'Tis the season

Geez. Long time, no post. Sorry about that. (as if anyone cares).

The past week and a half has flown by. Work, as usual, has been a rollercoaster ride of exhaustion, exhiliaration, soul-sucking annoyance, and success.

There's no serious movement in the job hunt. I'm waiting to hear back from Boise. It could be any day now.

In the meantime, I've tried to get into the Christmas spirit. I won't be going home this year. :( That's sad. I do, however, have a Christmas tree that I cut down myself. It took a while to get it decorated but here it is.
Those are Glacier National Park ornaments. (I know...I'm a dork). I figured a bear tree topper would be ideal.

I also went to a Christmas party this past weekend. Some photos:

The Jewish sports guys and their Manischewitz wine

The "CBS Girls." Right women...wrong station

Jerrita & I. She brings some southern flavor to Montana

Saboe and I...I forget she's a traitor when she wears a big bow

One Christmas tradition I have not delved into...Christmas shopping. I'm sorry folks. I'm not buying presents for anyone. I'm poor. I have no time. Don't waste your money on me.

I'm going to bed now. And I'm sleeping in tomorrow...for the first time in a long time.

Bozeman to Boise?

I went.
I saw.
I'm intrigued.

There's the summary for my Boise trip. I don't really know what else to say.

There were no moments of "Wow!!! This job is perfect for me!" At the same time there were no thoughts of "hmmm....I'm not so sure about this." Simply put, I don't know what to think.

The Pros:
The people at the station were amazing. Everyone was friendly, welcoming, and genuinely interested in talking with me. The station, obviously, is a big step up from where I am now. More toys, more people, more money. The job I interviewed for is a great opportunity. Good position to jump to. Decent pay. Well-balanced workload. The station "looks" great. Vibrant, professional, fast-paced way of delivering the news. Graphics are beautiful. They recently won an Emmy for best newscast in their region.

The Cons:
A jump from where I am now...but within their own TV market (competing against 3 other stations), they face lots of challenges. Boise is very big and unfamiliar. I know this is to be expected but still, it discouraged me a little. The station faces some financial hurdles.

....you know what? This is stupid. As I write this I'm realizing it really is a great opportunity. Simply writing down the pros and cons has cleared things up a lot. Who knew I'd have some sort of epiphany while writing this post. I'm convinced my biggest reservation is fear of the unknown.

Granted, I have not been offered a job. They have other candidates to interview as well. But if things go my way, there's a very good chance I'll be in Boise within a couple months. Time will tell.

Sicky Sickerton

I'm sick.

I called in sick to work on Monday. I went to work Tuesday. Anchoring for just 10 minutes at 6 o'clock really did a number on my throat and voice. By the 10 o'clock show...it was worse. Before the show started there was a nagging voice in the back of my head saying, "you shouldn't be doing this." I did it anyway. It wasn't good. I kept it together for the most part but I was talking very quietly, my voice was shaky, and I was swallowing in the middle of sentences.

I woke up this morning and called in sick again. I sat home, pretty much all day, doing nothing. It's been okay...if not extremely boring. I've been doing a lot of thinking today....not all of it productive.

I leave for Boise this Sunday. I'm excited. A little nervous too. What if I hate it? What if I like it? What if I hate it and they desperately want me. What if I like it and want them to desperately want me? What if I'm indifferent?

Another strange opportunity popped up this week. A job in Topeka, Kansas. A good job...with a good salary. I know what you're thinking. I'm thinking the same thing. Kansas? Still, something about it made me think, "don't rule this out just yet." We'll see where that goes.

I'm solidly addicted to 4 reality TV shows. A Shot at Love with Tela Tequila, Keeping up with the Kardashians, I Love New York 2, and The Girls Next Door. Frankly, I'm falling in love with Tela myself.

I hate the fact they took pseudoephedrine out of over the counter cold medicines. Screw the meth heads...it's the only thing that works for me. I know I can still get it from the pharmacy, but they weren't open at 10 o'clock the other night.

Christmas is coming? It might as well be January. It's a shock that I actually have a Christmas tree in my apartment. I'm just not feeling the Christmas spirit this year. It's not that I'm being a grinch and Christmas is pissing me off. I simply haven't noticed it. I haven't given a single thought to presents, decorating, Christmas shopping...nothing.

I'm sort of missing Utah. I think it's because I was watching the Dick Nourse and Michelle King farewells online. They reminded me of growing up in Utah and Salt Lake. It made me a little sad. God knows I love Montana...but I miss Utah.

O Tannenbaum

For the first time ever, I cut down my own Christmas tree yesterday. I'm sure cutting your own tree is not a "uniquely Montana" tradition. However, I had never heard of doing that until I moved here. I should have done it two years ago when I first moved here but hey....better late than never. Joining me were Jeff & Rob, the two Bozeman sports guys. (Jeff is Jewish and was cutting down a tree for a friend). Here we are below with the trees we chose. Mine isn't the biggest, but it's definitely the best.

It was a good winter weekend in Montana. I went snowboarding on Saturday and then romped through the Gallatin National Forest on Sunday. On top of that one of my best friends and I got even closer. That was good too.