Friends make East Side signing enjoyable

Heading back to the East Side, albeit on "OSM" or Other Side of Mack, in this case, the side growing up I could only dream of, was really a great experience. The signing at the Barnes & Noble tonight was more than exciting, it was fulfilling. Don't get me wrong, I'm still THRILLED--nay, tickled--that anyone finds my stuff interesting enough to merit shelling out hard-earned bucks for it, but to take the time to come out specifically for me to sign it? That's not only humbling, but it's a great honor and a real thrill. I was able to meet a really nice woman named Ann Marie who had corresponded with me a few months ago. If you're reading this ANN Marie, it was brought to my attention that I added an "e" to your name that doesn't belong. My apologies. This was brought to my attention by another fine woman, also named ANNE Marie, who happens to be pals with the aforementioned A.M. Another couple folks came out, friends from the ad business. Tom Kozak, a talented artist and former art director from the Detroit Ad scene, wandered in and lent his support. It was great to catch up with him and hear that he and his wife have their own marketing/pr/art business and are doing great. Andy Ayrault, one of the funniest men I've ever been around, stopped by with his beautiful wife Kim and their 14 children. OK, I embellished; they have four kids--TWO SETS OF TWINS! And if you have ever seen Andy and Kim, they're like 7 foot tall, so collectively they have maybe 14 normal kids' worth of kids, if you know what I'm saying. My sisters Janet and Nancy came out as well as my bro-in-law, Paul. Always nice to have familial support. And lastly, my best friend growing up, Russ Beigas (see pic from summer), had a sixth sense that he'd be seeing me, and made the trip to Grosse Pointe. "Rusty" is one of the true great guys I've known in my life, and whenever we see each other, which is too infrequent, it's like we never miss a beat. I grew up mere miles from that bookstore, and it was a strange sensation being there with a guy I spent so much time with as a kid, playing baseball, riding bikes and endless hours drawing pictures. Even though he doesn't own an email address, I want to say, "Thanks Rusty. You're the greatest."