10 Seconds of Fame

I was on the news the other day. Cincinnati's Channel 5 at 5:00. Here's the story.... an employee of a family fun park that's inside the mall near our house got arrested and since it had to do with children and he was a family fun park employee, it was a big deal. So the news crew was out getting reactions from local people.

I didn't know any of the story...I was just on my way to the car after stopping in at a store across from the mall to get diapers. I saw the Channel 5 van and immediately tried thinking about how I could avoid them...I HATE being on camera and I never know what to say in those awkward interview situations. So I tried to hurry into my car as they talked to someone else. But there is no hurrying when getting a baby into the car so they caught up with me. The reporter tried to casually ask me questions, like we were having a one on one conversation, except that the camera and microphone were in my face. They gave me a very brief explanation of what happened at the family fun park and then asked my reaction. I had no idea what to say. I put together some sentences, which was good enough for them, and then hurried into my car and drove away, thinking, "I really hope they don't put that on the news."

Sure enough, it was the lead story on the 5:00 news. And there I was, name and everything, talking about how shocked I was and how I definitely wouldn't go there now or something along those lines. I was so embarrassed. But I told Mark, "it's okay, no one watches the 5:00 news anyway." Five minutes later, my neighbor called. "Did you know you were just on the news?!"

I did get it on tape. My 10 seconds of fame.