The Bloggess LIVE and IN PERSON

I went to see The Bloggess, aka Jenny Lawson, do a reading and book signing on Friday night as she continues her book tour for Let's Pretend This Never Happened.  My pre-ordered copy arrived oh-so-helpfully on Saturday, but that's OK, because I didn't need her to sign it. All I really wanted to do was give her a present: a set of playing cards featuring one of a kind Barbies. I knew she'd like it.

The last time I went to a book signing I got all tongue-tied and flustered, but this time I knew I had the perfect intro sentence: "I'm the person who told you about St. Agatha when you found the magical boobie mushroom." Because how's that for a conversation starter?

So I got there a few minutes before the reading started, knowing the place was going to be packed--and it was.  Standing room only.  Here is my view of Jenny during the reading:

I cannot complain since there were MANY people behind me.

She read a chapter from the book that had us in stitches; then she took questions.  I decided to live tweet the whole event, which made me feel I was being useful, don't you know.  She couldn't see me so she wouldn't have to think I was being rude and ignoring her during her reading.  Far from it.  I thought it was important for the world to know about how the audience went AWWWW when a boy asked The Bloggess "How did you get such a witty personality?" Yeah, he was working it.

I wanted to ask her who she wanted to play her, Victor, and her family in the movie, but she never called on me.  Probably didn't want to show too much favoritism. Or she couldn't see me.

So after about an hour, we moved on to the Book Signing portion of the evening.  The crowd was invited forward row by row, a la communion, except that people brought their own wine.  The woman behind me had cleverly snagged a glass of red wine from the cafe in the bookstore.  I was mighty jealous.

Yeah, she was rubbing it in.

I was in line about an hour by the time I got near the front.  Even then, here's what the line behind me looked like.

Everyone had finished their wine by this point.

I had my intro ready to go.  I had my gift pack of playing cards in my left hand and my phone ready for the guy who was taking people's pictures in my right.  And I approached...

And prattled on like a maniac, talking about St. Agatha and the One of a Kind Barbie Store until Jenny (who must have been completely exhausted at this point) said, "Why don't we get our picture taken?" (reminding me very much of those encounters I've had in the receiving line in church where you have to remind someone gently that though of course you would love to hear the full story, there are others behind them and maybe they should just go on to coffee hour).  Picture.   Oh. Yes.  And here we are:

Jenny Lawson, looking a bit tired but holding up bravely, and me, now wishing I'd given my hair a brush. 

So that was my encounter with The Bloggess who worked that crowd like a pro. And her book is lovely, by the way, poignant as well as hilarious.  I'll tell you more once I finish.