Excusez-moi, While I Recover...

... as Finesse would say in ALL-STARS. Good schools, great students, wonderful bookstores yesterday in the Bay Area. I wouldn't have traded that day for nuthin'! So glad we got to spend time together.

But I got to Seattle at midnight, my ankles swollen from so many hours riding in Carol's car from place to place, and so many hours standing, talking, and so many hours sitting on an airplane on the runway, then in the air from San Jose to Seattle. The vertabrae in my neck pancaked, my scratchy throat screamed every time I swallowed, and I almost cried when I saw how long the taxi line was at the Seattle airport. Apparently, there are 17,462 conventions here this weekend and everyone arrived last night.

But I persevered, intrepid traveler that I am, and oh, am I glad I did. I am in the most lovely hotel in Seattle. When I arrived in this spacious room with the fantastic bed and the deep bathtub, a care package from Harcourt smiled at me from the desk by the window. Then I did cry.

I slept in. I'm going to recover this morning before I sign at PNBA -- Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association -- at 11am, and then I'm going to tootle back to this hotel and recover some more. I have the afternoon off, and I need it. I'll write you then and catch you up on the glorious day at The Storyteller and Hicklebees AND two schools, driving all over the Bay Area with Kamakaze Carol.

Carol had to punt several times yesterday as we searched for schools and made U-turns and squinted at road signs. Pages of Mapquest directions fluttered all over the front seats. We put 300 miles on her car in a day and a half. I had no idea how spread out the Bay Area is -- a new geography, indeed!

"How're we doing, Carol?" I asked her at one point, stressed about getting to the gig on time after missing another turn and making another phone call and making another U-turn because neither of us noticed the street sign. "We're fine," she came back, whipping her glasses to her eyes at a stop sign and grabbing her map yet again. "We're fine," she repeated through gritted teeth. Then she flashed a smile at me: "We're just old!" Hahahaha.

My breakfast has arrived (scrambled eggs! protein!) and the sun has just streamed through my enormous window (In Seattle! Yay!), flooding my room with light. I'm gonna go get human again. See you this afternoon --