Malice Domestic 2008 has officially come and gone, leaving in its wake some great memories.

I flew into Reagan National on Thursday afternoon and—after making a pit stop at the hotel to dump my suitcases/connect with my roommate—headed off to the zoo with Heather to see my first-ever real live panda bear. We conquered the subway system once again (though the automated machine to pay for it was a bit more difficult) and made our way up the steepest escalator I’ve ever seen in my life.

Of course, being mystery writers, we couldn’t help but discuss the dangers of such a steep contraption. But I digress…

Once we found our way to the zoo grounds, it took a while to actually find some animals. The otter pond was otter-less, the outdoor panda pen was vacant, and the hippo pool was completely stagnant. Cage after cage was empty, leaving us to do what women do when faced with a challenge—we got a snack. Armed with a bag of soggy French fries (Heather’s) and a bottle of water (mine), we wandered around until we got the bright idea to ask where we might find this particular zoo’s most famous tenants. Sure enough, they were nestled in their multi-room indoor habitat. Who knew?!?!?!

This picture was taken through glass with a cell phone, but it gives you a glimpse of the first panda I’ve ever seen. He put on quite a show with his bamboo and didn’t look a whole lot different than his stuffed gift shop counterpart.

Friday brought shopping and, perhaps, the best milk shake I’ve ever had (Oh. My. Gosh). The multi-digit calorie intake was easily justified, of course, by the amount of walking we did both that day and the day before. There was, however, no justification for the milk duds I consumed throughout the weekend …

Unless you take into account the simple fact that I like them. A lot. Okay, more than a lot. But it’s really hard to resist when someone is serving as an enabler to your addiction. Ahem.

Anyway, Friday evening was the Berkley Prime Crime dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Arlington and it was delicious. My place setting at the table had me conversing with some really nice fellow authors—Hannah Dennison, Mary Jane Maffini, and Linda O Johnston. I, of course, was thrilled to simply be there.

Saturday was panel and signing day, as well as the Agatha banquet. Toastmaster Dan Stashower was laugh-out-loud funny and the dessert was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. The Good Girls met up in the hotel bar afterward to trade stories and bemoan Tasha’s absence. Here we are dressed and ready to kill…

Now it’s back to the real world. Which includes writing. Lots and lots o’ writing.

Hugs,

~Laura