Last BEA entry, and catch-up

There's not too much to write about Sunday, or maybe I've waited to long to write it down. I got more books signed: Persian Dreams by Maryam Tabibzadeh, The Last Aloha by Gaellen Quinn, Worst Nightmares by Shane Bryant, and Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink (I got the last one just wandering through the floor. One of Michelle's helpers stopped me and asked "Do you like YA novels?'' I was like "Yes!" so she handed me the book and told me to get in line for the signing. It looks good--I'm excited to start it).

We handed out the last of the Vegetarian Journals and I picked up a Qu'ran from the booth across from us. Then it was time to tear down. We donated our leftover books to a charity whose name I forget that helps people with HIV. It was a worthy cause and it certainly beat carrying them back to the parking garage.

We got Indian takeout and carried all of our supplies back to the car. I had done so much walking and standing that I could no longer feel my legs, so the walk wasn't quite as painful as the original walk to the conference center. (After reading my earlier entries, my bosses asked me to point out that we did take the subway a few times. And we did. But we also walked for miles and miles. I am quite proud of my unexpected endurance.)

Since BEA, I've settled into my duties at the office. I've had one tiny little paragraph already published here (see the bottom of the entry--the Rachael who wrote the main article is not me), which I was asked to write when I explained how our vegetarian club at ONU began. I've also written a longer article that has not yet been published, and I'm working on others. I'll write a little bit more about my specific duties in another post.

Last Saturday, Kristen (the other intern) and I went to a craft festival and Baltimore's Gay Pride Parade. Both were fun, although it was horribly hot and humid, and we were dressed for rain (the storms that were supposed to hit all day went away the moment we stepped on the bus). In between the festival and the parade we grabbed lunch at Red Emma's, a vegan anarchist bookstore and cafe. I am so glad that I took an internship with a somewhat alternative group. Where else would I get introduced to so many different subcultures? I have to admit, I wasn't impressed with the food there, but it was still an experience. Not quite as much of an experience as the Pride parade, but when you put all three stops together, it was quite an eventful day.

By the way, the vegan ice cream shop we went to in New York City was Lula's Sweet Apothecary. I highly recommend the place, even if you're not vegan (but especially if you are). While I'm recommending things, I am halfway through Holly Black's The Poison Eaters and Other Stories. It comes out in Febuary 2010, and if you are a fantasy fan, you must pick it up. These are some of the best short fantasy stories I have ever read. I am now a diehard Holly Black fan, and I only wish I had known how awesome she was when I met her, so I could tell her that she was awesome.