Who would you meet?

[Independent Gal]

Here's a silly but interesting game.

If you could meet anyone alive today, who would it be and why?


ETA: I think I mean whoM would you meet. Oops! Grammar, people! Grammar!

 

[Gypsy]

Marie Antionette
Louis XIV
Henry VIII
Dariush
Octavian
Mary Queen of Scots
Jesus


ETA: OOPS. I thought the post was asking if you could meet anyone deceased or alive.

Hmm... not interested in that many people who are alive. Obama. That's about it for me. My next boss...lol.

 

[Independent Gal]

Haha!

WHY would you want to meet Obama. What would you ask him? Or what do you think you''d get from the meeting?

 

[Elmorton]

My husband met Obama - he was totally relaxed, very personable, and cracked a few jokes with the sports desk guys (DH writes at a newspaper) - but when one of DH's co-workers mentioned that his nephew was serving in Iraq, Obama's demeanor totally changed and he said that he appreciated our soldiers' service but hoped that we could bring an end to the war and bring our soldiers home. DH was really impressed by the short meeting - and I'm very jealous of his experience! I think Michelle Obama would be fun to meet as well - she seems very grounded with a great sense of humor.

I have a hard time thinking of someone that I'd really like to meet, though - most celebrities strike me as being self-absorbed, and I can't imagine that we'd have much to talk about! I feel like I should want to meet an author, but most writers are even worse narcissists than celebrities, haha! Maybe a chef would be fun - Giada DeLaurentis, Anthony Bourdain, or (I heart Top Chef!) Tom Collichio. - ETA: Why! - because I think they would be creative people who have had a lot of life and world experience, and people like that are ALWAYS fun to talk to!

Wait - thought of one! Judith Jones -- is she still alive?? I'd want to meet her, too
ETA again: I'd love to hear about the stories she's found, and what it's like to be a "first" reader of something that's going to be amazing - like what it was like to read Anne Frank's diary for the first time or discover Julia Child's talent for cookbooks!

 

[Miscka]

I would like to meet Obama. Or Paula Dean. I think she seems like such a sweetie! Or Jonathan Rhys Myers from the show The Tudors

 

[Pandora II]

Richard Dawkins - I''m a huge fan!

 

[Independent Gal]

I met Richard Dawkins once. He was the most cocky, pompous, egotistical... such and such.

You're not missing anything, Pandora.

I find his books interesting too, although I don't always agree with his interpretations of the data.

 

[UCLABelle]

Oh man........I would meet...(don't laugh) Brian May, the guitarist from Queen. I have corresponded with him via e-mail a few times, but would love to actually meet him. I figure, it is his music that I listen to almost everyday of my life, and therefore, it would be nice to actually meet him in-person (I have seen him perform though). There are a few songs whose meanings I am confused on, I would like them clarified

over a cup of tea.

Another would be the Pope (have so many questions about my faith and the church, I couldn't list them all right now). I would also like to meet Ward Connerly (pseudo co-author of a prop that effectively ended affirmative action in California, or "re-defined" it). I wrote my MA thesis on it, and plan on studying it further for my EdD. I have seen him speak, but never met directly with him.

 

[Erin]

Date: 4/24/2008 1:07:51 PM
Author: Pandora II
Richard Dawkins - I'm a huge fan!

I feel like such a dunce. I was thinking, why in the world would she want to meet the host of Family Feud? And why has Indy met him. That's so weird.
I would never admit I was a huge fan....

 

[dragonfly411]

I want to meet Terry Goodkind. Mastermind writer.

 

[bee*]

David Attenborough. I would love to meet him.

 

[Delster]

On our first day on my professional law degree they made us do this. We had to choose a living person to invite to a dinner party and then sell that choice to the class.

I've already met my choice - Antonin Scalia. I don't share his politics (or agree with quite a few of his legal dicta!) but that's a large part of why I find him interesting.

 

[Independent Gal]

Oh WOW I would LOVE to meet David Attenborough! DH and I both think he''s the bomb. In fact, I think I want to adopt him.

