Earth moving last week. Check. Interview today. Check. Tomorrow … retaining-wall building. Followed by blissful peace. Well, followed by the official opening of the new member site on Wednesday or Thursday, followed by more webwork. But blissful peace is definitely in sight.
What seemed like weeks of sheer scariness at the end of August now seems like no great big deal.
I’m exhausted tonight, though. I’ve been turning down interviews for years. The last on-camera interview I did must have been in 1999 (for John Stossel when he was still with ABC News). Both then and now, I agreed to do it only if my face could be blue dotted or pixelated.
Today’s interviewers were really nice and the interview took “only” four hours. Since they’d estimated between three and seven, that wasn’t bad. We met in a park and they had me bring Ava along for some Claire-with-dog establishing shots before we sat down for the actual interview.
I could not believe Ava. My little monster girl behaved as if she was trained for films. Behaved perfectly both on and off leash. Didn’t jump on anybody. Didn’t poke her attention-seeking nose where it didn’t belong. Was willing to do the same things over and over again to get the shot.
And at one moment when we unavoidably approached a woman attempting to walk three rage-crazed little yappers, Ava — normally the first to go nuts at the sight of another canine (especially one that’s going nuts in her face) — walked along at my side with complete composure while the leash-entangled woman dragged herself and her snarling mini-maniacs off the path, desperately apologizing.
I was so proud of my puppy girl.
Then I wondered if she might be sick. I can’t imagine any other reason Ava would behave so placidly.
Anyhow, the interview went well. The questions were designed to be challenging, but the intent was friendly.
Now it’s wait-and-see. The documentarian must still raise funds to complete the project. What we did today will initially only be part of a teaser, a sampler, whatever you call it, to help raise money to complete the work.
Despite the beautiful day, the astoundingly well-behaved dog, and the friendly film crew, my hermitty self was dead-flat beat by 1:00 p.m. when we wrapped up. I refused an offer to go to lunch and headed straight home where of course I spent the afternoon thinking of all the things I should have said instead of the things I did say on camera.
Now, obviously, the question is: How can we see the John Stossel interview? Is it online anywhere?
Ava seems to be behaving better since Robbie has gone. There might be a relationship.
Hopefully, it is only a 24 hour thing with Ava. Got some batteries today through Amazon. Can’t have laborers sitting on their hands waiting for batteries to charge. When he earns it, make a nice sandwich for the Monk for me.
Kent — Haven’t got the foggiest about that old interview. Never even saw it myself. It was about federal legislation, sponsored by the usual authoritarian subjects, to make various reading matter and innocent objects illegal as “bomb-making instructions” or “destructive devices,” as I recall. BTW, I never met Stossel directly. A producer and a cameraman came out to Wyoming, where I was living then, to interview me.
LOL on Ava’s “24-hour bug.” She does seem a little better behaved now that she’s not competing with Robbie for attention. She’s still crazy-reactive, though. And she’s recently taken to pouncing on the cat, who she seems to consider the new competition. The cat endures it with amazing patience.
P.S. Thanks for the battery purchase! Serious batteries. 🙂 Saw it come through yesterday.
No problem. Wanted to make sure, cause it sounded a little uppity, the only “laborers” on this deck waiting for batteries to charge is me. Yes, the little mini-mes help here and there, but mostly play in the mud. And Daisy just stares and wonders why I haven’t fed her in days …until falling asleep in the sun. It really was a glorious weekend!
Ava sounds like a very good pup, right now I and the wife are going thru training a new pup (or is it more like the pup is training us?), it’s a Great Pyrenees/Anatolian Shepherd mix, Bones is a biggum. Definitely a challenge in an urban area. It’s a good thing we have a well-mannered 13 year old Australian Shepherd helping us. Our plan is a move deeper into the redoubt which a dog like our Bones will be a big part of.
BTW looking forward to you posting the interview, I’m putting my money on you saying everything perfectly in my eyes!
Comrade X Check out the Bitterroot Valley I think you would like it here…If you need any info give me shout…
I have and I do, almost moved there 18 years ago, in some ways I wish I had but with everything in my life so far not much would I change (even the wrong decisions for what was learnt) for one reason or another.
Lineman if that is where we end up or near; you will be getting a holler.
If you need any help with a job I’ve got contacts with quite a few employers…Ive studied this area for quite sometime before I made the move and it beat out a lot of other good places… Don’t hesitate to contact me…
Will do!
[of course I spent the afternoon thinking of all the things I should have said instead of the things I did say on camera.]
BTDT. Most of the interviews I do these days are phone/skype, and I always have OhNoSeconds where I think, “That really didn’t sound like I thought it would before I said it.” I sound much smarter in writing.
Could be Ava’s like our youngest daughter. Out in public she was Sweetness & Light. In private she was – interesting. The kind of child that has to run into a wall three times before she discovers it keeps hurting. We still shudder when we remember “Dating the Felon” episodes. All while friends were telling us what a delight she was.
But now she has five-year-old twins, and we’re getting REVENGE.
[But blissful peace is definitely in sight.]
Now that’s a funny one.
Dogs do change/evolve. 🙂 When Laddie came to me (a seriously abused rescue) he didn’t make a single sound for at least two months. He’s five years old now and yesterday I had to bring him in the house – again – (at 4 AM) because he was barking endlessly and I knew my neighbors wouldn’t appreciate it. A skunk wanders by most mornings now, and Laddie thinks he needs to tell the world about it. He’s becoming a regular corgie, at last. 🙂
I had a small part in a movie several years ago, made by Michael W. Dean and company. I shudder when I watch it now, wishing so much that I had been able to prepare better and had not been so nervous. I’d love a chance to redo that one because I really didn’t do well… but I’m very grateful Michael gave me the opportunity.
I’ll bet your interview will be great, Claire. There is always something we could have said better, or more… but if we waited for perfection we’d never get anything accomplished.
I believe dogs often know us a lot better than we know them. I think it likely that Ava understood perfectly how important the occasion was to you and did everything she could to help.