Last week was the most eventful span of my writing life, and I didn’t … you, know, write about it.  Ah, the sad irony.

But that’s what the wee hours of a Sunday night are for, so here goes…

Monday night was Year Zero’s launch party at the Mysterious Galaxy bookstore in Redondo.   Below is a crew of Random House bigwigs who dined on foie gras and caviar FOR AN ENTIRE MONTH as they floated out on the Del Rey Executive Zeppelin from New York, along with Mysterious Galaxy czarina LeAnna H.  We all look pleased, apart from my editor, who looks like a sad, sad panda.  I’m the towering guy wearing the badass headphones in the back.  Yes, that’s a statuette of me on the sconce to the right.

On Thursday night I did what amounted to 12 minutes of standup comedy for the first time in my life.  What better way to do it that, than in front of 1,200 people?  This was at the w00tstock show at Comic Con.  EVERY OTHER PERFORMER WAS 90-12,113 TIMES MORE FAMOUS THAN ME.  They had Scientists on-hand to verify this.  It was completely demoralizing.  Here we are hanging out in the green room before the big show:

Although I was NOT TREMBLING EVEN SLIGHTLY FROM STAGE FRIGHT, a massive (but outrageously brief) earthquake hit just as my cheap-ass cell phone camera’s aperture opened.  But while it’s hard to pick out the faces, here you have Adam Savage, Paul & Storm, John Scalzi, Wil Wheaton, John Roderick, Marian Call, and a cool guy with a neck beard and glasses.

And here’s a bunch of us on stage.  I may even be one of us (although I’m pretty sure I’m not).

Afterward we did a signing.  Here are best-selling authors John Scalzi and Patrick Rothfuss, as well as show director Liz, who has more superpowers than the rest of us combined.

The next day I did my own signing in the Random House booth – and a gratifyingly large number of people showed up and had me … sign things!  I think it was because they thought I could introduce them to John, Patrick and Liz (I couldn’t).  I’m pictured here with Lori, who ran the show & helped me plot near-term conspiracies (thanks again, Lori):

I got to meet a number of my heroes at Comic Con, including Margaret Atwood, below.  We are not drunk.

By the way, almost everything at Comic Con is from the Future.  Why, even the hotels have power buttons!

And lest you fear that the comic folks are running out of highbrow ideas for new franchises, allow me to put those worries to rest:

And last but CERTAINLY not least, before I pass from this Earth I hope to get photos of myself with actual Year Zero readers who happen to bear the names of each of my major characters.  I’m in the market for a Nick, a Paulie, a Manda, a Frampton, a Carly, and a Pugwash.  BUT I ALREADY HAVE AN OZZIE!!!  OK fine, my character uses a Y and a couple of umlauts.  But Ozzie is close enough, and takes care of one of the “big three” names that I knew would be incredibly challenging (Frampton and Pugwash remain daunting).  Anyway – here I am with my new buddy Ozzie, as well as the Year Zero alien, who still lacks a name:

That’s it for now.  Off to the East Coast in mere minutes.