Stephen's Secure Blog #275
These stories about Stephen began was when he was 10 years old, and
moving to a new part of the country to attend a special school for
gifted students, in the 1950's. This was from a time before computers
would fit on a desk, and when people communicated with friends in other
countries by actual letters sent through the postal service. He wrote
225 of them to a friend. He stopped writing to his penpal, but found he
still wanted to record his life, in case he lost his memory again, and
wrote 30 entries in his first logbook. Then he wrote to an artificial
intelligence called Geenee, in the master computer in his school for
gifted students, which he started attending in 2016. Now it's after
2018, and he's continuing to save his memories in a secure blog.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
The stories may not be posted in chronological order.
Stephen is 17 in this story, in spring of year 7 of his special school.
Stephen's Secure Blog #275 "PBS Proposal"
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Chad asked for a Tibet team meeting. He said to me, "Boston PBS has
asked me if you would do a fundraising show with them." I said
"Absolutely! I love PBS! Oops." They laughed. He said "I'll tell them
you said that." I said "Fine. What exactly do they want of me?" He said
"Main guest for the live talking part, over a few days, and previously
recorded entertainment." I said "I could do some live music for them,
too, in studio and on stage. Do you think I can offer to match
contributions? When do we go talk to them about it?" He said "We'll
see. Yes, your books and recordings are selling like burnt cakes, and
we can schedule a talk with them now, actually." Rose said "Burnt
cakes?" Chad grinned and said, "Hot cakes, which are also called
pancakes, an old saying for something in high demand." She said
"Fattening?" They laughed.
Chad called, and spoke to the person in charge of the fundraiser. He
said "I just asked Stephen if he would like to participate in your
fundraising event. Here is what he said, and I quote." He did that,
exactly. She said "Wow!" Chad said, "He's here with me, and can hear
you." She said "We can meet any time you are available, and can match
excitement to excitement." We laughed. We scheduled the appointment for
an hour later. She said "Oh, you're already in Boston?" Chad said, "No.
Stephen can be anywhere he wishes, in a second." She said "So that's
really true! Oh, can he shuttle between PBS stations during the event?"
I nodded, and Chad said, "Great idea. He said yes." She said "Wow!" He
said "We hear that a lot." She laughed. She said "Until you get here,
I'll be on the phone with the president of PBS." Chad said, "I wonder
why." She laughed, and they hung up. I said in wonder, "I actually get
to do something I like. Thank you." We hugged.
Chad and I ported to her office. There was a video conference setup
with the president of PBS. After the introductions, Chad said, "What
can we do to help?" The president said, "Were you serious about your
offer?" I said "I am not able to lie, and I do not support lies." Chad
said, "Politicians are VERY careful around him." They had an assortment
of interesting expressions. He said, "Privately, I'm glad to hear
that!" We all agreed, and thanked him. I said "Some of them, I only see
their backs, vanishing in the distance." They laughed. I said "Whatever
I can do, which doesn't get personal, or too miraculous looking, I'll
be happy to do." He said "Yes, I've been watching you." I said, looking
horrified, "Not everywhere, I hope." He laughed, and said, "I
appreciate your humor. If you will pitch PBS for us in the event, and
if it can be arranged, across the country, we would really appreciate
it. Do you need a synopsis of our shows?" I said "Fine. And no. I
actually do watch PBS. Antiques Road Show is my all time favorite. Nova
is VERY well done, and in my view, absolutely necessary. The news shows
are balanced, and well researched. I love the art themed shows." He
looked surprised, and proud, and said, "I have to express my gratitude.
Thank you. That part about matching?" I said "I want to. My manager
said it's feasible, but you might not get it all in one lump. Might
squash you flat." They all laughed.
I said "But why ask me for this? There are a lot of other people who
are known to actively support PBS. Why ask an unknown quantity?" She
said, "Because you are all who we want to help people become; educated,
artistic, proponent of good human values, religious but inclusive, and
very personable. All that makes you the best choice. I have to admit it
took some courage to ask you." I said "Not needed. I don't bite. Well,
not much." They laughed. I said "I'm doing this because I value
education, and PBS provides some very important things that can be had
no other way for a lot of people. In my opinion, PBS is absolutely
necessary for the American people, to BE good and responsible
Americans. I think this will benefit America more than any one thing I
can ever do." They were really impressed, and a little moist eyed.
I said "We have some recordings of performances which haven't been
released, or we can make new ones for the event, and I can do live
things, too. Dead, would be a little awkward." He laughed again. Chad
said, "And there is something you don't know about. Stephen is going to
do a ballet show. He will BE the show. Yes, he'll dance." I said to
Chad, "As my manager, shouldn't you be telling me first?" He said,
"No." I sighed, and shook my head in mock disgust, and said, "The
talent get so little respect. What is this world coming to?" They
laughed. I said "Oh, Chad, when are you going to tell me WHEN this
thing is supposed to be?" He said "Tomorrow." I said, "So, you're going
to tell me tomorrow?" He said "I just did." I said slowly and
carefully, "Do you mean the EVENT is tomorrow?" He said "Sure. How long
does it take for you to put on tights?" I said "You are VERY lucky I'm
not the violent type." He did a wolfish grin, and said, "I know." They
laughed. I said to them, "The last I heard about this, was as a
suggestion. At least I have a day notice. I had less then two hours for
the basketball game. I think he LOVES doing this to me." I said to
Chad, "Do I at least get to have a ballerina?" He said on mock horror,
"In front of everybody?" They got it, and laughed. I said with
exaggerated patience, "I don't think dancing BEHIND everybody would go
over well." He said "No, just you alone." I said "What kind of ballet
show can work with just one dancer? I sure don't want to act as a
sleeping pill." He said "Yes, that would be hard to swallow." They
really laughed.
