Lunch with Allison

I just got back from a fun lunch at Donato’s with Allison Charles, who goes to Upper Dublin High School. Allison’s parents won the lunch with me at an auction to raise money for the fight against breast cancer. My mom, my aunt, and one of my cousins are all breast cancer survivors, so it is a important cause for me. We had a blast and took the cheesy photo, below. Thank you, Allison!!!

Went to the movies last night with Mer, Alli (a different Alli!), Shelley and Mike. We saw Constantine, with Keanu Reeves, who in my humble opinion is a much better actor when he keeps his mouth closed. Not a great movie, not even a good movie, but we had laughed a lot, and I found myself thinking about it today which must mean something. I really liked the Angel Gabriel’s outfit. Satan was played by an actor who was a bad guy in Fargo (I loved that movie because I am a drooling William Macy fan), and I had a hard time believing him as Satan. But all in all, it was a good night. Mer and I are annoying people to watch movies with because we both have the Tragic Cycle down cold and we can see most plot points well before they unfold. But we amuse each other.

I forgot to mention two things about my Central New York week. We spent one night watching old Popeye cartoons. Haven’t done that in a long time. I had another blast from the past the day I visited Solvay High School. A deli near the school advertised bread from the Columbus Baking Company. This bread is a sacred food from my childhood. My dad, who always refers to himself as a peasant, is nuts for real, fresh food: bread, cheese, tomatoes, meat cooked on an open fire, etc. So every weekend we’d stop at the bakery for a couple of flat, round, heavenly loaves to eat up at camp.

Bread is good. No-carb diets are evil.

I forgot to say thank you to Ms. Benson’s class (Hi Alex!) and the girls at Maryvale Prep for completely stuffing my mailbox with your thank-you letters. I’m having fun reading them.

18 Replies to “Lunch with Allison”

  1. Another Fan (Feeling quite un-original..)

    Hello, greetings, hi…how ya doing?…

    Oh well, I’m not sure how to start this up. I guess I’ll just jump into it then…

    Does anyone ever read the comments? I know I do in my constant curiosity to know what others are thinking and saying (What can I say, I’m a teenager), but what about you adults? (Especially you adults who write very popular novels and probably get enough responses as it is…) Well if I am spared the luck of a gander, I might as well make this an interesting comment now, shouldn’t I? I just finished Catalyst this morning, loving every minute of it. (Loving it enough to hide it from my mom so she could not return it to the library this morning–when it was due. I will gladly have to pay the dime or whatever fee they charge for late books. In which case, I hope to have that amount despite my wallet’s poor state.) Even more good news: I find out that you have a website and another book coming out during my birthday month! (I turn the fabled “sweet sixteen” on the 29th of March. The book is supposed to come out the day before my sister’s birthday. I am excited, but once again dreading the money factor. Money + book + present= Laura searching the sofa for forgotten currency–wishing that her $5 from canada was usable…) I wish you the best of luck for PROM’s publishing. I also hope that the Speak movie is a hit. (This also has me excited.)

    Well, I fear this response is much more than it should be in length, so I shall shorten up the rest. Me = big fan of yours. You = literary idol. If you are one of those curious people who check their comments, I hope that this was interesting to you. If it was and I did my job, it might be cool if you typed a “P.S. I’m a comment checker.” in your next journal entry. (Silly request, I know. But it might inspire me to haunt your comments again. 🙂 ) Happy Seasons!

  2. Another Fan (Feeling quite un-original..)

    Hello, greetings, hi…how ya doing?…

    Oh well, I’m not sure how to start this up. I guess I’ll just jump into it then…

    Does anyone ever read the comments? I know I do in my constant curiosity to know what others are thinking and saying (What can I say, I’m a teenager), but what about you adults? (Especially you adults who write very popular novels and probably get enough responses as it is…) Well if I am spared the luck of a gander, I might as well make this an interesting comment now, shouldn’t I? I just finished Catalyst this morning, loving every minute of it. (Loving it enough to hide it from my mom so she could not return it to the library this morning–when it was due. I will gladly have to pay the dime or whatever fee they charge for late books. In which case, I hope to have that amount despite my wallet’s poor state.) Even more good news: I find out that you have a website and another book coming out during my birthday month! (I turn the fabled “sweet sixteen” on the 29th of March. The book is supposed to come out the day before my sister’s birthday. I am excited, but once again dreading the money factor. Money + book + present= Laura searching the sofa for forgotten currency–wishing that her $5 from canada was usable…) I wish you the best of luck for PROM’s publishing. I also hope that the Speak movie is a hit. (This also has me excited.)

    Well, I fear this response is much more than it should be in length, so I shall shorten up the rest. Me = big fan of yours. You = literary idol. If you are one of those curious people who check their comments, I hope that this was interesting to you. If it was and I did my job, it might be cool if you typed a “P.S. I’m a comment checker.” in your next journal entry. (Silly request, I know. But it might inspire me to haunt your comments again. 🙂 ) Happy Seasons!

