Michael Oher in Purple

Michael Oher is an NFL football player and plays on a team from Baltimore, Maryland.  He was born and grew up in a town on the Mississippi River, Memphis, TN.  He had a rough childhood, got taken in by a very generous and loving family, excelled at football, played on scholarship for Ole Miss, and got drafted by the Baltimore Ravens.

I know about this after falling in love with Sandra Bullock's character in The Blind Side.  I've heard Michael's story several times.

I'm writing about this because after Michael got settled in to playing football, he shared his perspective on his amazing story in a book called I Beat the Odds.  After he wrote his book, he then decided to host a book signing in Austin, at the very popular independent bookstore downtown, BookPeople.

I care about this because my mama just so happens to also be a fan of The Blindside.  But, her affinity with the movie stems from the collegiate connection she shares with Michael Oher and the Tuohy family -  None other than Ole Miss, by damn (a play on their fight song... not meant to be a curse word).  And thus, my adventure to BookPeople to meet Mr. Oher and get a copy of his book signed is born.

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There is a certain satisfaction to be had about riding the Austin city busses.  For students with a UT ID card, it costs no money.  For anyone with a smartphone, the schedules and routes can easily be found.  As I explained to the person next to me in line tonight, I like knowing the system.  In Europe, we were forever traveling via train, bus, or metro.  Often in French or Italian, Celine led the way most of the time.  Here, in Austin, I like the control I have of figuring things out for myself.  This satisfaction may be temporary and may be naive, but for now, it makes me feel good to use what's already there.  The bus will come and the bus will go on its schedule, but I get the chance to take part - to be in the know on how it works.  I get to use the secrete sign language like a pro when I put up one hand discretely to communicate with the driver that I want to get on his bus.  It may seem funny, but it's a language.  When this huge, rectangular monster of a bus comes barreling down the street, one little hand signal can bring it to a halt with doors opening right in front of you.  It's pretty cool :).

I sit towards the back, near an open window seat.  Once the bus starts moving again right after I sit down, someone gets up from the very back of the bus and sits in the seat across the aisle.   His face that isn't being covered by his scraggly beard is hidden in a shadow cast by his warn and sun-parched baseball cap.  He thinks me knowing that he wants to run for Student Body President is more important than the book I've just opened.  His main issue is the library being open 24 hours during the semester.  His plan, as President, would be to make it close at 10pm... students shouldn't study pass 10pm - there are other important things to do.  A smile and nod sends him my well wishes.  Several stops later, the 30 something year old gets off the bus after saying all he needs now is a UT ID and wishes me a blessed day.  

Even with good intensions of reading, I can't keep my eyes on the page for very long.  It's about 6pm and the sun is still shining on the city.  It's a comfortable temperature to wear jeans and a short sleeve shirt, and there's lots of life happening outside right now.  Lamar, a street I frequently take, somehow has a different look from a bus window.  We pass Central Market (the HEB version of Whole Foods), EZ's (a retro-style cafe/diner Rachel and I went to several weeks ago), and P. Terry's (a popular drive-in hamburger joint).  At one stop, a guy sits on the bench with his head down and one arm propping up a thin, white pole.  The bus drivers opens the doors and shouts '338!' (our route #) two times and then taps his horn.  The guy quickly comes out of his slumber and gets up to get on the bus.  With him is his black Labrador seeing eye dog.  After feeling his way to swipe his card, the driver communicates with him about the open seat at the front of the bus.  

The ride downtown seems to go by quickly.  We pass the capital and before I know it, I'm getting off the bus at my stop.  After discovering BookPeople several days ago, I know right where it is now - tucked alongside the REI and Anthropologie store and across the street from the Whole Foods.  I smile after  getting off the bus.  I feel sophisticated and cosmopolitan for riding the bus downtown.  I've got my boots on.  My tight-fitting dark denim jeans are paired with my cashmere-like black sweater that I usually save for 'nice events' (you can't put it in the dryer, and therefore it's a class above almost all of my other clothes).  The Italian leather laptop bag is slung over my right shoulder.  There is life all around me.  Cars fill the busy intersection of Lamar and 6th.  People dot the sidewalk and gather in groups waiting at crosswalks.   I smile and enjoy the warm air outside and the sight of the blue BookPeople sign in front of me.  

At T-minus 45 minutes till Michael Oher, the BookPeople entrance is calm.  I purchase a copy of the book and head upstairs to get a wrist band.  The red and white stripped band puts me in the first group of 50 to get to line up to go upstairs (3rd of 3 floors).  At T-minus 30 minutes, we are channeled into the roped-off line.  I meet a Dad who is getting a signed copy for his two daughters who are 'in love' with Michael.  A staffer comes by with sticky notes and a pen to spell out the name we want in the book.  At T-minus 0 minutes, we are led upstairs where I can see Michael in the room waiting for people to come.  In front of me in line is a group from the Ole Miss alumni club.  Their style of dress hint at it, the small, temporary 'Ole Miss' tattoos the two women are wearing confirms it, and the 'hotty toddy' cheer they do with Michael make everyone else aware of it.

His handshake was firm and his hand pretty much swallowed mine.  It all went by very quickly:  I'm next in line, I hand my book to the attendant, I hand my camera phone to another staffer, and I'm shaking his hand.  I tell him how nice it is to meet him (duh?!) and how the book is for my mom who also went to Ole Miss (mom, he says hi back to you).  Then we're smiling to take the picture, he hands me my book back, I get my phone, and I'm walking out of the room.  Just like that - it all went by in a flash.  He seemed like a normal person.  His presence doesn't shout super-athletic.  He seemed like a pretty down-to-earth dude whose cheeks would probably hurt by the end of the night after smiling for several hours.

It's dusk outside the bookstore.  After looking up the map on my phone, I learn there's a 338 scheduled to stop in front of the store in 5 minutes - perfect!  (I think it comes like every 40-50 minutes).  Waiting at the busstop is a treat: a very nice homeless guy who says he's just come from Waterloo Records where they were serving free beer and hosting a music gig.  He is very talkative for the 5 minutes we spend together at the stop.  I learn how he goes to different venues to get free food and drink.  Art shows are the best - particularly the East Austin Art Show (that I happen to have been to), where different houses set up a temporary studio in their garage to showcase local artists' work.  Apparently they usually have good free snacks and drinks.  He starts getting into the legal rules of collecting money as a homeless person as the bus pulls up.  

This 338 is smelling.  I've sat next to a woman who I think has not showered in quite some time.  In front of me sits a guy with an accompanying seeing eye dog.  Again, it's a black Lab.  The 20 minute ride goes by quite quickly, and I'm soon on my home turf in Hyde Park walking home again :)  

Heather with Michael Oher
at BookPeople on Feb. 15th