Day 23

I received an email from Seymour Hersh last night. He wants to meet and to chat. About cyberwar.

He is probably going to be the most famous person I will ever meet... Or maybe that was Jerry Dale McFadden and the rest of the Mavericks back in 2000 and 4 or 5? Not sure. At least I only have to choose between two famous people, because that's all I ever met in my entire life.

vs.

[btw: Am I a bad person for asking myself, now, after the initial euphoria has worn off a little:"why does Sy [as he is known to his friends] want to meet me in Zurich and not in New York or Washington DC?"]

In my after-Sy-Hersh-wrote-me-an-email-high - it was late and I was tired - I promised a beautiful young man to write something about American Idol and Glee today. So here goes: Thinking about American Idol makes me think about fame. More specifically, our desire to partake in fame more than we actually want to have fame ourselves: being famous is far too much work, really. (Not that I know from experience, but I am pretty sure that's true). Seeing fame in the making makes me think: is it possible that one of my friends and colleagues will be really influential or really famous or even both in some years time? If yes, how could I identify them now, before they become really famous/influential and suck up to them big time preventively? Knowing someone famous makes us feel so much more worthy!!

Before all the Seymour Hersch excitement began, I gave 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand' a try. Highly irritating show. And anyway, why would you want to see a show you already know the outcome of? He is going to die anyway, so why bother??

But I know from experience that I can basically start to like ANY show if I keep watching long enough (recent examples: Supernatural, Prison Break, and GLEE - here we go, Jarjour, I kept my promise!) that's why I will watch some more of it. This Andy Whitfield guy looks a lot like Clive Owen (and talks like him, too), which is a plus. Lucy Lawless is in it, which is a plus. The rest (especially the other female characters!!!) is a big fat minus so far, but I will try to be generous. Being generous, like being touched by the fame of others, makes us feel good and worthy, too.

And, by the way, if you think this is all bullshit blabla you are wrong! It has deeper meaning. All of it. Start digging.

(I am grateful today for a great dinner idea: home-made Lasagne! thanks, Jen)