Serious nostalgia.

My last 24 hours in New Orleans were incredible: the event went swimmingly (click here for a picture and a brief review!)--I forget that although I sometimes get nervous before talking in front of people, all the anxiety goes away as soon as I begin talking about something about which I feel passionately.  It was a great crowd, lively questions, and ultimately, I think, a great success.  Here's a pic from right before the panel discussion of me with my two college creative writing professors (so dear to me!), Peter Cooley and Dale Edmonds:

After the event, I hopped back on the street car and headed to an old haunt, the Maple Leaf, to see

There's something really liberating about wandering around a city on your own . . . so many things to do and people to meet . . . but I guess it helps being in a city you already know well.  Rebirth was, as always, incredible!  I didn't get to take any pics inside cause it was SO DARK I just knew the camera wouldn't do them justice.  I (barely) made it back to my hotel Tuesday night, and then Wednesday I experienced what may have been the highlight of my trip: lunch with old English professors.  Oh man--I was totally overcome with sweet nostalgia, and found myself wishing I was back in the Tulane English Department having conversations about Ernest Hemingway with these folks.

On the way to the airport, we stopped by my old house!

Ohhhh 7820 Birch St., how I miss you!

College is such an incredible time in your life, and you have no idea how to appreciate it while you're there.  It's the tragedy of growing up: you don't know anything else, and so you don't know to savor every single moment.  Seeing students walking around my old college campus made me almost impossibly sad, for just a minute, just knowing that I'll never be back there again.

But then it was back to the Bay Area where I got to celebrate the Giants' incredible victory over the Rangers--WHAT A GAME!--and then again last night??  I have to admit, I kind of felt sorry for the Rangers (and for Micaela and Marianne, the prettiest Rangers fans around!)--once they started walking people, it was just . . . embarrassing.

Happy Friday, and happy (soon-to-be) Halloween!