With the sci-fi writing world... oy. Met and talked to, not just getting something signed, Niven, Pournelle, Vinge, Weber, Ringo, Doc Taylor (he's also, thankfully, my only connection to reality tv), Mike Z. Williamson, loaned my pocket knife to Harlan Ellison (Who then tried to shiv the con chair with it. I shit you not.
), years prior to that, hung out with the same con-chair, a mutual friend, Harlan, Peter David, and Neil Gaiman after a con, shot the shit with Bob Asprin, argued politics with Brin, Brad Torgersen occasionally shows up in comments on things I post to Facebook, had supper with PTerry at a Discworld convention thanks to a friend of mine going nuts at the charity auction... long story short (Too late!), if they're active in writing sci-fi, I'm a step or two from them.Politically, David Duke and his college buddies painted my parents house (and did a shitty job of it) and I met him again when I was working for a local ISP that was mirroring a website that he was involved with but was distancing himself from publicly at the time. I try not to think of who that might put me within a few degrees of. I've met Bobby Jindal at a rally (He's as wonkish and uninspiring in person as he is on TV), which puts me a step away from the current pack running for the nomination. Crap. That means another connection to reality TV. On my mom's side of the family, a cousin was Henry Steagall (D- Al), as in Glass-Steagall. This puts me two steps from the inventor of the internet.
I've met and chatted with Vernon Wells, which puts me a step away from Mel Gibson and Virginia Hey. The Mardi Gras krewe I march with has put me in contact with Peter Mayhew and Georgio "Aliens!" Tsoukalos. So, one step removed from the Star Wars cast at least.
