Campbell Brown

I was standing in line at Best Buy, looking to exchange my new 24” HDTV for a 26” one. The guy in front of me, a vaguely gnarly outdoorsy type was exclaiming on his cell phone something bout “so now it’s back to the grind”. I didn’t think much of it, focused as I was on the length and lack of movement in the Exchange/Returns line. Sheesh!!* He had a Tivo in a box on the floor in front of him right next to my TV in a box and I impulsively asked him what a Tivo costs. He garrulously launched into a story starting with "$250" and then on to something about not being able to get a cash back refund, followed by a running observation on the age and training of Best Buy staff with which I wholly concurred. I volunteered my purpose in line and he enthusiastically urged me to go “bigger, bigger!!” I told him it's all I could afford, getting divorced, etc etc….and it turns out he’s just got divorced too and has a theory about what a guy needs to get started again….a micro wave, a large screen TV. And I said "don’t forget a computer" and he goes, “oh yeah, ya gotta have the naked ladies” So we proceeded in this rapt conversation until at some point, I’m not exactly sure what queued me, but I realized I was talking to Livingston Taylor. I was star struck, as Anna said the time we met Campbell Brown at a dinner party in Newton, but managed to maintain some conversational functionality. But when he asked me my name and then forthrightly introduced himself and there was no use pretending anymore, so I reverted to geeky fan. I did manage briefly to get back into the moment when apropos of I forget exactly what he boisterously pounded me on my slinged left arm, of which he wasn't aware cuz it was draped with my cape-like overcoat. When I revealed the sling and told him that my attorney would be contacting him in the morning we both had a good laugh and then his number got called. Before he left, he called out across Bestbuy-Space, “So long Chris!” and I said something partially geeky like “keep on keeping on!” and that was it. And then I went to analysis.

*thanks Bill