Do you know who I am?

So, I'm sure most of you don't know, but I freelance write for Northwestern University's School of Communication. It's a nice gig, mostly because it gives me a really good excuse to change out of my pajamas once in awhile, and they also have a great benefits like a killer gym membership that I can say I have but not actually use. I write for their alumni magazine, and sometimes even get to do fun things (like meet Zach Braff, one of NU's alums, or Meryl Streep - yes, THE Meryl Streep, a parent of one of NU's students).

I've met celebrities before. On the set of the Lifetime Movie version of "I Do (But I Don't)" I met the stars, Denise Richards and Dean Cain. I even met Charlie Sheen there (that was pre-divorce). Yes, I know I'm name-dropping, but dammit, what good is it to meet celebrities if you can't immediately start telling everyone you know that you met them? Honestly.

Anyhow, the trick to meeting celebrities is to try not to do anything really, really stupid. This is easier than it sounds. When I met Denise Richards (my first real introduction to a celebrity that didn't involve me being arrested for trespassing), I kept blubbering on about how I liked her work in that James Bond movie. I mean, really. That's dumb. It sounded dumb when it was coming out of my mouth, but I couldn't stop it. She got that glazed over look and then glanced from side to side as if contemplating whether or not to call security.

By the time I met Dean Cain and then Meryl Streep, I sort of could keep myself together. Sort of.

So, this past Saturday, I worked at the School of Communication convocation, where another celeb, Harry Lennix (You probably have seen him in the last two Matrix movies, or on ER) gave the commencement address. It was fantastic, really. I only wish I could be half as inspiring.

But what was really great was that I didn't do anything really stupid when I met him. For instance, I didn't ask once if Harry knew how I could get in touch with Keanu Reeves. Friends of mine know that I have soft spot for Keanu. They like to tease me relentlessly about it (because that's what friends are for). And nobody called security. I call that a success!