Counting my Thanksgiving blessings

Today I’m down in Woodstock caring for my granddaughters, and I feel truly blessed. Kaya, who’s ten, has the day off from school, but Jasper, three, has a half-day at her Montessori school, and Kaya and I are leaving soon to pick her up. Then I’ll treat them to lunch at Friendly’s in the Hudson Valley Mall. I already know what they’ll order – the kid’s special, with a grilled cheese sandwich, fries, and an elaborate sundae concoction for dessert. I’ll probably have something equally decadent and bad for me, but hey, it’s the holidays. After that, we’ll probably stroll the mall and I’ll treat them to a couple of early Christmas presents, if the crowds aren’t too bad.

I’m typing this on the brand-new computer we bought our daughter Stacey for her birthday in October, in the house she bought over the summer and moved into just a couple of months ago. I’m enormously proud of her – she’s come a long way since her husband died unexpectedly in August of 2008. She and the girls have been gradually moving through the healing process, and they seem truly happy. The house is gorgeous, nicer than our own, and I look forward to spending lots of wonderful time here – including nights when I crash here after partaking of some of Woodstock’s musical nightlife. Oh, and they even have a new cat – a beautful gray tiger-striped, six-months-old male named Loki – who promises to be as friendly as my own cats.

Life is good, and the nasty infighting I described in my last blog post is the last thing on my mind. I know I’m truly blessed, and I have a lot to be thankful for.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone. I hope that like me, you have many blessings to count.

Burying the lead and cutting some ties

Michael Easton

Whew, my Blog Book Tour’s over at last. Ten stops in two consecutive Monday-Friday work weeks. Today I was planning to wrap it all up with a summary, including links to all the sites I visited, but I’m simply too frazzled, so I’ll do it early next week. Today’s illustration, incidentally, is a more up-to-date photo of Michael Easton, from 2007. I decided the photo from his days as a vampire on Port Charles, the one I used in my post on villains, simply didn’t do him justice. And what with all the hype on the opening weekend of the second Twilight movie, the photo seems appropriate – some eye candy for those of us women who prefer our men a bit more mature than Robert Pattinson.

Actually, my post today has nothing to do with villains, vampires or Blog Book Tours, and I’m not frazzled because of the book tour. I’m doing what I believe journalists call “burying the lead.”  I’ve been careful on this blog not to put anyone down. I don’t malign individual writers, even those who write atrociously, and I don’t violate confidences. But today, in the interests of lowering my blood pressure, I need to break my usual pattern and vent.

Today I quit a local organization of fans and writers to which I’ve belonged since its founding several years ago. It’s a chapter of a national organization that will remain nameless. My decision wasn’t taken lightly; in fact, it’s a step I probably should have taken long ago. Here are a few of the issues that came up at our lunch meeting today at an Albany pub:

• Election of new officers: our new president is fine, but she’s the only writer to hold an officer’s position. The rest are allegedly fans. A writer friend of mine ran for vice president but was defeated by an open show of hands – a mortifying way to hold an election! The winner was a state employee who is not now and has never been a writer.
• Throwing away $8,000: through a personal contact, the same writer friend was invited to apply for an $8,000 grant for an anthology of short stories by our members. The president, however, ordered the treasurer not to release the documents necessary to complete the application, because “we hadn’t had time to discuss it.” Those present today also expressed concerns: What if we didn’t have enough material to fill the book? What if the foundation wanted their money back? What exactly did they want us to write? They decided they had made the correct decision in blackballing the application.
• Payment or reimbursement for authors’ appearances: they reaffirmed their longstanding position that authors should not be paid nor reimbursed for mileage for personal appearances. The organization exists not to promote individual authors, but to promote the chapter as a whole. All income from library and other appearances should go to the organization, not the individual writers.
• My personal book sales: the woman who has appointed herself the chapter’s book seller berated me at length for attempting to sell my own books rather than give her a percentage of my sales. Her independent bookstore handles all the authors’ sales, she said, but she reaffirmed her decision not to handle my suspense novel ELDERCIDE because she finds the title and concept disgusting. The fact that I was named Author of the Year by the Friends of the Albany Public Library doesn’t cut any ice with her.

I could go on, but you get the idea. I hoped that venting here about today’s fiasco would help tamp down my rage, but I find my blood pressure climbing once again, so I’d better quit. Suffice it to say I asked the treasurer to return the check I’d just written for next year’s dues, tore it up dramatically in front of all those assembled, threw down $10 for my lunch, and slammed the door on my way out. Talk about burning bridges!

