(Mack says thanks too.)
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A couple of you have been asking how the blurb solicitation for the book was going, and I think (at least, in my perspective) it's going pretty well. Here's a list of the people who have submitted some advance word-of-mouth for the book so far (I had to call it "Advance Praise" on the website because that's commercial don't you know, but that sounds so self-congratulatory it makes me cringe). I am really floored and honored that so many of these authors took the time out from their very busy lives to read my book in its typo-filled galley stage and even more humbled that they had nice things to say about it. I view this whole book process as nothing much more than a dalliance into a different field, an interesting side hobby, but I have to say that I'm really looking forward to next Spring. It's going to be fun.
On the topic, we're set to present at the conference at the Iowa Writer's Workshop (I'm told) the morning of Saturday, April 23rd. I'm relieved that we secured a weekend date for the panel--aside from ease of travel, I really wanted to make sure that wouldn't have to miss any work to travel to Iowa (that is to say, that I would not have to arrange some elaborate series of trades for coverage) and now I'm trying to figure out some way to tack on some kind of meet-up after the conference. I realize that I can't exactly expect too many non-locals to travel out for an event in Iowa (even with the enticement of CME credits--come on y'all, gotta keep that licensure up to date!) and even if you were going to the conference, that you might have other plans and other cooler people to hang out with.
HOWEVER. For those people who have nothing else to do and who wish to relieve my crushing loneliness (remember, this will be the first trip I'm taking without my kids since...well, since I had kids) is there anywhere cool to meet up around the university? I notice that Prairie Lights seems to have a café (a café that serves booze), so that might be a nice place nearby, but I'm waiting to hear from them to see if I can schedule a reading there and that kind of thing. But in case that doesn't work out for one reason or another, is there anywhere else nearby with a laid-back, hangout, non-fratty vibe? E-mail me, I will try to see if I can try to set up something in advance.
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Joe, Cal and I moved to Atlanta in 2008. Since then, we have lived in three rental homes. Yes, we have moved three times in the past three years. It seems like in New York, when you rent, you just keep living there forever or until the building goes co-op or is condemned. But in Atlanta, housing rentals are by and large one-year leases, and I'm getting pretty sick of feeling so temporary.
We've been delaying one of the great milestones of adulthood for some time now, largely for financial reasons, but the lease at our current home is running out in July, and I think it's time to stop living out of boxes. (In answer to the flurry of questions of why we are continuing to live in Atlanta despite being New York partisans, the answer, quite pragmatically, is this: Atlanta is where our jobs are, and we really like our jobs. Hey, I want to live in Paris too, but I don't have a good job there either. Look, I'm not going to lie to you, as a place to live, I prefer New York. But choices in adulthood are more complex than which city has the best take-out options, so...yeah.)
Anyway, we're starting to look at real estate. We're looking to become homeowners. About which, hopefully, more later.