Danger Is My Middle Name

My favorite author (and maybe yours) will be reading tomorrow evening at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts.

David Sedaris was in Phoenix last Spring reading from his latest book, When You are Engulfed in Flames. I was truly disappointed not to be able to go see him. My dearest friends went and said the tears were flowing from belly aching laughter. That's my favorite. The kind where you can't breathe because you are laughing so hard. After the reading they looked at the hours long line for the book signing and decided to go grab dinner and come back.

They drove over to the Cornish Pasty Company, picked up food for themselves, and an extra Pasty for David Sedaris. It was getting late and maybe he was hungry after all that talking? The line was shorter when they returned, but they still had to wait. The Pasty was sitting in the bottom of Brooke's purse, becoming less warm, a little less flaky and a bit more soggy. As the people in line in front of my friends dwindled, the thought crossed Brooke's mind that maybe she shouldn't present the Pasty, perhaps David Sedaris is a germaphobe? Or was that his sister?

It was finally their turn. There was no one in between my friends and David Sedaris except for Brooke's perfectly round, pregnant belly. They instantly hit it off swapping bizarre stories and David Sedaris proceeded to name their unborn child. Danger as his middle name. The Pasty stayed at the bottom of Brooke's purse.

A week later I received for my birthday, my very own copy of When You are Engulfed in Flames. I flipped open the cover and thumbed through to the title page where to my delight I discovered a little drawing of a bird, with a conversation bubble saying simply, "Hi!", followed by Sedaris' signature. It's my favorite.