Bikes And A Brush

It really is a small world thanks to the Inter-Tubes.  I once had a job which involved reviewing lots and lots and lots of reporting on political topics of the day.  During this job I came to know of the reporting done by Heba Aly for Bloomberg and the Christian Science Monitor on the situation in Darfur.

Fast forward a few years and I'm in Tirana trying to stay up with the growing numbers of foreign travellers who visit this country.  Google Blogs gives a hit on a pair of cyclists who are in Dubrovnik trying to assess the possibility of biking through Albania on their way from Portugal to Jordan.  Yeah, I know.  Long ride.

Anyway, I drop a comment on their blog  and encourage them to come on down. A few days later, I'm sitting in a restaurant chatting with Heba Aly and Richard as they enjoy the experience of coming to Albania.  Well, I think they were enjoying it.  You'll have to keep up with their blogging to see how they feel. I hope to hear good things from them as they experience the ride over Qafe Llogara in December.

The title of this post?  It comes from a former co-worker who once enlightened me on the facts of meeting celebrities in LA.  He divided referred to a fleeting contact with a famous person as "a brush."  As in "a brush with fame."  There are two kinds: direct brushes where you meet a celebrity, and the indirect brush where you meet someone associated with a famous person.  Like meeting Cher's stylist or Tiger Woods' marriage counselor.... What?  Too soon?

Anyway, I had a direct brush with Heba Aly.  I hope she invites me to her Pulitzer Prize ceremony.  If she survives Llogara!
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