This was lunch on Thursday @ Meli with Nilofer. She managed to squeeze in an hour for me during a flying work visit (where she was being super-impressive, per usual). For our mutual friends, I'll note that all is well with her -- the girls are great, Shashi is great, she is great. She perhaps could use a month to just sleep, but aside from that Lunch was lovely.
Last Thursday, I got to hear Alli Bax read her work to an audience for the first time! Allison took a writing workshop with me once, one that I offered in a somewhat impromptu way not long after moving to Oak Park.
Flash forward several years, and Allison is a member of my local writing workshop, has finished drafting her first novel (a New Orleans post-Katrina ghost story) and is now submitting it to agents. Look, folks -- hard work actually does get you to finished books!
She did a great job with the reading (not surprising, since she's a teacher in her day job), to a packed house, and I expect it to be the first in a long, long series.
Saturday night, we had a fancy dinner at Mary Robinette Kowal's last night, to celebrate Lynne Marie Thomas's 40th birthday. It was splendid. I am vaguely amused by the photo of me in my sari, from the back. Not a view I see very often! Also amused by the place card labeling me as Dr. Mohanraj -- I think that might be a first!
I realize that we're supposed to be cooking pumpkin-everything right now. I even baked this in a pumpkin-patterned loaf pan! But in my defense, I had bananas to use up, and no pumpkin on hand. In penance, I will be sure to make at least something pumpkin-y in the next week! Curry, stew, muffins, soup, pie.
The banana bread is delicious, though. (And since I know some of you will care, the adorable spooky owl dishtowel is this season, from Target.)
