Signing in Arkansas and the Taste of Tears

First and foremost, I’m going to be doing an event in Little Rock, Arkansas this week. 7:00 on Thursday the 9th.

Here’s the Facebook Event if you’re interested in more details. Or you can click on the “Tour Schedule” tab up above there…. 

I’m actually doing the event at Heifer International’s headquarters: The Heifer Village.

If you’re planning on going, you might want to drop a line to the folks at Heifer (501.907.2697 or email heifervillageregistration [squiggly atsign thinger] heifer.org) It’s a free event, but if you call ahead, your name will be on the guest list, and you get to feel cool. (And it will help them prepare.)

There will be books. I will be there too. I will talk. I will read and answer questions and be witty to the best of my ability. I will then sign books.

The event will be more fun than the above paragraph implies. It’s just that I’m a little tired right now, because I just got back from a little vacation. I got to spend 6 whole days with Sarah and Oot and my dad. Something that I don’t think has happened in years.

It was a nice time, which means there aren’t many interesting stories to tell. I’d post pictures of Oot being cute, but when I’m having a good time, I generally prefer to keep having it, rather than stop having it so I can take a picture.

amazing-animal-pictures-29

(Instead, here is a picture of a giraffe licking a squirrel.)

I went to Busch gardens where I saw one of those cat-bear things. I went to the ocean for the first time ever and got to taste it. (Saltier than I expected.) I touched a crocodile. (Softer than I expected.)

Oot also displayed much bravery at the pool, dunking his face and making an honest attempt to float on his back. He was quite a civilized little man through the whole trip, polite and well-behaved even when he was tired or hungry. I am endlessly proud of him and love him beyond my ability to express with words.

See? Lovely to live through. Boring to talk about.

I just wanted y’all to know why I’d gone quiet for more than a week, and give folks a heads-up about the Arkansas event, as I don’t know when I’ll be back down in that neck of the woods again.

I’ll be posting blogs more often now that I’m back on the clock.

Stay tuned….

pat

This entry was posted in appearances, Oot. By Pat36 Responses

36 Comments

  1. Posted May 6, 2013 at 4:31 AM | Permalink

    No, I’m allergic to adorableness!!!!! And that picture is too adorable! D:

    If I lived anywhere near Arkansas, I would be there, alas, I live in Australia… let me know when you’re making a trip Down Under.

    How can you have never seen the ocean before?! D: It’s such a cool thing…

    Also: I am a uni student studying writing and as I was leaving one of my lectures today, I noticed someone giving a guy I know a copy of The Name of the Wind. I might have gone over to the guy and told him that his life was about to change forever because it’s such an amazing book and continued to have a bit of an ranty fangirl moment… :)

  2. maine character
    Posted May 6, 2013 at 4:33 AM | Permalink

    About not bothering to take pictures, John Prine said the exact same thing when asked why he didn’t write more happy songs – that the last thing he wanted to do when having a good time is stop and write a song.

    And glad you go to check out the ocean. Take as many drinks as you like.

  3. Prufrock
    Posted May 6, 2013 at 6:33 AM | Permalink

    It is one of the bravest things for a little guy to put his head underwater. Kudos to Oot. I remember that process for each of my kids. :) Including the surprise immersions… my son’s surprised eyes staring up out of the clear water when he sat down in a deeper-than-expected area.

  4. kdculb
    Posted May 6, 2013 at 8:45 AM | Permalink

    Enjoy Heifer and thanks for the box of goodies. I actually won 2 books in the lottery that I tried and fail to buy on ebay;)

  5. jayh
    Posted May 6, 2013 at 9:11 AM | Permalink

    Glad you had a great time on vacation but the blog title is confusing me….

    so, what’s with the “taste of tears” shouldn’t it be “taste of squirrels”. Doh, just got it… you’re talking about the ocean. Never mind.

    • Posted May 6, 2013 at 11:15 AM | Permalink

      No worries, it was a pretty oblique reference….

  6. jamoliso
    Posted May 6, 2013 at 9:56 AM | Permalink

    Did you by chance went to the Tampa Busch Gardens? I feel that one is the best.

  7. Kalef
    Posted May 6, 2013 at 10:11 AM | Permalink

    You never got to the ocean? That really saddened me somehow.
    I loved being at the Oceanside as a kid and I still do. It’s like a wild and stormy world of salty Waves and Sand, but it feels amazing everytime.
    I talk about the northern seas in Europe here. The South isn’t that interesting at all. No real force of nature there.

