A quickie
Hey, gang, I have about twenty minutes before I go to my afternoon event here in Seattle.
Remember that massage I was so proud to have booked for right after I arrived here? Yeah, well either the spa people don’t read my blog (huh??) or they wrote my name on their Secret Do Not Massage This Person list, because I showed up all ragged and tender, and the answer was no.
Wah!
So I tried to take a nap instead, but I can’t really sleep during the day. But luckily this is Seattle, which means there’s a Starbucks practically in my bathroom, so I’m managing.
Yesterday’s events in San Francisco were a BLAST. Started with a book group discussion at this cool Cuban cafe, nine teenage girls from seventh grade up to eleventh, and we managed to cover not only all matters my book, but also nerdy/cute boys we all know, mean girls at school, our religious upbringings, and whether we would go out with a guy who cooks like a dream even though he’s not that cool.
Split decision on that one, I think. Or maybe I was the only one who said I would, and all the girls who knew this guy went, “Ewww!” and we may have moved on to a less controversial topic.
The book group was sponsored by Books, Inc., which has the legendary Not Your Mother’s Bookclub–
(I’m sorry, I have to interrupt for just a second. I swear the people in the room next door are playing ping pong. No lie. It’s been going on for about fifteen minutes now, and I can’t figure out what else that sound could be. Anyway–)
Jennifer and Shannon from Books, Inc. are brilliant, wonderful, funny, creative–totally innovative at putting together big author events. I’m just a little fry, but they’ve had in all our favs, from Meg Cabot to Ann Brashears to Laurie Halse Anderson. I need to loiter outside their store.
So the book discussion was just plain terrific, I loved the girls to pieces, and now I’m about to go to another book discussion here in Seattle at All for Kids bookstore, where there will be 18 girls to talk with me about boys, evolution, mean girls, etc. Can’t wait! This is all the best parts of my teen years, but now my skin has cleared up and I can drive a car. A real dream come true.
Back to San Francisco, though. After my afternoon group, I had fifteen minutes to change into adult togs, meaning panty hose were involved (regretfully), and then it was off to this way fancy California French restaurant (you’ll have to interpret that for yourself–I did) where it was me, Elizabeth from Random House, eight booksellers, and one librarian.
And I don’t think we ever managed to talk about my book at all. Which was fine with me, because I can’t think of anything else we DIDN’T discuss. By the time I left the restaurant close to 11:00, I was so whipped from all the laughing and debating and taking in all these people’s fascinating stories of love, mortal injuries, memorable ways we and our friends have dumped people we no longer wanted to go out with, and all sorts of other assorted matters of life and limb. It was hard to drag myself away. Which is why I didn’t get to bed until 11:30, and then got up this morning at 5:00, and now this is how I feel
BECAUSE I DIDN’T GET THE MASSAGE I’VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO AS A TOTAL REPLACEMENT FOR SLEEP.
Whatever.
I have to go change now. I’m sorry I can’t say more right now, but one of these breaks I’ll catch up.
Ta.
Technorati Tags: Books Inc., Not Your Mother’s Bookclub, Author Tours, Book Tours, Writing, Publishing, All For Kids, Starbucks In My Bathroom
March 20th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
I don’t understand. Why don’t girls go out with uncool boys who can cook? Why? Why? They grow up, you know. And become cool. And totally hot. And still can cook, but don’t cause they can hire 10 of those formerly cool guys who couldn’t cook and then berate them when they don’t cook well.
WHO’S HOT NOW? HUH???
Recognize…
March 20th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Did we really never talk about you book! Oh no…I’m a bad guest, sitting next to you half the night. Random House may never invite me again!
Rest assured, we all talked about it at the bar while you guys were setting up the room. (That’s where the real dish gets dished.) It’s a wonderful book. I appreciate the genuine gut-wrenching romance on top of a smart story…realistic voices, compelling narrative. Once I got started, I kept on looking forward to opening that secretive looking cover again. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
March 20th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Ha! Nina, I’m totally fine with it. Like I said, I had a GREAT time with all of you. It was funny, fascinating, informative, and (as you know) provocative.
