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Once again I emerged from the BBasement for another BBook signing event. This time on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field. OK, it was a Borders in Madison, but it was Wisconsin so I was close. I loaded up the BBvan on Thursday morning, and headed off for the 6.5 hour drive. I was staying with Kozz who does the programming around here, so I punched in his address into the GPS unit. Unfortunately, he codes from such a secret location, that not even the military satellites know where he is. Luckily, I had printed out the directions from Google Maps (double true!!), so I didn't panic. The drive was uneventful except for the fight that nearly broke out at the McDonald's over a Sprite dispenser that wasn't functioning. I gripped my Swiss Army Knife tightly, just in case, but it wasn't needed. I spent most of the drive listening to John Hodgman's The Areas of my Expertise. A hilarious work that also featured Jonathan Coulton much more than I was expecting. It was an appropriately geeky work to get me in the mood for my presentation. I was greeted at the Kozz household by their 3-year-old Thomas who quickly became my best friend. I'm normally a kid-magnet, so this was not surprising. Before I could even get my coat off I was pulled downstairs to play. I spent the next hour and a half before the BBook signing, playing airplane and bouncing him on his head. Eventually, the babysitter showed up, and I snuck out the back for the BBook signing. Despite the not-so-trusty navigation from Kozz, we made it to the store on time. I was greeted with the universal sign for "loser," which was not so insulting as it sounds. The employees at the store were ready for me as shouts of "long live the geek" rang through the store as we journeyed to the "green room." The event itself was sparsely attended, but the patrons that did attend laughed at appropriate places and bought copies of the BBook, so I surmised they weren't homeless people recruited off the streets. A BBig thumbs up for Abigail at Borders who made me feel like a real celebrity author, and requested a extra-special-bonus-director's cut reading from the BBook. We followed the reading with a trip to an Irish Pub for some wings (Irish), calamari (Irish) and combo beers (truly Irish). I was flattered to receive a gift bag full of cheese and sausage of Wisconsin origin and of all types. No Doritos needed for the ride home. The ride home was less eventful or more uneventful than the ride there. I finished up The Areas of my Expertise and moved on to the highly-recommended Shadow Divers. It's the story of wreck divers discovering a German U-boat at the bottom of the Atlantic off the coast of New Jersey. I'm only halfway through the book, but it's a fascinating read. I have a good story to share about our book club meeting last night for Ender's Game, but this entry is already too long. I'll either post another entry later today, or save it for tomorrow. That's all I've got for now. Stay geeky! |
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