Lesa's Travel Blog

Confessions of a Comic Con Virgin

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 23:28:00 +0000

This past Friday I had the immense joy of attending the first of many Comic Cons in NY. Escorted by the much talented and esteemed colorists of DC Comics: Patricia Mulvihill, Tanya and Richard Horie. In this photo, Trish is on the left, then me, Tanya, and another DC freelancer (eep! can't remember his name).

:insert screaming here: OMG I HAD SO MUCH FUN!

There were statues, t-shirts, books, figurines, stickers, puppets (don't ask) and all manner of goodness from BSG, B5, Star Trek, Buffy, Watchmen (which I can't wait to see), and so on.

Thanks to Richard, I scored the new Thor in hard back (I devoured it on a flight back from Austin just the other day--all the other passengers stared), along with a signed copy of Neil Gaiman's Sandman stories, volume 1 (Preludes & Nocturnes). To cap the evening off, they took me into their inner sanctum to the DC Comics party where this photo was shot. All in all, I can't remember another day that I've been filled with such glee. I can't wait for the next one!

My fantasy road race team

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:11:00 +0000

I'm so unbelievably A.D.D. I can get distracted in the blink of an eye. Today one of my (many) distractions -- while I should've been writing a big honkin' column that's due Friday -- was to form a fantasy road race team.

My team, "Lesa's Hotties" are pictured above. I'm a little miffed that Lorenzo appears above Rossi in the grid though but I couldn't figure out how to modify that without starting over. Frak.

If this sounds like a distraction you *yourself* might be interested in, trot on over to Your Bike Life for more details on forming your own team (you can even race against mine). Basically you pick two riders each from MotoGP, World Superbike, and British Super Bike. You can pay for the riders with a 10 million pound budget. You score points according to how well your riders do in their respective races. It's even possible to win a a real bike! Let the fun -- and distractions! -- begin :)

Starting 2009 off right!

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:26:00 +0000

Looking back, I'm truly saddened to see the date of my last travel blog post. I even had some amazing trips in 2008, including a one month stay in the Mediterranean and Italian countryside! However, the biggest trip I took was that of writing my first book. It's called Photoshop CS4: The Missing Manual and weighs in at a hefty 800+ pages. This endeavor consumed five months of my life, kept me off my beloved F800ST (aka Saphira), and away from most every human I love.

What is worth it, you might ask? Folks say it will be, though it just hit the shelves last week. Admittedly I get a huge sense of accomplishment as I look at its telephone-book size footprint on the coffee table. Wow. Did I really write all that?!? Holy Thor.

Nevertheless, I started 2009 off right: By trolling the Int'l. Motorcycle Show in New York and straddling each two-wheeled beauty that caught my eye. The winner is the new Yamaha R1 with Valentino Rossi tank/decal kit (pictured below). She'd make a perfect track bike, and I even met the good folks at Vanson's Leathers who are ready to outfit me with racing gear. Oh the temptation! Did I mentioned I also trekked to Tavulia, Italy to join Rossi's official fan club? That was big, big fun :)

So yeah, I need those book royalties to start pouring in. If you want to give 'em a nudge, click here to learn more about the book and to get a 40% discount. It's a great buy and I'm really proud of how it turned out. It's the only Photoshop book written in plain English that's filled with beautiful imagery of motorcycles, armadillos, cowboys, and belly dancers. You can't go wrong with a combo like that.

Finding Friends in Santa Fe

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:50:00 +0000

Last week I taught a super intensive beginner's Photoshop course at the esteemed Santa Fe Photographic Workshops. I'd never been to Santa Fe before so I didn't really know what to expect. I mean, I had always heard how amazing the light is, how cool the Adobe houses look, how affordable the jewelry is if you buy it direct from the Indians in the plaza, and so on... but nobody every really said anything about the PEOPLE of Santa Fe.

I travel a lot. A hell of a lot. Never have I randomly met more interesting and friendly people as I did this past week. The 12 folks who took my class just stole my heart. Sure we had some frustrating moments as I crammed ten tons of information into their brains but they were all REALLY nice people (a few of whom I've made plans to meet up with later in the year!). However, before I stepped foot in the class on Monday morning, I met some people whom I hope to remain friends with for the rest of my life.

