Whew: My book tour is over.

Really, I couldn't have hoped for a better "end of the road" event than LA. The reading was so much fun, the house perfectly packed, and I even managed to drag Andreas on stage to read his sidebar.

Then I dragged Heidi on stage to embarrass her over her antics at our wedding reception.

And then I cut up a penis cake that somehow managed to be even more obscene than the penis cake at the book release party, way back in February … which seems like a lifetime ago.

So long ago that I can hardly remember why penis cake became an offbeat party staple. Who the fuck's promotional idea is this? (…oh yeah: mine.) I bookended my book tour with penis cake and a Wai-Ching dress on both ends. I'm not sure what that means.

Lots of photos over here, including shots from most of the other places I toured.

(Thanks to leahpeah for the photo!)

I'm in LA for a for a few days, on the final stop of my book tour. I'll have a few more appearances here and there, but this weekend marks the swan song of the sock puppet. If you're in Los Angles, I hope I'll see you!

SATURDAY
7:30pm Offbeat Bride reading and drunken farewell to my book tour
@ Tangier Lounge, more info here

(Oh, and I'm also reading at LA Angst on Sunday)

I spent all afternoon yesterday at Vain, where I co-hosted an Offbeat Bridal Shower thang. Dozens of nontrad bridal types came, got their hair played with and make-up done, ate cupcakes and drank fizzy beverages. It was awesome, and thanks to the ladies at Vain for hosting the event.

… And thanks to each of you who came and provided so much gorgeousness! My voice is hoarse from doing so much talking with brides and other awesome women — I even got to meet the bride I've been web-stalking all week.

I took hundreds of pictures yesterday … sadly, many of them turned out fuzzy, but you can still get some great hair inspiration over here. If you were at the event and don't see yourself in the pictures, email me and I'll send you the shots I have of you. They may be out of focus (bah!), but if you wannem, I gottem!

Oh and PS: Totally unrelated to Vain, but I love this hairstyle.

This weekend I'm co-hosting an awesome event at Seattle's VAIN, the salon that gave me my pink braids. If you're in Seattle you must come. Seriously: there will be cupcakes and non-stupid hair styling. How could you not come? Here's all the info:

VAIN’s Offbeat Bridal Wedding Shower
May 19th 2007, 2-6pm FREE
VAIN: 2018 1st Avenue, Seattle WA

As engaged couples across Seattle know, wedding season is almost upon us — and for the Northwest’s growing numbers of non-traditional brides, the looming season means something slightly different. With these nontraditional brides in mind, Seattle’s VAIN Salon has joined forces with local writer Ariel Meadow Stallings, author of OFFBEAT BRIDE: TAFFETA-FREE ALTERNATIVES FOR INDEPENDENT BRIDES, to host a free afternoon of nontraditional primping, wedding planning advice, sweets and prizes for local brides. The free event will take place between 2 and 6pm on Saturday, May 19th at VAIN’s Belltown salon at 2018 1st Avenue in Seattle.

UPDATE: Check out the Offbeat up-do gallery from the event!

Canada was fabulous, my friends. Despite getting grief at the border both ways (car searches: not just for stoners any more!), my time in Canada was pure magic.

Friday was the most insane day of press I've ever done, but so much fun. The only scary moment was when I sat down 2 minutes before the live telecast of Vancouver's Breakfast Television, and the host said "So, your wedding was a disaster?" I was like, "Erm, no actually: it was so much fun I wrote a book about it!" She said, "Oh, your second wedding, you mean?" I said "Erm, no actually: I've only been married once."

A quick moment of panic and a glance at her notes revealed that she'd read Jenn Farrell's article in the Tyee, and thought it was mine. Then the cameras turned on, and we managed to sail through the interview gracefully — the cameramen snickering into their monitors when I mentioned our all-night rave reception wedding.

I had an interview every 2 hours, so I bounced around Vancouver from tv station to radio station to tv station to radio station. I think my favorite interview of the day was with Urban Rush, where I had the delight of spending several hours in the greenroom (I had some lag between interviews) chatting with a makeup artist named Michael who I wanted to fold into my trunk and smuggle across the border with me. ("No, I don't have anything to declare, officer.")

Then, just when I was exhausted from talking and couldn't take it any more, it was time for my reading at Sophia Books. It was a small crowd of the most wonderful people, including the afore-mentioned Jenn, Leigh, as well as the lovely brides of Queer Wedding Story. Interestingly, the only people who come to my readings are folks I've reached out to online — no amount of radio or television promoting seems to work. Moral of the story: mainstream media dead? Or just dead to me? Or maybe I'm too weird for primetime? In between my chapters, there was an indie fashion show of gowns … I'd been downing wine at this point and couldn't stop saying "CAN I TOUCH IT?!" every time I new dress came out. Gorgeousness! Thank to every one of you who made the evening so awesome!

Next up: San Francisco this Friday.