A Model Cat

Who says cats aren't photogenic?

Achengirls Gone Wild at the Miami Book Fair

The Miami Book Fair started out like any other: with a huge dog. Kbertocci and I had our day planned out and it worked out even better than we thought it would.

We started out in a session with Kurt Anderson (Spy Magazine, New York Magazine, NPR, etc) and kbertocci was impressed when she mentioned something to him at the book signing and he said, "You've blogged about that, haven't you?"

While she went off in search of Jonathan Franzen's words of wisdom, I stuck around for Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson's shenanigans. I was not disappointed.

We were a little sorry we didn't get in Dave's book-signing line so we could meet him (it would have been a little awkward since neither of us had any of his books) but as we were walking around the book fair we saw him approach, so we called him over ("Hey! DAVE!") and explained that we were Achenbloggers and told him about our Achengirls Gone Wild weekend. He had us at, "You mean the Boodle?" We asked him if he read the comments and he said, "Well... there's a lot of them." Ridley Pearson grabbed my camera and posed us for a picture--proof if you will of our wild weekend.

We went off to look for Cuban food and then returned to the Book Fair for a fabulous concert by the Rock Bottom Remainders (we couldn't get tickets for Barack Obama).

What a rockin’ show. Special guest appearances by Andy Borowitz, Daniel Handler and some other cool, baby-booming writer-musicians. One highlight of the concert: Dave Barry's I'm in Love with a Proofreading Woman ("She's got a great big dictionary and she never says, 'between you and I.'") Of course, Andy Borowitz's social-commentary song (The Monkees' I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone) was worth the price of admission (free).

With the Book Fair closed for the night (we could hear Obama's speech, but not see it), we left Miami and headed for Miami Beach and dinner with the Miami Achenfish, ready to get up the next day to return to the Fair for one more speaker: Carl Hiaasen.

After listening to Hiaasen convince us to buy his books, we stood in line for an hour to get them signed. He was more impressed with TBG's daughter's Greek name (his wife is Greek) than the fact that we are Achengirls. Oh well.

Time for the beach and pool....

My Dad at 21

My father served on the USS Stentor in the Pacific in 1945 and 1946. The ship, originally an LST, was reconfigured in 1945 as a floating machine shop. By the time they arrived in Hawaii the war was nearly over, but the ship toured the Pacific and he said there was still lots of fighting going on.

He had the best job on the ship: Captain's Yeoman, or secretary. It's amazing to think that a 21-year-old immigrant's son from DC could travel through Asia like he did. He also tells great stories of traveling back to DC by train from San Francisco when he returned from overseas.

My kids love to hear their grandfather's stories. Recently he was over for dinner and out on the back porch with my husband and kids while I was making dinner. My son came in to get the dishes to set the table outside and said, "I've got to hurry; I'm missing one of his stories! I just heard him say, '... so he grabbed the guy by the neck!' so I know I'm missing something good!"



My dad is the handsome guy on the right.

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The writing on the back of this picture says: "Shanghai Jan. '46. Krouse, Christie, [Dad], Judge and Moore."

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Dad's the one in the hat.

The Movable BHP Goes South

We had a wonderful Family BPH with Slyness and her husband—both delightful people. Even without Yuengling and tinfoil hats, much hilarity ensued.

Boodlers Explore Time & Space.... and Yuengling & Burgers

mo and bc show how tough the BPH can be.


pj, *Tim and Dolphin Michael.


RD Padouk goes incognito with yellojkt.


It seems that yellojkt is already ashamed of himself.
Here he is with Bob S and PLS.


PLS and TBG.


mo is hugging the AchenNativeAmerican.

Blue-bottomed boys you make the rockin’ world go ’round...

So Curmudgeon's blue bottom isn't a myth at all! Here it is in all its glory.

nelson meets the G family

Had a Tidewater Area BPH last week when nelson came down to Va Beach to schmooze and partake with the G family at our beach house on 37th Street. She arrived in full Achenboodle regalia, including her Charlize Theron bow, in purple, as inspired by fellow boodler RD Padouk.

Here is evidence of our meeting.

Man Food

When Joel Achenbach wrote about manfood a while back I remembered some essays that my husband, DBG, wrote a few years ago that he also titled, "Man Food." I finally found them on an old hard disk and have offered them for posterity.

I hope you enjoy them... Man Food

Apple Users are Geniuses

The boy learned to program around the same time he learned to read.