Armstrong power! Activate!
OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG.
Okay, time to cut and paste....
OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG.
You will never guess who I just met!
OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG!
So, I was sitting at the Austin airport, having just made hotel arrangements for tonight (yeah, yeah, I messed up my travel arrangements, but hey! I recovered), when I stood up to gather my bags. A guy walked across my field of view when I turned around to pick up my bags. I paused to look at him. I recognized him, but couldn't quite place him. Damn, the man was tall...
And then it hit me who it was.
Jon.
That Jon
Oh crap.
I turned to look at the woman next to him.
Oh shit.
It was Heather.
OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG!
Oh, what do I do? Crap, do I go up to them? You're not supposed to just go up to celebrities, even Intarweb™ celebrities, and fawn all over them. I knew in passing they were coming to SxSW, but I wasn't planning on going to the meetup.
Oh, what do I do? Walk up to them now? Write this up as yet another missed opportunity? Crap!
I made sure my bags were all okay, and walked up to them, walking around Jon.
"So, do people walk up to you and, 'OMG, I totally recognize you?'" I asked.
Jon laughed. "She does all the time."
"But, it was you I recognized first!"
And then I started babbling. Oh, to remember what I said. I said something about how I'm never sure if I should say hello, that I love her writings, or just let you be. How I went to Blogher to meet her, and chickened out. I must have made some good chatter, as I managed to get at least a chuckle out of them. I must have been excited, because I started talking in the full body sort of way that Paul laughs at me about. I just just so happy to have finally met these two.
After a few moments of talking, Heather stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Heather."
Oh, fuck.
You know, my friends do this to me. I write here, and they read this, and they keep up with my life, then send me emails or ask me about things going on that I certainly didn't tell them, or reference something that in my mind they have no right to know. It used to freak me out (and, depending on the friend, still does), but now I have to ask people, "Have I told you this already?" before I start telling a story.
And I just did the same thing to them.
I introduced myself, slightly embarrassed, then started wrapping up the meeting, thinking "OMG, I've met Heather and Jon Armstrong. This trip is already way worth it," the whole time.
As I had gathered up my bags to go catch a cab, I heard Heather ask, "So, was it his clogs that you recognized first?"
"Ah, no. But I was surprised at how tall both of you are."
"He's 6'4"."
"Really? Wow! Is that with or without clogs?"
No, I didn't take a picture. I figured that would be just TOO MUCH. Yeah, I can't believe it either.