With fans like these, who needs enemies? Only one of these fans has ever bought a book of mine.  I still have my writer friends, a couple of whom I’ve met through this organization, but other than that, as Heidi Klum would say on Project Runway, I’m OUT. And I’m not particularly worried that any of those alleged fans will see this blog post, because they’re steadfast in their hatred of the Internet, and my blog in particular.

And now I’m off to see the new Warren Miller extreme skiing movie and collect some free lift tickets. Seeing all those skiers jumping off cliffs and being buried in avalanches is just what I need tonight!

Why we love sexy villains

Michael Easton

Why do we love those sexy villains? That’s what I’m writing about today over at Toni Andrews’ blog, Something Different This Way Comes. She’s published with Harlequin, so I thought I should write about something romantic. But romance isn’t huge in my novels. There are plenty of attractive men, but my heroines are too busy solving crimes to get seriously involved, so I decided writing about my villains would be the next best thing.

 

Gabriel, the mysterious killer in Eldercide, bears an uncanny resemblance to Michael Easton, the actor who plays Lieutenant John McBain on One Life to Live. But Michael was a lot sexier playing the tormented vampire Caleb Morley on the defunct soap opera Port Charles. Visit Toni’s blog to learn more about Gabriel and Michael. And check out Michael’s website for more photos. He’s also a poet, graphic novelist and film director. (BTW, my husband’s well aware of this fascination of mine.) 

It’s not too late to take the Jung Typology Test I described on yesterday’s blog, both here and at Jane Kennedy Sutton’s Jane’s Ride. Just go to www.humanmetrics.com. So far all the writers I’ve heard from score as introverts. Are there any extrovert writers out there? Extrovert readers, maybe? Curious minds want to know.

Tomorrow I’ll be at Morgan Mandel’s Double M blog, talking about self-publishing. She’s also been generous enough to give me a shout-out at Acme Authors.

Just one more post to write for this Blog Book Tour! I was hoping to do it today, but I need to get cleaned up to usher for Ani DiFranco’s concert at The Egg. I last heard her when I was in the studio audience for Conan O’Brien’s late late show when he was just starting out. We’ll probably both look older!

Are all writers introverts? Are you? Take the Jung typology test and find out!

Edward Munch

Attention all introvert writers: Can you find success by tapping into your inner extrovert?

That’s the question I’m posing today in my guest post on Jane Kennedy Sutton’s excellent blog, Jane’s Ride. I provide a link to a site where you can take the Jung Typology Test. Answer 60 yes/no questions, and the site will tell you which of 16 personality types best describes you. So far, five of us writers have taken the test, and we all score as introverts. What about you? Go to www.humanmetrics.com and find out. Post the results in your comments on Jane’s blog, or you can leave a comment here. I’ll tabulate the responses from both blogs. Then, needless to say, I’ll blog about it.

If you’re not a writer, please take the test and post your results anyway, along with your line of work or anything else you want to share. We need a control group too! 

The test tells me I’m an INFP. Those initials stand for introvert, intuitive, feeling and perceiving.

According to educational psychologist David Keirsey’s widely used Temperament Sorter, I’m an “idealist healer.” My type “can seem shy, even distant around others. . . Because of their deep-seated reserve, however, they can work quite happily alone. . . They have a natural interest in scholarly activities and demonstrate, like the other Idealists, a remarkable facility with language. They have a gift for interpreting stories, as well as for creating them, and thus often write in lyric, poetic fashion.” 

I love that description, and unlike astrology, there’s even some scientific validity to it. Maybe you’ll love your type too! Again the test link is www.humanmetrics.com. To learn more about the four temperaments and the 16 personality types, go to http://keirsey.com. After you have your results, it would be great if you post them here as a comment, and let us know if you think the results are accurate. 

On Jane’s blog, I described myself as an introvert. Friday night, when I wrote the post, I was psyching myself up for my Author of the Year award luncheon on Saturday, writing about how I enjoy talking about my work but dread the one-to-one interactions at the signing table later, when I have to put on my perky face and try to sell books. As it turned out, I had a great time Saturday. During the talk, I disregarded my notes and improvised. I was at my hypomanic, extroverted best, and more people bought my books than ever before. No doubt my mood and my image were enhanced by the presence of my husband, who handled the books sales, my daughter Stacey, and my granddaughters Kaya (ten) and Jasper (three). Kaya videotaped my talk, and maybe I’ll figure out how to post it on You Tube one of these days.

