It has taken some time for all this to sink in. It's not every day that you wake up to find yourself famous all over the internet. Imagine one morning finding a seething mob of reporters on your front lawn. News vans crowd the parkway, with broadcasting masts extended making your quiet suburban street look like a dry marina. Flashbulbs, cameras, microphones. Very heady stuff indeed. Of course all of this is old stuff to seasoned bloggers, but for a neophyte like me it's like calling dial-a-ride to get over to Trader Joe's, and having a stretch limo show up to take you to the Oscars.
My life has changed.
Now, some of it is pretty cool, I'll have to admit. It's nice not to have to wait in line at Starbucks. I walked in this morning, and Andrea, the manager called out, "Hey! It's world famous blogger, jwm!" One gal stopped right in the middle of ordering a Fair trade organically grown carbon neutral soy milk, no sugar chai latte frapalucci with two double decaff espresso shots, and a mango mint syrup, and just gaped. "You can cut in line if you want," she whispered.
"Thanks," I said, and ordered a tall coffee. The barrista knows my preferrences. "No room for cream as always, sir?"
"No room," I answered. "And please. Just call me J. Or JW if that makes you more comfortable."
He averted his eyes as the moment sunk into his consciousness.
"Gosh, Thanks."
"Hey, don't mention it." I said, and tipped a quarter.
Humility works wonders on a crowd. I could hear murmurs of approval ripple through the store.
There's a down side, too, of course. Now I have to wear sunglasses so people don't recognize me too easily, and I got interrupted three times by autograph hounds when I was trying to eat a taco over at Molcasalsa.
Bit by bit I'm adjusting.
JWM
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Well, I am happy for you. And you deserve it, if anyone does.
ReplyDeleteBut don't ever take it for granted, for fame is a fickle thing. There was a time when I was new, and made a few ripples in the ol' pond. Yessir! But now . . . ehhh.
In fact, just this morning, I phoned in my usual order to the local coffee bistro-and-internet-cafe, and the guy on the phone sez, "Walt who?" It didn't used to be like that, believe me.
I know: "Go away." I will.
Thanks, Walt. And thanks to Julie, Ben, Sal, Petey, and any oter visitors. Finding this blog may just be a godsend of sorts. After nearly twenty years of unbroken creative output I hit a bone dry wall, and haven't had an inspiration since sometime around '04. Suddenly I'm awash in ideas. I read the last several entries over at Froth from Walt last night. Great stuff. But there won't be much in the way of serious content over here. I think I'm going to let today's post set the tone. If you're lookin' to get silly, you've come to the right place.
ReplyDeleteJWM
Congratulations on your soon-to-be fame and fortune!
ReplyDelete"Thanks," I said, and ordered a tall coffee. The barrista knows my preferrences. "No room for cream as always, sir?"
ReplyDelete"No room," I answered. ""
A man after my Own heart. No room, keep it black. Of course, I order Venti's... but after you get used to the responsibilities of walking on the red carpet and how to avoid the joan rivers' types, you'll be ready to move up.
And to think we knew you when.
ReplyDeleteHeh.
just have to post what the word veri was on that:
ReplyDeleteExplasho.
That should be a word for every world famous blog debut!
J (is it alright if I call you J? How 'bout J-Baby?),
ReplyDeleteI love the tone of this blog already. But be warned - just 'cuz you don't plan to be serious doesn't mean you won't be drinking from the firehose ;)
And you may ask yourself - well...how did I get here?
ReplyDeleteLetting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/in the silent water
Under the rocks and stones/there is water underground.
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Hey it worked with a little sleight of hand - using IE instead of Firefox! That's a new one. Anyhoo, welcome to the neighborhood jwm. Can I play with yer silly putty now?
ReplyDeleteMael Tov & Salute Paisan
ReplyDeleteI make my joe in a perculator so I don't hafta wait. Plus, I like the sound it makes. And yes, I'm a purist too. Just black coffee. Maybe some honey sometimes...:^)
ReplyDelete