The week has been eventful in many different ways. Monday morning, J and I met Ms. Liz Lastra of KOBF and filmed a 30-second PSA that should be airing soon. She recommended that we come in at least a week and half in advance of the events we wanted to announce, but of course, since we had only been in Farmington a week, the soonest we could come in was a week before our first Job/Health Fair (which I'm beginning to think should just be called a Wellness Fair). J has a habit of averting his eyes when talking to people face to face, in an effort to appear less intimidating. I have a habit of blinking...a lot. So in our first few takes, J is constantly looking side-to-side while facing the camera and I'm grinning foolishly,blinking at 50 bpm (blinks per minute). He looked like a shady spaz, I looked totally inebriated, and Ms. Lastra looked like our therapist. We tried a couple more times, and we found the one in which we all looked [relatively] normal. In reality, J is rather a debonair gentleman, and I think it shows on our approved PSA. I have no idea
Tuesday and Wednesday, however, were shadowing days for me at Orthopedics. Talk about fantabulous doctors--these people efficient and accurate. I get to thinking about how people constantly disrespect their doctors. "Oh, that guy doesn't know anything," "Man, my doctor is stupid; I want a second opinion," and yada yada yada. It's true: doctors are just people. They like "Star Wars" (not a bad thing), they like to go home early and watch "Shark Week" with their browning cotton socks on the coffee table, they play video games, and yes, they make mistakes. But they have also jumped through innumerable hoops, overcome more tests and obstacles than Harry Potter in the Triwizard Tournament, and have succeeded with hundreds of patients before you. They will succeed with hundreds of patients after you, as well. Respect them, please. Many of you may not realize how fantastic the Farmington physicians truly are, but we do, and you can trust us.
Thursday morning was J's shadowing morning, but S, Z, and I were able to meet Dana Childs at the 94.9 FM radio station on Main Street. We spoke with him for half an hour about the standard of health care in New Mexico and our plans for the Wellness Fair. Comments were made about Farmington's rural and naturally scenic beauty, as well as about the meaningless-ness of graduation rates in high schools, as we discussed in our last blog post. Mr. Childs is an enthusiastic character that likes to throw people off. You think you've got yourself all together, and suddenly, WHAM! He asks you something to which you have no clue how to respond without digging yourself into a deeper hole and sounding completely inept. Now I can talk for ages, but I've always been pretty terrible with impromptu. By the way, if you happened to hear us Thursday morning, I am not insincere when I call people "sir" or "ma'am." It is a habit, but only because I have a habit of giving everyone the respect they deserve; that's how I was raised, thank you very much. :) Dana Childs is a brilliant mind, and that was obvious within half an hour of first meeting him. He's done his research on the needs of this area, and I was surprised to know that he is very much in the loop when it comes to the debate about health care reform. We respect you, sir, and thank you highly for having us on your show.
Later in the morning, we met with Adam Savage of 96.9 FM (The Dog Rocks). It was immediately clear that Mr. Savage has a very different personality than Mr. Childs. He is mellow, soft-spoken, and has a natural way of making you feel at-home in his station. No, he's not the guy from MythBusters, but this Adam Savage is way cooler. Well-versed in culture, and not offended by "sir," his tattoos are both sweet and meaningful...ask him about them sometime, if you haven't heard their stories in the past. It is difficult to tell Mr. Savage's age, only because he looks and sounds so young, but he claims to be older than he appears. Nevertheless, he is young at heart, and that will always keep him youthful. He seems also to be skilled in the Fine Art of Reading People; he dissected Z's personality traits perfectly (organized, meticulous, and slightly sarcastic), before even striking up conversation with him.
At one point in the show, I noticed I was blabbing way too much and forced myself to shut up so that S could talk, as she and I were "sharing" a microphone. I don't do it on purpose, I swear; TV and radio are sort of my hidden passions, not that I'm any good. It's just fun. You should try it.
Our half-hour talk with Mr. Adam Savage will air on Sunday morning, at either 7 AM or 7:30 AM on five different radio stations (the exact time depends upon which radio station you listen to), so on the way to Church, or the gym, or to work (for some of you), listen up to 96.9 FM.
By the way, the pretty young woman who works downstairs at the station is SO polite. I am not often offered water or soda when I walk into a business office, but she was happy to make us comfortable as soon as we walked in. We are sorry to have not caught your name, but thank you so much for your kind hospitality.
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