Erm, I’m back. It’s only been, what, three months since I sent one of these? I actually had news to share, too – I have a sad zombie/mom guilt reprint out now (by which I mean was out in September) in Crone Girls Press’s latest anthology Tangle & Fen!
It’s one of my favorite things I’ve written, but writing it was also one of the most viscerally upsetting creative experiences I’ve ever had. So, just, know that going into this one. I did a short interview with CCP about the story too.
So let’s talk about the Statue of Liberty, shall we?
I got to visit the world’s best baby recently to celebrate his first birthday, and if I weren’t trying to maintain separation between my Batman and Bruce Wayne identities (she writes, right underneath a giant graphic of her damn face), I’d have a lot more to say here about how wonderful it was to get to spend time with the people involved.
Since I can’t do that, though, I’ll just tell you about this astonishing thing that happened on the same trip—I had a fantastic time visiting the Statue of Liberty. I mean, just fucking fantastic.
I didn’t want to do it, either. It sounded like a recipe for misery. I assumed it would involve being surrounded by tourists and packed like grouchy sardines on a very long ferry to go see something I’ve seen approximately one million times in every kind of visual media that exists, and we’d all get extremely stressed and possibly made late for our flight.
I was sure I would also transform into the absolute worst of my manifestations, that of the mother frantically trying to have a good time for everyone, whose sugary pitch of voice is rising to astronomical heights above its typical level as she grasps at straws for anything to capture her family’s forever-lost interest in the experience she is desperately cramming down their unwilling throats (“LOOK at that seagull! Oh, it’s pooping! How interesting! Oh, and look at that pigeon! Its neck is so shiny! It sure seems to be enjoying eating that cigarette butt! Can I take your picture with it?” etc.).
In actuality, though, the weather was beautiful, and the boat ride was fun and they sold snacks. There were at least fifteen languages being spoken around us, and everyone was friendly, excited in a mellow sort of way, and happy to take photos of everyone else’s group so no one got left out of the picture. So while we were indeed surrounded by tourists, I truly did not mind and honestly quite enjoyed being of their number.
And the Statue of Liberty herself is actually pretty neat. She’s very big, and very green, and seeing her up close gave me a pleasant feeling of the world delivering an experience that was exactly as promised.
I can’t believe I’m coming back from New York and my biggest recommendation is to go see the Statue of Liberty, but you know what? Fuck it, I am not a cool person and never will be, so yeah, I’m telling you to go buy those ferry tickets.
We also hit the dinosaur halls at the Museum of Natural History, which blew everyone’s minds, my own included, with all of the fun bony flavors of monster on display. All the kiddo’s favorites were there, including her top choice, the ankylosaur (specifically Edmontonia), plus the secondary favorite-although-not-actually-a-dinosaur, Dimetrodon.
We followed that up with a family viewing of Night at the Museum, which seemed like the thing to do, although none of us had ever seen it before, and holy god 2006 was apparently a very different and very, uh, gleefully racist time! A romantic subplot between Theodore Roosevelt and Sacagawea was a … bold move, I guess?
So, thumbs up for the SoL and for fossils, thumbs down for the year 2006.
Here are some other things I’ve experienced recently and recommend:
Penny Dreadful (how did I miss this exactly?)
The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylväinen
A pile of goat cheese and chives biscuits that I made from scratch
“The Sound of Children Screaming” by Rachel K. Jones in Nightmare Magazine (fair warning, it’s strong coffee)
Chopin’s Nocturne in F Sharp Minor (Op. 48, No. 2)
November sunset runs
Great blue herons
Watching my child get up to set the table and stumble through the chore without putting down the book she’s reading
There’s no substitute for a giant bowl of classic prep Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (sorry, Annie’s).
Neighbors who respond to your unhinged texts about emergency mac and cheese needs.
Thanks for reading. Who knows when the next one of these is going to get flung your way, but in the meantime, I love you and I hope you like November as much as I do.
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