 

[simplysplendid]

My girlfriends! I have not met them in a few months as I have been really busy with my work, baby and preschooler. We talked on the phone though, but nothing like catching up over lunch or latte and indulge in girl talk!

The next on the list will be Ian Wright and Anthony Bourdain and Jeff Corwin.

 

[somethingshiny]

I''d love to meet authors--in particular, Dean Koontz (my first "favorite" author. He always finds the perfect adjective ("terpsichorean shadows"), and to me that''s impressive.) Also, JK Rowling because I think it''s awe inspiring that she brought reading back to the youth of the US. I''d like to meet Stephen King, just out of morbid curiosity. I want to know where he gets his ideas. Tom Robbins would be fun to talk to about anything! And, I''d talk to John Dau, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan. I''ve read everything I can find, but I''d like to see his face when he speaks. I''d like to hear the inflection in his voice as he recounts his experience.

That''s all I can think of for now.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I''d love to meet the Queen, the Dalai Lama, and the Pope.

cheers--Sharon

 

[lovewhitediamonds]

Dead:
John Lennon
Thomas Jefferson
Elvis
Princess Diana

Alive:
Paul McCartney

 

[Gypsy]

Why do I want to meet Obama? I think he''s as REAL a politician as I''m likely to see in my lifetime, and I would like to see if I''m right.

I would like to add one of my favorite authors: Terry Pratchet, especially as he''s been diagnosed with early onset alzheimer''s.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 4/24/2008 12:55:41 PM
Author: Elmorton
I have a hard time thinking of someone that I''d really like to meet, though - most celebrities strike me as being self-absorbed, and I can''t imagine that we''d have much to talk about! I feel like I should want to meet an author, but most writers are even worse narcissists than celebrities, haha! Maybe a chef would be fun - Giada DeLaurentis, Anthony Bourdain, or (I heart Top Chef!) Tom Collichio. - ETA: Why! - because I think they would be creative people who have had a lot of life and world experience, and people like that are ALWAYS fun to talk to!

One of the cool things about being a culinary student was how many opportunities we had to meet chefs. I got to meet Anthony Bourdain when he came to NM a few of years ago-and in person he''s just like he is on his shows and in his books. I would love to meet up with him again and show him the real places he should eat in NM. Or just have a few drinks with him. When I visited NYC a few times (years ago) I got to eat at Brasserie Las Halles, but he wasn''t there that night. He actually autographed a copy of a poster for me-it''s pretty awesome...perhaps I''ll take a pic and post it.

Tom Colicchio is one of my heroes. The best meal I have ever eaten was from Gramercy Tavern in NYC. The food was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and the service impeccable. I think he had moved on and was Chef in name only at the time, but the food....oh, the food...

I''d like to meet Obama. I think he''d been a cool guy to sit there and ask him about his past and what growing up was like.

As a psych major I''d like to sit down with Britney and see if I could get inside her head. That would be interesting.

I''d also like to sit down and give GW Bush an IQ test. Totally curious about the results.

I got to meet Kerry at the beginning of the Democratic Nomination and all he wanted to talk about was my culinary school stuff.

I think he was hungry.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 4/24/2008 5:46:55 PM
Author: canuk-gal
HI:

I''d love to meet the Queen, the Dalai Lama, and the Pope.

cheers--Sharon

Totally interesting choices Sharon, I would love to meet them too!!!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I''m going to stretch the "alive today" to "alive in my lifetime" so that I can include Ayn Rand. I want to be her best friend.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

If it was alive in my lifetime I would have LOVED to meat Douglas Adams.

As for alive now, I want to meet Jane Goodall. She has won every humanitrian award and honor practically. She is a brilliant scientist and researcher. Everyone I know who has met her (I was an anthro major, so a few did) all say she is the most lovely, down to earth person. Many years ago, Gary Larson drew a farside comic making fun of her. Her office threatend to sue for libel. When Jane found out she stopped the lawsuit. Not only that, but she liked the cartoon so much she used it on the t-shirts National Geo was doing to commemorate her and she invited him to the park to meet the chimps.

I think anyone who is is so highly respected but so down to earth is someone I would love to have in my life.

