The Death of a Disco Dancer
May 26th, 2005What a day. And I wasn’t the one being interviewed by a major network’s morning show (name withheld at insistence of publisher’s lawyer).
I’ll let Heather talk about her day. God bless her for being “on” for 9 hours. But for me, the whole day was spent at work wondering if everything was ok (it was, but Heather was frazzled). Heather had unplugged the phone so Leta could sleep and she could be interviewed. I called the babysitter to see if she had heard from Heather and what the state of things were at home. Heather does not believe in having a cell phone, so I had to resort to a status report from the babysitter. God help us if there is a catastrophe. Yes, having a network TV crew in your house constitutes a catastrophe, but maybe not one in the biblical realm.
I arrived home from work early and was immediately in the hot seat. I had a mic wired up and was answering some intense questions. I don’t do TV so good. I tried to remember the advice that so many had given to Heather: Sit up straight. Talk in sound bites. Don’t swear. Don’t answer questions that make you uncomfortable. Anyone who has had more than 38 seconds of conversation with me knows that I don’t do “professional” well. I’m wordy and nervous talky and like to go off on tangents and use my hands. Plus, I look off into space as if I’m searching for just the right intellectual bullshit to spew. It’s embarassing.
Hopefully all of my stuff will end up on the editing room floor.
On top of the craziness of this day, Heather’s three-year old iBook decided, mid-interview and mid-over the shoulder camera shot, to die. The computer still works, but the video portion does not. Heather looked at me as though I had to pull every bit of tech ninja mastery to rescue her hard drive once the crew left or else I’d be missing one gonad. They were stoked because they’d get some shots on the auxilliary upstairs computer and thank God for that.
I’m copying the iBook’s hard drive as I write, via FireWire™. Pain. FYI, Heather has nearly 80,000 emails on her iBook. If she doesn’t reply to your email, BACK OFF. 80,000 people. 80k. On a three year old iBook.
I’m a little ripped on Pinot Noir (because after watching Sideways, somebody won’t buy Merlot any more) and wondering what our next iBook steps will be. I’m going to call Apple after this entry is published and see if we can’t qualify for the logic board swap program…
The TV crew were very nice, I have to say. Once we know if/when the piece will air, I’m sure there will be celebratory postings and more Pinot for all. And then we’ll feel ever so whorey and I’ll be super faggy about how I looked on camera and it will be an embarassment both to my psyche and to the the family. Chuck will lecture me about “owning” my maleness and not being a “pussy”. I’ll welcome this. o
May 27th, 2005 at 7:34 am
Alright, well, not “off of” Merlot (cause a big old purply Merlot is always good with steak) but Pinot Noir does rock for just sippin’.
May 27th, 2005 at 7:35 am
Jon, sadly, most people in the blogosphere don’t get sarcasm. Let me breathe with you. Breathe in….
Congrats to Heather for her newest interview! I can’t wait to hear when and where it will be airing.
Chuck is such a cool dog. I’m glad to hear he can still own his maleness even with empty ball sacks. I think Chuck needs to be interviewed for morning tv.
May 27th, 2005 at 7:52 am
i agree with JM. the armstrongs on the daily show would be the best moment in TV history ever.
May 27th, 2005 at 7:56 am
We had no problem getting the logic board replaced. BUT… WE LOST ALL OUR PICTURES.in the grand scheme of things i guess it was a good trade off, but be prepared to say goodbye to iphoto.
May 27th, 2005 at 8:19 am
What a day! Can’t wait to see it when it airs. Say hello to Chuck!
May 27th, 2005 at 8:29 am
ha ha ha I can’t wait to see it!
May 27th, 2005 at 8:31 am
This must be the month of iBook drama. My wifes lifes work including her dissertation is on her lil’ 800mhz and just yesterday it froze *twice*. Enter firewire drives for doing panic backups and doubles to disc! Keep your Kung-FU tight, J. Heather will continue to love you for it
May 27th, 2005 at 8:36 am
Guess I’m likin my ibm stinkpad for once. Please do tell when Heather’s interview will air.
May 27th, 2005 at 9:18 am
My iBook’s video portion conked out four times. The third time, Apple Care claimed to have done the logic board swap. After the fourth repair, it seems mostly ok, but I can’t tilt the screen too far back, or it goes entirely black. I’ve backed everything up on my iPod, so if I have to send it in and get a replacement, I won’t lose any of my files. Good luck!
May 27th, 2005 at 9:21 am
We just went to a wine tasting at a resort with the sommelier - he was so f*cking sick of people basing wine snobbery on Sideways - it’s made him embarressed to admit he actually likes Pinot Noirs. Give me a Cabernet Sauvignon any day, or a nice heavy Spanish red (where the name comes from the region, not the grape). Tell Heather to try shiraz/syrahs instead - they have more balls than most Merlots foisted on the American public and were on their way to being the “fad” red before Sideways pushed Pinot Noir into the lead.
