Sometimes you gotta laugh at yourself!

Good Saturday morning.

I'm at Gatwick Airport outside London getting ready for a flight back to New York in few hours.  I was going to write about what a great week we had here and the terrific feedback we received about our Behavioral Presentation Coaching and Women's Leadership Workshops - our first in London (I forgot..is that considered Europe?).

Rather, I found an email that was sent to me in August 2005 by a long-time reader of this column.  He is a world renowned restaurant industry maven whom I've had the pleasure of knowing more than a tad more than 30 years - we met when we were both 15!  

Like with most things that happened more than two days ago, I had totally forgotten about this.  In the spirit of a comment by a couple of the women in our leadership workshop yesterday - "It's not often that you run into a man who is willing to show his vulnerable side" - I offer you this.  It made me laugh and hopefully will lighten up your Saturday - given the heavy stuff going on in the world these days.

Steve

FELIX PROCLAIMS SELF AN ICON; 

HOLDS WEINEE ROAST IN NAPA

REUTERS, AUGUST 19, 2005  – Gossip columnist Steve Felix today crowned himself and his real estate rag national icons.  Felix, who fled metropolitan New York several years ago for refuge in Napa Valley, celebrated the event by grilling hot dogs in his backyard.

Felix’s ‘zine is published weekly as a blog, having first bombed on supermarket checkout counters across the country.  It deals with, in no particular order, his son’s musical taste, self-absorption, tales of a road warrior, and between-the-lines goings-on at various real estate conventions, all the while racking up unconscionable quantities of frequent flyer miles for its author.

Felix has so many miles and upgrade certificates that he once actually bumped the pilot, causing havoc throughout the nation’s travel community.

His employer, according to sources who requested anonymity because of possible retaliation, is overjoyed at Felix’s unilateral achievement and reportedly will reward him by causing his ‘zone to be issued twice as often.

There are unconfirmed rumors, based upon reports of people who carpooled with others who should know, that Felix put the bite on Nathan’s Famous for free frankfurters to serve the twelve or so people and assorted dogs who arrived for the crowning ceremony, in return for which Felix withdrew his threat to pan them in his newsletter.  It is not immediately known what became of the sixty-dozen unserved weenies, and National Real Estate News was unable to verify that K-mart/Sears had shipped an extra freezer to his home, also gratis.

A neighbor, invited to sample Felix’s culinary skills, observed that this was the first time he’d actually seen the iconic gossip columnist up close.  “I always assumed he was on the lam or something,” said the neighbor, who refused to give his name for fear of purple paint-balls launched at his new pink aluminum siding. “He’s always jumping into his car with a small suitcase and rushing for the airport.” 

A bystander, who wouldn’t identify himself because he is in a witness protection program, observed that “being a journalist was sufficiently disreputable to warrant being on the lam.#