In University, I raced competitively against some guys that were on the Canadian Junior National Ski Team roster.
Of course, my best finish was 22/80 and that’s only because it was a really icy course and most top finishers DNF’d while I managed to stay up and finish.
When I was in 2nd grade, I won a school-wide spelling bee against a 6th grader. By a long shot.
I got nothin’. 
A few years ago, I was invited to San Francisco to be interviewed on live, national television on one of my favorite TV shows.
A few years before that, I drew comics in high school and got some fan mail.
Still waiting for my “big break”, though.
I once sold Tony Kubek (baseball player and later announcer) a pair of snowshoes.
I was a state finalist for two years in the 440 yard dash (before track went metric).
Now the only way I could go 1/4 mile that fast would be to fall off a high rise.
Ummm, what about reflected greatness? I was friends with Bill Watterson when we were kids - does that count?
No? ::hangs head and shuffles off::
Well. Okay.
It’s a little old, but every now and then, I still enjoy regaling guests with tales of the greatness that is…this.
The story of my political bids is fairly well known to the board.
What you don’t know is that, as a very small child, I rose to fame as the inventor of an electromagnetic mosquito swatter. (This was inspired by our move to Winnipeg, whose mosquitos are absolutely Stokeresque.) This consisted of a wooden frame equipped with a mosquito-attracting lamp; one sits next to it and waits for a mosquito to arrive. When a mosquito is happens, one actuates a switch, cutting power to an electromagnet which has suspended a flyswatter above the said lamp.
Anyway, through some astute networking (my dad mentioned it at work), I became the subject of a feature interview with Jack Farr on The Radio Show, which for a Canadian at that time period was second only to the Order of Canada or the time my mom got her scallopped potato recipe featured by Peter Gzowski on Morningside.
The story of my political bids is fairly well known to the board.
What you don’t know is that, as a very small child, I rose to fame as the inventor of an electromagnetic mosquito swatter. (This was inspired by our move to Winnipeg, whose mosquitos are absolutely Stokeresque.) This consisted of a wooden frame equipped with a mosquito-attracting lamp; one sits next to it and waits for a mosquito to arrive. When a mosquito happens by, one actuates a switch, cutting power to an electromagnet which has suspended a flyswatter above the said lamp.
Anyway, through some astute networking (my dad mentioned it at work), I became the subject of a feature interview with Jack Farr on The Radio Show, which for a Canadian at that time period was second only to the Order of Canada or the time my mom got her scallopped potato recipe featured by Peter Gzowski on Morningside.
HA, HA.
I sat behind Howard Dean on an airplane once, does that count?
Or helping Charlie Hunter at the sauna where I worked during college?
Being a National Merit Scholar?
This is starting to depress me…
Back when I was 18, I entered a regional country music scouting contest. I’d been doing country music for a while, and was actually starting a small circuit of honky-tonks and bars, and getting paid to do it. Long story short, I made it to the semi-finals in the contest, but didn’t make it to the last 5 slots (I played mostly solo, and the area of Texas I was in was big on bands, not solo acts - 4 of the 5 were bands). Anyway, after I washed out, I was approached by a guy who gave me his business card, and wanted to have me come to a studio session in San Antonio to put together a demo tape that he would circulate in Nashville.
I pretty much chalked it up to “too good to be true” or a come-on to sell me studio time, so I blew it off and never followed it up. It wasn’t until two years later I discovered he was a producer associated with George Strait… :mad:
Remember the first California gubinatorial debate during the recall election, the one where Schwarzenegger and Huffington were so hostile to one another?
I was one of the attendees.
A big accomplishment to be a state finalist in such a tough race, I should know. Do you mind sharing your best time?
I’ve met several famous bass players: Les Claypool of Primus, Victor Wooten of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and Mike Watt of himself (formerly Fire Hose).
I’ve talked to Archie Griffin, the only two time Heisman Trophy winner.
One of my Aunts is a Rockefeller.
Thanks. I don’t remember exactly - it was class A in Kentucky, so it wasn’t exactly world class. (And it was 30 years ago.) I remember breaking 52 and feeling pretty good about it.
Last August, I presented a new business proposal and presentation to Phil Anschutz (by the way, he bought it). Granted, I totally disagree with many of his politics and all that, but damn if he ain’t a super-rich guy. Several billion. Founded Qwest Communications, majority stockholder in the Lakers, some kinda ownership of the Staples Center, and a bunch of other crap. Funded the movie “Ray”, as well, if I’m remembering correctly.
So there may be some question about whether this was a question of brushing with greatness or brushing with richness. After he and his people left, I made sure to check all of the chairs to see if a spare fifty grand happened to fall out.
Jan Morris (my idol) and I shared the same book agent, and while I wouldn’t say we’re “friends,” we are “friendly acquaintances,” which thrills the heck out of me.
I was also friends with Lillian Gish for about 20 years, and when I gave up acting to become a writer, she told me, “The world has too many actresses; there are never enough good writers.”
I loves me some Lillian Gish.
I drove race cars for many years, I even drove in a lower NASCAR touring division one year. I still have all the newspaper clippings that mentioned my name. I felt if given the right opportunity, I could have driven at a much higher level. But the offer of a well paying job building commercial aircraft made me change my priorities in life. A cousin that help me many of those years now works for one of Jack Roush’s NASCAR Craftsman truck racing teams.
Um, I was in a writers’ group with a Newbery award winner!
Yeah, I got nuthin’ either.
I once replied to a message from Eve, on some message board.
My cousin’s room mate in college was an alternate on the 1980 Olympic Ski Team. And was he a hottie!
/nuthin
HA!
One of my some-how-related-to-me-but-I’ve-never-met-them-So-It-Probably-doesn’t-count-anyways cousin in WV ran against a Rockefeller in elections past.
/still has nothing.
