March 12, 1992

Do you remember what you did on March 12, 1992 (if you were even alive at that time)? I do. I met author P. J. O'Rourke at Hillsdale College. The bigger question is exactly WHY I felt the need to drive to conservative Hillsdale College and see O'Rourke speak and then meet him and get him to autograph my copy of Parliament of Whores. When I heard O'Rourke passed away earlier this week, I remembered that I'd met him. I remember him being very nice and laughing and telling me that his wife was angry with him when I asked him how she was doing. I believe my main interest in O'Rourke had to do with the fact that, at that time, he was married to Amy Lumet, one of Lena Horne's granddaughters and one of Sidney Lumet's daughters. I found that interesting. Still, was it interesting enough to make me drive from Detroit to Hillsdale with a friend? Apparently it was back in 1992. I even borrowed my father's Mercury Marquis to make the drive because I figured the beater I was driving at the time wouldn't make the trip. 

I don't even recall reading Parliament of Whores. I'm not one to read political satire, yet I've held on to my autographed copy of O'Rourke's book for all of these years. I pulled it from my bookshelf today for this post. Maybe I actually SHOULD read it now that he's passed away. Maybe. RIP, O'Rourke.