Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[MarysWetBar]

I have been wondering about Wanderwoman as well and hope she and wee babe are doing well. Lump me into the orphans club. Warm thoughts going out to everyone who needs some nice caring energy today. This link was sent to me by a dear friend last Mothers Day and i want to share it with you all who might need it:http://justjennarose.pazoo.com/grief/letter-motherless-daughters-mothers-day/

[lookeyloo]

Thank you MarysWetBar. I am a motherless daughter too.

[Wellfleet]

I'm having to ignore a lot of my FB friends now that it's almost time for elections again. Seriously, some people will not shut up about politics and I don't want to hear it. I've got my views, you've got yours, and neither one of us is going to convince the other to change. Why argue about it incessantly?

I also had to delete a couple of friends after the Supreme Court legalized marriage equality. It's amazing how well some people can hide their racism and bigotry and then go on a FB rant. 

 

Good grief, that would make me crazy too. Honestly, the more I hear about Facebook, the happier I am with my decision to not become involved. Besides it's now about 10 times bigger than it was when my sisters were trying to talk me into joining. The sheer size of it now is terrifying, which must be making it positively irresistible to hackers the world over. And the law of averages tells us that one day, one of them is going to get lucky. Besides I can't imagine how much MORE e-junk mail I'd get if I was on Facebook. I'll pass, thanks.

[leighroda]

I actually don't think I get junk email from Facebook now that I think about it.

[Wellfleet]

I actually don't think I get junk email from Facebook now that I think about it.

 

They don't sell their e-mail lists to anyone? Well, that's one good thing then...

[lookeyloo]

Facebook serves a purpose for me but it doesn't take the place of personal communication with people I am close to. I let the rest of it roll off.

[Liz Tudor]

All the talk about FB posts is very timely for me...there were several hot button issues this summer that made my feed turn into an unhappy place. As a former military spouse (recently retired after 21 yrs), FB was a great way to keep tabs on all our USAF friends & neighbors from all the places we've lived, as well as HS & college friends. For years, it was a happy place (I only have around 200 friends, all of whom I've personally laid eyes on). I enjoyed seeing family accomplishments, new base assignments, etc. But recently, every news headline has brought out the WORST in many people. I scrolled through a lot of the negative stuff (at one point, I was actively searching for cat memes for a laugh). In July, I just...stopped entirely for a while. And life went on. I visit a couple of times a month now. I'm sure I'm missing some good things, but I don't miss the sniping, baiting, food pictures, or my friend in Beachbody/Shakeology who uses her personal page (vs a business page) to post about that every hour. And as someone mentioned, all this election hooplah is just making it worse. I have hidden some people's posts, but at this rate, I'd do that to half my list! Something about FB enables people to say things online that they'd never say out loud at a lunch date. Frankly, we have a better decorum here! Anyway, I'm a forty-something who's been feeling a little like I'm turning into a crank, because I'm not into FB like I once was (among other things that now irritate me). And now I feel validated, so thanks for that!

Bigskygirl, also a Peanuts fan! I have all the Scholastic collections. In 5th grade, we had the "write a letter to someone famous" assignment, and while other kids in my class were writing the President and actors, I wrote Charles Schulz, and told him I was a big fan, and told him how my little brother, Joe, loved Snoopy as Joe Cool. I was one of the few kids in the class to get a response, he sent me a nice letter along with a b/w print of The Peanuts Gang and one of Joe Cool (copies, not original). I'd rather have these than a stock letter that the President didn't really sign!

Edited September 26, 2015 by Liz Tudor

[leighroda]

Lol @liz Tudor, I know I feel like an old crummungin (I have NO idea how to spell that but I'm sticking with it because I like the word and I think y'all get the picture). And I don't believe it's 100% bad, in fact it helped me reconnect with one of my best friends from elementary school, we had lost touch because I moved, and almost 20 years later it turned out she lived in the neighborhood behind my apt complex, and we picked up where we left off and she is one of my closest friends. But when I'm having a rough day, it can also be be the salt in my wound. That's a good point about the decorum here, maybe that's why I felt I could rant to begin with.

Re wanderwoman, I had to take a hiatus for a bit and I haven't seen her hear since I came back a week or so ago, I skimmed through some of the older posts and I think Masie may be back in the hospital (did she ever go home, I'm not positive but I fee like I remember at some point she did.)

I will now go on a sappy rant... I think it's so great that we have these small talk threads, I love that while our shared interest is simply a tv show, but in these small talk threads it is so much more. It so refreshing that even in the regular threads there can be some bickering, but I don't think it happens often in small talk. I love seeing the shows of support as some people are going through incredibly hard things. And while most of us do not know each other in real life (although I always wonder if I do actually know some people in maybe a loose 6 degrees of separation way).

I was thinking maybe it could be fun to see, have any of us had any celebrity stories? Like is there a close call or celebrity claim to fame to share? I have a couple, but they all tend to be reality related... Did you go to high school with a celebrity? Is a distant relative a celebrity? Are you a celebrity?

