Made You Look, Made You Stare

About 4 years ago I decided to write my life history in the form of stories/experiences from the past and as they happened. Someday I will compile it all in a book for my children entitled "Life As I See It; Perspectives of Jana Bell". So tonight as I was perusing my various writings I decided I would pick one to post for my blog. All my Thanksgiving pictures are sitting snugly on my camera (I finally got it back from Amanda), so, when she can show me how to uplaod or download or overload them I will show you all that we had a TERRIFIC time at Keith and Barb's on Thanksgiving Day (and not just eating either, however that part was sure good too). Meanwhile I have selected the following experience from a year ago to share with you all. A day in my life...........

Made You Look, Made You Stare
How to make a famous person wonder who YOU are……..
December 10, 2006

Jay Buehner is a retired professional baseball player who played for the Mariners here in Seattle for many years. I’ve heard he lives somewhere on the Eastside. The other day I was coming home from Issaquah and was on the bridge over I90 when I glanced over and saw it was him in his car next to me at the stop light. He is bald, very white, (as in fair skinned) has a gotee and is a very familiar face around here to pretty much anyone who hasn’t lived in a bubble the last 10 years. It made me think about what it would be like to have people stare at you everywhere you go, even driving in the privacy of ones own car. In my car, I was listening to Les Miserables where Marius was singing dreamily to his newfound-and-bound-together-forever love, Cosette, saying,

“I don’t even know your name,.........dear Madmoiselle….”

The music from Les Miserables moves me deeply, without fail, every single time I listen to the sound track. At that moment, however, when I noticed it was Jay Buehner next to me, I got distracted from my private concert and wanted to gawk at the celebrity next to me so I could say I had my moment. Albeit, he was right there to the side of me, I didn’t want to be obvious about it, (which, contrary to public opinion, I can be subtle) and so I thought, “Hey! I ought to get you to stare at me, Mister All-Famous Think You Are So Hot Because You Are Bald and Rich and Famous and Everyone Knows Who You Are!!” Right then Dearest, Beloved, Marius drew my attention back to him as he sang with all the angst and passion of a bursting heart in love for the first time,

“My name is Marius Pontmercy….”

Then, with all the feeling, drama, arm motion and lip syncing ability I could muster I put on an Alone-In-the-Car, Favorite-Song-Playing show for Mr. Buehner right as Cosette sang back to Marius,

“……and mines Cosette.”
“Cosette, I don’t know what to say,”
“Then speak no sound…”
“I am lost…..”,
“I am found…”,

I could see out of the corner of my eye Mr. Baseball Boy (in his decked out, spotless, probably-got-it-free-for-being-famous, white, Ford Explorer) looking at me, smiling. He even nudged his wife to look at me. I had his full attention, had him staring at me and humored him for at least a full 15 seconds. Yes, it is true.


So, that is how you get a famous person to look at you and wonder who YOU are for a change. Admittedly, he didn’t roll his window down and take my picture or ask for my autograph, but, still, I had him for a moment.
Hmmmmmmmmmmm, does it make you think?