Monday, Monday. I've got that old Mamas and Papas song stuck in my head today.
It's rare but every once in a while I'm actually glad it's Monday and for some reason this is one of those days. We were disgustingly lazy yesterday and I think I'm just kind of glad to be back to normal today. I have laundry to do, the house needs cleaning, Island Girl has to be taken to and picked up from Jr. Lifeguard and I should probably put away the stuff we took to the beach on Saturday too LOL
Is anyone reading Breaking Dawn? Island Girl has been waiting for this book to come out and wanted me to take her to Barnes and Nobles Friday night so she could buy the book at midnight when it went on sale. I told her we could reserve one but she wanted to go and get it as soon as it came out. She mentioned that B&N was having a launch party and that some of her friends were going but I really didn't expect many people to be there. About 11 Friday night we were getting ready to leave and I overheard her telling her Dad about the book. This is a vampire book? And we're going to a launch party at midnight for the vampire book? Wait, I'm gonna need my camera LOL We pulled into B&N about 11:15 and the parking lot was packed. So much for my thinking there would only be a few people there. Island Girl let me take her picture outside of the store but then told me it would be very embarrassing if I followed her around taking pictures and she kindly asked if I would put the camera away. 
See how blurry this picture? That's what happens with a point and shoot camera and a teenager saying "Hurry, Mom, hurry!"
We went inside and this store was packed with wall to wall people, some wandering around and others camped on just about every available spot on the floor. As we got inside I realized this was not much different from school events because parents I know were everywhere! Aw man, it's after 11 and I've been up since 7 and I'm really not in the mood for socializing. I just want 12:01 to come so they can sell us the book and I can go home and go to bed. Fortunately, Island Girl had been online earlier in the week and she reserved a copy of the book so she was given an armband which meant we would be able to get in line before the kids who had not reserved the book. That was a good thing because the store was so packed that I'm sure being back towards the end of the line meant waiting a LONG time for your turn at the register. She immediately hooked up with a group of friends and there's nothing like having your mom hover while your hanging out so I decided to head over to the Florida Authors section of the store. I spoke to a few people on my way through the store but my real goal was to grab an interesting book and then camp in a corner until time to go. I'm not a "social butterfly" kind of person and I have to be in the mood for small talk and chitchat and since I had no idea all of these people would be here, I'm not really in the mood to chat. I made it to the area of the store I was looking for and found a good book about Florida Ghost Stories. There were kids sitting in groups on the floor all around the store but I managed to find a quiet spot and I sat down and read. At one point Island Girl and some of her friends found me and wanted me to take a picture of them. 
I was thrilled and hoped this meant I could keep the camera out but as soon as I snapped their picture Island Girl said "Ok, Mom, put the camera back up now" She knew I was dying to wander around taking pictures of some of the costumes and strange people walking around the store LOL I was surprised to see that there weren't many people dressed like vampires but a lot of the girls were wearing very fancy prom type dresses. Island Girl tells me this is in keeping with the theme of the book. Oh. Who would have thought that at a vampire book launch people would dress up like prom queens? Island Girl tells me that "I'm so not with it" but really, who would have thought? LOL I did see this one woman who was wearing a weird cross between a vampire costume, a witch costume and a prom dress. I would love to have taken her picture but when I asked the Island Girl if she would be embarrassed if I asked the woman if I could take her picture Island Girl said "Mom, that's one of the 8th grade English teachers!" I still don't understand why I couldn't take her picture but I stopped trying to understand some of that teenage reasoning a long time ago LOL The woman looked like she was having fun and she would have made a great picture but you'll just have to trust me when I tell you she was a sight to see. The B&N people did a good job with this party. They were asking trivia questions about the book over the loudspeaker and then giving prizes for the winners, they were all dressed in costumes and they created a really fun environment. 12:00 rolled around and everyone lined up and then did a countdown to 12:01. I was shocked at how fast they got people through that line. They had every register open and they moved those people through REALLY fast. We purchased the book and were in the car by 12:08. Amazing. It turned out to be fun for her and I enjoyed the ghost stories I read while I waited LOL I still wish I'd taken a picture of that teacher - she looked pretty cool!Labels: Staying
