Table Scraps

May 11th, 2005

Hiya.

I write you from my home office in Tustin, CA.

I haven’t yet packed for my plane flight in ten hours. But I thought I’d give you some blog table scraps before I left for another leg of my tour, though. Nothing fancy, but I don’t want to lose momentum (oh, stop snickering and saying you can’t lose something you never had).

I guess now is as good a time as any to confess my infatuation with subject headings. Namely because I get so easily sidetracked and if I make headings for each topic, I feel like I’ve actually accomplished something by the end of this mess. Self-delusion is underpracticed and undervalued. You heard it here first. So, now for some scraps . . . .

MY LAST BLOG

Someone made a comment about an essay called Neat People versus Sloppy People. So I googled it. It’s pure sloppy-centric propaganda, but knowledge is power. It’s pretty funny. And I thought it might make my friend Lisa feel better. Some guy named Eric typed it out on his website. Read it, if you’ve got some time and thanks for the suggestion, Bookwormz. I have no idea, by the way, what this website is — except for a means to an end.

http://www.pgnx.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-16074.html

MY RECENT TOUR STOPS

I’ve done my first couple school/school-aged groups. The kids at Endeavor Elementary in Washington really asked fantastic questions. As did the students from Mira Mesa near San Diego. I was impressed and flattered by the Qs, and happy to hear that some of Mrs. Coxon’s fifth graders are still listening to Nirvana, Green Day and the like.

SPEAKING OF QUESTIONS. . .

The Q&A portion of every signing/discussion/visit is my favorite portion. Mostly because it has that anything-can-happen vibe. A few of the more interesting questions I’ve gotten included:

Q: Does your dad have a gambling problem? A: No.

Q: What is your favorite color? A: Yellow. I’m not sure why, but it’s always been.
Q: Are you getting paid to be here? A: No. Are you?

But my personal favorite was when a male member of a book signing crowd asked how I felt about marriage and then offered himself up as a potential suitor. No joke. The answer I provided was ‘no’, by the way. That’s right. You can all take a deep breath: Jennie Kogler is still on the market. And looking forward to fulfilling her dream of lifelong Third-Wheel Status. It’s not so bad, really. A lot of times the First-Wheel or Second-Wheel will pay for my movie or dinner. If I look pathetic enough. I’m an excellent buffer.

THESE QUESTIONS ARE MAKING ME THIRSTY

Some of the questions that I was asked really got me to thinking. One question that a Mira Mesa student asked was about what I was like as a kid. Which got me to looking at old pictures. Which got me to thinking that I should post a picture on my blog in lieu of cleverness. If I had to describe myself as a kid, I would use the following picture (I’ve attached below). It’s pretty accurate because, as a kid, I was usually:

a) looking somewhere else, off in the clouds

b) smiling

c) waving at God-knows-what

d) covered in mud.

That’s my older brother Jordan and my twin brother Jeremy, by the way. I’m the one on the right. Enjoy. Hope to see you soon, in a bookstore near you.

And thanks for listening.

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