Magnets, Burgers, Revisions and Other Stuff

Spent a few hours at the Menil Collection here in Houston yesterday. An amazing museum complex that is totally free and has a phenomenal permanent exhibit of surrealism (including paintings by Magritte and Picasso) and this really creepy/cool room of items that the various surrealists collected (or facsimiles thereof). So you see their private stashes of feathers and masks and weird statues and those things people used to use to make postcards look 3-D. Okay hang on. I've got to look that up. I know there's word. Ah! It's stereoscope. (the more modern version for kids was called a Viewmaster, but the concept has been around a long while) One of the temporary exhibits was from this Greek artist, Takis (the man, not the shockingly orange snack food) who does all these pieces with magnets that make you go hmm, how the heck did he do that. Like this:

It's magnets behind the canvas that hold those things totally still in the air. Crazy.

Anyway, it's this amazing museum and the full complex includes the Rothko Chapel and the Cy Twombly Gallery. And if you're in Houston, you should really go.

Then because I had some things to drop off at Writespace, where I teach now and then, we had burgers at Stanton City Bites, where you can get the Truckstopper, which looks like this:

Yeah, those are onion rings on my burger. And cheese. And bacon. And ooh look, it's tomato and lettuce so it's healthy!

Then back to revisions for IT WASN'T ALWAYS LIKE THIS (coming May '16 from Soho Press) and some really cool research on hawks and falconry and did you know hawks mate while flying then free-fall while, um, together. And somehow don't manage to slam into the ground. I don't think this factoid will make it into the book, but you get what you get when you sink into those inter webs.

And now it's Thursday and season finale for both Scandal and Blacklist tonight and so it goes her in the Bayou City where it has been raining on and off for weeks, nay, months. We're out of drought conditions, and my tomato plants are thriving, but oh the endless Seattle-esque gloom…

Monday Musings

Last Monday in July and I am not sure how that is even possible! But I think the swift passage of the summer has a lot to do with releasing a book in mid May while editing another, writing another and revising (more than once) a proposal for a future project. Plus life and some travel and various other stuff both good and bad (I'm looking at you, new AC system. But thanks for cooling us off!) Also it is Houston. And it is currently hitting 97 every day. And even walking the dog sometimes feels like more of an effort than it's worth unless I heave us out into the cooler (ha!) 80 degree air at 7AM.

Anyway.

A few observations on this steamy Monday:

1. It's almost time for SCBWI LA! One of my favorite long weekends of the year! I get to see my lovely agent. This year I get to see one of my fabulous editors! I get to hang out with writerly types and friends old and new, and learn some stuff and fan girl authors whose work I adore and if I'm lucky, drink some wine and hopefully breath in some cooler air and see the ocean. (I can see the Gulf here in Galveston, but we're having a huge seaweed issue this summer and no offense to Texas but it's just not the same as dipping my toes in the icy Pacific. )

2. Still forging through the Outlander series. Just began book 6. (maybe that's where the summer went, too!) It has jumped the shark any number of times, (see: Claire and Bree kill a buffalo with a saw and pretty much everything that happens to Roger Mac: kidnapped by pirates; sold to the Indians; hit on the head numerous times; hung… but not killed) but no matter. I am in it to win it, people. A review when I crawl to the finish line some time this fall.

3. Very much enjoyed teaching my first class this weekend -- on POV this time-- at the new start up, Writespace Houston. I do so love talking about artistic choice, among the many other issues we discussed and worked on. Hooray!

4. A little birdie has told me that arcs of FINDING PARIS will be ready some time in September. I can hardly believe it! And did I mention that the book starts in Las Vegas? I'll be talking more about FP very soon.

5. Also, Sharknado 2 is coming! This either thrills you as much as it does me or it doesn't. It the latter, shame on you for not sharing my very lowbrow tastes. In that same vein, let me list some of my current favorite summer TV moments, in no particular order:
 a. the return of Annie Walker  and Covert Affairs. Annie and Auggie. Enough said.
b. the new season of RHONY. More specifically, the final episode. More specifically, Aviva tossing her artificial leg at Le Cirque. Because.. well, do I have to explain it to you?
c. the return of RHONJ. Although the twins aren't doing it for me. But Rino. (or however you spell his name). Yeah. And the return of Dina "nobody's that f-ing zen" Manzo.
d. The Bridge. Dark and sad. But probably a fairly accurate depiction in many regards of life on both sides of the Texas border.

I could keep listing. But then you'd think I never did any work. :)

Til next time...