Meanwhile, the tabulation of the 19 surveys from JCCC found the leading pejorative statement so far was that “insidious trick.”

INSIDIOUS TRICK
I-35 was busy this Monday morning. A little late for my KCPT assignment, I had no real reason to get there on time. Warren and I had not talked of a schedule, and I knew he had been visiting Colorado since last Wednesday on a golfing vacation. I didn’t think he’d be prepared for me, and I was right.
Walking in, I saw a woman coming down the sidewalk so I held the door open for her. Later in the morning, I’d meet her. She was in charge of KCPT telemarketing.
Soon, I entered Warren’s office, said hello, and he asked if I had coffee. I said no, so he went into a back room and got me a brand new, still-boxed, KCPT 40th anniversary mug. That’s the one that changes colors when it heats up. I asked if there was a ceremony or something and he replied, “No. Open it yourself.” So I did.
With his permission, I walked around the office delivering a survey on pejorative words that would become part of my paper to be presented at the Popular Culture Conference in Jacksonville. I gave it out to maybe ten people, explaining the content to each person.
Then with hot coffee in my new cup, I was shown my new office, with a computer. Warren asked if I had something to do while he checked his e-mail. I said I did, so I started my computer and got it to work after ten minutes of fidgeting with the computer’s idiosyncrasies. I feared I wouldn’t be able to do it again, because I didn’t know what I did to get first me into ‘Windows.’ But there I was with a working computer.
My self-tasking for Pitch was to get the five blurbs into this manuscript. Taking them off my disk, I put the blurbs on hard drive, and then pasted them on.
Next, I started to look up web sites on light rail, found some violently opposed to the trains, but then Warren stopped by, ready to take me to telemarketing to say hello.
Following him up the stairs, I passed the noisy construction on the elevator again today. (“They’re digging a hole and don’t know when they’ll hit bottom.”) Every time I go through the old building, I notice the warning sign: “Asbestos.” Is KCPT doing enough to protect its workers? Dust is everywhere, even in the new building.
On the third floor I met the lady I had opened the door for earlier (Still can’t remember her name), and then said hello to maybe eight workers, four-five of them on the phones. There would be a training session today, but in the afternoon. I told them I could make a morning session next Monday, so I might be trained as a telemarketer after all.
Warren then took me to meet Cynthia Smith, the former news anchor on a local TV station. She has her own office at KCPT and does a “conversation” show maybe two times a month.
Dressed in a black dress, Cynthia was not too chatty this morning, nor did she smile as much as she does on TV.
Business-like, she listened to Warren’s introduction, shook my hand, asked me no questions, and as Warren prattled on, Cynthia showed her impatience, moving papers around on her desk. When Warren paused, she did a neat, if controlling, movement: she rapped the knuckles of both hands on her desk top (bam, bam), giving an obvious signal our time together was over. Startled, Warren immediately started to back out of the office and we said our goodbyes. Cynthia has obviously dealt with time-wasting people before, and has a method for moving them out. I wondered if she’s like this all the time. I wondered if Warren was a time-wasting person.
Back downstairs, Warren sneezing about six times from the dust, I settled back in my office and collected three surveys. It was almost noon, so I took off for the College to check my e-mail out there and to send CJ my new blurbs.
After reading my JCCC e-mail, I prepared to do my jogging and set off to the gym. After putting in about two miles running in the heat, I returned to my office, copied a number of anti-train pages off the web, ordered two train movies from A&E cable network, then ordered a laptop for $679, reconditioned with a one-year warranty. All that stuff should be delivered to the College in seven-ten days, they promised.
It was another bright, hot, muggy day, highs up to 90 degrees. The KC downtown appeared as I drove down I-35, the buildings half concealed in fog or smog.
Pitch welcomed me at about 9:30, and I passed out my survey to maybe six people. Not everyone was there, and CJ was on her phone.
Ferruzza took one, and then complained, “Land grab does not pertain to all plans.” I explained the survey referred to ANY plan, rather to one specific plan. So he proceeded to fill it out right then.