After the luncheon, we spent some quality family time at the New York State museum, including a couple of spins for the kids on the vintage merry-go-round. Then Stacey and the girls headed back to Woodstock, and my husband and I headed over to some  friends’ house for a gourmet French dinner party we’d purchased at a silent auction at our Unitarian Universalist church. Atypically, rather than feeling drained and ready to retreat into silence after doing my author bit, I stayed in full-throttle extrovert mode for the rest of the evening.

It just goes to show that, as I wrote on Jane’s blog, our personalities are endlessly complex, and most of us have the ability to shift from one role to another as the occasion demands. I hope you’ll go to www.humanmetrics.com, take the Jung Typology Test, and share your results with me.

I’m heading for the home stretch on my Blog Book Tour. Tomorrow I’ll be on Toni Andrews’ blog. I’ll post her link and the last three later. Right now, though, I’ve got two blog posts to write before I drive over to SUNY-Albany for the 25^th Anniversary Celebration of the NYS Writers Institute. Mario Cuomo and Doris Kearns Goodwin are the featured speakers, so I’d best get there early! These events are free, and they tend to fill up fast. Waiting in line, I’ll have plenty of time for networking, so I’ll bring my books and rev up to play extrovert once more.

My Blog Book Tour – I’m running as fast as I can!

“I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date!” I feel like the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, trying frantically to keep up with my Blog Book Tour. Today I’m on Karen Walker’s blog, Following The Whispers, writing about the tragic saga of my golden retriever Lucky, as well as my shepherd-mix Rishi who stars in Mood Swing.

 

I just sent off a post to Jean Henry Mead for her blog Writing Advice & Good Books, where I’ll be visiting tomorrow. My topic:

First or third person? One voice or many? Julie Lomoe’s musings on point of view.

Fortunately, I’ve already given the topic considerable thought. I moderated a virtual panel discussion about POV for the Poisoned Pen Web Con on October 24, so I’m revisiting some of what I said there. By the way, the day’s proceedings, including my panel, are now free on line through the above link. It’s a real treasure trove of information.

Friday’s stop: Helen Ginger’s Straight from Hel blog 

Last night I heard Brian Wilson of Beach Boys fame at The Egg. Although his voice has coarsened over the years, he had a first-rate band with several singers who created beautiful harmonies. Brian seemed happier than when I heard him at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center several years ago. I’m reminded of the perennial “tortured genius” theme – Brian Wilson certainly qualifies. That in turn reminds me of the “genius is only a step away from madness” theme. I’ll be writing about that  on Helen’s blog, drawing on my personal experience from an acute manic episode. Friday the 13th seems like an appropriate day for that particular piece of personal history.

Thanks to the blog hosts who’ve been so patient and tolerant of my last-minute efforts. And to those hosting me next week: I’m in catch-up mode now, so in the immortal words of Brian Wilson, “Don’t worry baby – everything will be alright.” (I used to sing that gorgeous song as a lullaby for my daughter, and now I sing it to my granddaughters.)

Sneak Preview of my Blog Book Tour!

My Blog Book Tour starts Monday! I’ve written my first two guest blogs and sent them off to the hosts. It’s odd writing a blog post and not being able to see it up on the web as soon as I click “Publish.” The instant gratification of the Internet is truly addictive, and I’d almost forgotten how much patience it takes to wait. Even a few days feels like ages – and I can hardly bear to think about how long it takes to get a book published.

Here are the links and details for my first three blog stops. I’ll be adding more about subsequent stops next week.

 

 

Monday, November 9                        L. Diane Wolfe’s Spunk on a Stick

For my first guest post ever, I’ve written about how my career as an art therapist and home health care administrator inspired and informed both my mystery novels. It’s something I’d never done in such detail on my own blog – interesting how this tour is already helping me focus and fill in some gaps. 

Tuesday, November 10         Maryann Miller’s It’s Not All Gravy

Maryann is currently featuring books that would make good holiday gifts. Rather than toot my own horn in a truly obnoxious fashion, I decided to quote reviews from my fellow writers. Amazing how good it felt to revisit all the great things people said about me! Again, this is something I haven’t done on my own blog. I’m going to create a page for those reviews ASAP. Maybe it’ll help me sell more books!

