Coming Down

Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes!

Yesterday was crazy. Sailor Boy and I went downtown to watch the festivities. Lucky, we were invited to a party inside a building on Penn Ave. I was amazed at the number of people who braved the freezing cold weather, including my best friend, who was volunteering on the parade route (she had hand and foot warmers and wore a ton of layers and she was still freezing). My friend told me she saw people who had to go to the hospital to treat their hypothermia. There were people nearby who did the electric slide for six hours straight to keep warm. It was truly a sight to behold! The streets were packed, and the rooftops were studded with countersnipers.

Me (to a friend): Ooh, take a picture of the snipers.
Friend (quite wisely): No, I think not.
Me: Come on. Look at all the people on the balcony of that building. The snipers won’t know you’re taking a picture of them. Besides, they’re countersnipers. They aren’t hiding or anything. They want you to know they are there.
Friend: Um, not going to take that chance.
Me: Fine. (Takes a picture of the snipers.)
Snipers: (pointing their binoculars in my direction en masse) Hiiiiiiiiiiiii.
Me: Gulp.

Yeah, that was probably a bad idea. Also, it didn’t really come out.

During the parade, the Obamas got out of the limo about three blocks from where we were, then got back into the limo for our block, then got out again two blocks later. Pretty disappointing, though I think it’s because of the way the street worked where we were — it was probably a security risk– also, crazy girls taking pictures of the snipers). We did, however, get to see V.P. Biden walk by.

After that, we headed up to my friend’s restaurant for a birthday dinner, then went home to get Rio, who had spent the day with my father-in-law. It was the first time she’d ever been in another house without us. Apparently she was fine for the first few hours, and then it dawned on her by late that evening that we were missing and she stood by the door and whined. Of course, when we did get there, she said hello, then went off to eat her dinner and ignored us. So much for her grand love.

In other news, Alea of Pop Culture Junkie turns her hardcover vs. paperback series to the topic of Secret Society Girl. Of course, the comparison does not include the original hardcover cover (which appeared on the ARC). Ah, cover changes. They run rampant in this industry. When they changed the original cover for SSG, it was after I’d designed a website to match said cover. So then I had this gorgeous website with soft, muted blues and creams and a hot pink and maroon cover. On one hand, it looked like I had gorgeous artwork on my website. On the other, it kind of clashed. And only clashed worse when they changed the cover again to the bright, neon candy tones of the paperbacks. I don’t think I’d design a site around a cover again, though I can’t help but think that the designer was thinking of my current site when they designed the Tap & Gown cover.

Okay, enough random musings for the day. I have a lot on my plate, not least of which is to do something with the house, which is a bit on the disheveled side at present. Also, I need a new phone. One that can use Verizon (so no iPhone, sadly). I’ve had a razor for the last two years and I hate it. Any recommendations?

(Updated to add: Alea asked to see the original SSG cover design, pictured at left. I don’t actually know the details of why they changed it. I suppose it had something to do with this cover, while pretty, having a very retro look and perhaps not communicating “comedy” as well as bright colors might? Who knows? I did love the redesign — I thought it captured the irreverence and mystery of the story very well. I also liked the paperback, which I think captured Amy’s attitude perfectly, if not, necessarily, her wardrobe.)