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Jai and I have talked about auditioning for TAR for some time. We were sure we could do that. We had it all figured out, our tag “Former Mormon Missionary Companions”…brilliant who doesn’t want “nuns” (cuz you KNOW that’s what everyone thinks!) to be running around on The Amazing Race! So that’s our catch, we’re a shoe-in!

TAR 5 was just finishing up and TAR6 had been filmed and was in editing. One day while browsing the site together (over the Internet) we were talking about our plans to turn in a video and we each downloaded an application to fill out. This was Monday…

Cim: “uh, I don’t know if this is the time to mention it…but um, applications are due for TAR7 on WEDNESDAY!”

Jai: “WHA…..??!!”

Cim: “Yeah, it says it…right here. Due Wednesday by 6:00pm.”

Jai: […]

Cim: “hmmmm….”

Jai: “Can you take Wednesday off work?”

Cim: “uh…sure. Why?”

Jai: “I just rented a car. I’m on my way.”

Cim: “Whaaaaa??!!

So Jai talked our friend Elisa into driving out to CA from UT with her and she left Tuesday afternoon. They drove straight through (9 hours!) and arrived late Tuesday night…or was it early Wednesday morning…hard to recall, it’s a blur.

First thing we got up and finalized our applications…took some pictures to include with said applications…and started writing up a script. Since we only had about 9 hours to script, film and edit the video we had to get it right! (which actually means, script and shoot, we don’t need no stinkin’ editing!) Jai had brought her family’s older camcorder so we plugged it in to start with filming. Only, it’s not working, there’s picture but you can’t HEAR us. AUDIO is KEY…we’re AUDITIONING, Charlie Chaplin could do it, but we’re just not that good!!! Luckily, my next door neighbor Laura just (and I mean JUST, like the week before) purchased a great little camcorder (only I doubt that’s what they’re called in the 21st century) and I convinced her to let us use it! “But do NOT break it!”, I think was the agreement.

Filming went quite smoothly as Jai is a brilliant writer, after all! A few minor glitches, but nothing major. It’s now 2:00 and all we need to do is record it from the video camera to standard VHS tape and get it to Santa Monica in 3 hours. Easy, right?

2:05pm
Ahhhh, look at all this time, no problem!
Hook up video camera to VCR and TV.

2:09pm
Where are the cables?

2:15pm
On phone with Laura.

Cim: “Yeah, did this come with all the right cables?”

Laura: “Um, yeah, it said it came with everything needed. Go look at my house in the case or in the box.”

2:25pm
Rifling through everything at Laura’s house, not in case, not in box, not by computer, not in her room in cabinet.

2:30pm
On phone with Laura.

Cim: “Is there ANYWHERE else it could be?”
Laura: “Well you could look in the entertainment center cabinets”

HEY, there they are!

2:35pm
Back at the house with VCR, video camera and cables. Tinker, tinker, tinker…none of these work. OH NOOOOO, none of these work.

2:50pm

Jai: “I’ll go to Target and get them. Just tell me what to buy.”
Cim: “Well, look, it goes from here [pointing] to here [showing] and here [showing].
Jai: “Okay, I’ll go.”

3:15pm
Jai comes back with a couple of cables…

3:30pm
None of these are right…Back to Target

4:00pm
Back with more cables…

Jai: “Here I bought one of everything, surely one of them will work.”
Cim: [whiiiine] “I don’t knooooow…we’re not going to make it.”
Jai: “Just hook it up.”
Cim: “Okay.”

Tinker, Tinker, Tinker…nothing. All combinations lead to either audio and no video, or video and no audio. Neither will work…

Jai: [clearly the level headed of the bunch] “Where did Laura buy the camera?”
Cim: “We’re never going to make it.”
Jai: “Shut up, yes we are, where?”
Cim: “Best Buy, it’s a couple of stores down from Target.”
Jai: “Keep working with these I’ll be right back.”

Jai leaves for her THIRD trip to the store and with her takes the BOX that the camera came in. She’s not my TAR partner for NOTHIN’ I tell ya!

While Jai is at Best Buy I get on the phone with my friend that works at Disney and has her ask her couriers the * FASTEST * way to Santa Monica in RUSH HOUR (cuz if anyone knows a courier would!). We get very vague directions…134W to 101N to Woodman, left, a right, a couple more lefts and then go “up and up and up and up”. And I assume then, down and down and down and down.

4:12pm
The cables HAVE to be here somewhere…where…where…where…where. OH…LOOK…here they are. In a drawer, next to the PHONE, in the back, under a bunch of stuff. Oh, that makes perfect sense.

4:20pm

Cim: “Jai, get back here I found them, I FOUND THE CABLES AND IT’S WOOOORKING!”
Jai: “Yay, cuz I’m standing here about the purchase the camera NEW so we can use the cables!”
Cim: “Doh! Put that down and get home!”

4:55pm
The three of us jump in the car and driiiiive.

Will the girls make it, or will they be heartbroken?
Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of The Amazing Race (That Might Have Been)