Today's extraordinary person sighting.... A woman at my gym, on the machine directly in front of mine. She has her iPad balanced on the machine and is watching a video. It's a video of a laptop. The laptop is showing a low-resolution clip of Little House on the Prairie.
Let's get this straight. She is watching a video of a video of a 30+ year old show based on an 80+ year old book about a family from 100+ years ago.
In the show, there is a party going on. Pa is playing fiddle, that guy from Soap is strumming on the old banjo. Ma and the kids are holding hands and dancing, and the camera catches the shadows they throw on the walls. Everyone is joyful and grinning--and in total silence, because the woman watching the video-of-a-video does not have headphones. I think of offering her my extra pair, but she is bopping her head as though she hears the song, so I don't bother her. She clearly doesn't need my help.
The credits roll, and then the video on the laptop ends. Then so does the video of the laptop on the iPad. The woman hits "play" and watches the sequence again. Fiddle, banjo, dancing, end credits. And again, and again. And again.
I quickly find myself sucked into the video-of-a-video. I start to get it. But instead of bluegrass, I am listening to Rupaul on my headphones because of course. I'm genuinely disappointed when she finishes her fourth viewing and gets off the machine.
Sissy that walk, Michael Landon. And you, too, iPad woman.