I’ve been fortunate enough to have met some of my favorite authors and musicians.  I’ve met Billy Corgan, Chuck Palahniuk, David Sedaris (twice!), and just last night Augusten Burroughs.  I love getting to see and actually talk to these people.  They’re always really nice and accommodating – signing your books, chatting with you for a few minutes, sometimes taking pictures with people, etc.

My problem is that I always seem to freeze up when it comes to having something to say to them when I get to the front of the line.  I don’t know if it’s some kind of star-struck thing.  I don’t think it is.  I think that mostly it’s that I tell myself that there’s nothing I could possibly say to them that they haven’t heard before.  And I know that’s not necessarily true, but what could I say in my minute or two of seeing them that would be worthy of their listening?  I can never come up with anything at the time.  Maybe I should start thinking about this stuff beforehand and write it down so I don’t forget and freeze up.

I always think of something as soon as I’m leaving though.  Like last night, I should have asked – indeed, wanted to ask – what advice he would give aspiring writers.  But I failed.

Well, next month I get to meet a couple more of my favorite authors, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child and I’ll be sure to make sure I have my question written down so I don’t forget it this time.

UPDATE: Added a couple of pictures from Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child reading at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh.

In no particular order:

1. Finding out my cousin didn’t like Forrest Gump, and in fact doesn’t like Tom Hanks.
2. Finding out my friend has never played Clue.
3. Witnessing two people get kicked out of a college classroom.
4. Completely understanding the implementation of OAuth.

Yesterday the NC House tentatively passed a bill that would ban smoking in businesses that serves or employs anyone under the age of 18. While it’s not a 100% ban, it’s one step closer to a smoke-free NC. The final vote is scheduled for today, and if it passes, then it will move to the Senate.

The opposition to the bill doesn’t even sense to me. Someone said in the debate on the bill that “if you ban smoking, you should also ban fast food because that can cause obesity.” That argument fails completely on it’s relation to smoking. Sure fast food isn’t good for us, but if you eat fast food in public, I don’t get fatter because of that. If you smoke in public, then I am directly affected.

Similarly, a lady on the news last night was angry because, “It’s a personal choice. Everyone should be able to choose.” Does that apply to me? If I choose to not want to get lung cancer from your secondhand smoke, what choice do I have? Your choice to smoke ceases to be strictly personal when you do it outside of your own home, directly affecting my health.

If it were up to me (and I’m aware that my view is very extremist) I’d charge everyone who smokes in public with negligent homicide.

Go here -> http://www.capitolconnect.com/smokefreenc/ to contact the NC legislators and let them know we want a smoke free North Carolina.