Ho! Ho! I won one!
Judy Conlin
I went on a photo shoot this week. I knew that would get your attention. You know me as the slovenly old woman in the dirty bathrobe, who would never get dressed if she did not have to. Who would want a picture of that hot mess? I had to admit it was not a professional photo shoot. It was a personal photo shoot to celebrate my upcoming 90th birthday. (I did it a bit early just in case I did not last until I was ninety. One must be prepared for all eventualities.)
Just like you, when Nurse Judy, my diva alter ego, heard the news she thought it was a professional shoot and she was beside herself. They must have made a mistake inviting me.. Surely, some celebrity publications wanted pictures of her. A mistake had been made. I had to show her the contract where I had requested the shoot. Mollified, but still unhappy, she decided she would try to make sure I looked as good as possible, because somehow folks would connect her with me. She became very bossy during this time.
First, she made appointments for hair and nails for me on the day of the shoot. Nurse Judy may be a diva, but she is not efficient plus she is dealing with an almost ninety year old who messes everything up. The result was both the hair appointment, and the nail appointment were for the same time on the same day. My wonderful friends at the salon both worked on me at the same time to prepare me for the shoot. By then I was a nervous wreck.
I arrived at the photographers carrying 5 or 6 of Nurse Judy’s Spencer Alexis Victorian outfits and a basket of matching shoes and accessories. I felt like a fraud, but those outfits did bolster my courage. The photographer was new in town and knew nothing about me or Nurse Judy. Of course, she was delighted with those outfits, and of course, she assumed they were mine. She was the sweetest, kindest lady in the world, and I was thoroughly enjoying her attention. I did not reveal that those outfits belonged to someone else. The ruse continued when she discovered the matching shoes in the basket.
“You sure must have a lot of shoes, to be able to match all these outfits with shoes,” she said.
By now, I was flying high and lying like a trooper. “Oh, I have shelves of beautiful expensive shoes,” I say, “and drawers and drawers of accessories, plus I have 10 more Spencer Alexis outfits in my closet.” I could not bring myself to admit that they did not belong to me. I was enjoying myself much too much.
As this sweet lady snapped photos, she kept saying “Beautiful’ or ‘So pretty’ or ‘ This is my favorite’ as I swelled up with pride. No matter what I was wearing, this was me she was talking about.
When she finished, she let me see a few of her favorites. I was so disappointed. I was dolled up and dressed up, but I looked like plain old Judy wearing someone else’s clothes. Sensing my lack of enthusiasm, she quickly told me that the edited version would be more to my liking.
She had worked so hard and been so patient, I did not want to make her feel bad. “I’m sure they will be fine,” I said.
Outside, Nurse Judy was waiting. “Those aren’t pictures of you,” she said. “Somehow, she took photos of me. Aren’t they lovely?”
I took another look at the photos. There was a vague look of plain old Judy in them, but if you changed your angle a little, there was Nurse Judy, who is not beautiful, but thinks she is so much that she looks better than she is. “You are so right, “ I said even though I knew it was not true. “Those pictures are of you.”
I think I have had a big win. Now when people make a fuss over Nurse Judy, I can enjoy it knowing sometimes you cannot tell the difference. That is how it is with alter egos,
More later, Plain old Judy
www.nursejudyinfo.com
