Can I Get Your Autograph?

Recently my friend Steven Reigns was interviewed on Public Radio in Los Angeles about April being National Poetry Month, and was featured on a queer writer's blog by Lee Wind.

I love it when my friends get famous. Or at least, semi-famous. Well, famous enough to be interviewed on the radio (though, it's true that I was once interviewed on St. Louis Public Radio about being part of the Washington University GLBT alliance, but that's a dull story that I will not recount, other than to mention that you obviously don't have to be too famous to get on radio, as I was able to achieve it).

In fact, I've recently decided that I need to keep a list of people who I have met, or that I personally know, that have their own wikipedia entry. Turns out I can list Steven on that list!

The inspiration for this list came to me yesterday while I was in the lobby waiting for a job interview. I rarely talk about my job interviews to anyone (not even AJ) for several reason. One I rarely go on job interviews - as strangely, I send resumes but rarely get a call back about them. This lack of response has often led me to believe that my emails are either not arriving or are being dumping into a spam folder. The clear reality is more that they don't want to interview me because my work isn't that good; something I am firmly in denial about, as my work is as dazzlingly amazing as I am.

On a side note, my therapist recently told me that denial isn't necessarily a bad thing, and that we all have a reason for our defenses. This was a totally new idea to me. Previously I had thought that all denial was bad. But now I'm being told by a trained psychotherapist that denial can be a good thing. I'm beginning to like my therapist more....

But sitting in the office, waiting for the people I am going to meet with was an interesting experience. The job, and I'll be frank, is something that I think is a FANTASTIC opportunity. A company that I would love to be apart of. Exciting, rewarding, probably not a lot of money, but a chance to really change how people think and how people act - in a good way (not in a, hey go and buy this wine chiller/serving platter/buggy operating system, sort of way). Whether I get called back for round two interviews, or get hired is another story. Only time can tell.

But as I sat in this waiting room, reading some of the magazines they had (look they have Mother Jones here! I haven't read that magazine in AGES!), I looked up, and who walks by, but the founding president of the company. This is the man who is the same age as me, but has accomplished so much in his life. He's started his own national student organization while in high school, published a book, headed a national nonprofit organization, and started his own company, all under the age of 25.

I believe by the age of 25 I had just moved out of my parent's basement. hmmm....

And so, when I saw the man walk by, I casually nodded my head to him and said "hello" and he replied pleasantly "hello" and walked on by.

What could I do? I wanted to jump up and say "Hello. I heard you on NPR yesterday. Please hire me. Please. Please. Please. This place is amazing. I love what you are doing, and I love where this company is going. Why can't I be you?"

But what I really wanted to say was "Hello. Can I get your autograph? Because I'm trying to compile a collection of autographs of people who have their own wikipedia entries...." His reply would be "Really? How many do you have?" and my response would have been "Well, only you...so far."

But now I realize the list of people I know who have their own wikipedia entry is actually a little larger. This list includes a film director, an indie rock singer-songwriter, a network news anchorwoman, and a few others semi-famous people who I have hung out with/met, but probably would not remember me (though one of them did pinch my ass after I hung out with her all night long. Yowza!). However, I am most pleased to include my friend Steven on that list, as he is really the one that I am friends with, who I can call up and hang out with (if we were in the same city that is).

Steven and I have a long illustrious past, that include sneaking into the gay bars in St. Louis when we were in high school/college while underaged. I can't remember how he got in, but I used my brother's expired ID (because, you know, all us Asians look alike - especially to those midwest folks). I have fond memories of hanging out with him, at the gay bar that no longer exists, him telling me of his sexual exploits, and of how he couldn't wait to get out of his home, and out of St. Louis.

We stayed in sporadic touch when he moved to Florida, right out of high school (I can't even remember if he finished High School or got his G.E.D.), but have hung out more since he has moved to California. At one point I was trying to get him to move to San Francisco, but it never took. He seems to be enjoying L.A. right now, and more power to him. I love L. A. but mostly because of the friends that I have there. I don't know if I would like living in that city as much. However, it's nice to know that Steven is getting some recognition in L.A. and getting his name out there.

So here I give you the mental image I have of Steven in my head, the image of him, before he moved away from St. Louis, the "before he was famous" picture. Steven will always be this person to me, no matter how famous he becomes, or how large his wikipedia entry grows. This is a lovely photo of him from my college days (I believe he was still in high school then). Do note the fantastic 90's shirt and floppy hair. And the handcuffs he has on his belt. I believe those are my handcuffs. I wonder what happened to them? Either way, I'm sure that Steven will LOVE that I put this photo of him up on my blog.....

And for all my other friends out there, I have one question for you - "Why aren't you famous yet?" Hurry up already, I'm trying to make my wikipidia list longer....