I commited a huge act of heresy today. I woke up at 4:15 AM and stood in line for about three hours to obtain a signed copy of Bill Clinton's book Giving. As anyone who knows me knows, I am no fan of Bill Clinton, but I just could not pass this up.
I first heard about the event a few days ago over the email I get from the bookstore (which has become one of my favorite places in Miami). I thought about it for a few days. I like to collect books signed by the author. I am very interested in philanthropy and charities. And Bill Clinton is still an ex-president no matter what I think of him. But I just couldn't get past the thought that...it's Bill Clinton and I don't want to give hime my time or money.
So I sent Julie an email laying out the positives and negatives. She said that meeting a president is a unique opportunity and I should take it. So that's what I did.
I woke up at 4:15 A.M. to be in line for the 8:00 A.M. signing. I left the house a little earlier than I had planned which was a good thing becuase the line got exponentially longer in that short amount of time. After a couple of hours of waiting, Bill finally showed up 20 minutes late. The man was known for being chronically late throughout his campaigns and presidency. So I pretty much expected it, but I still don't understand how you can be late to your first event of the day at 8:00!?!!?!??!
The event went smoothly. You were not allowed to take anything into the store...no bags or belongings, no cameras or any other electronic devices and the secret service ran you over with a metal detector. The other good thing about being early was I got in the store as the sun came up and did not have to wait in the sunshine and heat. The line moved quickly...one book per person and no personalized books. I was impressed with this...Bill was practically signing the book with his left hand (some flunkie held it still for him) and simultaneously shaking hands with his right.
After the fact, Julie asked me if I was polite. I was...I simply thanked him for signing the book and moved on.
I'm looking forward to reading the book. From the reviews I've seen, I doubt I will agree with all of his conclusions, but I bet it will be good.
I've now stayed up way too late to get a Harry Potter book at this store and been up way to early to get the Clinton book. It's much easier to stay up late than get up early, that's for sure.
