I had a crazy night. Hopefully I'll post some video soon that illustrates that. But I was too tired. I finished the news last night and was about to go home when I started to hear some interesting traffic on the police scanner. Something about a manhunt in a nearby town. Intrigued, I got a camera ready and headed out to see what was up. To make a long story short, I didn't get anything on the manhunt...but I did end up in Belgrade watching a big hardware store burn to the ground. AWESOME sight to see. I've seen my share of raging forest fires. This is the first structure fire (that I can remember) that just blew me away. I got great video of one of the largest fires in Gallatin County history. But I didn't get to sleep until about 4 am. I'm tired. Therefore, I will forego a meaningful post and complete the following survey. Enjoy. (Or don't. I'm not offended if you don't read it).
1. Height? 5'10
2. Have you ever smoked heroin? No
3. Do you own a gun? No
4. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? No
5. What do you think of hot dogs? I approve. I don't eat them that often but I like them
6. What's your favorite Christmas song? Oh Holy Night
7. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Ice cold milk
8. Can you do push ups? Yes
9. Is your bathroom clean? Yes
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? I do have a jade necklace I bought in New Zeland that I sometimes wear. But it's not girly.
11. Do you like painkillers? I suppose. But I don't pop pills often.
12. What is your secret weapon to lure in women/men? Um...I'm not sure...but I think it's broken.
13. Do you have A.D.D.? Sometimes
14. Middle Name? Riley
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? a) I'm extremely tired but I have to stay up and watch the latest episode of Dirt. b) I have way too much to do at work in the next two weeks. c) I kicked ASS in covering the biggest Gallatin County structure fire in at least a decade last night.
16. Name the last 3 things you've bought? a) Gas for my car b) An Irish Cream latte c) a beer
17. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? a) Water b) Milk c) Orange Juice
18. Current worry? Deadlines at work
19. Current hate? Being poor
20. Favorite place to be? Physical place - Glacier National Park. Emotional place - with good friends.
21. How did you ring in the New Year? Hopefully with good friends
22. Where would you like to go? Number one place: Patagonia
23. Do you own slippers? No
24. What shirt are you wearing? A dark gray T-shirt
25. Do you burn or tan? First exposure of the summer - burn, then everything else is a tan.
26. Favorite color? Dark green
27. Would you be a pirate? Sure...why not?
28. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't sing in the shower
29. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child? Freddy Krueger
30. What's in your pockets? I'm wearing pajama pants. No pockets
31. Best bed sheets as a child? I think I had smurf sheets. Not sure though. If I did, I know I liked them.
32. Worst injury you've ever had? I cut my finger while slicing potatoes for Thanksgiving one year. Bad news.
33. How many TVs do you have in your house? 2
34. Who is your loudest friend? Jenny Prendergast
35. Who is your most silent friend? Brandon's a quiet guy
36. Does someone have a crush on you? Not that I know of.
37. Do you wish on shooting stars? Usually
38. What is your favorite book? A Brief History of Nearly Everything
39. What is your favorite candy? Chocolate
40. What song do/did you want played at your wedding? Um...don't care.
41. What song do you want played at your funeral? Depressing...I don't know.
42. What were you doing @ 12 AM last night? Watching a local hardware store go up in flames...really, really big flames
43. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? I've only had 2 hours of sleep.
44. Do you like your job? Almost always.
45. What job would you be doing if you didn't have your current one? I'd probably still be a bellman somewhere.
46. Where is the most beautiful place on Earth? Glacier National Park
47. Are there any people out there that dislike you? Probably. I can think of at least 2 Gallatin County officials.
48. Are you a leader or a follower? Depends on the situation.
49. Are you a good friend. I think so...except when it comes to keeping in touch.
50. Do you like reading or filling out these surveys? Sometimes. I have to be in the right mood.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Holy Crap
This is a concept rendering of a home expected to be built at Yellowstone Club, a private ski and golf community about an hour south of Bozeman. What's special about it you ask? When built, it will be the world's most expensive house.Price tag? $155 million
If we all pool our resources, maybe we could buy a part of it. You know...like a lamp shade or something.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Urban Deer
I got home from work tonight and headed straight to the mailbox. I grabbed my mail and started thumbing through it as I walked towards my apartment. Before I reached the stairs, I looked up and saw this.
Not a huge deal...I know. I've seen plenty of deer before...even in the middle of Bozeman. What's funny is what went through my mind when I first spotted them.
