King's College Chapel. The most famous icon of Cambridge and one of the world's most recognisable landmarks, it costs the college £1000 a day to operate and is home to one of the country's most famous choirs, King's Voices, which sings regularly for the BBC. It is also a haven for the devout, no matter what religion they come from or if they believe in God at all, to rest, pray and quietly reflect under its soaring arches and grand windows.
And, today, also a place for one gushing medic with a bad case of starstruck-itis.
I was leading a group of people through King's College Chapel when I bumped into Margaret Mountford, Sir Alan Sugar's aide on the British version of The Apprentice (the equivalent of Carolyn and now Ivanka Trump on the American version).
*GIGGLY SCHOOLGIRL WARNING*
Oh. My. Gawd. I gushed and I gushed. I don't know what I did, but somewhere in between I managed to shake her hand, grabbed a picture, and had this exchange:
Margaret: So what do you read here at Cambridge?
Me: OMG OMG OMG uhm like you know like medicine.
She looked at me, gave me this sympathetic look, and disappeared into the crowd.
OMG OMG I JUST MET MARGARET MOUNTFORD!
*end Giggly Schoolgirl Warning*
Back in my room, in between rubbing ointment on my forehead for the bruises caused by repeatedly smashing my head into my table for not being more composed and asking her some coherent questions (like "What career advice do you have for a young medic?" or "Tell me I'm fired! TELL ME I'M FIRED!"), I couldn't help but think that maybe meeting her in King's College Chapel was some sort of sign. But of what? That my future lies in television? That I should take the lessons I learnt from The Apprentice and apply them to medicine? That I should get a sex-change operation and go make really good friends with Alan Sugar's or Donald Trump's children?
I feel another post coming up.
Sigh. I bet many of you have met celebrities, perhaps just last weekend at the Spider-Man 3 premiere in London. (Yes, Little Medic, I know you've seen Stephen Hawking and I haven't. Yay.) I also bet you didn't react as stupidly as I have. Drop me a line if you want to gush. (Unless you've met Donald Trump. In which case, I will hunt you down and kill you out of jealousy.)
26 comments:
When I met (and by met I mean saw, and stalked) Steven Hawking I followed him around for about 10 minutes, even into Borders, then he went in the lift. I tried to find him by using the stairs to the science bit but we lost him. Which leads me to believe there is a secret underground research centre where Hawking is hatching a plan to defy gravity and take over the world!
p.s. why didn't I get a response to my comment on the other post when everone else did? *throws strop*
I love your photo shop skills! Your blog is so wonderfully full of wit and wisdom.
Little Medic: Eh? I just checked the last post and can't believe I didn't reply you too! Whoops, sorry mate, it wasn't intentional, it's just that my brain cells are busy committing mass suicide, so things tend to slip through sometimes. You're coming next week? Woohoo! Is this a girlfriend-related exercise?
And yes, secret passages abound in Cambridge. If you've seen Hawking's latest claims, you'll know that he's getting more and more science-fiction-ey as time passes. He's cooking something up down there, he is.
Plus Trinity College owns the apartments above Sainsbury's, and it is said that the highest-ranking fellows and scholars know of secret trapdoors that they can use to conduct raids in Sainsbury's. No wonder they're always so well-fed.
Dr Deb: Aww, Dr Deb! *blushes* I bet you say that on every blog you comment on! :)
I think it confirms that you need to do surgery as you did mention someone once told you it was a lot like the apprentice.
HaHa now i know how tall you are...at lest relative to maggie!! My brother had a dinner with Stephen Hawking along with other tit hall graduates earlier this yr...although i can't imagine it was particularly comfortable to see him get fed!
YES! It was a sign---that good things happen to good people!
I've met a few celebrities, but I was always too shy to talk to them.
I'd give ANYTHING to meet Ralph Fiennes.
sigh. I love reading your blog. Unfortunately I read it when I should be studying for my exams *cough*
Would you really want to meet a celebrity? I mean wouldn't that make them less "god-like"? If I met my celebrity crushes I'd be all, aww they're just like me. Thats sucks...
Silly Medic, aren't you glad you shaved that day? :)
Congratulations Angry :-)
Little Medic - I shook hands with Robert Altman. I 'stalked' him at a conferrence once and believe me it's worse if you catch up with them because other than shy you 're also panting and trying to catch your breath. I was pathetic...!
Hi Angry Medic,
I bet if I met you, I would get all school girl gushy and gigglely : ) Loved the pic, by the way! And I loved your description of your emotions upon meeting your celeb...! Too funny! I had a "brush with greatness" one day a few years ago. We lived in West Hartford then and my husband worked at the Mark Twain House in Hartford. "The Boss" (Bruce Springsteen) was going to do a concert in Hartford and came to the house for a tour. While I really didn't "meet" him, I got to stand right behind him on the porch of the MT House and get a group photo taken....whooo-hoo!
Oh, and there was the time in Las Vegas I met Donnie and Marie, m a n y years ago....but I don't talk about that...lol!
Thanks for the great blog and take care, tracy
That photo is hilarious.
WTF!!!!i cannot believe that's all you said...
I'm dissapointed..being connected to me should have taught you some social skills!!!
*still reeling after the shock*
Hi medic - I just read that southern England experienced a 4.3 earthquake. Does that affect you in anyway? I hope all is well.
who on earth is that nice old lady?
