  I say today's title a lot. "I aspire to have that sense of humor", "I aspire to play my guitar like he does", "I aspire to be that talented in my math class"; the list goes on and on. It's my own little way of reminding myself that there is so much personality to be had in this world. One such person who inspires me to aspire to be like her (tricky word-play! ) is Sarah Vowell.
She is a phenomenal writer. And when I say phenomenal, I mean it all the way down to my toes. She amazes me. Out of the crap-land of Billings, Montana came this incredible essayist. (Her current abode? New York. Obviously. ) Every essay she writes is dripping with wit, intelligence, and beautiful, graceful mastery of the written word. It's incredible to read her stories-- really it is. It gives me the warm, homey feeling of talking to an old friend. But there is also that damn intangible aspect that every good writer has. The extra thing that makes me want to read her stories about Abraham Lincoln or Species-on-species abuse instead of, say, sit on my ass and watch MTV2 ("Where the videos are") And I am going to be in her presence, thank the lord.
She will be coming to Eastern on April 16 and I will go. And I will love it. For know, I have to think of something wonderfully witty and smart and memorable to say to her. Who knows? Maybe in her next book, there will be an essay entitled "Washington State is full of loons" or "That Strange Pale Girl at a Convention in Spokane". Affectionately... Anna 
