Coach

Coach

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Five people I'd like to meet for pizza and beer

It's the age old question - if you could have dinner with anybody in the world, who would it be?  And the answers are always philosophers, Nobel Laureates, world leaders and top pro athletes. And for the most part, yes, it would be interesting to sit down with some of these folks, but it would also be slightly/very nerve wracking.  And you'd never put your elbows on the table with them.
I'm going to twist the list a bit, and drop it down to a more human level.  Who are five people that I've never met, but with whom I'd like to sit down for pizza and a beer?  I've got pretty simple criteria really - I have to like what they are doing/did, think they'd be interesting to talk to,and have a KB number no higher than 3.  It's by no means a finite list, and I'll probably come back and add to it later.

Jennifer Lawrence.  OK, she's just about the hottest celebrity in Hollywood right now, but she also comes across as being pretty down to earth.  I really do enjoy her acting.  The first time I saw her was in "Winter's Bone", which is just about the bleakest, most hopeless movie I've seen (which I normally do not go for).  She made the character believable, and made you care for the characters.  Mainly though, she comes across like the celebrity is 'no big deal', indeed stopping to talk to kids with disabilities without looking like a photo op.

Aliy Zirkle.  Second place in the Iditarod. Again. I honestly don't know that much about her, but I've watched her work with her dogs, talk to reporters, be *nice* to people when the situation probably permitted being standoffish or even a bit grumpy. AND she showed uncommonly good sense to stop and hole up at Safety this year after battling the wind along the coast from White Mountain.

Tom Boonen.  Turbo Tom has won most of the one day classic pro bike races at least once, and done pretty well as a sprinter.  Definitely one of the 'hard men' of the spring, he has always seemed like a likable guy and one heck of a rider.

Mike Krzyzewski.  Of the people on this list, Coach K is the closest I come to reverence.  He's nearing retirement age, and it will be interesting how much longer he's active.  I can't think of many other men who have shown themselves to be leaders, teachers and mentors on and off the court.  I think I'd want to bring a notebook if I sat down with him.

Emmylou Harris.  She's made music since I was in high school, moved easily and legitimately from folk/rock to country and everywhere in between. Anyone who volunteers at an animal shelter when they're home is pretty OK.  It would be interesting to learn about life on the road and what music has meant to her.

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