Celebrity sightings in everyday life

After my Steve Carell sighting last year (see previous entry), a friend of mine (in Seattle) suggested that I keep a blog of all the celebrities that I have seen.

My first question is what makes a person enough of a celebrity that I should note them in my blog? I admit that I have seen a few bona fide celebrities around town, but I live the average person's life and do not frequent celebrity hotspots, so I rarely see actual celebrities. Instead I see actors who are or had been on television or in movies. Should I judge somebody's celebrity status by the number of people who recognize the name? Almost two years ago, after I moved here to L.A., I saw Geraldo Rivera. Most people know who he is so I think that makes him a celebrity. I would say that he is a lower list celebrity because Geraldo almost ran over an old man riding a bicycle with his car. His behavior didn't make me feel warm and fuzzy about him.

I think what people really want is interesting circumstances around seeing these people. For example, my friend Randy told me his story of how Brad Pitt almost ran him over. Randy was crossing an intersection off of Sunset Blvd by the windy hilly roads when a blue Suburban was slowly navigating down the hill and had a hard time stopping at the intersection. Randy looked over at the driver as he bit into a big egg-roll and saw that it was Brad Pitt slunking down trying not to be seen. He saw Randy with the egg roll in his mouth and Randy saw Brad barely miss hitting him with his big truck. I think most celebrity sightings are about recognizable people doing everyday things like running at the park or walking their dogs. I think the reality is so much less glamorous than what people expect.

My 'biggest' and most exciting celebrity sighting was Jack Nicholson getting out of his car (black convertible) in Idylwylld, CA and walking to the Bank of America ATM. I spotted him, and Aaron suggested we go in the direction of the Bank of America because he wanted to get a better look. It sort of felt weird and stalker-ish to follow a person just to get a longer glimpse of them in everyday life. But I did it anyway ;)

People at work see lots of famous people all the time. Evangelia saw Keanu Reeves in front of the UCLA hospital a few months ago. She also saw and got pictures of Arnold Schwarzenegger in a convertible from the bus as they drove past him. Mila has seen lots of people around town--Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, Nicolette Sheridan, and Harrison Ford while getting ice cream or going out to dinner. Don't worry my dear friends, I plan on blogging about their and other friends' sightings because it would be really boring if it were just the people that I see!

Some of the celebrities that I remember having seen in the past two years:
Kyle MacLachlan (from Sex in the City)-- seen him twice! Once touring the Getty Museum, and once while waiting for a plane in Aspen (he was in line behind me)
Jack Nicholson (see above)
Dave Matthews on the sidewalk in Seattle (he said 'hi' to me about two years ago :)
Jennifer Gardner (Alias) at the theater (no Ben Affleck with her)
Laird Hamilton (super sexy surfer) along the beach with his buddies in Waikiki
Steve Carell (see previous blog)

Celebrity Sightings

I have discovered a new popular activity here in L.A.-- celebrity sightings. The attitude towards it is a lot like going to a wildlife area and spotting animals. Some animals are common, others are rare. Some spook easily, others are gregarious and interactive. The reaction of people when they spot celebrities is much the same as well. Some people make a lot of noise and move towards the celebrity, and this inevitably scares the celebrity away. But most people try to be sly about it. They pretend to not notice the celebrity and talk in quiet and hushed tones while 'casually' keeping an eye on the celebrity the entire time. The thrill of seeing a celebrity is a lot like the thrill of seeing big game in its natural habitat.

My most recent celebrity sighting was Steve Carrell of '40-year Old Virgin' fame. I was at the grocery store in my regular people neighborhood on the way towards check-out when Steve Carrell walked into the grocery store. I noticed him right away, but nobody else seemed to notice him. He walked towards the canned goods with a confused 'my wife usually goes to the grocery store so I have no idea where anything is in this place' sort of look. As soon as I checked-out and got back to my car, I called people to let them know that I had seen Steve Carrell at the grocery store. I had just experienced something special.

Seattle departure pains

I have been in such a frenetic mode that I haven't been enjoying my last days here in Seattle. Yesterday was my last day at the ISB and it was sad, but I haven't had time to reflect on the fact that I am leaving because there has been too much to do. I am rushing around packing, having good-bye lunches, dinners, and drinks with friends, and getting rid of things that are not going to be moved. When I pause for 15 minutes or more, I feel guilty for wasting time. But even worse, I start to feel sad and miss my friends and life in Seattle. I am pretty sure that once the moving crates and car are packed, the final good-byes are said, and the keys are dropped off with the real estate agent, the reality of the move will start to sink in and I'll be very sad. I am looking forward to the drive down to L.A. to decompress and think about where I have been and where I am going to go.

I think what is saddest is the constant 'last-time to do...' and 'good-byes'. Every day for the past week I have been doing something for the last-time, or saying good-bye to somebody. For all my friends in Seattle-- I WILL MISS YOU ALL! I may have complained about Seattle, but I am glad that I lived here and met all of you :) Seattle has a special place in my heart...

Wasting time and bandwidth instead of packing moving boxes

I am a lemming. I have started a blog. There are a bizillion reasons for me NOT to blog away, such as complete lack of time, but I am starting one up so that I too can become one with the bloggersphere (a.k.a. procrastination).

I went to the escrow office today and signed the papers to sell my condo this morning. It's amazing how much paperwork is required to buy a place and put it on the market, but how little paperwork is required by the seller at the final signing. I guess a person is less important when they are being given money. They are more important when they are spending lots of money.

Yes, I should be packing right now. But I'm looking at this huge mound of boxes, 75% or more full of books, and I'm re-thinking my consumer lifestyle. I'm a sucker for buying into the advertising that tells me to buy useless junk. And now I'm paying for it in moving boxes.

I'm really going to miss this condo in Seattle. But at least I have stuff from friends to remind me of how much I will miss Seattle... that is, if I can find them in these moving boxes.