Error on the log

In television, we use something called a program log. It's purpose is to tell us what we are to put on the air. It's very important to follow the log. As long as you do, you can't get into trouble.

The department which produces the log is called the "traffic department".

A traffic manager once told me years ago, "The log is your bible. Always follow the log. The log is never wrong."

Well, she lied. The log was often wrong. And it was wrong tonight.

Luckily, I noticed it a couple of hours early. There was a paid program logged for 2:33 AM that had a wrong number. It was only off by one digit, but I wanted to be certain that another tape didn't exist with that number.

I had a program sheet which had the correct number on it, but that isn't the official log. The program sheet is an unofficial paper that is intended to aid us in setting up our programs. It is prepared by the lady, Theresa, who handles the program tapes for us. But the sheet isn't official. The program log is.

Not wanting to get burned by airing the wrong show, I picked up my cell phone and went down the list of numbers I had programmed into its memory. I came to "Teresa" and hit "send".

She answered and I proceeded to explain to her that the log called for the paid program that I was supposed to run at 2:33 AM was Carlton Sheets #297-0555, but her program sheet stated it should be #297-0565.

She acted a little confused, so I repeated myself.

After repeating the information the second time, I began to wonder why it was that she wasn't understanding me. I was certain that I was explaining it as clear as I could. Furthermore, it wasn't a particularly difficult concept to grasp. There was a descrepancy on the log. I needed to make sure there wasn't a tape with the actual number on the log that I should air.

I explained, "Your sheet calls for — "

She interrupted, "Are they saying that I called them?"

"No," I said, beginning to feel exasperated. "Your sheet called for..."

She continued to protest. It was then that I recognized her voice. I was talking to my cousin Teresa!

In my haste to put to bed the question about the log, I had scrolled down the list of numbers in my phone, and called the first Teresa to which I came. I had forgotten that my cousin's number was there, too.

Embarassed beyond belief at this point, I stopped her and told her that I had called the wrong Teresa.

She began to laugh. She said, "I really thought you'd lost your mind! I thought, Darren has gone to the other side!"

We talked for a few minutes, and then ended the call since the battery was going dead in her phone.

I didn't say a word about my blunder when I called the real programming Theresa, who promptly confirmed her program sheet referenced the correct show; the log was wrong.

Sometimes when we begin to take ourselves and life a little too seriously, something happens to force us to laugh. Tonight, I was the butt of the joke.