Jorja Fox, and (another) meme

[inmyriadbits]

So...it's now almost a year ago that this story happened, and I started writing an entry about it way back when and have never finished it, and it's starting to drive me nuts just sitting on my computer. I have now finished it. Thus, I give you an entry from (mostly) last May, wherein I geek about my then-recent addiction to CSI and meet Jorja Fox at the pool. It's written in ridiculous detail, but hey, it was really exciting. And it's more for my sake than anyone else's, so feel free to skip or skim.

bit written back then/

Speaking of CSI: "My name is Lindsey, and I'm a CSI-aholic." Yep, that about covers it. I started watching CSI (the original, of course; the spinoffs suck) reruns on Spike TV (6-8 Mon-Fri. Isn't cable great?) a while ago, and am now an avid fan. It's just so... well, fun, I guess. Although, that's a little incongruous, because hello, all dead people, all the time. Entertaining perhaps works better. The characters are the best part; really, they're the thing that gets me into shows more than anything. You can have a great concept and shitty characters and I will be saddened by the waste of good material, but frankly my dear, I won't give a damn. But you can have a show with a concept of any quality, and if there are great characters, I'm a goner. For instance, Pretender. Plots? Like Swiss cheese, my friends. Characters? Heeeeelll yeah. Ms. Parker is the greatest character. Jarod is a great idea for a character, but the way he was acted on the show didn't really do the idea credit, sadly. The people in that show, or at least the regulars, were so interesting. Thank god for fan fiction, where the potential of that show's characters can be fully realized. CSI is similar: it's very formulaic, and can be a bit hokey at times (I mean, really, some of those cases?). But the characters are just fascinating, complex and lovable, and the show itself is smart, with a sideways sense of humor. I never thought I would watch CSI, but here I am, addicted.

In following (and don't worry, you'll see how it connects), cool story about a great day I had. It was the last day of high school EVER (as I wrote in my planner). I'd spent the 5th period final (English) signing yearbooks and getting mine signed. I have such a hard time writing yearbook entries; I know how much those entries mean to me, and I want to find the exact words to concisely tell a person how I see them and what they have meant to me all these years. I still haven't finished Angie's yearbook *feels guilty*. Anyway, easy English final, then the don't-you-dare-show-up-to-my-final 6th period Spanish. I went anyway, because I had books to return to her and wanted her to sign my yearbook. I told her how much I didn't want to give back the first volume of our textbook for the class because I love the poetry, and was surprised when she handed it back to me and told me to keep it. It was so sweet. Anyway, spent the rest of the period in LitMag doing more yearbook signing and talking to Matt Puckett and some other people. After school we gave Angie, Henry Clay and his friend a ride to the LASA Picnic. We had to go home, but we sang at the top of our lungs along with my driving mix CD, and made Henry and friend-boy shout "Brown Sugar" along with us and the Rolling Stones.

Now, Barton Springs is always fun in summer in Austin: the joy of lying in the sun baking away all tension from your body; the thrill of jumping in all at once and feeling that moment of cardiac arrest before a layer of coolness begins to seep into your skin; the sensation of completely submerging and swimming underwater, like layers of silk dragged along your curves; the blank release of floating and focusing on the backs of your eyelids and the small movements of arm and leg that keep you afloat; joining drum circles and bellydancing on the green hill under magnificent trees; the many interesting opportunities for people-watching.

However, besides those somewhat more poetical reasons I enjoy myself at Barton Springs, this day was especially cool for its celeb-spotting value. That is correct, ladies and gentlemen (okay, who am I kidding, talking to myself here...): I saw one Jorja Fox at Barton Springs on Wednesday, May 25th, at about 4 in the afternoon. Better yet, I talked to her. Twice. The first time went something like this:

Me: [standing by steps out of pool near lower end, on the hill side of the pool] Hmm, that person looks an awful lot like Jorja Fox. Maybe I've lost my mind because I've been watching her too much on CSI reruns. Check again. Nope, that really is her. Okay, stay cool. What to do? I don't want to draw attention to her; that would annoy the hell out of me if I were a celebrity, and it's just plain mean to ruin someone's day when they're obviously just trying to have fun like the normal person they are, minus the whole actress thing.

JF: [to friend, while walking down steps into pool, says something about how it's really freakin' cold. BTW, to whom it may concern, she was wearing a bikini with plain brown bottoms and a tank-style top, brown with white polka dots.]

Me: [mouth opens without consent of brain] Aw, you can't walk in, that kills you. You have to jump in and get it over with all at once.