Most of them are pictured in this photo, taken at our class dinner at the SantaCafe last Tuesday night. From left to right it's me, Jennifer, Lynn, then on the bottom row yet another Jennifer, and Robin. What fun ladies! The first Jennifer is a successful web developer, Lynn is a bartender at the Inn of the Anasazi (what a place!) plus she's embarking on an amazing new business venture with her friend David Schwartz (who somehow missed out on the photo opp). Jennifer on the first row owns a PR firm and she actually set up the entire dinner for me. The owner made a special place for us at the patio and we got extra special treatment. Last but not least, Robin owns her own clothing line.

I met up with them on Sunday when I rolled into town and had a few hours to spare before I could check into my casita. I mosied up to the bar and quite honestly, eavesdropped on these ladies as they were chatting about the party Lynn threw the night before and what they were going to do that night. I happened to say "I want to come!" and that was it--we chatted the rest of the afternoon (through 2 glasses of some fantastic old vine zinfandel and a slab-o-salmon), and made plans for them to come to my dinner on Tuesday night. (The men in my class were oh so pleased to see these young attractive women at our table!)

After our dinner, we went to a spanish bar where tango was the dance of the evening, after which we ended up at another bar which had a metal band playing live! And it wasn't just any metal band... it was comprised of CHICKS! The band is called Cockpit and they're out of LA. Whee!

I was toiling seriously long hours in between all of this. Class started at 8:30 am every day, went to 5:00, and then lab hours were from 6:00-9:30 but I still managed to meet up with Lynn, David, and Jennifer (various combinations thereof) throughout the remainder of the week for brunch, lunch, cocktails, partying on a real live train, and for tooling around the plaza. Crazy! (My class and I also hiked up to the top of the Tent Rocks monument--see the King Family Flickr feed for pics.)

I also bonded with a world-class photographer named Tony Corbell, whom I dragged out with me to meet up with David and these ladies almost every evening. Funny thing is, Tony and David had another friend in common who is involved in the workshops! What a small planet we live on. Speaking of coincidence, my favorite restaurant in the states is Tra Vigne in St. Helena, CA. It just so happens that both Tony and David have similar affection for the very same restaurant! David was also kind enough to give me a bottle of cabernet from his very own vineyard, Davelly, which I am enjoying AT THIS MOMENT.

Anyway, I had just to write about these amazing people and tell them just how much I miss them (terribly, you guys!!!). I hope we always stay in touch and I can't wait to see y'all again :)

10 Mile Hike near Lake Louise

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:50:00 +0000

After teaching two graphic design classes to a lovely group of folks at a small business marketing conference up in Canmore, Alberta, I was treated to a 10 mile hike up to Plains of the Six Glaciers with my friend (and Your Mac Life listener) Maurice Shevalier. (Click here to see the Flickr picture gallery.)

The hike was scary in places as we had to cross ice fields that were really steep! I was so proud of myself for making it all the way up (and back down again). How often can you say you had a sandwich at 10,000 ft. while watching avalanches off a honkin' big glacier?!

The Alexander Keith's I had back down at the Chateau was The Best Beer Ever.

Now let's hope I'm not too sore to make it to the airport. Thank you Maurice for an amazing day!

Graphic fun

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 03:44:00 +0000

Though I didn't go riding this weekend, I did create an El Coolio graphic for a Photoshop training video I'm recording this week. The technique is selective blurring and fading one image into another. I think it turned out rather well :)

Back in the saddle

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 02:13:00 +0000

Finally got to go riding this past Sunday and though I feel a bit like the Michelin Tire Woman all bunched up with heated gear (hate that), it was nice to be back in "Saphira's" saddle. Since I had my camera with me, I fired off this shot after hanging my helmet on the handlebar.

Speaking of the helmet, I picked up this new Arai last week, as my trusty Schuberth was looking really shabby (and you just can't find those things here in the US!). If I could have waited for the BMW rally in July, I probably would have bought another one, but this Arai is SUPER light and airy (a bit *too* airy for this cold weather!). Plus the Dallas Cowboy-ish graphics are way cool and the tinted visor makes me feel mysterious :)

How to make a husband happy

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:37:00 +0000

Why, buy him a brand new motorcycle of course :)

After hearing that our insurance company declared his Royal Star a total loss after a small accident in December, I found an amazing deal on a Yamaha FJR 1300 posted on--wait for it--Craiglist, of all places. Within two hours, we were riding to the dealership two-up on my BMW F800ST to pick it up. He even got to unbox it himself.

