by Wordsworth » Fri Mar 01, 2013 1:48 pm
Most of my family, besides my grandmother, couldn't care less. I see the eyes glaze over when the autograph books come out, so I've largely stopped doing it. My grandma, however, loves old tv shows and movies, so really enjoys seeing autographs from classic stars that she remembers when she was young. I've even sent letters for her. For her 80th birthday, I sent letters months in advance to cast members of "Little House on the Prairie" and started getting responses quickly, all personalized to Grandma and many wishing her a happy birthday. I put them in an album and she loves it. I wrote to Van Johnson and got his photo in the mail with a wobbly old-man signature on it in the mail one day before he died. So, I get a kick out of sharing the hobby with her.
Outside of the family, some people at work and some of my friends know. I have to be careful because I've started getting requests from them.
It's one thing to give me $25 and ask me to pick up so-and-so's autograph from a convention I'm already going to. That's fine. But, all too often, these requests come in the form of "Can you get me [insert name of impossible-to-get A-List celeb here]?". In situations where a response is possible, I'm apparently expected to write the fan letter, print the photo, send the sase myself, then give the autograph to the person who did none of the work.
So, yeah, I share, but with very few people in real life.
Most of my family, besides my grandmother, couldn't care less. I see the eyes glaze over when the autograph books come out, so I've largely stopped doing it. My grandma, however, loves old tv shows and movies, so really enjoys seeing autographs from classic stars that she remembers when she was young. I've even sent letters for her. For her 80th birthday, I sent letters months in advance to cast members of "Little House on the Prairie" and started getting responses quickly, all personalized to Grandma and many wishing her a happy birthday. I put them in an album and she loves it. I wrote to Van Johnson and got his photo in the mail with a wobbly old-man signature on it in the mail one day before he died. So, I get a kick out of sharing the hobby with her.
Outside of the family, some people at work and some of my friends know. I have to be careful because I've started getting requests from them.
It's one thing to give me $25 and ask me to pick up so-and-so's autograph from a convention I'm already going to. That's fine. But, all too often, these requests come in the form of "Can you get me [insert name of impossible-to-get A-List celeb here]?". In situations where a response is possible, I'm apparently expected to write the fan letter, print the photo, send the sase myself, then give the autograph to the person who did none of the work.
So, yeah, I share, but with very few people in real life.