Happy Birthday to Me and Happy Towel Day to You

Hello!

This is an important day on two levels. One, it is my seventeenth birthday and two, it is Towel Day.

All of you will understand the birthday part, another year older, cake, ice cream, presents...actually, I am not planning on having cake. I am celebrating on Sunday with an ice cream banquet and a trip to the theater to see On Stranger Tides. Today, I went to the mall with my cousin and we wandered around drinking coconut mocha frappachinos and chatting while trying on the occasional article of clothing. A lovely way to spend one's birthday. :)

Many things have happened since my last birthday. I sang with a hundred other voices in a concert in Canada and made new friends. I explored Pike's Market in Seattle. I met my first author, a lovely lady by the name of Pamela Aidan who took the time to chat with me. I sang in a Christmas concert. I started this blog. (A big event.) I interviewed my first author. (see here.) I received my first ARCs. I was invited to my first book tour. I got my own internet connection in my room so that Mom could have the family computer to herself. :) I visited the beautiful Leavenworth and marched in a parade. I reviewed more than sixty books. I discovered the absolute delight of having followers who put up with me. I joined Facebook at last.
I have had a lot of fun this year, and I wonder what might come next. :)

Now, for the question some of you (at least a few of you should already know) are probably asking yourselves, what is Towel Day? Towel Day is a holiday where froody geeks like myself celebrate the immortal works of a brilliant comedian.

"You got a towel with you?" said Ford suddenly to Arthur.
Arthur, struggling through his third pint, looked round at him.
"Why? What, no...should I have?"
From The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Well, obviously Arthur does not properly understand that a towel is the about most massively useful thing you can possess. However, nerds around the world do believe in this fact and therefore carry their towels everywhere all day long as a declaration of their undying loyalty to the, sadly less undying, Douglas Adams.
I am neither geeky nor brave enough to carry a towel around the mall, but I did tuck a small washcloth into my purse so that I could join the global fun without all of the funny looks I would be sure to receive if I set foot in public wearing my faded old beach towel.

So, have you seen anyone with a towel today and wondered what the heck they were doing? If you did, now you know why.
For more information on this literary holiday, check out these websites: http://www.towelday.org/ and http://www.towel.org.uk/

Have fun and keep track of your towel!

                                       Lieder Madchen