I've only seen Donald Trump while driving through the city. (New York City, for those of you not in the know)
I met Steven Tyler. You know, the guy with the mouth from Aerosmith. AKA Liv Tyler's (Arwen from LotR) dad.
I also met Gerry Adams when I was younger, but no one here knows what that means. It was very covert. Hmmm, maybe I wasn't suppose to say that. I don't even understand the whole situation. Good thing I'm taking Ireland: History and Politics next semester.
Yeah, that's about it. I can say with pride that I never melted the way you did. I save that for people like Julie Andrews, Gwen Stefani, JULIA ROBERTS (!!!), HALE BERRY (!!!), and a huge list of other famous people who contribute nothing to life.
Lizbet: Ooh, you remembered! (That makes your memory better than mine. Dangit. Wanna trade? I have a mock exam tomorrow.) But yeah, maybe that's it. Thanks for reminding me! See, I knew I'd find a place for The Apprentice in medicine!
Harry: Well it depends doesn't it? I mean, are you measuring from the topmost scale on my forehead or are you including the horn? :)
And whoa, your bro goes to Tit Hall? Yeah Stephen Hawking pops in to eat occasionally, but I hear Caius students have grown acclimatised to it. For everyone else, there's always that Simpsons episode where he gets fed (or the hundreds of Family Guy parodies).
Bohemian: Ralph Fiennes? RALPH FIENNES? I'm surprised you didn't say Hugh Grant!
Anonymous: AWWWWWWW you're now my favourite person in the world. Gimme your address so I can send you some chocolates (or, if you like, a piece of anatomy from the dissecting room! Your very own piece of the Cambridge medical course!). And yes, I read my blog when I should be studying too. Don't worry, you're not alone :(
And I think generally you're disappointed when you meet your heroes, but Marge Mountford wss really nice. If anything, it taught me that people can be great and famous and up on TV but not arrogant or larger than life in public. On her biography she even encourages people "to have nothing to do with TV". I think she herself is on TV just as a favour to her longtime employer Alan Sugar.
(Plus Richard Branson writes in his book that when he met Nelson Mandela, the opposite happened to him: he actually became MORE admiring of him. Powerful stuff.)
Chrysalis Angel: Aww you noticed! :)
(but yes, very glad. very very glad.)
Ms-Ellisa: Robert Altman? Whoa. You MET Mr Gosford Park? And RECOGNISED him?
You're scary.
You know what, I have only just started watching the Apprentice, so lucky for you I actually know who you met!
Well done on the photo-op!
Is she quite as icy in real life??
:D
Oh, yeah, and, er, way to go on the awesome revision... by the looks of things, you've been working REAL hard...
;)
Tracy: Aww, thanks for dropping by again! (And for noticing the VT ribbon. That just made my day, to actually have someone from VA here. It's one of my favourite states.) And for the kind words. That's not me blushing, that's just, uh, ketchup on my face. Yep. *vigorously rubs face* :)
And whoa, Bruce Springsteen! At the Mark Twain House even! Now THAT'S star power.
I'm not jealous, that's just, um, green goo on my face. Yep. *vigorously rubs face*
Old MD Girl: Aww, you noticed! Thanks (and thanks for dropping by! You honour me.)
Michelle: Dear, if I'd listened to you I'd have begged her for sex. Then instead of just being mildly embarrassed, I'd be sitting in jail. And the last time I was there for a sex offense I got hit on by two drunken hobos, so no thanks :)
SeaSpray: Awww thanks, but nope, Cambridge wasn't affected. We DID have a laugh though, cos we have another medic here named Kent, and the headlines screamed 'Earthquake Shakes Parts of Kent'. Imagine how much fun we had with that ;)
Anonymous: That's Margaret Mountford, the lady who advises Sir Alan Sugar on the British version of The Apprentice, airing on BBC1 every Wednesday at 9pm. She's the equivalent of Carolyn Kepcher and Ivanka Trump on the American version.
And she's 100% cool.
Dr Wannabe: YOU'VE. SEEN. TRUMP?!
*breathes heavily*
I don't care if it was in his limo. I'm coming for you!
Ooh, and my email reply is on its way. Right after I get these damn mock exams over with :P
Little Medic! Angry no longer replies to my comments either!!!
This is the same first anon person.
Okay that's Nelson Mandela. Anyone who meets him should be in awe for the rest of their life. It's Nelson Mandela... he's done sooo much more then make popular movies!!
And would you really send me chocolates? I think the shipping charges would be extremely expensive, eh? :) Across the ocean to Canada...
Doesn't it creep you out slightly that random people shuch as myself (who do not have a google account) read your blogs??
OKAY - I was tremendously wrong - not Robert, SIDNEY ALTMAN. Nobel prize 1989 in Biochemistry... (duh...) :-)
No I didn't recognise him - the name was on the booklet ;-)
*NOW I'm pathetic for being more familiar with the name Robert matching Altman, than Sidney... I know I know I'm a disgrace...*
I'm a little disappointed that you didn't try to mount her...
Hee. So cute. When you go all giggly girly I mean. I hear sex-change operations are hot.
....
Anyway, I kid but if I were faced with Neil Gaiman, I'd prolly faint first... :P
i did actually meet Stephen Hawking, said hello to him and was having as much conversation as his computer would allow, which was basically "pleased to meet you"
i stopped this short from asking for his autograph....
i pwn stephen hawking at dota last night
im teh r0xx0r!!!1!1
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