Michael Phelps eh

Does anyone else have Olympic overload? I didn't think it could happen but there it is.

Of course I could be alone out there. I am the only person I know who can only watch 2 maybe 3 seasons of a tv show before getting bored.

Yark.

Yark. While deadlines make me work faster, I think the new one I have set for myself is going to kill me. I have decided that I am going to finish the next draft of my book by 10/28. I do realize it still need editing after that, but I want to be done. Why 10/28 you ask?

Well 3 things, I am going away for a scrapbooking weekend with Crystal that weekend, and I want to be done before that date. Why before the big weekend? When I get back it will be the beginning of November.

Whats the beginning of November have to do with anything you ask? Well you guys are very inquisitive tonight. Well November is the NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month. Where I will write a novel in a month. Thats crazy you say? Well I won last year and I plan to do it again this year. And I don't think I can do it with 'Repeat' hanging over me.

So my goal is to finish it right before the weekend, so I can have some down time, before I start that crazy schedule again. (I will tell you about last year some other time) I have done my spread sheet and it looks like I have to do about a chapter a week. And I am freaked out. Honestly I don't know why it's freaking me out so much, especially since I initally wrote the whole thing in a month. That averages out about 4 chapters a week. (I had to take some time out for work stuff, so I missed a week)

But I have my spreadsheet so I should be fine. So long as no one wants to see me for 3 months. I have already told work that I was not going to be working any more overtime either. Yark.

That was only 2 reasons you say? Right. Thanks for reminding me. November 2 I turn 30. 30. I need to start showing more progress. I have given myself 2 more years. 2 years to show any progress.

Its go time. Now leave me alone, I'm watching what will have to be my last night of Olympics.

Michael Phelps rocks!

Book-a-rific!

I got tons of free books (the official count for the end of the week was 80). I love the book signings. This is my chance to find out what's being published. But the best part is to give genre's I don't generally read a chance. I have an inspirational (I do have to say they have great titles) and a young adult. I read the inspirational in the airport, it was Wanted by Shelley Shepard Gray. I have to admit I enjoyed it and will probably pick up the next book in the series, or even another inspirational author.

I met some of my favorite authors, perhaps you may have heard of them? A Ms. Nora Roberts (I got her new book Tribute in hardcover signed. I can't wait to read it.) and a Ms. Jayne Ann Krentz. Yes, THE Nora Roberts. I waited in long lines (see pic) and got lots of free books. yay.
Jayne Ann Krentz, I waited for her too. She just signed a book for my friend Aimee.
A few more people recognized me from the conference last year, and I met up with Liza Palmer again. She is still just as cool.

Thursday night Laurie and Shoshi had their party for the From the Heart Chapter. So I was on my own for dinner. I decided to take my first foray over to the food court. There were so many choices! Not only did I have to figure out where I was going to eat, I had to figure out how. I ended up Lurking a place called Coriander, an Indian place. Finally I noticed a woman with a RWA badge on entering the line. I figured if she could do it so could I, plus I might be able to chat her up and find someone to eat with. Dude. It totally worked.

Her name was Marie Harte, and she writes erotica, she was a very nice lady, and introduced me to her very nice friends Cat and Teri. They were just normal regular ladies. I could see them totally fitting in with me and my friends. I hope we keep in touch. After we ate dinner, we went back to the hotel, they took me to the room they shared, gave me free books, and then we went to the midnight bazar. I bought a t-shirt.

We then went to the very loud bar and talked tv.Where is the picture of Nora and I you ask? (Which is the best picture I have taken in a really long time) Well, Ms Greedies, if I give up all the good stuff now, there will be noting to make you listen to my tales later. (If you think my updates gets you out of listening to me when I get back, boy are you in for a surprise)

Can you all tell I've had a Mango Mohito tonight? Shoshi, Laurie, and Shane (the wonderful bringer of Diet Cokes) went to a Mexican Resturant. Yumm.
Smooches from SF
Stephanie

Workshop Shuffle

Here is the email I sent out on Thursday:

Good lord. For those of you keeping track, I am still alive. And so far head cold free. Now are the times where the days start blending together.

Yesterday was the kick off for the conference, the literacy signing. This year there were over 520 authors signing. Today we found out that we earned over 54,000 for the CA literacy group. Go us. Of course since I was volunteering as a cashier (time to put all my years in retail to work) I am painfully aware how busy we were. After scaring the crap out of us with warnings of mean people demanding free things, the coordinators put us to work. I was sat next to a woman who was very cranky and then proceeded to explain all the horrible things going on in her life making her so cranky. yay. Anyway by the end of the night I was horse from shouting, "I can help someone down at this register!" (thank you Zeb's) and "Would you like to round up for literacy? Literacy. To help people who can't read? It's a good cause, just do it." I had one woman who told me she was told all the books were going to be half off the cover price. I was all like, nope, as a matter of fact, I'm going to ask you for even more money. Would you like to round up for literacy?

