Meeting Lynn Swann

So my son had an early dismissal today; and after he got home from school, I decided to take him to the nearest pizza shop. It's called Johnnie's of NY. The place was unusually busy, but I shrugged it off and grabbed a table near the window, next to a group of businesspeople.

Next thing I know, someone is introducing "Lynn Swann." There's only one Lynn Swann I know of, and he happens to be the best wide receiver who ever played in the NFL (specifically for the Pittsburgh Steelers)! Sure enough, those aren't run-of-the-mill "businesspeople" eating lunch, it's my football idol, holding court with his entourage! The hair stood up on my arms.

Swann is running for governor of Pennsylvania as a Republican, and he might have been making his rounds in the area since several local cities are vying for gaming licenses. A man walked in and started pontificating about how the first thing he did after he moved here from New Jersey was buy a bunch of guns (egad), so he could go to Philadelphia fully armed.

So after the guy asks if it's "worth" getting an autograph, he says to Lynn Swann, "What's your position on the NRA?"

Swann says, "I don't have a position on the NRA, but I do have a position on the 2nd Amendment."

Unfortunately no one heard what it was, since the guy from Jersey pontificated some more about his own position on gun ownership, and his Big Idea for turning illegal immigrants into instant citizens after they serve a mandatory year in the military.

So Mr. Swann graciously signed the back of one of my business cards, shook my hand, and gave me a Swann for Governor sticker. The restaurant owner had no clue who was eating in his restaurant--pity the man, he's a Giants fan! ;-)

What I just finished working on: The Power Broker by Stephen Frey and Gemstones of the World by Walter Schumann.