David Sedaris

I thought that I would write about going to a book reading by David Sedaris today.

 

Yes, I haven’t been there yet, so there is really no way to know for sure if I will have a good time but I am going to assume it will be fun. I do like most of what he has written, with a few exceptions, but his books are collections of essays so if you don’t like one then you can just skip to the next. I suppose that in some ways it’s like eating peanuts, sometimes you get a rotten one and the best way to get rid of the foul taste is to quickly eat another peanut. It is only rarely that you will follow up a rotten peanut with another rotten peanut and in that case you should just go back in bed.

I am hoping that tonight won’t be a rotten peanut. I have always been concerned about meeting people whom I admire because I have an image of them that is pretty hard to live up to. It’s for that reason I don’t like to read fan magazines about the stars, because it is inevitable that they are no where near as clever or as brave as the movie makes them out to be. They are just doing a job and doing it well enough to have become famous. Often these “heroes” are just regular people who can sing, act, write, catch a baseball or make us laugh, nothing more and nothing less.

David Sedaris is one of my heroes who doesn’t have feet of clay…yet. I’m pretty sure that he won’t pick his nose in between essays and it is unlikely that instead of a signature he’ll spit on the fly leaf of the copy of “Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls” that you just gave him to sign. It might be interesting to have his DNA, but some witty comment would be preferred. In my mind he is a small, well dressed imp of a man that has a high pitched voice and a wickedly weird sense of humour. I hope that he isn’t some behemoth of a man with a deep voice and hands the size of dinner plates. It would be pretty funny if he was tiny and had hands like dinner plates. I have actually seen him and he is a tiny guy with normal sized hands.

Maegan is why I am going to see him tonight. She knows I like him and since she is coming to visit in a week or so, she will want to know all about it. It will be fun. I’ve never been to a book signing before. The only time I have seen authors in a book store is when they are sitting alone at a folding table, surrounded by copies of their latest book that they spent the last couple of years creating. Rarely have I ever seen anyone talking to them, much less buying a book. I usually will go up and talk to them out of pity and end up enjoying my chat. No, I didn’t buy their book, but I could have and that is the important thing. Well only important to me I guess.

I’ve laid out the clothes I am going to wear, programmed the Garmin and I am writing this blog while I watch the clock tick off the minutes until I leave. I’ll let you know how it goes, unless it’s one of those rotten peanuts I was talking about earlier.

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Well, it is hours later and I am back from the book reading/signing. David Sedaris is a very funny, warm, entertaining man. He spends time with any and all who are willing to wait their turn to get a few minutes with him. If you get the chance, go and see him in person, but if that isn’t possible then you should read his books.

Not a rotten peanut in the bag!