Sunday, August 12, 2012

15 minutes of "fame"

Getting gas is usually a dull chore.  We're not allowed to use our phones to pass the time (is this actually all that dangerous?  Will something explode?  Really?), the catch thing that allows us to let go while pumping is long gone, and everyone is usually either waiting for someone to finish or staring off into space.
On the way to the cottage last weekend, I had to stop in Barrie for gas and it was actually a welcome break from the eye-gouging traffic.  But this was no ordinary gas trip.  The woman at the next pump was talking to some guy, who I quickly discovered had a video camera.  Once I got out of my car, I heard her say, "Sorry, no.  Maybe this nice girl can help you out."  A bit blindsided by Pass The Buck Peggy, I was approached by a CTV cameraman and asked if I would answer some questions about rising gas prices.

I told him that I probably wouldn't have a very interesting response since my general feeling is *shrug* + "Whaddaya gonna do?"  But he said this was fine and I offered to "pretend-pump" gas so he could get some footage.

Then he hoisted the camera onto his shoulder and I weighed the options of removing my sunglasses and keeping them on - ultimately I left them on, since I was a bit nervous and they gave me my apparel armour.  He then stuck out the microphone, which I instinctively grabbed for until he told me that he holds it, I just talk.  Right, ok, go ahead, you can hold it.

We chatted for a few minutes and I relayed my "necessary evil" and "this doesn't really impact my life" message for the camera.  I was moderately nervous, just enough to stumble on the end of a sentence and giggle to myself once I got back in my car. 

My shining moment is at 9:10:

http://www.ctvbarrie.ca/2012/08/friday-august-03-2012-ctv-news-at-6-webcast/

In hindsight, I probably should have said that increasing gas prices really don't affect my life in any real way.  In fact, I was going to glance back at the pump and say, "Ok, so I just got 60 litres and that works out to, what, $1.20?  That's pretty much nothing."  But I was afraid to do on-the-spot math on camera and I'm pretty sure I would have come off sounding like a princess.  In the clip, there is me and this other guy my age on the same page saying that the money doesn't mean a thing, then there is an older woman with kids who is talking about how debilitating it is and how they can't go all the places they want to.  We sound like trust fund babies.  Camera time and sounding like a rich airhead who can't do math on command - I'm practically Paris Hilton.

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