December is the month for looking back at the rest of the year and promising yourself that the next year is going to be better and healthier. You tell yourself that you’re going to spend less, eat better, exercise more – and in my case, that the next radio interview I do will go much better than the last one.

A few months ago somewhere in the beginning of the year, I talked myself into doing a radio interview about the game of bridge.

Minutes before the interview, I felt the familiar pre-gig nervous feeling kicking in.

My preparation was done; three coffees, stacked neatly in a row. This was followed by three cigarettes and a lighter – and of course, The Notes, organized like I was about to read the nightly news.

I’m a writer by trade, and I’m naturally better at writing things down than I am at being made to say them out loud. This was most of the reason for the notes. I’m the kind of person that gets my name and age wrong if I’m asked too fast.

Now, if you’ve never done a radio interview: You get a call a few minutes before the interview to make sure you’re on the line. From there, you’re put through to the live feed of the radio, but on mute, and then they play an introductory song.

I wondered if I could make a song request, and then wondered if it could be something edgy like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden or Judas Priest. (I couldn’t and it wasn’t.)

After this, you hear the nervewrecking introduction. “We’ll be talking to Alex J. Coyne about the game of contract bridge.”

It’s the feeling you get right before you walk on stage,  too, at least if you’re generally nervous about everything.

My wife was on the side for support. She’s a good warning system for mouthing “N-O.” when I’m going too far off topic.

The interview wasn’t in English, and I might have borrowed a few terms from English while there are very well equivalent terms in the right language. (At the time, I just drew a blank: The worst card in the worst suit!) Apologies.

The interview went just fine, but I’ll admit that it could have gone better than just fine – and I vow to the entire bridge world that the next interview will go better.

I’ve asked the radio station for a recording of the interview, but no luck so far. I think the recording might be in a box in their basement, blessed, sanctified and safely locked up so that nobody has to listen to it.