Almost a week between postings - sigh. It's discouraging sometimes because I very much want to be a more conscientious blogger and this time, it wasn't for a lack of content. I have several cool things to relate. But time has a way of getting away from me, even more so than usual the last few days.

Going back to last Thursday: I took a day off from work, partly for mental health purposes and partly because we had something cool to do that evening which started at 7PM. I don't like being stuck in traffic any day, but a day when I had something fun to do would have been even worse, so I used a vacation day and played Final Fantasy XII most of the day. Then we went to Variety Playhouse for Alton Brown's book signing for "Feasting on Asphalt". WHOOO!

Each ticket included a signed copy of the book, a Q&A session and screening of the "River Run" season of the show. I have to give mad props to AB or whomever in his organization masterminded this because it was done really well. As each person entered, they were given a numbered ticket, half of which was dropped into a bucket for prize raffles. While we waited for the author, there was a slideshow of photos from the show along with music. I tried to take some photos but pictures of a picture on a flat-screen in a darkened theatre didn't turn out so well (go figure). Plus, every time there was something cool of which I wanted a photo, by the time my camera had turned on, considered its options and decided that it would, in fact, take a picture, the slide had switched to something else. But anyway, it was entertaining to watch.

Then Alton Brown came out and instead of reading from the book, he did an informal Q&A. I liked this for several reasons. One, I'm going to read the book anyway, don't really need someone reading it to me, and it was much more diverting to listen to his witty ripostes and off-the-cuff stories. He is very intelligent and funny, so I enjoyed his answers that much more.

Lady: [long, drawn-out tale of her oven being broken and having to use the toaster oven for three weeks, blah blah blah,] and I was just wondering, what's the most creative thing you've ever made in a toaster oven?
Alton: Toast. No, let me elaborate: cheese toast. Because really, doesn't the best toast come from a toaster? So, yeah, cheese toast.

Kid: Every time I make your angel food cake when I invert it over the bottle, it falls apart. How come?
Alton: Ummm - you're doing it wrong????

It was like that.

To continue with praise for the book-signing organizers, following the Q&A the second purpose of our numbered tickets was revealed when instead of everyone crowding into a huge long line and all standing there for hours waiting to get their books signed, they called numbers in groups of twenty. For those remaining seated, there were screenings of the show and lots of prize raffles (t-shirts, kitchen gadgets, hats, mugs, Alton Brown band-aids). Another thing they did was that as we'd entered and been given a book, each book had a Post-It note on the front. You wrote on the Post-It the name to whom you wanted Alton to sign the book, saving so much time spelling, spelling back, confirming, etc. It was so much better than just standing in a queue for ages!

This is the best part, though. See, my husband Alan knew AB way back in the day, before he had a show (much less two) on Food Network. They were more than acquaintances but less than BFFs, so I'd asked Alan if he planned to reintroduce himself. Whenever we talked about it, he demurred by saying, "Ah, he'd have no reason to remember me," or similar. Call me prejudiced, but I think my husband is quite memorable. I could tell he wasn't going to say anything, preferring to get his book signed and leave without calling attention to himself. Alan's wife, however, felt no such compunction.

Once we got to the front of the line, Alton was making small talk with each person as he signed their books. He thanked us for coming out as I handed him my book, then read the Post-It and as he started to write asked, "Are you Helly?"

"Yes, I am," I replied, "And I'm married to Alan, who knew you a very long time ago in [city] when he cheffed at [restaurant] where your then-girlfriend worked." Alton did a double-take, because like Alan said, you'd have to truly know him or be the most vigilant Alton Brown stalker ever to unearth not where he worked over a decade ago, but where his girlfriend worked. This is where I was very impressed with Alton Brown's character because instead of barely looking up from his writing and saying, "Oh yeah man, how's it going, good to see you again," he put down his pen and fixed Alan with this intense, steely stare.

He stared at Alan for several seconds and then you could literally see the recognition spreading over his face. "Yes! Yes! Wow, that's going back quite a ways!" Then they chit-chatted for a couple of minutes over mutual friends, working in the restaurant business in that area, stuff like that. I thought it was really cool that he remembered Alan, but even cooler was that he honestly did; he took a moment and thought about it instead of just giving us a 'yeah, sure, here's your book'. Good character impresses me even more than good macaroni and cheese, and damn! AB's recipe is some good macaroni and cheese!

P.S. Buy his book! It's well-written, has some great recipes and photos, is immensely entertaining and all proceeds go to save starving children and dogs in the AB household.