Monday, August 28, 2006

triangulating to find your location.





Here's a quick shot of me calculating a geosynchronous orbit of my desk with a toy satellite and a picture of me in an old Broadcast Engineering magazine proving I'm qualified to use terms like pitch, yaw and geosynchronous. It was a paid advertisement and I didn't actually fly any satellites, just tune in transponders. Not nearly as impressive.

Steven Wright said "It's a small world... but I wouldn't want to paint it."

Yesterday my wife and I went to the Minnesota State Fair like we do pretty much every year. While we were at the fair with 172,000 other people yesterday a woman came up to me and asked "Are you Wes Thomsen?" and I said "Yes, are you a scrapbooker?" She had been to the premiere where she and her husband had their picture taken with me. Apparently I stuck my finger in her husbands ear right before the shutter snapped. Being a distinguished couple in a situation where we were all wearing suits and ties I can see where I would have easily done that. She and her husband had some great words and then she asked if I felt like a celebrity. It never really entered my mind.

Today I was reading Cathy Zielske's blog because I think she's cool... and a legitimate scrapbook celebrity. She showed a plume of light from the fair bandstand out the window of her house saying she can turn to the right and see it every evening of the fair. She also talked about the horrendous parking situation during fair time.

I'm in the strange place of shedding my skin from growth as a cold blooded media man ( as many of media / marketing types really are reptiles ) and need to kick into the phase of production where you have to tell everybody how great you and your project is, how important it is that people watch and / or buy it. I'm hyper sensitive to "the pitch" and am trying to find a middle ground, climb out of the media ooze, walk on dry land and become warm blooded yet live in the carnivorous land of reptilian sales and promotion.

I took a shortcut away from traffic leaving the fair late last night and in some weird way I found my bearings this morning when I read Cathy's blog. She's having a crap day and since ( I can only assume ) everyone outside of the People's Republic of China reads her blog, they all know she's having a crap day and yet her personal brand assets aren't plummeting on the Dow Jones. Thinking about last night when I was on the Midway with the lights and noises spinning and blasting adrenaline in all directions, then being approached by someone thinking I might be a Scrapbook celebrity, potentially driving right by Cathy Zielske's house who really is one but living life like everyone else, needing to scheduling in self maintenance "me time" and watching the fireworks outside from her quiet place... well, it just reminded me where I am... where we all are.

This morning I thought that place is the moment of all of us being who we were made to be that changes in a split second because of the fluidity of life. We're all celebrities to someone aren't we? Karen the scrapbooker and Larry her husband are celebrities to their kids and I'm sure many others... they may never know how much until after they've passed on. Cathy influences me, I influence other people. It all goes on and on. We will never "arrive" because life's obviously to damn big for us to harness and steer. I'm going to just ride the wave, get my bearings and try my best to steer in the direction I want to go.

Sometimes it takes at least three points of reference to determine where you are.

wes

PS> You can see Cathy Zielske's blog by going here: http://cathyzielske.typepad.com/

PSS> Ahhh, no this post isn't very clearly communicated and yes, I'm mixing metaphors like a mo-fo.

13 Comments:

At 7:15 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wes, you get it.

 
At 11:39 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

aww, nice to read both sides of a story.

 
At 2:11 PM, Blogger emilyruth said...

you're making sense to me...
can't wait to see the movie!

(found you through cathy's blog
which i read because i'm in oregon, not china:)

 
At 9:44 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Found you through Cathy's blog. And you're right -- her stock doesn't go down 'cause she says she's having a crap day. If you can't tell it like you feel it on your blog, where can you? Check the photo album on my blog (www.janesimmons.typepad.com) for scrapbook pages featuring Cathy.

Can't wait to see the movie. So I guess your blog-to Cathy's - to mine is another triangulation?

 
At 7:41 AM, Blogger Pam said...

Got the movie from Christine and can't wait to see it (just trying to find some time when I can have the TV from the hubby and kids)! I love Cathy, read her every day, even when she's having a bad day she inspires me in some way! Nice to see that you like her too! :)

 
At 11:17 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

found you at that celebrity cathyz's blog....can wait to see the movie and even watch with my guy....thanks for the thought about everyone being a celebrity to someone...

 
At 4:28 PM, Blogger dflygirl said...

Dude...

You so rock! I too found you from Cathy's blog...

I can't with til Sept 5th to order the dvd...

loved the promos!!!

 
At 5:00 PM, Blogger mindakms said...

Wait, you found out where CZ lives by her blog entry picture? Then you showed up at her door? Man, if that didn't freak her out, I don't know what would! You have MAD SKILLZ man, MAD SKILLZ!

 
At 10:27 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just had an "aha" moment. "We'll
never arrive because life is just too damn big to harness and steer." I'll just keep reaching, scrapping, and sharing the wave next to you:)

 
At 10:36 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for reminding me that everyone is a celebrity to someone else even if they never tell you or you never see it. Kind of like there are at least 9 people who will think about your during the day. I heard or read that somewhere.

You're cool. :)

Can I say I adore Cathy Zielske. She is so cool. If you like her, you'll love Ali Edwards. She's as real as it gets.

 
At 9:23 AM, Blogger BuckeySandy said...

Mixed metaphors and all, I get it.

: )

Interesting take on triangulation, and (maybe I am too geeky after all).

 
At 10:46 AM, Blogger wes said...

Well Sandy, of course you get it, weren't you in the Air Force forever? It's not rocket science... well, wait a minute.

 
At 8:54 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

hm, maybe since you know cathy, you can answer this question... why'd her blog disappear?! :( :( :( i miss her wit and scrappy inspiration :(

 

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