James Randi came out of the closet today. (Well, technically yesterday, since it’s now after midnight.)
I’ve had the honor of meeting Randi twice, and I respect him deeply, for a multitude of reasons. The first time I met him was in Boulder, for the Conference on World Affairs, and I only got that lucky because I was shamelessly fangirling all over Phil Plait at the time. I’ve looked forward to hearing him speak at TAM and listening to him whenever he’s on a podcast; he’s an utterly charming human being who never runs out of fascinating stories to tell. He’s been an inspiration to me personally, and I think there’s something indescribably wonderful about seeing a man who’s old enough to be my grandfather – and shockingly teeny and just a little frail besides – out there kicking ass and taking names, cutting horrible human beings to shreds with his rapier wit. So now we can add one more thing he’s done to the litany of what makes him deserving of his chosen moniker: Amazing.
And damnit, Randi, you’ve made me go all sniffly now.
Side note: I love what one commenter, FloGiston, says on that post: “Now you’re not only amazing, but fabulous as well!”