"Born for the Camera"

My turn finally came up. It’s been over 2 years and so far I hadn’t had to give a text comment, of course, when the V’s were coming close I conveniently got married and bought myself 7 more months with the change to Connely. (goes by alphabetical order)

Well Mandy, those days in Ecuador preparing comments for breakfast were a cake-walk compared to this. It took me close to 4 hours to prepare a 1-minute comment and takes me about an hour and a half to write a 5 minute talk. Of course, the fact that I was going to be in front of 2,000 people might’ve brought out the perfectionist in me a little.

In any case, the days preceding the comment were the worst, you know, the time you spend stressed out and anxious. I actually think I made myself sick on Monday. I told Shaphan I had a tight chest and upset stomach (2 symptoms which totally don’t make sense together). Shaphan told me it was just stress. He called it. Then he told me not to worry since I was “born for the camera.” Well, I don’t know about that.

So I woke up at 5 a.m. this morning. A first for this sloth. Hair and make-up went pretty quick. We got over there about 15 minutes early, enough time for me to go in the bathroom and undo all the damage the NY City wind did to my hair, then I went and took my seat in front of the camera. I had been practicing my comment in the mirror, however, Shaphan had told me that I won’t be facing a person, but rather a camera, so he suggested practicing in front of an inanimate object like the refrigerator. I have to say, reading my comment to the fridge really helped prepare me for looking in a camera, weirdly enough. Anyway, about 3 minutes to 7 a.m. the bright camera lights went on. My heart was pounding out of my chest. Shaphan gave his comment first, then the microphone moved over my right shoulder in front of my mouth and....it was go time. You know, I heard myself over the sound system, and I have to say...I was sounding good. I saw myself out of my peripheral vision in the TV’s so it was really hard not to look at myself. (I want to clarify, that's out of curiosity, not vanity).

My comment was on a dream I had about the Great Trib. and how, even though it was so real, I wasn’t afraid at all. Then I applied it to how we can have confidence as we approach the G.T. knowing that we will be safeguarded due to our spirit of self-sacrifice. Of course, the whole day people were telling me how my comment made them think about their own dreams of Armag-ddon. One of the Doctors (psychology background) told me he thought I had more to my dream than what I said and that I should write it down. I’m like, woe, you wanna psychoanalyze me now!? I told him I did and felt the right thing in my dream so that has to say something about my inner character. (That’s all he needs to know about that!)

Maybe my text comment debut will get me a gig in the next Young People Ask video. I won't hold my breath.