What?!? Kate is Blogging Again? Really?!??!

OMG, as David would say - I'm posting a new blog! Yes, sorry, you're right, my bad, blah, blah, blah. Moving on.

I just finished my third solo week at work. No Sarah. She and her husband are, I'm guessing, well into getting to know their new home and their new city, Portland. They'll be starting a new chapter in their lives. I've only known Sarah for 2 months, but even I knew - it was time.

So know, I'm all alone in my job at MTD. And for the past couple of weeks, I felt a bit like a deer in the headlights. I know, I know - Sarah and I worked together for two months, right? I should've learned it all in that time, right? The whole job, no questions or fears, right?!?

Wrong.

From the first day I met her, I had an inkling about what would happen: we'd have so much fun giggling, gossiping and getting to know each other, the "learning the job" thing would, umm, sort of fall by the wayside. Turns out, I was right.

Oh, sure - I learned the basics, and as everyone in a new job should, I'll put my own stamp on this job. But these next few weeks are going to still be a bit of "hurry and catch up," to learn all the details.

And honestly, I wouldn't want it any other way, would you?

Sarah's last day at MTD was, I hope, memorable for her. I planned it to be, so I hope it worked. I sent out an email invite to the staff, before 8:00 AM that day: "Join me in the kitchen, for Sarah's Going Away Breakfast! Just the first stop of the day on the Sarah Farewell Tour (just like Cher!)."

So, bagels, fruit and coffee for Stop 1; Lunch at Mulligan's for Stop 2 (see photo). A driver brought in a cake (!) for her, so "dessert" became Stop 3.

Stop 4 was Happy Hour at the Sand Bar. See? Here's proof - Martha, Sarah and me, margaritas close by.

I invited everyone to Stop 5 on the Farewell Tour - Jazzercise the following Monday night. Oddly, no takers, except me. Well, I had a great time, anyway! Might just make this Jazzercise thing a real part of my life. No promises, of course - only if I can find some really cute jazzer-togs.

And yes, thanks for asking, there was a Stop 6 on the Farewell Tour: Sarah and I met to share a bottle of wine, on Stearns Wharf. Why the Wharf? Because it has one of the most stunning views of Santa Barbara: the mountain, the ocean, the beach, the Riviera. Sarah was - and is - keen to move on with her life, excited about what her new Oregon life will bring. But one last look at Santa Barbara, her second home, from such a gorgeous vantage point...who could blame her?

I'll miss her, but as it turns out, I did learn a lot from her:

*Keep that smile on your face;

*Wear heels whenever possible;

*Greet everyone you know as if they already like you, and treat them nicely;

And lastly:

Bitchiness be damned, keep rocking that ponytail!

Miss you, Mrs. Herbold. Wish you well, but really, really miss you.

From Paradise, Farewell Tour Stop #7.

Last Weekend of May

And now we head into June. Summertime in Santa Barbara. June Gloom. Solstice Parade and all the fun that goes along with that.

May was a crazy month, what with starting a new job, dealing with the Jesusita Fire (yours truly drove around for three days with a packed car, "just in case") and my Best-Kept-Secrets event.

The Jesusita Fire - very huge, very scary. But for the courage of our first responders, this lovely town would be horribly devasted. But those brave folks, many from all over the state, fought hard and long. The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden was a battleground - we lost a chunk of it, but a great deal of it was saved. We lost nearly 80 homes, but many more were saved. And although three firefighters (from Ventura, actually) were injured, no residents were harmed (unlike the huge Tea Fire last November).

Here's a photo of the huge smoke plume on Wed, May 6th - the second day of the fire:

That Wednesday, May 6th, was also the date of the Best-Kept-Secrets Author Tea. Honestly, it was a great afternoon, despite the fact that the lights went out, right as the panel discussion began. And we all watched, over the heads of the authors, the wind pick up and blow up State Street with great ferocity. And it was exactly 100 degrees that afternoon.

But still - the authors were delightful, the food was fabulous and the audience had a wonderful time! Many thanks to the panel: Mara Purl, Harley Jane Kozak and Kathryn Cushman, and a big shout-out to Starshine Roshell, our moderator.

