Guess who was at the University Center on Friday?

As I was going to get some dark-chocolate-covered pretzels at the candy shop across from Cha at the University Center, I noticed a huge line that ended near the parking lot by Steelhead that snaked around the entire University Center. Once I reached the inside of the center near Cha, I could now see well over 1,000 people lined up for something. My roommate, who was with me at the time, said “I think it’s Laura Bush!” At first, I didn’t really believe him because that seemed crazy that the First Lady would be at UC Irvine on a cold, stormy Friday evening.

However, I then decided to ask someone in line what they were waiting for, and a woman said to me, “The First Lady is signing the book that she co-authored with her daughter.” So it was true: Laura Bush was at the children’s bookstore at the University Center on Friday evening! It then all became clear as I looked around and spotted at least 15 Secret Service agents by my count, many of them with sunglasses on to give them the “Secret Service” look even though sunglasses were probably the last thing anyone would have needed amidst the clouds and light drizzle (perhaps umbrellas would have been more helpful). My roommate and I then walked around to the other side of the plaza, and we saw her motorcade/police escort complete with about 6 black SUVs with dark, tinted windows and about a 6 motorcycle California Highway Patrol escort with some additional cars from the Irvine Police.

I was able to get a peek inside the bookstore, and had the opportunity to catch a few glimpses of the First Lady shaking hands with people and signing books. I wanted to find out what time she was leaving to see if I could take a picture with her at the very end when she was done, but the Secret Service Agent claimed not to know what time she was leaving. Perhaps the Bush Administration has seen my blog and I have ended up on their bad list. I just found it interesting how even I myself will get excited when I see someone really famous, even if its not someone I’m particularly crazy about otherwise.