JF's Friend [Leyla, Leela, something. Slipped my mind. L from now on]: Will you hit the bottom if you jump in here?

Me: Mmm, if you go in with your legs straight you sometimes hit the bottom, but if you bend them you're fine. Or you can cannonball and splash everyone on the side of the pool. That's always funny.

JF: Yeah, that's a way to make yourself popular.

Me: Yeah. [Yep, I know, reeeaal clever]

They then proceeded to get in, swim off. I sat down on the edge of the pool all giddy-like and kept and eye on where they were sort of until they were out of sight, and semi-gushed to Matt and Jancy about the experience, and then started sort of regretting not saying anything more earlier, like "wow, you're Jorja Fox! OMG!" or even "I love your show!"

/back-then bit

Note: this will be much less detailed. It was a year ago, after all.

Anyway, at that point I remember I sort of wandered down the side of the pool, casually following JF in the direction I'd seen her go last, under the pretense of strolling and saying hi to various acquaintances (because the Entire High School Population of Austin goes to Barton Springs on the last day of school). And then: I spot her at the diving board. *cue dramatic music* :) I managed to catch her eye, and she apparently remembered me from before, because she sort of smile and said hi. I took that opportunity to say "Hey, you're Jorja Fox, right? I just wanted to tell you, I love you on CSI," etc. And she was lovely and gracious and said thank you, and then (I'm not sure how this transition happened un-awkwardly, but it did) I asked her what brought her to Austin. She said that she and her friend had taken a road trip from LA, stopping in New Mexico and were staying here for a few days before heading to San Antonio where her friend was from. And I said that was cool, and we talked a little about how Austin and San Antonio were both nice places and how her friend had lived both places at one point or another, etc. All the details are fuzzy, like I've said. She said they were staying near Sixth Street and were thinking about going out later, and could I recommend somewhere? I confessed that I was 18 and really didn't know jack about clubbing, and then she asked if I knew a good place to eat dinner nearby and I then of course gushed about Chuy's, which is wonderful and also very, very close. I then wished her a good trip and lots of fun, and headed off, rather pleased with myself and life in general.

When I saw Katie later, I was all "GUESS WHAT? I MET JORJA FOX!" and she was all "NO WAY! JEALOUS!" and then we were arrested by the Caps Lock Police. Or, you know, I told her what JF's bathing suit looked like so she could spot her if she wanted. And you know what? She DID. Katie spotted JF and Friend heading out, and hesitated due to potential awkwardness, but went for it based on the I'll-Always-Regret-Not-Doing-It Principle and ran after her. She said hi, and JF said hi but was giving her a weird look and Katie explained that I had told Katie that I had talked to JF before and mentioned the whole twins thing, and JF was all "I thought you looked familiar..." Katie said she just wanted to tell her how much she loved her on CSI and how we'd just started watching and marathoned and everything, and JF said thanks. And then Katie gracefully backed out by saying she didn't want to take up any more of their vacation time, "just wanted to say..." and headed off. Then, (and this is my favorite part of the story, because I'm just silly like that), she yells after Katie "Say hi to your sister for me! We go way back!" and did that thing with crossing your fingers ("they were close friends like this"). *squee* Oh, I am such a dork...

Anyway, Katie and I remained excited about that for, like, the rest of the day. Jorja Fox was very lovely and cool about everything, and seems like a genuinely nice person. She also looked quite nice in her swimsuit (*wink*) and water-messy hair, and her little gap-toothed smile is just as endearing in person as on TV.

And I'm sorry, but I'm really quite proud of how I handled myself when talking to her. I've always sort of wondered how to dealwith seeing a celeb; do you make a nuisance out of yourself by gushing about how much you love them, or do you play it cool and not say anything? I was aiming for a delicate balance between expressing my love for her work on CSI and treating her like a normal person, because I think that's the main problem that famous people have. Granted, she's not as instantly recognizable as some actors, but still. People tend to treat actors like their characters, or like a symbol or idea rather than the human beings that they are. That's the thing that would bother me most if I were famous, so I tried to avoid that. Also, I'm glad I kept my cool and was, you know, able to hold a normal conversation. I was so nervous, but I pulled it off and had an awesome last day of school.

The End.


