The San Frncisco Adventure

How did I manage to get sunburned in San Francisco in the summer? It's usually freezing cold and foggy there, so I didn't put on sunscreen. First stop was coffee with Thomas Roche. I've admired his work for a long time, so it was a real pleasure to chat with him. The only thing that sort of gets me down is that so many writers aren't working on anything anymore - Thomas being one of them. It's as if everyone burned out at the same time. Friends John and Rory took me to lunch at the Beach Chalet. We sat out on the back lawn on Adirondack chairs and wriggled out feet in the grass while eating mushroom and goat cheese pizza. My face was fried by the time we left. Later, as Jason, John, Kurt, and I were doing a change of venue bar hop through the Castro, we somehow adopted a lost couple from Winnipeg, Canada, and the next thing they knew, they were in a gay bar playing pool and listening to Kurt's porn star "date" itinerary. To give him credit, at least he's narrowed it down to just two a day. Saturday, I had lunch with D.L. King and Mike Ford. Great lunch. This is why writers need to hang out together. Most of us are too smart to put anything in writing, but in person, the gossip about publishers, editors, and fellow writers flows. We can't help it. We're storytellers by nature and holy bejezus, do we have some doozies. Besides, who else will wince sympathetically at your latest editorial disaster? Not your significant other, unless s/he writes. Only another writer understands. So all in all, a good trip. Except that my face is bright red. I'll bet people at my reading thought I was blushing like mad. I would have explained, but who would have believed I got sunburned in San Francisco?