UPDATE FROM THE INSANE CITY TOUR

I'm on my way to Boston and then Portsmouth, N.H., where tonight I have an event at the Music Hall. Yesterday I was in Chicago, where I started at 6 a.m. with an appearance on the Mancow show, which also featured an 11-piece orchestra, a woman wearing a dress made of a total of four dress molecules, and a man wearing (Why not?) a purple gorilla costume. I performed "Gloria" with the 11-piece orchestra, because that is the traditional way to promote a novel on the radio. Here's a photograph taken by Mancow's sidekick, Mike North, showing me with Mancow and the gorilla. The giant finger at the top of the photograph belongs to Mike North.

Many, many hours later, at the end of a LONNNNNG day of book promotion, I did a booksigning at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville. Several blog folks showed up, including The Amazing Steve, who did such fine work of summarizing the "plot" of 24 back when we used to liveblog the show. Here's a crappy photo of me with Steve:

Tomorrow I head to Atlanta, and Thursday I'm in Savannah. Friday I think I might have a beer.

Comments

[Punkin]

Hi Dave! We have tickets to listen to you at the Music Hall tonight! Only we just found out that our tickets do not allow us the opportunity to meet with you to get our books signed. :(
Apparently we are not MAJOR DONORS to the Music Hall. Very sad.

Feel free to meet us for Pizza at Flatbreads around the corner from the Music Hall before the show!!! Buy you a great local beer!

[Suzie Q. Wacvet]

I almost made it to the signing in Austin, but my tire decided to blow out on the way there and my 15-year old doughnut spare had shredded in my trunk. I guess it just wasn't meant to be. :-(

[Punkin]

Feels Suzie Q's pain.

[Omniskeptic]

Mancow and the gorilla WBAGNF your next book.

[Allen at Division]

Shoddy reporting! No pic of the "woman wearing a dress made of a total of four dress molecules"...

[Punkin]

I'll wear only 3 molecules if Dave signs my book tonite! Ya know, before the cops carry me away for public Punkiness!

[Guin]

Yes, Dave, Punkin and I are very, very, very sad that we will not be able to say hello to you. We will be the two crying women in blue shirts in the audience. I will be forlornly holding my copy of the "Bad Song Survey" book, looking miserable.

*sniff*

[ubetcha]

Punkin & Guin,

Make a lot of noise. Dave wouldn't let you down.

[Jeff Meyerson]

Dave just a warning heads up: I have it on good authority that nursecindy will be stalking you there for your talk and signing in Atlanta tomorrow, along with other bloglits who must remain nameless (until they reveal who they are, because I haven't got a clue).

Make sure you wear a blue shirt so she can recognize you.

[Willfree]

No identification of the giant finger on the left side of the second photo?

[Betsy]

I grieve with you, Suzie...I was really looking forward to the downtown Chicago luncheon, but the people who pay me had actually come up with an urgent looming deadline project for me to WORK on, if you can imagine the gall!

But I HIGHLY recommend "Insane City" to all! To adapt a Dave dog-related quote, "Dave DOES IT AGAIN!"

[manual tomato]

Heard after Dave accepts all the beers offered on the tour. ^So far. "G-L-O-R-I-A S-T-U-V-W-X-E-Y-Z...sure I'll blow into your breathtaking machine. I wrote a book you know"

[Steve (The 24 Guy)]

It was really great to see Dave in person!

[Punkin]

Steve...did you have a countdown clock bleeping and blooping before you saw him?

[Not My Usual Alias]

Bring baked goods... It's a long tour.
Brownies in a Tupperware (tm thingie) container are a plot element in the book. Since I'm not allowed to touch the (tm thingie) stuff, I had to use a one-quart resealable bag.

[nursecindy]

Yes! I get to meet Dave in Atlanta tomorrow night! I just hope I don't do anything too stupid like fainting in front of Dave.

[Steve (The 24 Guy)]

Punkin - Ha! No, but I was watching the time until the event started. I got to Naperville much too early, because I completely miscalculated how to deal with the traffic up there. They use a completely different caliber of firearms that I'm used to.

[Cheesewiz]

I miss liveblogging. Can't we find a really, mediocre show at which we can aim hundreds of snarky comments?