Wednesday, November 11    Karen Walker’s Following the Whispers

Karen is a fellow alumna from the Blog Book Tour class that took place last May and June. She writes nonfiction focusing on her personal journey, and I admire her honesty and courage when it comes to self-disclosure. I was going to write something comparing memoir and fiction, but I changed my mind after I sent out photos to all the hosts. People loved the photo of me with Lucky, my late golden retriever, and I realized I’d never written about him. So Wednesday’s post will be about dogs I’ve known, both real and fictional. I think I’ll call it Truth can be stranger than fiction: the tragic saga of Lucky, my golden retriever.

People familiar with Blog Book Tours recommend planning and writing your posts far ahead. But hey, I’ve never been that kind of writer – I thrive on the brinksmanship of deadlines. So what will I be writing about after Wednesday? I’m sure I’ll figure it out.

Launching my first Blog Book Tour!

Ready or not, I’m about to launch my first Blog Book Tour. Ten blog hosts have invited me to visit their sites over the next two weeks. I’ve confirmed the dates and sent them my bio and photos. Next step: write the actual posts. Strange how unexpectedly daunting this feels. I’ve been blogging here for over six months, and usually the words flow naturally. Guesting at other people’s blogs feels like going to a party where I don’t know anyone but the host. How will I fit in? Will I be an interesting conversationalist, or will people find me boring and wander away with the click of a mouse? I’ll be finding out all too soon.

 

Here are the folks I’ll be visiting:

Monday, November 9              L. Diane Wolfe

Tuesday, November 10            Maryann Miller

Wednesday, November 11       Karen Walker

Thursday, November 12           Jean Henry Mead

Friday, November 13               Helen Ginger

Monday, November 16            Jane Sutton

Tuesday, November 17            Toni Andrews

Wednesday, November 18       Morgan Mandel

Thursday, November 19           Linda Faulkner

Friday, November 20               Marvin Wilson

Tomorrow I’ll be posting the exact names of the blogs along with live links to the sites – this is just a preview. Many of the names will be familiar, because I’ve met most of these writers on Blog Book Tours. You’ll find some of them in the blog roll to the right, but some have more than one blog, so I want to be sure to get the listings right.

I’d say more, but it’s high time I start writing those posts, beginning with Monday’s. For her “Spunk on a Stick” blog, L. Diane Wolfe writes, “I think an article on your background and how it helped you write your books would be an interesting topic.” Good idea, and amazingly enough, I don’t think I’ve ever blogged about it, so it’s past due. Here goes . . .

Today’s post features my author photo from the back cover of MOOD SWING: THE BIPOLAR MURDERS. I’m with my beautiful golden retriever Lucky, whom we adopted from a family in Woodstock. Although no one knew it at the time, he was suffering from lymphoma, and he died just a few months after this photo was taken in the spring of 2006. He was only four years old. The photo is courtesy of Hot Shot Photos in Albany. Sending out photos to my blog hosts, I included this one, and I decided to share it here.

Did Poe get fan letters too?

Edgar Allan Poe

I received this letter from a gentleman in North Carolina last week: 

Mrs. Lomoe ,
 
I have been reading some of your books, your experience at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair and wondered if I could send you something to ” sign ” for me ? This would be greatly appreciated .
 
Can you e-mail me an address to send it to you ?  I will enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope. Thanks !

This is the first time I’ve received a “fan letter” like this. My first reaction was excitement and pleasure at the notion that I’m actually building a reputation to the extent that someone would make such a request. Then came the questions: What is he going to send? Will it contain anthrax or unmentionable secretions, or maybe explode when I open it? Do I want some stranger knowing where I live?

I relayed the request to my husband, whose frown instantly told me he shared my concerns and then some. Our immediate conclusion: time to open a post office box. I decided on another town in Rensselaer County. He thinks that’s too close, and that I should use an Albany address, but I don’t want to drive across the river every time I feel like checking my mail, so I’ll probably use my town of choice.

Normally at this point I’d veer off into some musings about the nature of celebrity, online identity and so forth, but I’m not up for it at the moment. Since October 18^th, I’ve been plagued by something I first thought was the flu, then just a bad cold, but now it’s segued into bronchitis. I’m finally on some antibiotics I hope will wipe it out. In the meantime, I’ve been trying to carry on business as usual. Some highlights:

