Although Paul Olsen is running the CPCP project, someone decided that Spencer Lucas should host the CPCP meeting at the NMMNHS, an interesting choice to be sure. To his credit, Spencer was extremely personable. During the talks, he made frequent comments and interjections (I think he even asked a couple questions), which were always calmly and politely stated. Although there was much disagreement at various stages of the conference regarding his opinions, his responses were extremely civil. He did not ask any questions regarding my presentation cutting up his lithostratigraphic correlations within the park, although he did energetically scribble down notes.
I had not really planned to directly interact with Lucas on any level during the course of the meeting. However, he came up to me as people were just arriving on the first day, said hello, and stuck out his hand. I had heard much of Lucas’ legendary charm but had never experienced its full blast first-hand. I was duly impressed. Raw niceness radiated off of him as though from a living ray of sunshine. It is impossible to refuse to shake hands under such conditions without creating a rift in the fabric of space-time. He asked me kindly how things were going, and I answered; still at the park, job-hunting, etc…
What an affable guy! I was immediately self-conscious about seeming rude. Had I written anything particularly nasty about Spencer recently? Think! Think! No, I realized; my last blog was on the federal deficit, which I likened to a rabid dog which acts friendly to people’s faces while planning to bite them in the back. I felt relieved. Lucas forgot to say hello to Bill, which was probably just an oversight.
He was super nice, honestly.
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009
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3 comments:
Well. Just watch your back and remember that the crocodile smiles, too.
Maybe I should tell my Spencer story. I met him many years ago when he met me and student in the field to show us something, including a cycad. I got to the meeting place first. I had never met him and didn't know anything about him; the meet had been set up by a colleague. He drove up and got out of his vehicle, and I took one look at him and said to myself "Uh oh, this guy went to Yale and he's going to find a way to tell me that within the first five minutes." And I was right.
Oh, and as soon as I saw the "cycad", I realized it was dinosaur skin, complete with rib bones. When I realized what it was, I didn't know what to say, given that he's a vertebrate paleontologist. Of course, when it came time to publish, I wasn't included, even though I was the one who had identified it as dinosaur skin. Oh well. I've got lots of pubs in non-grey literature, so I didn't need another one.
The two of you sound like real jerks. Perhaps you could try another profession.
Why has the blogging ceased? If I can muster a few crap ass blog posts, why can't that foul mouthed Martz? I want to hear about the rest of the Old Testament. Did their much prophesied savior ever come? Did they eradicate polytheism? Will beating off make God mad?
Or are you really writing the Fuck You, Penguin blog?
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