Gracious as he is, he let me name the new addition to our family. My bike's name is Saphira, after the beautiful and powerful blue dragon in the Eragon book series. Therefore, since his bike is larger and jet black, I've christened it Temeraire.

Needless to say, he's been SUPER nice to me ever since. I'll let you know how long that lasts ;)

An afternoon at the MOMA

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:16:00 +0000

In between business meetings this past Friday, my husband and I visited the MOMA in Manhattan. Surprisingly, they let us take pictures (no flash, of course). We spent about three hours at the multi-level museum and really had a great time snapping this and that. I tended to take photos of my favorite paintings and Shawn (as usual) just shot EVERYTHING :)

My most favorite painting in the world lives at this museum: Van Gogh's Starry Night. Though I was disappointed to learn that Salvador Dali's "Persistence of Memory" was out on loan. Alas, I must wait until the summer to go back and see it (unless I go to London first... hmmm...). Admittedly, some of the installations at the museum are just whacked (in my opinion) but I was surprised to see so many spectacular pieces in their collection, including Warhol's serigraphs of Marilyn Monroe.

Needless to say, we only covered two floors in three hours, so we're set to go back really soon. If it's warm enough, we'll ride our motorcycles :)

Click here to see the whole Flickr gallery. And please note that all of my pictures were shot with a glorious Canon 40D that Canon loaned me for review. I do *not* want to send this camera back!

Going home for a Week

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 02:26:00 +0000

There ain't nothing like going home.

This past week I was lucky enough to score several speaking gigs in the DFW area of my beloved Lone Star State so I got to stay for 6 days. First I did a little ditty on digital photography for the Cowtown Mac Users Group, then enlightened two UTA commercial graphics classes on the gloriousity of iStockphoto, I spent the afternoon with a cool design firm called Church Media in Keller, taught a two-hour hands on Photoshop course at the Art Institute of Dallas on Friday, then finished the week out with a tex-mex lunch with four area iStockphoto contributors--a good time was had by all! Gads they just really can't do spicy up here in New England.

I spent some quality time with friends I used to see on a daily basis, ate at my very favorite restaurants, and drove familiar roads that I've been down a thousand times. It was a little like going back in time and I have to say, it was fun yet melancholy. I've always known I missed that area and the life I led, but I guess that's just part of life. I wouldn't trade what I have now and the experiences I'm having being this close to Manhattan, but... you know--I *really* miss my friends.

Anyway, included in this post are a few of my favorite shots during the week snapped with a Canon 40D I'm lucky enough to have in my possession (thank you Canon!). I *so* do not want to send this thing back. My own camera is a Rebel XTi which is great, but it's nothing like the 40D. With the 40D, I actually feel like a pro. It's easy to use and the photos are just amazing. I also didn't have to RTFM to figure it out, which was nice. (Okay so I had to look up how to set aperture when in Manual mode.)

On Sunday I drove to East Texas to spend some quality time with Mama which was great. On the way home I suffered many delays due to weather, which meant I should have just stayed put an extra day. This was the view outside the airplane window:

Fire Island Lighthouse shoot

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:34:00 +0000

Not much has gone on in the way of travel since getting back from San Francisco for Macworld Expo. That being said, I did drive to Long Island, NY on Friday to shoot the Fire Island Lighthouse. Much fun was had as after shooting, my husband and I spent 4+ hours at the Brickhouse Brewery.

Going out for a photo shoot is a rather new experience for us, and this one taught us several things:

1. Only shoot lighthouses in the summer, else you will freeze to fracking death!

2. Monopods are USELESS! In a fit of generosity, I let the husband borrow my new tripod because he was testing Nikon's new D300. Foolishly, I thought the monopod would help me in the low light situation that is sunrise, but I was dreadfully wrong. I had better luck handholding the darn camera (Rebel Xti).