• I put together a newsletter and mailing for the Memorial Society of the Hudson-Mohawk Region, for which I’m the administrator and about which I’ve blogged previously. Right now, I’m busy preparing for our annual meeting this Sunday. I even started a blog for them; it can be found at http:hudsonmohawkfca.wordpress.com. Just to add to my current discombobulated state of mind, I used the same WordPress theme I’m using here, because it applies every bit as well to funerals as it does to mystery novels.
• I participated in the Poisoned Pen Web Con last Saturday. Had a great time, and I’m glad to learn they plan to run a similar event next year. Now that the event is over, you can visit www.ppwebcon.com to access all the materials for free. Well worth it – there’s some great stuff there!
• Tomorrow I’ll be on a panel at the NYS Museum with the Mavens of Mayhem, the upstate New York chapter of Sisters in Crime. We’ll be discussing Edgar Allan Poe and his influence on the modern mystery. I wasn’t sure what I’d be able  to add to the discussion, but amazingly enough, I found the program for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Awards Dinner literally staring up at me from the floor behind my computer, and it’s chock full of articles about him. Talk about synchronicity! (I’d also visited his home and grave and heard an excellent panel about him at the 2008 Bouchercon in Baltimore, but I’d been dubious about finding my notes. Now I won’t need to.)

Speaking of Poe, now I’m off to an evening at a local bar, the Fuze Box, with some local poets, titled “An All Hollow’s Eve Reckoning: A Tribute to Edgar Allan Poe.” There’ll be an open mic component, but I think I’ll sit this one out – my nagging cough will keep me out of commission, and I’ll need to save what voice I have for tomorrow’s panel at the museum.

On Monday I’ll be back with news of my upcoming Blog Book Tour, scheduled for November 9 through November 20. P.S. to Phil in North Carolina: I’ll have that P.O. Box address for you by early next week. I hope this is only the first of many such communications from my fans!  

Counting Down to the Poisoned Pen WebCon

Only three days till the Poisoned Pen WebCon on October 24th, and I’m psyched. I’ve signed on to be a virtual coffee shop host beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time – perfect for me, since I’m not a morning person, and that’s about as early as I can expect to be reasonably perky and sociable. It’ll be a text-messaging coffee shop, though – no audio or video, so no particular pressure.

By 2:30 p.m., I’ll be all pins and needles. That’s when I get my 12 minutes to pitch my work to an editor at Poisoned Pen Press. They held a drawing to select registrants who’d get this opportunity, and as one of the chosen, I sent them the synopsis and first chapter of Mood Swing: The Bipolar Murders. By the time I call in, the editor will have read my submission.  I’ve already self-published this novel, but I’m still hoping to land a “traditional” publisher for it, and who better than PPP? Fortunately, they’ve given out an 800 number so I can call in. Originally, they’d been planning to hold these pitch sessions only on Skype, but I gather I wasn’t the only author who didn’t have time to get up to speed with the technology in time.

Three weeks ago, I wrapped up the two virtual text panels I’ll be hosting. For each panel, I posed questions to four mystery writers, suggesting that we keep the tone conversational, visualizing ourselves as being on a panel at a live, in-person conference. The panelists took that idea and ran with it, and the panels will be posted online this Saturday as part of the WebCon. Here are the panels and the writers who participated:

SOCIAL ISSUES: DO THEY ELEVATE OR DETRACT?

Julie Lomoe (moderator), Judy Clemens, Ann Parker, L.J. Sellers, Nancy Means Wright.

FIRST PERSON? THIRD PERSON? SINGLE OR MULTIPLE VOICES? THE REWARDS AND PITFALLS OF POINT OF VIEW

Julie Lomoe (moderator), Deb Baker, Mary Anna Evans, Vicki Lane, Beverle Graves Myers.

It was a pleasure and a privilege working with these writers, most of whom have published extensively. I’ll be e-mailing them, inviting them to stop by this blog and introduce themselves. They had some fascinating things to say – register for the conference and you can read all about it.

I’m not yet technologically savvy enough to play around with video, so I played it safe by sticking to text panels, as did many of the moderators. But there’ll also be live video panels throughout the day, with featured guests including Dana Stabenow, Lee Child, Laurie R King and Nevada Barr. You can register right up to the time of the conference by visiting www.ppwebcon.com. At $25, it’s a bargain compared to in-person events like Bouchercon, and you don’t have to worry about being exposed to the flu! I’m sure we’ll be seeing more virtual events like this in the future, and I congratulate the Poisoned Pen writers who had the gumption to pull this WebCon together.

It’s exciting and a little scary to be part of this cutting-edge approach to bringing writers and readers together. Why not take the plunge yourself? And if you do, be sure to stop by the coffee shop at 11:00 a.m. EST and say hello. I’ll be at my computer, waiting for visitors.

