Dance

You are all amazing.  You are, in fact, so amazing that I am having a hard time finding the words to talk about it.  So instead, I’m going to tell you what happened on Friday.

On Friday, I put Curls up for preorder.

I’ve done this before.  I know what it’s like.  It’s like planning a party.  You work for a long time (putting in far more time and energy than folks who don’t throw parties would believe).  You invite people.  You get very excited but also more than a little nervous.  What if no one comes?  What if only your best friend and your great aunt Ethel come, and they stand around staring at their shoes?  What if the mean girls from eighth grade come and they say horrid things?  By the time the day arrives, you’re a bundle of nerves.

That’s pretty much where I was Friday morning.  I’d told you the book would go live at noon, I’d sent a message to the mailing list, and I’d said some things on twitter.  I’d told a few friends and asked them to mention it if they had a chance.  I had all the back end website stuff ready to go.  All I had to do was click update when the clock struck noon.  I figured a few folks would saunter in, and we’d have a lovely little shindig.

Noon came.  I clicked update.  Nothing happened.

Nothing happened, because there were so many people trying to get to the site that it had died.  The world went a bit blurry around the edges, and I made plaintive noises at The Boy (he being the chief technical type around these parts).  He said some colorful things, typed quickly, made a host of astonishing facial expressions, and typed some more.  I stood beside him and quietly mentioned that I would very much like the site to be working.  I allowed as how I really did want that rather badly.  I asked if it would be useful if I did some sort of interpretive dance to convey just how fervently I wanted the site to be working.  I began performing said dance.  He muttered things about load and connections and traffic and typed some more.

Time passed. According to unreliable things like clocks, something like 20 minutes passed.  I assure you it was actually more like three days.  Eventually, The Boy declared the problem fixed (I’m assuming it was my spectacular dance moves that did it).  I was finally able to click update.

Then you guys came.  Lots of you came.

I’d arranged for 250 goody bags.  After talking to a few other folks in the field and looking at some numbers from past preorders, I thought that would stand us in good stead for a day or two at least.  They were gone in less than an hour.  But you didn’t all go home when the goody bags ran out.  You kept coming.  So many of you came that I’m talking to my printer about getting more books made, and I’ve started a waiting list for yarn stores just so I can be absolutely sure you guys all get your books on time.  Best of all, no one said a single horrid thing.  You were all amazingly gracious, despite the technical mishaps.  A few of you actually said things so kind they almost made me cry.

So thank you.  I threw a party, and you came.  You didn’t just come, you danced.