My Civic Duty

This is me and Doug. Doug is one of my favorite interviewers on the radio. Doug is politely looking on as I foam at the mouth.

So I signed up to volunteer at the April fund drive at ,KUER 90.1 FM…you know, the NPR station.

Important motivations of note…I wanted to:

1. Contribute to something I love in a meaningful, and tangible way
2. See the behind the scenes workings of a station I listen to EVERY DAY (I was surprisingly right on…except I didn’t see the big digital clock that ticks away, down to the tenth of a second, by which all programs, news casts, and announcements are timed…I know there is such a clock, I just know it!)
3. Work side by side with like-minded NPR loving individuals
4. See if I could get any of the free “swag” brought in by sponsoring companies
5. See where I will be interviewed when I am famous
6. Meet Doug Fabrizio (I’m a HUGE fan of the local host and sometime “Talk of the Nation” substitute…)

And each and every motivation was fully realized and satisfied, except for the big clock thingy…

One unexpected pleasure, I met and talked with some really interesting people while waiting for phones to ring. One girl, Portia, was also a Doug fan, and had a pressing question for him after his show. She wanted to know from Doug, after his interviewing of Martha Beck and two Nibley siblings, which party gave the most credible story. How juicy! Who WOULDN’T be interested in THAT response?

I waited in the hall while Portia cornered Doug and asked him the pressing question. I thought he would give her a quick answer which I could evesdrop upon and then bust in for my photo op, but instead he said, “That is a great question…Would you like to come in [to my office] and sit down to talk about it?”

Being incredibly intelligent, instead of introducing myself at that point and participating in the conversation (ah!...the chance to sit at his feet and hear his response!), I just interrupted and said, “Oh, hey Portia, before you guys get into it can I ask you to take a ‘fan photo’ of me and Doug? I’m Carrie Ann, by the way…

Doug: Nice to meet you, Carrie Ann.
Carrie Ann and Doug are standing next to each other facing the camera phone.
Carrie Ann: I forgot to wear my badge.
Doug: What badge?
Carrie Ann: The “Doug Fabrizio Fan Club” badge.
Portia: Where do you get a badge?
Carrie Ann: You make one…
Doug: Don’t tell me there really is a fan club?
Carrie Ann: No, but let’s just say you have quite a little following…
Portia: Yeah, and it doesn’t hurt that you’re so cute!
Doug: (laughter)
Carrie Ann: Oh, we liked you BEFORE we even knew what you looked like.
Doug: (Laughing) Oh really?
Carrie Ann: Yeah, I thought you were blond!
Doug: (Laughing) Really? You thought I was blond?
Portia: Not me, I prefer brunettes…
(Slight awkward pause…)
Carrie Ann: Well, thanks!
Doug (to Portia and Carrie Ann): Well, are you going to be here tomorrow? (Explains tomorrow’s show…New York Dolls interview…the drummer converted to Mormonism…sounded great…)
Portia confirms her pending attendance on the morrow, and Carrie Ann acts vague.
Carrie Ann: That sounds fascinating…Well, nice to meet you…

Portia and Doug enter his office (the inner sanctum) to discuss juicy topic, Carrie Ann exits the building…in no hurry… just moseys on out.

Now some of you might wonder: “Why didn’t you just stay and hear all about it?” To those of you who ask this…I have to say, “I don’t know.” But here are some possible explanations in list form:

1. Carrie Ann is socially awkward
2. Carrie Ann was just a little “star struck”
3. Carrie Ann does not like to appear like a foaming fan

So that’s it. You all should really listen to NPR more. It makes you smarter, but no less socially awkward. In fact, socially, the fact that you support public radio can be slightly irritating. How many times in a day can you hear “I just heard recently on NPR…” come out of my mouth, or anyone’s mouth for that matter?

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