ACFW and Fall TV

I know my blogging lately has been erratic at best. Things have been pretty crazy lately for many reasons, including (but not limited to) the fact that ACFW is this weekend!

Things I'm excited about for ACFW:

1. No cooking/meal planning all weekend. Yeah, I know I blog about food a lot, but when I'm stressed, making food decisions and preparations makes it worse. Letting someone else feed me for a while? Yes, please.

2. I'm just a plain ol' conferee. I'm not teaching (though I am signing books) or leading worship or organizing everything. I get to show up at my classes looking cute, ready to meet people and talk craft. And if you read this blog regularly, you know how much I love talking craft.

3. I get to meet my publicist, Jeane Wynn, face to face. I've loveloveloved working with her so far, so I'm very excited to get to swap smiles and handshakes with her in real time.

4. It's warm in Indianapolis. And not raining.

5. There are lots of lovely authors attending who I'll get to meet for the first time! Very exciting :-) I am expecting our suitcase to be much heavier on the flight back - all of those books!

6. The ACFW Banquet! From what I hear, it's Christian Fiction's answer to prom. I've got a gorgeous cocktail dress which should be out of alterations before I board the plane, as well as an adorable clutch and the shoes I wore to Danny's graduation (which I affectionately refer to as my Tokyo Prostitute shoes - they're very black, very shiny, and very tall). I'm still working on the necklace, which has proved to be much more difficult in practice than it was in theory. Complicating matters, I need my shipment of beads and chain link to arrive today. If not, I'll have to get creative, since I'm mostly sure that my new idea to get the thing to hang right will work. Mostly. If not...

...I'll deal with that when the time comes. I suppose I can always super-glue the beads to my neck.

Because that wouldn't be at all awkward.

In other news...

...Fall TV is starting up next week! And I'm excited. Very excited. And a little embarrassed about how many shows I'll be following this next season.

Monday, September 20:

1. House. Househousehousehouse. Ooh, and House and Cuddy. Jennifer Morrison will be leaving to do a turn on How I Met Your Mother, while Amber Tamblyn will be doing a multi-episode arc as a bright med student who's not quite certified to treat patients. I'm delighted to have Tamblyn back on the screen, and having her on House is that much better. Episodes will include a guest appearance by Jennifer Grey, a double date with Wilson and Sam, and House and Cuddy (oh good heavens, that's all I've got to say on that. For now),

2. Castle. Everyone was really sad at the end of the season finale, so hopefully things will get un-sad. I say that because this show makes me emit a high-pitched giggle only audible to my husband and small dogs. I'm ready for another season of wordy murder and mayhem.

3. Dancing with the Stars. I told my sister I probably wasn't going to follow DWTS much this season...until I remembered that Jennifer Grey is dancing. So...we'll see. I may watch, or I may just be satisfied with her turn on House.

Tuesday, September 21:

4. Glee!! The wrap-up episode from last season was pitch perfect in the way it left things. Let us hope the momentum starts right back up. I've missed Sue. I was told erroneously that if I missed Glee I should watch The Choir on BBCA. But no. It didn't cut it for me. I need Sue. And Rachel. And Emma. And Brittany...

5. The Good Wife. A strong cast, strong writing, strong plotting - very curious to see what the next season will hold. Especially since Julianna Margulies' Alicia Florick seemed very ready to lose her "Good Wife" status.

Thursday, September 23:

6. Fringe! This is tricky, because Fringe and Grey's are on at the same time. Will have to figure this out (we can only DVR one network show at a time...). But I'm more invested in Fringe, having spent the off-season telling everyone I know to start watching Fringe. I love strong characters and involving ensemble casts, and that's Fringe in a nutshell. I miss everyone. Even Gene. I have hopes that everyone will be restored to their proper dimensions shortly, but I am realistic. This is television.

7. Grey's Anatomy. Don't judge. Please. I'm not a Mc-Anything swooner, but I really love a lot of these characters. They're flawed and complicated and they make flawed and complicated decisions. Sometimes it's tangled in melodrama, but other times they get it right. The times they get it right makes it worth it.

And yes. I'm desolated that Casanova has left Project Runway.

Oh - and for everyone who's pre-ordered Sara but hasn't had copies shipped - they will be shipped shortly. The cases of books bound for Amazon left on the 8th of this month, and Amazon's turnaround tends to be quite speedy. So keep an eye on your email. I'll get a call from Barnes & Noble when they have Sara in stock here in Eugene, but keep in mind that the signing is October 3rd...not far away at all!

Off to pack! More later from Indianapolis :-)