Oh my Lord. I am
still dancing - still totally in awe and in rapture, and completely
intolerable to most of my friends. :)
My ... er... performance
at the convention will be remembered for a long time. I cannot
believe I did what I did, and neither could Ron, but I did it.
His Q&A session
was at 2 pm and I was there with a reserved seat up front, because
evidently I don't feel the need to eat for the next week and
spent all my money on the ticket. So I sat down, almost hovering
in anticipation, and out he came. I ran up front with other
people and took a zillion photos, and he sat down. He was so
humble and affable and freakin' hilarious. Dang that man is
funny. So self-deprecating. Anyway, he had a bottle of water
in one hand and the microphone in the other. And when he sat
down he put the water in his lap and propped his feet up underneath
the tall director's chair they had out there. And he began to
talk and answer questions.
I was like 5th in
line, and the people before me were all deferential and thanking
him and calling him Mr. Perlman. And I was so flustered and
dizzy, when I walked up there, I just said "Hi Ron." And
he cocks his head and says "Hi." And I could hardly breathe
and I said, "I have a question: Can I have that bottle of
water between your thighs?" The whole place erupted with
cheers and clapping and he made like he was going to toss it
to me, and so I held out my hand. And then he actually got up
out of his chair and walked to the front of the stage - and
I don't remember any of the noise of the background, I was shaking
so hard, bombs could have been going off - and I ran up there
and got his bottle of water. He gave me a look I will never
forget as long as I live. He smiled this totally devilish smile,
and looked at me sidelong as if to say "I can't believe you
asked, and I can't believe I'm giving this to you." And
then I had to walk back and ask a real question. I was so flustered
I don't remember anyone around me, but I was clutching that
bottle for dear life. He said, "Don't drink out of it, it's
not all water." I didn't even thank him, I felt like an
idiot, I was so drunk with glee.
After his Q&A was
over, and I left, a friend told me that the announcer came back
on stage and said, "Well, you know we have this charity auction
later and I was backstage trying to talk Ron into putting more
bottles between his legs so we could auction them. He's not
going for it."
I had more total
strangers come up to me and ask if I was going to build a shrine
around it when I got home. It was hysterical. My face hurt all
afternoon long from the very wide grin I wore. You know what's
slightly creepy, the bottle still smells like him. Anyway, I
carried the thing with me the whole day - and yes drank from
it. It's the little things, you know. It's nice to spend an
afternoon waltzing in delirium because someone gives you a used
beverage.
Anyway, later when
we were allowed to get autographs, we were all queued by rows,
all 700 of us, in this giant snaking line - and moved through
like in a cafeteria. No pictures, no personalized autographs
- we were told very strictly. And we had to give our stuff to
a guy who gave it to the stars (Brent Spiner was there too)
and then they gave it to some other person who would hand it
to us. But when I got to Ron's table, he smiled at me and said
"Whatcha got there?" And I was blushing so hard it felt
like a fever, and I said "Yes, sir, it is indeed your water.
I'm sorry, I realized that I took it from you really early and
you were probably up on stage the whole hour wanting something
to drink - and here I had your water." And he smiled and
said, "You want me to personalize this?" (meaning the
book I had given him) and I said "Yes, sure, my name is Anne."
And so he actually personalized my book and as I walked away
he said "Stick around, I may be thirsty later."
And my legs were
shaking and I was smiling one of those huge, whole-faced smiles,
with the eyes closed and the nose wrinkled up, and I was actually
squealing when I reached a friend of mine who came with me.
But then I didn't
want to leave. So I stood up on top of these bleachers they
had erected for the fans, looking down on the cordoned off section
where the stars were signing. I waited and watched and everyone
had gone through - and Brent and Ron were mass-autographing
stuff, probably for sale at later conventions. And I sighed.
And this man next to me asked what I was thinking. Something
about if I wanted to see Brent Spiner, and I told him no, I
wanted to get a close up picture of Ron and was thinking about
climbing over the chainlink fence and leaping down. And this
guy shouts over the fence to one of the convention staff below,
"Hey, can she come down and take a picture?" And she
actually says yes!! And so I bound down the risers and sneak
through the security barricade thing, and meet this woman who
says "NO FLASH." And I nod. And I came up to Ron's table and
he looked up, looking rather exhausted by this point, and I
am looking mightily sheepish, and I asked, "Sir, I was wondering
if I might beg a moment of your time to take a picture..." And
he just waves me around the table, which I practically hurdled
to get there. And I sat down next to him and squeezed as close
as I could. And got my picture taken. And then I kissed him
on the head. And he said "God bless you." And stupid
me - I didn't even say anything back! Argh! I feel like such
an idiot. I just fled. And then I started singing, full-voiced
"Fly Me to the Moon." Everyone was smiling. I had my
water and I had my photograph and I haven't quite come down
off that high yet. It all feels like a dream.
Gleefully yours,
Anne Hunt.