Ms. Valente coins a movement.

I’m down.

Sometimes these girls come along to remind me to get out of my own box. Feels like a lot of them have been kicking around lately. Such as:

SJ Tucker

You know those girls? You know?

If not, get out of your box, I do implore you…

Master of comics horror illustration (and illustrious Streetfables collaborator, and all-around good buddy) Jeff Zornow has a table at the Big Apple Con, taking place next weekend. Details here. I need to swing by and make sure he’s got some WEIRD SISTER to shill. It’s Jeff’s first con appearance and he’s pretty excited, as you should be if you’re going, which you should be. If you do go, give him a smooch for me and try not to drool on the artwork.

Jeff also has a piece in a new magazine, CRYPTIC, from Dead Dog Entertainment — you should be able to find it at B&N in the movies/entertainment section. He’s also hard at work drawing a DAY OF THE DEAD miniseries, and has more CRYPTIC on the way, so, he’s a pretty busy guy. Which makes me happy, ’cause he’s awsome.

Here’s the thing. I’m not into all snark, all the time, no matter how “funny” said snark may be. So I tend to avoid sites that make that their calling card, like Gawker and Wonkette. It’s not that I don’t have a sense of humor. It’s not that I never make with the snark myself — believe me, I do. It’s just that when that’s your only game, I get worn out quick. Swimming in your insecurities is like trying to keep afloat in a vat of quicksand — tiring, and I could use a hot bath afters.

Oh, wait. Was that snarky? Begging your pardon.

Anyway, that’s why I tend to pass on You Knit What?, a gallery of pointing and laughing at the Worst Knitting Patterns In The Universe, past and present. Sure, the patterns are funny. Personally, I engage in a lot of “WTF?” when I pick up new knitting magazines. But it’s in the privacy of my own home, see. That’s the difference. I had my fill of “Oh. My. God. What. Is. She. Wearing?!” in high school.

Nonetheless, someone somewhere will point to You Knit What? and I’ll go back for a few, take three bites, and leave again. Such was the case today when I found this:

Yeah.

I’m torn between “Yeah, I can get behind that” and “Poor little dude.” Conflicted, even.

Yeah.

For some reason, I have two copies of 13 WAYS OF LOOKING AT THE NOVEL. Who wants one?

I received my first piece of forwarded mail today, a notification from Fountain Pen Hospital about their spring pen expo.

I also found not one, not two, but three lucky pennies on the sidewalk today, all at different times. That’s got to count for something.

By way of Midori:

A Coyote In The City

I’m sure Gothamist has something, probably the Times, too… but I’m on the run.

Incidentally, “True Men Don’t Kill Coyotes” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is one of my favorite songs.

A little while back, I started getting emails about something called The Bat Segundo Show. I’m pretty sure that I didn’t sign up for these emails; though, in all fairness, maybe I did. I mean, I can barely remember my soon-to-be-no-longer-my-last-name these days. But, whatever. “A literary podcast with today’s contemporary writers?” I asked myself. “Sure, they can send me those emails.”

Anyway. My point, and I do have one, is Ron. He’s this week’s guest, chatting about his book. He’s cute and funny and always good company, not to mention wicked smart about these things, so go listen.

Today’s existential question: will we ever, ever be unpacked?

And yes, I’m kicking it old skool and changing my name in a couple of months in honor of my new husband, but, in Jane Yolen fashion, “Elizabeth Genco” shall remain my public name/written name/pen name/whatever-you-want-to-call-it. So you probably won’t even notice.

Wow, what a week. Remind me to never move again. OK, maybe I’ll consider it if it’s my own home.

1. We’re still unpacking. I’d always sworn that we’d not fall into that “still unpacking” trap, but, well, we need to get the rest of the stuff over here. I did do a fair amount of sorting yesterday. My writing room needs some help.

2. Adventures in cable guys today. This is the one where the internet hookup goes away for days, and, when Time Warner finally decides to send a technician out here, said technician hangs out my window with a shovel in one hand, waving it around to keep the neighbor’s woofy, bushy dog at a distance. I lost an entire work day. Drats.

3. It’s National Craft Month. Go make something. I’ve started making this because I “just happened” (no, really!) to have the yarn laying around but it’s more trouble than it’s worth.

Note: writing comics scripts counts as crafting, in its own crazy way. Ergo, I’m covered. (Yeah, like you were worried.)

4. Here’s tonight’s plea: please don’t hate me for liking Kimora Lee Simmons’ book. It’s actually pretty darned entertaining and, dare I say it, useful for a certain kind of teenage girl. Perhaps not me at that age, but… truthfully, I probably could have used a little Kimora then.

Just a little. Let’s not go crazy.

What can I say? I like people with “fire in the belly”.

5. Midori is cooking up some fun stuff for you in honor of National Poetry Month, which is next month. Stay tuned.

Dang it, poetry is so cool. And so is Midori.

6. Did you know that there are etiquette rules for addressing wedding invitations? No, neither did I.

I’m really, really tired.

Oh geez. I just quoted some Led Zeppelin up there. Talk about the seriously dorky.

Been away for about a week, getting settled in the new digs. Well, make that moving first, then settled. There’s still so much to do with it all that it’s just a little bit intimidating, to say nothing of, oh, I don’t know, a wedding…

Anyway, the stories of John Collier, that great cult writer’s writer, have been keeping me company. He has now earned a place on the list of Obscure Writers I Love And Thereby Of Whom I Need A Picture (or OWILATOWINAP, for short), along with Katharine Briggs (score!) and Lewis Spence (still at large). Image searches prove somewhat difficult thanks to that Pre-Raphaelite painter guy of the same name. But do not despair! The Nipple has a biography; ergo, I might stand a ghost of a chance.

We haven’t been to the library in quite some time. Bah.

In other news, did you know that there’s only one bookstore in Europe that specializes in out-of-print fantasy, sci-fi and horror? No? Me neither. In any case, that’s not right.

Lastly, it’s Anne Truitt’s 85th birthday today. Thankfully, the Management has a picture of her: