Show Time

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And It Went On

Segments on "Thing...she knows who she is;" Girth & Mirth; David Leavitt; International Mr. Leather, including an interview of International Ms. Leather; a documentarian of a self-proclaimed Kentucky drag-queen; World Conference of Gay & Lesbian Jews; ACT-UP demonstrations; show promo by Linda Clifford; lesbian kiss-in at Water Tower Place; Urvashi Vaid at the Chicago Pride Parade....

Most of these were "10% Show" segments that I produced, or for which I served as the interviewer or on the crew in Chicago, 1987-89.

Earnest Hite, may his memory be blessed, was my co-anchor for many of them. Earnest, a complete mensch, died on Monday in a car crash.

Why was Earnest cut off, yet I get to go on? I'm not complaining about getting to stay, certainly, but I don't understand the purpose of taking a good person out of this world.

Today, I interrupted a meeting my manager was having with a colleague and said, "Excuse me. Just wanted to let you know that I'm going to get going before the snow and rain comes."

"Good idea," the colleague offered, "With your history with snow and rain!" (I totaled my car in an ice-storm nearly a year ago.)

"That's not funny," I said sharply. "I know you didn't mean it, but that's not funny at all."

I wish I had said, "That was incredibly emotionally unintelligent."

Why was only my car killed last winter and not me -- and then not even my car, as I learned via e-mail yesterday that it's being resurrected in a Lithuanian body-shop(!)

Ugh! The burden, the responsibility, to do something further with my life to add meaning to the world, so that I can repay society a bit for having lost Earnest too soon. Again, I don't mean to complain. God, thanks for the extra time and please help me use it wisely.