  3. Another Fan (Feeling quite un-original..)

    Hello, greetings, hi…how ya doing?…

    Oh well, I’m not sure how to start this up. I guess I’ll just jump into it then…

    Does anyone ever read the comments? I know I do in my constant curiosity to know what others are thinking and saying (What can I say, I’m a teenager), but what about you adults? (Especially you adults who write very popular novels and probably get enough responses as it is…) Well if I am spared the luck of a gander, I might as well make this an interesting comment now, shouldn’t I? I just finished Catalyst this morning, loving every minute of it. (Loving it enough to hide it from my mom so she could not return it to the library this morning–when it was due. I will gladly have to pay the dime or whatever fee they charge for late books. In which case, I hope to have that amount despite my wallet’s poor state.) Even more good news: I find out that you have a website and another book coming out during my birthday month! (I turn the fabled “sweet sixteen” on the 29th of March. The book is supposed to come out the day before my sister’s birthday. I am excited, but once again dreading the money factor. Money + book + present= Laura searching the sofa for forgotten currency–wishing that her $5 from canada was usable…) I wish you the best of luck for PROM’s publishing. I also hope that the Speak movie is a hit. (This also has me excited.)

    Well, I fear this response is much more than it should be in length, so I shall shorten up the rest. Me = big fan of yours. You = literary idol. If you are one of those curious people who check their comments, I hope that this was interesting to you. If it was and I did my job, it might be cool if you typed a “P.S. I’m a comment checker.” in your next journal entry. (Silly request, I know. But it might inspire me to haunt your comments again. 🙂 ) Happy Seasons!

  4. Re: Another Fan (Feeling quite un-original..)

    I don’t know about anybody else, but I sure read them. That’s the advantage of LJ over the traditional online journal I used to have.

    Me=happy author You= very sweet reader Us=lucky critters with good computers!

    My library books are usually late, too.

  5. Re: Another Fan (Feeling quite un-original..)

    I don’t know about anybody else, but I sure read them. That’s the advantage of LJ over the traditional online journal I used to have.

    Me=happy author You= very sweet reader Us=lucky critters with good computers!

    My library books are usually late, too.

  6. Re: Another Fan (Feeling quite un-original..)

    I don’t know about anybody else, but I sure read them. That’s the advantage of LJ over the traditional online journal I used to have.

    Me=happy author You= very sweet reader Us=lucky critters with good computers!

    My library books are usually late, too.

  7. NOO!!! I know Allison. Why wasn’t I aware of this auction?! Meh, oh well. You signed my notebook. Yay!

    “Bread is good. No-carb diets are evil.”
    THANK YOU! SOMEONE ELSE SHARES THE SAME THING! No carbs give you bad breath. Yucky.

  8. NOO!!! I know Allison. Why wasn’t I aware of this auction?! Meh, oh well. You signed my notebook. Yay!

    “Bread is good. No-carb diets are evil.”
    THANK YOU! SOMEONE ELSE SHARES THE SAME THING! No carbs give you bad breath. Yucky.

  9. NOO!!! I know Allison. Why wasn’t I aware of this auction?! Meh, oh well. You signed my notebook. Yay!

    “Bread is good. No-carb diets are evil.”
    THANK YOU! SOMEONE ELSE SHARES THE SAME THING! No carbs give you bad breath. Yucky.

  10. Re: Another Fan (Feeling quite un-original..)

    Ok, so the true question now is to see if you are a reader of comments to comments. LoL. (I’m not sure if that makes sense, but I am also not sure of how else to word it.) Today being my lazy day, I got very little (barely anything in truth) accomplished. So I found myself online again…reading journals of close friends and responding…To my surprise, I have responses!

    One of them from you. 🙂

    The internet-user girl in me was very happy to see that she was not the only one spending her time on the internet today.(Ignoring her responsibility of shoveling the driveway) The fan girl in me does a double take. (She nearly has a heart attack. She does not see responses from favorite authors much…but wonders if they know the joys of a live journal. If not they should.)

    I will be sure to visit back and count down the days until PROM comes out. (In which case, I will have a very interesting story about my tough journey of tracking down a copy. My town’s Borders Books is like a safari zone. It’s hard to capture the elusive newly published book.)

  11. Re: Another Fan (Feeling quite un-original..)

    Ok, so the true question now is to see if you are a reader of comments to comments. LoL. (I’m not sure if that makes sense, but I am also not sure of how else to word it.) Today being my lazy day, I got very little (barely anything in truth) accomplished. So I found myself online again…reading journals of close friends and responding…To my surprise, I have responses!

