Monday Morning Mess Up

 Mondays are usually one of the craziest days of the week for me.  I'm sure it's that way for many of us.  Since I've been working from home since March, I often start my work day early.  Depending on how things are going, I might turn on my laptop and start poking around before 7 am.  But usually I try to hold off until at least after 8 and the CBS This Morning has a lot to do with that.


I watched CBS This Morning pretty much from it's beginning; as the show debuted in late 1987 and that fall I had to get up "early" for an college internship.  I was (and still am) particularly fond of Harry Smith and Mark McEwan. (Interestingly enough it turns out Mark McEwan is a friend of one of my friends...small world!)  But I wasn't a dedicated morning news watcher at the time.  My television wasn't necessarily on every weekday at 7 AM to CBS.  But I liked the show which faded away to become The Early Show and then eventually was revised/restored the CBS This Morning again.  I became a dedicated viewer in 2012. Gayle King had a lot to do with that because I am a long time fan.  (I used to listen to her on my drive to work and would remain in the car listening until my conscious forced me into the office.)  I really enjoyed the rapport  she had with Norah O'Donnell and John Dickerson.  (Aside:  I felt really sorry for them after the Charlie Rose scandal; something they both handled exceedingly well in my opinion.) I also love the fact that she wears the same dress every year on the show's anniversary.  (It's the kind of thing I do too!) In pre-Covid times, when I had to get to the office (and travel the dreaded Route 3), I would always make sure that I caught "Your World In 90 Seconds" at the very least (if I had to get in early) and most mornings wouldn't leave the house until "Your World @8."  

In the past 9 months I've become a little more obsessed with the show and CBS news in general. With nowhere to drive,  I've been keeping the news on, even as I wander upstairs to "my office."  I have a new morning pattern.  From 6:55 to 7:20 (when there is a commercial break), I'm in front of the tv.  (Sometimes with my laptop balance on my lap.)  I may be out of the room for the local news, but I'm back at 7:30 and I definitely need to be in the room at 7:48 because that's usually when Vlad Duthiers gives us "What to Watch."  Also need to be in the front of the tv for the top of the hour for "Your World @8" (unless I'm driving my son to school because he can't make it from virtual choir at 7:10 to physical school by 8:30 without my help) and the 8:30 "Talk of the Table."  These stories are generally lighter (although not always) and are much needed in this year of stress.  I also need to add that I don't think I could have made it through the election without Ed O'Keefe and his whiteboard. (I still want to know why his whiteboard does not have it's own twitter account.  It should!)

In the early days of Covid, "out of an abundance of caution" (which just might be the CBS news catch phrase of the year), the morning team (Gayle King, Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil) broadcast remotely; the studio was empty.  Slowly and safely, the team came back, but Vlad was still doing his "What to Watch" from home and we were all checking out the guitars and artwork on his walls and seeing what books were propping up his monitor.  (If I recall correctly they changed slightly, but not too much.)  The brief "What To Watch" definitely became a thing in my house; and I'm guessing in houses across the nation as Tony Dokoupil asked viewers to come up with introductions for Vlad's segment.  (He'd done a brilliant job for a long time, but I think he was running out of steam...no one can continue on forever).

If you know me, you know that I took to this challenge like a duck to water.  Suddenly I was tweeting:  

    When all the news seems to be bad;  You can’t help but feel extremely sad. You need something to make you glad. So here’s What to Watch with Vlad.  Hip Hip Hoorah; it’s time for Duthiers!

    Summer’s almost over; Autumn’s almost here.  Vlad’s back in the studio; Now that's a reason to cheer! Hip Hip Hoorah; it’s time for Duthiers!

    Summer was hot, hot, hot. Autumn’s ready to make its move. With Vlad back in the studio your day will be nice and smooth.

None of that seemed to take, and when Tony Dokoupil suggested haiku, I chimed in with:  

In the studio With his friends at CTM Vlad at last is back

Still nothing.  When Yom Kippur came around I tried:  

@tonydokoupil  I may have many sins to atone for on Monday, but @vladduthiersCBS  What To Watch is something I cannot fast from.

That didn't take either. Nor did: @tonydokoupil the only thing that would make @vladduthiersCBS What to Watch even better is if he featured a story on @edokeefe white board. Make it happen!

Or even: @tonydokoupil what to watch? If he's at the table, the answer is @vladduthiersCBS socks! (Keep an eye on his tie too. The man's got style!)

Clearly I was not CBS This Morning material.

Which bring us to this Monday morning...You can probably guess where this is all headed, but...

Let me stress the last quarter of the calendar year is really busy work workwise. November is probably the busiest. Mondays are usually the worst; emails pile up from over the weekend and I have reports to run and spreadsheets to distribute. Figuring that this Monday was going to be a busy day (I was right), after the first commercial break, I brought down my laptop and fired it up. There was a lot of email. I culled through it and started to run my weekly report. Time was passing and I wanted to hear what Vlad had to say, but I kind of got caught up in the whole reporting thing. (We all know how that happens)

In the background I kinda/sorta heard Tony Dokoupil introduce Vlad, but I was definitely NOT paying attention. And then he said my name! (Tony Dokoupil said MY name???)

The head pops up from the laptop. Did he really say my name? What was Vlad's reaction? (He always has a reaction!) I had no idea. I was completely thrown for a loop. My husband is laughing at me and I'M laughing at me. One of the few times that I'm NOT staring at the tv and I miss the shout out? (Even more embarrassingly, I can't remember what the stories to watch were!) I get a big moment and I'm NOT paying attention? Isn't that THE story of 2020? Forget the Friday the 13ths; I think I'd better look out for the Mondays!

(Note: The intro I believe that got on the air was: Weekends are great but they lack @vladduthiersCBS . Now there's a reason to be thankful that it's Monday.)

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