And this is what we ate and drank today

1. Bits of the 1 pound dark chocolate bar from Trader Joe's that Jamie left in my box at TKE (thanks, Jamie!)
2. Sesame nut mix
3. Three Muskateers bar
4. Caramel Milky Way bar
5. Potato chips
6. Frosties from Wendy's
7. Can you see why I gain a lot of weight on road trips?
8. Chicken nuggets from Wendy's
9. A lot of Dr. Peppers

AND an awesome Thai meal at the Blue Orchid in Lincoln, NB. Dylan met up with an old page friend who took us to the Blue Orchid, and the people it was fabulous. Then we drove past Ken's old home on Orchard Street and took pictures.

And here's another embarrassing thing

That I would use a restaurant in NEW YORK CITY (Sylvia's) as my standard for good southern cooking.

Critics

Shelley posted a comment yesterday that got me thinking about reviews and critics and THAT whole world. When I was writing my first novel, I was blissfully unaware of its existence. When I was writing my second book, that world cast a long, long shadow. At times I felt paralyzed, worrying about how my second book would be received. Meh.

I have a lot more experience now with being reviewed. Sometimes the reviews have been positive, sometimes they haven't. And after all these years, a negative assessment can still sting. It's not like I deliberately set out to write a crappy book or article or column. But still. Being reviewed is part of the game, part of the deal. And at a certain level it's kind of exciting to think that we can all enter the conversation--writers, readers, critics, bloggers.

How do I handle criticism? I don't know. Usually I go eat something. (Today, for instance, I will go to Mrs. Backer's Bakery on South Temple, buy a cupcake with a frosting flower on top, and eat it while wondering if it's bad to write clean YA novels.) But I try not to go negative back at someone because seriously, what's the point? I learn what I can and put the rest in a box on a boat and send that stuff out to sea.

What else are you gonna do?