When making the team came on with the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, I knew several of the people, having grown up in the dance world in Texas, every year there would be at least 1 person. I shared this one on the little couple thread, but I saw Jenn Arnold once, I worked at the same hospital as her and I saw her in the simulation center through a glass wall, but I did not approach her. I went to high school with Tila Tequila (classy I know), rumor has it Beyoncé went to my high school for 9 days, but I think that is an urban legend. my biggest celebrity close call is from actually one of my favorite celebrities, Kelly clarkson, we are the exact same age (we have the exact same bday, year and all) and while I don't specifically remember her, I apparently went to drill team camp with her one summer.

I didn't realize how many I had till I started writing, and I even have a few more I'm going to save to share later.

[Jynnan tonnix]

I really wish I could quit Facebook...and I'll go so far as to agree that it does have its addictive qualities in just as disturbing of a sense as any other addiction. I mostly got into it (some 6 years ago?) because as a military family with pretty much grown kids (we were living in Hawaii at the time and I had a son in the Marines living in Okinawa, a daughter recently graduated from college in Connecticut and a son in college in North Dakota) as well as a LOT of acquaintances but few real friends from our comings and goings every couple of years as part of the military life, it was important to have a convenient way to keep people on my radar and hopefully stay on theirs without a constant stream of letters and phone calls.

 

As an only child of immigrants to the USA (from England, back in 1969), I also don't have any family outside of my parents (and obviously my kids) in this country, and have used it in recent years to get much closer to both my cousins (along with their kids) back in England and (to a point) the more distant relatives in Poland. It's been invaluable.

 

But it's really a two-edged sword in some ways...because while it's easy enough to not bring up political subjects or religion, or simply cater to someone's dietary whims (I have a few vegan friends and relatives) if you need to, you will probably never get into enough of an in-depth conversation with them in normal back-and-forth interaction to find out that they think your views are aligned with those of the devil himself without the forum that is facebook. And once in a while I do have a really hard time not throwing my two cents into the mix over there :)

[NEGirl]

Julia - I am so sorry for the loss of your BIL. What a beautiful love story ! May he RIP.

[Joe Jitsu913]

My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I recently lost my cousin who was only 33 in a car accident. She had everything going for her. She owned her own condo, her business, found someone she wanted to marry etc. We were close in age so it has hit me pretty hard even if we weren't in contact very often. I realize now that I'm getting older how precious life is. It's always bittersweet when I dream of a loved one that's passed. It makes me miss them even more and I often wonder if it was a just a dream or if my loved one was trying to make contact with me. For the months leading up to my cousin's death, I had this urge to text her to see what she was up to...but I never did and now I regret it.

Lately, I've been finding feathers everywhere. They say it's a sign from your loved ones.

[NoThyme]

When Facebook friends start getting annoying or post non stop I just stop having them show up in my news feed. At some point I change the setting back but for others it is easier to keep it off and go to their page when I feel like it.

[bigskygirl]

Sorry to hear about your cousin JoeJitsu913  {{{HUGS}}}

[lookeyloo]

My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I recently lost my cousin who was only 33 in a car accident. She had everything going for her. She owned her own condo, her business, found someone she wanted to marry etc. We were close in age so it has hit me pretty hard even if we weren't in contact very often. I realize now that I'm getting older how precious life is. It's always bittersweet when I dream of a loved one that's passed. It makes me miss them even more and I often wonder if it was a just a dream or if my loved one was trying to make contact with me. For the months leading up to my cousin's death, I had this urge to text her to see what she was up to...but I never did and now I regret it.

Lately, I've been finding feathers everywhere. They say it's a sign from your loved ones.

So sorry JoeJitsu913. Cherish the feathers. I find pennies in odd places and it comforts me to think my brother is sending them to me.

[Love2dance]

Lately, I've been finding feathers everywhere. They say it's a sign from your loved ones.

So sorry about your cousin. I hear that Butterflies can also be a loved one's visit. Hugs to you.

Edited September 26, 2015 by Love2dance

[Jenniferbug]

I think I'm about due for a friend's list clean out and a lot of unfollowing of people. I use Facebook to keep in touch with family and friends but it seems more and more like I'm just annoyed after scrolling through my news feed. I really don't post that often, and when I do I try to be considerate of others when I post. I hated being pregnant and sometimes I would feel like whining about it on Facebook. Then I'd remember the three dear friends who were struggling with infertility and I kept my mouth shut. Obviously we can't censor everything but I wish more people would think before posting.

I have no celebrity stories! I went to high school with an Olympic hurdler, but did not know her well. And one of the creators of Pinterest went to my high school, but I don't think we were even there at the same time. Oh! I met Nick Arojo from What Not to Wear once. He has some sort of relationship with the owner of the salon I used to go to, and really liked the stylist I went to (used to request her as his assistant at shows in NY which is nowhere near where we live). He was very nice and personable!

[leighroda]

Facebook is just a hard balance, most of the time I love seeing Halloween costumes, first day school...when someone is sick or having a hard time I like knowing; and even helping when I can... But some people just kinda ruin it for everyone when they excessively post every waking moment in their day. And I don't want my friends to feel bad posting happy things or when life is going good, it's more my issue than theirs (most of the time), I just wish people could see where it may be painful for others and maybe just be mindful when they are posting the 10th picture that day of their baby.

