i like chess playing goats but dancing goats are even better

Wednesday July 10, 2008 will go down in history as the day I met David Sedaris.

He came to the Indigo bookstore on Bloor Street to promote his new book, When You Are Engulfed in Flames. I actually read it while waiting in line, which was fortunate because I arrived 2 and a half hours early and was already the 20th person. I am delighted to report that Mr.Sedaris has made a heady comeback from the great stinker that was Dress Your Family in Couroy and Denim. Unfortunately I have no pictures from the event itself, as it was made abundantly clear that at the request of the author, "there is absolutely no photography or videography allowed," at the risk of being removed from the store. Nevertheless, I was so happy that at last I would be meeting David Sedaris in person.

David did book signings first, and when it was my turn I literally squealed with excitement.

"Oh my god! This is like meeting a unicorn!"
"Why gosh, that's awfully flattering. How old are you?"
"I'm turning twenty in about two weeks."
"Oh, well here...I have a gift for you."

And then he pulled out a transparent plastic bag filled with random things that he got from a brief sojourn in Brazil. He pulled out two items, a complimentary shampoo bottle from the Copacabana hotel, and a cheap little bracelet he bought from a street vendor. I asked him if I could have both, to which he chuckled and said, "No, you can't have both....choose one."

So I chose the bracelet. Look!


I think that I was the only person who got a 2 cent gift from David Sedaris that night. I was so very very happy. It's funny how the smallest things can make me so content with life.

Also, I told him about how I blogged about him and dancing goats, and this what he wrote on my book:



"To Beth, I like chess playing goats but dancing goats are even better....DS"

Later, he read an essay from his new book, titled "All the Beauty You Will Ever Need," which featured among many other colourful characters Beth, the drug dealer's wife who refers to the remote control as a "ni**er." And then he read out some hilarious diary entries from all over the place-- London, Paris, the United States. And then he read out some short stories he was working on, in which all the characters were animals. The set up was a cat getting her hair done at a hair salon....run by a baboon. And after, there was a Q&A, and then it was over. I think I walked home with a huge goofy grin on my face. That two and a half hours in line was definitely worth the wait. I love it when things are worth the wait-- especially since it happens so rarely. Story of my life: I bust my butt for something, only to find that it was not worth the effort/time/energy.

So here's to dancing goats, which are better than chess playing ones (according to David Sedaris), and David Sedaris himself, who has regained his rightful place in my heart as one of the funniest men alive.