Homeward Bound

It's almost time. In just a couple days I get to see all my old friends from high school. Ah, who am I kidding? I didn't have many friends in high school. On top of that, most of my friends were in the grade below me. And...anyone I care to have kept in touch with, I already do. But still, it should be interesting.

Hopefully, I'll also be picking up my new phone. I must admit I've been leaning towards the
Casio G'zOne Boulder over the Blackberry Pearl. But Brandon says I should stay away from the Boulder. Any reason why Brando? I need the details.

I finally got to put together an outdoors story at work. If I could do this kind of stuff every day, I'd be a happy, happy man. Not that I'm unhappy now. I just wish I could have everything I want. Don't we all?

I gave it an environmental angle to fit the criteria I've been assigned. It's about natural hot springs in Idaho. Take a look.



And lastly, I played in my first softball game tonight. I joined a local non-professional (obviously) league made up of young professionals around the area. I didn't humiliate myself. I did well even. But we lost. We'll get 'em next time.

Upgrade

I was pleasantly surprised this week to learn I'm eligible for a phone upgrade. I didn't think I could get a new one until December or so. Therefore, I'll be getting a new one this weekend. I'm notoriously indecisive when I shop. It took me weeks to decide on the Krzr last time...and that was after I had picked up another model and took it back after a few days. Because of that, I'm going into this purchase prepared. I've decided it's between two different phones: the Blackberry Pearl or the Casio G'zOne Boulder. I have a feeling most of you know what the Pearl looks like. As for the Boulder, check it out here. My secret desire to be more organized has me leaning towards the Pearl. My romantic notion of myself as a rugged outdoorsman (true or not) has me leaning towards the Boulder. We'll see what happens.

In other news...I'm starting to realize what I like when it comes to TV broadcasting. I feel like I'm always gravitating towards feature stories. I like the cool, unusual, eclectic, heart-warming, awe-inspiring stories that spring up because of the simple fact humanity is filled with chance and variety. Unfortunately, feature reporters are going the way of the Dodo in TV news. It's all about sex offenders and car crashes these days. Therefore, it's a treat to get assigned to a good feature story. I did one yesterday on a dog named Rosie. She was lost in the Idaho wilderness for a week...and survived. I'm not sure how long that link will be up so check it out if you get a chance.

Musings

Mom & Dad came to visit this weekend. They came into the studio for part of the show and we bummed around Boise for a couple days. We also drove up to McCall for part of the day on Friday. I'd never been up there before and I wanted to see it. We also saw "The Dark Knight" on Thursday. It was my second time seeing it. Every bit as good as the first time. It was a nice visit and I'm glad they got to see my Boise digs.

I will be seeing them again in one week's time as I head back to Salt Lake for my 10 year high school reunion. Should be interesting. Just days ago, I posted a blog entry about an old friend from elementary school who basically disowned me in high school. Read it here for background. A day after I posted that, they wrote me again and apologized. They owned up to what they did. I thought that was pretty cool. I accepted the apology and consider the whole thing water under the bridge. It was high school after all. We all do stupid things in high school. I look forward to catching up with them at the reunion.

I just joined a softball team. I know, I know...you're thinking what sort of athletic prowess I could possibly have. Frankly, so am I? But I went to my first practice tonight and actually had a lot of fun. I didn't suck either. It's pretty much a non-competitive team made up of a bunch of younger people in Boise. I figure it's a good way to meet some people, get a little exercise, and have a little fun. Our first game is Thursday. I'll let you know how it goes.

Mr. Legs is gone. I wrote about him a week ago. I don't know where he went or why he decided to leave. I didn't find his carcass so I don't think he died...at least not in his web. I noticed it when I put an earwig into his web and saw nothing happen. If he did leave, I hope he found his way outside. I'm not so keen letting him live out his life in a more prominent location in my apartment. In reality, I hate spiders. But I felt okay with having him in the window sill. If I see him anywhere else...I'm killing him....with no hesitation.