[Micks Picks]

I know someone who posted everything including too many to count pictures of her breastfeeding.  And of course she bitched horribly about anyone in a restaurant or anywhere who gave her the side eye, since she just flapped it out there.  She'd go over and confront them.  Yet these same people would, I'm sure, die for her kids.  If one ran out in the street I have no doubt that the people she bitched about would run after them, at their own peril.  And she gave no thought to pedophiles.  So I unfollowed her, of course.

 

Then I unflawed one guy who was a crying pathetic give me something for nothing communist I unfollowed as well as a super right wing woman.  Later I found out they had the hots for each other.  How?  I was stunned.

[Wellfleet]

Celebrity stories, oooh fun! Let's see. Well, I met William Shatner when he did a one-man show at my college in the mid 70s. And I was in the second row when Jay Leno performed at my university in the early 90s - literally close enough to see what color socks Jay was wearing. Oh yeah, my father was in a movie called Night People with Gregory Peck in the early 50s. Or as my Dad liked to say, "Gregory Peck was in a movie with me..." LOL. It was filmed in post-war Berlin in 1953, and Dad, who was a 23-year old MP at the time, was chosen, along with a few others, from 1000s of soldiers stationed there in the American sector. He's seen in the very beginning of the movie looking in a store window. PS - my Dad was a handsome young son-of-a-gun with his Army uniform and wavy blond hair.

Edited September 27, 2015 by Wellfleet

[Happyfatchick]

Okay, I have a weird apnea story for you guys....

 

I'm sorry... I mean, how HORRIBLE for you, and how HORRIBLE for that guy's family who expected him to get off that flight by his own steam.  How horrifying!!!  Still... I have to admit, I snorted.  A lot.  That is TRULY a sitcom worthy story.  It's got two faces.   Oh my... everybody knows how I love a good story.  I would have plastered this one on a billboard.  Hillarious!!!

Can I have a 30 second unrelated rant, that has nothing to do with anything currently discussed?

Has anyone else had the "daughters day" posts flood your Facebook newsfeed?

Honey, please.  You can have 30 seconds any time you want'em and you can rant until you can't talk.  I love FB - when I need news to get out quick and cover a bunch of ground, it does the trick.  But I really do not need to tell my mother Happy M' day on FB.  And I really do not need to get "Happy Daughter's Day" greetings.  I am a daughter, I have a daughter, I have a mother and siblings.  I'm a boss, I'm someone's something every day.  I get it.  

 

The "repost if you ______" things make me absolutely slappy.   We should go for some reality and make up something ourselves.  "Repost if you're a doormat".  "Repost if you feel no one appreciates you".  "Repost if you wish these other morons would STOP posting sunsets and roses."  I have a friend (a CERTIFIED FRIEND) who intentionally emails me the sappiest things all the time.  I like it so much better when she actually types a message.  Or even better when she calls.  I hate surface paint.  Don't send me roses, CALL ME UP and say "How are you?" 

 

Wow.  I didn't even MEAN to rant, and there you go!!! 

 

I have a funny Mom story (to lighten the mood, maybe?).  I had to stay there a few days last weekend.  One night I was getting her ready for bed, and we went in the kitchen to get her pills, check sugar, etc.  She notices the blinds are open and goes to shut them.  Shuts one, steps over and shuts the other.  Turns around, puts one hand on her hip and one on the chair beside her.  She says, "I know there's some people around here who think I'm confused, or I don't know what's going on.  (pause for effect)  And I might not know everything like I used to.  But I DO know one thing for sure..."  (another pause for effect)

 

And so I waited.  And waited.  Tick tock.  Tick tock.  About 30 seconds.  Crickets.  I'm looking at her waiting for her to say her thought, she's looking at me as if I were the one pausing.

 

Finally, "What, mom?  What is it that you know for sure?"

 

"What are you talking about???"  she says.

 

Another one (because Alzheimers can just provide so many fun moments, if you look for them...)

The next day, the sitter was back and they were having dinner.  My mom asks "Are we going home tomorrow?"

(They're sitting in my mom's kitchen).

Sitter says, "Yep, that's the plan".

Mom says, "Well, if I miss 'em, you tell 'em I had a real nice stay here.  They took real good care of me". 

Sitter says, "I'll tell 'em!!!"

 

ETA:  I wanted to add about celebrities:  I don't get to "meet" any, but have actually been arms length from Robert Deniro and John Travolta spoke to me.  I'm not quite 5'2, and Deniro has only about an inch on me.  BUT... I routinely handle seat backs and chairs that celebrities will soon be farting on.  Does that count?  Seems like it ought to count.  I also once rode on a plane with Gerald Ford, and once with Linda (Wonder Woman) Somebody.  I once saw Peter Frampton (the whole band) in an underground parking lot in Atlanta.  And I met Johnny Bench once.   And I've met Mark Lowry. 

Edited September 26, 2015 by Happyfatchick

[Julia]

The "repost if you ______" things make me absolutely slappy.   We should go for some reality and make up something ourselves.  "Repost if you're a doormat".  "Repost if you feel no one appreciates you".  "Repost if you wish these other morons would STOP posting sunsets and roses."  I have a friend (a CERTIFIED FRIEND) who intentionally emails me the sappiest things all the time.  I like it so much better when she actually types a message.  Or even better when she calls.  I hate surface paint.  Don't send me roses, CALL ME UP and say "How are you?" 

