When Ina said that Leonard Nimoy was going to be in Indianapolis for a book signing, I got excited. Indianapolis isn't that far, which I found out the last time I saw Leonard, at a Star Trek convention. This time, it wasn't a Star Trek event at all. Instead, it was for his book of photography, Shekhina.
As a Leonard Nimoy fan, I wanted to get a gist of what Shekhina meant. I found that according to Jewish beliefs, Shekhina was the feminine presence of God. Not a female version of God, instead, Shekhina represents the actual presence of God. For example, when Moses saw the burning bush, the fire was the Shekhina.
Then we had problems. There was a big confusion with the tickets--we had bought, and received the tickets for both the lecture, and the dinner. But Ina received a letter saying that the dinner was for Members Only. If we wanted to join, we had to send more money. But nowhere in the paperwork did it say that you had to be a member of this thing in order to go to the dinner. In the end, it was all worked out--we didn't join, and they honored our tickets, since we already HAD them.
Those of you that know me, know I love to tease and kid people. Well, I told Ina that we had to make sure we didn’t start giggling during the slideshow. Leonard would be showing slides of some of his photography—mostly female nudes. "Okay, so, remember, we can't giggle and say, 'boobies!'" I repeated, while we laughed hysterically. "You know," I added. "now when the slideshow starts, the first nude they show will make us giggle!! We’ll be thinking BOOBIES!" LMAO
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Armed with our name tags, we began to wander around a bit more. Eventually, we went into the large auditorium room to claim our seats. We even ran out to the car to get our jackets, to hold our seats. We also placed our camera bags on some seats in the dining room, at the table next to the one that said "Reserved". If was strange, the way the people in charge kept telling us that since it wasn't a Star Trek event, Leonard wouldn't be answering those kinds of questions. They told us over and over! We're Trekkies, not idiots! LOL
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Ina: Hey Helen, there he is.
Helen: Where? No, that's not him!
Ina: Oh yes, it's him. No doubt!
Helen: No, it's not him.
Ina: Yes, it is!
Well, I casually went to stand with the corner of the wall near my left shoulder, pretending to look at stuff, while really peeking over at the people. That's when I heard the voice. *sigh* I looked over again and it was as if he suddenly appeared. In reality, I know I'm just half-blind. LOL
I stood there, much to Ina's interest, listening to what Leonard was saying and doing, while still nonchalantly eyeing the wall. I kept telling Ina what I overheard and saw. Then, a lady came up to me, her eyes wide, and said, "He's hot!! No one told me he was hot!" LOL
After a quick sound check, Leonard disappeared. I think he was cornered in the auditorium about something technical. Ina and I (along with the lady and her stepmother) made our way into the dining room. People were showing up quickly, and we didn't want our seats to somehow get taken! So we sat and watched the people pour in.
I saw Leonard come in, with his entourage, and sit at the Reserved table. I could easily turn my head slightly and look at him, while Ina had chosen the seat to my right, where she'd have to lean forward or back to see around me. But, it worked for her. One of the ladies at our table barely sat down when she got up once more, and went right up to talk to Leonard. Ina and I looked at each other. "Do you want to?" she asked. Silly question!
Ina: Well, do you want to get up and talk to him?
Helen (looking at me like I just had suggested something totally unthinkable): Really?
Ina: Yes, why not?
Helen: (slowly accepting the idea of going up to Leonard.) OK, let's go. (getting up.)
Ina (what was I thinking when I suggested to walk over to Leonard): Maybe! better not.
LOL So we got up. But Ina seemed to almost lose her nerve. I nearly had to drag her to come with me. *wink at Ina* LOL
We approached Leonard. He had been sitting, and another lady had wanted to show him something in National Geographic. He was still skimming over the article when Ina and I went up to him. We both held our cameras at the ready.
Ina initiated the speaking. Did I talk to him? Ah, yes, well...I wasn't exactly coherent...I was standing RIGHT next to him, and Ina (my pal) was talking to him...it went something like this:
INA--"Mr. Nimoy, you are such an inspiration to us."
HELEN--*mouth agape* "Yeah."
LEONARD--"Thank you so much!"
INA--"And we want to thank you for everything you've done over the years."
HELEN--*blink blink* "Uh...yuhuh"
LEONARD--"That means so much to me, thank you!"
HELEN--"Yeah."
