Card Me!

We rarely keep alcohol in the house and I was craving a glass of red, so on the way in from Greensboro tonight I stopped by Harris Teeter and bought a bottle. When I handed it to the checkout woman, she glanced at me, then swiped it and told me my total.

HEY. I may be 38 but I looked good today. Damn good. Would it KILL you to ask for my ID? Just to be nice? 

I am sooo having an extra glass tonight on her account.... ;)

Radio Show Ideas

Blair and I went out for dinner last night (Mexican--don't tell my running group!) and brainstormed ideas for my radio show. After some hilarious ideas ("Church Chat with Dena Harris') we came up with this:

How Did You End Up Here? This is a community focused AM radio station, so my idea is to just pull people from around the community who didn't grow up here and quiz them on how they ended up in Rockingham County. Then go on to talk to them about their lives - what they do for a living, for fun, family, type car, hobbies, last book read, etc. A voyeruristic peek into people's lives. The joke being, of course, why on earth would you want to end up in Rockingham County? I joked I should call the show, "How Did You End Up Here... And Why Won't You Leave?"

If you've ever seen Inside the Actor's Studio, you know host James Lipton has a set series of questions he asks guests at the end of their time together. I could do something like that here. 10 fast questions about favorite restaurant, favorite shop, favorite celebrity, biggest pet peeve, etc.

That's the thought. Our next door neighbors are from Ohio and run a B&B. They'd be good guests. A coffee shop in Reidsville is run by a couple from California. My yoga instructor was born in Japan, raised in Hawaii, and now lives here. Why? How did they land in this part of the country and this part of the state?

What do you think?

Back On The Air - Seeking ideas for Radio Show

I used to host my own radio show on 1420 WMYN, Madison/Mayodan - 1490 WLOE, Eden/Reidsville . My show was called "People with Passion" (I know, I know... I cringe just hearing it) and I interviewed people from around Rockingham County who were doing unusual things, or had jobs/hobbies they were passionate about. I stopped doing the show because it got to be too much work--finding someone to interview, convincing them that yes, it would be fun to be on the radio, coming up with questions to ask them and filler in case they froze and didn't talk enough, etc. My writing schedule was filling up and for the payoff, I didn't feel like the timing was right for the show.

This morning I received a call from the station manager (who, btw, is the nicest man in the world), stating they had a time slot to fill and would I be interested in coming back? I've still got a lot going on but, for promotional reasons, this might be a good time to start the show again. And I can pick whatever focus/topic I want for my time slot. It needs to be somewhat community oriented but they're pretty lenient with that aspect.

So here's my question: What should be the focus of my radio show?

Ideally, I'd love for the show to focus around pets and/or writing. The show is monthly, which helps in that I don't have to come up with fresh content each week. But it is a 30-minute program to fill. People do call in, but it can be a challenge. Older audience (am radio) demographics. I'm blanking on how I might talk about pets for 30 minutes per show. Writing is a little easier, in that I could invite different authors to the show to talk about their work, their writing process, etc. That's an option. But if any of you have ideas, I'd LOVE to hear them. Post here or e-mail me at ddharris@triad.rr.com.

Cheers!

Hill Runs

I think running is bringing me closer to God. Specifically, I spend the majority of my running time attempting to bribe my way into God's good favor in the hopes he/she will make the pain go away...

We ran hills last night. There's a .5 mile incline we run and yesterday we did 5 repetitions. I can pull myself through the first and last on sheer motivation. The middle ones present the challenge. That's when I strike up a dialogue with God.

Hill Rep #2: "God? Sorry for the way I look and smell at the moment, but I need to talk to you. Every rational cell in my body is telling me to STOP RUNNING so I need your help getting to the top, okay? Thanks."

Hill Rep #3: "Dear God: Perhaps I wasn't clear in my last missive. I am in freakin' misery down here and am asking for a little help. Nothing much. Just, like, maybe you could give me temporary superhero powers for the next 20 minutes? That would rock. As do you. Much love."

Hill Rep #4: "I will donate all my belongings to charity and minister to the poor every Sunday and never curse again if you will just let me get up this *&$#@**! hill. Aw, crap."

But I made it. We all did. It's soooo much easier doing this with a running group. Misery loves company. And there is nothing like running hills to make you strong for a marathon. It will all pay off in November.