From Nora -- added on
Tuesday, April 17, 2001 @ 7 P.M. | from
Sue
(it's LONG!) - added Thursday, April 19, 2001 @
12:30 A.M.
Met Editor Leslie and Agent Amy for a delightful
little shopping interlude in the a.m. Got me some
great earrings. Hoops of tiny fresh water
pearls--that iridescent blue tone. Little gold
hoops with itsy diamonds that hold what they call
charms. I got the gold and diamond flowers.
Delicate petals. Next time up, I can get other
charms if the whim strikes. And something very
different for me, this necklace of chunky rudilated
quartz with a big tourmaline drop.
A real girl morning.
Amy had a charity lunch, so we parted ways and
Leslie and I had a bit of lunch. BW joined us, then
walked back to the hotel with us. He was packing
up. At three we all headed down to meet Publicity
Amy.
Bye to BW, who I'll see at home on Thursday, and
Amy and Leslie and I pile into the car with Tom.
Drop Leslie downtown at the offices, then head for
NJ.
Traffic is hideous. Take a good hour to get to
the first stock signing. It's a B. Dalton. They've
got a pretty display table set up, and everyone on
staff gathers around. Very sweet, warm and
welcoming. These booksellers are serious readers.
They have soda and M&M's for me, lots of stock,
lots of enthusiasm.
Wish I could've stayed longer.
Back into the car where we discover we need to
veer way off to hit the stock signing at a BJ's,
then double back for the formal. Next time out,
we'll fix these navigational glitches. Traffic, bad
directions, and a surly BJ's employee who snarls at
Amy when she calls to tell her we're on our way.
"Well, where are you?" BJ demands.
The stock signing has no arrival or departure
time on the schedule. What does she care when we
get there?
When we do, no one is around to tell us where we
need to go. Amy has to go from employee to employee
to find someone who'll page our contact. We stand.
We wait. Then I see this woman off to the side. She
gives us one of those head-jerk, come-here
gestures.
Amy and I exchange meaningful looks and trot
over. Woman is obviously annoyed with us. Barely
speaks as she leads us into a back room. Lots of my
books spread out, more in a cart. I get no thanks
for coming at this stop.
Settle down to sign. Amy and I set up the
system. The woman finally pitches into flap. And
when she asks how they can get a formal signing, I
think: Try being professional and polite
first, but leave the responses to Amy.
Head out to drive to Clark. About a half hour
more. We have enough time for some cheese nachos
and a margarita in the Chilies next door to the
B&N.
There's a party going on, so we sit at the bar.
Tons of people, with balloons and prize bags in the
bar area. They're raffling off stuff, announcing
stuff. Turns out their accountants celebrating the
end of the season. LOL.
Walk over to the store. Big difference from BJs.
Joe's waiting at the door, takes us to Rose
immediately. Welcome, welcome, what can we do for
you, what would you like, and so on.
Back room again to sign holds and stocks and
shirts. Introductions to other employees, offering
of soda.
At seven-thirty, Rose leads me out, and we get
going. Nice big crowd. A couple hundred of so, with
familiar faces. Tonya and Alicia, Dianne D and Sue
CBDR! And into the Q&A I spot Harlequin's
Tracey.
My brain's no longer sharp. I think it's beyond
the dull point and heading toward mush.
Rose and Amy and the others assigned to the
event man the line, the books, slip back to me
occasionally to ask if I need anything. I can hear
the people in-line laughing and chatting. It perks
me up. I get a handsome young couple. The guy
announces that Honest Illusions is the first
book of mine he'd read. His wife is a big fan, and
when she was away on a trip and he was missing her,
he picked it up to read. Now they're both fans.
Very cute.
Two pregnant ladies, one due in a couple weeks
with a girl, and one later pregnant with twin boys.
A fun crowd that ends with a very strange woman
who'd just come into the store, not knowing I was
there. She wants to kiss me--fortunately on the
cheek. She's effusive about my books, and goes on
and on about the first she read, the one that
changed her life. As she talks about it, I gently
tell her I didn't write it.
"Yes, you did," she insists. And carries on some
more, detailing the story. To save time and energy
as I'm really, really tired now, I just smile and
say thanks. Even with mush brain I know my own
books, and this one wasn't mine. LOL.
I get presents, and the appreciation of B&N,
and head back to the city. Much easier drive. Thank
God. Tumble into bed, exhausted. Can't sleep, but
it's so good to lie down in the dark I don't care.
