Saturday, October 25, 2014

Going out with a Bang--and a Crash

Thank you to everyone who tuned in to "20/20" last night, especially those who endured the preceding hour of miscreants and marauders, pondering--as I did--how exactly I might fit in.

As footage continued of serial criminals, psychopaths, and dancing hamsters, I slunk down into my seat and began questioning my judgment in advertising my appearance. Because this clearly would NOT end well.

My mother murmured something about regretting that she spent the last two days calling everyone she knew: including our dentist.

When the camera suddenly opened up on a shot of me at my laptop, my mother and friends shouted in unison. I guzzled half-a-beer and waited to see how my story would play out.

Admittedly, I was perplexed there was no mention of The 52/52 Project or how my wedding-crasher escapade fit into an entire year of new personal challenges. Within that context, I think my story's angle would have proven clearer and more interesting.

But that disappointment was far outweighed by the positive slant my story was given: especially considering how the interview might have been sliced and diced. Instead of fitting me in with the rest of the cast of characters, the producers chose to give me a slightly-less-crazy, nontraditional wedding-crasher status.

The clincher appeared that, even though I'd walked in off the street to mingle with the crowd and enjoy a couple drinks, I'd brought the bride and groom a gift. (Well, of course I did. I do have a FEW social skills.) And the news correspondent's final line about my segment provided me with full redemption: "If you're going to crash, crash with class."

One reader friend said I was "a rare voice of sanity amidst the criminal horde." Huh. "A rare voice of sanity." That was something I didn't often hear. I guess sometimes it pays to run with a bad crowd, even it's only on-screen.

My national TV debut proved to be an unexpected addition to my year of new and strange adventures. While it didn't play out exactly as anticipated, the strangest and most exciting experiences seldom do. As I learned early on in The 52/52 Project: Sometimes the best plan is no plan at all.

And, as one reader pointed out, the experience allowed me to finish out my 52nd year with a bang--or should we say--a crash.

Today is my birthday. I am 53.

Cheers to a new year of living life.

4 comments:

  1. Happy birthday, my friend.

    As I was watching, I was screaming in my head, "They better mention that she left a gift!"

    Also, is it my imagination, or has 20/20 gone "tabloid?" I remember it used to be hosted by Hugh Downs and Diane Sawyer, and chased more weighty stories. This show looked like an episode of Inside Edition. Or Cops.

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    1. Bluz: Yeah, the fact that I brought a gift sure seemed to be a highlight to the two people who interviewed me. But when my story came up in a segment called "The Moochers," I was getting a wee bit worried they'd leave that tidbit out... Glad I provided the positive moral to the story. ;-)

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