Book Signing: Joel Osteen – A Rock Star in my book

I fall in line at Joel Osteen’s book signings not because of me but more because of my sister, Ofie, who actually introduced me to his body of work. I see him as a life coach more than a pastor or a televangelist. I watch him occasionally when I catch him on TV on Sundays, but I don’t particularly seek him out.  Today, he’s signing his latest release: Break Out!: 5 Keys to Go Beyond Your Barriers and Live an Extraordinary Life.

I find his teachings inspirational maybe because while he teaches from the Bible, his words are relatable. I don’t feel like he is preaching from the pulpit above me — but rather that he is talking to me from across the table perhaps.

The line has snaked around 46th from the 5th Avenue storefront and I’m part of the latter half of the line. I continue to see people walking past me towards the end of the line clutching books to be signed. They had a 2-book limit, so I simply got one for myself and one for my sister.

Someone walked past and loudly said “They’re selling dreams.”. I think not. People are always drawn to messages of hope. We all look for affirmation that we’re okay, that we will be okay or that we can be okay. And I don’t think that is a dream. I think that’s true for everyone of us.

This is already my third time to fall in line for Joel Osteen, and the last two times, I’ve had the good fortune of shaking his hand as he walked into the store. This time around, he got off closer to the far end of the line and walked down the sidewalk shaking everybody’s hand. No photo op except to snap him up as he walked past, but he shook the hands of the people who forked up the money to help his book make it up the bestseller lists, and who are now standing in line for his John Hancock. That makes him a rock star in my book.

Book Signing: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

I wasn’t really going to go but I thought I’d check out the line at half past noon at the Barnes & Noble a few blocks down, and lo and behold there was none, so I bought my books and walked up to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Before I headed down, I already knew that there was a 3-book maximum for Pick-up Posse Book One: Sasquatch in the Paint (Streetball Crew), and I wanted to make sure I picked the book for the proper recipient.  One, of course, was for my personal collection of first edition autographed books.  The second and the third was a toss up between several young men I knew were into basketball, and who would probably appreciate getting an autographed book from one of our all-time basketball greats.

I hadn’t really made up my mind by the time I went to the top of the line, and then I got stumped when one of the Barnes & Noble personnel asked for a name for personalization.  This is usually not offered during book signings, so I had to think quick.  My 4 or so young basketball hopefulls had to be trimmed to two.  Hmmmm…

The first one was easier, the son of a dear, dear friend of mine from way back when I was in College.  It so happened that this was a friend who was tough to get a present for because he literally has everything and more than I could ever hope to get for him.  His eldest boy is now grade school (or is it high school) and is part of the basketball team, and while I have never met the young man, I feel I know him because it’s his Facebook account I’m part of as his Dad has none.

The second was tougher because I have several nephews I was thinking of, all who are not actually related to me by blood, but who are favorite “nephews” by choice.  I had to think quickly because the guy was waiting to write the name it was to be personalized to, and I came up with a young man who just requested me to get him some Nike KD socks in recent weeks.

It is my hope that they will find some form of inspiration in the book and Kareem’s message to the young.

And that was that.  I think I’ll take a stab at reading the book even if it’s obviously juvenile reading.  I’ve learned not to knock the genre because The Hunger Games Trilogy is originally of the same target audience.  My son refers to this as ‘chapter reading’ now, compared to the elementary story books the younger kids read.

After he signed the books, I was given an autographed trading card which was an unexpected treat — in hindsight now, I think I should’ve pressed for another one.

Alas, no pictures of me with Kareem, but I did manage to snap up these pics of the basketball legend.

Book Signing: Kareem Adbul-Jabbar

Book signing alert for Barnes & Noble on Fifth Avenue next week: October 1, 12nn

Break Out!: 5 Keys to Go Beyond Your Barriers
and Live an Extraordinary Life

And the week has begun..

Mondays are usually good days for me, even if it means going back to the grind.  I’ve been here at  my desk taking care of business so to speak, although I’ve been itching to write for quite a while now.

I’m happy to report that I finally finished A Game of Thrones which is  George R.R. Martin’s first book in his popular series A Song of Ice and Fire.  Today, I move on to the next  book, A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 2) and I’m excited to continue the story from where it left off.  Even if there’s no way that I can make it in time for the release of his fifth book in mid-July, I’m reading voraciously to hopefully “catch up” with next year’s Season II on HBO.  (Book signing alert: George R.R. Martin is scheduled to have an author event on July 24, at 7pm at Barnes & Noble in Union Square.)

I am totally hooked!  I’m just happy that I’ve gotten to reading seriously again and adding to my bookshelf.

At the same time, I’ve managed to create a few pieces last night but which somehow got left behind in my rush to leave home today.  (So I guess I’ll be posting them tomorrow.)  I’m hooked on teeny-tiny freshwater pearls that I had acquired from a huge pearl sale here last year and from stocks sent to me by my sister-in-law from Manila.  I sat at my work bench until I realized it was past midnight and sadly, I had to put my pliers down to get some much needed sleep.  * sigh *

I was so happy to find some left over half-drilled freshwater pearls which I glued onto some gold findings I had purchased some months back but the piece actually has a loop for a dangle that I am still trying to make up my mind about.  (I can go the way of more pearls or just a single gemstone brio, perhaps.)  I’m still creating more stack stick dangles — this time using labradorite mini teardrop beads.  I know I have apatite beads with the same cut which I can make into a similar pair but I was hoping to post the labradorites first. =(

Between catching up with some chores yesterday while Alan and the tyke attended a birthday party in Long Island, I had a restful Sunday.  The late night date with my tools, though, has my body screaming for some sleep.  Later — in the bus on the way home.  There will  be time enough to indulge in that.

I think I’m getting on quite fabulously with trying to convert my “dormant” stocks into actual pieces.  Once I make up my mind about design, then it’s easy executing the piece and converting it from a plan to an actual accessory.  I am being drawn towards other possibilities but I am trying to stay focused.

Sadly, I haven’t been able to do anything for my Art Journal Every Day project, and it’ll be July already next week!  =(  Maybe I’ll be luckier in July.  We’ll see…

Rob Lowe in the Flesh

I haven’t quite gotten to reading his book just yet, but already, I’m getting oohs and ahhs over the photos that I got from this mini-encounter with Rob Lowe.  See for yourself!

So the wait in line wasn’t all that bad.  I hied down to Barnes & Noble at 12nn and waited until just past 1pm to get my books signed.  This is not my first book signing but Rob gets many thumbs up for personalizing which other authors will NOT do.  Also, the staff of the Fifth Avenue branch were very organized and had actually had one staff member on hand to take your camera and take your picture while he was signing the book.

Of course it helps that the book seems to be getting very good reviews.   I’ll give you my own as soon as I finish the current read I have on my kindle.

Monday.. and hoping to see Rob Lowe

Rob Lowe is doing a book signing at the Barnes & Noble on Fifth Avenue today as part of his book tour for his book, Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography.  I am writing this before I walk down to 47th street, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there is not too huge a crowd to hussle and tussle with to get this book signed.

Rob Lowe is very much a part of my generation’s coming of age, and (1) I would love to see him in person, (2) I have a small collection of autographed first editions, and (3) I have heard good reviews about the book.

I always try to catch the events in the nearby bookstores although I haven’t paid that much attention to this in recent months.  On Wednesday, there’s Shania Twain, but I’d take Rob Lowe over Shania anytime.  More later…