Photographic Evidence: Rockville, MD

So where was I?

On June 5, I was at the Border's at White Flint Mall. Let me say: I spent my pre-teen and teen years in the Virginia D.C. suburbs, and I know malls. And Tyson's? Fair Oaks? I'm not casting any aspersions here, but they say the neon lights are bright in Rockville.





My mom, Brandon, and I about died when we saw that, so after we parked, Brandon jogged back out to the entrance and took 500 pictures of it.

The rest of the picture-taking was, alas, a bit spotty. But got to meet Elizabeth Roca in real life. She's been writing for Brain, Child since practically the get-go and is now BC's excellent staff editor, but we'd never met before. Is it creepy to say insta-friend? Anyway, there. I said it.

Here's a picture of Stacey Evers (also an insta-friend), waiting for me to finish signing stock copies. Stacey was BC's staff writer--I miss our weekly phone calls and it was so fabulous to hang out again.




Brain, Child's staff artist (and one of my oldest pals) Beth Hannon/Fuller was also there, plus another old friend Andrea. Andrea brought a picture of us, thirteen and acting extraordinarily goofy. Actually, come to think of it, she looks perfectly fine but I'm acting extraordinarily goofy, which may be why I grew up to devote a certain percentage of my time writing about karaoke and she grew up to be the chief of Dulles Airport's fire department.

I also met Devra Renner (I have a picture but I look insane in it and she looks like the next words about to come out of her mouth are "Oh, snap!"), writer Judith Marr, writer Lois Baron, and a lot of other cool people whose names I'm not certain I'm allowed to publish. A really good time had by at least one.

I get really ramped up after these events, so afterwards we went to a restaurant next door; I had a mojito and wished that this was more of a slumber party. This was to become a pattern.