Soon after, Jon Stewart arrived on campus for Colonials Weekend, and I clutched my press pass and headed to the racquetball court in the Smith Center where the Daily Show funnyman would be answering questions from student press. I don't remember what I asked him. I do, however, remember lining up with other student press to have our photos taken with him after the session. When it was my turn, we stood side-by-side and he awkwardly put his arm around me. "This is like, the best prom ever!" said Jon Stewart. I cracked up. The camera clicked. This is how the greatest Facebook photo in the history of Facebook photos came to be.
And then, there was the story of what should have been my best celebrity conquest - meeting my favorite author, humorist David Sedaris. He rarely tours the U.S., but in 2005 he ended up in GW's own Lisner Auditorium. This is what was supposed to happen: I would arrive at Lisner and charm Sedaris with my wit and sarcasm during the interview, he would ask to see my writing and decide he wanted to make me his protégé, and fame and fortune would ensue. What happened instead was that, the morning of his show, I was hit by a car that jumped the light at Pennsylvania Avenue. Instead of chatting with Sedaris about his craft, I waited on a cold metal table for X-rays of my hips and tailbone, the latter of which turned out to be fractured. Fortunately, my neighbor was gracious enough to take my copy of one of his books to be signed, as a consolation while I lay in bed under the influence of massive doses of Percocet. She handed him the book, told him about me and what had happened that day, and when she handed it back to me I flipped to the title page. It read, in his facetious, scrawling handwriting, "Dear Maura, I was the driver. -David Sedaris."
But if this were the Academy Awards, they would be cuing the orchestra music by now, so it's time for some thank you's before they usher me off the stage.
Sarah Brown, despite dozens of roadblocks, the Insider is a beauty because of you. Thanks also to Caitlin, Erin, Howie and everyone else who had a hand in getting the magazine off the ground.
And then, there was the story of what should have been my best celebrity conquest - meeting my favorite author, humorist David Sedaris. He rarely tours the U.S., but in 2005 he ended up in GW's own Lisner Auditorium. This is what was supposed to happen: I would arrive at Lisner and charm Sedaris with my wit and sarcasm during the interview, he would ask to see my writing and decide he wanted to make me his protégé, and fame and fortune would ensue. What happened instead was that, the morning of his show, I was hit by a car that jumped the light at Pennsylvania Avenue. Instead of chatting with Sedaris about his craft, I waited on a cold metal table for X-rays of my hips and tailbone, the latter of which turned out to be fractured. Fortunately, my neighbor was gracious enough to take my copy of one of his books to be signed, as a consolation while I lay in bed under the influence of massive doses of Percocet. She handed him the book, told him about me and what had happened that day, and when she handed it back to me I flipped to the title page. It read, in his facetious, scrawling handwriting, "Dear Maura, I was the driver. -David Sedaris."
But if this were the Academy Awards, they would be cuing the orchestra music by now, so it's time for some thank you's before they usher me off the stage.
Sarah Brown, despite dozens of roadblocks, the Insider is a beauty because of you. Thanks also to Caitlin, Erin, Howie and everyone else who had a hand in getting the magazine off the ground.
