Two Dogs

We've adopted a puppy, Kona! Kona's somewhere between one and two years old, and the prevailing opinion is that she's a combination of black lab and English pointer. She made eyes at us in the Reno S.P.C.A., and we were powerless. She joins our existing dog, Nada (who, I must point out, we did not name), a ten-year-old golden/chow. We were worried about relations between a puppy and a grumpy old dominant dog, but so far the two have become fast friends. Kona likes to swim, so be prepared for shots of the irresistable combination of puppy and Tahoe...

Welcome, German readers!

The German translation of WE'RE IN TROUBLE has hit the shelves, with the title BIS AN DAS ENDE DER NACHT, out from Goldmann...

Rather Ripped

Sorry for the long radio silence--I spent the last part of my summer buried in my novel (which is getting there--sloooowly). But I do want to give a separate post to one of the cooler things that's happened to nerdy ol' me--which was getting to see Sonic Youth on July 4th, and meeting Thurston Moore in the process.

Long story short--I'm writing a story for a Sonic Youth tribute anthology, THE EMPTY PAGE, being put together by editor Peter Wild, and when I mentioned to him that the Youth were coming to Reno, he got me (and my friend and birthday boy Mike Kardos, who flew out from Missouri) backstage.

Great show (in support of the terrific new album, Rather Ripped), and afterward Thurston was gracious and literate, for a guy being bothered simultaneously by a dorky English professor and a group of Reno high school students who'd gotten permission to shoot documentary footage of the band. We talked about Mary Gaitskill; the students asked him what kind of beer he liked. The rest of the band wisely kept out of sight.

So thanks to Peter, for making it happen, and thanks to the Youth, for all the great music--and specifically one wave of feedback so loud it made me sweat.