I had volunteered to take telephone pledges during the telecast of an episode of Brian Green's "The elegant Universe" on NJN Public Radio. I had seen the show before and kind of liked it. I didn't like Green as much (may be because he was acting like a movie star) as I liked the short interviews by scientists working on the idea of unification. I volunteered because it sounded like fun and after going to the NJN station I definitely think it was fun.
The calls I go were interesting and it was fun. Four callers were very nice and pledged happily without putting me into much trouble. However one woman was enjoying talking to me. She asked how was she sure whether I was from NJN (come on you dialed the NJN's number!!, and I was so foolish at that moment that I didnt tell her that and I was trying to explain who I was and what the program was about etc.). She was laughing all the time. Later on she said that I had a funny accent and asked where I was from. I told her that I was from India. She asked the city, I told her Bombay. She was curious and asked me what kind of city it was, etc. Then there were these kids and teenager who called just to say bad words or to talk on they phone as if they didn't know what was going on. One man complained that why didn't we remove the old lady talking between the breaks? Most interesting conversation was with this lady. She sounded like an African American woman in her 60s. She told me to listen to her. She narrated to me the story of creation and how Christ was the king of kings. At the end of her long monologue (which I tried to cut short saying that only pledges were being taken at that time, but she didn't pause), she asked me if I was a scientist and if I beleived in god. I said I sure do beleive. She was sort of pleasantly surprised. Scientist and belief in God!! This sounds so contradiction. But I really things that there are many scientists sho beleive in god (or a set of principles that govern the universe and that we do not understand).
It was a great experience learning how to take telephone pledges and how to deal with crazy people. BTW, on the LHS is the picture of a pine tree that I took on the first snow of this winter season. Tree is in the GC courtyard.
