Famous People

Yesterday Braden and I went to the Annual World of Wheels at the Abilene Civic Center. We went last year and had a great time just walking around looking at all the cars. I really wasn't going to go this year. I have become a hermit with Tristan sleeping all the time. I knew Braden would like it but I just didn't have the motivation... until.... the other night I was watching TV and I saw the AD for the car show. I have tivo so I was just jumping through the commercials. A voice from the TV said, "meet Ozzy from Survivor". WHAT!!!??? I hit the return button on the remote just to make sure I was hearing it right. Ozzy was coming to the car show? I HAD to be there.

Okay now the back story:

1. I am nuts about meeting famous people. It doesn't matter if I am a fan of them or not. I am just plain nuts about meeting them.

I love to tell the story of walking in downtown Boston with Mason and his mom. We were passing a fancy hotel, the sidewalk was very busy. I was talking and not paying attention to anything when out of the blue Mason says to me "Oh look, there is Larry Bird" (now at the time Mason did not know I had a famous person problem - if he did most likely he would not have said anything). I look up and take off running, following Larry into the hotel and into the elevator. I just stood there looking at him, and everybody but him was looking at me as we went up and up and up. They got out and I rode the elevator back down to the lobby, only to be greeted by Mason with a non-amused look on his face. I on the other hand was beaming! It doesn't get any better than that!

I think my obsession began when I was a child and my parents would take me to stage shows and then we would go wait at the stage door for the actors to come out. I had an autograph book back then and I now have some famous autographs that most people my age would not even recognize. Jean Stapleton (best know as Edith on All in the Family) Leslie Caron (best know for her part in American in Paris with Gene Kelly) and Robert Goulet (YES!) and some others I can't remember right now. I am not sure why my parents did this with me. I guess they thought it was fun to meet famous people too. So, we logged in the hours waiting at the stage door. Since being taught this marvelous skill I have met Martin Short and Bernadette Peters (at the stage door after their show The Good-bye Girl on Broadway in the 90s) Also on that trip to NY NY I met Paul Shaffer (you know David Letterman's side kick) I have sat next to John Goodman in first class on the airplane and hung out with the band Blind Melon on their tour bus. I also got Robert Earl Keens autograph after a show for Mason... I had NO idea who he was!

When Mason and I were first married we were JAG nuts and I almost had him convinced to fly to LA with me for the JAG convention so we could meet the stars. We never did. But I have a girlfriend who has partied with Keanu Reeves - now THAT is AWESOME!!!

2. This was the first year I ever watched Survivor.

This year is like their 7th season and to shake things up they initially divided the tribes by race. It was on the news and all that junk so I thought, if I am ever going to watch.... it would be now. So, I watched. I watched all by myself... I couldn't get Mason interested in it. But there was this one guy that I really liked - Ozzy. He was amazing, he really knew what he was doing out there. He could spear dive, climb trees, build forts, you name it. And he was pretty dang cute. I found myself talking to the screen at him or others during the challenges... as if I would be able out of sheer will to help him! He quickly became a show favorite too, since he won so many challenges. He did not win in the end but came in second at the last tribal council.

So one day at MOPS I hear my friend Aubrey talking about Survivor ... long story short (too late) she and I become Ozzy fans. Watching separately and then on Mondays talking about the show. So when I saw the commercial that Ozzy was coming to Abilene I called her right then and there (at 9:45pm)! She agreed to come to the auto show with me.

I was the first in line; I waited for over an hour and a half as Aubrey walked the kids around. Aubrey and I tried to figure out what I was going to say. I wanted to let him know I was a fan with out looking like a total dweeb! But how do you convey to someone " I like you in a totally different way than anyone else likes you because I am special!" RIGHT! We were cracking ourselves up. I was the first to meet him. He was very laid back and personable. We talked for a few minutes. He asked Braden for some high fives. He is a Tom Robbins fan, so we talked about our favorite books (his was Skinny Legs and All). I paid 5$ for some guy to take a picture with MY camera... and that was it! Totally Awesome! We had a great time! A big thank you to Aubrey for coming with. I could not convince her to get up on stage and meet with him. She said she was totally fine with just watching from a far. I was so grateful she came with me. It is so much more fun to do that kind of stuff with a friend. I think she came more for me than anything else. That is what makes her so Awesome! Thanks Aubs - you ROCK!