Meanwhile, the tabulation of the 19 surveys from JCCC found the leading pejorative statement so far was that “insidious trick.” However, comparing results between JCCC, PITCH and KCPT would be problematic since so few came in from the two internship venues. Lumping them together, hoping to get around 30 or so surveys, might be the only strategy left.
Meanwhile, my office walls needed some pizzazz. Completely bare, they needed some photos making the cube seem more mine, more human
Soon, I was busy putting up computer-generated copies of my photos in my cubicle with tacks, mostly pictures of the Gulf Coast, but also two of Starr and Claire, my grandkids. Now I felt more at home.
I also remembered to bring my cassette player and listened to Chuck Mangione a bit, while I typed out a best blurb about saving KC from sprawl. That included my interview with Jim Rowland yesterday. Who felt selling water too cheaply to suburbs encouraged sprawl. I’d send that by e-mail to CJ right after typing.
Curious about The Kansas City Star’s lack of reporting on the USA Today recent posting of the USA’s most dangerous cities, I asked CJ what to do. She said e-mail our managing editor, Jim Kind, so I did, sending him the web site including the stats too. Maybe Pitch will do a story?
Nearing the end of my morning, I heard sirens outside my window, and then spotted a tall, black teenager in green pants, gray shirt and a gray hat sneak around a corner near the parking lot across the street, his left hand in his pocket. I had never seen anyone “acting suspicious,” but as he walked through the lot, he did quite a bit of looking over his shoulder, and then ducked down briefly when he heard a siren. Brilliantly putting two and two together, I called 9-1-1 immediately, asking the dispatch if they were looking for someone near 17th and Main. She said yes, so I described the man, told her his direction of travel as south or east. Soon, a police cruiser drove through the alley near the parking lot, but it was on the wrong side of the lot. I don’t know how this episode turned out, nothing in the paper the next day.
Later that evening, Ruth and I drove out old Metcalf to get an ice cream at the Dairy Queen in Stanley. CJ wanted me to check out the DQ and the old bank next door, wanting me to write a blurb on the man who saved the bank from destruction. Traffic was heavy as we had to go through the infamous 119th Street corridor, many new department stores, and notoriously jammed-up vehicles.
Turning east onto 151 Street, we spotted the Dairy Queen almost at the same time we saw a rainbow in the eastern sky. I snapped a photo from the car. Evidently some big storms were hitting a few miles over the Missouri state line and huge cumulous clouds blossomed everywhere.
We noticed the Historic Stanley Bank immediately, then just east of it the Dairy Queen. Both buildings were red brick, with the 1910 structure being older but in good shape.
Parking behind the bank, I took my camera to photograph the front of the Bank while Ruth started walking to the DQ. I took a few shots, and then went inside the DQ.
The little restaurant was cold inside and not too busy. We were first in line and waited awhile until the manager, wearing a plaid, short-sleeve shirt and shorts, waited on us. Using pennies in a glass, he gave me a dollar back. I asked him if the Historical Bank brought in customers, and he agreed, saying, “We’re very fortunate.” But he was in a hurry and had no time for an interview, leaving his teenaged daughter in charge.
Both ordering hot fudge sundaes (rather skimpy for $1.89, vanilla ice cream and hot fudge, but no whipped cream, no cherry or nuts on top), we took a seat on their little iron-fenced patio. I finished first, took more photos, and then we went back to the car.
Amazing cloud formations and silver/gold-lined clouds filled the western sky, a bright gold ring around the very dark clouds. We were happy to have chosen this evening to drive to Stanley.
Early the next morning I began what might be called ‘a split day,’ spending time at Pitch from 9—10:45, then 11-12:15 at KCPT to watch “Ruckus” being taped.
At Pitch, it was quiet. I said “hello” to Jen, got an e-mail giving us all margarita discounts at a downtown bar, journeyed to see Erin on the second floor who signed my unofficial Pitch business card, and returned to my cubicle to show Charles Ferruzza my photo of the “The only dive in Kansas City” T-shirt. He was moderately impressed.
More difficulties with my computer, but I finally typed my blurb on the Dairy Queen Historical Bank. I’d add a photo that evening and then send it off to CJ.
No more surveys came back at Pitch, but one came to my mailbox at JCCC later.
