Dropping Names

I lived in Mexico, at a deaf boarding school for two years, right out of High School. It was one of the hardest and most rewarding things I have ever done. I think it has made me into the parent I am today... and also shaped my character tremendously. The "Ranch" taught me a lot about myself and what I like and dislike. All of those things just seemed magnified at the Ranch for some reason. One thing that I came to really dislike in my time there was name dropping.

The director of the ranch is a very "cool" guy. He's always in with the latest trends... including (in the short time that I was there) Converse shoes, Livestrong bracelets, and XM radio. (and to be completely honest I had all of these as well, but not multiples of each.) He also loves the idea of fame. We had a few different famous people come to the ranch and it was always a BIG DEAL to the director and most of the staff. Danny and I always joked that we did more for these people of fame than we would have done of Jesus himself (it is slightly overstated, but has truth to it).

After I left the Ranch they made a movie about the "Ranch Story" (which really is a pretty great story of how the ranch came to be). Many of the staff and kids from the ranch were on the movie... and I've heard some of them refer to themselves as Movie Stars (as one of my friends pointed out "everybody believes in their own fame.")... and I guess they are, to some extent. I've heard that people follow the director around (when he goes to share the movie at different state side churches) and get his autograph and what not.

Obviously it's not just the director and staff there, at the ranch, that like to tell of the different famous people that they've met. On facebook I have friends that did "15 random facts about me" and almost all of them wrote in one or two famous people that they either went to the same school as, or bumped into them at the mall or something.

I just don't get it... what's so attractive about fame?

Sorry there is no picture, but I don't have any pictures of famous people (surprise, surprise).