Also, since I haven't taken up enough of your time today, I give you

Ipod on Shuffe
Grab your Ipod, Put it on SHUFFLE and use it to answer these questions...
How am I feeling today?:	Mosquitos - Vagalume (Quando voc? chegou perto de mim, eu vagava sozinha, free. It was just me.)
Will I get far in life?:	Alkaline Trio - Blue Carolina (I will ask myself, "How badly do I want this?", I really want this....Yes I will, yeah, yeah, Yes I will, yeah, yeah, Yes I will)
How do my friends see me?:	Radiohead - You And Whose Army? (You think you drive me crazy, Come on, come on, You and whose army? You and your cronies)
Who will I marry?:	Alias S1 Soundtrack - The Tooth Doctor (Ahh!!! Creepy!!!)
What is my best friend's theme song?:	Ladysmith Black Mambazo & The Mint Juleps - The Lion Sleeps Tonight
What is the story of my life?:	Phish - Mexican Cousin (Well I'm awful sorry you got pissed, Just have to cross you off the list Of my true friends... And tequila's where that starts and where it ends)
What is highschool like?:	Lucinda Williams - I Lost It (Money can't replace it, No memory can erase it, And I know I'm never gonna find Another one to compare)
How can I get ahead in life?:	Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - The Tracks of My Tears (Outside I'm masquerading, Inside my hope is fading...My smile is my make up)
What is the best thing about me?:	Sam Cooke - You Send Me (Darling you send me, Honest you do)
How is today going to be?:	Poi Dog Pondering - Complicated (Complicated, it's alright)
What is in store for this weekend?:	Jackson Browne - Doctor My Eyes (Doctor, my eyes, Cannot see the sky, Is this the prize for having learned how not to cry?)
What song describes my parents?:	Aretha Franklin - Bridge Over Troubled Water
To describe my grandparents?:	unknown klezmer song
How is my life going?:	LoTR: RotK Soundtrack - Twilight and Shadow (The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead and the Dead keep it. The way is shut. [in Elvish])
What song will they play at my funeral?:	Cake - Satan Is My Motor (I?ve got tires that grab the road, I?ve got seats that selflessly hold my friends, And a trunk that can carry the heaviest load)
How does the world see me?:	Dave Matthews Band - #41 (Why wont you run / In the rain and play / Let the tears splash all over you)
Will I have a happy life?:	Fats Domino - Walking To New Orleans (I'm gonna need new pair of shoes when I get through walking these blues)
Will I have children?:	Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence
What was my childhood like?:	Blind Blake - Panther Squall Blues
What is some good advice for me?:	Taj Mahal - Celebrated Walkin' Shoes
How will I be remembered?:	Natalie Cole - Lush Life
What is my signature dancing song?:	Casablanca Soundtrack - Paris Montage Medley
What is my current theme song?:	Once On This Island (1990 Original Broadway Cast) - Mama Will Provide
What does everyone else thing my theme is?:	Hidalgo Soundtrack - The Race Begins
What song describes my mood right now?:	Alicia Keys - Why Do I Feel So Sad
What song do I listen to when Im depressed?:	Elvis Presley - Hard Headed Woman
Happy?:	Muddy Waters - I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man
Scared?:	Pirates of the Caribbean Soundtrack - To The Pirates' Cave!
Bored?:	The Cure - Pictures of You (I've been looking so long at these pictures of you)
What type of girls/guys do I go for?:	LotR: TTT Soundtrack - Samwise the Brave
What type goes for me?:	Marvin Gaye - Come Get To This
What should I be doing right now?:	Matt Puckett (yay! my friend's music) - Fly Me To The Moon (a lovely cover)
What is in store for the future?:	k.d. lang - Wallflower Waltz
How was your past?:	Jimmy Eat World - Sweetness
Ok, Now just name the songs as they come
1-:	Elton John - Candle In The Wind
2-:	50 Cent - In Da Club
3-:	Kelly Willis - Not Long For This World
4-:	Van Morrison - Warm Love
5-:	Incubus - Blood On The Ground
6-:	Edith Piaf - Le Chasseur de l'Hotel
7-:	Mozart - Piano Sonata No. 11
8-:	Ella Fitzgerald - Cool Breeze
9-:	Maroon 5 - Through With You
Take this survey | Find more surveys You've been totally Bzoink*d

Comments

[spatz.livejournal.com]

I was all "GUESS WHAT? I MET JORJA FOX!" and she was all "NO WAY! JEALOUS!"

Please. I was way less coherent than that. *g*

And you didn't mention the freckles! WTF?!?

To describe my grandparents?: unknown klezmer song

*cracks up*

[inmyriadbits.livejournal.com]

This is true. And way more jealous. *g*

OMG, THE FRECKLES! How did I forget the freckles? *whacks head to start it working again*

I swear to god, I didn't rig anything.

[(Anonymous)]

be careful - the Caps Lock Police don't mess around