Takes forever to slide away, but I ended up with
nearly eight hours.
I have until about three today, then it's off to
NJ, then PA.
Nora
From Sue
I can laugh about it now ...
... but at the time? NO WAY!
When Nora's tour came out, I checked to see if
Danville was listed. It wasn't <sigh>, so I
then enviously checked out the other locations. I
just could not believe the lucky dogs who'd get to
go see Nora while she was on tour.
Then I took a closer look at the tour dates, and
I thought, Sue! You could go to one of her
Monday signings! (My "weekend" is
Sunday/Monday)
I gave serious consideration to traveling to
Cleveland to see Nora there; it's right off of
I-80, so the only "problem" I would have had was
the drive home. Then, on March 17, the Two Jeans
stopped by
That
Bookstore in Danville after seeing Nora and the
gang at TTP. They mentioned to me that
Lisa
Scottoline would be signing on a Monday in
Philly in two weeks.
Damn. Same Monday as Nora's Cleveland's
appearance. So I took another look at the schedule.
I noticed that there was a Monday signing in New
Jersey. <gulp> You have to understand; I'm
small town, and while I am doing much better around
bigger cities (I've tackled Chicago, D.C., Houston,
etc.), they still intimidate the hell out of me.
Still, the chance to go and see Lisa was too
great (another story, right Two Jeans ;-), so I
decided that if I was to see Nora, it'd have to be
at the New Jersey signing.
While I mentioned to Vicky (of the Jersey
Broads) that I was thinking about attending the
signing several weeks in advance, I really waited
until the last minute to tell her and the rest of
the gang for sure. I regret that now -- because
maybe I could've seen the Karate Kid and Arlene. Oh
well. There's always April 27.
I take off from Danville, Pennsylvania, fairly
early -- as I wanted to get to Clark, find the
B&N, and then pull a Nora and do some shopping.
I was absolutely amazed at the drive in. When I
went to Philly, I discovered that the eastern side
of the state has as many "baby" mountains as the
central/west has (baby in deference to the
Great Rockies ;-). Well, the same hold true with
western New Jersey. Who knew?
I mean, I thought for sure that Jersey was one
mass of humanity -- wall to wall people, roads, and
buildings. Instead I drove through mountains and by
fields of animals. I even saw one sign that read --
"Land of Make Believe." Had I the time, I would've
checked it out; as it is, I thought of my buddy,
Wym.
I only turned myself around once or twice
finding the correct turns to get to Clark, New
Jersey, and I almost immediately found the B&N.
Too cool.
Then I had to ask a clerk if this was where Nora
was signing because I didn't see a single clue that
she was going to be there (later I saw a sign in
the lobby -- but out of the way -- and one on the
bulletin board near the restrooms). I did make a
couple purchases at what I affectionately
<ewg> refer to as the Evil Empire -- they had
several top authors' first edition hardcovers at
paperback prices. How could I possibly pass up a
bargain like that?
Because I arrived in plenty of time (before 1
P.M. -- signing was at 7:30), I decided to go find
a mall. I wanted to get my hair cut and just wander
about.
PEEVE #1 with Jersey -- their frickin' roads
are a ZOO!
Initially I was able to find my way. I'd venture
off in one direction, and then, when I couldn't see
the magical mall, I'd come back to the bookstore.
Finally, though, I needed to go further. I ended up
finding a strip mall of sorts. (NO -- KNOT that
kind of strip mall -- although I did see
numerous go-go/strip bars ;-)
At the very end was a place called the Hair
Cuttery. They are a chain in the East, and they had
newly opened up this location. Because it was at
the end and new, I was the only one there. Great
service! I wish I could remember the name of the
lady who cut my hair; I'd give her plenty of kudos.
As it is, during the haircut she asked me what I
was doing that day. I told her that I was going to
a book signing event. She jokingly said back, "Oh,
you're signing books, huh?" I WISH! LOL
So I explained that I had traveled from
Pennsylvania to New Jersey to see Nora Roberts. She
had heard of Nora, but hasn't read any of her
books. We talked a little bit about New York City
and how she wanted to be the stylist of stars. I
said to her that last year, Nora's publishers sent
Harold, her hair dresser, to New Orleans, and that
this year, he was sent to San Francisco. You could
see the wheels churning in this young lady's head!
After she finished with the cut (which I liked
very much), I asked her if she knew where a mall
was. She gave me these directions, and off I went.