INA--"I know you must get this all of the time, but could we possibly get a picture with you?"
HELEN--"Yeah."
LEONARD--"Of course, of course!" *standing up*
HELEN--"Great, yeah."
*sigh* Wasn't that great? LOL I was SO cool and calm last year, but then again, I was distracted!! I was making sure my blind friend wouldn't kill herself tripping on anything, and I had a rehearsed message from my Dad! This time, I was on my own. D'OH! LOL
Leonard: Hallo!
Ina: Hallo. The last time I met you was also here in Indianapolis, nearly a year ago!
Leonard: Really? I was in Indianapolis?
Helen: Yes. Thanksgiving.
Ina: At a Star Trek convention.
Leonard: Really? Was I good?
Helen: Yes.
Ina: Really good.
This conversation took place while he was still looking at the magazine. He would look at it, listen and reply to us, look at it, etc. So then, the woman who worked for the Temple and had been assigned as his assistant, volunteered to take the pictures for us. We handed her our cameras and gave her a quick run-down on their use. She suggested we get on either side of Leonard. He nodded in agreement, still engrossed in the magazine. Suddenly he looked up and said, "We're taking the picture now!" He closed the magazine over his finger, so he wouldn't lose his place, then put his arms around us. *faint*
I froze, a silly grin plastered in my face. I admit it, the next minute or so is hazy in my memory. I recall that his hand was on my back, in the bottom part of my hair. And my hand, which I brought up to place on his back *G*, was crossed over Ina's. I gave her a reassuring squeeze. Leonard mumbled, "Are we smiling?" And I once again said, "Yeah!" I think Ina confirmed that. I couldn't look up at him; I was afraid I might burst into giggles.
Finally, the lady took one picture and Leonard started to move away, but the lady said, "Wait, there's another camera to use!" So he stood there, waiting. I can't believe how much of my memory seems to be missing here! I had a total meltdown or something. LOL But once the pictures were taken, we grinned, thanked him profusely, and went back to our seats.
When they served dessert (chocolate cheesecake!), Leonard was introduced for a short Question and Answer period. He started off with a bunch of facts about himself: "I started acting at age 8...my first movie was called, Kid Monk Baroni...I only kept the last Spock ears I ever wore..." When a few of us chuckled at the barrage, he added, "These are the questions I usually get asked!"
Then the real questions and answers started. To our surprise, the first several questions were about Star Trek! I was mildly annoyed: I am a big Trekkie, Spock is my favorite all time character, and these were primarily people from that Temple’s congregation—and yet they asked the typical Star Trek convention questions! A lady at our table told him that there was a common event taking place among autistic children—they all love and respect Spock because he exhibits the same non-emotional state that they feel. And someone asked if he was going to do anymore acting or directing. He said, adamantly, "No! I’m done with it. I’m just doing photography and writing."
Finally, someone asked about his photography; "When you do your photos, do you prefer color or black and white?" Leonard’s reply was that, "I see color as pretty, and black and white as dramatic. And, of course, with this book, I wanted dramatic. Another way to put it is that color is good for family events, and black and white is for art."
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Ina: (raising my hand and getting picked by Leonard) What do you think are the most influ-! (couldn't pronounce influential. Just didn't get the word out of my mouth!)
Leonard: Influ???? (grinning)
Ina (reading the question): influ-! influential artists and politics of the last 50 years and who did you get influenced by?
It was very quiet in the room and my heart dropped to the floor. Have I said something wrong?
Leonard: Artists? Why not actors, directors, [sculpters]!?
What was going on??? Those are all artists, aren't they? I was confused and gave him a baffled look instead of an answer.
Leonard (looking me straight in the eyes): Why do you ask me this question?
Ina (confused!): Hm, hm! (I thought about this question for three days and thought it was interesting, didn't have to do with Star Trek and gave him the chance to tell us some of the things important to him! well, I didn't say that.) You have been such a great inspiration for me. Who was one for you?
Leonard (walking towards me, staring at me and starting to worry me a little because I still had no idea what I had done wrong and if he would get annoyed with me.): The last 50 years! or history?! Why the last 50 years? Why not history or the last 20 years?
Ina (getting close to be very desperate, yes, even annoyed with her favorite star): Just answer however you want to. (Did I really say that? I hope I was more polite. I honestly had no idea why he was giving me such a hard time.)
