In the middle of dinner last night, an old friend from high school stopped by my table to say hello. After we caught up for a few minutes Adam said, “You know Scott, I was just reading about you the other day.”
“Really?” I said. “What were you reading?”
“Ripley’s Believe It Or Not.”
“What?! Ripley’s? Get the hell outta here!”
“Oh yeah, it’s in there. I just bought it. You should go check it out.”
Less than three minutes later, I found myself in the new releases section of my local Borders. I grabbed the latest edition of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not called Planet Eccentric. Then I flipped to the index under the letter “G.”
And that’s when I saw it:
Ginsberg, Scott, 23
NO WAY.
I voraciously turned the pages to the “Off The Wall” section. And on the left-hand side was a small paragraph which read:
Scott Ginsberg, of St. Louis, Illinois, has worn a nametag every day since November 2, 2000, just to find out what would happen. He now works with people who want to become more approachable – and says that wearing nametags is a great start.
Now, here’s the funny part: I’ve applied and been rejected by Guinness Book TWICE. (Read my rejection letter here.) Meanwhile, Ripley’s never called me; I never went through the submission process – I knew nothing about this!
So maybe that’s why the editors screwed up my home state. Because I live in St. Louis, MISSOURI; not St. Louis, ILLINOIS. And for those of you not familiar with the area, (East) St. Louis, Illinois is home of dozens of all night dance/strip clubs and the highest crime rate in the United States. Not exactly my kind of town.
So believe it or not, Ripley’s doesn’t check their facts. 😉
Anyway, I scanned page 23 so you can view the entry here.
Still, I think the funniest part about this whole thing is the entry right next to mine. It’s a picture of a guy named Leo Kongee of Pittsburgh who is know as “The Painless Wonder” because he can drive as many as 60 nails into his nose without feeling any discomfort.
In which case, I think it’s safe to say: I’ve arrived.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s the most unbelievable thing you’ve ever seen?
* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That guy with the nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com
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