Hard to Say No

Oy. Is that I am an attention seeking hound or is that I know that the interest in what I have been working on for the past six or so years is about to fall off a cliff? 

I got asked to do some TV this afternoon, and all I could think is:

• (a) the traffic--Ottawa's traffic is not bad, but the media always time this stuff for maximum time stuck in my car
• (b) the media plan about as well as the Harper government.  Just as today's day of honoring the Canadian effort in Afghanistan is very poorly planed, the media too is acting as if today's events are a pop quiz.  If I had gotten a call even yesterday, I could have arranged this as I was briefly downtown this morning (fascinating talk on Mideast Civil-Military relations).  But, nope, I get the call after I return home.
• (c) that I am weak.

So, of course, I said yes.  I figure that the media's interest in my books (the one that is and the one that will be) is going to dissipate sometime later this evening.  If I charted my media appearances over the years, it would demonstrate how episodic the interest in Afghanistan and NATO is.  I expect Afghanistan to disappear again mighty soon, while NATO will stick around (thanks, Putin!).  My next book, now under review, should be coming out next year and should have some lasting interesting because the aim is to provide lessons about how Canada does foreign/defence stuff.  But I think I am realistic about how much play it will get when Afghanistan is solidly in the rear view mirror.

Anyhow, I say all of this to whine about my #firstworldprofproblems.  I have been very lucky over the past decade in all kinds of ways, so I do media stuff in part to pay back those who supported me (SSHRC, Canada Chairs program, the folks who endowed my current chair).  Plus I am vain as hell and love attention.  A little self-knowledge is probably not a good thing.

See you at 5:50ish on CBC-Ottawa.