After the signing was the clean up and the party for my chapter. Now there are actually people who recognize me and say hello to me in the hallways. Today I met up with Megan Crane at Starbucks (don't worry about me, I am still able to get my daily fix here!) She is one of the authors I hung out with at the conference last year. Of course me being the terrible person I am, never kept in contact with any of them. She recognized me and came over to say hello!! And she realized I had grown my hair out.

The workshops started today and everyone is impressed by how freakishly prepared I am with my conference binder. The rooms are smaller in this hotel for the workshops, so I didn't get into the first round of workshops. Damn my need to pee! We have all quickly learned the workshop sprint. Here's how it goes: Once in a work shop, only unpack the bare essentials. Its best if you don't even take out any paper, write on your hand if you find it absolutely necessary to take notes. About half way through, put pen away, and close purse. As soon as the moderator asks for questions, jump from your seat and run for the stairs. Only amateurs wait to take the elevator. Once you reach the new room, the previous session will still be in progress-- burst in anyway, pick out the weakest attendee, and stare them down until they give up their seat.

I haven't made any new friends yet. I am stalking this one girl who is very friendly and we keep bumping into each other. She doesn't know it yet, but we are going to be friends. Best of friends. Or Else.

Alright I have to go. I need to strategize my day tomorrow. Figure out the exact floor plan, memorize where the stairwells are... Also, the free book signings start tomorrow. Requests? Otherwise I am going to to go with everything I can get my hands on.

Who am I kidding? I'll probably do that anyway.

Stephanie

Here are some pics:


This is from the Ferry building that I went to with Shoshi and Laurie. We got amazing sandwiches and ate it outside. This was one of the few sunny warm days.


This is the display at Bloomingdales. There is this huge fancy mall right by the hotel. Laurie and I were killing time while Shoshi got her hair done. We picked up these fruit tarts (mine was lemon) and it was incredible. I bought it as SF version of a grocery store. They also have this really fancy food court. Yeah I ate there multiple times. But I will get into that in another post.

Opening Games

Just to break into my vacation reporting...

I love the Summer Olympics. And no, its not because of the Mens swim teams.

Well not completely because of the mens swim teams...

This however, is my first year watching the opening night. What is up with all the hats? USA is all pimped out in its white golf hats. I also have to laugh whenever the cameras pan into the President and the first lady. You'd think they would know the cameras could be on them at any time and would at least act like they are interested. One time when the cameras panned over, both of them were looking at their watches.

There are dozens of countries that have never won any metals. Ever. That is dedication.

Did anyone else know that table tennis is an Olympic game? Isn't that ping pong?

Okay, right now there is a guy marching around in fur cape. Check it out, New Zealand.

Seriously though, I always get hooked on the summer olympics. It makes the goober in me want to cry. All those people, working so hard, so proud of themselves and their countries. Everyone is there for a common goal, no one is booed, everyone is cheered, even the teams from countries you've never even heard of, that have like 4 members total. You know that this is the biggest thing that has ever happened to them.

Did anyone see the little boy who walked next to the guy holding the Chinese flag? He is this little boy who was in the big earthquake. He was in school when it happened and he was able to get himself out, and then went back to help his classmates out. When he was asked later why he stayed, he said that he was a class leader, it was his job to lead the class.

Am I the only one who watches the Olympics with a tissue?

Besides how much fun is it to say Pieter Van Den Hoogenband?

How much fun is it to look at Pieter Van Den Hoogenband?

As a matter of fact after all the tissues, I think we deserve a picture of Pieter Van Den Hoogenband.

Soak it in ladies:

From the Land of Women.

RWA has descended upon the hotel, and it is women as far as the eye can see. Or the ears can hear.

I thought I walked a lot yesterday. Yesterday was nothing. I spit on yesterday. Today I walked everywhere.

It was a weird day. I took a taxi from my original hotel to the Conference hotel. Due to the earliness of the time, I was able to get a double double room. Considering the fact I had never met my roommate before before, I really did not want to share a bed with her, so yay.

