Whenever I find myself in the cellar of affliction, I always look about for the wine.
Samuel Rutherford
************************
When I worked as the morning DJ for a local radio station in New Hampshire, I used to arrive for work between 5:15 and 5:30. The station signed on at 6 and there was a lot to do to prepare for the very busy morning shift. One of the first items of business was to set up the coffee pot. There was always a big can of Chock Full O' Nuts (an appropriate choice of brand to describe my colleagues, I thought) and a coffee pot to brew it in. There was always a mug available and a bowl of sugar. There was a problem about the spoon, however. There were usually nothing but cheap plastic spoons around, so I brought my own metal spoon from home and kept it in my breast pocket.
Later on one day another announcer came in to the studio and remarked about always seeing the spoon. I explained why I had it, and he issued a statement which I consider a piece of wisdom which I've never forgotten. "Keep a spoon in your pocket and a smile on your face."
If Mr. Rutherford frequently finds himself in the cellar of affliction he would do well to carry a cork screw with him at all times. As a matter of fact whenever we find ourselves in any kind of fix it's a good idea to be armed with the proper mental utensils.
A positive attitude is a useful tool to start with. I believe in the basic equality of people. You've heard the saying "All men are created equal, but some are more equal than others." Affliction can be the big equalizer of men and women. I think about the Chilean miners in that respect. Even though there are many who are trying to help them, they are completely dependant upon each other to keep up their spirits and hopes for rescue. That's a deep cellar and they are the wine for each other. Because of their videos their story is known the world over. But only they know what it is really like for them. As long as they keep finding the wine and keep smiles on their faces they will survive.
DB - The Vagabond
*********************
PUZZLE - WEEKEND EDITION
Labor over this.
***********************
KBH KF BOZOZSOB KQO NWCY FT GOIKOZSOB
EQOC UWTO EPG GUFE PCY FQ, GF ZOUUFE.
KBH KF BOZOZSOB KQO NWCY FT GOIKOZSOB
EQOC XBPGG EPG XBOOC PCY XBPWC EPG HOUUFE.
KBH KF BOZOZSOB KQO NWCY FT GOIKOZSOB
EQOC HFD EOBO P KOCYOB PCY VPUUFE TOUUFE.
KBH KF BOZOZSOB, PCY WT HFD BOZOZSOB
KQOC TFUUFE.
KEZ RFCOG
Good luck.
DB
*********************
Showing posts with label broadcasting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label broadcasting. Show all posts
Monday, September 6, 2010
Monday, December 29, 2008
Strategic Stepping 12/29/08
One man's ceiling is another man's floor.
Paul Simon
**************************
The metaphorical meaning of this Paul Simon line was very important to me about 20 years ago. I had been, for two years, a staff announcer for one of the most important radio stations in the country. I had reached the apex of my career in my specialty. I worked with some of the most intelligent, cultured and entertaining personalities in the business. I was paid very well and, because I worked in the mornings, from 6 to noon, I had up towards a million listeners on any given week day.
For my colleagues it was a thrill to go on the air. And so it was for me, for a while.
But one day the thrill was gone. Nothing changed. I just began to realize that the work I had wasn't enough for me. I was bumping my head on the ceiling.
I used to say that if I ever wrote an autobiography I would add a chapter about my broadcasting career and title it "Talking to Myself in a Small Room."
The radio studio was a secure, comfortable and lucrative place to be. But it wasn't enough for me. I wanted the danger of the stage. So I gave my notice.
Almost immediately three things happened that told me I had made the right decision.
First, the manager of the station called me into his office for a final chat during which he said that he thought I wanted to do something more "noble" than radio announcing. Broadcasting can be and often is a very noble profession and if he didn't think so what was he doing being in the business himself. I've written about him before. He did not specialize in intelligence.
Second, the management didn't want me to work my last day. They gave me the day off, with pay, just as I was finishing my day's work. The only reason for that would be that they thought I would go on the air and make critical remarks about the place. That is not what a professional would do. I thought if they don't know what a professional is then I have no business working for them.
Third, within two weeks after I left I had an Off-Broadway show which ran for a long time.
Now I'm retired and I don't have the fancy 401K I might have had, the luscious pension or the constantly splitting stock of the company. And suffocating in a barrel of invoices is hardly noble. But, hey, they say, you've had an interesting life. I suppose that's true. But everyone's life is interesting if they take an interest in it.
DB - Vagabond Journeys
Paul Simon
**************************
The metaphorical meaning of this Paul Simon line was very important to me about 20 years ago. I had been, for two years, a staff announcer for one of the most important radio stations in the country. I had reached the apex of my career in my specialty. I worked with some of the most intelligent, cultured and entertaining personalities in the business. I was paid very well and, because I worked in the mornings, from 6 to noon, I had up towards a million listeners on any given week day.
For my colleagues it was a thrill to go on the air. And so it was for me, for a while.
But one day the thrill was gone. Nothing changed. I just began to realize that the work I had wasn't enough for me. I was bumping my head on the ceiling.
I used to say that if I ever wrote an autobiography I would add a chapter about my broadcasting career and title it "Talking to Myself in a Small Room."
The radio studio was a secure, comfortable and lucrative place to be. But it wasn't enough for me. I wanted the danger of the stage. So I gave my notice.
Almost immediately three things happened that told me I had made the right decision.
First, the manager of the station called me into his office for a final chat during which he said that he thought I wanted to do something more "noble" than radio announcing. Broadcasting can be and often is a very noble profession and if he didn't think so what was he doing being in the business himself. I've written about him before. He did not specialize in intelligence.
