Dinner Companions

I was doing some spring cleaning earlier this week and came across some old school folders. You know the ones -- dog-eared, battered, with doodles all over the front and back, with notes like "I love _____" and "Kimmie and Jennie BFF" (Was I ever really THAT stupid and annoying?!?!) What caught my attention, however, was one paper I wrote back in junior year of high school (I won't say what year that was!) in which we wrote about throwing a dinner party for eight, and who we would invite to that party. Our guests had to be real people, not necessarily famous, but they could be living or dead. (Kinda gross to be throwing a dinner party for the non-breathing and pulse-lacking, but at the time I didn't question the assignment). I had to laugh at my choices for guests, because today my list would be totally different. I won't even go into detail about my junior year list, because it's too embarassing. Instead, I'd like to share with you my bread new, still-in-the-box list of People I'd Like to Invite to Dinner:

1. Mark Twain. He was, and still is, America's best humorist. I would be very interested to hear his take on society today. No doubt he would be extremely disappointed with how we've turned out.
2. Richard Harris. Actor and master storyteller. Conversation would not be lacking during the entire evening. But the booze would definitely take a hit, as he was a well known admirer of the drink. But then again, a drunk storyteller is the most amusing kind of drunk.
3. Unsinkable Molly Brown. She was a woman ahead of her time, who didn't care what people thought of her. I wouldn't even ask her about the Titanic, because, to me, her life after surviving the disaster was even more interesting.
4. Frank McCourt. Teacher. Author. Immigrant. He could be a drinking companion for Mr. Harris. Two drunk storytellers for the price of one! That could get interesting.
5. Jane Austen. Writer, feminist. I think she and Molly would have so much to talk about, as they had many of the same opinions, just 150 years apart.
6. Dame Judy Dench. Brittish Actor. Best known for her portrayl of "M" in the James Bonds movies. She's had so many delicious roles, and she doesn't suffer fools gladly. I would love to see the interaction between her and Richard Harris.
7. John Buckley Whitehead. He was a Civil War Union soldier who served in a Connecticut regiment for almost a year. He kept a diary of his time in service, which I have a copy of, and his experiences are astounding. Oh, and he's my many-times-great grandfather. I would love to meet him.
8. Annie Besant. Reformer and supporter of India's Home Rule Movement. She was also a supporter for England's working poor and the suffrage movement. What I admire most about her is her desire to never stop learning, and her ability to embrace many different ideas and philosophies, and her respect for the poor and downtrodden. She could probably teach us all what it really means to work for the greater good.