My Feet Weren't Supposed To Be In The Shot

A few weeks ago, upon returning home from our 12-day Orlando vacation, I shared how excited the boys and I were to have real TV people come to our house to interview me about to Mormons, with LOVE.

Fresh Living aired the piece on Friday, April 13th. I'm unable to embed the video, but you can click here to view my 3 minutes and 30 seconds of quasi-fame.

For the record, I had planned to wear a cute pair of black boots with the understated outfit I painstakingly selected. I was getting ready to put my boots on when the doorbell rang that morning. After the interview location was selected in the house, I asked the camera guy if my feet would be visible in the shot. He said no. I only bring this up because a few friends have commented liberally on my socks.

And..."ouchies"? I was nervous, tired, and had an Orlando hangover.

In all seriousness, I'm very happy with how the piece turned out. Kate Valentine did the book justice and I'm so thankful that the Fresh Living team aired the story. Feeling grateful...that I was wearing socks, and not completely barefoot.

Mom Still Likes Facebook

Last April I posted about my mother's arrival on the Facebook scene, and I'm happy to report that she's come a long way. She even switched to the new Timeline profile—something I have yet to do—without consulting me. She has a grasp of where her comments appear, how to privately message someone (because some things are best said without an audience), and she still loves the "Like" button.

*****

Mom had a minor Facebook scare last summer. I was visiting she and Dad in Arizona, and bumped into her in their kitchen late one evening. The kids and husbands were in bed, Mom was sitting at her kitchen desk...Facebooking...and I had intentions of grazing on baked goods.

"I need your help," Mom said. "There's something horrible on my page."

"What?" I asked as I walked over to her computer.

"It's too terrible to describe. I don't know why she would put that on my page. You have to get it off. Quick. I don't want people seeing that!"

My mom was panicked.

She pointed to the posted item and grabbed her mouse. I couldn't tell what it was, but told her not to click on the image. "What is it?" I asked.

"It's a big...," then she whispered, "...Virginia." [Real word rhymes with angina, but I want to minimize gross Internet search hits.]

"First, that's not your 'page.' It's your News Feed—only visible to you. Second, I'm sure she [the person associated with the post] didn't purposely post that. It's spam, and we can easily delete it."

I showed her the little "x" and how easy the offensive material was to remove. "No one can your see your News Feed anyway, but it's gone. And as long as you didn't click on it, you didn't share it with anyone else. That's how these things spread."

She looked at me sharply.

"You clicked on it, didn't you," I said.

"Shit. I didn't know what it was."

As far as we know, Mom's Facebook friends didn't receive the Virginia spam, and she understands that the woman who "sent it to her" was a virus victim. Mother also now knows how to delete...many things.

*****

I enjoy when Mom makes an appearance on my Facebook page. She's become more comfortable letting her virtual hair down, and shares her personality freely.

 So she did...

Mom's finding her voice! And...I totally would have noticed.

A Book Signing, A Review, An Article...and My Bad Jamaican Patois

First, a little housekeeping:

• I'll be signing books at the Sugarhouse Barnes & Noble this Saturday, March 24th, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. If you're in the area, please swing by and say hello! I'll throw some extra gum in my purse to share.

• I was thrilled to see a review of To Mormons, with LOVE in Deseret News!

• A piece I wrote about shunning appeared on LDSLiving.com last week. Check it out and join the discussion.

*****

While we were in Orlando I received an email from a Utah reporter who asked if she could interview me about my book for a local daytime television show, Fresh Living. YES! Who cares if I'm post-vacation puffy and have zero experience being interviewed...especially on camera. I can do this!

The lovely Kate Valentine and her camera guy, Dave, arrived at our home last Friday morning less than 48 hours after we'd returned from a 12-day Orlando vacation. The house was dusty, but orderly, and the kids were cooperative and excited about "TV people" coming to our house. We made our beds, brushed our teeth, and spent a little more time than usual consulting the mirror.

Mary (the dog), apparently still angry that we hadn't taken her to Florida, threw up and pooped on the carpet a few hours before Kate and Dave arrived. She did this in the room where the majority of the interview occurred. My good friends OxiClean, Febreze, and ShamWow handled the misfortune beautifully.

I don't remember each question or my exact answers. I felt nervous, self-conscious, and didn't want to blow an opportunity to generate interest in my book.

At one point I struggled to express myself; I said, "Don't worry, be happy," in a very bad Bobby McFerrin imitation. ??? The phrase...the accent...had nothing to do with our discussion.

The 60-90 minutes Kate and Dave spent in our home filming, taking notes, talking with the boys and me, will be reduced to a few moments. And until it airs, I have nothing to be self-conscious about. The piece was supposed to air on Monday, March 19th, but buzz surrounding some new movie...The Hunger Games...bumped it.

I know the show is local, so I don't have delusions of grandeur, yet as I've shared prior, I'm not in a space of false humility, either. The boys and I are anxious to see the result of our spit shining, babbling, and smiling. I'll share the date and time when I hear from Ms. Valentine, and if there's a link to the piece after it airs, I'll post here and on Twitter.

And for some reason, if the interview doesn't find it's way to television, the boys and I are still thankful for the unique experience. And we won't worry...we'll be happy...mon.

Getting miked = the same fear I feel on thrill rides and results in the same facial expression.