Book launch goodness...

So I'm in Calgary. The book was launched last night. It was honestly one of the most surreal experiences I have ever had in my life.

I flew into Calgary on Wednesday afternoon. My friend Heather, who has been a good friend for 20 years, picked me up at the airport and took me out to supper at a vegetarian place called "The Coup." I sat around in the hipster restaurant and chatted with Heather and thought about how much I love bigger cities. Love, love, love them!

After this, Heather's good friend joined us and we went to her house where I discovered that I have a love of Strongbow.

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Yesterday morning, Mom and Dad and family friend Duane came and picked me up and we walked down to Chinatown and went for dim sum so I could satisfy my cravings. Then we walked to Pages on Kensington where I took dorky photos of my book in the window of the store and on the shelf in the store and all sorts of other things. I then went to Heather's and got ready for book launch activities.
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The launch was held at the Memorial Park library, which was the first library in the province, built in 1912. It was gorgeous! We got there early and I got to meet my publishers for the first time. I wandered around feeling sort of lost for the whole beginning. Then someone asked me to sign a book for them, and I fumbled around because I didn't have a pen! It was really embarassing. I ended up grabbing one. My reading was first and everyone said nice things about me and the book and the reading went well. Dymphny read next and then we had intermission. My fellow author Patria, whose first book that I loved, told me she loved the book and that I had a profile like a Greek goddess. I think that's one of the nicest things that's ever been said to me.

Anyway, I signed about 30 books for people and met people and talked to them and they told me how they were touched by various poems etc, etc, which was surreal as hell. The whole night was good, but I was exhausted afterward, so Heather and I went home and watched CSI, which I'd never seen before. I have a big old crush on Archie Kao.

The launch rocked, but oh my god, it was surreal and strange.

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I forgot to mention what happened to Heather and I on my first night in Calgary. I went to the Safeway where I bought some chocolate and batteries for my camera. As I was paying, the man ringing up the purchase said, "Chocolate and batteries, a woman's best friends."

I gave him a strange look and he said, "Oh, did I say that out loud. My inside voice came out."

We cracked up once we left the store.

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Today I spent the day hanging out with my friends Sunni and Ed and their 4 month old daughter, Willow. We went shopping and hung out and played with the baby. I haven't seen them for about 5 years, so it was nice to catch up. Then I went to my publisher's house for a bbq and visited with tons of authors, some of whom I'd met and some of whom I hadn't. I found out that there is a review of our books in Fast Forward, along with a huge honking picture of my face. Yep. That was odd.
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I'm dead exhausted tired. But other than that, everything is good. Back to GP tomorrow.