You see, my co-worker Andrew is a Connecticut native who is terrified of deer. He thinks he's going to hit one on the highway one of these days. More specifically, he thinks the deer is going to have some vendetta against him and run out in front of his car on purpose. I can only imagine the fear he would have felt had he been in my shoes last night. Oh Andrew. You make me laugh.
Not a huge deal...I know. I've seen plenty of deer before...even in the middle of Bozeman. What's funny is what went through my mind when I first spotted them.
You see, my co-worker Andrew is a Connecticut native who is terrified of deer. He thinks he's going to hit one on the highway one of these days. More specifically, he thinks the deer is going to have some vendetta against him and run out in front of his car on purpose. I can only imagine the fear he would have felt had he been in my shoes last night. Oh Andrew. You make me laugh.Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Hi-Def Porn and Bison
Once again, we've managed to anger viewers in southwest Montana.
First it was Jenny's tie incident. (see previous post). Then, on the 10 o'clock news two nights ago, I chose to run a story about how the porn business is dealing with Hi-Def technology. Apparently, people in the business are finding that it's showing too many imperfections that weren't previously seen. It wasn't a long story...a 20-second blurb at the most and it was at the very end of the newscast.
I'm not stupid. I knew it could be a little controversial. But I ran it for 3 reasons.
1. It was the late news. I wouldn't have run it at 6 o'clock.
2. It came from our national NBC News feed.
3. Controversial or not...it was interesting and unusual.
What I really wanted to do was segue from that to some brief anchor chatter on how hi-def technology is changing things in the broadcasting business too. Because of hi-def, people are beginning to see just how ugly people in TV can be.
I guess that was lost on some people...or they just didn't care. A story about porn is inappropriate...no matter what the story is. Some say that's the attitude in Montana. That may be true to a certain extent but I think the story would have gotten complaints no matter which city it was shown in.
Then, on last night's news, we showed video of a bison near Yellowstone National Park being shot and killed. (For those who don't know, bison hunting is a hot-button issue in this part of the country). The hunter had shot at the animal 4 times. The first 3 shots were legal as it was on public property. But the bison starting running and jumped a fence before the last shot was fired. The final shot was on private property...which is a no-no. We had video of the incident and people weren't happy we showed it.
I've always heard that it's better to have angry reaction than no reaction at all. I agree. Whether people are happy or not, I feel like we're having some sort of a dialogue with the community. I like that.
First it was Jenny's tie incident. (see previous post). Then, on the 10 o'clock news two nights ago, I chose to run a story about how the porn business is dealing with Hi-Def technology. Apparently, people in the business are finding that it's showing too many imperfections that weren't previously seen. It wasn't a long story...a 20-second blurb at the most and it was at the very end of the newscast.
I'm not stupid. I knew it could be a little controversial. But I ran it for 3 reasons.
1. It was the late news. I wouldn't have run it at 6 o'clock.
2. It came from our national NBC News feed.
3. Controversial or not...it was interesting and unusual.
What I really wanted to do was segue from that to some brief anchor chatter on how hi-def technology is changing things in the broadcasting business too. Because of hi-def, people are beginning to see just how ugly people in TV can be.
I guess that was lost on some people...or they just didn't care. A story about porn is inappropriate...no matter what the story is. Some say that's the attitude in Montana. That may be true to a certain extent but I think the story would have gotten complaints no matter which city it was shown in.
Then, on last night's news, we showed video of a bison near Yellowstone National Park being shot and killed. (For those who don't know, bison hunting is a hot-button issue in this part of the country). The hunter had shot at the animal 4 times. The first 3 shots were legal as it was on public property. But the bison starting running and jumped a fence before the last shot was fired. The final shot was on private property...which is a no-no. We had video of the incident and people weren't happy we showed it.
I've always heard that it's better to have angry reaction than no reaction at all. I agree. Whether people are happy or not, I feel like we're having some sort of a dialogue with the community. I like that.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
The Lady Wore Red
It seems my co-anchor, Jenny, struck quite a nerve yesterday with the southwest Montana viewing audience. The reason? A red necktie. Have a look.
We do occasionally hear from viewers. Whether it be through email or over the phone, sporadic feedback comes our way. But 6 different calls during a half-hour newscast is unprecedented. They all called to say they hated Jenny's tie. "How are we supposed to take you guys seriously," said one caller. "You need to teach your female anchor how to dress," said another. They were pretty ruthless.
