Now, you might think that I am all excited about the upcoming “Chapel Hill BloggerCon” because it will be a great way to both create and explore the local blogging community, or because it will be an opportunity to show off all my hard work on Orange Politics, or because I will get to hob nob with blogging celebrities like Dan Gillmor and
Dave Winer. And all of those things are true, at least to some extent. But I just now got seriously fucking excited about this event. Why?
Because I was just reading the web site for this event and among the list of participants is Bernard Glassman!!! (I know, reader, you are like “so what.” Stick with me.) There are many other Bernard Glassmans (Glassmen?) in the world, notably Roshi Bernie Glassman, Zen master, engaged Buddhist, and author of Bearing Witness (which I highly recommend).
But this is my Bernard Glassman. In the 90’s Bernard was my consulting client/boss and mentor. We met in 1993 because we were both working (in various capacities) on a publication called “On the Horizon,” which was edited by a nutty professor named Jim Morrison (which always made me giggle). Bernard paid me to do cool things with
FileMaker, but since he didn’t have full-time work for me, he also got me a job waiting tables at my favorite restaurant. Both were great opportunities for me.
Bernard loved to take long lunches and discuss far-out new applications of technology. Like a typical visionary, he had lots of creative ideas and I often felt that I was the practical, skeptical one in comparison. This was one of the first times in my life when I felt really appreciated, as Bernard was always telling me how great I was at FileMaker and that I was very smart and talented. I really don’t recall being told this before then. Bernard gave me incredible confidence in myself, for which I am eternally grateful.
Why is this reading like an obituary? Anyway, I have not been in touch with him for many years so
I would have been thrilled just to find his website and to find out what he’s been up to (I wonder frequently). But the fact that I will get to see him in person this weekend is really exciting. Thank you, Chapel Hill BloggerCon!