what his career has become

I don't claim to have the greatest job. I have a good job, though. Pays well, challenges me enough, allows me to exploit my creativity and talents.

My work also comes with a certain amount of respect. People respect you when you can stand in front of three thousand people and teach a seminar on how the stock market works.

Which brings me to Mark Roberts.

He is the "on time" traffic guy here in Raleigh. Many times between 6am and 7am he comes on, shows us shots from pole-mounted cameras and talks about the headlights and wrecks.

A* and I have become strangely fascinated by him. Its not his bizarre voice (sounds like an effeminate auctioneer with a permanent sinus infection). Its not his "off the cuff" comments like "that is the old golf course which use to be a golf course".

Nope.

I think its the whole idea. He gets up every morning, goes to work and is on camera half a dozen times... to say nothing of value. No journalistic muscles flexed. The only pressure is to somehow say something different at 6:20am than he said at 6:10am when nothing has changed.

Does he get excited about going to work?

Does he obsess about making it interesting today vs. yesterday?

Does he have standards for himself?

...or does he hate what his life and what his career has become?

No matter, though. We love him.