Monday, December 03, 2007

Retro-Rant!

Reading – With or Without Oprah!

It comes again – an email announcing Oprah’s latest pick! I am excited to receive this, although I do not know why. As I hold my breath in anticipation between the click of the mouse and what will appear before me – I am once again – not surprised to see that Miss Oprah has chosen something that I have already read……weeks ago!
This is it – I think as I furiously type a cleverly constructed email to the aforementioned Oprah at harpo studios. Hi Oprah – I open with a friendly greeting, as if we are old reading buddies! It’s me, Robin from Rhode Island! You know, it’s the funniest thing, but everytime you pick your Book of the Month – it seems that I have already read it! At first I thought it must be some strange cosmic coincidence, but month after month it continues to happen. I begin to sense that there is something larger going on so I feel that it is time to “make the connection” with Oprah.
I wait a day or so, constantly checking my inbox for a reply. After the third day I resend the message, certain that the reason I haven’t heard back is that it got lost in the cyber mail room. I hadn’t saved my first email, so I cleverly construct another, which I am sure, is even more compelling than the first. Again – nothing…..So, now I get the phone number for Harpo – and I call! A friendly voice answers – I explain my story, down to the descriptive email I sent. I am told that Oprah receives tons of mail and email, which I already gather. I tell my new friend that I am sure that she’d want me for the show on this latest book and that I had to have been one of the first to respond since I sent the email the day the book was announced. She sympathizes, but needs to take another call.
I am determined to send one final email –
“Dear Oprah –
I have been thinking about our similar love of good books. You are real tough to get hold of, but if you’d like to know what I am reading, give me a call!

Your friend in reading.Robin

**Written years ago - yet posted today!