So I’m minding my own business Thursday morning when the phone rings. On the other end is a nice lady from a production company connected with RTÉ, the Irish national broadcaster. Somehow or other, she’s gotten hold of my name, and she wants to know if I’m interested in appearing on a TV show called “The Big Bite”. This is an afternoon current affairs and discussion program featuring a journalist-presenter and usually four guests who sit around discussing some interesting topic, normally — but not always — something that won’t get too rancorous in mid-afternoon, just before the cooking and casual chat show that follows.
It turns out that Monday’s topic is whether or not there’s likely to be life on other worlds, and they thought it would be fun to have me on the show. The other guests are a professor of astrophysics from University College Dublin, Dave Moore from Astronomy Ireland, and someone else whose name I forget at the moment. Either way, it sounds like the opinions of the group are going to be heavily weighted towards the “yes” side.
So that’ll be enjoyable. Meanwhile, I go into the usual pre-appearance craziness. What time will the car from the studio get here? (Always too late.) Will the driver get lost? (Yes, even though I e-mailed them an extremely clear and straightforward map.) I need a haircut. (Thank heaven the hairdresser has time to take me today.) I have nothing to wear. (Well, yes, I do. For something like this, jeans and a silk sweater and an Hèrmés scarf — no, make that the shawl with the sun, moon, and stars on it — will do just fine.) And so on, and so on…
Oh, well. Everything will sort itself out. And it’ll be fun to get up to RTÉ again; I haven’t been up there for a couple of years.
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