Uh, they either weren't that easy -- or I was
really blind/dense! Let's put it this way -- when I
saw a sign saying, "New York City, 27 miles" -- I
knew it was time to turn around. I ended up in a
little place called Rahway where I saw this place
called The Booktrader -- a used bookstore. After I
went to get a map (my atlas wasn't detailed
enough), I drove back to check out the UBS. I still
had plenty of time to mosey and make it to the
signing.
I found a
Mary
Kay McComas book that I don't think I have
(which amazed me, since I thought I had all of MK's
books) . Then, as I was leaving, I thought to ask
if they had a Waiting for Nick. They did (a
scruffy, very used copy). Cool.
Now, the map actually had malls marked, so I
figured I could get there -- no sweat. Uh,
yeahsureright. Let me tell you -- I've used maps to
travel the streets of D.C. with no fear; I've used
maps to travel the streets of Houston with no fear.
I even was able to follow VERBAL directions to get
to the heart of Philly and BACK without fear. Well,
I now fear JERSEY! LOL
Good grief! I've never been so turned around in
my entire life. As the time neared 5 and I still
hadn't sniffed a mall (you'd think an area that
populated would have malls on every street corner),
I decided I better get back to the bookstore.
<snort>
Yeahsureright!
I'm good with maps. Really. I am. But I'd get on
a street that I need to be on to get to Raritan --
was even on Raritan -- and then it disappeared on
me! I couldn't believe my luck -- or lack thereof.
I mean, there was a great chance I'd never find the
bookstore again!
And then, just about when I gave up hope (after
about 2 hours of driving in circles), I was on
Raritan. Too frickin' cool.
I made it to the bookstore a little after 6, and
already the first row had been claimed.
<#!%!#%!> Needless to say, my jaw almost hit
the floor when I saw who was in one of those seats.
None other than the Queen of Brats -- THE
Brat -- Tonya! The look of shock on my face had to
have been reflected in the look of shock on her
face! LOL -- I mean, what are the odds? I live in
central Pennsylvania; Tonya lives in Ohio. I said
to her somewhat incredulously, "You didn't drive
ALL the way from Ohio, did you?!" She laughed and
indicated that she was in New York on a business
trip and dragged her two co-workers down to Clark
for the signing.
Needless to say, Tonya and I had a lot of
catching up to do. [HELLO BRAT WORLD!]
Now, I'm standing there talking with Tonya --
with my ADWOFF shirt on -- armed with cards to give
info about ADWOFF. There was a young (emphasis on
YOUNG -- she hadn't been born when Nora's Irish
Thoroughbred was first published!) lady sitting
next to Tonya -- who was trying to come up with an
"original" question for Nora. <snort> Is
there such a thing? LOL
Example: she said, "What is your favorite book?"
Tonya and I laughed and said that Nora would say
The Villa since it is her most recent book.
(Sure enough, someone else asked the question and
Nora grabbed The Villa off the table and
said, "THIS ONE!")
I must have seemed "official" to some, because I
had one lady come up and ask me, "When are you
going to get Barbara Delinsky to come here?"
Another person spilled coffee and wanted me to help
her clean it up! =:-O
By talking to different people in the crowd, I
was able to mention ADWOFF, and then a big thrill
-- I actually overheard someone talking about
reading Nora's tour reports online. Too cool. I met
some of our readers! :-D
Before too long, Vicky (aka Jersey Broad) came
in! It was great seeing her -- although it was also
strange not seeing Edith and Arlene with her. We
talked some before the signing and then after we
went through the line.*
As Nora mentioned in her report, the B&N
people were fabulous. Rose (I believe she was the
coordinator/MC) kept everyone informed -- including
how many books Nora would be able to sign. She kept
saying, "Depending on what Nora's schedule is, she
should be able to sign ALL the books you want;
however, if she has something scheduled ..." (or
something to that effect). Tonya and I knew that
Nora didn't have a plane to catch (she was going to
be in Freehold on Wednesday), so we knew that Nora
would be there awhile. (I think Nora should do a
Snickers' commercial ... you know -- "Going to be
there awhile? Grab a Snickers ...")
B&N used their cafe area for seating for
Nora's talk/signing; this area was jammed with
people; the crowd flowed over to the railing beyond
the seats and to tables. IOW, we had a FULL house.
Then, the moment of the evening -- Ms. Roberts
<g> arrived.
