Estella's Really Revenging....

Blogger has been positively putzy on the formatting front the last few days. Getting Estella's Revenge online-ready has been painful, but I think *most* of the kinks are ironed out now.

It's a fantabulous issue this time 'round (I know, I say that every time) with interviews from Joshilyn Jackson and Louis Theroux, not to mention Melissa's interview with an independent bookseller, articles on everything from Oprah to historical fiction, a barrage of tasty columns, snazzy stuffs, and a heap of tasty reviews.

Go see it and I promise I'll shut up.

In other news, thanks so much for all the well wishes and congratulatory words on my thesis. I know I still have a ways to go yet, but I'm thrilled to be done adding major content. If I had to write one more chapter I would've speared my eyeballs out.

Today was a positively luscious book day. I spent the morning teaching a wooonderful children's novel...Skellig, by David Almond. I then spent an hour grading quizzes and response papers before I came home and kicked back with Kitchen Confidential (Anthony Bourdain) for a bit, and then I started The New Yorkers, by Cathleen Schine. While I was lounging, another review book landed on my doorstep...Dark at the Roots, by Sarah Thyre. While I'll be releasing The New Yorkers to the ER crowd to snag, I had to take a few minutes to read a bit. Excellent so far.

Tonight, I finally celebrated my thesis semi-completion with a yummy Southwest Cobb Salad at Applebee's and a Triple Chocolate Meltdown dessert. I'm South Beaching with gusto, but the dessert was strictly celebratory. No mas carbs for mama this week.

Coming soon: a restaurant meme that Tanabata tagged me with, and a book meme from Bookfool.

DONE!

DONE!

Done with "My Fuckin' Thesis"...it's offcial title. That is to say that I'm done adding content. I sent it off to Thesis Director, and I suspect I'll have to do some mild revision. Then it'll go to the committee who might then come back with minor revision requests. Then I can defend it. Then I can send it off to the graduate school. Then they'll tell me to tweak the formatting.

So, I'm done for now. I'm done with the bulk.

I'm going to bed.

Send cookies.

And for fun:

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Dance wit me!

I'm within five pages of finishing my thesis. HOT DAMN! I'll still have some minor revision to do, but the point is, I'M ALMOST DONE!!!

When I post next, my life will be far more relaxed!

Ask me anything! And a thesis disaster!

I'm in hell, so I'm doing a meme'ish interviewy thing. My jump drive freaked the hell out this afternoon and I lost 2 hours worth of revisions on my thesis (even though I'd saved them), so I refuse to write any more today unless it's fun. And this is fun. Thanks to the lovely Lulu for her probing questions...

1. You study children's books. How and why did you decide on that as a field?

I didn't go into graduate school expecting to study Children's Lit. I'll start with that. Children's Lit. is sort of the bastard stepchild of literary study. Many people look down on it as "too easy" or it's considered a "chick" field (kinda like obstetrics in med school...ever see that episode of Scrubs?). In my first semester of graduate school, when I had every intention of focusing on 20th century American Lit., I took my very first class with my now mentor/thesis director. While she scared the ever-lovin' crap out of me at first, I soon realized what a fantabulous class I was in, and the whole thing felt very natural. I loved the stuff we read, I had a great idea for a term paper that I thought could be turned into a thesis (which it is, if I'd stop LOSING PIECES), and thesis director and I got along famously. Ever since, it's all I've wanted to do. Children's Literature is deceptively simple for the most part. It's a great vehicle for ideology and all the problems that entails, and I love picking it apart. Not to mention teaching my students to do the same. It's a ton o'fun.

2. What are the 5 books you remember most from your own childhood?

I read total crap as a child. I could not be any further from all those people that say they read Gulliver's Travels when they were 8, The Lord of the Rings at 10 and Jane Eyre at 12. Not me. Oh nooo. I was reading nothing but horror. R.L. Stine, Christopher Pike, L.J. Smith and Stephen King into my teenage years. It was when I hit 9th grade and read Great Expectations that I really realized what a wonderful world "classic" literature could be. But enough digression....

1. The Vampire Diaries, by L.J. Smith (cheating here and lumping the series together as one)

2. Remember Me, by Christopher Pike

3. The Mortimer and Arabel books, by Joan Aiken

4. The Ramona books, by Beverly Cleary

5. George's Marvelous Medicine, by Roald Dahl

3. Describe your ideal reading situation, where, when, what you are listening to, eating, drinking, etc. Ideal reading experience.

Hmmmm. I'm pretty easy to please. My favorite reading spot is in my bed, preferably on my tummy with a pillow scrunched up under my chest so that I can comfortably hold the book out in front of me or lay it flat on the bed. I swear that one day I will have a big squishy chaise where I can do all of the above or sit up. And no one will be allowed in it but me. My favorite time to read is lazy afternoons with a big honkin' Diet Coke by my side. I've begun to get old, so I can't deal with noise--no TV or radio.

4. There doesn't seem to be a Mr. Andi in the picture, what 7 characteristics does a guy have to have to win your heart?

Actually, there is a Mr. Andi in the picture. Although not an "official" (as in married) Mr. Andi. B. and I have known each other for about 8 years and he's not terribly keen on this whole blog thing. He's a very private person and thinks my splashing my business all over the internet is a little...umm...odd. So, out of respect for him, I prefer not to discuss any of our goings-on here--save the occasional random nugget.

To win my heart....

1. Must be intelligent

2. Must be witty and make me giggle

3. Must not be pretentious

4. Must be able to joke with me like we're 12

5. Must be family oriented

6. Must respect (or tolerate quietly) my book obsession

7. Must be significantly taller than me (Shallow? Yes. But so true.)

5. You've decided not to pursue your doctorate right now; assume you can't get a job teaching, or in a book-related field, what kind of job would you look for?

Hmmmm, very good question. In all honesty, if I'm being realistic, I'm not marketable for much besides bookish things. So, if I really can't find a job in education or books or writing I'll probably apply for PR or marketing positions. I have experience in e-business and marketing, so that would be the next most likely fit. Not my favorite thing, but it pays the bills so I can pay off my loans. If all else fails I'll have my eggs harvested. No, really. If I was looking or a dream job outside of my norm, I would go to culinary school and be a chef.

Directions: Want some questions of your own? Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me”I will respond by e-mailing you five questions (if your email is not on your profile, email me your desire to be interviewed so I know your address). I get to pick them, and you have to answer them all. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.