The Day I met the Perseus Books CEO dressed like a Hipster

About three months ago, as the Kaboom launch date neared, the stellar marketing team at Da Capo and Perseus (Da Capo is an imprint of Perseus) asked if I'd be cool doing a podcast for the book's website. I thought it was a great idea, but there was one catch - I couldn't do it on a cellphone. Clarity and garble and all that. Like every other Millennial/Gen whYer I know, I don't utilize a landline - what other communication tool does one need, beyond a cell and Facebook? Usually, for radio interviews and such, I use my agent's landline, but he was out of town for the week. The solution - head to Perseus Books headquarters, located in lower Manhattan, and conduct the podcast interview there.

Now, perhaps this was shortsighted of me, but I thought this was going to be an in-and-out deal. I had a contact there, whose office I'd conduct the telephonic interview in, and that'd be that. I already had Happy Hour plans, post-interview. Comfort took precedence over style, in terms of dress. So I threw on a plaid shirt and a pair of blue jeans and called it a day.

Now, I'm definitely not a hipster. (Even real hipsters say that, I know. My defense? I detest V-neck shirts and don't rattle off a pretentious list of nobody bands when asked what music I listen to. I also don't wear scarves, in either the winter or summer. So there.) But I will admit to appearing slightly hipsterish on this day - the jeans I wore were on the skinny side (a Christmas present!) and a plaid shirt is either pragmatic or ironic, depending on the wearer. But I gave it no mind at the time, because as City Girl and my family will attest, I don't give a damn about clothes.

So, I walk into the Perseus building and get buzzed up to their floor. It's all very chic and modern-looking, and I'm suitably impressed. Definitely not in Brooklyn, anymore. Peter, my contact and all-around awesome guy, ushers me in and shows me around the place. A large placard of Kaboom's cover - it probably weighed 80 or so pounds - is on one of the walls. I ask, only partly-kidding, if I can get it when they're done with it. People laugh, but there's no answer, so I presume it's a negatory. Peter shows me to his office, tells me he'll be in the conference room, and then off-handedly informs me that the CEO of Perseus, David Steinberger, would like to meet me after I'm done with the podcast.

Through my parents and friends' parents, I've spent enough time in corporate offices to know that you don't meet the CEO of a company dressed like a hipster, even if you do qualify as a creative type. I also had my now normal four-day patchy beard/pirate look going. But, short of stealing an outfit and a razor, I had no choice. So, I conduct the podcast, find Peter, and am escorted into Mr. Steinberger's office.

He couldn't be nicer. His coffee table sports a brand new copy of Kaboom, which either means he genuinely enjoyed it, or his secretary is efficient as hell. I'm cool with either, actually - efficient secretaries mean efficient companies. We talk for a few minutes, and when he finds out about my grad school plans, he gives me a copy of an Arab history book from his bookshelf. That's that, and off to Happy Hour I go.

Surreal moment, to be certain. Would've been easier on a casual Friday or something, but still, a positive experience.