I thought she looked FABulous (for being the
tail-end of a 5 week tour, especially). For Nancy
D's fashion report -- Nora had on a navy blue suit
(the jacket was long -- and from her Europe
vacation of a couple years ago) with a mauve (I
think -- kinda plum color) cashmere sweater. She
had on her black "boy shoes." Around her neck was a
pretty pearl necklace. She also had earrings
(believe they were diamonds) and rings -- one which
was a new purchase. I can't describe it well --
except that it appeared to have had a
turquoise-like stone. She also had a very pretty
diamond Moon/Sun pin on her jacket. Oh, and Brat
Lesa? Tonya wanted to make sure you knew that
Nora's hands -- specifically her nails -- looked
FABulous. :-D
I have been to signings with Nora before -- at
TTP and when we hosted her, MK, and
Pat
Gaffney at TBID. I've been in online chats with
her, and I know that when she has the time, she'll
answer just about any question I have in an e-mail
or on one of the boards she posts to. That said, it
was a definite TREAT to see Nora "live," "in
person," and answering the questions as only she
can answer them. IOW, if there is any chance
whatsoever, try as hard as you can to get to one of
her signings where she is able to do a Q&A.
Trust me. It's worth it.
So, now if I can do justice to some of the
questions and their answers:
- One lady asked how much input Nora had with
the Sanctuary movie (her tone implied
that she DIDN'T like it). Nora immediately said
that she didn't care because she made MONEY! LOL
-- then she seriously stated that it is hard to
transfer the story from one medium to another.
- Another lady told Nora that she really loved
her "sex scenes," and Nora replied that she had
a lot of fun writing them, too.
- One young man (around 12 years old) asked
Nora where was the most unusual place that she
ever wrote. It threw Nora for a loop at first --
but then she rebounded by saying that she had
written in airports, etc., but probably the
"weirdest" was when she wrote by the pool during
one of her many conferences she attended. She
said that the room was too stifling and that
many thought she was "weird" for doing it.
- One of the funniest responses came to the
question of whether she had anyone helping her
with research and if she had assistants. On the
serious side, Nora said that she does her own
research -- for this main reason -- if someone
else helped, he/she might influence how the
story would be told. She then said, "I don't
like people!" Big laughter throughout the
audience. She said that one of the perks of
being a writer is that it's a solitary pursuit.
Having people around would cramp that. HOWEVER,
if she could have a deaf/mute/invisible person
as an assistant, she'd snap him/her up in a New
York minute. (Okay, I added the NY minute ;-)
- She was asked about "inspiration" and what
"inspires" her to write. She sneered at the idea
of needing inspiration. Said that if she
waited for inspiration, she'd never get anything
done. Nora very much emphasized that it takes
hard work to be successful, and she is very
thankful (now) for her Catholic education which
help to instill the discipline she believes it
takes to be successful.
- A gentleman wanted to know if Nora would
change anything -- knowing what she knows now
about writing, etc. Nora said that she's "too
Irish" to even want changes -- that if she
would, who knows? Maybe she'd be selling shoes
somewhere instead of writing.
- The audience ooh'd and ah'd when Nora said
that she had purchased land in Ireland. Nora
said that she can't possibly to all of the
places where her books are set (she'd never get
any writing done), but she did emphasize -- in
case some of the IRS had snuck out on the last
night for taxes <g> -- that she has the
receipts to prove that yes, she does "work" when
she goes to places far away -- like Ireland,
Australia, Europe, etc.
- When asked if she reads when she isn't
writing, Nora strongly emphasized that in order
to be a successful writer, she had to read. She
gave a plug for John Sandford as she just
finished the ARC of his latest PREY novel (Nora
declared it his best yet); she also mentioned
Gaff (aka Patricia Gaffney), Dennis Lehane
(Mystic River is FABulous), Sue Grafton,
etc.
- One lady wanted to know if there was any
truth to the rumor that the DEATH books would
become a weekly TV series. Nora said she'd love
for it to happen because it would mean (drum
roll ;-) MORE MONEY for her. (Tonya and I agreed
afterwards that Nora is definitely a money
whore/slut ;-) (BTW -- for those of you who just
swallowed your tongue, remember, Nora's the one
who coined "The Lying Slut" in favor of Gaff ;-)
- When asked how long it takes her to write a
book, Nora explained that she never keeps track
-- that she writes it until it's "done." She did
say, though, that she can only work on one story
at a time. Nora also mentioned that she's way
ahead of her publishers in terms of having
stories written vs. having them published.
- True to form, Nora was asked how she got her
start (the infamous blizzard of '79). It was a
real treat hearing her tell the story out loud
vs. in a chat. She was also asked what her
favorite book was. She immediately grabbed
The Villa off the table and said, "Right
here! This is my FAVORITE story." LOL -- too bad
Tonya and I didn't take bets.
