3 More Nights To Go
First of all, as I wrote on Facebook, I am incredibly grateful to the Husband for keeping the home fires burning. He has been a rockstar this past week and a half. I have been putting in 18 hour days and he has been incredibly understanding about it. This morning I opened the fridge for a drink and he found me a couple minutes later sleeping while standing. I could have gotten frostbite - he cares. The Kid is missing me too and when I crawl into bed, he snuggles closer (the fact that he is still in our bed is a whole different issue. But like, he literally had a seizure when we tried sleep training a few months back. You think I'm dramatic?!). The other night I got home at midnight and he woke up and came into the hallway half asleep and gave me this look like "Lady, do you know what time it is?!?!" and then he took my hand and led me to bed.
Tonight is the second semifinal and I am feeling jittery again. I will be tweeting for Vienna Würstelstand during the show while trying not to throw up from nerves. I don't know how people do live TV. Nobody can even see me and I am a wreck. I'd be that journalist who fell off the grape stomping platform.
Yesterday I had another amazing experience. I was invited as the correspondent for Vienna Würstelstand to attend a small press conference for the Finnish band PKN at WUK. Only a handful of international journalists (and me) were invited to attend as well as the Finnish press. I showed up just before 4 and went into the hall and was informed that I was the first one to arrive. A few minutes later, the place filled up with mostly Finnish journalists. I knew they were Finnish because I came up to armpit level on the shortest one of them. They were all so pretty. Three of the band members arrived: Toni (drums), Pertti (guitar) and Sammi (bass). We were welcomed and the guy running the press conference asked the foreign journalists (all two of us) if we had any questions. There was a deafening silence and I swallowed hard and then asked for the microphone. I was not prepared but I am someone who needs to fill the silence so I stood up and gripped the microphone "Um hi, I just, um, I, so, at what age did you all start playing your instruments?" Ugh, stupid question. That was a Wolf Blitzer question. That was a question a 5 year old asks Iron Man. Stupid, stupid. Sammi, who speaks fluent English and fluent Finnish (because, Nordic countries and their incredible language skills) answered "I don't remember but for a long long time." Then the head of the Finnish delegation translated for Pertti and Toni. Toni said he has been playing the drums since he was 6 and he plays mostly "Schlager" music and Pertti said "Since 1975". Since I was all full of the feels, I brought the microphone to my mouth again and said "You guys were amazing last night. I wish you had made it to the final. You guys are awesome. Thank you" and then my voice cracked and I passed the microphone on. Toni was visibly upset about not making it to the final and I had to hold it together. There were a couple more questions and Sammi stole the show by saying he is "obsessed" with White Snake and that playing punk rock is his job. Then it was on to the Finnish reporters. I wish I spoke Finnish because there was so much laughter and head nodding and I felt a room full of respect and love. I wanted to bottle the mood and save it for a later date. I don't want to stereotype but... the Finnish are, for lack of a better term, FUCKING AWESOME!
Seeing people with disabilities being given so much respect, not being talked down to and treated like equals is exactly what needs to happen. Again, this is my platform #watchthisspace. I am back at the Stadthalle getting ready for tonight. I attended the Conchita press conference earlier and I am worried that my girl crush is going to turn into full blown stalking. She is amazing, humble, self effacing, kind and funny; and she does it in heels backwards uphill both ways! Ha! No. Her energy is full of life and she just gives off this amazing vibe. I'm pretty sure everybody loves La Conchita because it is impossible not to! Well, time for me to sign off soon. I have to grab some dinner and wine and then get ready for the next round of tweeting! See you on the Twitterverse, guys!
Tonight is the second semifinal and I am feeling jittery again. I will be tweeting for Vienna Würstelstand during the show while trying not to throw up from nerves. I don't know how people do live TV. Nobody can even see me and I am a wreck. I'd be that journalist who fell off the grape stomping platform.
Yesterday I had another amazing experience. I was invited as the correspondent for Vienna Würstelstand to attend a small press conference for the Finnish band PKN at WUK. Only a handful of international journalists (and me) were invited to attend as well as the Finnish press. I showed up just before 4 and went into the hall and was informed that I was the first one to arrive. A few minutes later, the place filled up with mostly Finnish journalists. I knew they were Finnish because I came up to armpit level on the shortest one of them. They were all so pretty. Three of the band members arrived: Toni (drums), Pertti (guitar) and Sammi (bass). We were welcomed and the guy running the press conference asked the foreign journalists (all two of us) if we had any questions. There was a deafening silence and I swallowed hard and then asked for the microphone. I was not prepared but I am someone who needs to fill the silence so I stood up and gripped the microphone "Um hi, I just, um, I, so, at what age did you all start playing your instruments?" Ugh, stupid question. That was a Wolf Blitzer question. That was a question a 5 year old asks Iron Man. Stupid, stupid. Sammi, who speaks fluent English and fluent Finnish (because, Nordic countries and their incredible language skills) answered "I don't remember but for a long long time." Then the head of the Finnish delegation translated for Pertti and Toni. Toni said he has been playing the drums since he was 6 and he plays mostly "Schlager" music and Pertti said "Since 1975". Since I was all full of the feels, I brought the microphone to my mouth again and said "You guys were amazing last night. I wish you had made it to the final. You guys are awesome. Thank you" and then my voice cracked and I passed the microphone on. Toni was visibly upset about not making it to the final and I had to hold it together. There were a couple more questions and Sammi stole the show by saying he is "obsessed" with White Snake and that playing punk rock is his job. Then it was on to the Finnish reporters. I wish I spoke Finnish because there was so much laughter and head nodding and I felt a room full of respect and love. I wanted to bottle the mood and save it for a later date. I don't want to stereotype but... the Finnish are, for lack of a better term, FUCKING AWESOME!
Seeing people with disabilities being given so much respect, not being talked down to and treated like equals is exactly what needs to happen. Again, this is my platform #watchthisspace. I am back at the Stadthalle getting ready for tonight. I attended the Conchita press conference earlier and I am worried that my girl crush is going to turn into full blown stalking. She is amazing, humble, self effacing, kind and funny; and she does it in heels backwards uphill both ways! Ha! No. Her energy is full of life and she just gives off this amazing vibe. I'm pretty sure everybody loves La Conchita because it is impossible not to! Well, time for me to sign off soon. I have to grab some dinner and wine and then get ready for the next round of tweeting! See you on the Twitterverse, guys!
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