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Well, I didn’t wake up in a broom closet! This is still a little weird, though. Good, but weird.

Yesterday, San Diego Day, was very long, but it was packed with fun experiences and the chance to meet really nice people. I took an early flight from Oakland to San Diego, which is just a little bit north of the Mexican border. I was met at the airport by Larry, my author minder/wrangler/escort. We had some time to kill before my first appearance, so he took me to this MASSIVE park in the middle of the city that was filled with beautiful plants and trees and museums, and we got to walk around and I felt like a very lucky girl. From there, Larry drove me up (down?) the coast so I could see the surf. Did you know there is a big storm near Alaska? Well there is, and it’s sending huge waves to California which looked very imposing. We ate lunch ON THE BEACH (calamari sandwich thank you very much). I called my Beloved Husband to tell him I was lunching outside in 76 degrees. He said it was 25 degrees and his part of NY was getting another six inches of snow. I felt kind of bad about that.

Big waves you can’t quite see in the background. Hot surfer in the foreground for Meredith.

After lunch we drove inland to Rancho Santa Fe Middle School where I talked to the 8th grade. Thank you very much for the poetry and the great shirt, Rancho people!

Two bookstore visits yesterday – Warwicks in LaJolla (stock signing) and an event at Barnes & Noble in Encinitas.

Lots of people showed up in Encinitas. Wow.

I leave in a few minutes for Santa Monica High School.

If you live around LA, the best place to find me today is 7-9pm tonight when I’ll be at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena.

(Before you get jealous about this whole Cali weather and cool hotel moment, remember I leave for Detroit tomorrow.)

I have three things to say… will give all other details after I sleep.

1. The Bad Thing – I woke up at 4:45 am and now it is midnight and I am not asleep yet.

2. The Great Thing – I had an AMAZING day in the San Diego area – thank you to everybody who made it such fun! I am too tired to post details and photos right now, but will try after breakfast.

3. The Stupendous Thing – I arrived at my hotel in LA a little while ago and the guy at the desk said they were setting up my roll-away bed. “Roll-away?” I asked, voice trembling, imagining that I have to sleep in a broom closet or the locker room of the fitness center. “Yes,” he said. “We are 100% booked for tonight and tomorrow night so we have to put you in the Presidential Suite. It does not have a bed, so we’re giving you a roll-away. The room normally goes for $1000 a night, but we’re charging you the normal room rate for the inconvenience.”

Me: *sputter*

So yes, dear reader, I am sleeping on a roll-away bed in a suite that is as big as my apartment. It has two couches, a dining room table that easily seats six, and one of those fancy-schmanzy shower heads that makes you feel like you are washing your hair in a giant waterfall.

I am not sure if this is really happening. I could be dreaming all of this. I am certainly getting punchy. I’ll let you know if I wake up in a broom closet.

OK, I hate the Internet connection at this hotel. I’ve tried to post this entry three times and it keeps failing and I lost all the work. Lucky for the front desk I’m too tired to whine and stomp my feet.

Pics du jour:

I’m staying in Jack London Square, where author Jack London used to hang out. (Yes, an author appropriate hotel. Not seedy, but you double-check the locks.) Here are the pics from this morning’s walk.

Cabin with a sod roof in the middle of a large city.

This is a tree, a mulberry tree, I’m told. They get trimmed back like this every year. There is a whole block of them near my hotel. They look like a forest of dinosaur bones.

First stop of the day was Rakestraw Books in Danville, where students from three different schools SQUEEZED into the store and we made much merriment. (Hi Wendy – of course I remember you!)

Next was M is for Mystery/Third Avenue Bookshop for Children in San Mateo. These wonderful girls are from San Mateo High School. There are 90 kids missing from this photo (from a different school) because budget cuts last week forced the school district to eliminate all busing for field trips. *sad face* From there I signed stock at another store, and then went home to talk to kids and Beloved Husband on the phone.

Interesting things about Oakland, CA –
1. The newspaper has a daily map of regional earthquake activity. It’s on the weather page, just below the UV index.
2. When you order a bagel and lox, you get a raisin bagel.
3. I should move here because fog makes my hair look great.
4. Houses are expensive. If I moved here, I could only afford to rent a small cardboard box.
5. A really icky thing happened in front of my hotel today that I will probably put in my next book. Maybe if I lived here (in a cardboard box) I could write faster.

Tomorrow’s schedule:

Early morning flight to San Diego

1:00 – 3:00 PM Rancho Santa Fe middle school (not open to public)
Sponsoring Store: Yellow Book Road

4:00 – 4:30 PM Stock signing, Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Avenue, La Jolla CA

7:00 – 9:00 PM Barnes & Noble, 1040 N. El Camino Real Drive, Encinitas, CA

Friday I’ll be in Santa Monica & Pasadena.

See ‘ya, bye.

Man, am I beat. Loooong day, Started at 5am in Seattle when I woke up because my ride was picking me up at 6. Then a plane ride (Alaska Air – very comfortable seats) to the Oakland/ San Francisco area. The Mt. St. Helen’s volcano woke up again today. I swear I had nothing to do with it.

First stop was Maria Carrillo High School in Santa Rosa (named after the first female landowner in California, fact courtesy of librarian Sonja Bedford and Women’s history month). Wow. They were ready for me. So ready. They even had signs on the outside of their school building. That was a first.

The inside the auditorium shots didn’t turn out so good, but we took a couple during my book signing, which, yes, was held outside because the weather was so unbelievably gorgeous. Thank you to everyone who stood in line. Great school. Great students. Lots of fun! Thanks so much for being so sweet to me, MCHS. So here is what my world looked like today.

The Line.

Nice sign.

Many thanks to Jonatha Foli of Copperfield’s and Richie Partington (hi Shari!) for making it feel like old home week.

Next came a 2 hour 15 minute drive (crawl) south of San Fran to Storyteller bookshop where I talked to a bunch of folks about books. The owner, Linda, kindly gave me a copy of Prom Night, which is a hysterical book.

The Audience.

So it was after 9pm by the time I got back to my hotel room. Room service. I needed room service. I didn’t care what they brought me, as long as it wasn’t moving on the plate.

Dinner. sigh

Zzzzz.. oh, sorry. Just let me prop up my eyelids here.

Wednesday’s schedule:

10-12 Rakestraw Books, Danville, CA
1:30-3:30 M is for Mystery, San Mateo, CA
4:30-5pm stock signing, Kepler’s Books, Menlo Park

Should be a calmer day tomorrow. Zzzzzzzzzzz………………..

Wonderful day!! Thank you to Sister Ann and all the girls at Holy Names Academy for starting it off with a bang. Thanks also to all the nice booksellers I met today, especially Chauni and Rene of All for Kids for letting me sign their amazing wall.

The Holy Names gang, all 650 of them. Thank you dirtylibrarian for introducing yourself!!

Me on top of a six-foot ladder signing the Author Wall.

I leave in a few minutes for the Barnes and Noble event. When I come back I have to pack because I have an early morning flight to Oakland, CA. Here is the schedule for Day 2, in case any of you can drop by.

1:20 – 3pm Speaking at Maria Carillo HS, Santa Rosa (not open to public). While there, I’ll also sign stock for Copperfield’s, Sebastopol, CA.

6:30-8:30pm Signing at The Storyteller in Lafayette, CA

On Wednesday I’ll be visiting bookstores in Danville, San Mateo, and Menlo Park, CA. Details tomorrow.

Good night, Seattle! (like my purse?)