No Sleep Til

This weekend I learned a great many things. Two of the more important lessons were these:

          1) Brooklyn is where it's at.

          2) Brooklyn is far.

My weekend o' Brooklyn began Saturday night when I put my usual anti-social inclinations aside and journeyed to Crown Heights for a friend's "I'm moving to England and it is also my birthday!" party. This is where my first lesson began:

I'm aware that I am by no means "old" and one of my biggest pet peeves is when people complain about their age. That said, I am not exactly twenty anymore either and whew! the body doth changes quickly. There was once a period in my life where "pre-gaming" was an event in itself and when I'd once uttered the phrase, "I don't know why I'm drunk already; I've only had a bottle of wine." That time is officially dead, probably as it should be. To illustrate, a scene from pre-Brooklyn Saturday night:
Loving Boyfriend: "Hey, do you wanna have a couple of drinks before we head down?"
Me: looks at him in complete disgust and confusion as I prepare for the night by hydrating with Vitamin Water

The night ended with me falling asleep on the long subway ride home after having three or four beers and being very, very happy that Loving Boyfriend came with me. But! the party was a good time and perhaps my youthful resilience (meaning my ability to be hangover-free) isn't completely gone because a mere four hours after returning to Queens, I was up and ready to go to the Brooklyn Book Festival, which meant (as the name suggests) I was headed BACK to Brooklyn!

The fest was full of book nerdy fun as always and the weather was beautiful! And there were yet more lessons to be learned:
          1) I need to get over myself and read David Foster Wallace
               already. Ditto for John Updike.
          2) There really is no such thing as a free lunch
               (fliers claiming otherwise are LIES!)
          3) When writers get old, sometimes they just act
               like someone's crazy grandmother.
          4) Two out of three "literary masters" are from....
               (drum roll).... BROOKLYN!

But more than lessons, the panels I went to were thought-provoking and inspiring. I've never read Wallace or Updike (see lesson above), but the most interesting discussion by far was of their legacies. I even went home and scribbled notes for future essays to write, which I haven't done in almost a year. To aspiring writers out there, I recommend surrounding yourself with book nerds and going to literary events as often as possible. You never know what ideas might pop out!

One final lesson before moving on to Glass Cases news: If you ever win an award, please make sure Kanye West is at least 100 yards away, lest this happens.

OK, on to some blog updates! I am so pleased with the number of submissions I've received! I haven't even had time to read all of them yet. To put less pressure on myself and allow for adequate time to read and respond to writers, I've decided to publish one piece per week (for now). How's Wednesday sound? Good.

In the meantime, keep writing, reading, and submitting... and don't forget to watch Glee, which I'm pushing on everyone I know. It is easily the funniest and most original show I've seen since Arrested Development.

Seven followers dream accomplished! Now to add more....

Sarah