3. Scout the location the day before. Thankfully we did a drive-by, but didn't actually walk to the lighthouse. Not only was the address of the lighthouse wrong on their own web site, getting to the lighthouse involved a one mile hike. That much we learned driving by, though if we had gotten out and walked it we could have scouted a better position than what we ended up with early the next morning.

4. Not all sunrise pictures are going to be great. Since I got up at "the crack of ass," I fully expected the pictures to be fantastic. Alas, they were not. Either because of too many or too few clouds, the time of year, or whatever, this particular sunrise wasn't worth the 4:30 am price.

All in all, it wasn't a total bust for as disappointed as we were, we retreated to a fabulous pub for many pints and good food with good friends at noon. I'd probably do it again... when it's warmer ;)

Click here to see all the photos from our Fire Island Lighthouse shoot.

Pre-Macworld Anniversary Weekend

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 07:00:00 +0000

Due to some corporate training I did for Wells Fargo, Shawn and I arrived in San Francisco a weekend early. The great thing about this was getting to spend our second wedding anniversary in the city. Shawn rented a car and we drove through Pacifica where I got this great shot of him about to get drenched by the waves. From there we had lunch at the Moss Beach Distillery and drove around Half Moon Bay. After that we headed to Chinatown where I got the most beautiful peridot bracelet ever (and bargained the $750 bracelet down to $150). Dinner at Umbria finished off a perfect anniversary in San Francisco. Click here to see the whole picture gallery.

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta 2007

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 04:55:00 +0000

This past weekend I had the opportunity to take a last minute, spur of the moment trip to join YML'er and friend, Ruth Lind, at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. I shot tons of photos and met some truly wonderful people (some were so nice that I felt like I was back home in Texas!).

More pictures to come soon, but this photo gallery will get ya started.

Geek Fun in Houston

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 15:10:00 +0000

"Ahhhhhhhhh." That's what I say everytime I get to visit my true home, the Lone Star State. I've only been away a few short years, and I do miss it so (though in New England I'm experiencing, for the first time, a fascinating phenomenon called FALL).

This past weekend I had the pleasure of speaking to the good folks at HAAUG, during their fun and informative MacFest 07. It was nice to see many friends and talk Mac stuff! Chris Breen's disembodied head was a real treat, and it was a delight to hang 'round Mr. Ihnatko and Bob--I just love listening to all of these great guys talk about Apple.

I also brought along my girlfriend Kat from Fort Worth, and it was a real joy for the two of us to have quality girl time with Jean MacDonald of Smile On My Mac. A few more pictures will find their way to this blog soon.

Big kisses to Rex, Philip, and Doug for making me feel so at home (and Rex I'll be expecting pictures of that new Harley in December!).

Hope to see all y'all again soon ;)

Adirondack Balloon Festival

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 01:03:00 +0000

Amazing. Beautiful. Peaceful. Fascinating.

Those words don't even come close to describing what my husband and I experienced last weekend. We took both motorcycles up to Lake George and through the wonderful YML listener, Ruth Lind, we spent the weekend crewing for Gary's Balloon.

Click here to visit photo gallery numero uno.

Click here to visit photo gallery numbero dos.

Enjoy!

P.S. All images taken with a Canon Rebel XTi and a veritable Bag O Lenses they sent to me before I left! They made me a better photographer :)

A surreal moment

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 04:35:00 +0000

While teaching out at Photoshop World, I had a very surreal moment. As my friend Rob got ready to introduce me, he was standing right off stage and asked me if I was ready. He had that same black t-shirt with the big white STAFF on it that I used to wear back when I introduced speakers myself.

All of a sudden, it hit me that I'd accomplished a major goal in becoming a Photoshop World speaker (and I'm one of only four women who regularly teach there). Even though I've spoken several times before on the show floor, it wasn't until that exact moment in the classroom in the *paid track* that I felt it.

Unbeknownst to my husband, he just so happened to capture that exact moment for me. Way to go honey!

Below are a couple of other photos from the week. The first is of Bert Monroy and Scott Kelby, and the second is of photographer Jeff Schewe.