Second, the management didn't want me to work my last day. They gave me the day off, with pay, just as I was finishing my day's work. The only reason for that would be that they thought I would go on the air and make critical remarks about the place. That is not what a professional would do. I thought if they don't know what a professional is then I have no business working for them.
Third, within two weeks after I left I had an Off-Broadway show which ran for a long time.
Now I'm retired and I don't have the fancy 401K I might have had, the luscious pension or the constantly splitting stock of the company. And suffocating in a barrel of invoices is hardly noble. But, hey, they say, you've had an interesting life. I suppose that's true. But everyone's life is interesting if they take an interest in it.
DB - Vagabond Journeys
Friday, December 26, 2008
Precise Procedure 12/26/08
I'm always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.
Pablo Picasso
***************************
I once knew a very religious fellow who, with almost no experience, got a job as a home construction worker. I saw him one day and asked him how it was going. He replied "Well, today the Lord taught me how to install a ceiling."
Several times in my life I have taken on the challenge of doing things I knew almost nothing about. In my late teens I was hired as an actor. I had talent and some ability but very little experience. I went to work carefully observing the other, more experienced actors around me. I bought books on the subject to give me an idea of the scope and dimensions of what I should be doing. I did a lot of homework with the script and the director's notes. I was slowly learning the craft. I did well enough to be hired again and again, and so spent most of my life as an actor. I got good enough so that a New York City critic wrote "His versatility is awe inspiring."
When I first got a job as a radio announcer, I didn't even know how to turn the microphone on. I sat down in front of a control board with a row of knobs and switches and a few meters. I tried turning them on and off while saying "Hello." Finally one of the meters flapped so I knew I was on the air. I introduced the first record, turned all the other knobs up, started the record and turned all the knobs down, one by one, until I found the one that made the meter move. From there I figured out where the next turntable was attached. By the end of my shift I knew 100% more about broadcasting than I did when I started, which was nothing. I learned even more by watching the other announcers and engineers work. Broadcasting was a part time job for me when I wasn't acting, but I was eventually welcomed as a part timer for a major market radio station in New York.
I took life drawing classes at an art school in New York. On my first day the model was a big man, over 6 feet tall and very husky. It was a 10 minute pose and what I drew was about 4 inches tall in the middle of the page. I used to keep it around just to show myself what I didn't know. I became annoyed with myself because I couldn't do it. I was at the point when most people would give up. But I signed up for classes all day, everyday, 6 days a week. When I wasn't working I was at the art school drawing. Until one day I finally saw what the instructors had been trying to show me about the human figure. Soon, the school was putting my drawings up for exhibit along with the more advanced students. And people in the class were moving over to sit next to be to see what I was doing so that they could learn from me.
I'm retired now, but in all of those areas, acting, broadcasting and drawing I can still do better. I'm no Picasso. But almost everything I've done in my life I did Picasso's way. You have to go into the water if you want to learn how to swim.
Macbeth said "And if we fail?"
His wife answered "We fail. But screw your courage to the sticking place and we'll not fail."
Shakespeare
DB - Vagabond Journeys
http://db-vagabondtales.blogspot.com/
Pablo Picasso
***************************
I once knew a very religious fellow who, with almost no experience, got a job as a home construction worker. I saw him one day and asked him how it was going. He replied "Well, today the Lord taught me how to install a ceiling."
Several times in my life I have taken on the challenge of doing things I knew almost nothing about. In my late teens I was hired as an actor. I had talent and some ability but very little experience. I went to work carefully observing the other, more experienced actors around me. I bought books on the subject to give me an idea of the scope and dimensions of what I should be doing. I did a lot of homework with the script and the director's notes. I was slowly learning the craft. I did well enough to be hired again and again, and so spent most of my life as an actor. I got good enough so that a New York City critic wrote "His versatility is awe inspiring."
When I first got a job as a radio announcer, I didn't even know how to turn the microphone on. I sat down in front of a control board with a row of knobs and switches and a few meters. I tried turning them on and off while saying "Hello." Finally one of the meters flapped so I knew I was on the air. I introduced the first record, turned all the other knobs up, started the record and turned all the knobs down, one by one, until I found the one that made the meter move. From there I figured out where the next turntable was attached. By the end of my shift I knew 100% more about broadcasting than I did when I started, which was nothing. I learned even more by watching the other announcers and engineers work. Broadcasting was a part time job for me when I wasn't acting, but I was eventually welcomed as a part timer for a major market radio station in New York.
I took life drawing classes at an art school in New York. On my first day the model was a big man, over 6 feet tall and very husky. It was a 10 minute pose and what I drew was about 4 inches tall in the middle of the page. I used to keep it around just to show myself what I didn't know. I became annoyed with myself because I couldn't do it. I was at the point when most people would give up. But I signed up for classes all day, everyday, 6 days a week. When I wasn't working I was at the art school drawing. Until one day I finally saw what the instructors had been trying to show me about the human figure. Soon, the school was putting my drawings up for exhibit along with the more advanced students. And people in the class were moving over to sit next to be to see what I was doing so that they could learn from me.
I'm retired now, but in all of those areas, acting, broadcasting and drawing I can still do better. I'm no Picasso. But almost everything I've done in my life I did Picasso's way. You have to go into the water if you want to learn how to swim.
Macbeth said "And if we fail?"
His wife answered "We fail. But screw your courage to the sticking place and we'll not fail."
Shakespeare
DB - Vagabond Journeys
http://db-vagabondtales.blogspot.com/
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