Bizarre stalking behavior: It worked for Bob Woodward!

The real shocker in Bob Woodward's huge article in the Washington Post explaining his relationship with Deep Throat, aka Mark Felt, aka A Very Old Man Who Is No Longer Really With It and Whose Family Thinks It's Time to Cash In, is not that they used tricks torn from the Alias handbook (moving flower pots around on balconies to ask for meetings, etc.), but how they met: Woodward met Mr. Throat (that's sexier than "Felt") at random and then stalked him for career advice because he felt directionless. (That sentence was brought to you by "All the Punctuation Marks Except the Period.")

For real! Before he became a big-time reporter and best-selling author and, most impressively, was portrayed by Robert Redford in "All the President's Men," Woodward was working as some kind of bikeless bike messenger for the Navy, and whilst delivering documents to the White House he met Throat, who was then an assistant director of the FBI. Even though Throat "showed no interest in striking up a long conversation," Woodward asked him for his phone number, and then called him numerous times over the course of several years to consult "in depth about my future."

WTF? I realize I am generally bad at talking up possible mentor figures, but is this really how it's done? It seems bizarre and presumptuous . . . but it seems to have panned out quite well in this case, and I am always open to new suggestions. Watch out, high-ranking government officials, T&A Lady's looking for a job and ain't nobody safe!