Brain Droppings: A Glamorous Position

Many of you have seen my photos of beautiful and glamorous Hollywood film stars. I take them at Red Carpet movie premieres using a small, cheap camera, as an aside to my regular duties as a cameraman for a major news organization. Although the people in the photos may appear appear glamorous, the assignment rarely is. In fact, you've heard me use the term "pig fuck" to categorize them. It's an industry term used to describe the scene; lots of grunting and screaming signifying nothing! But, mercifully, the assignment rarely lasts more than a few hours in total.

Then there are the assignments like we had this past week, during and after "The Blizzard of 2010". It usually involves standing in driving snow, howling winds, and subfreezing temperatures with a reporter who tells you not to "stand in the driving snow, howling winds, and subfreezing temperatures"! And the assignments usually last for 12-15 hours and, often, for days on end.

So, in this case, we are in Times Square. And, surprisingly, despite the blizzard outside, it's actually crowded with people, mostly tourists having a great time. Of course they're having a great time; they're on vacation, can walk to wherever they need to go, and have no particular agenda. Plus it is that rare occasion when the City is virtually shut down. If I were a tourist, I'd love it too!

But I'm not a tourist. I'm working. And that involves mostly standing in one place in the driving snow, whipping winds, and subfreezing temperatures for 12-15 hours. The amount of "live" reports we do for stations around the country are coming so rapidly that there is virtually no time to eat OR use the bathroom. At one point, we did manage to sneak off to one of the fine Times Square eating establishments and I got a McDonald's cheeseburger which I stuffed in my mouth and ate in about 2 minutes. As for bathroom use, after peeling back the 4 or 5 layers of clothing I was wearing in an attempt to stay warm, I peed in a cup in the back of the production truck. It's lucky I didn't pee all OVER the truck because I had lost the feeling in my finger tips about an hour before my "bathroom break" (let's not talk about the OTHER extremities. Think shrinkage) Oh, yes, very glamorous indeed!

Look, this is my job and I'm prepared to do it, not matter the consequence. I'm not asking for sympathy. What I am asking for is understanding. It pisses me off to hear people to talk about the "liberal-elite media" like we were some prima donnas making up the news to serve some personal or political agenda. Most of us are honest, hard working slubs who dedicate themselves to providing useful information (useful most of the times) as a matter of public trust. Me and countless others have stood in the driving snow, howling winds, and subfreezing temperatures (not to mention fetid water, gale force winds, wild fires, etc., etc.) to do our jobs. Very glamorous indeed!