As I've stated before, I simply cannot be in two places at once. Which I know you know, but somehow I forget sometimes. The truth of it, the physics, the laws of nature working against me. And so.
It comes down to this: do I go see Chad Kultgen read from his debut novel The Average American Male or do I go see the celebrated Jane Smiley read and discuss Ten Days in the Hills? I've not read either book -- which is already a strike against me. The strike against Chad, however, might be insurmountable. You see, Chad is reading at Book Soup. Ah, Book Soup. An excellent bookstore but oh-so-inconveniently-located. The last time I attended a reading at Book Soup (Andrea Siegel danced so it was well worth it), it took me 1.75 hours to get there. I'm not kidding. Do I really want to make that kind of trek when I could easily slipstream my way up the 110 to the Jane Smiley reading at Vroman's in Pasadena in 20 minutes flat?
It's sad what attending an author reading in Los Angeles has come down to. It's all about proximity and time of day. And sheer physics, of course...the bits that make it impossible to be in both places at once. A shame, really.