beyond my skills then. And Frankly, the ingredients were very difficult to find. I can remember trying to find shallots in my local grocery store as a teenager. The produce clerk looked at me like I was speaking Martian. In December of 2009, when I was recovering from my first surgery and prepping for the second, the film Julie and Julia  came out on DVD. The film was based in part on My Life in France http://amzn.com/0307277690 , a biography of Julia Child's life as she wrote her first cookbook. Jon bought me that book along with Julia's Kitchen Wisdom  along with the film. While the film was funny and sweet, the book was a revelation for me at a time when I really needed it. Julia showed me that anyone can change the course of her (or his) life at any time, so long as they have the determination to do so. Being new to a field is not an impediment. Being older is not an impediment. Not speaking the language is not an impediment. It was a joyful lesson that I really needed at that point in my life. I was in the 'what's next' stage of life. I still am, actually. But it's nice to have such a great example of the world being one's oyster. The cookbook as awesome as well. There were so many recipes that were updated from her first book as equipment changed. I've worked my way through a number of recipes that I'd never tried before or tried with less than stellar results. So far, every one that I tried has been a tasty success. And I'm still considering that cow's hoof!

Lists and Piles of Stuff

No, I'm not planning a trip at the moment though it looks like I am. As I've been detailing in my web series blog, Tales from Demon Under Glass http://demonspawntales.blogspot.com/ , we are gearing up to shoot a trailer for the web series. I had almost managed to completely bury our ironing board in the closet under all the stuff accumulating for the shoot on Saturday. Of course I needed the ironing board to complete some costumes. Yep, I have the ironing board and the fabric glue out. This is scary stuff! I confess that all the running around is making me have flash backs of everything that I hated about doing shoots. But then, that may be the fumes from the fabric glue. At any rate, everything seems to be running on schedule. We plan on shooting a photo shoot with the two leads, Garett Maggart and Owen Szabo tomorrow (Thursday). The trailer shoot is scheduled for Saturday. I have to build onto my piles from my ever growing lists between now and then. I'm hoping that if I can pull this off without ending up in bed all next week, I can pull off a mush longer shoot. I'm not sure how it will work out. Truth be told, the idea of canceling the entire shebang has run through my mind on several occasions just this afternoon. Hopefully, that passes.

I must be off to make costume pieces, edit the current manga and write a piece of fiction for the yaoi blog. I should have a number of crazy stories to tell text week.

Stay tuned.

Joyous News, Tiaras and Bubbly

For those not on any of my social networks or missed randomly meeting me on the street when I was dancing about, I will get the big news out of the way first. My latest round of diagnostic tests came back clean. I have graduated to only seeing my oncologist ever six months instead of every three and only getting tested once a year instead of every six months. I had no idea just how wound up I was about this until after I called Jon to tell him. My stomach ached and I started crying. I suppose it was relief hitting me as I realized that I won't be measuring my life in such small intervals anymore. I'll have three years in remission under my belt next year (Unofficially it's January. The last time I was hospitalized was January 2011. The Docs at UCLA told me I was completely clear of disease. Officially, it's March when the Docs at USC informed me). The odds are more in my favor the longer I'm in remission. I was feeling great when I went to check out with the nurses and get my next appointment. They looked a bit glum. I'd seen them send other patients in my position off with a lot more smiles. Then, I realized that my next appointment wasn't until after Christmas. I told them that there would still be Christmas cookies. That made them smile. I was too late to celebrate with a McDonald's sausage biscuit with egg. I decided that I needed to celebrate with at least a taste of how I would have liked to celebrate – a trip to France. I could not do that with a bus pass, so I bought the ingredients for a salad Niscoise, a baguette and a mid-range bottle of bubbly. That did the trick. There's something deeply satisfying about sopping up anchovy infused vinaigrette with a baguette. That was nice. Next time though, I'd like to include a view from an apartment in Monmartre. Though I still have to grapple with the new normal of my body, I am more than ready to get on with life.

Celebrations

Fortunately for me, there was an occasion to live it up the every next day (and why this blog is late). Good buddy and publishing partner, Marie, was having a birthday celebration. The day was jam packed with a shopping trip to the Fashion District  in Downtown LA. I was there to get sashes for some costumes. Marie was in search of a tiara to wear at her birthday party as you do. Of course, Marie found far more interesting shops down there than I ever had. We found the material for the sashes straight away. The search for tiaras had us going through all kinds of interesting boutiques. I bought a dress I wasn't planning on buying from Ethos Vintage Closet, a place that had clothing that looked like it came from the Belle Epoch era to the roaring twenties to the 1950s. It'll be an excellent resource for costumes, but that's for a different blog. The dress was beautifully, comfy and really nicely priced. I had to buy it, right? We found the tiaras in a shop that was having a 50% off sale on everything. Thus, I found myself with one as well. I've never had one this nice. I usually only have the cardboard New Year's Eve kind. Very exciting. Marie thinks we should wear them at the Culver Hotel when we next enjoy a post Farmers Market happy hour. We will be delighted to have an audience with any gallant soul who plies us with martinis and appetizers. Speaking of appetizers, I made two new ones for the party. One was a faux duck spring roll. The 'duck' was chicken thighs marinated with Peking duck spices. The other was white gazpacho soup made with cucumber, white grapes and leeks. They were fun to make and really tasty. As always, Marie's party was a delightful celebration with a really eclectic group of people. It was aptly suitable for the glorious hostess.

