Excuse me Mr. Rickman, we'd like to shake your hand.

  So, last monday I didn't check my email. Only 36 hours later did I realize that was the greatest decision of my young life.
  The theater group on campus, DU Players, hosts events and speakers and such. And because this is Ireland, and because this is Trinity, they can get famous actors to come speak. Needless to say, because I didn't check my email, I missed getting free tickets to Alan Rickman's Q and A session on Tuesday night. Devastated, I resigned myself to stalking him because I live about 30 steps away from the theater he was scheduled to speak in.
  After my theater class tuesday night, on a whim I went and stood with the other poor theatrical souls who couldn't get tickets and had a smidgen of hope of being let into the theater. But alas, myself, a british kid and a french girl were all turned away. However, seeing as I have a history of sneaking and cheating myself into events with my favorite performers (cough...Flight of the Conchords...cough) I knew the impossible was possible! Our rag tag group of foreigners snuck up the fire escape to find a window to the theater open, with a clear view of Mr. Rickman himself! Delighted we smooshed together on the balcony, listening to the beginning of his interview, hearing his deliciously melodiously low voise speak about his childhood. However, this being Ireland and 7pm on a college campus, the rugby team began to practice and shout and grunt. And you know those unfortunate souls, who act self righteously in their quest to kill the not so conventional fun of others? Well one of those was standing inside next to this open window. She turned around and gave us a violent "SUSH!" finger and then slowly, like she was dragging a dagger through our hearts, closed the little window. Gone was Mr Rickman, gone was his gloriously creepy voice, and gone was our happiness for our ability to cheat the system! So naturally I shouted "Bitch!" and did an angry kangaroo punching dance on the fire escape. We walked down the steps, basking in our short luck, yet begrudging our luck cut short.
  Upon sneaking around the entrance of the theatre, we realized no one was looking after the lobby. And also in the lobby was a door, left ajar, right next to the stage. So, we did the desperate thing, we stacked ourselves, Scoobie Doo style, along the crack in the door. And I sat there, for an hour, breathing in dust, smelling the wood floor and listening to FREAKING ALAN RICKMAN!
  Although I only caught about 1/3 of what he said, it is clear that the man is a genius. He talked a lot about acting, and about how "No one really gives a shit what you did in front of the mirror the night before." He also spoke about how the actor is like a "vehicle for the text, making it come alive and delivering it to an audience". He also spoke about character, and how he is always now typed as the creeper (hmmm I wonder why?). He mentioned how you can "never judge the character you play." Which really resonates when your playing the person everybody hates all the time. I also really like that he loves Jane Austen novels... So suck it chauvinists who say her writing is only for women! If Alan likes Austen, any man can like Austen.
  Because we were on the floor in the lobby and not in the theatre, we got to follow Mr. Rickman out the door before the rest of the audience was released. Standing outside, we bided our time, and as he was about to walk away, my english friend and I shared a glance and he asserted, "Excuse me Mr Rickman, we would like to shake your hand. We have been standing listening to your interview through a door for the last hour and we just really wanted to meet you."
  "Really? My, thats dedication. Of course" responded Mr. Rickman in a surprised yet still deep voice.
And I thrusted out my hand and said "Its a pleasure to meet you Mr. Rickman." And with a nod, and a warm, not sweaty, firm handshake, Alan and I had a moment. And then he walked away, and we went around the corner completely composed, and then jumped up and down like idiots shouting and laughing "WE JUST MET ALAN RICKMAN" !!! After our episode everyone began to exit the theatre, none the wiser that I had just had the second greatest meeting a famous person experience in my life. I saw my friend Mikel, who had actually gotten a ticket, I ran, I jumped, I shrieked "I JUST SHOOK HIS HAND!" And my purse broke from all the joyous jumping. But did I care? No, of  course not. I just picked up all of my spilled possessions and jumped some more and told my story.
  I skipped the 30 steps home to my apartment, called some losers in the USA to brag about it, and cooked dinner.

  And that was why choosing to neglect my email changed my life.

See where those people are standing? I was laying on the ground... right there.