So we lost the internet for two days thanks to a certain phone company being unspeakably lame. Sorry if I haven’t been posting, commenting, and answering email to your satisfaction.
Plus . . . moving!
We just left the Sydney flat, which was sadly empty and smelling of cleaning chemicals. We’re staying at the in-laws’ for two days before flying back to NYC. And now it is time to reminisce.
Sure, Specials may be at number 5 now. And yes, there’s that big news I’ve been promising you and not delivering, because I am a bad, bad man who drops hints and then is told by his agent that certain news is not public yet (grinds teeth).
But instead of discussing these things, I’m going to pause a moment to list all the things I’ll miss about Surry Hills.
The arched-tree promenade of Hyde Park, a mere five minutes’ walk away.
The glorious AMP Tower, seen at sunset out the glorious big window.
The telescope, which is staying here, alas. No more shall the moon be this cratered disk—orbalicious, blinding. Back to the mercury-vapor-pink skies of Manhattan.
The carnivorous plants of the nearby Botanical Gardens. You ate bugs so we didn’t have to, and yet we hardly knew ye.
The mighty Chesterfield, where much of Specials and The Last Days was penned. Plus, I loved that 6.4-meter ceiling.
Goodbye.
Last photo by Justine, all others by me.
May 20th, 2006 16:16
In the last photo, was Justine flying around near the ceiling taking the photo? Or was jonathan helping her out a bit.
May 20th, 2006 16:21
It was taken leaning out from the bedroom. I will also miss the mezzanine-ness of that flat.
(Justine’s more of a Rex.)
May 20th, 2006 16:32
I really like the picture of the moon its cool. At first when i just looked at the picture i didn’t read the caption and i wondered if jonathen was around for that maby you got jessica to give u guys a boost.jkjk
May 20th, 2006 16:34
my dad used to have some of those venus fly trap plants and i would tickles them with a paper clip and they’d shut. it was very thrilling. but then my dad told me to quite it because they take like an hour to re-open and he didn’t want them to starve, missing out on all those valuable potential-feeding hours. just thought i’d share.
May 20th, 2006 17:38
Dude, your apartment is SO CLEAN. Did you plan it that way? Or is it always that clean! And Venus fly-traps are so cool!
Ahh, reminiscence…
Have we done yet? Lol
May 20th, 2006 17:38
Edit: Have we done ENOUGH yet…
May 20th, 2006 18:10
Word that was a super clean apartment. So are you going to take a tour around New York and do some signings when you get here? I would love autographed copies of midnighters (favorite series ever). Where do you consider home? I take trips to florida for a couple weeks out of the year but binghamton is still my home. I guess what i’m tryin to ask is which place feels more like home?
May 20th, 2006 18:24
Intense photo of the moon through the telescope. Thats way sharp. I can dig it.
And woah to the clean apartment. Is that the stair-case in the upper left corner?!
May 21st, 2006 02:57
wow love the picture of the moon!! and jane my mom had venus fly trap plant things and i did the same thing….haha it was so fun and entertaining….oh the good old days….
May 21st, 2006 03:14
Sydney looks prettier than the suburbs of California. I wanna live there.
May 21st, 2006 03:21
Welcome back to the City, Scott!
I bought Specials last night and am due to read it tonight after I show it to Adriana. *excited anticipation*
When will be your next signing at Books of Wonder?
May 21st, 2006 04:14
When will the big news be sharable? Soon, or should w forget it for now?
May 21st, 2006 04:59
Yes, the hinting is driving me crazy! Sigh, I would love to live in sydney or NYC, but sadly I’m stuck in the midwest of the U.S., sigh. I really need to read specials, but I’m afraid of another midnighters-ish ending to the trilogy.
May 21st, 2006 05:51
Congrats again on the move.
Oh, that picture of Hyde Park is fantastic.
May 21st, 2006 05:54
I find it really cool to see where you write, for some reason. And I hope that you are able to share your mysterious big news soon.
I’m stuck in the midwest, too.
May 21st, 2006 06:21
That looks like such a gorgeous place to live! I love the high celings and the super-clean apartment. And the fact that such a pretty park is close.
I think I want to move to Sydney.
Anyway, yay for specials getting #5!!
May 21st, 2006 06:27
Sydney is amazing D:.
But you coming to NY means that you are closer to Jersey.
Do you rent out the same flat every time you move back and forth, or do you have to find a new one every time?
May 21st, 2006 08:35
Scott I know that this is a pointless question; Do you know where Newfoundland is?
Surry Hills seems amazing; if you took any other amazing pictures don’t hold out.
The last days! I can’t wait!
The release is sometime in august?
May 21st, 2006 10:51
i like all the pics-especially the moon(i LOVE astronomy). i’m sorry that you had to leave the pretty-ness there and come to the smog-filled-not-pretty-ness here. but we like it more when you are here!