I was dumbfounded. Not that people had an opinion about her tie but that people would actually take the time to call us and say they hated it. I have a feeling that we could falsely accuse some well-known politician of a crime and we wouldn't get nearly as many calls as we did last night.
As far as the tie is concerned...I'm ambivalent. I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of it, but if you know Jenny like I do, you'd realize she's the kind of person that can pull it off.
What do you all think about women wearing ties? Is it really that big of a deal. Would you call into your local news and complain about it? I'm curious so let me know. Be truthful...but be nice as well.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Long time no post
It has been a while. I've been busy with work and I just never got around to updating this thing. But here I am.
I finally caved in and got high speed internet hooked up in my apartment. I should have done it sooner. It makes life so much easier. And because I have easily accessable internet service, I went to town on my myspace page and blog. (At least I thought I did. I'm having some technical difficulties with things so don't be surprised if both pages look a little strange. I'm working on it). I know I said I was going to "rid myself" of Mypace. I had every intention of doing so. But I decided against it. I am bad at keeping in touch. But that doesn't mean I should throw the recent re-connections I've made out the window. On top of that, a flurry of new friends found their way to MySpace in the past week or so. So I'm sticking around. I can't guarantee my "keep in touch" habits will improve but I'll try not to freak out about it.
There was an interesting bit of news out of Missoula recently. It's a little morbid but I couldn't help but laugh a little too. It's definitely one of those stupid criminal stories. Take a look.
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I guess I should feel bad for this guy. In a sense I do. He didn't deserve to die. But hey...teaches you a lesson doesn't it?
I finally caved in and got high speed internet hooked up in my apartment. I should have done it sooner. It makes life so much easier. And because I have easily accessable internet service, I went to town on my myspace page and blog. (At least I thought I did. I'm having some technical difficulties with things so don't be surprised if both pages look a little strange. I'm working on it). I know I said I was going to "rid myself" of Mypace. I had every intention of doing so. But I decided against it. I am bad at keeping in touch. But that doesn't mean I should throw the recent re-connections I've made out the window. On top of that, a flurry of new friends found their way to MySpace in the past week or so. So I'm sticking around. I can't guarantee my "keep in touch" habits will improve but I'll try not to freak out about it.
There was an interesting bit of news out of Missoula recently. It's a little morbid but I couldn't help but laugh a little too. It's definitely one of those stupid criminal stories. Take a look.
Frozen Feet
Add to My Profile More Videos
I guess I should feel bad for this guy. In a sense I do. He didn't deserve to die. But hey...teaches you a lesson doesn't it?
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Chlamydia
No...I don't have it. I swear.
But it is on my mind today. We've had this inane little assignment at work where we call around to 10 different counties in southwest Montana and ask stupid questions like "Where am I most likely to get my car stolen in your county?" Never mind the fact that some of these very rural places have seen ONE stolen car in the past 4 years. I still have to ask.
But perhaps this assignment wasn't so inane after all. The point is to discover possible story ideas in our viewing area. I was so pissed at having to make these calls that I convinced myself nothing was going to come of them. I was wrong. One of my questions was, "what is the most reported disease in your county?"
The answer? Chlamydia
And this isn't juse one county. It's nearly all of them.
Some of the people I told weren't surprised by this. I was. This isn't the most common STD. It's the most common disease...period. Am I naive? Does this shock anyone else? I was kind of blown away by it.
So despite the fact that I hated this assignment, I'm now planning a special story on STD's in Montana.
On an unrelated note, I have OFFICIALLY decided to rid myself of MySpace. It should be done within the next couple weeks. It was fun while it lasted but...the ride's over.
But it is on my mind today. We've had this inane little assignment at work where we call around to 10 different counties in southwest Montana and ask stupid questions like "Where am I most likely to get my car stolen in your county?" Never mind the fact that some of these very rural places have seen ONE stolen car in the past 4 years. I still have to ask.
But perhaps this assignment wasn't so inane after all. The point is to discover possible story ideas in our viewing area. I was so pissed at having to make these calls that I convinced myself nothing was going to come of them. I was wrong. One of my questions was, "what is the most reported disease in your county?"
The answer? Chlamydia
And this isn't juse one county. It's nearly all of them.
Some of the people I told weren't surprised by this. I was. This isn't the most common STD. It's the most common disease...period. Am I naive? Does this shock anyone else? I was kind of blown away by it.