I was wandering around and thought I would see if I could help with and bumped into some women who were talking about the conference, after chatting them up, I found out that it was the president of RWA Sherry Lewis While we were waiting for the office people to come back, Sherry invited us to her room. She had a Suite at the top of the hotel. It had a sitting room, dining room, and an balcony (a big one) with amazing views of the downtown area. Was I so uncouth that I asked to go out there and take pictures? Who do you think your talking to?

While getting lost, I found myself in the natural territory of the gays, The Castro.

Then I went to Golden Gate park, (seriously? So not worth it, nothing like central park) I missed the Bison collection, but I did see the Japanese gardens ($4 to get in).

After that I got lost and ended up in Haight Ashbury. Groovy.

Here are some random picks:

Bambi, you're the devil. (Enlarge to check out just how freaky he is)

Seriously, check out the nipples on this statue-

Lots of Love, and believe it or not, I do miss you all!

Notes from SF

Hello From the Road,

Today was another very long walky day and I am very proud of the blisters I have to show for it. My original plan for today was to go to the golden gate park, but then I realized it was Monday and the museums were not open today. Instead I decided to take the tour to Muir woods and Sausalito (who knew it wasn't just a cookie?) The tour was at 2 so I went down to embarkadero via the bart, and visited the ferry. After walking around there, I hopped a cable car and traveled back to the warf to catch the bus. It seems like the warf is a big whole that keeps sucking me in. I grabbed a lunch of chowder in a sourdough roll. Yum.

The bus took us over the golden gate bridge. Muir Woods (redwoods) was beautiful, very serene. These trees are magnificent, and I live in a national forest, so I know trees. I met a mother and daughter from Australia on the tour and we wandered around Sausalito together, eating this amazing Hawaiian ice cream. Black cherry cordial. Yum. It was beautiful and sunny in Sausalito, from our side of the water we could see the SF skyline, it was covered in mist, kind of creepy.

When we got back from the tour, my new friends and I went to a lovely place to eat in the italy section, where we bumped into a large group of men, women and babies in red dresses running down the street. Later I found out they were a drinking group with a running problem. After, the warf sucked me back in again and I went to Ghiradellis for an icecream sundae. I ate it as I stood in line for the trolley. Get this-- I rode back to my hotel, hanging onto the side of the trolley. Did I get video you ask? Why yes I did!

Tomorrow I head to my new hotel, and probably to the Golden Gate Park, and if I know SF--- probably the warf.

Stephanie

Good old fashioned Porn

Greetings and Salutations,

I am ready to come home now. jk.

I finally got to my hotel room at about 5am our time. Yark

Plane ride was great! I went the the automatic check in and noticed that I could change my seating arragngement, so instead of sitting in the middle of 2 people, I got a window seat on the last row. Then my guy moved to another row and I got the whole thing to myself. I officially love JetBlue.

My first day I road the trolley down to the warf, I picked up my first souvi from one of the local street people. No not street people as in the shaking cup at you kind, but one of those street vendors. In SF there seems to be three types of street vendors, scenic photographs, weird knitted hats, and beaded whatnots, bead necklaces, earrings, ect. Anyway my I bought a pic from one of the photograph people, it was of the Muir Woods.

Down at the warf I checked out the submarine they had on display. Believe it or not it is the same submarine they filmed one of my guilty pleasure movies, Down Periscope on.

Then I checked out the mechanical museum, where they display all the things that used to entertain us before video games. I actually really enjoyed it. They even had the pre playboy porn on display. Who was the perv who recorded it? yes that would be me. If I have played my cards right i will be able to figure out how to load it here.



At the end of the day I went home via limo, a smelly sweaty limo. Only in SF I guess.

Every day I have to work up my nerve to leave my cozy hotel room. I don't feel comfortable without a plan, without a guide. I try to remember I am a loud proud woman and I have nothing to be nervious about, but of course you all know me. But eventually I gather, my maps, my money, camera and nerve, and step outside the door.

Go Me!
Here are some more random pics from my first day out...


So there was a guy behind this "bush", he would jump out and scare people, and then they would pay him. One kid tried to sneak up and scare him. Here is what he said, " Kid , there ain't nothing scary about a white guy behind a bush. Unless you're Dick Cheney"




Mmm Sourdough


Hells yeah, I walked up this hell, I mean hill.
Crookedest Street

I'm a bad, bad girl.

I have been appropriately shame-ed. A year has passed, I just came home from this years conference, where I met up with the lovely Megan Crane. She mentioned me in her blog and linked to this blog. This very empty blog. Bad Girl. And the funny thing is I write these long drawn out emails to my friends, so there is no reason why I haven't. I'm just a bad, bad girl. So for now I am going to load up my emails.

Enjoy!