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Tuesday, July 23, 2002
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Alright so.. I met Neil Gaiman. It was Lovely. There were lots of other people there and we got to sit on the carpet like back when we were in kindergarten, and he read to us. Chapters 3 and 4 of Coraline, complete with character voices. It was very funny and vastly amusing and, yes, he really does sound in person like he did on the CD - but better. of course. *smiles widely* I loved every moment of it. Then the signing time came around.. and somewhere on my way to the front I contracted a horrible case of tummy butterflies.. not so much because I was nervous about meeting him.. but because, for some reson, my head couldn't sort out the necessary words to accompany me giving him the present I made for him. (I had tried all week to make a present for Maddy, something soft and delicate and enchanting for a young imaginative girl - and every time I got anywhere with a design I discovered that in order to work well it needed something that I didn't have. 3/16" links being the most common) So.. my time at the table came and we chatted amiably while he signed my HUGE stack of purchases. (including a numbered copy of Murder Mysteries with hand made engravings and the like - oh GOD its beautiful!) *L* thankfully I had him sign the presents first - becaus he was very gracious about drawing things in them and such - and then by the time he got to the bottom end of the stack that was for me we had talked enough that he started writing more lovely interesting things. Annyway, at some point I gave him the present managing to spill out appropriate words (despite all the butterflies). I think the conversation went something along the lines of:
fe2o3: " I've made you a present. I don't know if you go in for wearing this sort of thing..."
Neil(interjecting): " Well, up until now I haven't... " (in a tone of voice implying that it wasn't likely that was going to change any time soon)
fe2o3:" ..but if not I'm sure that you can see it to a good home".
Neil: " but I have an eight-year-old at home who would probably love it."
fe2o3: *visibly brightens..probably even sparkles**gushes* "Really??! You think Maddy will like it? I tried all week to make her a present but every time I got halfway though I dicovered that I didn't have something I needed to finish.. . last night I came up with this idea, and it worked. .and was lovely - but it seemed a bit masculine, so I thought it best to give it to you."
At which point he seemed a bit surprised/shaken/impressed and thanked me in that "someone has just given you something really cool and your too stunned to porperly reply" way, got up, a bit hazily from the table and gave me a big hug... and then, a kiss on the cheeck as an afterthought. *beams and glows* I have no excuse ever to be sad, ever again.
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