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I spent part of the day mingling with Hillary's fans and the Bookends people.

I estimated the crowd at about 500 at 2:00; perhaps 800 by the end of the day. The Bookends people were issuing passes until they ran out of books so they could have counted. The two munchkins running the line didn't know, though. The proprietor of the Gap Kids next door thought it was the largest crowd this bookstore had gotten. Previous celebs included Giuliani, Hulk Hogan and Bernie Mac.

"Brian Holman at 93.5" was taping for awhile.

People at the end of the line were concerned that they wouldn't get in before Mrs. Clinton left. She arrived at 3:30, the store manager said they were promised an hour and a half. One woman asked whether that time started at 3:00, when the event was supposed to start, or at 3:30. The store manager finally stated that she would be there till 5:00.

There were two lines. One was for folks with a ticket to get in for a signature. The waiting list was for those who would have a chance to get a book and a signature - there was no guarantee.

In fact, Mrs. Clinton signed until about 5:30. Everyone with a ticket or on the waiting list got in. There were a few disgruntled folks who were limited to one book per family. (Unfortunately, I didn't think till later that I could have had one of these people pay for me to get one signed for them.)

There was another disgruntled woman who bused up from Atlantic City, hoping to meet Hillary. She had some Senate stationery thanking her for something; she thought that would get her in. The woman's elevator did not reach all the floors, so who knows.

One group of four teenaged girls asked what the commotion was. When informed, one of them positively swooned and wanted to meet Mrs. Clinton. She was disappointed not to get a chance.

The store had an upstairs and a downstairs. There were books upstairs; anyone could go in at any time; I spent about an hour inside during two visits. Mrs. Clinton was downstairs. There must have been two stairways, as well as front and back entrances.

The rest rooms were closed from 1:30 to 5:30. Anyone waiting on line in the somewhat hot sun with a weak bladder was in trouble.

Mrs. Clinton arrived through a side entrance to the parking lot in a black Mercury. She entered the building from the rear. She left in a black and white van with NY plates.

A few of her fans, including a hairdresser who wanted to do her hair, watched her leave from the rear parking lot. I got a few analog pictures which are probably fuzzy. She waved at us, as she had when she arrived.

She was wearing a black suit, surprise. One woman said she was thinner than she expected.

Mrs. Clinton made a lot of friends yesterday; she strengthened her friendships with others. We made a few friends, also.