yawn
I left here early. Must've been just after 9am. Porky and I walked to the bank, deposited the check, headed for the radio station.
Started chopping up my commentary. After two hours of cutting and rewriting, I gave up. It was still nearly five pages, and I couldn't see what to do.
I almost packed up my stuff and left. I was an emotional case, anyway. Maybe I'm too crazy and damaged for this, I thought.
Then, Paul showed up. I thought, "this is a sweet, sincere, committed, intelligent man. Wonder if he can help?"
Paul Ingels, is his name. He pinch hit in the news dept. for awhile, because Renee's been sooo sick.
Well, he took the hard copy and agreed I should go downstairs for a cigarette, rather than driving him crazy, hovering.
When I got back, he'd fixed it.
I knew my focus was on the ambulance, because that's my point of contact with Martha Stewart.
He took out all the other tangential stories, except the xmas story.
I reworked it, reminding myself this isn't the ONLY commentary I'll get to write that references my experiences in the War Zone.
I recorded it. It was STILL over five minutes LONG! I read slowly, since I can't see too well. Besides, rushing copy reading just causes the listener to glaze over.
Renee asked to look at it. And, yes, the xmas story went. But, as she handed it back to me, she said, "shame; that's good writing." WOW! From the News Director!?! I damn near fainted!
Renee was back for the first time today. Whatever happened to her really wiped her OUT! SHe looked so different, I didn't recognize her at first. SHe was in the hospital for weeks! And home for weeks!
By now, it was ten minutes 'til air time for the evening news, and everybody was humming like hornets. And they needed the recording both for the broadcast.
So, I unpacked some of the food I'd brought, nibbled and listened to the broadcast. And I fought off tears. I've never worked SO LONG on a four minute news story before in my damn LIFE! 'course, it's not news; it's commentary. And, to make it WORSE, it's personal. And, to make THAT worse, it's the most intimate and traumatic chapeter in my life.
At 5:30, I went back to work. And there was Paul, stretched out on the sofa outside the newsroom, waiting for me to finish editing so he could show me how to put the story to "bed!"
What a sweet guy!
Marcos and Rachel both ended up emailing me. It's the sitting around, waiting, that kills me. I get anxious, especially about something this risky. I want to know it's ok or it sucks, right away. The anticipation is torture.
I thought the original was much too long, but wasn't sure. If I print it out here, at home, it'll be a really large font size, and won't give me an accurate page count. It was SIX PAGES!! LOL I can only read about three or less in three minutes!
The original, unedited, is still at the viridiana blog.
The sound file's saved in newsroom audio; the hard copy's on Renee's desk, with lead in and wrap up: the copy the newsreader says, to intro and outro the file. I'll send the copy by email to the webmaster, so he can post it on the KUNM website, or tell him where to find it on the Volunteer Room computer.
I didn't leave the station until WELL after six! I was finally home and in bed at seven thirty.
I'm too tired to eat. I didn't even finish unpacking my cart tonight!
When I got back, I found that Bob, the homeless guy, had left some fish hanging from a bag on my back gate. I'd told him I need to eat more fish. But who knows how long that had been hanging there in the spring sun?
I think it must have been frozen when he brought it, because some was still cold. It was filets, seafood cocktail, a hunk of chicken thigh (I think), and some Chinese dumplings.
I smelled it all and it was still fresh, so the cats and dog had a party tonight.
Porky didn't care. He was so tired, he walked right past the food dish and plopped in this here bed. He's got his jaw on my knee and is snoring his head off.
I don't know why he's so tired; he just lay on his blankie in the shadey grass, in front of the station all day.
It's a long walk.
I've already signed up to answer phones for the KUNM pledge drive in 2 weeks. FREE FOOD! I mean, GOURMET stuff! The underwriters of programs basically cater the fund drive, so it'll be good eats! Rachel already warned me: it'll mostly be carbs, like bagels and cakes and crap. But WHO CARES?????????????? FROO FROO FOOD!!! FREE!!!
I'm signed up to answer phones for 3 days, but I may do more, if the inner tube/tire get here soon enough, which they SHOULD! LOL.
I can't afford to subscribe. The LEAST I can do, for ten years of information, entertainment, intellectual challenge, healing, news and just plain silliness on my radio as I live my life. I never have listened to any station besides KUNM, the whole time I've lived here.
There IS no jazz here; just elevator music pop jazz crap. ONly on KUNM. There's one classical station; the signal fades badly and the COMMERCIALS are SO annoying! After a deeply moving piece, who wants to hear cowboys, screaming over country music, to sell trucks?
So, it's KUNM or it's silence. Period!
I didn't listen to my head phones as I walked through campus tonight; I didn't want to hear All Things Considered; I wanted to hear the mating birds, calling to each other in the twilight, as the spring bulbs glowed in the last ruby light of sunset.
OK, that's my day. And this post must be nearly as long as the Martha thing, by now.
I'm goig to have some Sewage of Imperialism, aka Pepsi, and a cigarette and go to friggin SLEEP!
I have CHORES this weekend, and I need to go to volunteer class this weekend!
niters
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