Rochester, NY
11:05 PM
It’s not every day that you wake up knowing you have to go do a TV news spot. But, after some tossing and turning after the party last night, there I was this morning shaving and picking out an outfit for some time with Fox Rochester. The Worthwhile Magazine article has been a springboard to the news stuff. The reporter from Fox, Jill, set it up last week. We wanted to integrate my story with the interview of someone in Rochester. I called up the owners of Wild Hearts Charters, a 50 foot catamaran sailboat. My parents sailed with them last summer and told me about the owners. Roger used to be a top sales guy for a few companies in town but gave that up to buy this boat and charter it out for hour and 2 hour trips on Lake Ontario. I liked their story and so did Fox.
My entourage and I made our way at 9 AM to Charlotte Beach where Wild Hearts is housed. It is only a few minutes from the house. I was not as nervous as I thought I’d be, but I definitely had butterflies. I drank down my protein shake (see Muscle Man entry) and put on some shorts, sandals, and a blue shirt. It was a sunny day forecasted for the mid 80’s. My entourage and I met the Wild Hearts crew and waited for Fox. My entourage is my parents.
I paced about, trying to calm my nerves by taking pictures of the boat and Roger and Rosemary. I had Jill’s cell and called her at 9:20. She was close. There was a jet ski race going on in the lake and that caused a lot of traffic.
I had never met Jill, only talked to her. She and the camera man Brandon got out of their van and made their way to the boat. She was younger than me, it turns out she went to college with my sister, and dressed in a yellow suit. Her brown hair blew in the lake breeze. We all shook hands and got right to work.
My butterflies went away. They put me on the boat and I began to do my interview questions. I had a mike linked up under my shirt. The sun beat down but I did my best to not squint. They gave us some direction but it was mainly us talking and that made it feel more natural.
I won’t give every detail, but we shot on the boat, on the dock, and by my car. My parents were even asked questions on camera. I’m not sure if they were ready for that, but they did a good job. I even got that on my video camera.
Jill and Brandon left and we all hoped they had what they needed. My dad and I had a 1:00 tee time for golf with my sister and Bryan. Roger asked us if we wanted to go for a ride on the boat. They had a sail for 10:30. There were about 10 people waiting in line. In an abnormal act of spontaneity, my dad “Let’s go.” It was an hour ride and a perfect day for a sail. The wind was out of the south which meant fast riding and small waves. Lake Ontario is very large and can get very wavy.
I am so glad Roger asked and my dad accepted. What a ride! The sun beat down and we sat down outside with our feet dangling on the nets. The water pounded below us. We got up to about 14 knots. Rosemary brought me a bloody mary and I sipped it as we passed boat after boat that were entered in a regatta. We were flying by everyone. My parents and I had a huge smile on our face as we plowed through the waves. Roger was correct about the exhilarating feeling of being on the water.
The hour went by fast. The wind blew our hair, the sun made our faces red, and our eyes beamed as we got off of the boat. We made our goodbyes with the owners and the crew who we had met. Their son was off to college that day, the captain would be with them throughout the winter, which may be in Jacksonville, and another crewman was off to school next week in Wisconsin.
We were off to golf. The foursome had never played together before and this would be the first of many outings in our lifetime. As I said, the weather was excellent, but that south wind messed with us on the links. We all had some good shots and some bad shots. Frustration goes hand in hand with golf, but there is always a shot or two you remember and try and emulate. It usually doesn’t happen.
Golf was followed by a cocktail and a birthday dinner for my aunt and cousin. Pork tenderloin, mushrooms, broccoli, salad was chowed down happily. Ice cream cake followed.
I’m wiped out. There were calls to go out on the town, but I couldn’t do it. I wanted to catch the 10:00 news and see the story. I must say, I think they did a good job and I’m happy with my first news story. It is very strange, but it felt good. My folks even got some TV time. It’s 11:00 and time for bed. A very long and eventful day.