 

Wow.  I didn't even MEAN to rant, and there you go!!! 

 

Clearly a natural talent :)

 

I had to tell the cousin who sent me those emails that we'd have to agree to disagree, and I don't think there are any hard feelings (although I'm pretty sure that he didn't expect much from me anyway, since I'm the family's designated liberal).

 

And for the record, I asked my kid if there was a daughter's day I missed, and she said if there was, she was too busy to notice. Which sums the whole thing up nicely, I think.

Edited September 26, 2015 by Julia

[RazzleberryPie]

It does hurt so see the people on facebook who brag and flaunt about what we want or miss the most, but I can't begrudge the people who legitimately want to celebrate their babies, kids, parents, spouses, etc. It sucks when you have 20 sanctimonious, bragging Jessa's for every sincere person. 

 

Right now I personally have friend (so glad I can vent here anonymously for the most part) who is always praising her husband for being such a great guy, while he's had a girlfriend on the side for over a year now. Girlfriend also has a husband and a couple of kids. They're all facebook friends with each other. His parents are even facebook friends with her (they work together). It's hard to keep quiet when you know two perfect looking households are hanging on by a thread, with everyone liking each other's photos, and I'm not sure if Wife #1 has a clue. His parents definitely don't. Meanwhile, my husband and I just sip our tea, like that pic of Kermit the frog, and pray we can keep our mouths shut, especially when they all keep asking when we're going to have kids. To quote the wise Dolly Parton, "stay out of my closet when your own's full of trash."

[Wellfleet]

I'm sorry... I mean, how HORRIBLE for you, and how HORRIBLE for that guy's family who expected him to get off that flight by his own steam.  How horrifying!!!  Still... I have to admit, I snorted.  A lot.  That is TRULY a sitcom worthy story.  It's got two faces.   Oh my... everybody knows how I love a good story.  I would have plastered this one on a billboard.  Hillarious!!!

Honey, please.  You can have 30 seconds any time you want'em and you can rant until you can't talk.  I love FB - when I need news to get out quick and cover a bunch of ground, it does the trick.  But I really do not need to tell my mother Happy M' day on FB.  And I really do not need to get "Happy Daughter's Day" greetings.  I am a daughter, I have a daughter, I have a mother and siblings.  I'm a boss, I'm someone's something every day.  I get it.  

 

The "repost if you ______" things make me absolutely slappy.   We should go for some reality and make up something ourselves.  "Repost if you're a doormat".  "Repost if you feel no one appreciates you".  "Repost if you wish these other morons would STOP posting sunsets and roses."  I have a friend (a CERTIFIED FRIEND) who intentionally emails me the sappiest things all the time.  I like it so much better when she actually types a message.  Or even better when she calls.  I hate surface paint.  Don't send me roses, CALL ME UP and say "How are you?" 

 

Wow.  I didn't even MEAN to rant, and there you go!!! 

 

I have a funny Mom story (to lighten the mood, maybe?).  I had to stay there a few days last weekend.  One night I was getting her ready for bed, and we went in the kitchen to get her pills, check sugar, etc.  She notices the blinds are open and goes to shut them.  Shuts one, steps over and shuts the other.  Turns around, puts one hand on her hip and one on the chair beside her.  She says, "I know there's some people around here who think I'm confused, or I don't know what's going on.  (pause for effect)  And I might not know everything like I used to.  But I DO know one thing for sure..."  (another pause for effect)

 

And so I waited.  And waited.  Tick tock.  Tick tock.  About 30 seconds.  Crickets.  I'm looking at her waiting for her to say her thought, she's looking at me as if I were the one pausing.

 

Finally, "What, mom?  What is it that you know for sure?"

 

"What are you talking about???"  she says.

 

Another one (because Alzheimers can just provide so many fun moments, if you look for them...)

The next day, the sitter was back and they were having dinner.  My mom asks "Are we going home tomorrow?"

(They're sitting in my mom's kitchen).

Sitter says, "Yep, that's the plan".

Mom says, "Well, if I miss 'em, you tell 'em I had a real nice stay here.  They took real good care of me". 

Sitter says, "I'll tell 'em!!!"

 

ETA:  I wanted to add about celebrities:  I don't get to "meet" any, but have actually been arms length from Robert Deniro and John Travolta spoke to me.  I'm not quite 5'2, and Deniro has only about an inch on me.  BUT... I routinely handle seat backs and chairs that celebrities will soon be farting on.  Does that count?  Seems like it ought to count.  I also once rode on a plane with Gerald Ford, and once with Linda (Wonder Woman) Somebody.  I once saw Peter Frampton (the whole band) in an underground parking lot in Atlanta.  And I met Johnny Bench once.   And I've met Mark Lowry. 

