Close Encounters Of The Famous Kind

Usually I have something definite to blog about. Today, I don't. I'm just sitting at my desk and want to do a post. It may be kind of rambling and will take a shape of it's own. We'll see what happens.

This morning I was trying to be part of the solution instead of complaining about the problems. I did some volunteer work and made phone calls on behalf of the Deval Patrick Campaign. I do my best to be super polite and not to keep people on the phone for too long. A few people hung up on me, but a few people were very friendly too.

I've had lots of phone experience in my life. My first job, a summer job that I did through high school and college was as a telephone operator. You never knew who was going to be on the other end of the phone or what they would say - someone calling in an emergency needing the police, kids making prank calls and flushing the toilet in your ear, a male prisoner wanting to hear a woman's voice, or someone making a person to person call with someone famous. Even though this was back in the early 80's, I was working on a computer. Little did I know how well it would serve me in the future to have this experience.

I was sixteen when I started, but looked about ten and was the youngest operator to work in that office. I remember walking in on my first day looking very lost. Someone asked me if I was looking for my father! It's interesting looking back at those times in your life when you felt lost and how people reacted to you.

I had an internship at Channel 7 during college. My first day walking into the newsroom, I was looking for the Assignment Editor and again was kind of lost. At the time, Paula Zahn and Tom Ellis were the news anchors. I remembered Tom Ellis from the news when I was a little kid. I used to think he was so handsome and had such a little girl crush on him! I think my mom even has a picture of me watching him on the news from back in the day.

So there I was, lost in the newsroom and who do I see sitting at a desk in front of me? Tom Ellis! He asked if I needed help. I think I managed to say something coherent. He smiled a big smile and pointed me in the right direction. He was so nice to me, a lowly intern! Little did he know of my girlhood crush!

I will never forget that Tom Ellis a famous anchorman went out of his way to speak to me. Yet over my semester at Channel 7, there were reporters who would never make eye contact with me, never mind speak to me, one in particular. I haven't forgotten who he is either.

It's interesting which famous people think they are above the "little people." I've seen former Governor Michael Dukakis around the city. He is always friendly and says "hi." I literally almost bumped into former Governor William Weld as I was walking into a book store and he was walking out. I had no idea how tall he was. I looked up then realized who he was and smiled - momentarily, forgetting his politics. He did not even look at me and walked on - then I remembered his politics. Interesting...