Fun while it lasted...

Okay, I thought I was a pretty interesting guy, right? Orthodox Jew who hangs out in piano bars, muses on Torah, chemistry, and Sondheim... all pretty eclectic, no?

Fuggetaboutit.

My colleague Richie:

• is a Vietnam vet


• has the most insanely stunning collection of tattoos ever


• is a world Scrabble champion

Now, I knew all this before (in fact, we bonded immediately on my first day at work because I recognized his tattoo artist). Today, however, we started talking about show biz, and he mentioned that he had a friend who worked with some names in the business. Upon which, he pulled out some personalized autographed photos from Madeline Kahn and F. Murray Abraham. Okay, I can deal with that. But then came the piece de resistance: an autographed photo from the late Fred (aka "Mister") Rogers inscribed to "Lord Richie."

I know now what cool is, and I will never be it. Oh, well...