Almost forgot my other event this month! Michele Carbone, author of Friday Evening, conducted a fabulous food demo, tasting and booksigning at Borders on May 1st. It was well attended, but her event today at Borders in Thousand Oaks, according to my sources, was even better. I wish her great success - her book is absolutely gorgeous! (www.pentolapress.com)

Yes, it's been a crazy month. I'm glad May is over and I look forward to June. But I know that May 2009 will be one I'll think about for a long time to come. Heck...I haven't even mentioned Bike to Work Day yet! :-)

As always, with love from paradise - K8.

Greetings - last day of a three day weekend. What a great invention, the three day weekend. And it leads to a four day workweek. I think I love four day workweeks - can I have one of those every month?

I wanted to make sure I did not let something go unnoticed to my blog followers. My young neice Lily recently starred, as a sixth grader, in her school production of "Alice, Junior." This is the elementary school version of Alice in Wonderland.

And did I mention that my neice, Lily Kathryn, was the STAR of the show? I was so proud of her! Alas...tickets back to Indiana were grossly expensive (and at the time, I was still gainfully umemployed), so I was not able to go back home to see her play. But with the photos Lily's mom sent, and the breathless and excited phone call I got from Lily after opening night (on the way to the Opening Night Cast Pizza Party - always the best part of any production), I can only say that she was a huge hit!

She's named after me and following in my footsteps! See photos below:

Truth be told, I'm proud of all my neices and nephews - four of each. Dominic is home after his sophmore year at Dominican University; his sister Maria heads to Marian in the fall. She is a true beauty and very talented - she got a scholarship for being named to the Marian Dance Team!


My mom heads out every Saturday, this time of year, to FOUR soccor games with Zoe, Lily, Olivia and now Jack. They are all really growing up.

I'm looking forward to the annual Arizona Schwab Family Vacation in Santa Barbara, in July. Brendan and Matt are also growing like crazy. I can safely say these two boys love coming here for vacation - often, the temp here in Santa Barbara is 30-40 degrees cooler than in AZ! Matthew, my youngest nephew, is reading on his own, at only 5-years-old, and I have proof:

Dunno...maybe having an Aunt who worked at a bookstore helped, a little bit?

Hey - I'm on Twitter, look for me: K8Reader.

That's it for now, from Memorial Day in Paradise.

K8.

Finally, an Update...albeit a teensy one...

OMG! I know, I know! I've been terribly remiss and haven't blogged for ages! And yes, I'll catch up soon (lots of news, events and general yada-yada-yada to blog about), but in the meantime, please check out the fabulous blog of my good friend and favorite cookbook author, David Lawrence: http://www.forkingdelicious.blogspot.com/.

It's amazing, he's amazing...and wait til you see the AMAZING grilling recipes! Stop the presses, change your holiday weekend plans - you must grill THESE burgers this weekend!

Oh, David? Yeah, he's this guy:

Greetings from Paradise!

What a week - I was immersed in book events, and I couldn't be happier! I felt in my element, that's for sure.

First up, the second annual Santa Clarita Valley Scholarship Foundation AfterWORDS event (http://www.scvsf.org/)! What an event this was - truly special. Last year, as a Borders person, I helped the organizers kick off the first AfterWORDS in great style. This year, as a freelancer, I worked like crazy to make year two work as well as the first year. And I'm please to say, AfterWORDS 2009 was a fantastic sequel!

Cursed event - that's what my AfterWORDS partner Linda called it. And perhaps, in a way, it was...a bit. Bookended by personal tragedy (not mine, but still - close partner to the event), with not one but two date changes, this plucky little event staunchly kicked off on March 7th, with all the best intentions. And it stood on its own, fun, fabulous and profitable.

Four of the five original authors were there, standing tall, interesting and compelling. My pal Cathy Silvers couldn't make if after all, but my great friend David Lawrence (http://www.chefdavidlawrence.com/) took her place with professionalism, aplomb, and a wonderful sense of fun and mischief. He, as always, sold out; although I was only able to secure about 13 copies, I'm just thrilled we had any at all!

I've done many events like this, but honestly - this one was one to remember. The vibe, the feeling in the room...unmatchable. The audience oozed love and interest and support. The authors were all wonderful and a revelation to the crowd. They all were connected in some way, to each other, as Harley Jane Kozak (www.harleyjanekozak.com)pointed out. And those connections, the fact that all of them had met one or two of the others before (thanks to me!), really made for a casual, easy-going and stressfree event.

On top of which, since I stayed with David over the weekend, I was able to indulge in some wonderful meals at the hands of my good buddy, the professional chef! And many thanks to Allan, who ran my register and took that concern off my mind! Allan - couldn't have done it without you, my love!

