As I waited for my Midwestern panino to be grilled, I wandered over to the well-stocked meat counter (pretty fascinating stuff to a lifetime vegetarian), where a man preparing some “thick cut steaks.” He asked if I needed any help, I answered that I was just waiting for my sandwich to heat up. Then the conversation went something like this: “Hey, were you on Channel 4 this morning?” “Why yes, yes I was…” “Yeah, that was funny—that guy wearing that halter top….I totally thought it was you. And then I saw you were wearing a T-shirt, so I knew it had to be you.” Here’s the visual—by the by, the “Can’t Hide That Midwest Pride” T-shirt is thanks to my friend Ernest—e-mail me if you’re interested in getting your very own!
It’s so strange to put a face to a television viewer. I always feel so pleasantly anonymous when I’m sitting on my couch in the privacy of my apartment, tuning in to the latest Sopranos or Project Runway episode (though I know DirecTV could probably call up any show I watched in the last year). And on the other side, when you’re in the TV studio doing the live segment, it’s just you, a couple of newscasters, and a cameraman or two. It’s hard to imagine the thousands of viewers they claim to have when you’re just talking to the lens. But there was one of them, right in front of me at the Sendik’s on Oakland meat counter. And then I met another viewer as I went through airport security. After the scissors were spotted by the x-ray machine guy, I found myself explaining yet again to the woman digging through my bag why I have, oh, about 12 pairs in my carry-on luggage. As I did, she looked up and said, “Wait, you were on Channel 6 this morning! Yeah, with that cute little ruffled skirt—that was cute.” “Oh, you mean this one?” as I pulled the Triple Layer Cake sample skirt from the pile she had wrestled from my bag. “Yes, that one! Yeah, I remember you.” “Good, so you can corroborate my story. ” It’s funny, I never imagine that any of those thousands of viewers can actually see me. At least two of them do.
As a side note, here’s a personal record: I don’t think I’ve ever visited 10 bookstores in one day. I know you’re all impressed.
PS: All you Pirates fans out there—they stayed in my hotel! Go team!
[ Posted on April 5th, 2006 ]
