Oddly, the Tech Ed book store is tucked away among the breakout session rooms this year in Room 405. You have to go looking for it which is different than it being the first thing you see as you walk into the big exhibition hall. It's certainly worth the effort. Even if you don't purchase anything, there is a "wheel of fortune" at the exit door that everyone gets to spin with prizes ranging from mousepads to books. I won a set of whiteboard pens. I do have a whiteboard even though I work alone. People laugh at ("for when you are brainstorming with yourself?") that but I use it quite a lot.

I went up to the bookstore for one very specific reason.

I have never seen my book on a bookstore shelf. It was very fun to see this:

Last night, there was a big party in the exhibitor hall with lots of food and an open bar (beer, wine, soda) to encourage attendees to spend time visiting the exhibitors. I spend most of that time hanging out at the O'Reilly booth  with Laural Ruma, Laurel Ackerman and Marsee Henon, which was a lot of fun.  A number of people who have my book came by and I signed little bookplates that they can paste into their book when they get home. These folks ranged from the "EF Curious" to those who are implementing EF into their applications. It's so nice to know that the book is helping people.

At one point, an attendee who's last name is O'Reilly and works for a company called Corona came by and I thought it was a funny coincidence that I was at the O'Reilly booth drinking a Corona beer and talking with O'Reilly from Corona. We gave him a copy of my book and then took a picture (on his camera, so I don't have it) of him and I together with him holding the book and me holding the beer.