PFPS....

....stands for Patello Femoral Pain Syndrome.

That's why my knees hate me. It's not really a specific condition. It's the term they slap onto any knee pain that can't be easily diagnosed. Apparently...it's common. (Duh...knee pain is common. The generic term they apply to it is likely to be common as well). I started a physical therapy program on Monday. I was actually pretty worried about it. My left knee was really starting to crap out on me. I was out on a story (chasing around a little black bear that wandered into Bozeman) and I wanted to curl up and scream. I didn't think I could handle any type of therapy. But my first gym session went rather well. Hopefully, it will get back to normal. I just want to be able to hike again without wincing as I descend a hill.

This whole thing brings up a point that I've touched on before: My body is falling apart.

Let's recap shall we.
-I have the teeth of an 80 year old
-I have a slowly receding hairline
-I've had serious problems with my sinuses
-I get nasty, nasty blisters
-My right ankle is oh-so-very weak.
-My knees are giving me grief

Perhaps these problems didn't start within the past two years, but I had never noticed any of them until I moved to Bozeman. Maybe my love affair with Montana makes for a dangerous relationship. Maybe Montana is slowly killing me. Perhaps my health depends on me getting out of this state. Oh wait....I can't do that until I...find...a...job. That's still not going so well. Which brings me to...

....THIS

That will take you to a copy of my resume tape online. It just went up today. More tapes are being sent tomorrow.

Round 2

Okay. First I write a post showing off all the cities in which I've applied for jobs. Then I write a post explaining how the "how's the job hunt going" question was grating on me. And now, I'm writing a post about the latest round of tapes I've sent out. I'm a glutton for punishment. I've received zero responses from my first batch of tapes. Here's hoping round two goes a little bitter. Without further ado:

Boise, Idaho

Eugene, Oregon

Richmond, Virginia

Portland, Maine

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Rochester, New York

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

100% Pure New Zealand

I got on YouTube tonight to see what all the fuss was about with Sally Fields' Emmy acceptance speech. (Ridiculous by the way. I don't even see why it's an issue. Completely overblown). Anyway, I saw the following video featured on YouTube's main page. I'm posting this for no one's benefit other than my own. I spent 6 months in New Zealand a few years ago. I loved it. I'd go back in a heartbeat. I watched this video and got a little teary-eyed. I love New Zealand.

Guinness Goodness

Skeezix....thanks for the inspiration.

I've wrote of my attitude towards cooking and baking on this blog. It's not a question of whether I can cook. It's a question of whether I WANT to cook. I'm certainly no Bobby Flay, but if I want to get my grill on, I think I can hold my own. I usually never want to. That all changed last week when I saw this blog entry from skeezix. A chocolate cake made with Guinness? Intriguing.

I actually hate Guinness. I don't like dark beers. But in a chocolate cake....well, it just seemed fitting. So when the Bozeman newsies decided to have a dinner party this weekend I thought, "hey...let's give that cake a try.

It turned out well. It definitely wasn't as pretty as the one from skeezix. I need more practice making it. (The photo you see....I found that on the internet). But it was tasty. I made two of them...one was more of a trial run than anything else. I found that while I like the idea of a cake that's not too sweet....I need a frosting that's less centered around cream cheese. So for the second cake, I replaced part of the cream cheese with butter. Still a teensy bit too cream cheesy...but almost right.

All in all...a successful baking endeavor.

It was the perfect ending to Rob and Jeff's delectable bacon-encrusted meatloaf, Beth and Aaron's au gratin potatoes, spicy hot wings, and artichoke dip and Dave's salad. Next week is Italian. Anyone have ideas on what I can contribute?

Pandora's Box

"How's the job hunt going?"

I've obviously set myself up for that question. But I've heard it so many times in the last two weeks...that I'm becoming irritated.

I suppose that in the back of my mind I had convinced myself of my own greatness. I would send a few resume tapes out, everyone would call wanting me to work for them, and I'd make them fight over me.

Um.....not exactly. There's nothing like reality to humble a person.

I've had zero responses. In the grand scheme of things I guess that's normal. Ten tapes isn't a lot. But I had such high hopes. And now I'm left with the task of sheepishly responding to that annoying question. "Not so well."

Rest assured that if I do have a job prospect, I will let the world know. I know people have good intentions but please....spare me the task of looking you in the eye and explaining how, at the moment, no one wants me.

It's depressing.

Cleveland Rocks!

Climb the highest mountain in Glacier National Park. Check.

My vacation got off to a great start last weekend when I climbed Mt. Cleveland with Glacier buddies Ron and Andrew. Cleveland had been in my sights for years but in a park as big as Glacicer...there was always something else to do first. I had sort of resigned myself to not climbing it, but alas....we did it. Although awesome, it was by far the most grueling trek I've done in Glacier...simply because of how my body seemed to turn on me. I think I did some serious damage to myself on that damn Bridger Ridge Run back in August. I've never had problems with my knees until the run. I assumed it was temporary....that they just needed time to recover. It wasn't long before they were feeling fine. But just 6 miles into last weekend's hike, I felt the pain return. It stayed with me (in fact it got steadily worse) the 3 days and 2 nights we were in the backcountry. (My boots betrayed me as well...giving me 12 painful blisters). The last 5 miles on the last day were sheer hell...and that was WITH lots of ibuprofen. I'm not sure what's up. I'm going to the knee doctor this afternoon. I'm hoping my knees are just stressed out and not permanently damaged.

I digress.

I did have a lot of fun. Even with the pain and misery associated with backcountry hiking and camping, the rewards are great. I love the outdoors.

Ron and Andy traversing a goat trail beneath the Stoney Indian Peaks. Yes, there is a trail there. The precipitous drop looks worse than it really is.

Goofing off in the Belly River Valley

The rest of my vacation was just as great. I went home to Salt Lake for a few days. Unlike previous visits, I wasn't rushed. I didn't try to cram everyone and everything into two short days. I was relaxed. I was rested. I spent adequate amounts of time with everyone I care about. I had lunch with sarahbellum. (Pleasure to meet you Ms. Bellum. You were just as I imagined you...that's a good thing).

I even had time to get addicted to a new television show. What is it with the original series on Showtime, HBO and FX? Why are they always so good? I was lounging around at mom & dad's house, flipping throuhg the On Demand section on TV when I came across Dexter. Michael C. Hall (from Six Feet Under) plays a serial killer...who preys on society's evil-doers (murderers, other serial killers, etc.) Awesome show. I watched the entire first season. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Vacay was good. I'm rejuvenated for work. I'm ready to really dive into the job search. I'm glad I took that breather.

A breather

I'll be taking a breather for the next 11 days.

I'm going on vacation. I'm headed to Glacier for a backpacking trip...then I'm headed home to Salt Lake to spend some time with friends and family.

I'm having lunch with sarahbellum (if she's still up for it) at some point. Any other Salt Lake blog acquaintances interested?

In other news....

...All videos of me on the news (including my blue angels flight) have been removed from YouTube, and thus this blog. One was discovered by a higher-up in the company. I did not get in trouble. But I was asked to remove it because it was copyrighted material. I figured that would happen at some point.

I worked at our parent station in Missoula for the past two days. It was part of an employee swap. I traded places with one of their reporters. It was a good time. Their studio is sooooo NICE. But I like my gig in Bozeman...even if I'm not here for much longer.

I'm tired. I'm stressed. The job hunt still petrifies me. I need a break. I'm looking forward to this vacation. I don't think I'll be blogging while I'm gone. We'll see.

Later.