Famous People I've Been within 10 feet of

• John Young, former HP CEO. I shook his hand in 1990.
• Garry Shandling, Pacific Beach Improv (plus autograph)
• Ellen Degeneres, Pacific Beach Improv (plus autograph)
• Jerry Lewis, 9/95 (on his yacht Sam's Place in the San Diego Harbor)
• Drew Barrymore, 1/94 (Spago, Forum Mall, Las Vegas)
• Sinbad, 1/95 (Las Vegas Hilton, Consumer Electronics Show)
• Burt Rutan. I had dinner at his table when he presented a talk at UC Irvine.
• Tom Selleck at LAX. 9/95. I didn't actually see him, but he was reported to have walked by.
• Betty White, also at LAX. 9/95. I didn't see her either, but I'm told I was very close to her at the time.
• Michael Eisner, Disney CEO. I passed him on a narrow bridge at 4:50pm on 12/31/95 at Disneyland, near the King Trident fountain.
• Jerry Lewis, 96, on his yacht in the San Diego harbor.
• Sinbad, 1/97 (Las Vegas Hilton, Consumer Electronics Show). I walked right by him but was too embarassed to ask for a picture or autograph. I figure if they're just out and about they probably would not want to be bothered.
• Jim Belushi, 10/97. I rode up with him in the elevator to the Foundation Room at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip.
• Amy Gilliom, contemporary Hawaiian Musical artist, 4/99 (at the 1999 Merrie Monarch Festival.  I was sitting 10 seats down from her.)
• Sam Choy, famous Hawaiian restauranteur, 4/99 (he was driving away from Sam Choy's Diamond Head on Easter Sunday)

Famous People I've Been within 200 yards of

• Hillary Clinton, 10/96, at the Walt Disney World 25th Anniversary Celebration.

Other Claims to Fame

• Coach Tommy Lasorda used to live in Fullerton, CA, my home town
• Rock & Roll Icon Jackson Browne attended my high school (Sunny Hills High School)
• Olympic diver Greg Louganis attended my alma mater, UC Irvine

Even Weaker Claims to Fame

• My mother-in-law saw Jay Leno at a gas station in Burbank.
• My mom saw John Wayne's son at the airport in Las Vegas.
• My in-laws are groupies of JJ Holiday who, among other things, plays the guitar in Jim Belushi's Sacred Heart band.
• My in-laws know Chuck E Weiss, of Rickie Lee Jone's "Chuck E's in Love."
• My sister-in-law recently espied John F. Kennedy Jr.
• My husband's cow-orker Dave saw Patrick Warburton at the Royal Kona Resort on the Big Island.
• My friend Kate's brother John had Seder with Barbra Streisand.