October 24, 2012-More JT Book Signing Stuff

I really wish that Mike could have come with me into the city last week. I would have been much less tense and things would’ve worked out better, I’m sure. He seriously was planning on doing so until his dislocated shoulder injury occurred but even then it seemed like he was going to schedule his therapy appointment around JT Day. There’s no sense in dwelling on what could have been though.

   I told Sharon that I have a perfect picture of me and Regis Philbin from the mid-1980s but a not-so- great one of me with Mr. Taylor. Why can’t this be the opposite? I didn’t even want my picture taken with Regis; Dad is the one that made me do so which is majorly embarrassing.

   Maybe if I had moved a little closer to bassist guy then the picture would be fine despite my forgetting to take it off of zoom. Sharon said that camera guy should have known to do so and not to blame myself.

   Yikes, I was afraid to get any nearer to Mr. Taylor. Other people did; I saw those pics on DD’s FB page. I already felt like I was invading his personal space even where I was standing.

   Mike and Mom don’t seem to respect my personal space which is very irritating as is the fact that they always make it seem like I’m the weird one for wanting this. Sometimes she claims that she isn’t even close to me when she actually is- her spatial perception has been awful for years now.

    Either green sweater girl or her friend said that it looks okay and just to get it in TruPrint  which I usually do anyhow but even the Walgreens site has messed up some of my photos, like one of Anna at the 2008 Wellmont show and a few of Brad Paisley.

   I should be a thoughtful person and send Lori and Lana my JT pictures. They seem like nice girls. If I were normal I would probably like to have friends like these.

   I haven’t even touched my 2 JT books; they are still in the bags and on top of my tote. I want to just keep them in the bags even when I store them inside of one of these but part of me is wondering if doing so will mess them up somehow; I sure hope not. I’m too embarrassed to ask Amy or Sharon about this.

   I am pretty sure that green sweater girl said that Simon is her favorite. She told me that Kenny Rogers had also been at this bookstore but that he couldn’t do a signing because he has Carpal Tunnel Syndrome which I already knew about. Mom and her friend Pat saw him in concert in the mid-1980s. I was a little jealous of them, especially because Dolly Parton was there performing “Islands in a Stream” with him.

    I just remembered something else about that day in Ridgewood. A couple of the girls had gone to a nearby deli for takeout lunch and must have mentioned this event to the employees. One of them came over to the line and was taking people’s orders then delivering them.

  Mike is going to the Chiller Theatre Event next weekend. He will get to meet his Samantha Fox there. You have to pay extra to get your picture taken with the stars at that which I’m sure that he will do in this case. I bet that it will come out perfectly unlike the one of me and JT. I definitely will be jealous and beating myself up even more about that.

   He actually asked me what he should say to Samantha. You are asking the wrong person, brother. I did a very poor job of talking to bassist guy.

   I didn’t even ask him how he was doing; how rude of me. He was nice enough to ask me this at the NYC signing. And I really should have said “Enjoy the rest of your day” too. I’m so sorry, Mr. Taylor.

   I had that feeling of not belonging there amongst those diehard fans. Maybe many of them would have thought that I was kind of weird for not following them in the 80s. Wait; does this make it sound like they are part of a DD cult?

   One girl said that her husband used that cult reference a few times to her – this was either at the DD Megabash that I still can’t believe that I actually went to or one of the concerts; probably the former.

   A part of me does want to join that DD fan site again, not the more expensive membership though. But I never truly felt like I was a part of this “club” those 2 years when I was in it, just like when I was a Girl Scout, but it did feel a little good to be a member of both.

Ridgewood

NYC

1986

Samantha Fox- 1980s

Internet photo- Samantha Fox, from an article in the Guardian.

 

 

October 19, 2012- John Taylor Book Signings

 I can’t believe that I actually met John Taylor twice this week. I didn’t tell Amy about going to the signing in Ridgewood yet because I was pretty embarrassed that I even did so. Naturally, my brother is saying that I must be obsessed with him which is upsetting. Amy would just say to ignore him.

