Before this week, my closest contact with a celebrity was talking to Patrick Ewing on the phone when I was working at a previous job. So it has come as quite a surprise that I had not one, but two celebrity sightings this week. And they were about a block from each other.
It was Thursday evening and Logic, Daniel and I were enjoying a light dinner at the Icon Grille adjacent to the Westin Hotel. Daniel was mid-sentence when suddenly his voice went up an octave and he asked: "Is that Austin Scarlett from Project Runway?". As Logic and I turned to face the street, we saw a skinny blonde man dressed so elegantly, so sophisticated that there was no doubt in our minds that it was indeed him. From the designer jeans to the ascot around his neck, Austin stood out in the crowd. Had we been outside, I'm sure Daniel and I would have chased after him screaming: "Was Wendy Pepper as bitchy as they made her out to be?" and "Tell me the truth, Tim Gunn is just as adorable in person, isn't he?"
Luckily for him, we were tucked into a booth in the middle of the bar and had no way of catching up to him, had we chosen to try.
We all giggled and shared our favorite Project Runway stories as we continued to scan the street in the hopes of catching another glimpse. But food was consumed, wine drank and the bill paid without any further signs of all things Austin.
The next morning at work, I proceeded to tell everyone I knew about my 'encounter' with celebrity. It wasn't until things settled down that I decided to skim the local paper for the day's top stories.
"Barack Comes to Seattle" caught my attention. He would be campaigning literally two blocks from my office and I quickly calculated how I could alter my plans and try to attend. After a thorough search I learned that the tickets were sold out, so I proceeded to go about my day knowing I would miss his visit.
I left work at 3:30 for the gym and had a great workout. Feeling energized, I decided to leave my iPod on and walk to Logic's office. Well, Logic happened to be waiting for me outside of the gym since his office let out early, but since I never put my iPod in my bag I didn't notice his calls. It wasn't until I was within two blocks of his office that I felt my gym bag vibrate. Logic had called three times AND left a text message. Oops!
I immediately called him back and informed him that I had already made it to his building. So after all his effort, he still had to come back to work and pick me up.
A few minutes had passed since our phone call and I was searching the intersection for our car. I saw flashing lights and waiting for the inevitable commotion. Only this wasn't a routine ticket. The flashing lights were coming from a large black police truck, and instead of pulling someone over, the truck blocked the intersection and waited for a procession of five black SUVs to turn down Virginia. As the third SUV was approaching the turn, I spotted a handsome man peering out the back window. His posture was regal and his smile friendly. Before I knew it, the procession had passed and I was left wondering: "was that who I think it was?". When Logic finally arrived I could barely contain my excitement. "I think I just saw Barack!"
He joked that I'd probably run into Al Gore the next day, since he was in town promoting his book.
I haven't seen him yet, but I will be downtown later this afternoon. I'll let you know if I do.
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