Alison Pace

It's The Year of the Blog!

Weell, probably not, but happy new year all the same.

Me, I spent the first day of 2009 with a trip to the bookstore, "Slumdog Millionaire," and --because who doesn't like to start the year off thematically?-- Indian food for dinner.

Perfect start to the new year as browsing in a bookstore is one of my favorite activities (and I also like to make my day / ruin my day based on the placement of my own books).  I was pleased to see that City Dog was face out on the fiction shelf, only it was a high fiction shelf so a bookstore shopper who was, say, my height would not be able to get to it without help. Still, though, it looked nice up there.

Moving away from the Borders version of navel gazing, I made my way over to the new fiction table where I was very happy to come across Merrill Markoe's new book, Nose Down, Eyes Up. I think Merrill Markoe is awesome and she writes a very funny dog. The book looks terrific and I can't wait to read it.

Lining up at the movie theater, I saw a poster for the "Land of the Lost"movie.  Starring Will Ferrell.  Who knew this?  I did not!  I am so excited as "Land of the Lost" was the favorite TV show of my youth, hands down. There will be Sleestacks, right?  I mean, there have to be Sleestacks. I do love me some Sleestacks.

And "Slumdog Millionaire" was fantastic.  Terrific.  I hope it wins a truckload of awards this year.

Happy 2009...

Last Minute Gifts

(Alrighty, not heart-ing New York in the snow as much as I was a few days ago.  Also, I think it is about 0 degrees out.  But onwards.)

Do you still have any gifts left to get, and not a whole lot of time left to get them?  I think an ASPCA Holiday Honor Gift is a really terrific idea this year.

Just click here, donate as much as you'd like in honor of someone on your list, and the ASPCA will send them a really adorable electronic postcard letting your recipient know.  It's fun, really easy, and most importantly, helps animals.  I sent one each to my canine-loving editor and agent.

And if cute electronic postcard isn't your thing, you can always just donate to your local animal shelter...

Happy, happy!

I Heart New York in the Snow

 

Books (Reading / Want to Read)

Now that the election is over and I'm not spending nearly as much time with MSNBC and Keith Olberman as I had been, I'm very happily getting back into a reading groove.  I've finally gotten to David Sedaris' latest essay collection, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, and I'm enjoying it very much.  While it's not as laugh-out-loud funny as, say, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Sedaris writes wonderful, spiraling essays (something I'm very interested in these days as I myself am writing some essays.) 

In between essay reading, I've just started Kate Atkinson's second mystery, One Good Turn.  I bought it when it first came out in paperback and then it got lost in the vortex of my bookshelves.  I've been hearing so many good things about her third mystery, When Will There Be Good News, that I want to catch up so I can read that one, too...

After that I'm excited to read Maria Semple's This One Is Mine.  The author and I were at the same writers workshop a few years ago and she was super nice and sent me a copy.  While buying books is a great thing to do, especially now, getting gratis copies every now and then is fun, too.  Also, the book looks terrific.   Click on the link and see all the good things people are saying.

Finally, inspired by the NYT 100 Notable Books of 2008, as of this post I have the very best intentions to get to The Good Thief, How Fiction Works, White Heat, and Unaccustomed Earth.

What are you reading?

Happy Day After Thanksgiving

Hope you had a good TG. 

I was in charge of mashed potatoes, and made some pretty darn good ones if I do say so myself. I then undertook the traditional eating of far too much.  I have just this morning tried to make up for it by running farther than usual and up some of the hills I usually try to avoid.  But even so, I am now thoroughly immersed in a contemplation of whether it's possible that I have shrunk my corduroys.  I think totally possible.

In other, much more fascinating news:  books make the best holiday presents.  As you embark on your holiday shopping, here's a really terrific list the fine people at Penguin have created featuring books some of their authors would like to give and get. 

Alison Pace is...

So, Facebook.  I'm definitely too into it.  And while I'm not one of those people who updates her third person status five times a day, I am kind of into the status updates.  A friend mentioned to me how the status updates are like one-line blog posts.  I think she's right, and I wonder if that, along with the burnout I now seem to be finally emerging from, might be why no one is going to crown me "best blogger."  So herewith, my last 10 Facebook status updates here, so you can see what I've been so busy doing there...

Nov 18: Alison is accepting that she's bad at multitasking and is going to focus on one book instead of the originally planned two.

Nov 14: Alison 's dog is a hot mess.

Nov 5: Alison thinks this is fantastic.

Oct 28: Alison likes the line, "I'm bored. You ruined my pants."

Oct 18: Alison is going running before her reading!

Oct 14: Alison was way underwhelmed by the new nox.

Oct 12: Alison had a really nice afternoon at the Frying Pan, even though it seems illogical that a place with "Fry" right in the name would be out of French fries for the day.

Oct 11: Alison says thanks to everyone who came to Zoomies.

Oct 8: Alison just finished a first draft! Granted it is a three-page first draft, but it took a really long time.

Oct 2: Alison is looking for her stapler.

Puppy Dog Plaids

How do I not have a picture handy of Carlie in her plaid collar?  (Note to self: get on that.)

Regardless of my photographic preparedness, or unpreparedness as the case may be, I've been meaning to mention forever now that I'm a big fan of PuppyDogPlaids.  I got Carlie a blackwatch plaid collar and leash there for her City Dog "appearances," and they even made her a plaid kerchief with "city dog" embroidered right on it. 

The craftsmanship is wonderful, and so much attention to detail:  there's even a "cd" branded onto the leather detail of the collar.  And they were really nice, too. 

If, like me, you so often find yourself in need of some plaid accoutrement, definitely check them out...

And President-Elect Obama and his family are in search of a hypo-allergenic shelter dog?  This is so exciting!  I hope they look into Westie Rescue.

Barack Obama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday was amazing, truly amazing.  We all witnessed a magnificent moment in history and we woke up today to a new era.

Thank you, Barack Obama.

Thank you to the people who so brilliantly organized this awe-inspiring campaign.  Thank you to everyone who worked for, volunteered for, donated to, emailed about, facebooked about, and talked to their friends about Barack Obama.

I can't stop crying every time I turn on the TV.  I have the song from the Lion King, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" stuck in my head.  I am so proud to be an American right now.  

VOTE!

 

Happy Halloween

Generally, Carlie isn't really a dressing-up kind of dog.  This year however, in the spirit of City Dog, she is Laura Ingalls Wilder:
 
Embrace the limitations of cell phone photography.  And have a safe and happy Halloween!