There's a bookstore near me that hosts writers who come in to make presentations and then sign their books. Today's writer was Wil Wheaton. Most people know him as an actor (think Stand by Me and StarTrek, the Next Generation). He's also a writer, with at least two books out and a nice blog. I'd always liked his roles, but it's his writing that converted me from someone who might say indifferently, "Oh yeah, that's Wil Wheaton," to actually wanting to hear what he had to say in person and then wait eons for a chance to exchange a few awkward words.
And did I ever. I had an hour and a half on line to think of intelligent things to say, but by the time it was my turn it was like my brain said, "What's the worst possible phrasing you could possibly come up with to articulate this thought?" and then proceeded to say it exactly that way. I was amazed at the heights of my dorkitude. You'd think that with all the work I did in moot courts I would have improved my impromptu speaking skills. Perhaps I in fact did, but while I might very well have been able to convince Wil of a matter of law, my ability to pay him a compliment without the implicit subtext of, "And by the way, I'm a complete idiot," was apparently lacking. I sense it's a separate skillset.
Of course, none of this was his fault. He was very nice. Even with 300+ people(!) to sign autographs for, which must have been arduous, it never showed. He had a quick, "Hi, how are you" routine that he would start with, but if the other person said something to open a door to a more personal connection he gladly walked through it. Even 200 people into his 300 person autograph marathon.
So while I rue my social ineptitude (I'm sure this is all the fault of the bar exam prep, which is systematically destroying any mental faculty that does not involve multiple choice answers or IRAC), it was nice to have met him. I sort of thought our paths might cross someday given his predilection for being outspoken on the correct side of technology civil liberties issues (e.g., there's a mutual EFF connection), but I was also interested in making his acquaintance because he's an interesting person (one of the highest compliments I think anyone can be paid). I particularly admire his ability to blaze an unconventional path. A regular 9-to-5 job is much less important than self-actualizing, but few people are brave enough to make the hard choices to forego the former in pursuit of the latter, so I tend to admire those who do.
Edit 7/6: I changed the title to what it probably should have been all along...