Monday, June 2, 2008

Almost Famous


I was in Vegas this past weekend. No reason really, except for notbeing in Tucson. So I skipped town and headed over to the next state for too much amazing food and a little R & R. Vegas might not be the first spot you think of for relaxation, but it can work—you just have to put your mind to it and go to bed before the sun comes up. Speaking of amazing food, if you’ve never had Sunday brunch at the Bellagio, you absolutely must go before you die. It will actually make you pray for a stomach 3 sizes larger than the one you actually have. It’s cruel actually, because they know you will fill up before you have a chance to try even a fraction of it all and then you just end up disappointed. Or sick from trying anyway.

But the highlight of my weekend, besides the opportunity to get out of the house and interact with other humans, was being recognized in public…for blogging. Every once in a while someone recognizes me for track, like that one time the cable guy came over and remembered me from my days at Arizona, or just regular track participants or fans of the sport, or even being mistaken for another athlete I’m not. It’s all very flattering. And this conversation started out as most of those do…

Excuse me, what’s your name?

BRIANNA

Brianna Glenn?

Quick deducing in my head…ok, he’s not hitting on me, he knows my name. Maybe I know him from somewhere. I don’t think so…

YEAH. ARE YOU A TRACK COACH OR SOMETHING? (not really giving off the fellow athlete vibe, so the next obvious guess.)

No, I read your blog.

And to be honest, he kind of whispered it as if you aren’t supposed to admit such things in public, but I was actually quite delighted. I think he found his way there after a google search following my picture in SI, and he’s stuck around ever since. And that’s quite fine with me. In fact, I find it quite flattering that I have found people interested in my journey and my ramblings that are NOT track fans, just somewhat interested in me, when at times there really isn’t all that much that seems interesting.

So I’d just like to say thank you for saying hello and acknowledging me. I’m guessing this is something like what Z list celebrities go through, although on a much smaller scale. Attention is one thing, but attention for something you actually do or have done is much more gratifying. I still have plans to grace the cover of a Wheaties box and have my face recognized world-wide for being a stud athlete, but in the meantime, a stranger in Vegas who likes my blog will have to do.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

You're such a humble spirit Brianna. I always find it funny that you say you are on the bottom of the Z-list-that was too funny! But it's always cool to be recognized for something rather it be your athletic achievement or your blog; folks be on top of your game :-]

:::Marcus LANGFORD:::

Anonymous said...

If people start coming up to me and asking if I'm the sister of that girl who BLOGS, I'm going to SHOOT MYSELF!

Teej said...

lol @ 'guessing this is something like what Z list celebrities go through'

You are so silly for that one. But I totally understand. I remember a distinct feeling of 'WTF' the first time some anonymous face stopped me in the street to discuss my blog. lol.

ktizzle said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ktizzle said...

LOL @ Brit.

get your shine on Bri! it's always nice to be recognized for positive achievements regardless of how small you may think they are or how little you think they may affect people.

usually the only time someone has recognized me in the passed is when someone has spread gossip. "aren't you that one guy that..." (damn here we go again)...

Anonymous said...

Ms. Glenn,
It was very nice to see that you responded to him in a pleasant way. Good for you!
The one time I tried that with someone I recognized in an airport (yep, female, track and, yes, rather well-know) I got the total condescending dis-job. Made me feel like a total heel/goober-geek. (Hope the Jamaican girls kick her butt at the Olympics, lol).
When you get on the Wheaties box, I’ll get a collectible one and put it up with my son’s Star Wars ones; no higher honor in our household than that Ms. Glenn!

And to think, I’d just hoped to aspire to the side of a milk carton!

Daniel

Jasmine said...

Is that SHAG RUG?! I swear, it looks like the Rat Pack is gonna turn the corner! :)

Anonymous said...

I wonder how many of your competitors are going to Las Vegas and hammering buffets to prepare for the trials. Good luck in Eugene!

Brianna said...

Hammering buffets?! that's almost funny...except you're trying to be a jerk so it ruins the whole thing. And if an egg white omelette, half a piece of french toast, half a pancake, and some fruit is "hammering", I think I"ll be ok. The real question though, is why? Why do you even bother? Surely you have something better to do with your time.

anonymousnupe said...

But. I. Thought. You. Were. "Poor." And needed donations?

Brianna said...

Did I say I paid for ANYTHING? I did not. Even the excessive buffet was comped.

I'm sorry...next time I'll write a longer version to include all the information that is obviously so important. But the point of the post was the last two paragraphs, at least that was why I was writing about it. Perhaps I should have said it took place at the grocery store down the street.

anonymousnupe said...

Laughing.

No, but you didn't say that you didn't pay for anything, either. So the normal, natural presumption would be that, you know, you did what normal people do and paid for it.

I ain't mad atcha, but if you gon' put it out there for scrutiny...

Didn't mean to bring out the ire. Whew. Don't want to be in the boat with "Anonymous."

Anonymous said...

Now I don't want to hear about you buying a footlong at Subway because you need to save all your money to get to China. Not even a 6-inch! Infact, why don't you just not eat. Because flying to China is around the same price as buying a sandwich, or a lunch meal at Chili's. Heck, I think you can even upgrade to First Class with what it costs to eat at a buffet in Vegas!


some people, I tell ya....

Brianna said...

Is it obvious that my sister and I are related?! :)

@nupe...you are right... i didn't specify. because i figure if people are going to assume--then assume that i'm better than that or ASK. there are certain things that are going to get under my skin and a few of those popped up in these comments. first, someone wants to question my dedication and my commitment and this is based off of me eating at a buffet?! second, you questioned my integrity. so in case anybody else is wondering, i did not take anyone's money and blow it at the blackjack table.

btw...i never said i was a "normal" person. i believe i said i was like a Z list celebrity and sometimes the Z listers get the hookup. or at least we know people who get the hookup. either way...
(PLEASE NOTE THE SARCASM) <--seems like this is necessary now.

