Hocus Pocus by FOCUS

Dear Universe,

The last five years have absolutely flown the heck by, but the update I have to give you picks up right where we left off, so it may seem it took five years for the next part of life to begin when the truth is that life happens one single moment at a time and each one, whether gorgeously painful or wonderful, is best savored because it’s the only one of exactly such a moment you’re ever going to experience before one day you do not have any more experiences, SO, enjoy now as best as you are able. Here’s what I’m attempting to enjoy: The final days with my WPPB family before the exciting renaissance of becoming Long Island’s only local NPR AND PBS station 🤯

This is just. (Not beyond) EXACTLY my wildest dreams (or, well, close to it. I could probably ROCK a TV show)

But yes, I recently (not celebrated as we’re contending with a global pandemic) my first anniversary as producer/host/tech of “The Heart Of The East End” on 88.3 and while moving from a one-hour weekly feature interviewing two people to a three-hour morning program where I’m running the board, scheduling the spots, making the playlists and doing upwards of 10 interviews per day has been an adjustment, it is one in which I’m proving a “natural,” so I could seriously cry from how proud I am to have gotten myself good enough to be producing a program on my lonesome that is. SO. ON POINT.

My career coach (don’t snicker at me) says I need to get some new awards, which is awkward because I’ve only ever gotten because of another person’s nomination, but maybe I will come around to totally selling out. Why not? I mean, if you told high school me that I’d one day be playing pop music ever, let alone on the radio, I would‘ve rolled my eyes and been like, “YEAH RIGHT — GOOD ONE” before asking, “What are you?  Some sort of time traveler?” That’s how it would go if it were some time/space continuum flick.

But right now I’m just too buried in making sure I’m doing the best dang show every single morning. I’ve been stacking up experience—Hungry like the wolf—because if my power to produce is in any way diminished I’ll know I squeezed EVERY second from my time with our listening audience &
that I brought them surprising, unique and incredible content.

“You’re a broadcaster, you’re not just a DJ,” Dr. Wally Smith said to me a week or so ago (but in the film those phrases are switched because it sounds better to end on broadcaster) and, well, I probably didn’t need to eat anything for the rest of the week because that compliment was the richest of foods. I am constantly unsure these days whether it’ll be the last time that I see him. Today was kind of a gut punch kind of a day since I
will no longer see Jimmy the Mailman every day either, which was extra weird because I promoted a piece using Mr. Rogers as a sort of frame for doing good during this time and here I’m watching my own little entrance into my neighborhood crunch closed like a wadded sheet of paper amidst a fist, but look, it’s just life. It’s full of not niceties and what I DID accomplish, to the best of my ability, was to soak in every dang second of my time knowing well that these moments would not last forever.

Nothing does.

Probably not even diamonds.
Please hold while I google that.
 
LOL DIAMONDS BECOME PENCILS

Sorry, where was I?

Oh!

I’m on the precipice of the next step in my life and am going to invest in my first home if I continue to thrive through transition!

And I’m doing work in which even I am incredibly proud (though there is certainly room for improvement when/if the team grows!)

For example, I did a fantastic interview with a doctor this morning (With whom I’ve had discussion every Mon through the pandemic) & we had a pretty serious chat about HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE, which looks even more intimidating when it’s capitalized like that—
Until you learn it’s in aquarium cleaner and you’re like, oh, ok then —and I’ve set up a “butt-load” of interviews for this week, among them a gentleman from Southold’s sister, “Southwold, Suffolk, UK”

But since it’s inappropriately late/early (0342) and I’m probably just rambling at this point, I will TRY to find sleep now and I‘ll leave you with a five-year-old draft I found upon signing in here and the following thought that I may have finally met my person!

Imagine that?

I read a cool thing about how “you know when you know” and it’s true because you choose it—You know—so that’s exciting.

Knowing one thing. That’s a lot of things to know in life!

(And if you don’t know, now you know, chica)

Five years ago, I was writing you the following words and dangling participles:

“I'll be honest, people (That's kind of my thing)

I've quit tending bar and am actually terrified about continuing to make ends meet out here on the beautiful East End, but I've been encouraged by my support system to take the risk and focus on my writing career full-time - at least through the summer - so that's what I'm doing.


And here's something cool - I asked US Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) a question at League of Women Voters of The Hamptons this Sunday.

The coolest part is I got to say, "Gianna Volpe - Sag Harbor Express."

I love getting to represent those I work for; It’s something I don't think I'll ever get tired of doing.”