Woke up to my last day in Africa.
South Africa. Where Nelson Mandela’s Yoda-like visage is literally sewn into the furniture.
Melissa left two days ago. I was supposed to leave too, but had a change of plans when the Today Show asked if I’d stick around and meet up with them. For those confused by my map, that’s why it says I’m back in Seattle right now. Never got a chance to update it.
I did the show a few hours ago. It seemed to go well. I can’t provide an embedded video on this page, but for the moment at least, you should be able to watch the segment at this link.
I’ve done this sort of thing a few times now. It’s very exciting. But I’ve gotta say, it carries with it the unpleasant sensation of being ground into sausage.
By its nature, television has a tendency to simplify; to trivialize. They have to package everything, no matter what it is, into a discreet, digestible segment. And when they’re through, they’re through. You no longer exist. It’s on to the next thing.
I don’t want to sound like I take myself too seriously. I don’t. For heaven’s sake, I dance badly for a living. And expressing this sentiment is a risky thing. If I were reading this instead of writing it, I’d probably be thinking, "Cry me a river, buddy. You got to go on the TeeVee!"
But trust me. Once it’s over, you feel like sausage.
I’m not picking on the Today Show. They seem like decent folks and I liked how the piece turned out. It’s just the process.
Anyway, I’m now in the midst of the similarly sausage-like process of flying across the planet. One flight down. Three more to go. I’ve got a bunch of posts going up soon from the last few weeks. Just gotta get home and sort myself out a bit.