Anonymous said...

Hey I heard you used donations from this blog to play Blackjack- and you blew all of it. Is that true?

ktizzle said...

In Anonymousnupe's defense i can see how someone from the outside looking in could have easily misunderstood or presumed that you were somehow hiding away some money for trips but were asking for some when in need.

as a casual visitor to the blog, when i first read this blog i thought to myself "how the heck is she kickin' it in Vegas" then i thought "well i'm sure she's got some peeps she's stayed with and i'm sure some frequent flier miles and it's not too far" then i was like "wait a minute... i can't afford to walk thru the Bellagio let along throw down at the Buffet" i just didn't bother to say anything. cause it's really not my concern nor did i think it was the point of the whole post.

regardless i still can see how someone could have gotten confused. i'd have to say that 95% of the ppl that probably read your blog don't know you personally and aren't privy to all the details of your "hook-ups", sponsorships, endorsements and/or any other bennies of being a "Z-lister". so when we get a piece of info here and a piece of info there. it doesn't always add up. it's a simple mistake to make, presuming the wrong thing, when you don't know all the what, whens and wheres of Brianna Glenn.

as for the other guy, i have no idea what he was talking about with the hammering of the buffet but i do know when i was running track i did some serious hammering of food. and it wasn't a half slice of this and a piece of that. i used to be able to eat two foot long subs and still had 2.8 percent body fat. most people don't understand that when you work as hard as you do you don't have to eat like a bird to look as good as you do.

none the less you are already on to the next posting so i'm not sure if i should have even left this post or not... feel free to delete if you'd like. =]

Anonymous said...

Let me also point out that a female, even more so an attractive female, can go just about anywhere and get food, transportation, and enough drinks to get you tipsy for just about um.....FREE!
I too can also see where an outsider could read the post and be like...DANG BALLA!! But I also know that my sister isn't hesitant to answer just about any question someone has for her. All you gotta do is take a second to ask instead of assuming.

anonymousnupe said...

All that was really mostly in jest anyway. I'm not tryna get banned from Bri's blog. Ktizzle hit my sentiments right on the head. I actually fully expected Brianna to come back with a reply more along the lines of, "Oh, right, Nupe. Thanks for bringing that up. Folks, I just want to clarify that I ain't runnin' around wasting your donations or throwing the lifestyle I lead in your faces, you little people with five mouths to feed, mortgages to pay, etc., etc. Trust, your kind donations are being well invested for the purposes which they were given. Vegas was on my shoe company, bless their heart. Besides, y’all just got economic stimulus checks! Send me my cut!!!" Or somethin' along those lines.

I hail from a journalistic background, and critical thinking and observation are cornerstones I just can't help but subscribe to. So I beg your indulgence for picking up on the potentially contradictory picture being painted and actually saying/writing (again, I had hoped that the style in which I penned the message denoted my satirical attitude) what I'm sure some astute readers were thinking (I hate to keep bringing him up, but see Ktizzle's comments again). So regardless of what the main point of the post actually was, I am compelled to take in all aspects of what I read and to comment on those aspects that speak to me personally. Sorry I can't be made to simply "ignore that man behind the curtain." I'm sure you do the same thing when you read an article or book. If the author paints a certain picture in order to navigate to a certain point, I assume you're going to project that picture in your head as you're reading, and if you see a polar bear in the Sahara dessert in that picture there's bound to be some cognitive dissonance if you're really paying attention.

A few weeks ago I asked, also mostly tongue in cheek again, "So, you're not disgustingly rich, Brianna?!" And the answer was a resounding "No" from Ms. Glenn nor was there any hint that any offense was taken by my asking. It just struck me as unfortunate that a professional U.S. athlete and model vying for a berth on the Olympic team would have to resort to soliciting "fundage” on her blog, of all things.

So, I think you've got to bear with me to a certain extent, as Ktizzle does so perspicaciously, and recognize the mixed messages that your picture of potentially opulent spending might have sent. Like I said, I really couldn't care less, but I thought my comments would 1. Make for a bit of lively discussion, and 2. Bring a little bit of the levity.

I'm sure you're much “weller” off than my family and I financially, but if I were able to donate more than an embarrassing $20.00 to your cause I still would.

Please don't take too much offense, Ms. Glenn. But you have to understand that if you put it out there for public consumption then the public is gonna consume it. If you write it then it’s not off limits. I was not questioning your integrity at all. I knew there had to be a good reason for your little junket. I apologize if I offended you or any of your readers (or sycophants, LOL). Please do not banish me, as your blog is one of the more interesting, poignant casual (not politically or civicly related) ones I read on the daily.

Oh, and nice retort brit_brat

ktizzle said...

@ anonymousnupe: why would you hate to keep bringing me up?! LOL

anonymousnupe said...

LOL!!! Just don't want to be redundant, Ktizzle. That's all bro. Makes it look like I need somebody else to justify my position (which I sometimes do, of course). And I don't wanna seem gay, although that is a nice shirt.

ktizzle said...

LOL @ nupe you're killin' me broham... understood.

oh and thx it's Ben Sherman... LOL

Eb the Celeb said...

OMG isnt that the weirdest thing ever. I have had people come up to me and be like are you Eb.. the Renaissance Black woman.. and it freaks me the hell out... I kinda forget about the blog world when I am in public so it boggles me everytime someone approaches me and says that they love and read my blog.

Anonymous said...

Hmmmm...If by chance I met you somewhere I would recognize you for the same reason as that guy -- SI. Well that and we both know someone in common JE :P.