What a Few is. What to do in London for the next 3 weeks. Will this beard never die?

This is a very hasty post, because I need to go to bed. It was a long, really fun day, which began with the phone call from a panicky lady on hotel reception letting me know that a van was unloading boxes of books I was apparently going to be signing into the hotel lobby, and did I know anything about this, and could I make it stop? I figured out that this must be the "People from Titan/Forbidden Planet will stop by with a few books for you to sign" on my schedule. So I went downstairs and signed 500 Sandman graphic novels and copies of Wolves in The Walls. 500 is a Forbidden Planet few. Or possibly some. Anyway, they do have a mail order dept if you need a signed graphic novel.

Then I went over to the Wyndhams Theatre, near my hotel, to drop off a good-luck-on-your-first-night card for my friend Lenny, and it turned out he was already there to do a run through, so I gave him the card instead. He is doing three weeks with his new show, which he assures me is the best thing he's ever done, and has told me to plug at every possible opportunity, so if you're in London in the next three weeks, go and see Len in his amazing red suit being excruciatingly funny. Go on. http://www.theambassadors.com/wyndhams/ for details.

Then saw friends at Bloomsbury, was given a lovely pens-and-ink birthday present by my editor Sarah, and signed some copies of wolves that will be prizes on the Bloomsbury Website competition (and I said thanks to Adrian who designed the wonderful Wolves in The Walls screensaver and e-cards). Then took the train, with Lucy Chapman, my Bloomsbury publicity person lady, to Oxford. Signed happily for a lot of people, many of whom managed to ignore the beard completely. Went back to hotel, and Lucy and I ate and I came up here, phoned home, and am writing this. Then logged on...


This came in earlier today from the Dreaming's own Lucy-Anne:

Hi Neil:

We were going to wait until midnight here to let you know, but it seems so silly when it's already midnight by you.

This is for you.
http://www.livejournal.com/community/eleven10/

It was up to two screens of entries when I last checked, and will hopefully be more before we close up shop.

The info page (which will explain why the entries are so short) is at http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=eleven10

Bouquets go to the co-moderators, Eden (darksong), Cassie (iliadawry), and Jan (ragdoll), not to mention the various and sundry Thingies, Wellies, LJers, and folks on the message boards on Yahoo and neilgaiman.com who made sure that the word was passed out as quietly as we could manage.

I'll take the brickbats. Perhaps they will help frighten away the mice.

Happiest of birthdays, and wishes for many more.

With love,
randi


Which left me grinning like an idiot, and profoundly grateful to all of you. Thanks to everyone who's sent Birthday Wishes in any way. I wish I could write back to you all, but I can't, will not even try. Not tonight at any rate. Am in fact going to bed now.

I'll see some of you later today in Bristol. Or possibly in Bath.