 

Happy, you should write a book - no kidding. I got a real Erma Bombeck flash reading this post - truly. You are a gifted storyteller - of both happy and not-so-happy tales. You could describe cleaning out the gutters and make it an enjoyable read. Just had to tell you. Anyway, think about it. insert sarcasm font here - Because I'm sure you're looking around for things to occupy your time. Happy weekend, my friend... ⭐️

Edited September 27, 2015 by Wellfleet

[Muffyn]

I'm sorry... I mean, how HORRIBLE for you, and how HORRIBLE for that guy's family who expected him to get off that flight by his own steam.  How horrifying!!!  Still... I have to admit, I snorted.  A lot.  That is TRULY a sitcom worthy story.  It's got two faces.   Oh my... everybody knows how I love a good story.  I would have plastered this one on a billboard.  Hillarious!!!

Thanks HFC.  Trust me, I can find the humor in most any situation.  When I told the people I worked with about this, no one would sit near me in meetings.  Made it much easier to get a seat.  People wouldn't sit down until they knew where I would be seated.  So, silver lining for me.  Of course, i did have to chat with the police when the plane landed.  I guess they determined I didn't kill the guy for hogging the arm rest. 

 

As to celebrity sightings, I have many.  I was a drummer back in the day and I worked with many major rock bands of the late 70s and early to mid 80s.  I also have a weird habit of running into US Presidents in awkward situations.  

[CalicoKitty]

I met Bob Cummings and Jesse White (the original Maytag man) when I was at camp the their daughters.  That's all I've got.  

[CherryMalotte]

I love FB myself, but I'm pretty select about my friends and groups.  I'm not in a habit to repost every silly thing I see, though I have shared a recipe or two and stuff from The Onion.  I get invites from my game playing friends but I just tend to ignore them, but then I got an invite to meet up with people I graduated high school with since it's our 30 years out now.  I checked into it a bit more and decided that I probably only got the invite because the one person that I'm friendly with from those days is friends with the whole effing class it seems like.  When you read thru an invite list like that and realize that you don't recognize more than five of the names, it's a sign that something like that would be a huge huge huge waste of time.  If I had wanted to stay in touch with anyone, I would have, and vice versa.  All I remember is that I hated school, and just got along with people but wasn't the member of any particular group.  No thanks. 

 

I'm so sorry for everybody's recent loss.  Geez it's been a hell of a year, hasn't it?   

[Readalot]

Happy, you should write a book - no kidding. I got a real Erma Bombeck flash reading this post - truly. You are a gifted storyteller - of both happy and not-so-happy tales. You could describe cleaning out the gutters and make it an enjoyable read. Just had to tell you. Anyway, think about it. insert sarcasm font here - Because I'm sure you're looking around for things to occupy your time. Happy weekend, my friend... ⭐️

wellfleet I totally agree and thank you for posting this! HFC I loved Erma and I love reading you too! I knew your writing style seemed familiar. On another note HFC your mom story reminds me I need to check to see if my request from a few months ago for a Neuro visit was approved. When I remener to do it I think " I will do it next week" or "I will do it after (insert event here)". It has been happening more frequently - where I'm talking to family and they miss what I said and they ask me what I said AND I HAVE NO FREAKIN CLUE just a second later. Or I'm talking to someone and the whole conversation vanishes from my brain instantly. Before I'd have some kind of marker or clue that I can grab on to and work it out. Now...nothing. Ugh. I don't know what I don't know and it scares the heck out of me. And on my last note HFC I have been praying for strength for you. I can't imagine how hard it is to hold back in regards to your daughter and grands.

In regards to FB I have about 30 friends. I could have so many more but my rule is I have to know you more than ten years to friend you. It upsets a lot of casual friends and friends that I have become close to in the meanwhile. Don't take it personal I tell them. But they do.

[Readalot]

Thanks HFC. Trust me, I can find the humor in most any situation. When I told the people I worked with about this, no one would sit near me in meetings. Made it much easier to get a seat. People wouldn't sit down until they knew where I would be seated. So, silver lining for me. Of course, i did have to chat with the police when the plane landed. I guess they determined I didn't kill the guy for hogging the arm rest.

As to celebrity sightings, I have many. I was a drummer back in the day and I worked with many major rock bands of the late 70s and early to mid 80s. I also have a weird habit of running into US Presidents in awkward situations.

Muffyn what a crazy story! And I get it about how people react afterwards. In the last 2.5 years between my hubby and I we know about 18 people that have died. My stepfather from pancreatic Cancer (3 months after my maternal grandma died, my poor mom) my grandma and hubby's grandma (within 24 hours of each other thousands of miles apart) my uncle from diabetes complications (and then his daughter who is my age not even a year later from a brain anuryesm (sp) then her hubby was killed in a car accident a few months later. Then my uncle's sister in law the next month. My poor aunt). A suicide(military friend) , a murder(childhood friend) a sudden heart attack(former coworker) all in their 40's. About 7 of natural old age. Parents of good friends. After a few funerals of our close family loved ones we stopped going to them. Too hard. My friends where like "another death?". Once or twice I got the feeling they were thinking " maybe I should not be your friend anymore, I don't want to be next". Lol. I think it's been about 7 months since the last death. I hope that its a few decades before another one happens. Hey both my parents can live to be 100, right? Edited September 27, 2015 by Readalot

[Satchels of gold]

George Carlin was my moms bff. He gave her a shout out in the forward of his last book. I also met and talked Cythia Nixon on the nyc subway last week. That's all I've

got.