May 21st, 2006 10:56
the first picture is so cool. Those trees look great
Come on Scott… you can tell us *wink*
May 21st, 2006 12:26
OMG, did anyone notice number 7 on NYT’s paperback? “THE PRETTY COMMITTEE STRIKES BACK, by Lisi Harrison.” Creepy coincidence. (It would make an… interesting sequel idea for the Uglies trilogy…)
May 21st, 2006 14:17
Amanda, I saw that book too!! That is incredibly weird. Serioulsy weird. I saw it on amazon.com and got incredibly confused from the title. Completey strange coincidence.
May 21st, 2006 14:54
Who needs to listen to their agent? Pfffft.
May 21st, 2006 15:43
Kaylen don’t worry about a midnighter-ish ending. There isn’t one like that and he wraps it up very well, but the action sequences are pretty much nonstop in this book.(sweet)
May 21st, 2006 23:56
haha I saw that… in fact it was right next to Specials at the bookstore the other day…
May 22nd, 2006 01:28
Whoa, the pictures are so cool! I wanna go to Australia…*tear* WHAT IS THE BIG NEWS?!?!?!
May 22nd, 2006 02:07
Omg, the venus fly trap things, those are soooo cool!!
and btw, we are learning about australia in school, and how sidney is like cool and everything. I wish i could visit too…
May 22nd, 2006 05:47
It’s super funny because in school we learn nothing about Australia. Nothing at all. Except that prisoners were sent there when the jails got too full.
May 22nd, 2006 08:27
wow. now i am inspired to visit australia. looks fun! and although now this is totally cliche, holy crap!! your apartment is so clean! its amazing! and yay for specials!
May 22nd, 2006 09:23
Wow, it’s looks so wonderful to be over there! Did you have any bad encounters with any huge spiders or anything? Also, are you going to be doing book-signings in the bay area any time? I would love to have a book signed.
Hmm and what is this about news? First time I’m hearing about it, but it’s making me very curious…
May 22nd, 2006 09:25
Whoa, didn’t realize that there’s another Kate here… Erm, how will we have people tell us apart? =/
May 22nd, 2006 10:23
Someday I’m gonna have to visit Austalia. I think this is just pretty much fact. Of course, I want to visit everywhere, but Australia, or at least New Zealand, is definitely in the Top Ten.
And I’m no longer jane. It’s jane-la. So pretty-making, no?
May 22nd, 2006 11:04
ok, kind of off topic, and it probably isnt news, but i watched this movie today, called Disturbing Behaviour, and the theme is kinda like uglies, and this is the tagline: “It doesn’t matter if you’re not perfect. You will be.” they turn ‘unruly teenagers’ into ‘upstanding citezens’. its creepy.
thats all.
May 22nd, 2006 11:30
i just finished reading the first Midnighters. can you believe my library only has the first one? so unfair. i feel cheated.
May 22nd, 2006 11:39
You know, Jane-la, you can always ask your librarian to get the other books. Librarians love to hear from their readers (and authors love to sell books, heh, heh).
Kate: Yes, I ran into a huge spider yesterday. It was cool. (The big ones are less poisonous, generally.)
May 22nd, 2006 14:17
:q I’ll change my name to Katerate so you can remain Kate.
May 22nd, 2006 14:20
actually, i just checked the library website and turns out they do have the rest, they were just checked out. i was just to impatient, heh
and katerate is a fully righteous name, if i may say so.
May 22nd, 2006 15:58
Hmm…. “Rebecca” doesn’t sound good with wa or la. Too many syllables. Maybe I’ll use my nickname: Becs-la. Yeah!!
Molly, I’m totally checking out that movie. I hope they have it at the video store.
Those pictures are fabulous. Australia is next on my list after England, but unfortunately I’ll probably only get to study abroad once. But I’ve always wanted to check out Aussie-land, so maybe I’ll find a way, who knows. Do you guys walk everywhere down there?
May 22nd, 2006 16:04
I get to study abroad next (school) year
but not to England or Australia. Or New Zealand, or anywhere that speaks English. I’m going to live in Brasil come this August 
i’m crazy nervous excited about it. it’s mind boggling. Makes me bubbly 
(look at all those smiley faces!)
May 22nd, 2006 16:25
Katerate, thanks a ton, shouldn’t be confusing now.
I must say, jane-la I’m very very jealous that your name sounds so good, Kate wouldn’t really sound catchy with la or wa attached…
May 22nd, 2006 16:50
pish posh and hogwash! kate and jane are basically the same name anyways. four letters, second letter is ‘a’ the last ‘e’ the first and third constanants… j is directly before k in the alaphabet, and n is only five letters ahead of t.
May 22nd, 2006 16:55
Haha i like the no shoes busy at work look. What were ya workin on? A book, or just surfin the internet? And that couch looks super confortable. haha i’m so tired right now…i can’t be held responsable for what i’m typing…
May 23rd, 2006 07:05
hip hip for carnivorous plants!
June 22nd, 2006 15:41
just like to ask how i can email you? because, when i click the ‘contact me’ button on your website, it doesnt seem to work.. anyways, yeah. i wouldnt mind a couch like that. where i would put it is a good question, but its better to worry about that after you buy it, if you know what i mean..