Geek out

In my now 1.5 year-old job, I don't meet celebrities like Cooter or Donald Rumsfeld like I did at TV-3. My biggest brush with fame was accosting Bob Woodward after he spoke at a conference. I begged him to sign my press badge, which I now proudly display on my desk.

That all changed yesterday when I got to speak to tech-geek royalty, Mr. Leo Laporte. That's right. I got to spend about half an hour gabbing about podcasts.

If you've read the Sorta Runner's blog, you probably know Leo (pronounced Lay-Oh, I'm told) hosts several technology-based programs including a radio show, TV show and multiple podcasts.

Due to his celebrity status, I turned into a huge dork when I called him about a story I was working on.

Here's a transcript:

Leo: Hello. This is Leo.

Me: Hi, this is Sweetass. Gillian gave me your number. I'm working on an article about the increasing interest in podcasts.

Leo: Oh yeah. Great.

(Here's where the dorking out begins.)

Me: Before we get started, (talking faster) I have to say, my boyfriend is such a huge fan.

Leo: That's ni...

Me: He's been subscribing to "TWiT" since the third episode.

Leo: Tell him...

Me: And, he told me to tell you happy birthday.

Leo: Thank...

Me: And that you should bring "Call for Help" back to the U.S. We used to catch it every now and then on digital cable.

Eventually, I got it together and the interview itself went just fine. I don't know what got into me. I'm blaming J.Gor and his love of all things Leo for getting me so worked up.