I'm on my way, I'm makin' it...
And what to make of something that happened to me yesterday at work.
I was just about to leave with my coworker for my final meeting of the day. I heard her saying hi to someone in the lobby of our office so I knew I had a few extra seconds to finish getting stuff together.
When I stepped out of my office into the lobby, the visitor looks at me and says, "and you're Kevin Apgar."
Me: Umm... yeah.
John Doe (J.D.): I'm John Doe. I'm a reporter for XYZ Newspaper.
Me: Oh, hi. Nice to meet you.
[I'm still wondering how he knew who I was. It wasn't as though my job made some grand media announcement of my arrival.]
J.D.: And I read your blog.
My Co-Worker (MyCW): You have a blog?
Me: It was in my resumé.
MyCW: Like I read every site that was in your resumé.
Me: Okay, I'll grant you that.
J.D.: He's a really good writer. Very funny and never snide. If I had a bigger budget, I'd hire him as a full-time blogger for the paper.
[cha-ching goes the mental cash register]
Me: No complaints.
[a few more back-and-forth comments for another minute or so that I can't quite recall]
J.D.: Well, hey, it was nice to meet you.
Me: Nice to meet you, too. [to MyCW as we're walking away] That was different.
MyCW: He's a really nice guy.
J.D.: [calling after us] By the way, say hi to Katie!
Me: Will do!
MyCW: [to me] Woah.
Me: Yep. He's a reader.
That's something that I, even in my wildest dreams, never imagined would happen. My first random fan off the streets! Woo hoo!
[Disclaimer: this isn't a word-for-word transcription of the conversation. I just stated the key parts as well as I could remember them. It's been half a day and it's really early right now... cut me some slack.]
He's right. You are.
AND, the best part (from my point of view) is that if he reads YOU then he reads OUR comments, and in a way that makes us uber celebrity commenters.
Okay, that was a stretch. But, you are all the things he said.
Does this mean that we now have to pay for your autograph???
Posted by: javajabber | Tuesday, 19 December 2006 at 06:37 AM
oh cool, that's awesome! congrats on the milestone!!
Posted by: *lynne* | Tuesday, 19 December 2006 at 07:15 AM
That is too cool! Pretty soon people will start stopping you in the super market, in the airport... you will have to get body guards!
Posted by: kilax | Tuesday, 19 December 2006 at 08:09 AM
That is awesome. The last person who was able to identify me without me knowing them not only rattled off my name but my address as well.
Psychofanstalker? Nope. It was my pizza delivery guy.
You win.
Posted by: francesdanger | Tuesday, 19 December 2006 at 09:31 AM
that's kind of awesome. tee hee. you're like famous. :)
Posted by: ms. sizzle | Tuesday, 19 December 2006 at 10:10 AM
Okay how come when that happens to me, I freak out but you are so calm, cool and collected?
Oh right, because you aren't cussing up a storm ;). Anyway, well deserved compliment and it would be so neat if one day they called you to do that gig!
Posted by: Hilly | Tuesday, 19 December 2006 at 11:04 AM
That's creepy in a way cool-internet-fame kinda way.
Can you imagine getting hired to blog? It's like getting hired to eat Oreos...only with less calories involved.
Posted by: Dustin | Tuesday, 19 December 2006 at 01:45 PM
Yep, truly a reader if he said hello to Katie.
And that decides it for me. No photos on my blog. Nope. No way.
Posted by: Dagny | Tuesday, 19 December 2006 at 05:40 PM
java, my fame is your fame. I am more than willing to share. And thanks!
lynne, thanks.
kilax, good thing I work indirectly with the police now, eh?
frances, it would've been funnier if he had no idea what your name was, but you were merely an address to him.
sizzle, yeah it is kinda cool.
Hilly, has it happened to you often?
Dustin, mmmm... paid to eat Oreos. I just gained five pounds thinking about it.
Dagny, good thing you chose a pen name, too!
Posted by: kapgar | Tuesday, 19 December 2006 at 05:58 PM
YAY KAPGAR! Rock on with your bad self!
Posted by: Tracy Lynn | Tuesday, 19 December 2006 at 06:14 PM
Imagine me rocking out like Beavis and Butt-head right about now.
Posted by: kapgar | Wednesday, 20 December 2006 at 06:40 AM
Dude. You're famous!!
Posted by: sandra | Wednesday, 20 December 2006 at 02:41 PM
Not more than you and Sizzle for your blog crush holiday. You girls rocked that one!
Posted by: kapgar | Wednesday, 20 December 2006 at 05:13 PM
Bizarre and surreal, meeting people that read your blog, isn't it? I'll never forget Karen Rani (Trollbaby) at BlogHer. When I asked if she was Karen, she said yes. I introduced myself and she said, "I know who you are. I'm a fan."
Ack! A fan?
Of ME?!
Posted by: Karl | Thursday, 21 December 2006 at 10:02 AM
That was pretty much my reaction. Not to you, but to this guy. ;-)
Posted by: kapgar | Thursday, 21 December 2006 at 11:16 AM
Sorry I missed this post. That is so cool. Merry Christmas to you.
Posted by: Neil | Monday, 25 December 2006 at 11:51 AM
Thanks, Neil. I appreciate it.
Posted by: kapgar | Tuesday, 26 December 2006 at 06:18 AM