I've include some photos here. And the websites:

http://www.joshconviser.com/

http://www.marapurl.com/

http://www.seldenedwards.com/

AfterWORDS group photo.

Josh and David at AfterWORDS.

Another great event in Paradise - K8.

Post-Launch Party Report

Greetings from Paradise!

Yesterday, the Take Me Out to the Book Launch party was, to say the least, a huge success!

We had such a great time at Hollister Brewing Company (http://www.hollisterbrewco.com/)! I got there early - it's easier to be nervous at the venue, rather than nervous at home. But there was no need for nerves.

HBC had the section all set up, and when I arrived, Larry was working the popcorn machine. We started a bit early - two attendees got there about 2:45pm, from Solvang. One woman wanted a signed copy for her new daughter-in-law. Seems her son proposed to her while at a Yankees game, and she thought Jane's book would be a great birthday gift for the She-Fan in her own family!

I was so thrilled to see Tab Hunter striding in at 3pm - he's a delightful, wonderful person, and he was such a huge hit! He chatted with folks, met some new friends, and was supportive of Jane and her book. How funny, to see this Damn Yankee and the She-Fan, together!

Tab was gracious as I "interviewed" him - he said, "I'm really looking forward to reading Jane's book!" Jane, after I introduced her, cheerfully recounted the REAL first time she met Tab Hunter - as a young girl, her mother took her to the legendary Sardi's. There, at the next table, was Tab Hunter - at the time, one of the hottest actors in Hollywood. At her mother's urging, Jane shyly approached her favorite actor with a Sardi's menu for him to sign. Funny...small world, isn't it?

(Jane discusses her book, next to the She-Fan Beer Tasting table.)

All told, in and out for the two hours, I'd say we easily had 100 people there. Bill Pintard, the coach of the 2006 and 2008 champion Santa Barbara Foresters was there, local writers such as Gayle Lynds were there, and of course, fans of all sorts were there. I had a wonderful time, bopping around, chatting with fans, sampling the ballpark snacks served by HBC, and just keeping an eye on everything.

I think it's safe to say that a great time was had by all - mostly because this event was different. It wasn't your usual "booksigning in a bookstore" event, and that's what helped make it unique, interesting and fun.

That, and of course, free beer. What sports fan doesn't love that?

See you at the ballpark - K8.

Holiday Photos

I know, I know - I'm woefully behind on my blogging. I really must put myself on some sort of schedule.

Since returning from Arizona, I've snagged a parttime job (at the SB Region Chamber of Commerce), revved up the Launch Party for my client, Jane Heller, and whipped through a month and a half!

But at this time, in this posting, I really just want to share some photos from the holidays:

Matt waxes poetic about the See's Candies Aunt Kate brought for Christmas:

Mom and Kate get ready to celebrate!

West Coast Schwabs, Christmas at Joe's House:

Kate and Matt get ready to greet the New Year:

Arizona Christmas Tradition, with the Schwab Boys:

And that's all for now, from here - a chilly, overcast day in Paradise.

K8.

It's January, right?

As we stand on the brink of an historic inauguration, I'm a little surprised to raise my head, look around, and find myself in 2009. Not that 2008 wasn't full of surprises, fear, doubt and lots of fun. But wow...2009.

I am, as I told my friend Sue, "nearly 50!" And now, that's enough of that.

Spent the holiday, as I have for the past several years, with my brother John in Arizona. I've been in AZ every Christmas since Brendan was a baby. I told him, "It wouldn't be Christmas if I wasn't here with you guys!"

John, Stephanie and I put together our Annual Schwab Family Holiday Puzzle - a Frank Lloyd Wright stained glass artwork. As I watched John, time and time again, reach across the puzzle, from the opposite side of the table, to the pile of pieces in front of me, pluck one out and place it without hesitation into the puzzle, I wondered if this skill of "puzzle-ing" is hereditary.

For my answer, I only had to look over to Brendan on the family room floor, meticulously piecing together a huge pile of Legos, into a Star Wars spacecraft. Or to Matt, moving his Thomas the Tank Engine trains on the track, murmuring to himself, giving voice to Thomas or Bertie or Jack, as they race or haul, or whatever it is those trains do.

It was a great Christmas. A wonderful way to end 2008.

I'm glad it's over, though. Bring on 2009!