Okay. So I went to this dinner party thing last night to meet some people who'd read Ghost Medicine and wanted me to chat a bit and sign their copies of the book.What an incredible treat that evening turned out to be. It really was such a monumental feel-good event for me to sit down and sip wine and discuss my book with such a large group of people who not only read my book... but liked it (if I may be so presumptuous... I think some of them more than just liked the book).
Ultra-Cool Story # 1: I didn't know where I was going, had never been to the place before, but the hostess of the event (whom I'd never met) was dressed up as a character from the story (she was wearing Troy's "number" from the Biathlon), and her house (no offense... to call this place a house is akin to calling Everest a "speed bump") was decorated with all kinds of horse stuff. She even made a little display of chewing tobacco and Jack Daniel's whiskey (both of which, sadly, and despite encouragement from those gathered to the contrary, went unopened on the evening).
U-C S # 2: The hostess told me that when she read Ghost Medicine, she pulled into the parking lot of a supermarket so she could read the last two chapters before going home, and it made her cry.
Okay... I'm not really cool with making people cry... but I do "get it" that an emotional response like that is... well, kind of gratifying to me, too.
And then... the most unbelievably U-C S # 3: The husband of the hostess happens to be one of my all-time favorite MLB Hall of Famers... who also played some of his best seasons for my all-time favorite baseball team.
And that just totally blew me away.
I mean... it's not just that I was treated so nicely by such gracious people (who didn't even know me), but, then, to find myself in the home of one of my baseball heroes -- a guy who truly played throughout his career with integrity and honor; the kind of guy you're proud kids look up to -- well, that just was something else.
So... thanks to everyone who had me out there last night. I really didn't want to leave.
LOSER UPDATE: I got in trouble at work today.
Again.
Let me make an absolute and firm confession here... hmm... in the eyes of the new Assistant Principal, Ms. I'm-a-little-too-bubbly-and-take-my-job-a-little-too-seriously-so-I-have-no-time-for-losers-like-you-Smith-who-never-tire-of-mocking-the-leviathanic-powers-conferred-on-people-such-as-me... yes, in her eyes, I am entirely guilty of the most heinous of offenses:
1 count of mockery
40 counts of letting kids have fun
(I'm going to attempt to plea bargain so they drop the complaint about the army of trained monkeys).
God! I am such a loser.
I hate my life.
