Dreams Do Come True: my run-in with Anderson Cooper

Anderson Cooper = The Silver Fox.

And my celeb crush.

I met him on Friday!?!

I know most people like the super buff, beautiful young Hollywood it-guy.  Butttttt, I adore the nerdy news anchor and I'm ok with that :)

Listen, I know he is old (and quite possibly/probably gay) but I don't care.

He is so smart and funny and then there are those beautiful blue eyes of his.

And the gray hair. He totally rocks it.

I have been a loyal fan of his for years now.

I have seen some Channel One days annnndddddd his giggle melt-down that is quite possibly the most adorable thing I have ever seen + it has oodles of witty puns that you cannot help but appreciate, I promise:

Seriously, if I'm having a bad day, I just watch this and it makes ME giggle!

Having said all of that, I cannot express to you the giddiness I felt upon hearing that he - the one and only Anderson Cooper of AC360 - was coming to Charleston.

 A lot of students showed up despite that it was the start of the weekend and a little rainy:

But, have no fear, I showed up early so I was in the front row :)

I got an up-close and personal look at his super cute self and was near enough to hear him:

Oh, ANNNNNNNDDDDDDDDD near enough to get a hug. Yes, a hug!

He was coming around and shaking hands but when he got to me I said, "Can I have a hug? I'm a hugger. Can I have a hug?" And he said, "A hug?" And I said, "Yes" with my arms out.

Then. He. Leaned. In. And. Gave. Me. A. Hug.

Naturally, I squealed.

Unfortunately, it was mid-hug and, therefore, directly in his ear. I just couldn't help myself. This was my reaction just seconds afterwards; I hate that I had not thought to give my camera to a friend nearby to document this but, take my word for it: the hug happened =D

 

It was interesting seeing how the show happened but most of all it was interesting seeing Anderson Cooper during the commercial breaks. 

He was so nice and funny and relaxed. He gave hugs and signed books. He chatted and checked what he think were his tweets or texts. At one point he eve spoke on the phone to a girl's mom who didn't believe her daughter really had met him. 

As if I wasn't already on cloud 9, it got even better when he started taking pictures with people after the show. That is when his true kindness and patience shined because I would have been claustrophobic and cranky:

See his little white head and glowing eyes in the top right of the crowd? Crazy, right?

But he was so gracious and friendly to all of us, posing and smiling for countless photos, including this one with me and my friend Susie:

Isn't he dreamy??? ;)

I feel like this was a dream. But, fortunately, it wasn't.

He did in fact visit College of Charleston (which he said was one of the most beautiful college campuses he'd seen) and he had our mascot Clyde on the show during his Ridiculist:

It was a wonderful evening!

It's crazy to think that I met him whenever I tune in and see him on his show now.

This was definitely a highlight of my life so I just had to share. I hope you enjoyed hearing about it and that you aren't too jealous ;)

I'd Like to Introduce You to TED...

I have recently gotten to know TED.

TED is not my newest crush...that would be Scotty McCreery from American Idol. He is so, so, so precious. I mean, hello:

Singin'  Thompson Square's "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not" 

I'd kiss him... but he is only 17!?! That might be robbin' the cradle ;)

Sorry, I digress.

Back to TED who is not my crush because TED is... not a person.  

TED is an awesome website with the primary purpose of providing access to

Ideas Worth Spreading.

Isn't that cool? 

It is a nonprofit that "started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader." (1)

The additional topic themes are Business, Science, Culture, Arts, and Global Issues. But the home page features a variety of videos from all the different topics. And, even cooler: you can rearrange the homepage by things like: 

•  most emailed 
• most commented on  
• most jaw dropping 
• most inspiring/courageous/beautiful/persuasive/fascinating/funny/ingenious/informative
• and more...

I could spend days on this website. 

I love their mission: 

"We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. So we're building here a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world's most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other." (1)

And lots of people are on-board with TED's mission:

Their advisory board includes people from diverse backgrounds - everything from an anthropologist to an architect, a physicist to a futurist, AND big names like the CEO of Amazon and the founders of Google... even Meg Ryan!?! 

TED stays busy: 

"Along with two annual conferences -- the TED Conference in Long Beach and Palm Springs each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh UK each summer -- TED now includes the award-winning TEDTalks video series, the Open Translation Project and Open TV Project, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, the social media platform TED Conversations, and the annual TED Prize." (1) More info here.

Lastly, here are a couple of my favorite finds (so far) on TED: 

Viktor Frankl: Why to believe in others

A talk all the way from 1972 is still relevant: how to make people reach their full potential, using an example of planes...

 

Ron Gutman: The hidden power of smiling

  Smiling is as stimulating as pounds of chocolate and thousands of dollars and helps your marriage and your health... plus, it makes you look good! 

(1) are quotes taken from ted.com 

My New Crush

I have a new crush.

I just met him last night.

He is passionate, intelligent, and great with words.

A friend of mine introduced us... via YouTube. ;)

Ok, so I'm not holding my breath for a date with him any time soon but a girl can dream, right? ;) 

Y'all can meet him too... and fall in love with his poems (inspiring, energizing slam poetry style... not sappy stuff) because he is that great. Seriously, I hope y'all check him out.

His name is Rafael Casal and he is a def poet. 

The first video of his that I ever watched (thanks Lindsey!) is called Barbie and Ken 101. It has to do with media's misrepresentation of women which has been my interest lately with my Capstone focus. It is so great to hear a guy speak out against this :)

This one is called My Miller Chill and it is also about marketing. He has some really great lines by the end so watch it all the way through...

This one is my FAVORITE!!! It is called A.D.D. and seems a bit random at first but ties in. There are some crazy statistics and an incredibly wonderful final line.

And if you haven't been bitten by the lovebug yet after watching his fantastic videos, that is fine by me... I'll have less competition for that first date of ours...  ;)