Today was the perfect day to clean out my desk at work. It was rainy and chilly outside and yet cozy in our warm (hmm, stuffy, actually) office and, what can I say, I was tired of updating the revenue document. So around 3:30 I pulled open my file drawer and began sifting...and sorting...and sifting again. I read through old emails from Laurie and Beth (who has worked at the Bushnell for almost two years now) where I had composed a lovely little poem including the two rhyming words "brie" and "pee." I found notes from the first Gala I ever attended, the Britain calendar I received for Christmas in 2004, an old lunchbox (that was a bit sketchy), surveys from Angela and Lisa, the guacamole recipe that I thought Theresa had never given me, etc. And then I rediscovered an envelope which I had so carefully tucked away back in May...an envelope with Francine Pascal's name and return address!
When that piece of mail appeared in our department's mailbox, I immediately pounced on it and came bouncing back down the hallway with glee. I believe I then set the envelope down momentarily, then promptly picked it back up and kissed it. Francine Pascal is a Goodspeed donor, and inside the envelope was her contribution to this year's Gala honoring Jerry Herman. But you might be asking--what's so great about Francine Pascal? Many of you are probably not aware of this, but she is the creator of the greatest young adult series of all time, the Sweet Valley Twins, Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield.
On my fourth day at Goodspeed, I had the opportunity to meet Ms. Pascal at the Opening Night party for Mack & Mabel. Her brother Michael Stewart, who passed away years ago, had collaborated with Jerry Herman (are you seeing the connection now? Good.) to write the book for the musical. (Jerry was there as well for Opening, as he had composed the music). When I say "I had the opportunity to meet Ms. Pascal," what I mean is, she was standing there in all her glory about five feet away from me but I, being the newly-appointed bumbling Development Associate, could not muster up enough courage to go and profess my undying love for her Twins.
To this day, I terribly regret my decision. After all, how many times are you in the same room as your childhood idol? Oh, wait. One time I was in a room with Julie Andrews (and half of her cast) and I DID speak to her! Go me! Umm, even if I stuttered and what came out of my mouth was, "Would you like some rejected cheese pieces?"--that is still a story that will live in infamy. (Similar to the one in which Big Jules threw out her Power Bar wrapper in Lisa's garbage can and we debated selling it on Ebay for about two minutes before we decided we would most likely get fired). And at least I went to a Jodi Picoult book signing where she told me I had a lovely coat. Hmm, come to think of it, I blanked talking to her as well...I think I was super original..."I love the way you write. It's just so real" or something to that effect.
My point is, if you are ever that close to someone you admire, do yourself a favor and tell them. I'm sure they will be flattered (I'm even sure that Francine would have been--I mean how many people are still obsessed with the 1987 phenomenon of Sweet Valley Twins? I am probably her sole crazy fan!). It's worth it in the long run, despite whatever embarassment you might have to overcome as a prerequisite. In fact, my "Garden State" moment may very well be asking Julie Andrews if she wants rejected cheese pieces. I bet that no one else ever muttered that exact phrase to her, ever. "Blah blah blah I loved The Sound of Music" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Agreed?
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5 comments:
I wholeheartedly agree with you. Of course, when I met Garry Marshall a few weeks ago, all I said was "Nice to meet you." Not, "I love Pretty Woman." Or, yes, even though I am 27 "The Princess Diaries" totally rocks. I am still feeling guilty about the bio too but hey, he's Hollywood, man.
And by the way, I love SVH, and I will always remember "Slambook" as one of my favorites. Oh and Francine Pascal is a bit of a flake when you talk to her. So don't feel TOO bad. ;)
If it makes you feel any better, offering Julie Andrews rejected cheese is probably not quite as bad as my friend who stalked Jimmy Carter when he was on my campus. She knew he was upstairs, so she waited by the elevator eating brownies that had been sitting out. When President Carter came through the lobby, she got so flustered that she got up and chased after him and pushed her way through the pack of secret service. She realized when she got to him that she had absolutely nothing to say, so she offered him the brownie she'd been clutching in her sweaty palm. Pres. Carter looked at the brownie in her hand that had several bites out of it and her thumb stuck through it and fished a kleenex out of his pocket and politely told her she had chocolate on her face.
I happen to remember the day we received Francine Pascal's Gala envelope...this is how it went:
(Tara handing me the contribution contained in said addressed envelope)
"I'm going to need that envelope back when you are done with it." Luckily, you kissed it AFTER I gave it back to you...lol! :)
How exciting! I remember the Sweet Valley Twins books ... Did you ever watch the TV show? The books are far better, regardless : )
Good for people to know.
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