My wonderful friend and hostess with the mostest Jenn hosted a book launch barbecue for me on Sunday. It was a small and casual affair, which is exactly as I had wanted it. There is a limit to the number of people who can crowd around a table to celebrate anything, and I think I’ve made peace with some people getting upset at a lack of invitation. I would have loved to invite each and every person who has had a positive impact on me and helped me in my creative journey, but you’re always going to miss someone. For the record, there are dozens of other people who have been fantastic and supportive. Not just buying a copy of the book, but giving me the experience and wisdom that allows me to write in the first place. So, if you are in that camp and you were left off the invite list, I apologize. Don’t think that you aren’t a special little camper. I just can’t manage a giant crowd of people focused on me….yet (Mwa-ha-ha-ha).
I also decided to skip an official speech or sales pitch to the attendees. On a practical level, most of them had already bought copies, so selling to them would have been milking a dry cow. And I spend most gatherings nattering on at length anyway, so it was more humane to the guests to limit my speechifying.
Max had a blast playing with chum during the party, and after the chum went home Max moved on to a tickle war with the friendly librarian Lindsay. In the course of their tickle fight, I’m pretty sure that Max inadvertently got to second base a couple of times. He is quite advanced.
It is an interesting and somewhat odd experience to have your friends admire you. One of them actually said he was proud of me. I should really stop being surprised when someone I’m not married to is proud of me: If I’m doing things correctly, it’s bound to keep happening.
It was a fantastic night filled with friends and family, despite the summer cold kicking my ass and my wife’s ass at the same time. The best payout for the evening was the giant basket full of non-perishable goods we collected for the Food Bank. With almost no effort, we did a good thing. Yay lazy philanthropy!
A sidenote about my predictable body. Whenever I go through a period of heightened stress, there will be a brief few days afterward where I will be very tired, and after these days pass, illness will thunder down upon me. Everytime. Mark it on the calendar and cancel any appointments. I suspect that my body keeps a pet virus stored away in my left eustachian tube, ready for rapid release into my throat at the drop of a hat. The spot where my eustachian tube and my throat meet is ground zero for every cold that I’ve had in recent memory. And, although I acknowledge that a cold takes 7-10 days to run its course, I am tired of waiting for it to be done (it’s day 6 today). Boo to sickness.
Chris Loblaw, Author 
“Got to second base a couple of times”
Bwhahahahahahaha! Todd better watch out!
It was great to have been a tiny part of it. You (and others) should be proud of you – it is no mean feat to publish a book!