Best Week Ever!

July 26, 2008

Yikes. Where does the week go? I finished teaching on the 17th of July, then graded for a couple of days. Last week, however, I pretty much just chilled.

Saw movies:

Sex and the City –was ok, fun. I never really watched the show but Ted did. It seemed a tad too long but it wasn’t torture.

Batman/Dark Knight– i’m not much of a comic book/superhero person (though I like the X-Men movies) so this one didn’t totally blow me away like it did Ted. Still, the acting is superb (Go Maggie Gyllenhall!) and the action scenes (while kind of confusing) were fun.

Tell No One– saw this by myself the other day. Wow. Wow. Totally held me captive by the mystery. Such a cool, noir-ish French film (and it’s based on an American Novel by Harlan Coben). The lead actor, Francois Cluzet, was outstanding– and looks a bit like a taller, more handsome (and younger) Dustin Hoffman. Kristin Scott Thomas again shows what a strong character actress she is becoming; she plays the lover of the leading man’s sister. I don’t speak French but it seemed to me that KST spoke it very well. Really a compelling, thrilling film.

Ok, so I also watched Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the remake) on Spike TV the other day. You know me, I need my horror fix every once in a while. I have to say, the film creeped me out AND the cinematography (washed out, grainy, blues and oranges) was gorgeous. I think it was heavily edited for TV but I still enjoyed it. (and Jessica Biel gives good scream).

I read magazines:

Picked up the Atlantic Monthly’s Special Fiction Issue. Though the stories are good the best thing for me was reading Ann Patchett’s essay, My Life In Sales– which is about going on book tour. She’s funny, bitchy, smart. I’ve never gone on a book tour myself (unless you count going to SF for the reading from the book Ted and I edited or readings in LA and NYC i’ve done for various anthologies i’ve been published in<-shameless plug for myself) but I’m always interested in hearing about my friends‘ various book tours–the good the bad and the ugly– and it was so intriguing and entertaining to read a successful, seasoned writer’s take on the (not always successful) tour.

Her friend, and fellow writer, Allan Gurganus had this to say about book tours: “The only thing worse than going on book tour is not going on book tour.”

Another excerpt:

Perhaps I should put my novels in a sample case, the expensive new hardbacks on one side, the smaller, friendlier paperbacks on the other, and go door to door through some neighborhood in St. Louis with my wares. If someone wanted me to stand on the sidewalk and read to them, I would read. If somebody wanted his or her book gift-wrapped for the holidays, I would wrap. If they wanted to cry in my arms, I would hold them. The door-to-door sales perfected by Fuller Brush and various encyclopedia companies seem to operate on a more reliable formula than the schemes of publishing houses.

I love her! Read the whole thing here.

I finally made my way back to Louise Erdrich’s The Plague of Doves after a couple of weeks of not reading it (I know, shameful, right?). Most of my reading was done on Thursday while I waited for my car to get fixed in the shop (just a tune-up actually). If you live in San Diego and want honest, friendly, affordable car repair/service then run, don’t walk to Hillcrest Smog & Repair. It’s a family owned business that has been around for over ten years. They are so cool, friendly, easygoing. Not to mention the owner’s daughter (who I believe is also one of the mechanics) is this amazingly beautiful Asian woman– she looks like Lucy Liu.

Anyway… I still like the book, but it does seem (as some reviewers have mentioned) to read like a story or novella collection. Indeed many of the ‘chapters’ or sections have been published in mags like The NewYorker.

I have so many books to read but so little time. How does one do it? One of my favorite bloggers is Amy Shearn over at Moonlight Ambulette (HER BOOK, How Far is the Ocean From Here, IS NOW OUT!!!). She reads, like, a gazillion books a week. What’s her secret? Inquiring minds want to know.

Ted and I have been going to the beach off and on. It’s so beautiful and peaceful at the beach. I love it there. We live in San Diego, not 5 minutes from the beach, but the only time we ever go is in the summer.

We went to the Gay Pride Parade in San Diego. It was packed! It seemed to me there were more people than ever there–and all kinds of people: couples gay and straight, families (one of my best pals, and a former student, brought her teenage daughter), old and young. I could barely see the floats for the crowds of people. After the parade we went with Eduardo to the Lafayette Hotel –it was Eduardo’s birthday. The Lafayette has been around for what seems like centuries (really since 1946). All the famous stars would stay here. Hunky Johnny Weissmuller (Olympic swimmer and former movie Tarzan) designed (and I hope swam in) the pool. Eduardo and his pals Jen and Dave and Liz and John got three rooms poolside and we basically took over the hotel. We swam, talked, ate and drank too much, and basically frolicked like rock stars. It was one of the best weekends i’ve had since we’ve been back in San Diego and I thank all of them for including us.

Here are pictures:

(from left to right: Eduardo contemplates Pride and turning 50 er, 45; Ted dons cowboy hat to show his western Pride; BA, Rob and Cassie poolside at the Lafayette; Ted thinks he’s a rockstar if he wears a cowboy hat in a hotel pool and rides a blow up pink flamingo; Rob and BA in the fancy Lafayette dining room; Debra, Liz and John looking fabulous in orange lighting;Jen and Dave (aka sexiest couple of the millenium–second place goes to Liz and John); what happens at the Lafayette Pool stays at the Lafayette Pool. (photos courtesy of John).

Sooooo, the bottom line is: I so needed a week like this.

Next up for me and Ted (and Eduardo, too): Lazy Bear Weekend in Guerneville! (AKA Camping with the bears).