In French it is Faux Pas, in English it is Turd in the Punchbowl.

When someone asks, “Do you know so in so?” They usually expect an encouraging response. Or they want the person they asked the question of to be impressed by whom they know. Maybe they should be prepared for an answer they did not expect.  Sort of like when someone says, “Hey watch this.” You can bet something is going to end badly.

Which brings me to the long tale from the Preakness party this past weekend. For the first time, many of my friends met EW. Often when I would attend weddings and functions, EW would be traveling. I attended solo, or invited a friend to escort me. I went to functions with so many different escorts: no one could keep count. So at the Preakness party, friends got to meet EW and learn his real name. No it is not Nanook, Voldemort or MWNN.

Rob, a friend of mine, pointed out that he kept up with our comings and goings on FB and until the party had no idea if EW existed or actually had a name. My friends often referred to him as the ghost. We went on to discuss my crazy postings of all news Florida. If it is wacky, weird, or just interesting (in an odd way) I’m quick to add it to my FB page. I went on to point out that because I read the news wires religiously, I know a lot about a little, a little about a lot, a lot about lot, and a little about a little.  For instance, I pointed out a recent dinner I attended with EW and the “bullet boys” and how I was totally in the dark about armaments, but as a result of the dinner, I know a little about buying large-scale ammunitions.

We had an enjoyably evening and as the night wore on EW and I decided to head home early. One guest inquired why we were leaving so soon. I explained it was because we live in Clifton, Virginia and it is a fairly long drive home.

This same gent (Naval Academy grad) had been attempting to entertain several of us moments earlier with a story about his recent trip through an airport screening. Don’t we all have one of those stories? His was a bit dramatic and he punctuated the story by dropping his restored gold Rolex on the table and recreating the problem that was caused by his watch going through the screening.

Now, I don’t care about the incident with TSA, it was the fact that he had to drop his watch and recreate the scene several times over. We got it, you have a gold Rolex….we got it. Heavy metal…sheesh…..

So, I mentioned we were heading home to Clifton and he immediately asked if we knew J. Daniel Howard who lives in Clifton. I responded by asking if we should. I suppose because we live in Clifton he thinks we know everyone.

No, that was not the reason for the question. He wanted to name drop. And man o man he did name drop. He dropped a name like dropping a turd in a punch bowl.

After asking if we new the guy, he went on to point out Howard is a former undersecretary of the Navy and Reagan administration. Wait for it…plop…hello punch bowl meet turd.

Yessiree…thanks to EW who had texted me a few weeks earlier, I knew a little about this guy. My nose in the news paid off big time. I had followed the story EW alerted me to on May 2^nd.,

The Academy grad was attempting to brag about taking Howard’s daughter to a Naval Academy Cotillion while he was a midshipman. Who cares? I was busy on Google looking up J. Daniel Howard because, wait for it…he had been arrested on May 2^nd on charges of possessing and reproducing child pornography in Fairfax County, according to court records.

Naval Academy guy just kept on trying to tell his story while the rest of us were then on to the topic of the child porn story. We didn’t care that Naval Academy guy escorted the perv’s daughter years ago. Or how he rubbed elbows with Generals and Admirals or how he had to be vetted by the FBI for the dance or some such nonsense. Nope…there it was, the story of J. Daniel Howard’s recent arrest, just two miles from my house.  Yup…a big floating turd in the bowl…

EW whispered in my ear that he thought it was time to leave as I kept laughing about the incident. I suppose it was time to leave because the punch bowl was full and I had a story to recount on the blog.

So dear friends, it is great to name drop. We all do it. I’m guilty of name-dropping. I admire those that know famous people and rub elbows with them. We all want to brag about those times.  But…perhaps one might want to keep current with these “famous folks” so as to avoid this type of faux pas…or as I say in English, turd in the punch bowl.