Hanging with the "Alties" in Evanston, IL

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 22:35:00 +0000

Though I've only known about them for the past year, an interesting sub-culture of folks in the weekly newspaper biz are quickly becoming my favorite people to hang out with. Affectionately dubbed "Alties" they are the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies and this past weekend I had the honor of teaching their writers and designers a 2.5 hour class on Photoshop and graphic design. I also taught for these folks back in February in Washington DC, and in Portland, OR in July.

They are rebels, they are progressive, and they tackle news as they see fit. They also drink copious amounts at their gloriously frequent conferences and are some of the most enjoyable people to spend time on the conference circuit. At the most recent conference in Evanston, IL (near Chicago) we visited Ethel's Chocolate Lounge. It was amazing to say the least (shivers at the thought). Ever the fun-loving crowd, some quotes from the weekend include:

"Go tell chocolate boy."
"I looked down and I was lactating bourbon."
"Look at the size of those balls!"
"I had him last night."

Again, I really love this group :) Click either picture for a link to the photo gallery. On the right, Mike Kaylan is pictured enjoying the treats at the chocolate lounge (if the place had served drinks, we might never have left!).

I was also lucky enough to visit photographer friend George Papadakis and his lovely wife Debra and their two beautiful daughters, Stefani and Christy. We took the architectural boat tour through the city and had an amazing dinner at Morton's Steakhouse. I didn't want to leave! (Click the photo to the left to view the photo gallery.) He taught me more about how to shoot on manual mode and hopefully you'll see the fruits of those lessons in photos to come.

1st Annual YML BBQ

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 17:00:00 +0000

What do you get when you mix Mac geeks, Your Mac Life radio fans, and grill lovers? You get the 1st Annual Your Mac Life BBQ hosted at the home of Shawn and Lesa King in Westport, CT. (Click the photo to see more pictures.)

We had fish, steak, corn, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, carrot salad and the most artistic fruit salad I've ever seen (compliments of Lesh--see picture above).

An amazingly relaxing time was had by all and somehow Lesa and Lesh managed to plow through several bottles of wine.
We were even joined by a surprise guests halfway through the evening--David Pogue! What a treat it was to spend private time with friendly folks of like minds. Thanks to all who attended! I can't wait until the next one :)

It's grillin' time!

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 02:50:00 +0000

After months of research, studying grill after grill after grill, and multiple nights studying Consumer Reports--I bought a grill. Not just any grill, for her name is Hoss. She's a Weber Genesis E-320 and my husband Shawn expertly put her together while I was toiling away on the iPhoto Missing Manual over at Pogue's place.

I left David's at about 7:45 and zipped by the Saugatuck market and grabbed a couple of ribeyes along with three ears of corn and a bundle of snap peas. It was the best meal either of us have had in years. Seriously. And with the way I travel, I've had some pretty amazing meals in the past few years.

I predict there will be a significant increase in protein while the warm weather lasts :)

Getting ear molds in the City

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 01:12:00 +0000

In the first of what could be a relatively long line of purchases to accessorize my iPhone, I took the train into the City (Manhattan) to get molds made of my inner ears.

That's right, I traveled to Scientific Plastics at 243 West 30th Street and they shot my ears up with clay (or at least, that's what it felt like). It was a really weird feeling but the results should be bloody fantastic. Once they're finished (I pick them up next Wednesday), my iPhone earbuds will fit *perfectly* into my ears thus blocking out all kinds of ambient noise (screaming babies on airplanes) and the sound quality (the bass) should be nothing short of spectacular, all for a cool $100.

Stay tuned! I'll let you know how they work out.

Fleeting moments of fame

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 20:10:00 +0000

It's been three days since I spent 22 hours in line at the Apple Store on 5th Avenue to equip the King family with iPhones. Never in my life have I experienced such a pleasurable and memorable shopping adventure. By the time it was all over, I would have happily given them $600 for the experience alone!

The people-watching was as good as it gets, and covered the gamut of weird to Apple faithful to corporate types to pure attention-getters to those trying to exploit their place in line to make a buck (I didn't like those people at all). Our good friend Loren Finkelstein came down to share in the fun, as did other friends Brian Paloski, Paul Sahner, and David Pogue. Loren and I helped Shawn make a fantastic video for Macworld.com, which is as close as you can get to being there, well, without really being there. A ton of pictures from the event live here.