Thanks for saying such nice things about my book, both here and behind my back at the bar. It’s actually much easier for me if you praise me out of earshot.
Patrick, down boy. I’m sure girls liked you in high school.
March 20th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
Patrick, I went out with uncool boys who could cook. And uncool boys who sang in choirs. And uncool boys who played the guitar and were actually really cute but happened to be shorter than most of the girls at school and so weren’t properly appreciated for how cute they were.
And then you know what often happened? Me going out with them did wonders for their self esteem and then they dumped me for cute, popular bitches!!!
Screw that. I found a boy who was completely cool and appreciated my coolness and I’m marrying him.
March 20th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Robin, if you do a little bit of tanning (or one of the newer bronzers which are certainly less “problematic”) on your legs, you can bag the pantyhose. Especially as it’s nearly summer *sigh*.
March 20th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
Robin,
Yesterday sounds like a cool, cool day. Too bad about your massage. Hopefully they’ve got you in for tomorrow?
March 20th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
Diana, those boys were IDIOTS. They probably still are. Good thing you found Sailor Boy, who must deserve you or you wouldn’t be entering the Bridal Zone for him (you do know abou the Bridal Zone, right?)
Vc, I’m mostly wearing the pantyhose because every night these dinners are at fancy, fancy restaurants where cheese and cream and pasta and all the best food groups flow freely, and I’m hoping to keep pulling my lower half into these pants, even if the upper half is feeling extra squishy already, and so that was my plan, but I’m sitting here still in the pantyhose right now and they’re making me want to cry, so maybe tomorrow night I’ll go back to living like a normal person and just let it all hang out. TMI?
Vivian, not until Ann Arbor in two days, but I can hold on. Hope that massage therapist is prepared for all the unraveling she’s going to have to do.
March 21st, 2007 at 6:04 am
No! What’s the Bridal Zone? Is it anything like what we’ve been calling Bridal Insanity?
Also, Robin, I’m going to say one word to you and it’s going to change your life. Ready? Spanx.
March 21st, 2007 at 12:13 pm
my goodness but you are a fancyin’ now girl. “ta”? “ta”? is that an rb word?–i quess it is, for the new rb.
just so happens i was in san francisco this past weekend. just so happens i had dinner at a very upscale california “french” restaurant (”fleur de lis”) and for all i know every other table there may have been occupied by book buyers and/or librarians. just so happens i had coffee at starbucks–yuk. just so happens i also had coffee at peet’s–yum, yum. just so happens i bought 6 dozen white daisies at the open air market at the ferry building. just so happens, that knowing that rb would be somehow involved with “books, inc.” i made a stop–only i went to the one in the castro–ha! definitely the wrong locale.
small wold huh? rb glad it was so much fun. ta
March 21st, 2007 at 12:57 pm
So glad you’re having a blast!
March 21st, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Diana, I would gladly make those feeble excuses of men work as servants in my kitchens. Or on the pig farm. I’d like to have a pig farm with servants.
March 21st, 2007 at 4:44 pm
OH TOTALLY SPANX. I’m wearing slimming intimates RIGHT NOW!
March 22nd, 2007 at 1:49 pm
diana, spanx? have you gotten on the patrick lexicon bandwagon (the one that seems committed to using words i have to look up in “the urban dictionary”)? so are you going to let’s us in on it–or will patrick have to do the splainin’? do you think this post could use some more “?’s”?
March 22nd, 2007 at 5:15 pm
okay, so i just read one of the other posts–was able to figure out “spanx” in context although i’ve never seen them in real life. i’m sure they look great on patrick. maybe when he posts the photo of his cleaned up office, with him showing it off ala vana white, he can be wearing them.
March 22nd, 2007 at 8:09 pm
When? I did that weeks ago. If I was allowed to, I’d post photos of the walk-in closet I recently completed(Well, I still have to add a second light fixture because they put the first one too close to the door, the back is dark.)
I put in all new shelving and everthing. Herb and I discussed it over on my blog… where ever that may be.
March 22nd, 2007 at 8:36 pm
So glad that the Books Inc event was a success! Awesome.