    One of them from you. 🙂

    The internet-user girl in me was very happy to see that she was not the only one spending her time on the internet today.(Ignoring her responsibility of shoveling the driveway) The fan girl in me does a double take. (She nearly has a heart attack. She does not see responses from favorite authors much…but wonders if they know the joys of a live journal. If not they should.)

    I will be sure to visit back and count down the days until PROM comes out. (In which case, I will have a very interesting story about my tough journey of tracking down a copy. My town’s Borders Books is like a safari zone. It’s hard to capture the elusive newly published book.)

  12. Re: Another Fan (Feeling quite un-original..)

    Ok, so the true question now is to see if you are a reader of comments to comments. LoL. (I’m not sure if that makes sense, but I am also not sure of how else to word it.) Today being my lazy day, I got very little (barely anything in truth) accomplished. So I found myself online again…reading journals of close friends and responding…To my surprise, I have responses!

    One of them from you. 🙂

    The internet-user girl in me was very happy to see that she was not the only one spending her time on the internet today.(Ignoring her responsibility of shoveling the driveway) The fan girl in me does a double take. (She nearly has a heart attack. She does not see responses from favorite authors much…but wonders if they know the joys of a live journal. If not they should.)

    I will be sure to visit back and count down the days until PROM comes out. (In which case, I will have a very interesting story about my tough journey of tracking down a copy. My town’s Borders Books is like a safari zone. It’s hard to capture the elusive newly published book.)

  13. Dear Laurie Halse Anderson,

    I seriously love every book you write! I read Speak & catalyst at the same time and I couldn’t put them down. I laughed, I cried, I loved every single part of both books. You seriously rock my socks! At our school we have to get 20 book points every 9 weeks. I scored high on the reading test last year and I don’t even have to get them this year but with your wonderful books it was awful hard not to get them. I never thought I could love a book so much.. even love two books so much I looked for Speak for several weeks and it was checked out so I was thinking to myself “If Speak is this great then I’m sure her other books will be awesome”. I typed your last name in the computer at school and another book you had written came up! I almost peed my pants I was so excited to read it! As I read these two wonderful books so much emotion ran over me. You have changed my life and everytime I hear the word ‘Speak’ or ‘catalyst’ I will think and I do think of these books and how bad I miss the characters in them. My school doesn’t have every single book you’ve ever wrote just Speak & catalyst but I will find the other ones and when I read them I’m sure I will find them to be just as heart-warming, funny & interesting as the first two I’ve read.

    Keep up the wonderful work!

    P.S. Thank you for inspiring me and putting so much hard work in both books.

    Lots of love,

    -DK- (16 year old girl)

  14. Dear Laurie Halse Anderson,

    I seriously love every book you write! I read Speak & catalyst at the same time and I couldn’t put them down. I laughed, I cried, I loved every single part of both books. You seriously rock my socks! At our school we have to get 20 book points every 9 weeks. I scored high on the reading test last year and I don’t even have to get them this year but with your wonderful books it was awful hard not to get them. I never thought I could love a book so much.. even love two books so much I looked for Speak for several weeks and it was checked out so I was thinking to myself “If Speak is this great then I’m sure her other books will be awesome”. I typed your last name in the computer at school and another book you had written came up! I almost peed my pants I was so excited to read it! As I read these two wonderful books so much emotion ran over me. You have changed my life and everytime I hear the word ‘Speak’ or ‘catalyst’ I will think and I do think of these books and how bad I miss the characters in them. My school doesn’t have every single book you’ve ever wrote just Speak & catalyst but I will find the other ones and when I read them I’m sure I will find them to be just as heart-warming, funny & interesting as the first two I’ve read.

    Keep up the wonderful work!

    P.S. Thank you for inspiring me and putting so much hard work in both books.

    Lots of love,

    -DK- (16 year old girl)

  15. Dear Laurie Halse Anderson,

    I seriously love every book you write! I read Speak & catalyst at the same time and I couldn’t put them down. I laughed, I cried, I loved every single part of both books. You seriously rock my socks! At our school we have to get 20 book points every 9 weeks. I scored high on the reading test last year and I don’t even have to get them this year but with your wonderful books it was awful hard not to get them. I never thought I could love a book so much.. even love two books so much I looked for Speak for several weeks and it was checked out so I was thinking to myself “If Speak is this great then I’m sure her other books will be awesome”. I typed your last name in the computer at school and another book you had written came up! I almost peed my pants I was so excited to read it! As I read these two wonderful books so much emotion ran over me. You have changed my life and everytime I hear the word ‘Speak’ or ‘catalyst’ I will think and I do think of these books and how bad I miss the characters in them. My school doesn’t have every single book you’ve ever wrote just Speak & catalyst but I will find the other ones and when I read them I’m sure I will find them to be just as heart-warming, funny & interesting as the first two I’ve read.

    Keep up the wonderful work!

    P.S. Thank you for inspiring me and putting so much hard work in both books.

    Lots of love,

    -DK- (16 year old girl)

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