CLOUD 9 TO EARTH! CLOUD 9 TO EARTH!!!
(Thanks Johnny for the filming because I did **not** bring a camera, but Amy and Laurie were so kind to act like paparazzi and they will post the historical (for me) moment
Got to Amoeba half an hour before the event, parking impossible. Greeted by the luvlies Amy, Laurie, and Sandy with the news that only 2 items for person were allowed and I had four. So my long-suffering and immensely patient husband took the other 2 and apparently was a very convincing imitation of a Nutter, since he got Vickie's pumpkin stenciled page the longest dedications I have seen!
While in line, I met a very nice NY girl whose sister used to work for Frances Tomelty. Got a couple of indiscretions out of her, one on Sting-o and one on Andy-o, which I will not share here. Nothing that has not been rumored before, but this girl seems absolutely in.the.know.
Good omen: First song to be played in the huge, funky, hippy-age best-record store in Cali, was "Too cool to Kalypso" YAY!! Man comes into the store rushing into a back door, checkered shirt and a flash of blondegris hair, at which point my meds kicked in and I was mercifully floating at the sound of "Don't box me in", "Koteja", and The Equalizer's theme. Then the blondegris head came up again - ooooooohhhhh!!!! Yays all over the place.
As you have seen in JBeane's vid, you had to get up some stairs to get to the rickety table where the Maestro was. I'm next. A guy in a leather jacket, a cross between Quentin and David Byrne, asks me for my receipt. My shaky hands start leafing through the book, where's the Damn Thing? I'm NEXT! So I implored the guy "Look, don't do this to me, I have been waiting 30 years for this moment" So he gracefully let me out and..
I am in the presence of the Maestro, his hands and his glasses. Although extremely nice considered the drag that book signing must be, he was actually quite intimidating, because actually he's one of this person who looks at you straight in the eyes, a wonderful trait but...you know me. So I blathered something brief about being an SF nutter and gave my book to sign, and it came into my mind to say "Towos" instead of Elena. And while I was spelling it, the Maestro says "I.know.this.name!!!" and I blurted "I think you do. I am the anti-Sting" - then there was the other book I had him sign, I cannot tell this part because it's a surprise for the person who will receive it, but he kind of asked me which country it was. I shook his hand - if he had Purell I didn't notice it - and then I descended the stairs and shakily back into the arms of my trusted paparazzi girls - Laurie, who shot AMAZING pics - it will take her a while, but I have seen them on the camera and WOW - and Amy whose encouraging smile and wonderful support I will never forget.
We had a mini gathering among the 6 of us there and accompanying family in a typical Haight bohemian coffeehouse, exchanging rumors, news, and reminiscing. Three of us were in Concord last year - Sandy remembered how stoned I was. A cappuccino put me back in the Real World and now I am looking at these books and at the "Yo, towos!" in silver sharpie.
One piece of news which won't please you all much: Dallas won't be until 2011.
It was real. I made it without making too much of a fool of himself. Self-esteem on the rise. YAY!