A few weeks ago in Milwaukee, I purchased a pack of cloves at the Fuel Cafe, and was actually surprised when the girl behind the counter asked me for my ID. Clove cigarettes are illegal to buy in the state of Maryland, so I always wind up buying them online (ID optional with a major credit card) or get in on a group order from anyone who travels into any other state on a regular basis.

Laughing, I explained this to the girl as I fumbled in my pockets to retrieve my driver's license. She gave it a queer look, so I leaned over the counter to help point out the location of my birthdate on the front to assure her that, yes, I was born some time prior to 1983. She handed it back to me with a smile and said "Oh, you're from Baltimore! Have you ever met John Waters?"

I froze. "Oh no, he used to hang out at local spots like The Charles, but he doesn't do that anymore since people started going to the clubs just to try to meet him." She nodded with interest as I quickly paid for the pack and my soy milk chai.

I turned quickly away towards the table with a quick nod, hoping she wouldn't continue the conversation. She had already heard the extent of my John Waters knowledge in a single sentence, repeated almost verbatim from something Kathleen had mentioned about a week earlier. That coincided with the viewing of my first and only Waters film, Pink Flamingos. I had been appropriately shocked and disgusted (much to the delight of my friends), and had then promptly forgotten any other important details such as the title or actors.

Luckily she just smiled and looked down, as I scampered to join my lovely companion at a table by the window, East Coast city-slicker reputation intact.

So I arrived with relatively few preconceptions when Waters came to speak at UMBC this evening.

To be continued when I get around to it...

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