I hate name droppers. It goes way back to an online writing group I was involved with in the late 80's. We had this one woman who everything she said was about someone famous. She couldn't write a sentence without including at least one well-known name. Every post was...

"So I got up this morning and rushed off to have breakfast with Tom Wolfe. The sparkling conversation only pinnacled when the distinguished gentleman at the next table turned out to be my dear friend George Plimpton! Oh what a delightful and witty card that George is!"

        I'm not kidding. She actually said things like that on a daily basis. It was embarrassing and sad. I don't know whether it was true or not. Even I had to doubt it, though. People who really know people don't usually go around all day taking every opportunity -- hell, making every opportunity -- to trumpet it to everyone near and far. She came off like she had some extreme psychological deficiencies she was trying to cover with vain attempts at impressing us. It was ethos stealing at its worst.

        Her self-aggrandizement by association left such a bad taste in my mouth I've gone out of my way to not mention anyone famous ever since, even when appropriate. I didn't want to even remotely come off like her. Perhaps I went to far in the opposite direction. Maybe it's something I need to get over. I wanted to write about Tony Randall last week and it would probably include some name dropping. I've also noticed a couple of other articles I've written but not posted contained famous names. So before I post them, I'm apologizing in advance. I hate name droppers and name dropping. Sometimes it can't be helped.