 

[Clio]

I''m such the geek, but I''d love to meet Drew Gilpin Faust. She''s a brilliant historian. Maybe Eugene Genovese, too. In addition to being a Big Name historian, he''s had a very interesting life.

I''d really love to hang with Chris Rose, who writes for the Times-Picayune. He''s very funny and also has a lot to say about post-storm New Orleans.

And, because I''m shallow, I want the Fug girls to come hang at my house and be my best friends.

 

[LostSapphire]

Date: 4/24/2008 8:59:42 PM
Author: NewEnglandLady
I''m going to stretch the ''alive today'' to ''alive in my lifetime'' so that I can include Ayn Rand. I want to be her best friend.

I''m going to do the same stretch so that I can include my Paternal Grandmother. I want to meet her as an adult, instead of remembering her as a child.

 

[Selkie]

Date: 4/24/2008 6:44:57 PM
Author: Gypsy

I would like to add one of my favorite authors: Terry Pratchet, especially as he's been diagnosed with early onset alzheimer's.

Oh NO!!

I'd love to meet Neil Gaiman (writer), Alison Weir (biographer of the Tudor family), Sting, and Stephen Jay Gould (sort of did once, at a lecture, but I didn't say anything coherent

).

ETA: DOH! SJ Gould died in 2002. I swear I knew that!

 

[Selkie]

Clio, I LOVE the Fug Girls too!

 

[diamondfan]

This is a tough one.

Most of the people I want to meet are dead.

Martin Luther King, Margaret Mitchell, Princess Diana, Golda Meir, Sylvia Plath, John Kennedy Junior, Richard Pryor, Lucille Ball, Mahatma Ghandi, Eleanor Roosevelt... Kind of a weird group. I would love to have a dinner party with this group!

People alive now, it is tough. I think that it would be cool to meet different people for different reasons. My star struck side has some picks, but the more introspective side of me has vastly different ones. Al Gore could be interesting. Susan Isaacs, Bill Bryson and Janet Evanovich, three of my favorite fun writers, have given me much entertainment and laughter. Maybe some cool Hollywood stars who could be fun to hang out with. I would have a tough time with this.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 4/24/2008 10:55:07 PM
Author: diamondfan
This is a tough one.

Most of the people I want to meet are dead.

Martin Luther King, Margaret Mitchell, Princess Diana, Golda Meir, Sylvia Plath, John Kennedy Junior, Richard Pryor, Lucille Ball, Mahatma Ghandi, Eleanor Roosevelt... Kind of a weird group. I would love to have a dinner party with this group!

People alive now, it is tough. I think that it would be cool to meet different people for different reasons. My star struck side has some picks, but the more introspective side of me has vastly different ones. Al Gore could be interesting. Susan Isaacs, Bill Bryson and Janet Evanovich, three of my favorite fun writers, have given me much entertainment and laughter. Maybe some cool holiday stars who could be fun to hang out with. I would have a tough time with this.

Good choices. I loved loved loved Princess Diana; she was so classy and beautiful and cared so much about AIDS and awareness. I would love to meet Janet Evanovich; I would want to know how she came up w/her characters. Lula, Stephanie and Grandma M especially. hehe Thanks for turning me on to Susan Isaac too!

 

[Independent Gal]

Hey, I met Al Gore once too. Wow, does that make me a name dropper now?

I was at a party, a little fundraiser with about 50 people at this guy''s house who I think wanted to date me (long, HILARIOUS story). I knew Gore was going to be there, but somehow blanked out on what he looked like. So when I met him, I was all "Is this him? I''m not sure." That helped me relax I guess. We talked about the German philosopher Jurgen Habermas. Gore''s a big fan, apparently. Me? not so much. I found him very smart, and pleasant. Not smarmy like many politicians. He wanted a genuine conversation about a difficult and interesting topic, sans shmooze.

Hey, I just remembered I once met Jugen Habermas too! OK, so now you can definitely vote me off the forum for name dropping.

 

[Independent Gal]

Right now, the guy I most want to meet is this guy Dan in this New Yorker story.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/04/16/070416fa_fact_colapinto