Yesterday was good.
I met up with Brent for dinner at Italian Village on Monroe. He even brought me a belated birthday gift. He is such a good date. Had a lot of catching up to do with him, his new temp job that sounds like that cast from "Office Space". One guy with HUGE fish on the walls of his office and another guy that walks about with a baseball bat. I told Brent he needs to start walking around with a golf club at work.

Then took the blue line to Damen. Sat in Filter for about an hour drinking iced coffee. Had a very cute squeaky voiced girl talk to me a bit. She was darling.

Then walked up the block to Quimby's for Steve's book reading. I get to see him briefly once a year at these things. I was hoping his step-brother might be there, since I met him before just to have another face I know there..but he wasn't. Got to catch up with Steve and some of what he has coming up and been going on with him. Then after the reading we went across the street with a group to Piece for beer and pizza. I went back and forth about going, worried about feeling socially awkward since the only person I knew was Steve and he would be busy with the crowd. But I went, and luckily enough 2 really nice guys sat next to me and were super talkative. Ernie, and I think the other guy was Dave. Fun guys, enjoyable conversation, the kind I enjoy: vietnam vet, dad was in WWII, crazy ex-wife that put her poop in flower pots but was a brilliant creative type but then stabbed her mom and is hospitalized (which I thought was sad) and being force fed through a tube since she refuses to eat, both published, one used to own his own bookstore, didn't go to the last Steve reading because he got an offer to smoke hashish with someone having something to do with the Cubs.

Oh yeah and they had a neat idea, an author book. A blank journal just for authors to sign so they have them all in one place. The first signing they got was James Frey. It said "I ? Ernie & Dave. Love James Frey" We all agreed that despite all the big hoohah, we still liked his books.

Hugged Ernie, Dave and Steve goodbye at the end of the night.