A lovely way to spend an evening

I love to spend a couple hours hearing a speaker or author present a topic or their own book in which I'm deeply interested. I guess it's the perennial student in me, but here I am, book, pen and notepad in hand waiting, in the front row of course (gawd, I cannot escape my perennial geek element either), to hear Jennifer Senior discuss All Joy and No Fun. When I left home, things were slip-sliding loudly and rapidly towards witching hour hell, so this solo date is especially appreciated. Oliver is convinced that because we ordered his birthday invites yesterday, his birthday has begun. His birthday is in six weeks people. It's been a repeated blow to him that he cannot have his every wish simply because we've vaguely planned his party.

On my left is an older man who appears happily engaged in several books and is also loudly processing the seemingly generous amount of spit in his mouth. To my right is a man, dapper in a scarf and spectacles but having unreasonably loud conversations with the air (I do not see a blue tooth!). Thus far, the crowd is older than I expected. There is one couple with a tiny infant in tow (not sure this is how they should jump right in to parenthood but then again, forewarned is forearmed!), another woman who looks about my age and the rest must be a generation ahead. It's early still, but I wonder if the older members of the audience are feeling reflective, are still processing their roles as parents or their decisions not to raise kids, or are simply curious and taking advantage of a cool opportunity. Who knows?!

Happy to be here!