"Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom" Albert Einstein

"A dame who knows the ropes isn't likely to get tied up." Mae West

Thursday, November 19, 2009

I really need to look in the mirror more often.

I've been on TV three times in my life. The first time I was in the audience of the local station's afternoon kids' show with Sheriff Sid . My brother was interviewed and I got just enough face time to show my smile, as my relatives told me.

The second time I was 25 years old and on a noon chat show of a Birmingham, AL station with three elders from my then hometown promoting a weekend centennial festival. I was assigned to speak about a specific part of the festival, but the mayor (as all politicians seem to do when on camera) talked and talked and talked and talked and they ran out of time before it was my turn, but I got enough face time to show my smile, as my friends told me.

So last night, at a press conference, I was around TV cameras again, this time in a pan of the speakers' table and milling around in the background. I've never actually seen myself on TV so I turned on the news when I got home and watched for the story. We were watching the coverage of the event, and my husband asked me who I was talking to. Who? "There, you're there on the left hand side." What? And it was over.

I saw that woman with long silver hair on the left hand side of the screen talking to some guy I know. It didn't register that that woman was me. I didn't recognize myself. But I got enough face time to show my smile, as my husband told me.




4 comments:

Going Like Sixty said...

I look in a mirror at least twice a day. But when I see myself on video, I am amazed at the old guy I see.

Not hard to understand how those who are in front of the camera all the time make such big investments in all the cosmetic surgeries and stuff.

Also, not hard to believe that when they look in the mirror they aren't seeing what we see.

Catch Her in the Wry said...

I look in the mirror once in the morning, but because I got it free from the fun house garbage dumpster, it may be a bit distorted. At least that's my excuse for not recognizing myself.

white rabbit said...

I was on national radio a few weeks ago. I didn't recognise my own voice.

It was an 'awk! I can't really sound like that!' moment.

I'm sure you do yourself an injustice by the way!

Catch Her in the Wry said...

I used to record my voice quite often when practicing for speech contests in high school. I never could get used to the sound of my own voice.

I would like to sometime record my voice with Auto-Tune just for the fun of it.