- While signing books, I overheard Nora
answering the "Seth question." She said that
because we've nagged her so much, she's probably
going to break down and write his story. I then
piped in with -- "Nora, you know that you're
opening up Pandora's box. We're gonna want more
stories connected to trilogies." (I mean, come
on -- aren't you curious about the sisters from
the BORN IN stories and their families?
<ewg>) She was pretty adamant that this
would be the exception to her rule. We shall
see, right?
I'm sure that there are other tidbits that I am
missing. Those of you who are out in cyberspace
reading this report, if you were at the Clark
signing, chime in. My memory ain't what it used to
be. <g>
I did stay for the entire signing. I was able to
experience the phenomenon spoken of by so many --
getting to know those around you while waiting to
meet Nora. I regret that I did not ask for her
name, but in the pictures I've posted, I sat next
to a delightful woman who was waiting for her
daughter to reach Nora. This Mom had suffered a
stroke that made it difficult for her to stand in
lines for a long period of time. That didn't stop
her from wanting to meet Nora. Ironically, her
daughter from North Carolina is the one who turned
she and her other daughter onto Nora. And most of
the time, the NC daughter visited them in NJ this
week. Unfortunately, though, the NC daughter wasn't
able to make it up to Jersey until today
(Wednesday).
While I don't recall Nora's stranger visitor, I
did get a charge out of one of the guys who passed
through the line. He wanted to call his mom on his
cell phone and have Nora talk with her. Nora said
she would do it -- but she wouldn't be able to talk
for long. So he calls home, and whoever he spoke to
obviously thought he was pulling someone's leg. His
mom was in the shower, so he had to call back a
little later.
As Nora mentioned, there were several guys in
the crowd -- some with their wives, others by
themselves. The crowd itself was massive. The line
looped throughout the store. As Nora also
mentioned, the gang at B&N really ran a sharp
signing. They had things well organized and worked
really hard to make sure that both Nora and their
customers were comfortable.
I really had some fun near the end. Tonya and I
tried to convince this one little guy into tipping
over the books on the desk in front of Nora (if you
look at the pictures, you can see how tempting this
looked). After Nora finished with the signing, I
went up to the desk to test out the dominoes'
effect, but the books needed to be rearranged to
make it work correctly. So I began to reorganize
them, and Rose, the MC of the event, helped me out!
LOL -- I then knocked them down -- much to Tonya's
amazement. Rose, to her credit, thought I was
setting something up for a photo op (at least I
think that's what she thought!).
After signing stock, Nora came over to hassle
Tonya and me. She said that she only had the one
"Seth" question and none about Eve getting
pregnant. She figured the word was out that she
makes the person who asks the question come up to
the mike! I said that Tonya was going to ask the
question. Nora snorted. No way would Tonya have
gone up to the mike. Then I told Nora that it was
HER fault that everyone keeps expecting Eve to get
PG. I mean, think about it. In ALL of Nora's
connected stories, her women are like RABBITS! She
laughed and said that they are "romances." Hmmm --
what are the DEATH books then? ;-) I also said that
she drops little hints about the potential
for Eve and Roarke being parents. She was like,
"What?! Every time Eve touches a baby, she can't
wait to put it down!" LOL -- I'd have to find the
specific instances, but I seem to remember a couple
where Eve wondered what it'd be like to be a mom.
All in all, it was a terrific night. So much fun
seeing Nora interact "live" with her readers. She
may be tired, but she's truly a professional as I
don't think a single person left disappointed.
After all, she was scheduled to be there from 7:30
to 8:30 -- but she remained until almost 10 P.M.
signing books for everyone.
For myself, as I mentioned, it was also very
cool hearing people talk about ADWOFF without
knowing my involvement.
After hugs goodbye, it was now time for me to
head back. I figured that I should arrive back in
Danville around 12:30 -- 1 A.M. at the latest. I
figured that I could handle that (had to be at work
at 9 A.M.).
Ha!
I totally, completely, absolutely -- without any
doubt -- got myself about as lost as a person could
be. Let's put it this way -- when you're driving by
the Newark Airport and seeing signs saying,
"Holland Tunnel" -- you're NOT in good shape for
getting back to Pennsylvania!
I got on the turnpike okay. After that, however,
things went to hell in a handbasket. After I went
past the airport, I decided I better stop and try
to determine EXACTLY where I was and EXACTLY how I
was to go about getting "unlost."
