The Five of Clubbs 360

As I was beginning work on my next Flourish column, I was trying to find inspiration. It had been a rough month for our little family. We had just set up our schedule to accommodate my mom having knee replacement surgery when Bob's mom was admitted for an extended stay in the hospital due to a diabetes complication. Heart trouble while in the hospital led to a scary week in the ICU. Trying to get in the groove of being back to school, with all the kids' activities, plus taking care of our moms was not going so well.

Then, as I paused between classes one day, I noticed my office phone was blinking. Most of my students and colleagues email me, so I was curious as I dialed in to voicemail.

The message was from Joanna Shaver, our coordinator for campus programming. She began by describing how Anderson Cooper was going to be coming to campus (I knew that -- Bob and I had tickets and hoped things would calm down enough by Sept. 21 to have a date night and use them) and then stating that he liked to have a Q&A format for his presentations, so they needed a moderator. Then she asked if I was available.

My jaw dropped. I called her back and emailed her saying YES. In the process of doing that, I discovered an email from my friend and undergraduate adviser, Dr. Tom Harte, saying he had been asked to moderate but was going to be out of town, so he suggested me and I should be ready if I was contacted. I practically floated to my next class. In the middle of my rough month, I had been handed something really, really good.

Anderson Cooper

On my way home from work, I stopped at Barnes & Noble to pick up Anderson Cooper's book, "Dispatches from the Edge." Bob and I used to be regular nightly news viewers, but since having three children, I usually catch up on current events by listening to NPR on the way to and from work and watching "The Daily Show" after we put the kiddos to bed. Now, I resolved to become an "Anderson Cooper 360" watcher again.

At dinner, I made my announcement. Bob, the news junkie, was excited and a little jealous. The kids weren't sure who Anderson Cooper was. I showed them the video of him anchoring from Oscar's trash can on "Sesame Street" and they all remembered. For the next 10 days, I did my homework.

Less than a week before the presentation, as I was walking into Academic Hall, I looked down at my outfit and it occurred to me I might need a little fashion help for this event. I Facebook messaged a friend who is a costume designer and he replied, "Fitted, contemporary suit with a statement necklace." There were two problems with that: I don't own a suit, and that sounded like something I would wear if I were playing an interviewer, not something that was really me.

I got another idea and emailed the editor of Flourish to find out who did the styling for the fashion layouts, and if that person might help me. Pretty soon, I was exchanging texts with Brandon Whitaker, a fashion consultant and stylist. I let him know what he was working with. I don't think I'm a fashion disaster, but I knew my cute, comfy teacher style needed to be polished up. I sent him a picture of what I was wearing that day, and when I got home, I sent him pictures of some of my favorite outfits, as he requested.

Photo submitted by Brooke Clubbs

The next day, after my office hours, I met Brandon downtown at Stash, a boutique I had often walked by but never ventured into. I order most of my clothes online after the kids go to bed or at Target when I am getting a few dozen other things on my list. Once I went inside Stash and talked with Brandon and the store owner, Emily Hoehne, I regretted having been intimidated to shop at a boutique.

Then, I started trying things on. As practical and independent and non-superficial I try to be, I have to admit, I have always liked the transformations in "Pretty Woman" and "My Fair Lady." I remember after my semester in London wishing that I could come back a little bit more like Sabrina. So, having someone help me shop was pretty fun.

Then, we found it: The "IT" dress, as Brandon said. And we played with accessories. We decided to try a statement necklace I had at home. I could wear black wedges I already owned. He suggested sheer black pantyhose. I would try to find some bangles. I bought the dress and got a thrill of excitement every time I saw it hanging in my closet.

I moved my hair coloring appointment up, joking that I wanted Anderson to be the only "silver fox" on stage. Heidi Hume, my friend and owner of the salon, Mirror Image, was thrilled for me and we decided to try Redken's new Blur technique that uses a special brush to apply highlights. When I commented that her necklace would be perfect with my dress, she offered to let me borrow it. I figure at the rate we're going, we'll be prank calling boys by the time I leave the salon.

The rest of the work week goes by in a whirl, a mix of the mundane and special. I collect questions for the presentation from my classes and offer extra credit for attending. Every time I go to the Southeast Missouri State University homepage, I find Anderson looking at me, which is slightly disconcerting. Having a stylist in my life adds a surprising element of glamor, as I get encouraging texts while watching my kids play soccer.

By Saturday night, I am having stress dreams in which I am sitting in the bleachers at my high school when I realize I am late for the presentation and don't have the right clothes on. Luckily, Sunday morning I run the City of Roses half marathon and have 13.1 miles to pound that silliness out.

On Sunday afternoon, I revise the wording on my questions one last time. I enlarge the text, print them out, place them in a binder and get ready to go. Bob drops me off at the Show Me Center, where Joanna meets me at the door.

