Highlights
- My girlfriend treated me to an all-day date last Sunday. We started in Harvard at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. The Peabody is a wonderful little museum full of fascinating artifacts. Then, we sped through the Natural History Museum (too many children, not our jam). Next up: Shake Shack for lunch because almost all of our celebrations include burgers and cheese fries from Shake Shack. (And the fountain Coke is always a perfect mixture of syrup and carbonation.) After lunch, we browsed the newly reopened and renovated Fogg Museum, which I highly recommend. Much like the Peabody, the building and collections are right-sized. Sometimes, the MFA feels too big, and I get cranky in crowds. The Fogg Museum is architecturally stunning. Natural light filters through a glass dome and into the courtyard around which every floor circles. And the bathrooms are great. This is important to me. And, btw, the museum is free on Saturdays for Massachusetts residents. After the museum, we headed home for a short break to rest our feet and feed the cats, then we were off again for an hour walk (because calories) to one of our favorite restaurants, Myers + Chang. Delicious, as always. I took pics of some of my favorite artwork and pieces and posted them over on Instagram if you want a look-see.
- I finally wrote a book review. I struggle in this area because I don’t want to sound like a dumbass (a lifelong struggle). But I was swept up in my emotions at the end of Alysia Abbott’s Fairyland, and I had to express my thoughts and thanks. And I had to get over my hangup about writing reviews. I owe so many reviews to so many friends.
- Next up on the reading list: Boy Erased by Garrard Conley. I might have already mentioned that I met him at this year’s Muse and the Marketplace Writers’ Conference. As soon as I learned of his book (a memoir of his time in a gay conversion program in Arkansas), I knew I wanted to read it. I love to meet and promote fellow authors from my home state, especially if they’re from the LGBTQ community (he’s the only other gay author I’ve met from Arkansas, though. Where y’all at?). I got up the nerve to introduce myself to him at one of the presenter parties after chatting here and there on various social media platforms. He was as lovely and gracious in person as he is online. I’m looking forward to reading his book.
- Novel 2 revision. Happening. Not sucking. Cue the confetti cannon.
Lowlight
- #holdthedoor. Still sad.
