My First Day of Summer Vacation at my Home in Atlanta

1. I woke up at 11:40 am. It was so good to sleep, particularly since I was up till 6am with bad allergies. I laid in bed and started reading Imagining Arab Womanhood, by my friend Amira Jarmakani. Then I read the Joy and Sorrow chapter from The Prophet.

2. I do a bunch of things in my house that I've been wanting to do but never found the time: rearranging my living room to make it more intimate, hanging the lovely Palestinian print Mohammad gave me for my birthday last year, pruning my massive book collection of some of its weight. It is amazing to me how easy I find accumulating books and how hard it is to let go of their words.



3. While going through the books, I found several pressed plants from years before - some magnolia leaves from Oakland Cemetery, Blue Orchids from Tangelia's wedding, a large leaf of Lambs Ear from Ireland.



4. I listen to Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's album Ka'ano'i twice and Beirut's Lon Gisland EP at least seven times.

5. I have a 20 minute debate with my 11 year old neighbor on the lessons and merits of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. versus Frederick Douglass.

6. I go shopping at Trader Joe's - something I never do - to buy snacks to make me feel like even my eating is on vacation. I buy some of my favorite things including baby roses, smoked salmon, blue potato chips, beets, olive tapenade, and havarti cheese.



7. I have a lovely dinner at Six Feet Under with Mohammad. We laugh a lot and he uses the word "kudzu" when he really means "kudos". After a hundred tries now spanning months, I finally am able to say in arabic "once upon a place in an ancient time" I eat fried catfish, corn and spinach.



8. We watched The Simpsons while drinking root beer floats and listening to the thunderstorm.

Reporting Back: Amy Sedaris, Rilo Kiley in Atlanta

There is no doubt in my mind that Amy Sedaris is a genius. Who else would have the foresight to be led in to her Decatur book signing on Friday night by a dragged-out marching band in boas and sequins?

You’ll be glad to know that Amy and her long-time imaginary boyfriend Ricky are still together (he’s not dead anymore; she reported that he had been ‘murdered’ on Letterman a couple years ago). They had a baby but they lost it. “Not LOST IT, lost it- but lost it, lost it. As in, we can’t find it.”

Earlier this week Amy appeared on Martha Stewart’s talk show. I missed it but Reem told me all about it and then I watched the video. They were making cheese balls and Amy kept referring to A1 Sauce as bong water. Martha would reply, “bog water?” “Yes, Martha, BOG water” replied Amy with a big ol’ wink towards the camera.

One of the audience members in Decatur on Friday night asked Amy if she were ever on Martha’s show again if she thought she could make Martha cry to which Amy quickly replied “Oh honey, most men don’t cry.” Zing!

The most exciting part for me personally was that I got to ask a question directly to her in the Q & A section of the program. I asked her what her 3 favorite garage sale purchases have been. She stumbled and stuttered for a moment and then exclaimed “Bitch!” in my direction- mine was the only question she didn’t have a stock answer for! I am SO proud. Amy Sedaris called ME a bitch! She finally decided that her three favorites are:

• a curlicue wig that her brother David found for her. Its used in the Grieving section of her book;
• A gold tooth that she used in the Dentist episode of Strangers With Candy;
• A tiny porcelain skull that she gave to David as a gift.

Afterwards, she signed my copy of I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence- she drew a magic wand coming from a ghost’s hand and wrote “Magic Happens”.

In other genius news, I got to see close up and live the lovely kids of Rilo Kiley on Saturday night at the Variety Playhouse. The ambiance on the stage felt like the 1940s- Malissa noted it was reminiscent of the bandstand era. The backdrop was a luminescent glimmering curtain that changed colors depending on the lights. The band wore black, white and silver- the boys with ties and suspenders, Jenny Lewis in a playboy bunny-like number with a silver bowtie.

Simply put, they were fantastic. Great performers, changing and rotating instruments the whole time. One of the many treats was their ‘cover’ of a song that Jenny wrote with the Watson Twins, “Rise Up with Fists!”- but they did it sorta reggae/ska-style. They didn’t play my favorite song this time around, but I suppose that is reason enough to see them again next time.

Thank god there is finally some rock n roll happening in this city! And there is SO much more to come in October.

Amy Sedaris in Decatur!

Thanks to my old pal Warren G for this great tip: Amy Sedaris wil be in Decatur next week!

She will be in town to accept her Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance award for best cookbook of 2007 for I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence. This book is just wonderful; I've given it as a gift many times. There's a chapter on cooking for your pet rabbit, and one on pantyhose crafts and "good ideas." This includes illustrated instructions for putting them on, how to make an "eye burrito" compress for tired eyes or a pantyhose plant hanger.

Its pretty great, having both her and Bjork here in the same month, Atlanta is getting more than our fair share of the craziest of crazy people- crazy in the best way possible, of course. Amy is one of the most untethered, fearless women I have ever known. It is purely a joy to watch her let her brilliance and craziness just flow. And she's not afraid to get wasted while she's baking, to boot!

Her happiness is in the pursuit- whether its of laughter or of delicious confections. Or even not so delicious food like some of the items on her munchie list (page 95, I think?): bananas dipped in Jell-O powder and crushed pretzels with cream cheese on toast.

Wordsmiths Books presents
Actress, Comedian, Author, Icon: Amy Sedaris
At the Decatur Recreation Center
231 Sycamore St, Decatur GA
September 28th, 7:30 PM
FREE! FREE!

Weetzie

I can't help it- even though internet quizzes are silly, just knowing a quiz about Francesca Lia Block's books exists makes me feel all warm and drunky inside. If you haven't read the Weetzie Bat books yet you're missing out. They are the books I wish that I had when I was a kid- beautiful but dark, like shadows or sunshine through thunder clouds. Smells like bourgainvilla and tastes like sushi, unapologeticly deals with drugs, sexuality, death, angst, hope and the potential of magic- and without trite morality lessons.

Check out the Dangerous Angels anthology first; its the compliation of all the early books that introduce you to the wonderful cast of characters: Weetzie Bat, Dirk, My Secret Agent Lover Man, Cherokee Bat, Juan Angel and the lovely Witch Baby. Then a few months later read Necklace of Kisses- all about Weetzie as a grown up who runs away to the pink hotel, struggling with all she has been and learing to honor and trust her love and all that is yet to come.

Which Weetzie Bat character are you?

Take the quiz here.