    I thought you went to Europe? There’s Ocean practically almost everywhere, compared to Northern Amerika at least.

    • Posted May 6, 2013 at 10:43 AM | Permalink

      Yeah. Despite all the traveling I’ve done in these last couple years, I’ve never been to the ocean. I’ve seen it from airplanes, I’ve been close enough to *smell* it sometimes. But I’ve always been too busy to go and swim a little….

      • Zombiesheep
        Posted May 6, 2013 at 1:13 PM | Permalink

        I discovered last year that if you ever have a lay over at the Boston airport, there is a tram right there that takes you on a 5 minute ride directly to a nice long beach with ginormous freaking sea shells.
        It also has a friendly homeless guy who won’t ask you for anything, but will sit in conversation for a while.
        Definitely better than sitting in the airport for 12 hours straight!

      • Kalef
        Posted May 6, 2013 at 4:30 PM | Permalink

        Good thing you finally tasted the sea’s salty tears and smelled them in the wind.

        It’s never to late.^^

      • yin
        Posted May 10, 2013 at 10:43 AM | Permalink

        Wow Pat,
        Things like this make me realize how we take the little yet significant events in our life for granted…

        I am extremely excited to read about your experience with the ocean and about your family time. But to be honest I would of loved Oot’s picture instead ^_^

  8. Victor Richardson
    Posted May 6, 2013 at 11:09 AM | Permalink

    I am going to take a break from Law School finals to come see you. Forgive me if I appear dazed, unkempt, and smelly.

  9. WhyShapiro
    Posted May 6, 2013 at 11:09 AM | Permalink

    Am I the only one who thinks Pat petting a crocodile is NOT boring and mundane? If anyone could use that as an opportunity for wacky misadventure, it’s you.

  10. April
    Posted May 6, 2013 at 11:18 AM | Permalink

    Good for Oot! When I was little I was terrified of putting my head underwater. When a swimming instructor told me to at least dunk my head enough to “get my ears wet,” I simply tilted my head left and right and dipped each ear in the water. Mom was mortified, but I like to think I was a smart little kid. I still don’t enjoy swimming very much, though. I’m more of a read in the shade kind of gal. :)

  11. Codeberserker
    Posted May 6, 2013 at 11:21 AM | Permalink

    Wonderful display of love and affection with the picture of giraffe, wonderful and pretty cool, but if you wanna go realy wild, then you should find a pic of eagle cuddling with rabbit. I’m happy you get to recharge your writting drive, the ocean is amazing place to lose yourself for awhile.

    • kdculb
      Posted May 7, 2013 at 7:00 AM | Permalink

      It is called tasting, the giraffe was tasting the squirrel.

      • Codeberserker
        Posted May 7, 2013 at 12:08 PM | Permalink

        Diet change is pretty smart moove, now i know why there’s no more eagles out there..the giraffe eat them all.

        • Codeberserker
          Posted May 7, 2013 at 12:10 PM | Permalink

          Fuck my grammar.

  12. Posted May 6, 2013 at 11:22 AM | Permalink

    Wait… I met you in San Francisco. Do you know how far you were from the ocean at that moment? Less than 6 miles, and that’s following city streets. You were even closer to the bay, like 2 miles away, tops.

    Of course, the Pacific up in the Bay Area isn’t really much a swimming ocean… unless you like being really, really cold.

    Did Oot get to feed the giraffes at Busch Gardens? It’s always pretty impressive, what with the nearly 2-foot-long, prehensile tongues and all.

  13. SkyeRPeters
    Posted May 6, 2013 at 11:25 AM | Permalink

    I live in Siloam Springs, AR, but 4 hours of driving is more than my budget (of $0) can afford right now. :( Know that I’ll be mentally waving at your plane as you flyover, though!!

  14. Kalam
    Posted May 6, 2013 at 11:30 AM | Permalink

    I think that the squirrel probably lost an eye XD

  15. bonnie.jeans
    Posted May 6, 2013 at 11:31 AM | Permalink

    I hope you get the chance to introduce Oot (and yourself and your girl, of course) to several different oceans. I had the chance to introduce most of my kids to the ocean a couple years ago. What a delight to watch them enjoying the new experience, and falling in love with the beauty, power and peace that the ocean offers.
    Perhaps we can get you to Montana in the next year or so during the summer, so you can all experience huckleberry or cherry picking and some of the extreme awesomeness that is Montana.

