Last night I went to a BC reading in La Jolla. When it came time to sign my book, he sang me a song called “Jeannine,” which is apparently an old jazz standard. (“Last time, last time I saw Jeannine…she looked like a movie queen.”) Had Billy Collins done this before? I don’t remember him singing last time I saw him, but I do remember finding out that his collie was named “Jeannine” as well. I found versions of the song on itunes. See what you can learn at poetry readings? Then I found another song on itunes by David Bowie called “Jeanine” that I really liked (“So take your glasses off, stop acting so sincere.” Hee!) Apparently all the Jeanine characters in songs (any spelling) are troublesome women. That makes sense.

I also got to meet Steve Kowit, who was very charming and friendly. The reading itself was so crowded Glenn and I had to temporarily retreat to the next door coffee shop, Pannikin, where the young coffee shop workers were talking about how Eliot’s work was good only because of Ezra Pound’s editing, and there were German surfer girls warming their sandaled feet by the fire. (It was about 60 degrees outside, chilly for here.) They invited me to join them because I was also wearing sandals, which I thought was very friendly.

In fact, I was wearing three-inch gold platform strappy sandals, which is very unlike me. However, the waiter AND the maitre’d at the restaurant we stopped at for dinner chatted us up and talked about the local food scene and then sent us a free dessert, a melting chocolate something with salted caramel and buttermilk sorbet. Plus, the whole Billy Collins singing to me thing…the mysterious power of strappy three-inch gold sandals? Or maybe people are just friendlier here in San Diego. I never ever wore heels in Seattle, so it must be the creeping influence of SoCal on an easily-influenced soul.
Here’s a pic of the shoes for Rebecca Loudon:
http://img.nextag.com/image/Guess-by-Marciano-Women/1/000/006/006/733/600673341.jpg
PS They were fairly comfortable.

Also, check this out: a poem by my Steel Toe Books publisher, Tom Hunley, from his new book, will be on Writer’s Almanac this week:
http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php?date=2008/10/26
I’m convinced that though Garrison Keillor always calls “Steel Toe Books” “Steel Toe Boots” on this radio program, that he actually really likes Tom Hunley.