   I would have only gone to the NYC one if there was not a train that went to Ridgewood. I had done research into this a few weeks beforehand.

   I took the 6:05 a.m. bus into the city and got there by 7:00. I had intended on going to the Plaza because John was a guest on the” Today” show but part of me was feeling too afraid and embarrassed to do this. I chose to drink coffee at that bus terminal instead.

   I finally got over those feelings and decided to head on over to that location. I didn’t really get to see him that much then though because a screen came down over the window during his interview. I could have watched this on the TV screen that was in the Plaza but my idiot side wouldn’t let me.

   I found out from two girls that John had been sitting on the couch close to the window earlier. I would have seen this if not for my fear and shame issues. I sort of wish that I hadn’t even known about this.

   I saw Chris Rock and Martha Stewart who were outside for their segments. I took a few pictures of them. The ones that I took of John through the window didn’t come out that good.

   I couldn’t find the Barnes & Noble but was too afraid to ask anyone where it was. I did eventually get up enough nerve to do so but didn’t go there right away. I went into Starbucks and had a cappuccino.

   When I bought the book, I told the cashier that I was doing this for a friend, that’s how ashamed I was to be there for this signing.

   It felt a little weird to be hearing DD music throughout this event. I also was feeling a bit depressed being around books. I used to love reading but for years now it has been hard even getting through a short magazine article.

   The only book that I was able to read this year was one about Katie the Cocker Spaniel. I really enjoyed that as did Mom. Hopefully, it won’t be too difficult and frustrating when I am reading JT’s book.

   I didn’t even feel like talking to anyone. I did listen in on the other fan’s conversations. The girls behind me had tickets for the lecture/Q&A event that John would be doing that night in the city. I was a little jealous of them; I had been unsuccessful in getting a ticket to that.

   I would have been further up in the line if I hadn’t spent like 45 minutes in Starbucks. But then I would have probably missed John’s grand entrance. I think that he said “Hey, I know all of you”. I liked the scarf that he was wearing.

   I was not quick enough to snap a shot of him then. Most of the pictures that I did take that day came out not that great. Maybe there would have been better shots if I wasn’t holding onto the book in one hand. I don’t know why I just didn’t keep it in my tote bag until I got up to the table.

    I told the lady employee near the table that I am klutzy and was afraid that I would drop the book. I wonder if John heard that. I did say “Hello” and “It was nice to meet you” to him. But I also said a couple of really stupid things too.

   A guy (was he a store employee?) was taking photos for each person using their cameras. I said “I will just uglify the picture” and also “I have a pretty crappy camera.” I shouldn’t have said either thing.

  John had shaken my hand; maybe he did so because he felt sorry for me. The guy said that I got a special privilege regarding this but I know that he was just joking.

   When I looked at the photo that he had taken, I saw that I nor he had not adjusted the zoom so we are too close up. Part of John’s one ear got cut off as did part of my hair. I was really upset about this.

   Also, there is a girl behind the table- another employee, I guess- who is in between us because I was too afraid to get that close to John. That sucks as well.

   I saved the bag that the book was in and not just because John touched it. I had nearly left it on the table and he handed it to me. I just want to keep the book inside of it. I have it and 2 others, his audio book, and about 8 DD 45s in a small container.

    I was really embarrassed when a security guy told me to move along afterwards. I had heard him saying this to other people who were standing around in that area trying to take photos. And yet I attempted to do the same thing; how dumb was that?

    I wish that I had been in a better mood that day and that my self-esteem was not so low. This made the experience less enjoyable. I was feeling tense being in the city- the noise, the crowds, and craziness of it all. I was so relieved when I finally got home.

   Shouldn’t I have just been totally thrilled that I got to meet John Taylor? Yes, this was a pleasure but all those other negative factors, including my screw ups, sort of tainted this encounter. It sort of seems like one of my strange holodeck dreams, in a way.