Order and Chaos

As usual, I am leaving in an hour for the airport to head to Chicago, and I still haven't packed.

I did at least make a mountain of stuff inthe middle of the floor last night of what to bring with me.

I always am so optimistic and bring too much.

I brought too manyc opies of books to BEA with me, that I had to schlepp back home again.

Although Wiscon is a different sort of thing, and often some of the bookshops are willing to take some of the titles off my hands in trade.

I also schlepp certain projects I need to have finished, in hopes that at some point I'll actually sit down and do some work. Wishful thinking, I know, but nonetheless...

I'm only bringing one book with me, Lindsey Davis' THE DYING LIGHT IN CORDUBA, in hopes that I'll spend some time working a bit.

Of course, I'll be buying books... So want to leave room in the suitcase for those, too.

I really need to do a major organizing of my life and files, though, both here and in Spain, and to coordinate files on the various computers (since I'm trying to swtich everything to the new laptop, but am still having problems getting my stored outlook emails off the old laptop running system 9.1 onto this new system running 10.4.5... so I am having to use both laptops, plus the desktop: a mess!)

Verbal abuse

Forgot to mention, but last night I was verbally "jew-bashed" (if that term, based on "fag-bashed," exists) while crossing the street in the East Village, and someone yelled out in a mocking voice:

"Nice sweater, where'd you get it, Is-real?"

Not especially insulting, I know, and I might not have even registered it if I wasn't already sensitized to the gay and lesbian anti-violence project asking people to report verbal insults like someone yelling "fag!" or "homo!" or whatever at you.

The gay Spanish boy I was walking with was likewise surprised. (Especially since he thinks I look more Spanish than Jewish, but that's a separate issue.)

I've actually been subjected to more anti-semitic than homophobic comments in my life, but it's not something I expected to occur in NYC.

(Just out of undergrad, I was accepted into the MFA Program at the University of New Orleans in Baton Rouge and decided not to go, among other reasons, when I overheard people out in the hallway talking about "that Jew from New York".)

Geek note for Wiscon attendees

Last minute packing decision: I'm bringing a Boggle set.

Anyone want to play?

(No one speaks English well enoguh where I live!)