You've simply got to see it to believe what happened once the store opened at 6:00 pm. Apple made us feel like rock stars as we descended the crystaline stairs, cheered and applauded us as we purchased iPhones, and kept the cheering going as we ascended into the maelstrom of media. I told Shawn it was as close as we'd get to knowing how Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie feel :)

The results is that we were all on a number of TV shows, radio interviews, web sites, and newspapers all across the globe. Click here for a clip of my short but giggly appearance on the Good Morning America show.

Thank you, Apple, for a truly glorious iPhone and the purchasing experience of a lifetime! (Oh yeah, and for the water and use of the restrooms!) And for those wondering if it was worth it? HELL YES! It's the most amazing technology product ever.

Live from the iPhone line!

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 18:24:00 +0000

It's hour number 19 here at the 5th Ave Apple Store in New York City, as we wait in line to get an iPhone. Oh sure we could waltz into a store tomorrow and get one without waiting but where would the fun be in that? Besides, we've got to have one *today*.

There is an incredible number of people here (approx 900 we're hearing), and the good folks at NYPD have placed us behind bars. That's right, they've locked us behind their favorite method of crowd control: interlocking steel bars. To move from the line (as in to relieve oneself or to forage for food), one must either walk to the front or the end of the line (which is a hell of a hike), or vault the bars (not really an option for the vertically challenged).

However, excitement is increasing as Steve Jobs was reportedly here earlier (and may still be), and they've already shut down the store. Police officers are starting to arrive in pairs to control the crowd so it seems that the situation is about to get even more interesting! Of course, we've had our share of weirdos (mostly during the night) driving by yelling "The iPhone Sucks!" and the religious zealots bearing signs claiming the end of the world is near. Standard fare for New York City, I understand.

Until I have more to report, click the picture above to see a little movie good friend and YML'er Loren Finkelstein and I recorded a few minutes ago... live from the line!

It's iPhone Week!

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 01:45:00 +0000

Whee! I've been waiting for this week for years. Tomorow I will take my place in line with my fellow MacMacs to buy an iPhone on Friday evening at 6:00 pm. And those of you who aren't into the iPhone, you should be. It could well be the coolest device in the history of the planet.

Yes, that's right, I will indeed be in line for over 24 hours. I don't know if you could call it camping per say, but I will be spending the night on the streets of NYC (which is as close to being homeless as I ever plan to be).

I won't be there alone, as (thankfully) my husband has been contracted to do a video for Macworld Magazine (otherwise I'd be on my own!). So until tomorrow, I'll have to be content with being pictured on Macworld's iPhone Central page with an iPhone in hand.

Check back for more tomorrow, live from the line!

Books, books, and more books

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 17:02:00 +0000

My name is Lesa and I'm a book-aholic. It's been 13 hours and 22 minutes since my last book purchase.

After my wine tasting (see yesterday's post), Sly, Jean, and I set off into downtown Portland for a little shopping at Powell's City of Books. It is indeed a city: four floors with several different rooms all color coded according to genre and category. A quick glance at the map sent Jean and I up a flight of stairs to the Gold Room, where all the sci-fi lives. Sly tooled around in the Rose Room where the mysteries live. I was in heaven. Sly had to fetch me a basket to hold all the books.

I'll confess that at one point I was perched high atop a ladder in the Blue Room with six different versions of Bram Stoker's Dracula all sprawled open to the first page of chapter 1, engrossed in comparing verbiage. I couldn't decide which one to buy and had to see if they differed in any way, you know, other than the introductions :)

I didn't want to leave when the two of 'em hauled me out of there; felt like I could have stayed forever. But then again, we had to get to dinner at the Blue Hour, and see if we could make that stripper bus (see also yesterday's post).

