Saturday, October 18, 2008

Again.

Despite the best of intentions, this week still wasn't great, so we're trying it again. No big plans for the weekend.  "Work around the house" is always at the top of the "to do" list.   It began last night by doing laundry, paying bills, and cleaning up the kitchen.   Some may see it as a pathetic way to spend a Friday night, especially for a single girl, but it works for me.  In a way it's cathartic, especially cleaning up the kitchen.   I know its nuts, but I find fewer things in the world more satisfying than scrubbing down my kitchen sink with Comet and having it glean back at me.  The whole house could be in a shambles around me, (which has actually been the case off and on throughout various construction projects,) but if my kitchen sink is clean, I know I'll be okay.    It's weird I know, but it's one of my tics.

Speaking of tics,  I am so excited about this evening. I'm going to
 see David Sedaris at The Singletary Center for the Arts. 

I saw him about two years ago in Louisville, and can I say the man is brilliant!  I'd heard him on NPR's This American Life several times, but had never read any of his books.  That night after the show I picked up Naked and even had it autographed.  I've been told that David is really good about book signings. He'll stay until everyone in line has been taken care of, which was great considering I was nearly the end of the line.  

I'd had plenty of time to watch the man, considering a small hoard of people were ahead of me.  I liked the fact that he actually asked who the book should be made out to.  I've been to book signings before where a staffer comes through the line and asks you for your name. Then writes it on a post-it to be placed on the page where the author signs.  It's a nice way to speed things along, I guess, but it seems rather impersonal.  Not that the Sedaris' approach is THAT much more personal.  He asks the name signs the book, hands it back to you, smiles quietly and says "thank you." 

So when it was my turn, he quietly looked up at me and asked "Who should I make this out to?"   I answered back "To me,  Crystal."  He put his head back down and quietly wrote.  As he finished, he clutched it to his chest and said "I have to explain, why I wrote what I did...It's because of your name."  He hands me the book and I quickly look at the inscription.   "To Crystal
Funny, you don't look like a slut.   David Sedaris"   

There is an even better story from that same evening, but I'll leave that for another post.  

I picked up When You Are Engulfed in Flames last week on one of my many bookstore visits.  I think I'll tuck it in my bag just in case I have another opportunity to have it signed.  I wonder if I still "don't look like a slut."

-crys

2 comments:

18 said...

It's true - you really don't look like a slut.

Elaine said...

I wonder what he would have written if you had married Jim and you told him your name was Crystal Fields!