I had the great good fortune to pick up Newbery award winning author, Richard Peck, at the airport today. He's in town for the Chase Lecture and all the university bigwigs associated with it were busy with Father's Day events. Seeing as I have only a semblance of a life, I stepped up for the job. Plus, it'll be fun to convince my students that I often hang out with famous authors -- if only authors counted as famous to them. Sometimes, though, if I act excited enough, one of them will muster up an "Oh, that's cool," spoken with only a hint of sarcasm.
Quite a friendly man, RP. He was much more interested in learning about my dull life than talking about his own. In our short ride from the airport to his hotel, he learned of my upraising in Nodak, my college years in Northfield, the topic of my thesis, what everyone in my family does for a living, and that I know very little about the buildings in downtown Minneapolis. He also gives advice and recommends that I visit Chicago, that I thank my kind parents for letting me go to Carleton (thanks M & D), and that I encourage my young sister to move to New York soon or she'll never do it (which is what I keep saying too).
Here's what I learned about him: he's been to Minnesota before, he live in Manhattan’s Upper East Side near the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and his first publisher also went to Carleton (that connection never fails me).
Having gotten most of the attention, I felt pretty special by the end of our ride together. I appreciate that he found my life so interesting, even if I don't. Who knows, maybe I'll turn up in one of his upcoming novels.
9 comments:
I read RP's book Ghosts I Have Been while in grade school. I have believed, ever since, that I am psychic. I made a diorama (sp?) of a scene on the Titanic and Blossom was "ghostly" so I drew her with marker on saran wrap and stretched it across the opening of the box. This was one of my greatest academic moments. Thanks RP!
So, jm, am I supposed to believe that reading the book Ghosts I Have Been will make me psychic? I'm on it ...
bdoc - It may not make you psychic - but it may make you believe you are psychic (subtle difference). And children are impressionable. All the career books say to remember what you wanted to be at aged 10 and that is what you really want to be. At 10 I wanted to write - and be psychic. I loved this book.
Wish I had known this gem of a story to share with RP on our drive. And I don't think that you are too far from your goal of writing and being psychic.
How nice that the two of you can chat this way.
I predict that I will believe that I'm psychic once I read Ghosts I Have Been. Wow, looks like I'm already psychic and don't have to read it after all.
jdoc, I think you should share this conversation with RP ... doesn't he need a ride back to the airport?
And I predict that you are still at work, bdoc. Go home.
So...I've decided it is time to come clean. I regularly read your blogs and all the corresponding comments. Unfortunately, when I finish, I always feel like I did when, at age 10, I listened secretly to our neighbor, Mrs. Schilling's phone conversations, on our party line. Do blog creators worry about lurkers, stalkers, or the insecure type afraid to enter a comment because they are apt to sound stupid. I have additional concerns, but since I have noticed that the average entry tends to be about two sentences, I better stop.
tj -- So glad to hear that you are reading my blog! I was just thinking about you. We still need to plan that walk.
I haven't really worried about lurkers -- just happy to have the hits on my counter. Plus, I don't plan to say anything too private.
I can't believe that you got to pick up Richard Peck from the airport! I am SOO jealous.
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