Outside the New Day Northwest Studio in Seattle, WA
How did it all go so wrong, so quickly?
It was just last week that I was on top of the world. My book, "Dancers Among Us," had debuted on the New York Times extended best seller list and sold out on Amazon. My launch party, hosted by the Paul Taylor Dance Company, had exceeded capacity and expectations. I had a fantastic interview on the Today Show, and I had been selected by Oprah for her holiday gift list. Most surprisingly, on Friday morning "Dancers Among Us" was #1 on Reddit (I don't really know what that means, but apparently it's a very big deal).
Then, in the midst of all the excitement, I got a call on Friday that began my spiral. New Day Northwest in Seattle had cancelled my television interview, which was scheduled for Monday morning. Airplane tickets had been purchased and a hotel room had been reserved; I was getting on a plane, but suddenly I had an empty docket. Of course, it was too late to schedule an appearance elsewhere.
With this empty space in my schedule, all I could do with my new free time was wonder why. No plausible explanation had been given. The segment had been booked two months ago, at their request. Ciscoe the Gardner replaced me at the last minute.
Desperate, I found myself waiting outside the studio. I brought my book and rehearsed my speech, certain that I could convince them to overlook my shortcomings. I wasn't exactly sure what those shortcomings were, but it had to be something. They wouldn't have bumped me for no reason, right? At the very least I would finally get an explanation.
At some point I dozed off. I awoke to a cold reality: No TV appearance. No explanation. As Ciscoe the Gardner filled the airwaves with talk of fall foliage and apple maggots, I slinked away.
Seattle has always been one of my favorite cities, and now it's tarnished. The only thing that could possibly redeem it, at this point, is if the entire city meets me at Elliot Bay Bookstore today at 6:30pm. I will be signing books and staging a Dancers Among Us shoot, and I need a little Pacific Northwest love.
Ciscoe is invited too.