Eta nyc

Edited September 27, 2015 by nc socialworker

[SomePity1066]

I have been wondering about Wanderwoman as well and hope she and wee babe are doing well. Lump me into the orphans club. Warm thoughts going out to everyone who needs some nice caring energy today. This link was sent to me by a dear friend last Mothers Day and i want to share it with you all who might need it:http://justjennarose.pazoo.com/grief/letter-motherless-daughters-mothers-day/

Thank you so much, MarysWetBar, for that link and your kind thoughts. I'm an "adult orphan" as well and feeling pretty low this week, so it's comforting to know that there are others out there like me who can offer advice or just sit in the grief boat with me without telling me that "everything happens for a reason" or one of those awful "God needed another angel" stories that just make me stabby. This is like a big club or sorority where the hugs are free and there is no judgement. I don't wander into the Prayer Closet very often, but I'm glad I did tonight. I'm fearful of being perceived as needy or whiny here, especially after being so outspoken and critical on the "regular" Duggar threads, but there's the snarky me, and then the sometimes sad me. Reading all the stories here and the messages of support is making me feel less hopeless, less stabby, and more like myself, so thank you to everyone here. I know we don't really "know" each other, but I think Blanche DuBois had a point when she said she'd always relied on the kindness of strangers :)

 

I was thinking maybe it could be fun to see, have any of us had any celebrity stories? Like is there a close call or celebrity claim to fame to share? I have a couple, but they all tend to be reality related... Did you go to high school with a celebrity? Is a distant relative a celebrity? Are you a celebrity?

Leighroda - that's SO weird ! I just mentioned in a posting earlier tonight about meeting several celebrities and then I come to this thread and see your question. Happy to oblige if y'all will bear with me...

 

Halle Berry - in an upscale boutique in NYC, maybe 2003 ? We were both trying on boots and I said, across the aisle, that I liked hers, and she said thank you and was very sweet ! I didn't ask for an autograph or picture, but I did buy the boots - I have the same boots as Halle Berry ! She looked, BTW, absolute stunning, with almost no makeup, and had no "handlers" with her, or none that I could see. Very down to earth, and the most beautiful smile I've ever seen.

 

Uma Thurman - Central Park, NYC, 2007. Walking alone, looked gorgeous, not aloof at all - just taking a walk, and she responded to my nervous "hi" with a warm, friendly "Hello, how are you ?" and then a big smile. She had the most perfect red lipstick on, jeans and flats, and was a million miles tall. I'm still not entirely certain I didn't dream the whole thing because she was simply ethereal. 

 

Sarah Jessica Parker - sat behind her at her husband's (Matthew Broderick) Broadway play, Taller Than a Dwarf, in Spring, 2000. The play was, unfortunately, awful, despite Broderick and Parker Posey's considerable talents, but SJP looked stunning, and spoke to just about everyone around her before and after the play. I did a very timid, dorky "hello I'm a huge fan oh my gosh I love you..." thing and she smiled warmly and said hello and thank you. She seems to "get" the whole thing about making people feel comfortable around her when they're losing it because they can't believe they're actually meeting her. Also very down to earth - saw her in line twice - once for the bar and once for the restroom, and never used her celebrity to cut - she waited just like the rest of us. 

 

Oh ! And Tony Curtis !!! Sat two tables over from him in a restaurant in NYC in the early 2000's. He was outgoing, gregarious, hugged or shook hands with anyone who stopped by the table, and left a HUGE tip that had the whole staff buzzing after he left. He was a regular there and the servers talked of him sending bottles of wine to fans or covering their bill because they'd approached him asking for an autograph. He was older at that point, and perhaps a bit deaf, so he talked very loudly, but no one seemed to mind ! 

 

I have more, but I don't want to tax anyone too much, or take up too much space, so I'll end this with saying thank you, again, to those that contribute here who share their stories and bring those of us into the fold of hugs and comisseration. I feel comforted just knowing y'all are here and listening...

[GeeGolly]

I've got 2 kinda, sorta, celebrity stories: 

 

As a teen I went to many concerts. At a J Geils concert I was lifted on stage by a friend and Peter Wolf proceeded to hug & kiss me. The next day an article in the local paper referenced an overzealous teen girl at the concert.

 

My daughter was actually on the MTV show Made. She was the counterpart to a shy football player, trying to loosen him up around females.

 

I guess we're a family of trollops. ;)

[Purpose to defraud]

Agree 100%. And let's not forget more Hallmark holidays and events - Boss' Day, Administrative Professionals Day, Sweetest Day, etc etc. Soon enough there'll be for every day in the year. I can see them coming - Mail Carrier's Day, Hairdresser's Day, Teacher's Day. The only way to deal with them is to ignore them. It's hard, but it's the only way. After all, the florists and the card companies and the restaurants and the jewelry stores can't MAKE you feel guilty about not buying anything. Only we can do that to ourselves...

September 27 is Snarking on Fundies Day.

 

Really.

[GeeGolly]

September 27 is Snarking on Fundies Day.

 

Really.

