Wednesday, January 19, 2005

Only Two Days In and Already I See Kenny G - What More Is There?

Wow, I am freakin' exhausted. I guess that's to be expected after making the transition from sitting on the couch all day to working 9 to 6 pm after moving across the country, in the land of the worst traffic ever, complete with a 3 hour time difference. So please, forgive me if this post is slightly rambling or severely incoherent.

It's been A LOT to take in. I've been inundated with so many rules, forms, information, directions, and people that my head is on the verge of exploding (as was evidenced by the massive headache I had from about 7 to 8 pm today). But yeah, basically in my first two days at the nbc page program there's been some informational meetings, as well as a lot of following other pages around and observing / helping them as part of our on the job training.

The other new pages and I ahve shadowed more experienced pages as they gave tours of the nbc studios, and also as they do various tasks involved in seating and organizing and monitoring the audience at the Tonight Show. Working the show is probably the coolest but also most tiring thing I've done so far -- it's awesome to see the show in person, for one thing. No, Leno is nowhere near as funny or clever as Conan, but his production is HUGE. He's got an awesome set, A-list guests, and a sweeet house band (never realized how much they completely rock before). The audience is very big (about 300 ppl), and the set is very nice and looks very high-budget. In only two days, I've seen Samuel L. Jackson, Tara Reid (and her two freakishly oversized new friends ...), Sheryl Crow, Matt LeBlanc, and yes ... the MAN, the MYTH, the LEGEND ... yep, today I saw KENNY G himself. Oh maaaan, I remember driving on car trips with my parents when my brother and I would just be BEGGING for them to change the radio station so we no longer had to listen to those neverending saxaphone ear-torturing "songs." And there he was today, playing Outkast's "I Like The Way You Move," with old-school funk band Earth Wind and Fire, classic flowing mane and all. Trippy. But it is all kind of stressful and hectic. There's so much going on during the show that there's just a lot to manage at once, and it never calms down. Still, we get to see the show, so that's pretty sweet. And tommorow -- Snoop Dogg -- nice.

The tours of the studio don't seem too hard to do, but for some reason I can't establish any sense of direction yet at nbc. Like I just have not gotten a grasp yet of how to get around the large complex. Hopefully that part I can learn soon.

And then we have to eventually start wearing snappy NBC page uniforms -blue blazers, grey slacks, and ugly-azz yellow and brown ties. I was surpriesed to find today that the supply of uniforms was in quite shabby shape. The only pairs of pants they had in my size were totally ripped to shred on the legs, the jacket I got is missing a button, and my tie is all frayed on the back. Um, okay, good thing they pay for repairs and alterations.

It definitely seems like a diverse mix of personalities in the program. For the most part the people seem very ambitious and confident in themselves, so I can see there being some intense competition when assignments start coming up that multiple pages are gunning for. I just hope I can get something I want and not have to compete with too many people to get it.

Overall it's been two loooooooong days so far. But it's been exciting and I think things will get easier as I get into the routine. But then again, it's possible that after seeing KENNY F'N G, it can only be downhill from here. Or not.

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

- LOST --- great episode tonight!!! That RULED - best episode since the early, now-classic Locke ep. The backstory of Michael and his son was very well done and emotional, and the tension / respect between Michael and Locke was handled quite well. The revelation about Michael's son's strange "abilities" was very interesting, as it really offers new insights as to what's happening on the island. Dis the kid unwittingly cause the plain crash via his apparent mental powers? Or, could EVERYONE on the island have some kind of metahuman cognitive ability (ie Locke willing the use of his legs back, Charlie willing his guitar back, Jack willing his dead father back to life, the kid willing the polar bear from his comic book to exist)? Verryy interrresting ... and then on top of all that, sweeeet twist, cliffhanger ending - Claire's back, sans baby? Wazzupwitdat? Very, very good ep, that brought back a lot of my slightly waning faith in this show.

- Well, as of tommorow it's official - four more years of Bush in office. I think it's clear at this point that Kerry was not the ideal man to win the hearts and minds of America, but still, I have little faith that much good will be accomplished in the next four years nationally and internationally. What can we expect? Continued, unending conflict in Iraq with minimal international support. Lack of resources available to deal with impending crises in Iran, North Korea, and elsewhere. Little progress in Israel without America's full attention or support. Continued poor cultural relations with the rest of the world. Continued concessions to big drug, oil, and other corporations at the expense of the middle class. Stalled progress in moving away from foreign oil dependence. Lack of funding for important scientific research such as stem cell work. Continued influence of the Christian Right over domestic policy at the expense of equality, civil rights, freedom of speech, and the essential element of separation of church and state. Appointment of supreme court justices who will try to revoke decisions like Roe V. Wade and will bring set us back 50 years. Continued positions for cabinet members like Donald Rumsdeld, Condaleeza Rice, and others who have been proven to mislead the public and miscalculate in their critical decisions. The continued reign of a president who is simply not open-minded, intelligent, or intellectually curious enough to lead us into a better future. So yeah, four more years ... woo-hoo.

- Did I mention I saw KENNY G, live? Bwahahahahahahaha.

- OK, time to go collapse in my bed and wake up at 7 am to do it all again tommorow. Who knew that having a job allows one so little free time?

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