Long time no blog!

Just back from a trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota--a delightful pocket-sized city, in case you're ever tempted--where my brother-in-law got married. Kate and I took Happy the Honda first to Madison, Wisconsin, Kate's old college town (and yes, birthplace of The Onion) and home of the Mansion Hill Inn. Then, after a leisurely stroll down State Street--the main drag--with me snapping photos all the way (I'm researching for this new series of books set at a college; almost finished with the first one) we headed on to Minneapolis. When I say "headed on," keep in mind that it was four and a half hours. On the plus side, however, it's really pretty country up there, with lots of rolling green hills, and plenty of NPR stations along the way. Anyway, we stayed at The Grand Hotel, a lovely place right downtown. I'm sure everybody who goes to Minneapolis mentions this, but the entire downtown is connected with skyways, so that you can walk around in the winter without freezing your ass off. I guess the winters are bumped from merely unpleasant (as they are here in Chicago) up to Donner Party-lethal. Anyway, it's very neat. The skyways, not the Donner Party. On the way out of town, Kate and I stopped at The Mall of America. I'd stop short of saying that it is a must-see, but it is something to see. There's an amusement park, and an aquarium--where Kate and I petted cow-faced rays--as well as the usual profusion of Barnes and Nobles and such. Speaking of, I met two very nice clerks at the B&N, both of whom had read Barry Trotter and the Unauthorized Parody! Who woulda thunk it? So I'm back now, and drowning in work--finishing this college book before my annual New York/New Haven Bother-the-Students trip; finishing an update to Barrytrotter.com; working on this Narnia parody; and bearing up somehow under the usual welter. I'll post pictures if I can figure out how. Am I changed by the trip? Not really, but I do understand Garrison Keillor a lot better, now.