Monday January 28th 4:00

I am leaving for the airport in less then 2 hours and I’m finding myself doing crazy stuff, like I just vacuumed the floor. It’s strange… I’m doing everything I can to not think about anything. This is really showing me something about myself I never really realized. I’m a “denier”. With everything that’s happening lately, I’m doing a whole lot of self discovery. I’m being forced to be in situations I never dreamed of and it’s funny how I’m handling them. For example… right now, I’m writing to y’all when I’m sure there is some more “preparing” I should be doing, but I just can’t. For some reason writing about it isn’t really like thinking about it. You guys are my friends and family. This is FUN. Actually thinking, preparing and over analyzing, which I could easily get myself into doing, is SCARY! sooooo, I’ll just keep babbling from now until tomorrow night
I really should get going and do something else… not sure what, but something. I’ll be back soon I’m sure!

 

9:52… Okay, I’m at the hotel. The driver Michael was so awesome! I got to the baggage claim and he was holding up a little sign that said “Haywood”. I’ve never been one of THOSE people that got picked up by men with signs before! YIPEE!!! As I crossed the
Washington
Bridge and looked over to
Manhattan I couldn’t help but channel George and Weezie… MOVIN ON UP!! I’m settling in for the night, got my jammie’s on, said night night to the girls, gave a long distance hug to my husband, took my contacts out, and the one thought right this very moment that is giving me the biggest grin on my face is the fact that there is ZERO possibility that I will be woken up out of a dead sleep at some UnGodly hour by

“MOMMY!!!! I NEED TO WIPE!!!!!!”

Ahhhhhhh…. peace and serenity….

Night night friends…. next time we talk, this part of the ride will be over.

 

7:00AM
My wake up call isn’t for another 30 minutes, but I just can’t sleep. Of course I dreamed something horrible last night. (I did that right before the Oprah/QVC product search too, so I’m not surprised) This time I had a dream that my product starting “peeling” and come to find out instead of being made of solid stainless steel (like it is) it was a nail and a paper filter looking thing coated in a silver metal coating that peeled off the first time you washed it! In my dream I was frantically trying to call
Taiwan and my sourcing agent and of course couldn’t get a hold of anyone. It was one of those dreams where when you wake up and realize it was just a dream, you are so relieved that you are actually put in a GREAT mood because you realize everything is right with the world I couldn’t go back to sleep, so here I am. I watched the show last night and on the one minute to millions segment last night, they gave those guests a lot of “X”’s and not so many thumbs up, so I’m thinking tonight, they are going to be full of compliments! I really do feel good about it. I’m not very nervous right now about the show. I am more nervous about the live radio interview that I am doing at 9:05 this morning. Yesterday I was in the local paper in a story about my trip here. http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/jan/28/good_morning_lowcountry28883/
A news talk radio station read it and asked if they could do a live phone in interview before I left the hotel. Anything I do w/ Donny will be taped so if I mess up too bad, I can get a “do over”. Live…. is LIVE! Ooooppsss… I’m starting to thing a little too much. Gotta quit that! Well, I’m still in my PJ’s so I’m going to throw some clothes on and get some breakfast downstairs. I’ll come back and get ready after I eat something. If I don’t talk to you again, I’ll be back when it’s all over!

 

Tuesday January 29^th 3:15 Well… it’s all over.  I can’t believe that it’s all over.  WOW what a whirlwind.  This morning while in my hotel I did a live interview with the morning show and from what my friends and family say, it went really well.  It’s funny how after “events” like this, I have amnesia.  I have no idea how anything really goes, I just know if I messed up or not, not so much how well I did.  I knew I didn’t mess up, but I’ve heard I did really well.   When I get home I’ll get the digital recording and link it.   

 

 

So on to Donny!  The car picked me up at 9:30 sharp and I went straight to the studio which was only about 10 minutes away.  I was sitting in the back seat with a big wooly jacket on and my hands on my hips so I wouldn’t pit my dress from all the perspiration that was going on under that jacket.  I went into “make-up” and got my face done.  That in itself was worth the trip!!! Patty my make up artist was MAGIC!  You should see me!!!  I’m actually sitting in LaGuardia airport right now waiting for my flight home, looking like I am an entrepreneur of the oldest profession, BUT for TV… my face looks GREAT!  THANKS PATTY!!! 

 

 

After I got my face on I went with a producer and we went into a back room where they had some food grilled and we did a video shoot which they edited and used for the lead in to the “One minute to Millions segment”  That was a TON of fun!  That was just me, the producer and the camera guy.  We had a blast!  She asked me questions, and then I answered them like I was talking to Donny.  It’s amazing what they can do by just editing clips.  They took the 20 minutes I did in there, the video the crew took in

Charleston and put it all together to make a segment that lasted about 1 minute.  I can’t wait to really see it tonight.  The other guests said it was great.   

 

 

After the video with the producer, I went back to the “green room” and waited.  Slowly but surely the other guests trickled in and we chatted, laughed, compared notes, it was awesome!  Not all of the guests hung out (like Carmen Electra) but most did.  (None of us saw Carmen; she was whisked in and whisked out pretty quickly without any of us seeing her).  The show is taped almost in real time.  The show flows at the set just like it will on TV later that night.  The producers come and get you when “you’re up next” then you get to get personal with the mic guy and they get to figure out just how to wire you up, totally funny!   

 

 

When it was my turn, they brought me onto the set and I must admit, I was feeling a little panic attacky.  Nobody would ever know it, but the ol heart rate got up there pretty high.  That only lasted until I got sitting down and the tape started rolling.  I was warned by the producer, “this is done in one take, no do overs, so if you mess up, just keep on going and don’t make a big deal out of it”.  Just sitting there next to Donny was totally surreal.  I though I was going to jump out of my skin for a minute there, but then when we started rolling, my brain went on autopilot, my heart rate lowered and again… I’m not sure how I did; I just know that I didn’t “mess up”.  (By mess up, I mean I didn’t say something REALLY REALLY stupid)  I don’t remember what I said or how I looked, I just know I didn’t do anything I can be chastised for.     

 

 

I’m pretty sure I did fine, but I’m totally going to let you all make up your mind as to how it actually went with my product.  If you missed the show, it’ll be on my website within the week.  One of the experts that was critiquing me didn’t “get it”, but that’s okay, I can’t make everyone happy.  Donny loved me and my product and that’s all that matters.   

 

 

So now it’s all over and I can breathe again.   Tonight we are going next door to watch my national TV debut with friends.  I can’t believe it’s all over and I’m on my way home.  Wow, that was crazy!  I wonder what’s in store next?  Dianne (www.saltychix.com) emailed me info that Rachael Ray is looking for kitchen gadget inventors…  Hey… It could happen! 

Leslie Haywood, Founder and President, Charmed Life Products LLC www.grillcharms.com

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 29th, 2008 at 6:03 pm and is filed under Inventor Mom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.