Fame and Fortune

It’s weird to be identified by someone whom you have never met. It’s what famous people deal with everyday. The other day, I yelled hello to the mayor of Albany, who doesn’t know I live in Hawaii, but probably thinks I am one of his constituents. "Hey, Mayor Jennings, you keeping the fort down?" Whatever the hell that means.

I stood at the clubhouse horse crossing waiting for the first race to start when a well-dressed, rather good-looking man approached me. “Excuse me," he began. Now I was expecting a stupid question like, "Can you tell me where the horses are?" Instead he asked, "Are you the person who wrote the book?”

I’d never seen this guy in my life. I smiled but responded, “Who put you up to that?” I looked around expecting to see seven co-workers tee-heeing in the paddock. Except, this guy didn’t look like he would play any part in a juvenile prank.

My little brain raced to zero in on how this guy knew me. Someone I met last year and didn’t remember? Before I could ask or get that quizzical expression off my face he said he had heard me on the radio. That was a month ago and it was on some obscure niche market radio station in Knoxville, Tennessee. But how would he know me from that? My voice?

I still looked stumped until he mentioned Al Roney. Al is the morning talk show host on 810 WGY in Albany.

Holy Cow! That was nearly two years ago. I called the radio station because Al Roney had gone off the deep end about man caves, as if he invented the concept. At first, I wrote him an email and then went off to work on my taxes. An hour later, Al was still talking about a man’s need for that off limits place where he can put the moose head over the ratty plaid Lazyboy and the woman in his life can’t do anything by roll her eyes. I finally had it. I called the station and told him I had been in the ultimate man cave. It was Shep’s boat, the Cosmic Muffin. I had the privilege of sailing across the ocean with this guy in his custom designed man cave that didn’t even have a bathroom. I had to use a bucket. Al thought that was a hoot. And so did this guy standing in front of me. He went on the internet, found my website, emailed me and ordered a book.

From the little photo on the back of The Last Voyage of the Cosmic Muffin he picked me out of the crowd and was able to identify who I was. Unbelievable. The fact that he even approached me is even more unbelievable. Just a few weeks ago I was eating dinner at the Everglades when I spotted someone I thought was an old high school classmate. Did I approach him? Hell no. But later, via faceBook I asked him if he had been at the restaurant.

That makes this guy a very good salesperson. He is in real estate. I had not remembered his name, but I certainly remembered his purchase. In fact, the first book never arrived, but fell out of its package. I sent another. It was a hard winter.

I just thought the whole meeting was remarkable. So I played a few horse and got the first place horse in the first three races.

Ah, there is nothing like a little fame and a little fortune to make the day.

Thanks Bruce.