[Micks Picks]

Oh OK, I have been seen by a lot of celebs.  Excahnged words with some.  It's a matter of where I live and work.  It isn't unusual.  I watch TMZ and am sure I am around many more than I realize. I worked out of Arnold Swartzenegger's offices and went to Hef's for a party and shared a box at a tennis match with Jack Nicolson.  When I was a kid I was at an amusement park, a small one, where Elizabeth Taylor was with her kids. She had no make-up on.  Saw and sat near many at sporting events.  

[JenCarroll]

I have a bunch of celebrity encounters/connections, but I'll just share the first one that came to mind. First off, raise your hand if you're old enough to remember Richard Simmons. If not, just go search on You Tube. We'll wait. (He was a TV aerobics impresario and star in the 1980's, but really, you have to see video. Go.)

My husband and daughters (around 11 & 12 at the time) and I were waiting to board a flight from NYC to LA. (And really, you do see a lot of celebrities on those flights, so you try to be cool.) We noticed some commotion near the boarding gate door, and we looked over and there's Richard Simmons! Wearing short-shorts and a shiny, satiny zippered hoodie, and knee socks (really). He still has the hair, even. He's surrounded by a small group of people, three or four maybe, and he's holding forth, all smiles -- there may have been a few dance steps. And a couple of yards away, there are our kids, trying unsuccessfully to look like they're not staring at this person. Well, we wave them back over to us, and I ask them if they know who that is. Of course not. My husband starts trying to explain (which turns out to be difficult, because really... I mean, Richard Simmons) and the girls are giving each other this strange look, and I say, "So if you didn't know who he was, why were you watching him?" And DH says, "Probably because there was a crowd around him, they were trying to figure out who he was." And DD2 says, "No, we didn't know he was a famous person. We thought he was, like, a special needs person, and those were his caregivers."

Edited September 27, 2015 by JenCarroll

[Joe Jitsu913]

I have met John Waters. I think I scared him because I was so overzealous to meet him. He probably thought I was nuts.

I have also met Loretta Lynn's daughter Cissy Lynn when I was a child.

[MarysWetBar]

My aunt was a recording artist with her sisters in the fifties and sixties.As a teenager, I met Sonny and Cher,Steve and Ali,Johnny Cash,and some others. All on my own as an adult,I met Jack Nicholson, who seriously has a load of charisma still, and Michelle Pfeiffer. I met her in a grocery store and didn't even recognize her. Trust me, if we all

had that kind of help with hair and makeup, we would be stunners too!

I've met more I'm sure, but would need to think on it further. Just social encounters through my aunt and uncle.

I actually have a fairly risque story regarding the Rolling Stones but don't want to defraud anyone on the Lords day.

Edited September 27, 2015 by MarysWetBar

[Julia]

I have a very, very old picture of me drawn by r. crumb, and Richard Gere used to sunbathe nude on his balcony across the street from my dorm.

 

They really can't write - not really. They just transcribe what they'd say out loud. IMO, big difference.

 

Me too, though ;)

Let me quote you this cherished exchange from a family funeral:

[Distant relative I've never met, who has no idea what to make of me] Wow, listen to her talk.

[my ever-supportive mother] I know. Her writing sounds just like that, and people read it, which I don't understand.

Edited September 27, 2015 by Julia

[Love2dance]

I actually have a fairly risque story regarding the Rolling Stones but don't want to defraud anyone on the Lords day.

Oh please do tell!!! They are my favorite group, and we spent more $$ to go to their latest concert than all other shows I have gone to before combined! Edited September 27, 2015 by Love2dance

[lookeyloo]

Kinky Friedman up close in daylight.

[Allison Lynn]

The Richard Simmons story made me laugh out loud.

My only brush with fame is that I spoke to and shook hands with Prince Charles once!  The newspaper printed a picture of him shaking hands with one of the people I was with, and I'm in the picture.  Is it lame that I had the picture framed?  I was quoted in the newspaper saying that he was better looking in real life than I'd expected - embarrassing, but I was only about 20 at the time.

[Micks Picks]

Oh JenCarrol yes good old Richard Simmons.  I was on some flight coming home from business, kind of zonked out, and there he was waiting to get on, shouting out happy things and smiling and dancing around in his shorts and with his hair, heck, made my day.  Suddenly I was smiling and wasn't tired anymore.  Magic.  For whatever reason he is not in the public eye anymore (depression?) I do wish him well.  Always used to smile when I'd see commercials for his videos on tv.

[Jynnan tonnix]

I never seem to meet any celebrities...The closest thing I can think of is that way back in the day (1983-ish?) I was working in a pharmacy in West Hartford, CT, and among our customers, we would occasionally see a couple of Katharine Hepburn's siblings...her youngest sister, Marion (who looked nothing at all like her, but, rather, had sort of an "Aunt Pittypat" vibe), and her brother Robert & his wife who were just the most gracious people. When KH suffered a bad break of her ankle, we did actually fill some prescriptions for her as well. That's about as exciting as my life gets.

 

My husband once worked with a guy who used to get mistaken for Forrest Whittaker all the time, but I guess that doesn't count :)

 

Oh, and while at an airport with my son, we did once share a very empty gate area with Mike Ditka. We knew he looked familiar but couldn't place him. And then suddenly his name came to me, which was strange since I had never followed football nor watched any of the shows he appeared on. But I didn't find that too exciting. My son did eventually get his autograph and a picture with him, though. Just because.