[Punkin]

*snork* @ Steve.

Cheesewiz.... I would think that live blogging The Walking Dead could be a good time. Or Honey Boo Boo.

Wait, I take that last one back...*shudder*

[JJeff Meyerson]

Don't worry cindy - as long as you don't throw up on Dave you'll be fine.

[Arctic Al]

I sure miss Steve (the 24 guy) and our weekly get togethers. Steve you should have published all your summaries as book. That way when I watch 24 on DVD I could read your summaries after the show.

[Steve (The 24 Guy)]

Arctic Al, I suspect I'd run into issues with the 24 production company if I tried to publish anything. I do have them available on my blog, and they're still here on Dave's blog too.

I've always thought they were best read right after the show was over... I tried reading one out of context and even I was confused. :-)

[Betsy]

Steve...I just started watching "Scandal" (my boss is addictedd to it), and I would LOVE to have your superior insight into WTF is going on. It seems to take place in at least four or five different time periods - and everyonespeaksextremelyquicklyinlengthycomplexsentences that defy my comprehension. And it has a President! And a Beautiful Possibly Traitorous Mistress; and a Beautiful Possibly Traitorous Wife; and ... and mainly, I miss the old gang.

[Jeff Meyerson]

Updates on 24 cast:

President Allstate - still doing Allstate commercials
Mrs. [Evil Sherry] President ALlstate - Police Captain on CASTLE
Nina Myers - evil double agent on COVERT AFFAIRS; blown away in last series
Tony Almeida - evil drug lord on new DALLAS
Michelle Dessler {Almeida} - married to Chin Ho Kelly on new HAWAII FIVE-O; murdered last season
Ryan Chappelle - after playing a priest on THE SOPRANOS, plays Eddie on NURSE JACKIE
Aaron Pierce - in virtually every show on television, often as a Secret Service agent
President Charles (Handbag) Logan, the evil dirtbag - playing evil dirtbag on COVERT AFFAIRS

It's all yours, anyone.

[Theresa]

Well, I got Dave's book in the mail yesterday. Got to make some time to read it. I would like to meet Dave someday.

[PirateBoy]

We ought to try live blogging Big Bang Theory. Somehow, I feel we all can relate to Sheldon.

[Jeff Meyerson]

I must say that today's action in Big Bear Lake makes me think I was way too much of 24. They formed a perimeter (drink!) and were checking all the cars leaving the area to make sure Dorner wasn't hiding in a car. They made everyone open the trunks of their cars, etc.

Anyway, CNN showed several cars being checked. At one point a police cruiser went through and just got waved on without even a cursory look. As Anderson Cooper said that there's no way he's getting out of the perimeter (drink!), all I could think was, "If this was Jack Bauer, he'd already be out. He'd be in the back of the cruiser with a gun on the cop making him drive him out."

[Jeff Meyerson]

"watched" too much of 24

[PirateBoy]

Jeff - Don't forget to add that they *closed our mountains*! All the roads leading up to any of my local mountains are closed, and it was a 2+ hour delay to get off the hill.

Denouement: The cabin is now on fire, and they are letting it burn to the ground.

[nursecindy]

We could live blog Honey Boo Boo! Or not.

[afkat]

Your Daveness:

For Heaven's sake, when are you going to strumpet in Canada?? You have 68 million faithful fans here, which is quite impressive considering the fact that we only have a population of 34 million (we import the others for special occasions).

Many of us would welcome the chance to bathe in the reflected glory of your brilliance (OKOK...admittedly that last part was just sucking up)

[wiredog]

I see Judi hasn't posted in almost 24 hours... How is the research going?

[Girlogic]

So disappointed. Looks like my chances of meeting Dave tonight in Atlanta are slim to none. I *hate* working. Whose crappy idea was that anyway? :(

[nursecindy]

It's Dave Day. I'll be in Atlanta tonight. My 17 year old is coming too so he can help me drive! He's been driving for a little over 2 weeks so I'm sure we'll be fine. If not remember me fondly.

[Not My Usual Alias]

Hey, the 17-year-old could turn the venue into a drive through.

"Turn left at the display for President Carter's efforts to reduce nuclear weapons," said Nursecindy, "But make sure you stop before the chairs that are set up."