So despite the fact that I hated this assignment, I'm now planning a special story on STD's in Montana.
On an unrelated note, I have OFFICIALLY decided to rid myself of MySpace. It should be done within the next couple weeks. It was fun while it lasted but...the ride's over.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
The Awkward Phase
You know what's amusing?......watching someone at the gym trying to use a machine they've never used before.
There's a lot of newbies at the gym these days. I suppose it's all those New Year's Resolutions. It's really been a pain in the ass because of how crowded it is. But at least I've been treated to some fairly comical happenings.
I can't ridicule these people too much. I've been in the same boat and it's a pretty embarassing boat to be in. But as I watched a middle-aged man fiddle with one particular machine for more than 10 minutes...I couldn't help but chuckle.
There's a lot of newbies at the gym these days. I suppose it's all those New Year's Resolutions. It's really been a pain in the ass because of how crowded it is. But at least I've been treated to some fairly comical happenings.
I can't ridicule these people too much. I've been in the same boat and it's a pretty embarassing boat to be in. But as I watched a middle-aged man fiddle with one particular machine for more than 10 minutes...I couldn't help but chuckle.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Random new year musings
2006 flew by. I can honestly say I have never experienced a faster-moving year. I hope the rushed sensation of 2006 was an anomaly. I don't want my life to go by so fast.
I've also never had a year so dominated by one single theme....that theme being my job. It was all-consuming. There wasn't an aspect of my life in which my job didn't make an appearance. I'm okay with that...for now. I truly enjoy what I do. But I don't want to become that person who has nothing but their job. A successful career is great...when you have other things going on in life. When it's all you have then you should probably worry a little bit. BUT...this was the first year at a job I've dreamed about since I was a little kid. I think it's natural for that realized dream to become dominant...at least for now.
I don't have specific New Year Resolutions. But there are things I want to do in 2007:
Spend more time outdoors
Run the Bridger Ridge Run
Do more of my own cooking (meaning less TV dinners)
Be more humble, yet confident and say less but mean more
Value people
Be more honest with myself and others
It's a short list and I'm sure I've left things off. I just don't believe in making big, specific resloutions. I just want to be more well-rounded in general.
I'm going to be 27 this year. Yikes! Where did my youth go? Ah...well. As long as I can keep most of my hair and fix my worn down teeth, I think I'll be okay.
Finally, this will be a year of preparation. My current contract expires near the end of 2007. More than likely I'll be looking for another broadcasting job in a bigger American city. I have no idea where I'll end up or what I'll be doing...but by the time 2007 ends I could be well on my way to bigger and better things.
Then again, life has a way of surprising us all. On any given New Year's Eve, I like to wonder where I'll be and what I'll be doing for the next one. I'm always surprised by the final outcome. So who knows where I'll be a year from now? That's what makes life exciting. I like the unpredictability.
I've also never had a year so dominated by one single theme....that theme being my job. It was all-consuming. There wasn't an aspect of my life in which my job didn't make an appearance. I'm okay with that...for now. I truly enjoy what I do. But I don't want to become that person who has nothing but their job. A successful career is great...when you have other things going on in life. When it's all you have then you should probably worry a little bit. BUT...this was the first year at a job I've dreamed about since I was a little kid. I think it's natural for that realized dream to become dominant...at least for now.
I don't have specific New Year Resolutions. But there are things I want to do in 2007:
Spend more time outdoors
Run the Bridger Ridge Run
Do more of my own cooking (meaning less TV dinners)
Be more humble, yet confident and say less but mean more
Value people
Be more honest with myself and others
It's a short list and I'm sure I've left things off. I just don't believe in making big, specific resloutions. I just want to be more well-rounded in general.
I'm going to be 27 this year. Yikes! Where did my youth go? Ah...well. As long as I can keep most of my hair and fix my worn down teeth, I think I'll be okay.
Finally, this will be a year of preparation. My current contract expires near the end of 2007. More than likely I'll be looking for another broadcasting job in a bigger American city. I have no idea where I'll end up or what I'll be doing...but by the time 2007 ends I could be well on my way to bigger and better things.
Then again, life has a way of surprising us all. On any given New Year's Eve, I like to wonder where I'll be and what I'll be doing for the next one. I'm always surprised by the final outcome. So who knows where I'll be a year from now? That's what makes life exciting. I like the unpredictability.
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