Exciting Things are Exciting

Dearest readers, hello! I am back from my week-long excursion to New York, and while I did not find an apartment yet, I did find a roommate. And managed to navigate the subway on my own. I'd call that progress. This next week's going to be a little hectic, since I'm heading back to NYC on Tuesday with some more of my stuff, am coming back to DC for the weekend, and heading up next Sunday with the last of my bags. So, three five-hour bus trips ahead of me this week, but then I'll have all my things (at least, what I brought out here with me. We're renting a pod to get the rest of my junk across the country) and won't have to live in squalor! Well, I will. But at least I won't be wearing pants when it's 93 degrees.

Baby steps.

Now, in terms of news, I have something really exciting to share with you guys! Until I find my own place, I've been staying with my best friend, Lara, in Brooklyn. She and another friend, Dave, have begun creating a new comic entitled Tales of the Night Watchman, and it's basically the coolest thing I've ever seen. Here's the blurb Lara sent me:

Tales of the Night Watchman is about Nora, a blogger stuck working a dead end job in coffee, and her roommate Charlie, who happens to be possessed (in the nicest way possible) by a spectral detective called The Night Watchman. Baristas by day, heroes by night, Nora and Charlie are the only ones who can save the day when an influx of paranormal activity summons the return of their arch-nemesis Merrick.

It's got zombies, inappropriate language, snark, New York, and a whole lot of awesome, all rolled into one. Dave wrote the script (who knew you had to write a script for a comic?) and Lara's doing all the illustrations. I watched her work on it all week and let me tell you, it's badass. And makes me horribly jealous because, as I've said before, I can't draw a convincing stick figure. So you guys should probably check it out! They're hoping to show the finished product at the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival later this year, but there's a sneak peek on Lara's website. Check it out!

In other exciting news, New York is growing on me. I was totally overwhelmed the first two days I was there, since being a tourist and actually becoming a resident are two very different things, but by the time I left yesterday, I was already looking forward to going back. I got to meet up with my friend Miriam who works at Tor, which was great because I hadn't seen her since January. As I mentioned, I found a roommate, and we narrowed down what areas we're hoping to live in (if any of you are from NY and know of any three-bedroom apartments opening up along the L, let me know!). I didn't get to eat from any street vendors yet (god, I miss some of the ones in Madison right now), but I've got the rest of my life for that. It'll happen. I somehow managed to not get lost, which I consider a Big Deal (although I felt like an idiot when I went to meet Miriam at the Flatiron building and realized, when I was two blocks away, that the subway let me off right in front of it). Really, the last week was a total whirlwind, but I'm so glad I decided to move out here. I've been saying since I was a kid that someday I'd move to New York, and it feels good knowing I actually managed to do it.

I've also been working on SILENCE a lot lately, and am aiming to be completely finished with edits by the end of August. So keep your fingers crossed!

And that's where the excitement in my life ends. Hope you're all doing well!