On Oscar night, I was an unlikely attendee. I am a university professor, not a filmmaker or actor. I was there to celebrate the success of a nominated documentary short in which I was a subject. After donning a fantastic new dress, borrowed jewelry and shoes, I was red carpet ready. We took a limo to the Dolby Theater and reapplied lipstick in the traffic. On the red carpet I felt happy, ethereal and not quite in control, as if helium balloons were helping me float along. Peo