Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Proof that gravity and I are in a never-ending battle

So, there was that one time I fell off a curb and destroyed my ankle. There was that other time I stepped in a pothole and fell down. And that other time when I slipped on some ice or something and fell down in a cross walk. All of those times I had at least one (if not a few or so) drinks in my system, but I had explained to everyone that the booze was not the cause of the falling down. I just fall down. My feet and body betray me and down I go! All those years of ballet training, and I am defeated by the least coordination-requiring tasks.

The newest entry into the log of gravity getting the best of me happened last night. I had spent the day on campus studying. My brain was getting tired and some delightfully terrible television was about to start so it was that time to head home. Upon exiting the building, I had to face three, yes, THREE, whole stairs. Stairs One and Two went just fine. But Three. Oh man. That last step. It was in cahoots with my left ankle, and together they proclaimed, "Down you go!"

And I did. Right there in front of no one (because it was like eight o'clock so there wasn't anyone sitting outside), I fell in an elegant display descending-stairs failure. The only thing I have to show for it is the stylish scrape on my knee.



It will not keep me from wearing shorts when I inevitably head outside in the warmth and sunshine to study. It does make it slightly painful to bend my knee. But there are worse things in the world, so let's just laugh at this one.

Friday, April 5, 2013

"It certainly does suck."

So, whenever my brief "career" in broadcast meteorology comes up, I find myself explaining it in the same way just about every time. Basically, I did the weather. On television. Broadcast in five counties. For about two and a half years. But this wasn't affiliated with a station. It wasn't a proper job or internship or anything. It was recorded in the basement of the meteorology building on campus. And to get it out to the people? We were on a local channel that was associated with the university.

"It's like cable access. You know, like Wayne's World."

If a blank stare follows, I start to question why that conversation started in the first place (because, seriously, you haven't seen Wayne's World?!) and usually start looking for the easiest, least awkward exit out of the situation. Well, unless it's an interview. Then I stick it out and just move on and pretend I didn't just reference an early 90s SNL-spin-off movie. But! If there is at least some understanding of the existence of Wayne's World, I'll continue the comparison. Our show was also shot in a basement. And it was a small room. And it was a handful of people that produced it. And some that were on camera. We didn't have special guests like Tom Hanks as Aerosmith's roadie, but sometimes friends would hang out and watch the show. Oh, and we had a giant green wall. So I guess that's different too.

Tragically, I don't have any photos of the studio, of me in the studio, or anything like that. I do have clips of me from the show, which is awesome and weird at the same time.

Okay. I'm going to get back to watching Wayne's World (because I happened to catch it just as it was starting on TV). I'll leave you with one last thought.

Wait! Spoiler Alert! If you haven't seen Seven (again, what is wrong with you?!), try not to read below this, though I don't think it spoils too much.


Has anyone on the internet made a mashup of Brad Pitt screaming, "What's in the box?!" with Wayne saying, "If it's a severed head, I'm going to be very upset."? Because that should exist.

Just did a quick check. Does not exist. But Wayne's World does have a rating of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. And so does Seven!

Update: Oh. Right. When they get to the big-boy studio, they have a Chroma key wall. But theirs is blue.