The taxidermy of nanoseconds...

To one of the humans it was a blip in time that barely even registered, forgotten even as it was happening. 1/50th of a second. A simple photograph, a jotted autograph, one of many, and totally meaningless.

To the other it was a validation of a lifetime's worth of dreaming and yearning. It was an Oscar, an Emmy, The Stanley Cup, The Medal of Honor, and the Pulitzer Prize all wrapped up into one tidy little image for all to see. It was a license to change behavior, to make demands, to declare victory and announce the arrival of a powerful new player in town.

You get to see a lot of strange things in Los Angeles, a lot of people jostling for position, hoping that one anointed person's luster will rub off onto them. Never quite understood that. And I'm glad that little by little we seem to be demystifying the false godhood of celebrity. Hey - they're just like us!

What strange games we play.

(photo from the Gary Lee Boas "archive")