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| Greg, who does not know how to dress for Oprah |
It’s a New
Year. It’s been awhile and I must admit this is my second attempt at writing a
blog post since the New Year began. My first one had a similar title but a
different ending, as in no ending. The middle was also different but I haven’t
written the middle or end of this yet, so how would I know? So let me get down
to business and tell you some other lies.
Writing is
hard. If anyone tells you that it’s not, tell them they’re an idiot and then
sit down and write a 600 word essay about why you just called them that. And
then publish it somewhere and pat yourself on the back, gently, knowing you’ve
done some excellent writing that day.
Damn! The
wind is blowing. Now that’s the truth. It’s 8 degrees here in Buffalo and I’m
getting ready to leave for California tomorrow morning. It’s the only
appropriate thing to do when the weather starts behaving badly. That’s how I’m
seeing it, like a naughty child that needs to be abandoned. I’ll come back in
ten days when that kid has learned to mind its manners. Mid-January…that will
be so much better.
I know I’m
lucky to be able to leave at all and what I’m going to be doing is really cool which
is going to see my son, Zach, speak at Claremont Lincoln University in an
evening called, “Uncomfortable Conversations,” a January Summit which has to do
with Communication about sensitive subjects, like religion, disability, any
kind of diversity.
Zach will be interviewing Rainn Wilson, Rainn will
be interviewing Zach, and if you don’t know who Rainn is, think about that
goofy guy with the glasses on “The Office,” or Arthur, on “Six Feet Under.” That
guy. He also has a show called “Metaphysical Milkshake” on the network he
founded called “Soul Pancake” where Zach hosted “Have a Little Faith,” an
Interfaith show, so it all makes sense.
The evening requires “cocktail
attire” which I don’t think applies to the pajama pants and fuzzy sweater I’m
rocking right now. In fact, nothing much in my closet really falls into that
category. My work as an adjunct, substitute teacher, and now, hospital worker,
does not really allow for me to dress-up much and I hate going shopping but I
did buy this one dress a couple years ago. At my favorite couture boutique aka consignment
store. I know that grosses some people out but I love wearing second-hand
clothes! They have so much more character than stuff you can buy new and this
dress is a Liz Claiborne which I could never afford. I didn’t know where I
would wear it but I got it just in case an occasion like this arose.
It’s very Stevie Nicks and I’d love
to say I put in a huge bid on E-Bay for it and it was an actual dress that she
wore during her Fleetwood Mac days, but…I can’t even tell you the price. It’s
too cheap (like 6 cents) and Zach would be mortified. I’m counting on Zach not
to read my blog because he usually doesn’t but if you know Zach…shh, keep it
under wraps, at least until Saturday.
I bought new clothes when I knew,
or at least suspected, I’d be meeting Oprah. It was at the end of Zach’s
filming of “Your Own Show” when I received a call from a producer saying they were
flying me out to California for the finale. I hadn’t spoken to Zach in a few
weeks because it was a reality show and part of the deal was to have no contact
with family members. After I asked the obvious, is he a finalist, the
very next question was, what do I wear? The response was pretty vague
and I couldn’t ask anyone for help because I had to keep the fact that I was
going a secret, another oddity about attending reality show finales.
So I took a trip to Kohl’s (they
were the sponsors of the show) and bought myself a casual knit skirt and close
fitting purple blouse. Conservative, not too flashy. Where I went wrong was
with the shoes and not because they had ten inch heels and I can barely walk in
sneakers, but because they were new and hurt my feet. So when I walk out on
stage, it looks a little like I also might be in need of a wheelchair. If you
want to see my big moment on T.V., here’s the link: http://www.oprah.com/own-your-own-show/And-The-Winner-of-Your-OWN-Show-IsIf
you watched you can see my hair looks great (and it never does) because hair
and make-up people actually made me look okay. I doubt they’ll be around this
Friday.
But I know this Friday night, just
like that day when I met Oprah, I don’t really have to worry about what I’m
wearing or how my hair looks because all eyes will be on Zach and Rainn. And
because they have good fashion sense, they’ll both look fantastic!
