ON REUNIONS AND BOOKS

Attended my 40^th high school reunion this past weekend. A wonderful time. Having self-published three books this year, any conversation I engaged in involved either compliments on a book someone read (thank you!) or congratulations at such an accomplishment (drinking having been my only claim to fame over the years). I soaked it up, believe me.

I had promised myself I wouldn't bring along any books to sell (no teacher classmates of mine had ever brought along their students, no medical professionals their patients). Jim Pokorny, a friend I hadn't seen in quite a while, demanded on the first night that I bring him in a book to buy the second night because his wife had demanded that he bring home a signed copy. Best I could do was steer him toward Magers & Quinn Booksellers in Uptown, which carried two copies of each book. He swore he'd buy 'em all. (Did I mention that both nights were held in bars?)

I coaxed a ride on the second night from my buddy Greg Grahek. He showed up with all three books, asking me to sign them for his sister's birthday present. Now I believe all the compliments I received over the weekend were sincere but you can't beat having someone give your stuff as a gift to someone who probably doesn't even remember you as a kid growing up. At the bar, Dale Fujimoto told me how proud his mother was to have had one of my characters modeled after her and Pokey showed up with a bag of books—he had indeed bought 'em all out. (M&Q has since doubled their order. Yeah!)

My literary successes may be meager, my fame may be limited to these good folks every five years, but it sure makes all the time before this computer well worth it. Thanks, all!