ellen_datlow

In addition to all the movies I watched, I socialized quite a bit on Sunday. Saturday I was supposed to be moving books from my apt to storage and from storage to the apt but the car to be used for the moves broke down. So I went to the Union Square greenmarket and picked up my mail, which I missed Friday because of my zoo trip.

Sunday was very busy in a very nice way. Brunch with friends at Gobo, a vegetarian restaurant on 6th avenue just below 8th street (there's one uptown too). Not usually my cup of tea for brunch as they don't serve eggs but we ordered a bunch of small plates of fried oyster mushroom fritters, scallion pancakes, spring rolls, edamame, and other goodies and I had a frozen lychee-saketini that was strong (the taste of the lychees) but very good, which three of us shared and a berry one that was too sour.

Phoned my dad to wish him a Happy Father's Day and reached him, my mom, and my cousin Peter. Pete said he and his wife got to dad's before mom and that my dad was talking a blue streak--and that he (Pete) could understand 70% of what he was saying...which is great news. He has definitely been sounding stronger and more comprehensible in the past few weeks. Even my mom's noticed.

I made my way home from Gobo's, stopping in Murray's cheese on the way to pick up some interesting cheese and a bread for my single malt "dinner" with Mary Robinette Kowal later and made it home just in time for Rob Killheffer and his lovely wife Gwen to show up. Now, Rob told me that if my Saturday book moving plans fell through, he'd do it on Sunday but the temperature was around 90 F and I was dripping by the time I got home from lunch so I really didn't think boko moving would be on our agenda. But Rob said he was up for it. First, we opened gifts (belated Xmas and birthday gifts. I got some wonderful things, including two sets of very odd S&P shakers, a lego-like Poe doll, and lovely piece of jewelry, and a glass scorpion with a metal head that has holes in it--so it's a reallllly weird salt shaker? Who knows.

Then Rob moved about 8 cartons of books into their car and we drove to my storage locker. Unloaded, pulled several cartons out to be sold and/or given away and stuffed the new cartons in. Turns out I've got lots more room in there (yay)which means I can finish clearing the kitchen of books and move to the living room clean up soon.

Returned to my place, talked, looked at some of my stranger recent book acquisitions, and started in on the single malts (Gwen drank water). Then Mary arrived and I brought out several bottles of single malts to choose from, plus the cheese and bread and olives. We consumed drink and food, and talked. Rob and Gwen left, Mary and I continued to sample the malts. We opened my new bottle of Jura Superstition, which I first had (I think) at the Australian party at Worldcon last year. It's yummy. We talked about many things including her auditions for Warhorse, the puppet play that initially played in the West End of London and is coming to Lincoln Center this winter. It's a must-see and I'm going to attend whatever the cost (there are scenes on Youtube).

Mary went back to Brooklyn (where she's staying)