    • mgshredder
      Posted May 6, 2013 at 6:55 PM | Permalink

      Love Montana. I was just there a month ago and I can’t wait to get back in August. It has its own beauty, power and peace that speaks to me far more clearly than the ocean ever has.

    • Robyn
      Posted May 7, 2013 at 12:34 AM | Permalink

      I was sorely tempted to sneak off to a cow-cutting workshop in Montana this summer. I will probably regret that one.

  16. Posted May 6, 2013 at 12:46 PM | Permalink

    Everytime I run into someone I haven’t seen in a while and they say “What have you been up too?”

    I feel the exact same way as your blog post implies you felt about your trip.

    It’s not that I haven’t been doing anything or that my life is overly boring, its just, I have nothing to say about it…which usually results in the ever so vague, “Not Much” or “Thing are going good” answer.
    Or the worst possible exclamation of “Just Working” which I really only do 40 (maybe) hours out of the entire week so is an obvious and direct lie….*shrug*

    Anywho…glad your trip was fun enough not to bother with cameras. That actually says a lot in my opinion.

  17. Posted May 6, 2013 at 1:08 PM | Permalink

    There is nothing quite so wonderful as an enjoyable time with family.

    I live in the Tampa area and now am sad I did not happen to visit Busch the same day you were there. Fate is still against me meeting you face to face.

  18. fb
    Posted May 7, 2013 at 9:38 AM | Permalink

    This comment is not directed at Pat, who I do not want to pester. On the other hand, I am happy to pester anyone else! Has anyone in the UK (or outside North America) got any exciting lottery winning packages yet?

    I am still clinging hopefully to the hope that something could potentially be winging its way towards me, but I have no idea how long the postal journey would take…If I need to start mercifully killing my hope then I should really start soon. Cheers!

  19. SilverTpt
    Posted May 9, 2013 at 10:11 AM | Permalink

    I’m sure a blog about this is incoming, but in the meantime – The Name of the Wind playing cards on Kickstarter!

    http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1460165270/the-name-of-the-wind-playing-cards

  20. Bucky
    Posted May 9, 2013 at 10:38 AM | Permalink

    I too was on vacation last week in Florida and it was my first (and my 4yr old daughter’s) time to see the atlantic ocean. I’ve been to the Gulf before, but this time we took a detour to Daytona Beach on our way to Disney World just to see the Ocean.

    Super excited for the Little Rock event tonight as I will finally get to meet you and get my Book(s) signed. I visit Madison AND Stevens Point for a week each summer visiting grandparents and I always take my book with me on the trip in case I run into you around Stevens Point.

    With Heifer International being here I always held out hope that you would eventually make your way here and I was right!

    P.S. If you want some good BBQ while here check out Whole Hog Cafe, several locations in the area and they have really good food. The potato salad is a must and I don’t even like any other potato salad.

  21. lykashii
    Posted May 9, 2013 at 1:37 PM | Permalink

    Having lived by the sea my entire life, reading that was shocking.
    I’m so glad you finally got a chance to … err.. taste? … the ocean :P.
    Also a totally American thing to call it the ocean. Oh I do love to live by the sea siiiiideee

  22. AGNKim
    Posted May 10, 2013 at 12:28 AM | Permalink

    Got to meet the illustrious Mr. Rothfuss tonight in Little Rock. A great time and Pat is a great dude. Couldn’t have been nicer. Thanks!

  23. Posted May 10, 2013 at 6:52 AM | Permalink

    I’m still waiting for you to come to Brazil … When you finish the third book, or when the movie is released (I still have hopes that this will happen), I believe you will come. I ask you to come to Belo Horizonte, please. Brazil is not only Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

  24. Constance
    Posted May 10, 2013 at 4:20 PM | Permalink

    Hey Pat, are you going to give a shout out to that gorgeous playing-card Kickstarter? I can’t wait to see how many people join up once you announce it…

  25. brriska
    Posted May 11, 2013 at 10:05 PM | Permalink

    This post was lovely! Not boring at all…and the picture had me laughing out loud. I’m happy you got some great time with your family. We live in Florida and go to the beach frequently! I love reading about others discovering the amazing journey of parenting. Thanks for sharing so much of your life with us Pat! And thanks for your incredible books!

  26. novaengliae
    Posted May 17, 2013 at 1:15 PM | Permalink

    I almost feel I should tell you about all the things fish do in that water, which is why it’s so salty…but I won’t. Glad you enjoyed Busch Gardens, I love that place. Did you get close enough to smell the binturong (bear-cat thing)? They smell like popcorn. It was great meeting you, so excited you finally made it to Florida!

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