"Go ahead and pop off your contacts. The doctor will be right in."
Enters a blur of a man with a blur of a clipboard.
Or something square and white. I can't tell really. I can't see.
"Says here you work for... ESPN?"
"Yessir. Well, actually, the Longhorn Network."
"What does ESPN have to do with the Longhorn Network?"
"It, um, owns it."
"
Those guys?"
"Yes?"
"Well I got to tell you... I'm not real happy with either of them. Not many people are."
Here we go.
Rant city.
He takes me on a winding journey through carriage and distribution and exclusivity rights. A crescendo of passion and deprivation and non-violent threat. (In a dim examination room).
I nod at a featureless face. (Still without contacts here.)
I politely interject. (Five times is probably borderline impolite.)
"Business negotiations are far above my pay grade."
"Yes, but... c'mon. Someone should've thought it through before launching a network to
no one."
Air your grievances, good sir. But not so close to my face. And might I add, your knowledge of the cable industry is truly outstanding for an optometrist. NOW STOP TALKING AND MEASURE MY EYES.
And the next time a form asks for
Employer, I'm writing down "nail technician."