True Life: They’re Booing Me
We had one of those big meetings at work today where we watch last year’s “Best Of News/Docs” tapes (this year narrated by corporate brother Dan Rather), and preview new shows coming out of the department.
One of shows, a “True Life” episode, introduced us to a high school senior named Lauren. Lauren is an overachiever who wins award after award at her high school’s superlative ceremony, and is flabbergasted by her peers booing her. Most of the people in the meeting laughed at her. But not me: I was on the receiving end of boos. Which is very un-MTV. We are the cynics. The Been-There-Done-Thats.
En route to my office, I struck up a conversation with the on air managing editor. “Where you a boo-er or a boo-ey?” I asked.
“I went to private school,” he said.
Shortly thereafter, one of our writers, fresh from a phoner with one of the guys from Slipknot, tore into a bag of Hulk-branded beef jerky (!) and offered it to the remaining employees. Our Canadian producer, Rod — swiped from Much Music — reminded us that he was vegetarian.
“Without jerky,” the writer exclaimed, “Lewis and Clark would have been dead long ago.”
“It’s how the west was won,” I added. “Without jerky, there would be no L.A., no Hollywood, no U.S. cultural domination of the Earth.”
Seemed like a good point at the moment.
After work, walked home via Blockbuster (rented ‘Narc’) and D’Agastino’s. My grocery list:
Stroheim Whole Wheat Bread
Rold Gold Braided Twists
Lean Cuisine Grilled Chicken & Penne Pasta
Gatorade Orange Flavored Drink Mix
Six Pack of Stella Artois Beer
Bunch of Bananas
On the way home, I passed a few outdoor cafes where I spotted the usual tatooed, trucker hat-wearing, Camel Light-smoking, love bird scenesters, and thought, “I’m so over it.” I’m not sure if it’s ‘cuz I feel like I’ve done it all, or if I’m just a premature old fart. But one hour, three Stella, and most of the pretzels later, I’m still over it.
