Oh, Lord I'm Tired... and I Want To Rest (Old Negro Spiritual)

9:30 p.m. Sorry I'm Late!

I found out today (or was it last night?) that my Realtors are going to host an Open House at my condo sometime this coming week during the week. This news, of course, has put me into Hyperactive, Hyper-vigilant Mode.

So I got home tonight and washed the windows inside and out (I don't remember the last time I did them, so it was time!). I went around and dusted even though there was no dust to dust. I will go into the garage tomorrow after I have helped Aunt Tod all morning and be sure the boxes and stuff in there are neatly stacked and that the floor is swept and all looks tidy... I've deadheaded the roses and watered the lawn and looked around to see what else might be viewed as unsightly or "not quite perfect" around here. It's a good thing I won't be here during the Open House -- I'd probably put ME in the garage, as I'm not quite perfect and there's not a thing I can do about it to make me perfect between now and any time next week (or month, or year, or decade, or lifetime). (To put it wildly mildly!)

I also fielded calls from Margot (I call her "Marmot" affectionately) in Colorado and Anne in Australia (I call her "Annie" when I'm far enough away that I know she can't bean me for it... and right now I'm safe until we meet again, which will hopefully be next year in Aussieland when I appear at an Adelaide convention, God willing and the creeks don't rise)...

I met Margot Worthington in Los Angeles in 1991. We had both just turned 50 (she on February 12th and I on March 5th). She found out about me, I think, as a result of reading my book. She emailed me and we began a fun correspondence and found out how much we had in common, so in the summer of 2001 she decided to fly to LA on a whirlwind two-day weekend and meet me. In a very short span of time, I took her to De's star, by his and Carolyn's house, and up to Vasquez Rocks so she could see where De had made a few STAR TREK episodes (Bread and Circuses and Shore Leave among them) and Westerns. We never shut up the entire time. It was just glorious. The weekend was over long before either of us wanted to consign it to past history! That's the last time I saw her in the flesh, but we have emailed frequently all along and talk on the phone several times a year -- whenever I can wrest her away from a job that demands a great deal of her energy and devotion.

Margot will be flying to Vegas to reconnect in August during the STAR TREK convention and will be bringing a Beauty and the Beast fan/friend along with her. I can't wait for my hugs!

I told her I was getting nervous and she said, "You'll do fine! I can't wait!" I sent her a video of my Seattle or Sacramento appearance (since she couldn't get to it) and she is CERTAIN I will have NO trouble in Vegas... so I am resting on her faith in me... and Billie Rae's... and Nancy Graf's... and... anyone else who will keep telling me what a GREAT presenter I am! Right now I need all the emotional support I can get! There is in me one giant CHICKEN wondering what the h--- I'm thinking whenever I say "yes" to a convention appearance. The months preceding each appearance are beyond nerve-wracking -- very much like standing in line for the fastest, longest, tallest, scariest roller coaster on the planet... "Jesus, hold me close!!!"

I'm reading The Shy Writer by Hope Clark. Boy howdy, has she got ME pegged. (She's a shy writer, too.) What she has to say in her book has been very helpful. It underscores what De told Brent: "Just love them." If I stay focused on that one simple direction, I will be just FINE! Hope is the creator of http://www.fundsforwriters.com/. You might want to check out her website and wisdom if you are a writer or a writer wannabe. I just ordered six of her downloadable e-books. You get a huge discount when you order five or more. Check it out!

I met Anne Richardson of Australia in L.A., too, the year De and Carolyn were supposed to meet with her -- 1995, I think it was -- but Carolyn came down with a terrible case of shingles and they had to cancel. Anne was De's Australian fan club President and flew to the U.S. for a vacation whose crowning glory was going to be meeting the Kelleys. They felt terrible about having to cancel with her and sent her on a tour of Paramount Studios, gathered De memorabilia for her in abundance, and then asked me if I would show her around town. I was delighted to do that! So I was her "blind date" -- except that she knew of me a little (as "Krazy Kris"), as I did of her (the Kelleys had shared her DeCoy newsletters with me) -- mainly by reputation. The story of our first meeting is in my book so I won't re-trace it here.

Three years ago Anne flew back to America to accompany me on a cruise to Alaska. She arrived a few days before the cruise was set to sail from Seattle and then stayed three weeks after we got back. We had a terrific time.

To this day I feel so sad and sorry that she missed meeting the Kelleys.. but then I think, "If she had met them, she and I would probably never have met..." and I can't imagine what life would be like without my Aussie friend! So I can look at it selfishly and say, "Her loss has been my gain..." but I STILL feel very much saddened that she didn't get more than a few minutes with De on a phone call. It's a lot more than most fans got with him, but Annie truly deserved more and I wish she had been able to meet him.

She'll meet him in heaven and then there will be lots of time to make up for lost time. I'm sure she's looking forward to that.

BUT NOT ANY TIME SOON, ANNIE! YOU STICK AROUND!