Jimmy Carter

I had the most exciting three seconds of my life at Changing Hands on Friday. It took waiting in line for an hour for those three seconds, but it was worth it. Basically, they shuffled us to the back of the store and Jimmy was at a table signing his books as fast as they could hand them to him, and we all got to file past him. There were people taking pictures behind a roped off area.
I kind of felt sorry for him. It was like seeing a major exhibit at the zoo. They wanted us to keep moving and file past him (like the zoo - hello). He didn't look up, he was so busy signing books, but when I stood in front of him, he stopped writing and looked up. I said hi and he smiled and said hi, and then went back to signing books again. (I think I got noticed because I was wearing this fabulous lapis lazuli necklace that's just huge).
I had originally come there because I did a painting that I want to donate to the White House. My best intention was that I would be able to talk to him about it; but honestly, those three seconds when he looked at me - one human greeting another - was enough. It made my whole night.
His eyes are really blue - like Paul Newman blue. I hope he passed them on to his descendants. He looks really old, but there's this quiet power that emanates from him that is both dangerous and lovely. I think you have to be a little dangerous if you're going to be president.
I kept going back and forth between where he was and the front of the store with my daughter, Stephanie and I think we were followed by the Secret Service (which was okay, because they were hot). Stephanie was really good at spotting the ones that were undercover. She tried to take a picture of one on the roof, but they have this aura that emanates from them that blocks pictures, because she got everything but him. Maybe you have to have mutant powers to work for them?