Probability and missed opportunities...Traylor Howard

I have to say that this event was the most fun thing to ever happen during the time I was in Baghdad. My photos from this USO event seem to show up more often online than any other I have ever taken. Two interesting connections are related to this photo.

First, this is a great photo of Pfc. Paris shaking hands with Traylor Howard, not meaning to brag, just got lucky. However, as I keep seeing the photo online, I tend to analyze it more and more. A very improbable event is occurring in the background. It seems that I have inadvertently captured the very rare event of a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader not smiling. As a photojournalist who spent over half of my time in the service overseas, and as an newspaper/magazine editor during that time, I must have sifted through hundreds of Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader photos, and I do not recall ever seeing such a thing before. God bless the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. They are always participating in tours like this. And God bless her, I don’t mean to be rude. It just strikes me as very improbable.

The other connection this photo has is that I spotted Traylor Howard shopping the Post Exchange the previous night. I remember commenting several times to my buddy, “hey, that girl looks like the girl from “Me, Myself and Irene” several times. I was mesmerized by her and sort of stalked her a bit as she appeared to be shopping for knee socks. I am not one to be star struck, however, the possibility that this lady was Traylor Howard seemed rare, but what a conversation starter I had an opportunity for, especially in retrospect. I remember contemplating approaching her and pointing out her resemblance to the actress, but I chose not to. However, I tossed and turned about it during the night thinking about it– strange shit runs through your mind in a war zone. Anyway, the next day during this USA event, I realized that that lady in the PX was actually Traylor Howard. What a memorable story that would have been if I were to have approached her with the proclamation of her resemblance to the actress Traylor Howard and her reply of “Well, actually I am Traylor Howard,” as she held a pair of knee socks in her hand. What a story that would have been! But, instead I am left with this “what-could-have-happened” story. Eminem was truly right when he said that we have “one shot…one opportunity.” And I “let it slip.”