[GeeGolly]

Oh, I forgot one that happened before I was born. Bob Hope was golfing in our town, on a visit. This is long before leash laws ever existed. My parents woke up Monday morning and there was their dog shaking hands with Mr. Hope on the golf course on the front page of the newspaper. 

[kathe5133]

First brush with fame - walking down Broadway on the Upper West Side of NYC in the 80's and coming towards me is Mary Tyler Moore!  It was surreal.  She was with handlers who were ushering her along - no possibility of autographs.  That opened the flood gates..... (well, being in NYC helped)  Was late to work one morning and there was a movie being shot by my subway entrance.  I new I was a jaded New Yorker when my first emotion was annoyance.  "Now I'll be late to work"...  Didn't have time to stop and shake Dick Van Dyke's hand.  Saw Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah shooting "Spalsh", but didn't know who they were until I saw the movie.  Waited on numerous soap stars.  Ileene Kristin of Ryan's Hope was super scared of being recognized.  I saw her once in a convenience store and looked twice, cause I thought I knew her.  She ran.  Worked in a chicken restaurant and waited on Amanda Bearse (All My Children) and her then live in girlfriend Sarah Bernhard.  Waited on Farrah Fawcett!  Helped Ali McGraw make a phone call when I worked for Ralph Lauren Home Furnishings.  Since I worked there, I saw good old Ralph many a time. I've been back in Boston for almost 30 years now and the only brush with fame was Hilary Clinton.  Well, Hilary Clinton's face arm and shoulder as she emerged from a limo to enter a restaurant........   Funny story.  I told my 20 something co-workers about my brush with Ali McGraw.  "Who's Ali McGraw" was the response.  Kids!

[Chicklet]

Alan Rickman in a museum in Baltimore. My god he's gorgeous when he's not in Snape makeup. I just stared and he didn't see me.

[DangerousMinds]

Well, the rapture didn't happen last night as fundies thought it would. Again.

[Julia]

Well, the rapture didn't happen last night as fundies thought it would. Again.

There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.

There is another theory, which states that this has already happened. — Douglas Adams

[Chicklet]

 

Well, the rapture didn't happen last night as fundies thought it would. Again.

Well this just shows that religion is a useless device as far as a predictive paradigm and that they continue to try to force it shows how thirsty those leaders are for a legacy as prophets (and well "profits" as I almost typed). How does one get to the point where they believe they are infallible? 

[magpye29]

I've met a few famous people:  Alex Haley, Angela Lansbury, Sinbad, Gary Sinise, George W. Bush, Geraldo Rivera, Patrick Stewart, and authors LaVyrle Spencer, Robert Cormier, Rick Hautala, and R. Patrick Gates. Angela Lansbury is much taller in real life than she seems on stage.  Gary Sinise and Patrick Stewart are not especially tall but they just ooze charisma.  GWB could win over the world one person at a time--when he talks to you, his eyes stay focused on you and it's as if you are the only person in the world and there couldn't be anyone more important than you in it.  Geraldo is very self-important and has way too much product in his hair. He's very slender, but he has kind of a big butt.  His (then) wife C. C. was very sweet and friendly, but seemed to take a bit of a backseat to him.  Robert Cormier gave me some great writing advice that has served me well as I write my fictionalized autobiography:  when you get stuck and can't snap out of it, bring in a new character.

 

In my own right, I was in the world premiere of an opera (by Otto Ludwig) called Die Koehlerin, which translated means The Coal Miner's Daughter.  It was a very shabby production--no understudies, and the soprano got laryngitis on the night of the performance and sang like she had gargled a box of rocks.  There's a recording of it in the university archives, but I wouldn't listen to it because I remember it being pretty bad.

 

Finally, my voice is in the soundtrack of the movie Porky's II: The Next Day.  Brandywine Productions had a studio near the university I attended, so they called a group of us in from the theatre company to go to the studio and do some looping.  Our names were not in the credits, and I think we got paid $30 each plus all the hot dogs and Coke we wanted, but it was a really fun day.  I haven't watched my video of it, but I remember I could hear my voice in a few places when I saw the movie at the cinema.  I have a light, high voice, and it was especially prominent in a scene where the girls are stretching out in the gym during P.E.  I made up a story about a guy named Tom who got mashed potatoes on his glasses during a food fight in the cafeteria and who was always having to empty the spit valves on his trumpet.

 

In the reflected glory column, my son was an extra in a movie called Ben & Ara that is still hunting up post-production funds.  They asked for local twenty-somethings to be extras in a party scene, so Evan and his girlfriend went.  Sydney got bumped to the back of the scene with (her words) "the fat girls" because she's short and they wanted the tall girls in the front.  Anyway, they asked if anyone played chess, so Evan threw his hand up and got chosen to play speed chess in a scene with the Ben character.  The extras were told their names would be in the credits.  I was bummed because I had signed up to be an extra in a museum scene, but they ended up filming it during the day and I couldn't get out of work.

 

That's all I've got.