Hit On at The Egg with the Tragically Hip

The Tragically Hip

Last night, while I was ushering for The Tragically Hip at The Egg in Albany, an aggressive young lesbian put some serious moves on me. It’s been decades since that happened, but somehow it seems emblematic of how my life gets ever more interesting as I age. Whether it’s downhill skiing or ushering for groups whose music I don’t know at all, I continue to take on fresh challenges and explore the unknown. I’m surprised how many people my age – and even people much younger – are afraid to do that. In the words of David Byrne, most seem to prefer the “same as it ever was.”

Speaking of music – which I seem to do a lot on this blog – I’ve got a prize for someone in the Capital District who reads to the end of this post. But first, I’ll fill you in on last night’s Egg experience. I’ve been ushering there for about three years now, and at the Troy Music Hall for longer than that. The major benefit from these volunteer efforts is the opportunity to hear a lot of great music for free. Both venues send out sign-up sheets around Labor Day, and we’re asked to select those shows we want to usher for, as well as to select some that are harder to staff and might not be our first choices.

Like most ushers, I go for known favorites first. Since I’ve been reasonably friendly and reliable, I tend to get many of my first choices. For Troy this fall, that includes Steve Martin and his banjo bluegrass band, Herb Alpert and Frank Sinatra Jr. At The Egg, I’ll be ushering for Loudon Wainwright and Richard Thompson this Sunday, followed by Keb Mo’, Lyle Lovett and his Large Band, Brian Wilson, Ani DiFranco, and – just added – Ray Davies with a band, though he’s not calling them The Kinks. Okay, I’ll confess – I bought the Brian Wilson ticket, because I didn’t want to risk being one of the unchosen ushers.

Ben Folds

Not all the artists are this well-known, so I also select a few that I’ve heard good things about, or whose songs I’ve heard a few times on the radio. Ben Folds’ concert at The Egg fell into this category. I remembered only one song of his – the lugubrious ballad with the line “She’s a brick and I’m falling slowly” – but it intrigued me enough to sign up. When I commented on Facebook that I was going, my Albany poet friend Don Levy commented, “I wouldn’t have thought you’d be a Ben Folds Fan.” Well, I wasn’t – until that night. The sold-out show was absolutely fabulous.

I knew even less about the Tragically Hip, but I liked the name. Another sold-out show, another marvelous discovery for me, although as with the Ben Folds show, most of the audience seemed to recognize every song right from the opening chords. Ben Folds was loud – I cringe to think of the damage he inflicted on that grand piano – but the Hip were louder – a six-piece, guitar-driven band verging on heavy metal but with intriguing and unpredictable words and music. Gordon Downie, the lead singer and songwriter, reminded me of John Malkevich channeling Mick Jagger with a touch of David Bowie. In other words, not just a singer, but a wonderful actor and dancer.

And now back to my lesbian story. I’d signed up to usher near the orchestra pit, and when the Hip took the stage, two aisle seats in row A were still empty, so I stood in front of one of them. (The audience was on its feet from the get-go.) Midway through the first number, two young women arrived to claim the seats, but one of them immediately threw her arm around me and pulled me close, saying “Stay here with me – you’re so adorable.” As she nuzzled my neck, I caught the unmistakable aroma of gin. I disengaged myself with a smile, tried to move away, but to no avail – she grabbed me again from behind. I decided my best bet was to walk purposefully away, and I found an equally good vantage point on the other side of the theater.

Did I feel threatened? Not really – I believe she was just out for a good time, more than a little drunk, and feeling very, very friendly. I’m straight, married for nearly 35 years, but had my admirer been a man, I’d have been furious, probably called security. (At the band’s request, The Egg had laid on extra security, so I was surrounded by big, muscular guys.) This was my weirdest ushering experience to date. Will I avoid ushering at hard rock concerts in the future? No way. Besides, standing, swaying and boogying for three hours was great exercise. 

I started out blogging about my willingness to try new experiences as compared with all the old fogies I know. But I’ve rambled on long enough for today, so I’ll save it for next time.

AND NOW FOR THE GRAND PRIZE: I’ve got two tickets to WEXT’s benefit concert next Friday, October 23, 7:30 p.m. in WMHT’s North Greenbush studios. I donated $60 to the station for the two tickets, but I’m only using one. My husband went last time, but he’s really not interested. If you are, e-mail me at jlomoe@nycap.rr.com. If someone wants to pay $30, that’s great, but I’ll consider lesser offers – or even give it away. There’ll be four local bands. Do I know what they sound like? No – but I’m going to find out.