My Idea of Celebrity.

I remember when I was first in college and working as a waitress in the metropolis of Grand Forks. I waited on local newscaster, Terry Dullum. The next time I spoke to my dad, I proudly mentioned this. To which my father replied, "I'm sorry to tell you this, Carmyn, but I've never really considered Terry Dullum to be a celebrity." Looking back, I have to agree.

Yet, this Tuesday I must admit I'm a little bit aflutter for my most recent celebrity encounter. (No, it's not John Cusack. If I met him, I'd be cool and wonderful and he'd realize in moments I was the girl he's been dreaming of all this time and we'd be married quietly and I'd be sure not to flaunt my newfound happiness. No one likes a braggy girl.) No, last night I met Salman Rushdie. Perhaps I'm misrepresenting the situation. Sadly we did not have a one on one encounter that ended in a friendly embrace. I mostly just saw him speak for about 90 minutes. Still, this passes for excitement in my life. I did speak to him as he signed my copy of Haroun and the Sea of Stories at the NDMOA reception that followed the kick off of the UND Writers Conference.