Friday, October 26, 2007



At last, an image of Beah from the event on the 24th.
This is a pre-event, a media meet & greet and book signing that happened in Center for the Arts.
Beah was running late and he came into the green room very quietly, then he spoke in a quiet voice about his story.
He emphasized at this pre-event and at the event itself that he chooses to always focus on the positive. So, for example, when he cannot sleep, which is most of the time, he uses that time to write. And when he was a student at Hunter, he studied.
His eyes are incredible, when you look into them they are reading the situ like a writer does, and emanate gentleness.
He signs his signature in grand, flowing letters and, when asked why he doesn't shorten it so that his signings could go more quickly, he stated Well, I began doing my signature like this and I want everyone's to be the same. What would they think if theirs was different from the earlier ones.
There was a quiet around the reception for him following this first event, and then at his talk in Alumni Arena.
He gravitates toward people of his own age and I thought that must be because he spends a lot of time around people who help manage things for him who are older.
He read from his book a lot and Yours Truly was most impressed by his focus, and his total recall memory.
Onwards.
Yesterday had an exchange, in one of the favoured nail joints whilst practicing good toe management between gigs, that could best be filed under Odd Name Selection.
Snippet of conversation most arresting.
(over whir of massage chair, bad 80s movie playing on a distant wall, swishing of water)
I remember you, you were here last time also working on your computer.
Yes, that's right, the morning that your boss (looking around) had car trouble, where is he.
We were slow so he went to the doctor.
What is your name, you didn't tell me last time.
Renée.
Renée, YT queried thusly.
No, Britney, the young lady's face settling into a most pleased expression.
Britney, YT repeated.
Thinking for a good thirty seconds what in hell would inspire a Viet Namese femme roughly Brit's age to appropriate her name, given all the chaos and all.
Onwards again.
One of the gigs of yesterThursday was making images at a dental convention.
One thing that YT found most curious is that a majority of the vendor booths featured prominently displayed bowls of candy. One even had a cotton candy machine.
Sure, there's the entire Drumming Up Business logic, but this is being carried out on their own.
Dentists, a ruthless bunch.

Whirling, ruthless, Love.