Wed., Nov. 28, 2007
My mom is a huge Food Network fan, so for Christmas I thought it would be cool to get her an autographed copy of Paula Deen’s book. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out as I had hope during my first try (see Nov. 4 blog entry), but being persistent, I wasn’t about to give up.
I went to Paula’s Web site and read under the Paula’s Schedule section that she would be at the Book-a-Million at Dupont Circle in D.C. on Nov. 28. My mission was to attend the event and get the book singed for my mom.
The signing was to take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Unaware of what the crowd would be like; I got there very early which was good because a line had already formed. My friend Eric (on the right in the photo above) joined me for the adventure. I arrived with books I had purchased in advance but was told by a bookstore rep that Paula would only be signing her holiday recipe book. So I went and bought two copies of it and got in line. The cashier handed me a list of “regulations” with my books.
I understand the need for some sort of organization to get the line to move in an orderly fashion, but two of the bullet points I found to be ridiculous … you could only get one specific book of hers signed and it couldn't be personalized!!! The whole point of getting a book signed is the excitement that the author made the inscription out to you personally. I even put a Post-it Note on the book with my mom’s name neatly printed for Paula’s convenience but that was disregarded.
I had brought my camera of course … another one of the “rules” was that there would be no individual pictures allowed. When you got to her table, you were to give your camera to the bookstore staff member and he took a picture for you, thus the lovely shot of the back of me.
Paula’s husband Michael was with her and signed the books also. When I reached Paula at the signing table I presented her with a candid photo I had taken from the D.C. cooking expo of her and her husband smooching. She graciously thanked me, showed her husband and said it was a beautiful photo which was cool.
After we got our books signed, Eric and I grabbed a bite at a nearby restaurant named Circa. It was a delicious meal and a nice way to end a successful pursuit.
I went to Paula’s Web site and read under the Paula’s Schedule section that she would be at the Book-a-Million at Dupont Circle in D.C. on Nov. 28. My mission was to attend the event and get the book singed for my mom.
The signing was to take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Unaware of what the crowd would be like; I got there very early which was good because a line had already formed. My friend Eric (on the right in the photo above) joined me for the adventure. I arrived with books I had purchased in advance but was told by a bookstore rep that Paula would only be signing her holiday recipe book. So I went and bought two copies of it and got in line. The cashier handed me a list of “regulations” with my books.
I understand the need for some sort of organization to get the line to move in an orderly fashion, but two of the bullet points I found to be ridiculous … you could only get one specific book of hers signed and it couldn't be personalized!!! The whole point of getting a book signed is the excitement that the author made the inscription out to you personally. I even put a Post-it Note on the book with my mom’s name neatly printed for Paula’s convenience but that was disregarded.
I had brought my camera of course … another one of the “rules” was that there would be no individual pictures allowed. When you got to her table, you were to give your camera to the bookstore staff member and he took a picture for you, thus the lovely shot of the back of me.
Paula’s husband Michael was with her and signed the books also. When I reached Paula at the signing table I presented her with a candid photo I had taken from the D.C. cooking expo of her and her husband smooching. She graciously thanked me, showed her husband and said it was a beautiful photo which was cool.
After we got our books signed, Eric and I grabbed a bite at a nearby restaurant named Circa. It was a delicious meal and a nice way to end a successful pursuit.
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