And *I* met....was Re: Amanda's pics

[Jennifer Piersol]

Okay, so here I am, being jealous of everyone that's met someone
famous (even though I'm not exactly one of those people that goes out
of their way to meet them, and if I were ever in the room with one,
I'd probably freak out...), when I realized I've met someone "famous",
too!

N. Scott Momaday.

He taught a class on (get this!) Emily Dickinson at the University of
Arizona while I was there... I don't know if he's still on the
faculty, but this was in '96.  Oh, he also taught an "oral history"
class for the Native American department, but this was his love - his
absolute love is for Dickinson.  Crazy, huh?  So every Tuesday night,
we'd meet from 6pm - 9pm and just talk about Dickinson.  Fantastic. 
Oh, and he'd start off each class with a "quiz" about something or
other, and as a prize, he'd give away one of his complimentary (sp?)
copies of some novel that publishers would send him.  When we were
about half-way through the class, he asked a bunch of English majors
(haha!) what the highest mountain in the world was - and I was the
only one who raised my hand.  I was such a nerd - I said "Everest, but
some debate that and think that K-2 is actually taller now" - and he
just looked at me and handed back _The Tenant of Wildfell Hall_ by Bronte.

I was so intimidated when I started, thinking "Hell!  This is a
Pulizer Prize winning author!"  But you know what?  The first thought
that popped into my head when he walked into the classroom was, "Oh my
gosh, he reminds me of my dad!!!"

Goes to show you.

-Jen (who is battling a fever... darnit!)