Around my topsy turvy day yesterday, I did have time to write about three Tamago entries, but between the lines, my husband stopped by and surprised me with roses, and a trip out to our favorite pizza place for lunch. We had a Zookie, which is a cookie sundae, for my birthday, and I figured, you know, I might only have 52 more years, so I should sneak that in. ;P
It was great. I think I like the Granite City Cookie a bit more, because of the toffee chewiness with the chocolate, but they really are two different critters. Accepting the weight gain, I moved on.
Until today, when, between a meeting about college student support reform (take that, noun phrases!) and another one, the last Vietnam meeting with students before we go, my boss Allison thought that since I had a birthday yesterday, and Lorna, who is substituting for Sharon this week, has one today, that we should have little mini-cakes from the New Pioneer Co-op, known for particularly delicious cakes. There was a raspberry cheesecake and a lemon chiffon raspberry cake, both of which were delicately decorated and presented, and which I didn’t feel I could say no to. So, I took one for the team there. Mmmm, but not helping. Well, I’ll accept that weight gain and move on too. Let’s think of the current me as Rubenesque.
Bryon and I are going out for Italian tonight. It was my plan to have creme brulee, but I think I’ll just stick to the seafood spaghetti. I’m actually kind of full.
Looking forward to two weeks of hard labor, small portions, and healthy food in Singapore and Vietnam, if for no other reason than the last two days.
***
So, I have spent most of my day tracking down a few last Vietnam facts, like time differences, phone numbers for the hotels we’d be staying at and so on. However, the coolest thing that happened to me today? Behold the awesome power of the Internet.
Below, read about Hulk Hercules in Russia. I didn’t even know Hulk Hercules was in Russia!
This morning I opened my author email box and I found this note waiting for me via the contact on my website.
Hello!
Dear Catherine!
My name is Edward. I live in Russia in the small city of Novocherkassk. For
me a great honour to write to you.Happy birthday! And in this day I wish you much pleasure and a lot of
congratulations. And I hope all of your wishes come true. And I belief the
birthday will be the perfect one!I very much like your creativity. You are improbably talented.
In our city there is a club of fans of the book, and I am a chairman of this
club.Our club conducts the big and interesting work, we meet and we discuss new
books, we collect materials about stories of development of the literature
and on writers. We correspond with a considerable quantity of people from
various corners of our country. You could send me, please, the original,
personally signed autograph (Bookplates for “Hulk Hercules Professional
Wrestler”). I will appreciate very much it. Presence of your autograph
will be the real dream which has been carried out for me.It you will make me the happiest person!! Please!!! Eventually very much it
is not easy to remain during our heavy time happy the person.If you consider possible to sign also a photo for our club we will be very
grateful to you. To have the photo signed by you – my dream and I is ready
to pay all expenses, but I do not know as it better to make.In Russia it is impossible to buy neither international stamps, nor the
international reply coupon . It is a huge problem!Excuse me for it.
I very much hope for your kindness and understanding.
I wish you successes and health, and I invite you to Russia.
Being uncertain about this, and thinking what Edward was after was a copy of the book, I wrote back, and suggested that Edward might order the book on the Internet, as I haven’t had much luck sending things to Russia. I tried sending some study guides once to one of our tour guides from 2006, and the books came back to my house.
Edward was surprised that I wrote back. Well, let me let him speak for himself.
Thank you that kindly responded to my request, didn’t disregard it.
Thanks huge. I am really happy and grateful to you.To a huge regret in our country as probably and all over the world, interest to reading of books has considerably decreased. To support this interest and popularization of reading of books among youth – a main objective of our club.
Probably because of my English it is very bad, you didn’t understand me a little. The book Hercules Book in our library already is, but we want that on it there was your signature. In the letter I asked about Bookplate, i.e. a sticker from paper for it with your signature.
We with impatience wait for issue of your new books and with even big impatience we expect that they will be translated into Russian.
Seeing some interest, I will dare to send you some photos. These are photos of our city and the photo from meeting of our club.
From Russia with love.
Sincerely yours friend Edward.
So, it seems that my book is already in a youth club library in Russia, doing good work. As soon as I get back from Vietnam, I’ll work on getting some book plates to Edward and the club, and an autographed picture of myself as well. I’ll ask my friend Olga for the best way to make this attempt.
You know, not only does that make me feel like a real author, but it also makes me feel that my book is doing some good in the world for kids that need it.
I wish I had some new published books to send him, and I had a Russian translator. 🙂 I guess I’ll just keep writing and submitting. But agents, there’s a guy named Edward in Russia who’s depending on your decisions. Just sayin’. 😛
***
We never know what impact we make. Sometimes it’s nice to find out.
Wow, your book made it all the way to Russia. 🙂 How awesome is that? I hope you’ll be able to get him a bookplate and the other items too!