Ha!
Ironically, I stopped at a gas station to get
gas and check out the map. I say "ironically"
because I figured heading into NJ that the gas
prices would be astronomical. HA! They were
anywhere from 10 to 12 cents CHEAPER! With FULL
SERVICE (because in Jersey they don't let you do
self-service).
Okay, back to my problem. I knew I was on Route
1/9. I decided that my best chance for getting to
I-80 was to get on I-280. All (<snort>) I had
to do was get back on 1/9 and I'd intersect with
I-280.
Ha!
Sure, I finally hit I-280. I-280 EAST! I didn't
want no stinkin' EAST! I wanted WEST. Do you think
I could find a sign that said, "WEST?!"
Ha!
Thank goodness I didn't read Harlan Coben's
Tell No One until AFTER I got home. In
Tell No One, he mentioned via a character
that it wasn't too safe driving in EAST Jersey.
=====:-O (BTW, remember that title -- it's due out
on June 19, 2001, and it is sensational -- if you
are a fan of thrillers)
After going for what seemed FOREVER looking for
I-280 WEST, I turned around (which ISN'T EASY to do
in Jersey -- Peeve #2 ;-), and headed back in this
city of no name -- looking for that elusive sign.
I am driving through streets sandwiched by
skyscrapers (well, for me, skyscrapers), knowing
full well that NYC was just across the river --
knowing that a break down (uh, did someone mention
break down?!) would mean serious trouble -- when I
FINALLY see a sign that says, "I-280 WEST." I
thought I was hallucinating!
I wove my way through the streets (you have to
KNOW that it WASN'T gonna be easy, right?), and I
finally come to the ramp for I-280 WEST. Only I
turned LEFT onto the OFF ramp.
OOPS.
<g>
I did a u-turn and busted my butt to the ON
ramp.
I couldn't believe it! I was finally on I-280
WEST. Woo-HOO!
But I wasn't out of trouble yet.
At one point, I noticed that I was chugging
along at around 45 MPH when the posted limit was 55
(which means 65, right ;-) -- so I tried to speed
up to get past this other car.
My car didn't respond.
I pushed the pedal to the floor.
My car STILL DIDN'T respond.
<gulp>
I just could not envision going 100+ miles @ 45
MPH on an Interstate! I almost lost it then. But I
tried one maneuver. I shifted down to fourth and
revved up the engine. I then threw it into fifth,
and wa LA! Speed, baby, speed!
Whew!
Okay -- now that I was finally on my way home, I
decided that as soon as I hit I-80, I'd stop at the
first McDonalds I saw and grab some food -- since I
hadn't eaten since 11:30 that morning.
Peeve #3 with Jersey --
Their fast food joints/gas stations ARE NOT
right off the Interstate; oh no. You get onto the
off ramp and discover that you have to go FOUR
(frickin'!) MILES into TOWN!
Are you KIDDING ME?! What kind of conspiracy is
this?
By the time I finally reached this Mickey D's,
it was CLOSED! Arghhhhhh!
I decided on the spot that I wasn't going to
check out any other exit -- I was heading back and
heading back NOW!
LOL
Then, what has to be the biggest head shaker of
them all -- in order to enter Pennsylvania from New
Jersey on I-80, you have to pay $1.
Yup. That's right. You gotta pay to get into PA
from NJ.
Now, why is this such a big deal? On the west
side of the state, you don't have to pay a dollar
to go from Ohio into Pennsylvania.
So what gives? Does PA have something against
Jersey?
Well, I did finally make it back to Danville --
closer to 2 A.M. than 1 A.M. I was tired but quite
happy with my day (despite my trials on the
highways of Jersey). In fact, the little trip
really increased my admiration for Nora. I was so
wiped out when I got up in the morning to go to
work. It didn't help that at my normally quiet
first job of the day, I entered to have the phone
ringing -- BOTH LINES! I was then so tired at the
end of the day (after ending it @ my second job w/a
couple of absolute weirdos!), that I came home, fed
the cats, and then fell into bed.
[P.S. Despite my "peeves" with Jersey's roads
and how they situate their fast food joints/gas
stations off the Interstate, I had nothing but
GREAT experiences in Jersey. The people are as
friendly as can be, and *I'm excited to say that
Vicky has issued a standing invite to come back so
that she can take me into <DOUBLE GULP> NYC!]
ADWOFF
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Nora's The Villa Tour
2001 