Today, I am resting from all these adventures with my feet propped up and a big glass of wine (I waited until 3pm) within easy reach. I have a lot of work to get back to beginning tomorrow. I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has sent me prayers and good wishes and all of you who were understanding of my occasional freak outs. It means a lot to me and to Jon to have all of this support – even if it's an ear over the internet.

Updates

The web page for the Sybaritic Press West Hollywood Bookfair booth will launch by this time next week. The plan is to have an email list to join for updates, because we will be adding titles and participants to the list as each are confirmed. I have to put my nose to the grindstone and finish A Soldier's Destiny and Vincent Greven's Cookbook among other things. I believe it can be done in enough time to get hard copies by September 30^th even with all the other items on my overly laden plate. Here's hoping!

Stay tuned.

Angst and Joy and Summer in the City

I'm growing more cranky of late. Or maybe I'm less inclined to suffer idiots in silence. Something is causing me to be more testy in public than ever have been. Last week, I was nearly run over in an intersection near the library. I was in a designated cross walk and crossing with a green light. The driver of an expensive SUV decided that making a left turn before on coming traffic reached her was more important than my well being. That was terrifying. Thus, when I reached the next major intersection, I was a little angry. I grew furious when the driver who was correctly waiting for me to cross before making a right was being honked at and cursed at by the three cars behind him. I made sure to lean down to eye level as I gave each of them the finger and asked if they'd rather the man run me down in the street. The drivers correctly assumed that I was seconds from smashing my shopping cart over the hood of their vehicles and moved on without comment. I considered letting one of them hit me, but the cars were crappy and unlikely to get me much money in a lawsuit. A Lamborghini turned up a few minutes later. It was tempting. That car costs more than the budget for our first feature. It was probably rented though. There is a high end car rental spot near here. I couldn't take the risk.

Testing Time

Since February of 2010, I've made a monthly trip to the Oncology Clinic at LA County USC Hospital to get a B-12 shot. For some reason, the Docs won't allow me to do the shots myself. I even know a registered nurse who is willing to teach me how. Beats me. The upshot is that I have visited with the lovely group of nurses who work in that clinic many, many times. There are also reminders of how far I've come physically each time I visit. Some of the patients who were being treated at the same time I was turn up. Some look amazing. Others are clearly declining. Despite all of these reminders, I often forget that 'normal' life for me is measured in sixth month intervals. Granted, I get blood tests every couple of months to make sure that the various markers are normal. They have been normal each time I've had the test since being declared in remission. The last test was just a month or so ago when I went to see my primary care Doc there. Everything looks great. So, I shouldn't be worrying, right? HA! That's not in human nature. And on a more serious note, I am a member of a forum for people who have endured this particular cancer and their caregivers. It is a place of great inspiration and support. It can also be a stark reminder of how everything can go wrong. That's very difficult to push from a mind completely. So, the day after the CT scan, I'm exhausted. I have 90 plus pages of manga script to edit. I also won't get back the results of the test until Tuesday morning. That makes for a long weekend.

Brighter Notes

It's not all gloomy in my world. There is a lot going on that is exciting for my career and very satisfying creatively. And then, there are the intangibles. After all, it has been a beautiful summer. I have been beyond happy with the produce I'm finding at the Farmers Market. The array of heirloom tomatoes has been fantastic. I have never had sweeter nectarines and plums. I have found what the fresh food folks say is true. It is very easy to eat properly when the good food tastes good. It's great to have tomatoes with flavor. I've been looking for those since moving away from my beloved Jersey maters. Salads with those, some sweet onion and tender spinach only need a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar to be heavenly. No oil necessary! And the fruit is even better than most desserts. Eating these wonderful treats actually lifts my mood. I felt lucky to have two Farmers Markets in my neighborhood. Now, there is a third! There is a small one on the route I take to Marina del Rey that started just last week. I'll have a choice between Sunday, Tuesday and Friday. Also, the food trucks have returned to Culver City and Marina del Rey has them on a different night. The foodie in me is in a joyful place.

Updates

The new books are coming together nicely for the West Hollywood Bookfair. We'll have a page dedicated to the even up in the next week or so. We're also gearing up for appearances at two conventions in the fall. I'm writing a lot of pages to get ready for those in time. Updates on the web series will be posted on Saturday.

Stay tuned.