I said to Chad, "Is there a program?" He said "No, you wing it." I
said "But who would want to come see somebody who isn't known as a
dancer, dance something they don't know about?" He said "Thousand a
head, and sold out." I said "That's terrible! How can they applaud,
being just heads?" He hesitated, while they were laughing. I said "Ha!
Got you stuck on that one." He said "Yes, you did." We hugged. I said
"I'll do singing in the rain. I'll take care of the effects. YOU are
going to need a mop. Take care of the license. Then some male dances
from The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. Then something I'll create for the
event. I'll take care of the music. Any USEFUL suggestions would be
welcome, from ANYBODY present." The Boston PBS person said, "Afternoon
of a Faun?" I said "Need nymphs for that, and I don't think Nijinsky's
finale would be appropriate." She said "Oh? What was that?" I said
"Simulated masturbation." She actually blushed with embarrassment.
I said "I could try for the world record for the spin cycle?" The
president said, "What is that?" I said "The number of pirouettes you
can do without stopping, or falling on your er, butt. Theoretically, if
you have a very flexible and very strong waist, you can keep it going
until you sustain some injury, or drop from exhaustion. I think the
record is a little less than 50." Chad said "Then you can do at least a
hundred." I said "I suppose we'll see. Should I do something in drag,
seriously, or as comedy?" Chad said, "It's your show." I said "I'd love
to do the scarecrow again, but that would need a Dorothy." Chad said
"Save that clip for PBS." I said "Right. Strauss pair, too?" He said
"Right. The two harp pieces, too." I said, "If they want them. What
else should we give them?" He said a few more things, and I pulled a
bunch of labeled memory cards from behind me, with hidef videos on
them, and passed them over. She said "Oh, you had them ready?" I said
"No. Just made them for you. Your president should look behind him, to
see duplicates. What you don't use, we want back. Also, consider that I
can play almost any instrument at virtuoso level, and I make my own. I
don't need rehearsals, which Chad's lack of warning for the dance show,
should tell you. So, if you want some music live, any style but Thai
traditional, let me know, or challenge me on air. Lets make this event
the best one ever! And fun, too." The president said, "We'll review the
recordings, and establish the schedule, and let you know as soon as we
can, with more notice than you usually get." I said an exaggerated,
"Thank you VERY much!" They laughed. We said our goodbyes, and ported
away.
Back at our own meeting, Hawk said, "Ballet. Interesting. There are
going to be a lot of hot people there." Rose poked him, and they both
laughed. I said to Chad, "Seriously, why such a short notice? Wouldn't
it have been better if they actually knew what they were going to see?"
He said "Seriously, your improvisation, when you get into it, is
incredible. I want that for the world." I said "Please don't argue with
valid justification." They laughed very hard. Hawk said "Just be
grateful he didn't set up some ice skating." Chad looked very
thoughtful, and I yelled "HAWK!" Rose and I jumped on him, and poked
and tickled him into a big laughing fit. Then I said to Chad,
"Scheherazade, full symphony. I'll need a few days ice time before the
show, to see what I can do." He nodded, while I was thinking,
"Sheesh!!!"
I said "Chad, I'll do these things, but you're a little off in an
assumption. You underestimate how fast I can think. I only really
improvise when I'm in action with somebody else who is improvising,
such as our Saints piece, and parts of the basketball game. My other
music is composed before I start to play it, and for some, like the
harp pieces, I also program my movements in advance. The golf game had
very little improvisation, except the humor. Before the basketball game
had started, I had set up the tactics I would use, and the strategy. I
would have done the same things weeks in advance, that I did in those
seconds. Tomorrow, when I see the size and shape of the stage, I'll
program the set as lighted illusion, and create the dance in less than
a second, before I do it. So, you gain nothing but perverse pleasure in
making these events short notice. What causes me to be extra creative,
is when I'm NOT working, and something inspires me, like when I was
waiting for the concerts to start, and just having fun with people."
Chad said "I didn't know. I'm sorry." I said "With more time, and some
inspiration, I could have made those things better. AND you get to
advertise the really unusual, in advance."
I said "After the Scheherazade skate, should I do Singing in the Rain
on ice, as an encore?" He said "And for a curtain call?" I said "Try
for a quintuple axel?" He said "Can you do that?" I said "Just using
the body? I don't know. I'm pretty sure I can do a quad, though." Hawk
said "That should be very interesting. I think you should do a fall,
first, to show people you can fail, and still work for success." Rose
said "I'm not sure about the honesty of that." I said "Right. I'll just
I said "Ah! Here's what a little notice gets you. I just added
another dance to the program tomorrow. A wild take on the Shiva dance
from India." Rose said "I'm going to like THAT!" I said "Hey, Hawk, I
get to play with drums, for it." That got their attention. He said
"REALLY interesting." I grinned, and said, "I hope."
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Grant
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