MamaJD phoned HBO moments ago to explain how she ended up helping with the books at Sarah Palin's autographfest at Fred Meyer. She was standing in a small group with Coach Dean Lundblad, who knows members of the Palin family. She and others in the group were welcomed by the Palin family and invited to help with the book signing. The process went like this. People handed their books to someone at the beginning of the line and got a different one back with Palin's signature from a table after they met the Palins. In the middle of the assembly line, Palin signed one book after another while pausing for a brief handshake and a personal comment for each autograph seeker. Todd Palin and Chuck Heath (Sarah's father) also signed books. MamaJD told Huckleberries Online she was amazed that the only prominent Republican she saw in line was Ruthie Johnson. "The most remarkable thing about the book signing," she said, "was that everyone is so unremarkable." Common people turned out to see Palin, not big shots, she said. Some people were so excited to meet Sarah Palin, MamaJD said, that they had tears in their eyes, including Vietnam War veterans. "I don't know about her political prowess," MamaJD said, "but there's something mesmerizing about her. She's a warm person who has an energy about her."