A CITY SAFARI

Going to the New York City always makes me think of seashells. Perhaps, that’s because the only shells you’ll find in NYC are the ones crushed to make concrete for some of the city's oldest sidewalks.


While I tried to write text for The Mystery Project (TMP) on my laptop on route to NYC, I couldn’t help be distracted by the conversations of my fellow passengers.

Chattering away in British and Australian-accented English worthy of the finest Masterpiece Theatre productions, the talk revolved around Malaysian leopards and wildlife conservation projects. It was hard not to eavesdrop on conversations that started with:

“While I was deep in the jungle in southern Mondulkiri province of Cambodia trying to attach motion-sensitive cameras to trees, I accidentally tripped on a ……”

OR
“It doesn’t take very long after you are bitten by one of those to go into a coma and expire.”

OR
“Oh, that was BEFORE I had to be carried by the porters across the infested waters to the tent that masquerades as the local hospital.”

In the end, I did manage to write some pretty decent text, along with a list of questions to ask the editor at TMP’s Publishing House.

Our meeting went very well from the start. We discovered several interests in common and liked each other very much. We agreed on the book’s overall visuals and how the text should flow. If possible, I was even more excited about TMP than before.

I could barely contain my enthusiasm when I met my friends Judith, Linda and Helene for dinner. The restaurant, Duane Park Café, had a few large seashells on display (so much for my theory that there are no shells in NYC)! The food was terrific- the shrimp and crab cake appetizer was heavenly.

The Miguel Funi performance, however, was awful. It began badly with a group of lackluster singers, guitarist and dancers and when El Funi finally appeared it got worse. Lets just say he wasn’t at his best.

The next day traveling back on the train (the passengers weren’t nearly as interesting this time), I got quite a bit of work done until…

I received a call from one of the TMP team to tell me some bad news. The editor (the one I met with the day before) had just handed in her resignation. She would be leaving in two weeks for her new job at another publishing company!

A conference call was scheduled for today (Monday) to discuss the book and the expectations of the editor that would now oversee it.

When I got back home, I got another surprise—a marvelous one this time. Lisa of My Cali Cottage sent me a present – one of her stunning shell-encrusted mirrors. As you can see it’s a masterpiece. THANK YOU SO MUCH LISA!

Funny, shells seem to be a reoccurring theme in my life this week.
*** BLOG DU JOUR ***

Yes, this is a repeat! BUT, it just keeps getting better. And, Jackie's new book, The Design Directory of Window Treatments, is now in stores. Visit http://jackiebluehome.blogspot.com to hear about her trip to NYC. Check out where she ate! I'm jealous.