From the “It’s a Small World” File
Posted on March 6, 2008 Posted by John Scalzi 22 Comments
Hillary Clinton spokesperson Howard Wolfson? Worked under me as an editor at the Chicago Maroon, the University of Chicago student newspaper. Had slightly more hair back then, but then, so did I. He and I were pretty good pals back in the day, although I haven’t chatted with him for years. Still, it’s nice to see someone I know being in the thick of things.
And here I thought you were going to talk about the DisneyLand plans to update the It’s a Small World ride, as reported on BoingBoing (surprisingly, Mark Frauenfelder beat Cory Doctorow to this one)
Yeah, that has to be weird. I just graduated a couple of years ago so if I see people from school on national tv, it is probably not due to their careers having reached that particular stage.
And being an alum of Virginia Tech, that’s a bit more likely than it should be….
He lived in Thompson House. During 1st year, he’d come over (from Shoreland, I think) to drink with the 2nd years, since he was a year ahead of me (’90 vs. ’91). He struck me at the time as a very… passionate individual.
A thankless job, trying to spin everything that happened between New Hampshire and Texas…
I’m disappointed that yesterday he compared Obama to Ken Starr. I consider that Rovian politics of personal destruction at its lowest and not worthy of anyone associated with Hillary Clinton.
GJN @5:
I think you broke my irony meter on that one.
Maybe he’s on TV, but, trust me, you have the better job.
I don’t think a comparison was implied. I like my job and am happy to let him have his.
It is funny that you should mention this! Due to a photo that I recently posted to Flicker http://www.flickr.com/photos/pip_r_lagenta/2306622480/ I learned in the last few days that a kid I used to pal around with at summer camp in the mid seventies, Jim Marsters, grew up to play “Spike” on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0551346/
Yep, small world!
Squeee! Can you get us backstage passes? Like, you know, we’re with the band, or something?
Wait, I went to the University of Chicago and I don’t have much hair left either. They did this to us.
The U of C … where hair goes to fall out?
I always think of the “where fun goes to die” line whenever Obama calls Washington DC the place “where good ideas go to die.” I wonder if that’s where he got it from.
Brett L@6:
Trying my best…
Oooh, look at the not-quite-so-pinkness!
Oh, I know you were not comparing the two of you. You have both obviously done well. However, when I look at both jobs, I have a sense of which I would prefer.
You may be onto something Earthling. My Dad went to U of C and he’s as bald as they come, except for the beard.
OTOH, Mom is also a U of C alum, and she hasn’t lost any hair that I can tell, so maybe it’s a gender-specific effect?
One of my high school friends/acquaintances who ended up going to the University of Chicago about that time has had her name in the news from time to time as well. Jean Twenge, Generation Me author. Apparently the University of Chicago’s reputation isn’t going away anytime soon.
Wolfson was on the Maroon? Good God, the senility is advancing faster than I thought.
Clay:
Jean Twenge, also an editor who worked for me.
Hmm…don’t have quite that connection to Hillary, but I discovered I have one I didn’t know I had.
My Mom’s cousin was a gym instructor at Wellesley in the early ’60s. She was Hillary’s synchronized swimming coach!
I recognize Howard’s name, but never knew him at U. Chicago. But then, I never worked on the Maroon.
Re #17 & #19, on the other hand… Who knew that loaning Strauss & Howe’s book (“Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069”) to Jean Twenge would have such far-reaching consequences?
Also, throwing some cold water on the “U Chicago causes balding” theory: Nope, I’ve still got all my hair, so far.
(Class of ’90, fwiw.)
Open mouth, insert…