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Writer's Block: Starstruck
Dec. 9th, 2011 10:01 am[Error: unknown template qotd]
Without trying to sound Clintonesque, I suppose that depends on what the definition of "met" is.
Is meeting the eyes of and exchanging a small nod with a recognizable movie actor sitting two rows away on the same airplane flight count as having "met" the actor? I don't think so.
Does shaking the hand of, say, a prominent politician count as having "met" that person? Probably not.
What about going to junior high school with (and sitting in the same class for three grades with) someone who later became Attorney General of the United States? That'd be a toss-up, even if we had been good buddies in 9th grade, but hadn't exchanged words since.
How about walking into a room in the White House with a group of astronauts and cosmonauts and having the First Lady glare at you from the next room with a who-the-hell-let-you-in-here look? Getting warmer, I think, but still no cigar.
And yes, all of these things actually happened to me.
Talking about astronauts makes me wonder about the definition of "famous," as well.
Are astronauts famous? Some are, no doubt. John Glenn. Yuri Gagarin. Neil Armstrong. Some others. The rest share a certain renown, but are not "famous" in the sense of "everyone knows who they are." (Do you know the name of the first woman to fly in space? or the first American woman to fly in space? I happen to, but many people I know don't and don't feel themselves cheated by it. Are these women "famous"?)
I've met a number of astronauts (and Russian cosmonauts), and have worked with them during various phases before, during, and after their flights in space. I even was present when a combined Russian and American group of spacemen visited semi-retired-astronaut then-Senator John Glenn at his office in Washington, DC ("semi-retired," because Glenn flew in space again several years after that visit).
The same thing goes for world chess champions. Do you remember who Bobby Fischer was, or Boris Spassky? I once played an ex-world champion to a draw in an event called a "simultaneous exhibition," where the expert player takes on 30 or more amateurs and generally wins all but one or two games. And even that might not count as having "met" him, except for the fact that we broke bread and carried on a correspondence for a couple of years after our game.
What about Silicon Valley movers and shakers? Some, like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, are undoubtedly in the "famous" class. Others, such as Phillipe Kahn—well, I think he's famous, but altogether too many people I've mentioned him to either have no idea who he is, or remember only after I talk about Turbo Pascal and Borland.
And authors? Wow, now that's a real quagmire if you want to tell who's "famous" and who isn't. Why? Well, to start with, I'm a published author (two books, several hundred magazine articles). Am I famous? If so, I guarantee it's not for writing any of that stuff.
So, have I ever met anyone famous?
The short answer is yes.
Probably.
Cheers...
Without trying to sound Clintonesque, I suppose that depends on what the definition of "met" is.
Is meeting the eyes of and exchanging a small nod with a recognizable movie actor sitting two rows away on the same airplane flight count as having "met" the actor? I don't think so.
Does shaking the hand of, say, a prominent politician count as having "met" that person? Probably not.
What about going to junior high school with (and sitting in the same class for three grades with) someone who later became Attorney General of the United States? That'd be a toss-up, even if we had been good buddies in 9th grade, but hadn't exchanged words since.
How about walking into a room in the White House with a group of astronauts and cosmonauts and having the First Lady glare at you from the next room with a who-the-hell-let-you-in-here look? Getting warmer, I think, but still no cigar.
And yes, all of these things actually happened to me.
Talking about astronauts makes me wonder about the definition of "famous," as well.
Are astronauts famous? Some are, no doubt. John Glenn. Yuri Gagarin. Neil Armstrong. Some others. The rest share a certain renown, but are not "famous" in the sense of "everyone knows who they are." (Do you know the name of the first woman to fly in space? or the first American woman to fly in space? I happen to, but many people I know don't and don't feel themselves cheated by it. Are these women "famous"?)
I've met a number of astronauts (and Russian cosmonauts), and have worked with them during various phases before, during, and after their flights in space. I even was present when a combined Russian and American group of spacemen visited semi-retired-astronaut then-Senator John Glenn at his office in Washington, DC ("semi-retired," because Glenn flew in space again several years after that visit).
The same thing goes for world chess champions. Do you remember who Bobby Fischer was, or Boris Spassky? I once played an ex-world champion to a draw in an event called a "simultaneous exhibition," where the expert player takes on 30 or more amateurs and generally wins all but one or two games. And even that might not count as having "met" him, except for the fact that we broke bread and carried on a correspondence for a couple of years after our game.
What about Silicon Valley movers and shakers? Some, like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, are undoubtedly in the "famous" class. Others, such as Phillipe Kahn—well, I think he's famous, but altogether too many people I've mentioned him to either have no idea who he is, or remember only after I talk about Turbo Pascal and Borland.
And authors? Wow, now that's a real quagmire if you want to tell who's "famous" and who isn't. Why? Well, to start with, I'm a published author (two books, several hundred magazine articles). Am I famous? If so, I guarantee it's not for writing any of that stuff.
So, have I ever met anyone famous?
The short answer is yes.
Probably.
Cheers...
