JIAM2012 Photo: 03

This is a picture of Grover Gardner staring goofily at his martini at Pigalle's in New York City. I suspect he has sent me this picture to taunt me: "Here I am at a fabulous French restaurant in NYC where they make my martinis just the way I like them. Don't you wish you were here?" Well, yes, !@#$%, as a matter of fact I do wish I was there, especially to savor a plate of their duck and champagne; but I'm not. I'm here in Southern Oregon having just come from a Shari's where they had run out of Strawberry Pie (and on only the second day of Strawberry Month!) but I digress...

The helpful bit of advice that I would actually like to impart to many first-timers to the #APAC2012-#BBC2012-#Audies2012-#BEA2012 week-long extravaganza is this: You've got to pace yourself. There are going to be an incredible number of invitations to go places, drink alcoholic beverages, eat fattening foods, see shows on Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway; in addition to the regularly scheduled events, meetings and meet-ups. Last year, I went to APAC, The Audies, BEA and Book Blogger's Convention and I hit the ground running. I was in NYC for six days; but I was toasted by the end of Day #2! By the end of the week, I was staggering, my face swollen with exhaustion and trying my damnedest to remain standing and coherent. By 7:30 Friday night, I was passed out in a hotel room surrounded by ARCs and busted out shoes, ten pounds heavier and ... well, let's just say, it wasn't a pretty sight :-/

Yes, I know I could have made smarter choices; but the fact of the matter is, is that NYC offers so much that you will want to see and do, and eat and drink, places to go and people to see, that it really requires mammoth amounts of self-restraint not to take advantage of all of the opportunities! Plus, you're surrounded by friends and colleagues, people you want to see, people you just have to see and, the people who just have to see you! If you're not careful though, your week can end up looking like After Hours (starring Griffin Dunne) - on a continuous loop :-/

If I could have a do-over (and I certainly hope to have the chance next year,) I'm not gonna lie; I would still order the duck and champagne, the truffle-oil dressed pasta, the vodka martinis, the single malt scotches, hit the delis and Greek diners, museums and shows and, meet-up with everyone; but maybe I wouldn't indulge so much and I would definitely self-impose a curfew. Two hours of sleep a night just simply isn't enough!

And, yeah, on my final night, I would have no shame in admitting that I was watching cable in my hotel room. Otherwise, that long plane/train/automobile trip back might qualify as the worst hangover experience ever... outside of that time involving tequila and a plastic dinosaur on Columbus Circle anyway :-D

JIAM2012 Photo: 02

This is my husband's garment bag which he has packed for his jaunt to NYC. If you were to look inside, it would look like a blue Oxford button-down torte, each shirt layered with a different shade of khakis. Tomorrow he takes an early morning trans-continental flight in order to attend:

• An APA (Audiobook Publishers Association) Mixer: This is where, for audiobook professionals, the week's festivities begin. Everyone crowds into a very small, loud space and attempts to be heard by yelling stock rhetorical pleasantries and hopes that the responses are remotely appropriate to what the other person has said. This of course adds to the noise level and so it continues for two hours. People smile, pay $12 for a glass of house white wine, and are ultimately relieved when they can leave and breathe in the fresh air of Manhattan :-/ But it is really nice to see who's come in for the big event.
• The APAC (Audiobook Publishers Association Conference) panels: For APA members, there is a narrator track and a publisher track. Ostensibly, members attend panels that will help them in their professional lives. What really happens is that panel members, for fear of either giving away their respective companies' "secrets" or offending a major audiobook publisher who would then sue the sound bytes off of them, will use euphemisms (lie) and not really be helpful at all. Members will then sneak off for cigarette breaks outside of the Javits center and gossip. In all fairness, I should point out that the gossip usually proves to be invaluable.
• The Audies: This is the industry's equivalent to The Oscars - without the acceptance speeches. In years past, there was a  full dinner served and winners got to say their thank-yous; but at one point during the evening, the number of losers in the room outnumbered the potential winners: People got restless and by dessert, many were playing with their remaining silverware. Now, The Audies are preceded by an open buffet of hors d'oeuvres and bar and, followed by a champagne and dessert bar - all to be followed by a a post party at a small, loud space.... As far as the actual ceremony goes, the emcee will either make or break the proceedings as any number of dark horse candidates end up taking home a crystal trophy. Polite, bemused applause follows.

In between and all around these events are a number of meetings, meet-ups, early dinners, late dinners, teas (wine served before 5:00 p.m.), cocktail hours, nightcaps, shows... It's exhausting but  I would be lying if I didn't say I am extremely jealous that my husband gets to go this year and I don't :-/

Sigh. Maybe next year...

Who do you think will win at The Audies? 

Check out the contenders: The Armchair Audies 2012 Audie Awards Ballot

JIAM2012 Photo: 01

The player I listen to audiobooks on is a 30GB 2005 Video iPod! Yes, it's still in play! I'm actually trying to see how long I can keep this baby going :-)

What's currently on the iPod?

• The Arthur Miller Collection (by Arthur Miller; performed by various full casts)
• The Eleventh Plague (by Jeff Hirsch; narrated by Dan Bittner)
• Half Blood Blues (by Esi Edugyan; narrated by Kyle Riley)
• Pinned (by Alfred C. Martino; narrated by Mark Shanahan)
• Quantum of Solace (by Ian Fleming; narrated by Simon Vance)
• Sense and Sensibility (by Jane Austen; narrated by Wanda McCaddon)
• What Dreams May Come (by Richard Matheson; narrated by Robertson Dean)

And, for those days that I finish a book on a Thursday and don't want to start an audiobook on a Friday, music:

• Armchair Apocrypha (Andrew Bird)
• At Least I'm Not with You (The Insomniacs)
• The Bells (playlist created by yours truly featuring all the music from Richard Harvell's novel of the same name)
• The Crane Wife (The Decemberists)
• Dvořák (playlist featuring his Symphony No. 9 in E Minor) 
• Great Mass in C Minor (K.427) (Mozart)
• In Time - The Best of R.E.M. 1983-2003 (R.E.M.)
• The King is Dead (The Decemberists)
• Live from The Middle East (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones)
• Le Nozze di Fiagro (k. 492) (Mozart)
• Pin Points and Gin Joints (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones)
• "White Rabbit" (Jefferson Airplane)

And what do these lists tell you? Pretty much nothing except that I'm curious about all sorts of books and have extremely eclectic tastes in music :-)

What player do you listen to audiobooks on? What's on it now?