Last night, I went to the South Street Seaport Museum for a reading by ellen_kushner and naominovik - I found out about at almost the last minute. For those who don't know, Ellen Kushner is the author of, among other things, Swordspoint and Naomi Novik is the author of the Temeraire Series. I highly recommend both writers.

Getting there was adventure enough.

See, I was wearing my new boots, which haven't yet deformed to fit my feet. So they pinch. The idea was to wear them to work because it I wouldn't be walking enough outside to make them uncomfortable, so they would break in.

First. Get the train. The subway I was heading towards is three long blocks away from where I work. There is a bus that goes in that direction, but it's slow. And I *just* missed it. So. Three long blocks (fortunately downhill.) And that was a mistake - I should have walked one fewer block and taken a bus to an IRT station. But, no. I decided I wanted the M train. Which was waiting in the station. And waiting. And waiting.

Why? Because there was a disabled train ahead. This was cleared up before too long,though, and I even got a seat eventually. And then I got off one stop too soon. And got lost around lower Manhattan. So I called Jonathan and he gave me directions to walk to the museum.

8 blocks. In those boots. But they were good directions and I found the place. And it turned out I was an hour early, but that was okay. I had the foresight to make a peanut butter sandwich (I keep peanut butter and rye bread in the office) before leaving work, so I had something to eat before the blood sugar dropped. They did have free juice, cookies and pretzels, which was lovely, but the sandwich was a better choice for me. Instead, I just worked on my swatch for my first sweater.

The readings themselves were...well, I've heard Ellen read before. She's marvelous, as befits someone who is also a radio host. She read from her latest, The Privilege of the Sword , in a non-traditional manner - instead of reading one scene, she read bits along the main storyline to show how her protagnonist changed. It was very effective. She also read another part showing teen-age girls reacting to the dramatization of their favorite novel, which was hilarious.

Naomi read a selection from her as yet untitled 4th book, which will be out in October or so. Her fifth book, btw, will be out a few months after - in hardcover. This selection was a dinner party in the covert, and was an amusing description of a young female character among people not of her milieu (those who know the books know who she is.) Even Naomi laughed. Then, as a change of pace, she read something Completely Different - a novel she's currently working on. This was a raw and powerful piece set in a prison, using a telepath as a viewpoint character. When I say powerful - I found myself holding my knitting instead of working on it because I didn't want to miss a word. I am now anxious for this book to be sold.

There was a brief Q&A session and then everyone adjourned to a local bar. Except that it was nearly 9PM, and I needed a real dinner. So I caught a cab to a restaurant near my home instead.

Leaving my handknit, months-in-progress Ravenclaw scarf in the museum. Which I didn't realize until I put my coat on to go home after I ate.

I called the museum this morning. They have the scarf. I'll get it tomorrow.