Leonard: Hm, the last 50 years! or history! Hm! Hm! (and he went on like that asking me again to define the time span!)
I noticed that everybody on my table was laughing! Why, what had I done? Then I realized that I just had gone into Leonard's trap! again.
Looking closer at Leonard I saw that he wasn't mad at me at all, quite the contrary. He started to smile and his mood improved clearly after I asked my questions. Before he had to answer mostly the usual bunch of Star Trek questions and probably started to get bored.
If I would not have been so nervous I would have realized right away that he was buying time to think about an answer. I wish I would have noticed earlier that he was picking on me in a friendly manner because then I could have reacted a little bit different. The whole time he was talking to me his eyes were twinkling with laughter but I was too nervous to see that. (And seeing one of Helen's pictures she took of him while we were talking, it is so obvious that he is fighting laughing!) [see next pic]
After Ina’s question, he said a temporary goodbye and left for the press conference. Originally, Ina and I had planned on seeing if we could attend it, but I think we both needed a moment to collect ourselves instead. The lecture was to start at 7:30, and it was just about 6:45 then. When we decided we were done with our desserts, we went to the lecture hall. We had saved our seats with our coats, so we went and sat down.
Leonard walked from the left side of the room, up the stairs, to the podium. He started off by saying, "A funny thing happened to me on the way to Seattle..." Those of us who knew what he meant, laughed. If you don't, read about it HERE. He went into greater detail about the sudden withdrawal made by the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, and all the negotiations that went into it. They didn't want him to show his slides, or talk about the book at all--even though it was supposed to be a part of his book tour.
So what did they want him to talk about? "Only my Jewish experiences. So I thought about that. Which experience could I talk about? I could tell them all about when I was 8 years old and I saw the [priests] making the shin hand symbol (known to most as the Vulcan salute)." Then he performed what that moment looked like to him. It was so funny, he placed a special Jewish shawl over his head and held his hands up in the shin symbols and shook his head vigorously, all the while chanting in Hebrew. Now, I think he was a little overly dramatic, and wasn't really being serious, because after all, it was supposed to be how he saw it at a young age. Everyone laughed. Then he went back to the podium and said, "But I don't want to talk about that." LOL
Then he said, "So, what should I talk about? I could talk about the time I worked in Israel with Ingrid Bergman." He proceeded to tell briefly about that, and when he finished, he announced, "But I don't want to talk about that." He did this one more time, again adding that he didn't "...want to talk about that." LOL
He summed up the incident with Seattle by saying that in the end, they couldn’t reach an agreement and he withdrew. Later, I found out that he was immediately invited to a Reform Temple to do his talk instead.
He then started the slideshow. The first picture was one of a very old camera. He said, "This is the first camera I took pictures with. It was an old family camera. I used it to take all the pictures in my book." There were a few gasps of surprise and awe, then he added, "I’m kidding, of course!" LOL The rest of the pictures were absolutely gorgeous!! And he also read some of the written portions in the book to go along with them. I could listen to him talk all day long…
After the lecture and slideshow, he went on a little break. Ina and I made our way out to the hallway. It was cram-packed!! We found the line to buy books and both got our own. Then we turned around and literally found ourselves at the end of the autograph line! LOL So then we got to wait around until Leonard came out once more. When he came out, the line started moving, but not that fast. That was because Leonard was talking to everyone and being so personable!
So, on to my autograph...I stepped up and he looked up and smiled. He asked, "And what is your name?" I told him, and spelled it for him--I don't take risks on that! LOL He signed and handed the book back to me, smiling at me. *sigh*
Ina and I spent the rest of the time taking pictures from the lecture hall doors. So, that's why all the pics are of Leonard's right ear. LOL We also stepped inside to take some others, but for the most part, it's the right ear. Enjoy!!
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I spent the next half hour or so, regaling my family with most of what happened, summed up. They thought I was insane--as usual!! Then, Tuesday, I developed my film at work. The pictures, as you have seen, came out wonderfully!!
I think that this experience was far better than any Star Trek convention could provide. We had been told, by many convention holders, that men like Leonard simply do not take pictures with the fans, nor do they do personal autographs. Now we know, that is not true. Leonard is gracious, and grateful to his fans, and appreciates when they are respectful to him. I would love to see him again!!
