Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—

[shunn]

So Laura and I spent last weekend in Chicago. Saturday was a long, long day of looking at apartments, some of which were very tempting and which we had to reluctantly conclude were not right for us. The most tempting of them all was a giant four-bedroom apartment on the second floor of a graystone on a large lot-and-a-half. It was a steal for the price, but still about $300 over our budget.

After dinner with the in-laws who had generously and heroically driven us around the city all day, Laura and I headed north to arrive in time for dessert with at Ysabeau Wilce's fabulous and humongoid apartment, where we also crossed paths with Paul Witcover of theinferior4 fame. No dueling blogs ensued, but Guitar Hero II was played. We shout, shout, shout at the devil!

We were nervous about our prospects upon restarting the hunt Sunday morning. If we didn't find something that day, Laura would have to make a solo hunting trip back alone. Fortunately, the second place we saw Sunday morning was perfect. First floor of a greystone in Humboldt Park, good neighbors in the building, El stops convenient, nice communal yard for the dog, friendly landlord, only $100 over our budget, and best of all two blocks away from TASTEE FREEZ! Oh, dear. I have shed 17 pounds in the past two months through brute willpower, but now I fear their return is incipient.

But we have a place to live! Now the only thing to worry about is the moving itself.

---

Welcomed Brook and Julia West to New York City this morning, and despite a kerfluffle which involved their cab speeding away with their walking sticks still in the trunk, followed by a hey-it-coulda-been-far-less-helpful call to 311, I think they got settled in well. Brook and Julia are in town to receive the Service to SFWA Award at this week's Nebula Awards Weekend, and Derryl Murphy spearheaded the effort to get them here from Salt Lake City to accept in person. I knew Brook and Julia when I lived in Utah, and hadn't seen them in 12 years or so. Such great people. I hope they have a great visit here.

---

So, the Nebula Awards Weekend kicks off tomorrow, and I am trying just to relax, go with the flow, and have fun. The internets are a great help to me in not getting too invested in the outcome. I never know from one day to the next if I am supposed to feel worse about being a white male American writer, a logrolling vote trader, or a representative of the entrenched regressive old-school badly written skiffy boy-story movement. Am I supposed to be more embarrassed about the Nebula nomination or the Hugo nomination? Is it a double blessing, a double curse, or do the two just cancel each other out? Inquiring minds need to know.

I wish we could all just be writers, writing the best stories we know how, and none of the rest was important.

Comments

[gregvaneekhout.livejournal.com]

I wish we could all just be writers, writing the best stories we know how, and none of the rest was important.

I think most people want that. There's just disagreement on how to get there.

Congrats on the apartment! I'd love to live on the first floor of a greystone. Living all my life in the West, though, all I've ever had are stuccostones.

And 17 pounds in two months! You must be a rail!

One month to BH!

[shunn.livejournal.com]

I think most people want that. There's just disagreement on how to get there.

I think there are people who would gladly annihilate the kinds of writing they dislike, at least to judge by the rhetoric online. The real solution to my mood is to not read blogs at work.

But I hear you. I hope there's a more equitable writing world coming even as I recognize that humans are always going to complain about the status quo. I probably shouldn't complain; I just hate feeling like part of the problem.

Living all my life in the West, though, all I've ever had are stuccostones.

Stucco can be pretty! Of course, I may be sick of looking at graystones in ten years....

And 17 pounds in two months! You must be a rail!

I'm still not a rail, but some of my clothes are a little capacious these days. I am actually 26 pounds lighter than I was at the end of BH last year, but I put on something like 8 pounds that week! Can't wait for the smorgasbord to begin again!

[pixelfish.livejournal.com]

Congrats on finding an apartment. I bet it feels good to have the choice made. Do you have pics yet?

John and I just finished finding our new place--and reportedly, our movers will arrive the same morning we get our keys. So our own odyssey is almost finished.

Good luck at the Nebs....I still want you to win. :)

[shunn.livejournal.com]

Wow, your place looks great! Congratulations!

No pics yet on ours -- probably not until we're there and moved in this July.

And thanks!

[rajankhanna.livejournal.com]

Congrats, man.

I think I may be in a similar situation, regarding the domicile, however I am loathe to say anything in fears of jinxing things until the paperwork is signed.

And you know I'm in your corner this weekend.

[shunn.livejournal.com]

I don't want to congratulate prematurely, but congrats, man!

And thanks!

[jamietr.livejournal.com]

the Nebula Awards Weekend kicks off tomorrow, and I am trying just to relax, go with the flow, and have fun

That's the way to do it, I imagine. And now you know what all of those actors feel like waiting to find out if they won an Oscar.

Good luck this weekend! (I was hoping I could be there to see it myself, but alas, I can't...)

[shunn.livejournal.com]

I'm happy no matter what happens! And thanks!

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

I used to live NE of Humboldt Park, near Hoyne and Webster.

30 years ago now.

[shunn.livejournal.com]

Why, that was practically yesterday! Do you ever get back to the old hood?

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

Once a year or so, I'm in Oak Park, IL, me ancestral home. Oak Park, IL is but a short L ride from Humboldt Park.

Were you even in double digits yet 30 years ago, laddie? (Yeah, just barely, I think.)

[shunn.livejournal.com]

Er, not quite. I turn 40 this August....

Yeah!

[markbourne.livejournal.com]

Am I supposed to be more embarrassed about the Nebula nomination or the Hugo nomination?

Oh, now you're just being a Nebbish. Hugo in that direction for long and you'll end up feeling like a Dick. Just have a glass of a nice, cold Rhysling and enjoy the event. Award to the wise. And again, dual congratulations.

And we're very pleased that you two have found us such a fine place to stay whenever we visit Chicago. In Temporarily Humboldt County Park, no less.

[shunn.livejournal.com]

You have outpun yourself, and cheered me immensely. I am grateful for you lucid insight. Er -- lucight?

[brezhnev.livejournal.com]

So you're thinking of packing up the old handcart and leaving Cainhannoch?

[shunn.livejournal.com]

Hah! Did the brethren ever have a code name for Chicago?

[brezhnev.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure. I'd think they would, given that it was relatively close, back in the day.

What brings you to the Windy City?

[shunn.livejournal.com]

We're moving to Chicago as economic refugees in a way. Going to try to live in a cheaper place and transition (eventually) to a one-income household. I will start spending more and more of my time writing. We picked Chicago as the place for that because my wife is from there originally. :-) It's just too expensive in New York, much as we love the city.

[hkneale.livejournal.com]

{hugs} You can be a white male American skiffy writer if you want.

I've gotten a touch of the smackdown as well, because how dare I be so narrowminded to not agree completely with a certain person's angry view of the status quo; I agree that things are much simpler if we could be just writers with our best stories. Why does the rest have to be so important?

Out of curiosity, why are you moving to Chicago?

Say hello to Brook and Julia for me.

[shunn.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Though I'm genuinely not trolling for sympathy. I'm well aware that I'm fortunate and have some advantages, and that there are inequities that need correction, but I also like to think there's a certain amount of merit involved in the nominee selection process.

because how dare I be so narrowminded to not agree completely with a certain person's angry view of the status quo

That completely is the crux of the thing. To some people, even agreeing partially isn't enough.

We're moving to Chicago as economic refugees in a way. Going to try to live in a cheaper place and transition (eventually) to a one-income household. I will start spending more and more of my time writing. We picked Chicago as the place for that because my wife is from there originally. :-) It's just too expensive in New York, much as we love the city.

Consider Brook and Julia hello'd!