cranky pixels

Things I did not do in New York:

• Have a drink
• Visit the Empire State Building
• See the Statue of Liberty
• Eat a hot dog
• See a celebrity
• Find SoHo
• Visit the Guggenheim or the Met
• Finish my book

Things I did in New York:

• Took a ride in an ambulance and visited the emergency room
• Napped
• Wrote
• Took the subway
• Walked *everywhere*
• Traipsed around Central Park with all my luggage
• Ate fabulous food
• Went to MoMA
• Met my friend Anna from the Internet
• Bought clothes
• Bought toys
• Tried pate

I had a fabulous time and can’t wait to go back. Although I feel certain that I can skip the hospital the next time around.

I may be the only person who takes a vacation to write a novel.

To be fair, the damned thing’s about 80% finished already. Well, maybe 75%. The point is, I’ve got verbiage, people, and I’m not afraid to use it.

I started this book (not to be confused with the other three books which are in various states of unfinished-ness on my hard drive, which is not a metaphor, though possibly it should be) around the same time we moved to Portland in 2004. 2004!

It is high time I took steps to get this thing finished, and by “steps” I clearly mean “a five-day trip to New York, where I have never been but always wanted to go.” Because that it totally what any rational person would do, right? Five days sans kid: that’s what I’ve got, so that’s what I’m working with. Also: five days in New York! I am totally bounce-off-the-walls excited, or I would be if I wasn’t working so damned hard, which is half the reason I’m taking this vacation in the first place.

I’ll be documenting the trip like the OCD princess I am, armed with camera, laptop, and BlackBerry. New York is clearly preparing for my arrival by forecasting snow (…) and icy temps, which everyone knows are my absolute favorite things ever (/sarcasm). Who will prevail, and who will freeze to death under the Brooklyn Bridge? Tune in this time next week to watch the madness begin.

My nose is doing this thing where it feels like little pop rocks are exploding in my sinus cavity. If you thought to yourself “Wow! That sounds like fun!” you are sadly mistaken.

Also: I can’t get sick now! I’m going on vacation in a week! Exactly a week, in fact: at this time next Tuesday I will be emerging from an airplane in a Valium-assisted haze in New York freaking City. It goes without saying that sniffles and a sinus headache would seriously cramp my style.

In an effort to nip this whole illness thing in the bud (and also because the kid is driving poor Not So completely batty at the office, what with the whining and the demanding and the inexplicable banging of things what are not meant to be banged) I elected to stay home today, thinking I’d get some rest while catching up on housework and working on my laptop. Take a moment and look at that sentence. One of these things, as Sesame Street was wont to say, does not belong. Can you guess which one it is?

So, yeah. On the plus side, I’ve got laundry going and dishes going and I did a bunch of work. On the minus side, there are pop rocks in my sinuses.