Fame Flits Fast

Fame comes in strange places and at strange times. Andy Warhol said "In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes." I get my fame in 15 second increments, so I guess this is a good thing; it feels as if those fifteen minutes will last longer. Way back when, I signed up with HelpX.net looking for find someone who can assist in marketing my three websites. I was extremely explicit in my needs. The deal is that you put the person up in your home with a place to sleep in exchange for their work. Generally, they are supposed to work 3-4 hours a day. Beneath the layer of getting free labor is that the worker gets time to explore the city. Kind of a backpacker’s step up from couch surfing; they get to experience the culture besides.

Though I have had dozens of responses, few actually met the criteria I had set. A number of the state they would love to learn marketing or can help me create a website. Not close to my needs. Yet, when I did get someone who seemed to be spot on, we arranged to meet for a coffee. This is where the fame part comes in.

I was sitting in the café having arrived thirty minutes early so I could relax and read. A young man came in and had an animated chat with the woman behind the counter. He then turned to me and asked in Hungarian something incomprehensible…to me anyway. He then repeated it in English and asked if I would allow my photo taken for an article. I am photographed here.

An old US television commercial had the slogan “When you are #2, you have to try harder.” Well, if you get bored looking, I am in number 10. I have to try hardest. Even the blurred teddies and the pretty coffee drink rated higher on the list.

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