I've had a couple of brushes with fame in my day, and my track record isn't the greatest. I met River Phoenix in April 1991, about 2 1/2 years before his drug-related death at the age of 23 (I love the people who ask me if I got to meet him "while he was still alive." Ummm.) I also knew Ben Curtis (the spokesman, not the golfer). As an elementary-school-age boy, the once-and-future face of Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) was a peripheral friend of my brother and the son of my French teacher.

As I said, my celebrity encounters haven't enjoyed particular longevity. While Curtis isn't overdosing outside the Viper Room, he has been part of the wait staff at Tortilla Flats, a Manhattan bar at Washington and 12th, for the past 18 months. Last week, for Halloween, he dressed up as his former alter-ego, Steve the squirrelly "Dude, you're getting a Dell" kid. He says he gets recognized every day, but appreciated a job at which he can always be himself. And if you ask nicely, he may just repeat his famous catchphrase while he delivers your margarita.