"Anderson was just asking if he could talk with you," she says. As we walk down the administrative hallway, I remind myself that I told my students this would be an opportunity for them to see me practice what I preach. I have to make the butterflies in my stomach fly in formation.

Joanna knocks on the door and behind it I hear a familiar voice say, "Yeah?" And then he is there, opening the door and extending his hand. And I am introducing myself to the man I have been watching on television one way or another since his days on "Channel One."

As he and I sit and chat, I realize he is interviewing me: How long I have been teaching at Southeast, what do I teach, how many classes. He does some mental calculation and rubs the bridge of his nose: "You must have heard ... a lot ... of bad speeches," he says. "There have been a few," I tell him. He admits he started doing these engagements to get over his fear of public speaking. Yes, he has been in numerous war zones and faced down all kinds of natural and manmade disasters, but the last remaining thing that gave him a nervous feeling in his stomach was public speaking.

We talk about current events and he pauses to ask if I want something to drink. He gets up to grab me a bottle of water and fills a glass with ice from the cart set up in the dressing room. So, we're just sitting there on the couch with our beverages with the student government president, Caleb Cockrill, arrives. We joke about the various states of our iPhones and who is getting an iPhone 6 (not me, maybe Anderson, Caleb is interested in the iPhone watch). Anderson signs my copy of his book. I plan to give it to Tom Harte, because if he were here, I wouldn't be. Anderson and I get our mics (he's a pro; I have to go into the bathroom to slide the wires up through my dress and hook the battery pack on my pantyhose).

Soon after, Southeast president Kenneth Dobbins arrives, and it is time to go backstage. I check: "Do you want me to call you Anderson or Mr. Cooper?" He laughs and says, "Oh, Anderson." I pat him on the back. "You're so awesome. Thank you for putting me at ease," I tell him. Again, he gives an unassuming chuckle. We're introduced and head on stage.

The hour passes quickly, and I don't have a lot of time to be nervous because I am so interested in listening to Anderson answer my questions. At one point, we are talking about an incident after Hurricane Katrina that he discussed in his book. I have to will myself not to cry as he recalls the muddy footprints on top of a refrigerator where a family tried to climb to escape the flood waters. He has seen so much tragedy and been in so much danger, yet he is undeterred from continuing to make sure stories are told. He offers our students inspiring advice. He gets a well-deserved standing ovation as we finish.

Photo submitted by Brooke Clubbs

When we get off stage, we head back to the dressing room so I can grab my purse and he can grab his bag. He is going to a "meet and greet" with local politicians, business people and university administrators. We will meet back up for dinner in Academic Hall. I had been told earlier that only the university photographer would be taking pictures at these events. "No selfies?" I had asked in an email. No. So, on my way out of the empty dressing room, I decided it was safe to take one picture with my phone: His Pepsi One and the water he got for me.

Bob and I greet a few people outside the Show Me Center before heading to Academic Hall. I work in Academic now, since the Department of Communication Studies moved in after the renovation last spring. The Dome Room is right above my office, but it is locked and only used on special occasions. We will be eating dinner in it tonight. Bob goes back to make sure the car is locked, and as he returns, I hear that familiar voice again. Bob surreptitiously points over to the nearby sidewalk. Here comes Anderson and a security guard. We join the crew at the door and take the elevator up to the dome together, where university administrators, select students and the board of regents will join us.

Dinner is a lovely affair: An heirloom tomato caprese salad, roast chicken with risotto and a berry napoleon for dessert. I am seated next to Logan, the editor of our school newspaper, The Arrow, and Angelo, a mass media major and communication studies minor. As the chef describes what we will be eating, I quietly joke with them, "...and in the dorm cafeteria tonight, leftover zucchini over pasta and ice cream that twists out of a machine..."

As wonderful as the food is, the best part of dinner is the continued conversation, getting to hear more of Anderson's stories. As the evening comes to an end, we pick up our pictures with Anderson and he autographs them. We get to shake hands one last time. As Bob and I head toward the elevator, I turn around for one more look. I feel like Cinderella leaving the ball. Sure enough, by the time I get home, it's time to run baths, fetch bedtime drinks of water and read nightly devotions to my kids. Back to life, back to reality. But I will always have the memories. And the pictures. And that dress. And Anderson Cooper on CNN at 7 p.m.

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Photo submitted by Brooke Clubbs

Styling by Brandon Whitaker: brandonwhitakerdesigns@gmail.com

Dress purchased at Stash: 40 N. Main St. in Cape Girardeau; 573-335-1197

Hair color by Heidi Hume of Mirror Image: 2480 E. Main St. in Jackson; 573-243-0071

Photo submitted by Brooke Clubbs