May 27th, 2005 at 9:36 am
I’m looking forward to seeing the interview! Make sure you relax (haha, I know, I should be a comedian) after such a stressful day!
May 27th, 2005 at 9:37 am
Love you, love Heather, love Leta, love Chuck. (heh. Neighbor’s name is Lovechuck)
Can’t wait to see y’all on the teeveethingy.
When, oh when, will people realise that true wine snobbery is drinking whatever the hell you really LIKE, whether it’s a Cheval Blanc merlot, a Sutter Home white zin, or something aged in a plastic bucket, and REGARDLESS of what’s “in” right now….and that it doesn’t matter how much you coughed up for it, it’s how much you like it.
(I don’t suck…do I?)
May 27th, 2005 at 9:42 am
Granted, I’ve never met you, but I have a feeling you’re downplaying your coolness in the face of television. You and Heather both (who, again, I have never met) strike me as being capable of achieving maximum composure when the situation calls for it. I’m not saying it’s a way of life, of course, but I do suspect you’re capable! Either way, would love to see the interview whenever it’s on Mystery Network X.
May 27th, 2005 at 10:11 am
I’m quite sure I would feel like a huge dork on TV. I hate my voice, and am sure I’d spit or drool on myself in nervousness.
I hope you make the cut though. Surely they wont pick a clip where you look like a tool shed.
May 27th, 2005 at 10:16 am
I’m with Andrew. Try the Syrahs and Shirazes (they aren’t really the same thing but they’re both good). I’ll add to the list Zinfandels. No, not the candy ass WHITE Zinfandel: RED Zinfandel. The Zins from California are incredible. I’ll recommend Cline (basically, anything from Cline is good) and Gallo of Sonoma (yes, GALLO) produce really good, affordable Zins.
Also, you may want to try wines that aren’t so… American… WInes from Chile and Australia are fantastic — many are better than anything produced in America — and they’re not so popular that they’re outrageously priced like American wines. Try South African wines, too. There’s a whole world of wine besides what most wannabe wine enthusiasts in the US gravitate to (i.e. the new Pinot Noir drinkers, the Chardonnay drinkers, etc. There are some that are good — a winery outside of Portland makes some really good organic Pinot Noir, not that I can remember their name — but a shift in perception is healthy. Branch out, it’s good for you).
May 27th, 2005 at 10:37 am
Whoo hoo! Can’t wait to see the show…
May 27th, 2005 at 10:54 am
hee hee. you really should post more when you’re ripped.
I’m a tech geek and I love your tech writings, but you are SO FUNNY WHEN YOUR RIPPED!
you said gonad…LOL!
May 27th, 2005 at 11:14 am
Three-year old iBook here, too. (Though not with 80k emails!) I’ve had my logic board swapped out 3 times so far. Pain in the arse!
May 27th, 2005 at 11:37 am
And after seeing APOCALYPSE NOW I stopped bombing small Vietnamese villages. And after seeing GODFATHER I stopped kissing the Don’s ring. And after seeing LORD OF THE RINGS, I stopped trying to steal Smeagol’s “precious.”
Point is, anyone who stops drinking Merlot because a fictional character doesn’t like it, should re-examine drinking altogether!!
May 27th, 2005 at 11:47 am
To me, people who start drinking Pinot Noir after watching Sideways are the same types who make hand motions with the other hand in their pocket at Alanis Morrissette concerts.
Ecch.
Merlot still has its place, as does Chardonnay.
May 27th, 2005 at 11:49 am
Try a nice steak with an Argentinian Malbec.
Or some duck with Merlot.
May 27th, 2005 at 11:52 am
wow - don’t know how you made it through Sideways. i attempted to watch it on an airplane from paris to detroit, and just couldn’t make it past 15 minutes. it may have been my airplane ADD persona, though. so, good on you for finishing it.
May 27th, 2005 at 12:01 pm
jon-
if the computer seems to be working fine, and you can see a *very faint* image of the desktop (though almost completely black), it’s likely just a bad display cable. there are long threads about the problem on the apple support boards.
be wary of a logic board swap. you could be asking for more trouble, especially if the problem is just a bad cabling issue. (the white ibooks were designed poorly, and the display cable often gets worn in the spot where it feeds through the hinge.)
May 27th, 2005 at 12:03 pm
Dale’s got a point, drink what you like, and for me, it’s all about the Rioja (lovely litte Spanish red–could drink it ALL DAY).
Plus, the fact that Dale and I share a wine “collection” helps…
May 27th, 2005 at 12:04 pm
Blurb,
If you still have the DVD, you should really check-out the commentary. It’s just Giammati and Haden Church swatting back and forth for two hours. One of the more amusing things I’ve heard recently. It’s at least worth another bottle of Pinot.
Todd