February 17: Behind the Scenes

Before my husband and I host Jeo-Party every week, we go through the entire game, mostly to edit the text and add the daily doubles, but also so I can test the questions on my husband. And the experience is always delightful. I delight in our rapport, in making him laugh, that puzzled look on his face when he is really trying hard to figure out the answer, his completely wrong answers (which are often hilarious, purposely or not), and his immediately correct answers. 

One my favorite moments from last night was when he was racking his brain trying to come up with the name of the first woman US Secretary of State. I tried to give him a clue-- her first name is the same as a famous animated character in France, but that didn't help him at all. Then he thought he finally got it, yelling out, Janet Reno! Which is, of course, very wrong. She was the first woman US Attorney General, not Secretary of State (that honor belongs to Madeleine Albright). Later, I tried to give him clues to another answer when trying to get him to guess the name of a now 57-year-old alt rock red-headed musician. I said her first name was the same as an actress with the last name Spelling who starred on 90210, and he looked at me like I had three heads. It totally did not help him guess Tori Amos. We joked about how none of my clues or hints the whole night were at all helpful, but actually made it harder for him to guess. It was delightful. 

I also like how it feels like we are behind the scenes of a game show. Whenever we listen to our favorite NPR game shows, they always list all the editors, producers, contributors, etc, and now I have glimpse as to what that may feel like. As I continue to question what it is I want to do with my life, I delight in learning about all these jobs I had never even considered before, like, for example, radio game show editor. 

With delight,

♥Jamie