Yikes! In certain circumstances, I have a hard time being in the midst of very dense crowds (ex: some areas of the PAX East Expo hall during high traffic times). I would be (and am) terrified if a group of people separated me from my friends; I can't even imagine what it would be like to be waylaid by a gaggle of crazies like that. Seems like those people are some kind of nutso celebrity autograph highwaymen group. I really don't understand it. My husband and I have both seen/walked right past famous people. They were obviously busy and on their own time, and there is no way we'd interrupt. I just find it incredibly rude. If we happen to make eye contact, I just smile and nod and hope for one in return (I find genuine smiles much cooler than autographs). This probably ties into "the moment" concept you were talking about, Wil. Eye contact and a smile are much more personal than a head-down scrawl on paper, and therefore a more valuable "moment" for fans like me. I just hope that this incident won't deter you from doing organized, planned signings/meet and greets/what have you. I know all of us here are very grateful for your generosity of your time.

Better Off Dead reference?! Truly, a sight to behold!

First off...footnotes! *claps giddily* Secondly...I can empathize with the stenchageddon. Before we moved, the only place in our old apartment the litter box would fit was a small mudroom-type space by the basement stairs (we were on the second floor, so not our basement). Of course, this tiny room was right around the corner from our bedroom. Thinking we were smart we'd clean the box before heading to bed, only to have Tigger (affectionately referred to as Tiggersaurus Rex) lay a fresh one within minutes of us finishing cleaning duties and going to bed. Without fail. Needless to say, in our new place the box is nowhere near the bedroom. In fact, it's in a special built compartment above the basement stairs that can only be accessed by the cats via a "secret passage" in a closet. Thanks for writing up this story. It brought a lovely laugh to my afternoon.

It's a cat conspiracy to make sure their servants are kept sleepy enough so they do not have the strength to resist fulfilling every need. My cat's tactic of choice: jumping onto my stomach, then crawling up to my face and sniffing it. Nothing like waking up to a close-up view of a cat nose! Also, I love your footnotes. Instead of reading each one by one as they occur, I save them (precious bonus gifts that they are) and read them all at once at the end. It's like Christmas.

In the future, I have already purchased this t-shirt. Now excuse me while I have an 80s movie viewing marathon...

Heh, seeing those ads just reminded me of the movie "Better Off Dead" with John Cusack. His character's (Lane's) little brother, Badger, saves up a bunch of cereal proof of purchases to send away for a kit to build a rocket using household appliances. Let's just say the kit ends up working pretty well.