Bracewell & Bagwell

Quick update on some things I mentioned yesterday: 1) Pickle the parakeet died last night, but thank you all for your positive wishes and good thoughts. 2) I ended up canceling the date, which was just as well because my car broke down! I had to call AAA and get jump-started. Later, my sister left all of her school stuff--including her iPad--on top of a different car, so of course everything flew off once we started driving. Miraculously, the iPad stayed on top of the car, completely unharmed. But there were a million papers strewn about the road. Cars kept zipping by and crushing her notebooks. Now my sister can legitimately use this excuse: "A car ran over my homework!"

Anyway, today my mom and I went to a luncheon--yeah, not just a lunch, a luncheon--to see authors Pat Bracewell and Gillian Bagwell each give a talk about historical fiction. My mom has been friends with Pat for years, so it's exciting to see her make it big! Her debut novel, Shadow on the Crown, is about Emma of Normandy, who was queen of England for 30+ years in the 11th century. Emma has been all but forgotten by history, but Pat is rectifying that situation. Fans of Game of Thrones and/or Shakespeare's tragedies will love Shadow on the Crown.

Finally, about my clothes: I decided to dress up a bit today--after all, it's not often that I go to a luncheon!



Plot twist: I liked this outfit, but it was too fussy for me to actually wear. I ended up taking off the petticoat and untucking my shirt(s). I only managed to get a mirror selfie of version 2.0:



That's the second-floor powder room of Berkeley City Club, where the event was held. The decor was very pretty... for the most part. I didn't get a lot of pictures, but I think these snapshots are representative:



What is this bizarre staircase gargoyle??? Is it... a naked mole rat? Crossed with a lion? That can't be right.



Please tell me in the comments if you know what this is.