After writing the blurb, I sent some e-mails to fellow Pitch staffers trying to get them to comment on light rail articles they had written. I was surprised to find that the most damaging story against light rail, the notorious “Train in Vain” issue (July 19, 2001), was not on the Pitch web site archives. I wrote to CJ asking why.
Then, over at KCPT, I talked to Warren briefly, had a cup of coffee and met Larry Magarial who directs most productions. Warren also showed me how to refill the coffee machine.
Walking through the maze of cables to production, bumped into Charles Guswelle of The Kansas City Star who was lost, and we eventually we found the studio. Everything looks so different each day as walls and doors are replaced, knocked down and replaced.
Evidently, Missouri House of Representative Karen McCarthy had been in earlier to tape a “support your government” promo, but refused to film it when she was shown the script. No one was sure what her objections were. I asked Matt if I could have a copy of the script, and he said okay. To my eyes, it had some pretty innocuous changes. I’ll have to read it closer.
Matt also received moderately bad news when one female producer said he would not be used in an in-house production about digital programming. Matt had missed the previous day’s meeting, so she chose someone else.
A closet actor, he explained he played St. Peter in a recent promo about some people attempting to bribe their way into heaven with alcohol and eighty-year-old dancing girls. He liked doing that. He told me a story about some in-house secretaries who always object to being on TV as extras until they are invited. Then, they try to get in the front row!
Before “Ruckus” began, Matt said I could sit in one of the control rooms to watch Larry scroll the script for the moderator to read. Later, he said I might want to try.
“Ruckus” got off to a bad start today, about 35 minutes late. First, one of the cameras gave off a horrible sounding noise over the headsets. After they unplugged that, the program got started only to have the soundman miss a cue, so they started all over again.
Steve, Yael, Mike and Trudie were there along with another person from The Star taking Rich Nadler’s place. I think his name was Steve Kraske. The topics for the day included the strong mayor question, the mayor’s move of her home to the northland, the Oz issue in Johnson County and the Gary Condit continuing fiasco.
Afterwards, I wandered off, took a photo of the Asbestos sign, and then gave a ride to another intern who was going down to Crown Center. He’s from Jamaica and has done some TV in his own country.
At home, an e-mail from my son was waiting. He’s adjusting well and has lots of news.
Date: 9/1/01 10:55:33 AM Central Daylight Time
Hey pops.... how’s it goin...I’m writing back to say hi...things are going.... I got over my summer cold...I worked 5 shifts last week and this...I went to the studio museum in Harlem on Thurs....pretty good show.... Starr’s done with summer school...she starts again Thurs....we're going to try to make it to the natural history museum and the zoo before school starts again.... I’m getting excited about the fall NY scene here.... I’m going to see the Macy's day parade.... I would also like to see the Yankees before the season is over.... I see Dye has been traded to Oakland.... I bet he’s happy...what's the word in KC about the chiefs this season.... good or bad...giants and jets might as well forget about it.... us open starts here soon.... and the marathon is coming up soon...any way I’ll write again soon.... bye Doug

I sent Doug some photos of the continuing phenomenon of crop circles in England, something like 21 new ones in August 2001, alone. The media makes fun of them, as O’Reilly did on his FOC News program, but they’re obviously real, intricate and plasmatic. I told Doug to look up the web site or check out the book, “Mysterious Lights and Crop Circles.” Doug answered the same day.

Date: 9/1/01 4:06:22 PM Central Daylight Time

Hey pops.... got your e-mail.... crop circles...they look cool.... do aliens make them.... or people.... they remind me a little of hex signs...I’m going to have to check out that book.... as soon as I get into a gallery...that's my only focus right now...art...I gotta make a living doing it.... your book is coming along nicely ...soon you'll be making money on your art.... that will be good.... how I define success is being able to make a living on my art.... so right now I’m not a success...but soon I will be.....by the way people are really vulgar around here....I think it's crazy but I like it and think it's fun to be vulgar also....I have to let down my guard to do so...I don't know if that's a good thing yet...it feels good though....funny....unless I’m talking to grandma on the street.....I’m going to look up crop circle now...talk to ya later...Doug