Archives - Weekly Update

I am looking out the window and see brown leaves on the ground. There were some floating in the pool this morning that I was pushing out of the way as I swam. Actually I was gathering them in my hands and tossing them on the side of the pool as I made the turn. Wonder if Michael Phelps ever tried that maneuver! For those wondering, yes, my trusty wetsuit has been pulled out for swimming as the temperature of the water has been holding at 70. I fear I am on my last week or so of churning up the water in the pool here until next May.

Just when I was getting into the groove of summer, along comes fall. Right now is my least favorite time of year for figuring out what to wear. Mornings and evenings can be cool and crisp, but the days can be muggy and warm. After my Conde Nast fashionette years, I know better than to wear white or light-colored clothes, but I am just not ready for a sea of gray, brown and black. It’s what we called a “transition season,” but somehow we used to make that sound exciting, which it is not.

This has been a week of coincidences and unexpected serendipity.

I arrived yesterday in St. Louis for Bouchercon, the world mystery convention, which is a true fan conference. Hundreds of readers are here, as well as mystery and thriller authors. Last evening, at the first party, it was an opportunity to catch up with friends from around the country and the world. The location for this conference moves every year, and thus it’s nice to see what overseas guests like to explore when visiting a city. The other day, Ali Karim, who is an editor at Shots E-zine in the UK, posted photos on Facebook of the Arch. Last year, when the conference was in San Francisco, he was off to Alcatraz. I joked with him that Bouchercon gives him an opportunity to tour America!

Vacations in the years before hurricanes booked themselves to arrive the same week as me (last year it was Earl; this year it was Irene) were so simple. I would pack, drive and enjoy. But where is the excitement and drama in that? Instead, Hurricane Irene meant plenty of unexpected things.