HP has these new commercials that I find hilarious. They talk about fame, and how our society is obsessed with it. They point out in the commercial that even chefs are celebrities nowadays. The ad goes on to say that people such as inventors are the people who are actually changing our lives and making a difference, not the boy bands (theirs is called “Down 2 Earth”) and the fitness gurus. For as long as people have been selling, advertising has been a reflection of the society to which they sell. I find this to be a fascinating way of studying sociology, and, in this case at least, quite accurate. I don’t know when I realized it, but I’m never going to be rich and famous. The great thing about this is that I’m fine with that. I don’t want to be adored by millions. Fame is just too expensive. I don’t want the scrutiny that the National Enquirer or the Internet brings. I don’t want to have to worry about my appearance so much that I’m consumed by it, and I don’t care what Joan Rivers or Mr. Blackwell thinks of my clothes. I simply know that kind of life is NOT for me. Most any lottery winner will tell you that, while mega-money solves a lot of problems, it creates just as many more and is not always all it’s cracked up to be. Tales abound of ordinary folks who have won vast amounts of money going nuts because everyone they’ve ever known has come out of the woodwork to ask them for a share of it. That is why most lottery winners shun publicity. I would, too. I’m not saying that a little notoriety isn’t sometimes a bad thing. I would love to have salon.com or Vanity Fair publish an essay of mine, or be asked to read an essay on National Public Radio. That said, I don’t want someone breaking into my house and sleeping in my guestroom while I’m home, either. Surely there is balance somewhere I guess the ultimate satisfaction for me would be to live a comfortable, stable and happy life, where I make those closest to me happy, and am able to pay all my bills and have some left over for when I’m old. Not a bad dream to have, is it? I hope not, because those are the sum of my goals and aspirations. Incidentally, if you’re with All Things Considered, This American Life or any other NPR program, please email me here.