(Pictured: Poor Sly holding part of my book haul while I took a picture of the McCaffrey shelf, shown above.) Jean bought a book on Oregon wine country, Sly got a wine journal and a murder/mystery, and just for you fellow sci-fi geeks, here's what I bought:

1. Bram Stoker's Dracula (been wanting to read the original for years)

2. Priestess of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (sequel to Mists of Avalon)

3. The Blood Books, Vol 2 by Tanya Huff

4. Moon Called by Mercy Thompson

5. Haunted by Kelley Armstrong ("Sometimes even a werewolf bites off more than she can chew."--wise words indeed!)

6. Masterharper of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

7. Skies of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

8. The Sandman: Book of Dreams by Neil Gaiman

The Girls of YML Do Portland

lesa@graphicreporter.com (Lesa Snider) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 16:45:00 +0000

Here we are with yet another installment of the hugely popular segment: The Girls of YML Do... [enter your city here]". We're here in Portland, OR on behalf of iStockphoto hanging out with the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, otherwise known as "Alties." Portland is just a beautiful city - I'm so thrilled Sly could come down and join me.

So it's the AAN national convention and let me tell you, these folks know how to put on a conference. For example (and IDG, I hope you're reading this):

1. Great breakfast and lunch served in the expo hall every day, with coffee/tea/sodas served 'round 3:00 (Yes I understand this would be quite impossible with a crowd the size of Macworld, but it's nice all the same.)

2. They publish a newsletter every day posting photos of events from the night before, and what's happening that day. It's not huge, just four pages printed on 11 x 17 paper and folded. Efficient. Some of the information in said newsletter includes (and this is a quote from today's issue): " Travel Tip: the AAN Fridge. Need a spot to chill your brews? Try an old AAN favorite - just fill your sink with ice, and toss 'em in!" There's even a picture in case the description isn't clear enough.

3. One of the vendor booths has a huge margarita and daqueri machine. I kid you not. They are handing out flyers that say "Drink while you think." The dude with the chocolates at his booth doesn't stand a chance.

4. The dude with the chocolates at his booth is this guy (see picture). His name is Gary Brisendine and the sign on his booth says, "The Bitter Single Guy." He's a relationship advice columnist.

5. Free wireless in the expo hall.

6. Last night they hosted a reception with free wine from local Willamette Valley wineries and beer from the local micro brewery, all in the Portland Museum of Art's outdoor sculpture garden. They even hired a band with dancers on stilts. Click the photo to see the movie; it's bizarre.

7. Tonight they've arranged for a big yellow school bus (called the Bar Fly) to take us on a tour of (wait for it)... PORTLAND'S STRIP CLUBS.

:::::just let that one soak in for a moment::::::

::::and maybe just a few more moments for maximum impact::::::

8. When asked what kind of special event I'd like to sponsor at this show, I jokingly told the coordinator that an iStockphoto wine tasting would rock. She made it happen. Two local wineries are participating. It starts at 4:15 today IN THE EXPO HALL RIGHT NEXT TO MY BOOTH.

See what I'm saying?!

So last night, after Sly and I had some delicious cocktails at the museum, we did a little quality shopping at the museum store then took a walk on over to a restaurant I had been to six years ago called Jake's. That's really all I knew about it, was the name, and it's special to me because one of my favorite drinks was born there: Crown with Diet Coke and lime. (The bartender accidentally put a lime in thinking I'd asked for it, which I hadn't. The combo was so good I've stuck with it ever since.)

What I didn't realize was that Jake's is one of the 10 most popular seafood restaurants in the country and it's 110 years old. Humphrey Bogart frequented this place for Thor's sake! What a nice surprise that was. Fantastic food (we had fresh, wild Alaskan salmon from the Copper River, flown in that day), a terrific wine celler and a really unique atmosphere. If you are ever in Portland, you've got to go. The name of it is Jake's Famous Crawfish.

On the way to the restaurant, there was another shop that made quite an impact on me six years ago that I had hoped to stumble upon again. It's called Spartacus Leathers and it's an, um, "specialty shop" of sorts. Lo and behold it was right where I remembered it - directly across from Jake's. After perusing the front room where all manner of "creative clothing" can be had, we signed waivers, provided ID, and checked our bags at the counter - then we were lead through chain mail curtains into the "inner sanctum" of Spartacus. Our eyes were wide as they fell upon two huge walls, floor to ceiling, of "devices."

There were purchases and that's all I am willing to say. We were given coupons so we're hatching plans for a return trip. They're open till midnight and I *think* we'll have time to fit it in after tonight's party and before the strip club bus leaves. We thought we'd take YML sponsor, Jean from SmileOnMyMac, with us :)