Blogging Before Bed

Just a little thing I wanted to get off before I retire for the evening.

I went down to the Terry Pratchett signing at the 66th street Barnes and Noble this evening. I was one of the last ones to get my books signed, and the poor devil looked rather ragged. Book tours are not something I'm looking forward to when I become a full-time writer. But, what're you going to do?

Anyhow, I bought the new Pratchett hardcover while I was there, because I am a consumer whore, and stuffed it in a bag along with the books I'd brought from home. Walking around the Upper West Side with a friend I ran into at the signing, I decided I was tired of carrying the bag by hand. Now, I had my umbrella with me, and it has one of those old-style hooked ends, so I hung the bag from the hook and slung the umbrella over my shoulder backwards. It was kind of a cool look, a hipster hobo thing. I think it'll catch on.

Eventually, we get on the train to go home (she gets off one stop before I do), and I'm still doing the thing with the umbrella. The subway car is full but not crowded, so we're standing. And this lady, sitting several feet away, gestures repeatedly at the end of my umbrella, which is pointing in her direction.

Now, let me stress that this woman is in no danger of my actually coming into contact with the umbrella. At least four feer of air separates it and her, and I'm keeping a tight hold on it so I won't drop my books. So I guess I must be the Penguin, and she's scared it's gonna go off. So I adjust the angle downwards, and she goes back to her US Weekly or whatever the hell it is, after giving me the requisite New York Dirty Look.

Some people, I guess, will take offense at anything.