I have an action-packed August ahead. I won't be home for a single weekend the whole month. I'm going to Salt Lake for the reunion next week. I'm headed to Grand Teton to see Katie the week after that. The following week, I'm headed to Glacier as part of my 6-day vacation. After that, I'm headed to one of two places...Portland or eastern Idaho to climb Borah Peak...Idaho's highest mountain. Whichever place I don't go, I'm saving for the next weekend. Should be a good time.

Work, work, work

This post is all about work. Move on if you're not interested.

Here's a couple photos I took recently:

My two TV wives, Mellisa and Michelle

The entire morning crew together. Kelsey's our overnight live reporter.

I'm slowly finding my groove at work. It'll take a while before I'm completely comfortable. One role I'm settling into is that of a franchise reporter. I do a weekly series on "going green." I didn't pick it. In fact, I pitched something else...something related to the outdoors. But I've embraced it. I've done some cool pieces so far. I've also found a few ways to sneek some outdoor related stories in there.

Take a look at a couple of them if you have time. I did a story on Zip Lining and another on a "green" toy called Uberstix.

That's all for now. Mis padres are coming to visit today. I gotta clean the apartment.

High School Hijinks

My 10 year high school reunion is less than two weeks away. Should be interesting. In the past few months, long lost acquaintances have crawled out of the woodwork. In most cases, it's been nice to reconnect. But there are some people who make you remember the bad times.

For me, high school was simply, "fine." Refer to this post of more than a year ago for some perspective. But like everyone else, there are old wounds from high school. In some cases, these are wounds you've completely forgotten about. It just takes a blast from the past to remember them.

I got a recent message from one of these people. Good friends in elementary and middle school, we drifted apart in high school. Of course, I'm more likely than not to describe it as "being shoved aside." I was certainly not "cool" in high school. In our freshman year, this person started to become cool. Once that happened, there was no room for me. I was written off as one of the degenerates who shouldn't be allowed to breathe the same air as this person. It's amazing how a little popularity can change someone. They became much too cool for me. It sucked. I was pissed and a little annoyed. But I forgot about it long ago.

Fast forward to this week. They're baaaack. What's worse, they had the nerve to wonder "why we stopped talking in high school?" I'll tell you why!!.......

Take a deep breath, Lincoln. This was more than 10 years ago. It was high school. Stupid, unexplainable things happen in high school. And just like I wrote more than a year ago...why do you even care?

In all honesty, I was happy to hear from this person. I'm sure their perspective is different than mine. Our own memories tend to get clouded over time, and I just might possibly be imagining and/or exaggerating certain parts of the story. We were very good friends at one time. I can recall some hazy memories that still make me laugh and smile. And today, I'm sure we're all much more mature. Hopefully, I'll see this person at the reunion and we can laugh about everything. I'll be okay with that.

Mr. Legs

I'm disturbed.

For the past few months I've weighed the pros and cons of getting a pet. Dog or cat? Big or small? Should I or shouldn't I? But I think I've finally reached a decision. I can't say for certain what I'll be doing several years down the road. I feel like I'm too much of a wanderer. What if I get a wild travel bug and decide to jet off to Asia or Australia in the future? What would I do with my dog...or my cat? I don't feel like I can commit yet. Right now I volunteer at the Idaho Humane Society and I think that's enough. I can go walk the dogs and play with the cats. But as for getting one of my own...I'm holding off. Until I know I can take that animal with me wherever I go...I don't think it's the right time to get one.

BUT...I've still got a pet...and that's why I'm disturbed.

Meet Mr. Legs:

That's him sucking the insides out of another spider...a spider I fed to him. I told you I was disturbed.

I'm not a fan of spiders. But I've decided to embrace them more than I ever have before. I live on the ground floor of an apartment building right next to the Boise River. It's a little buggy. Since I moved in, I've found several spiders lurking in my apartment. I've killed every single one of them. Then I noticed Mr. Legs (that name is courtesy of Heidi) sitting in my window sill. I opened the blinds determined to kill him and noticed the mansion he had built. Within that mansion were dozens of little bug carcasses...teeny things that seem to gather in the window. That's when I first thought Mr. Legs was doing me a favor. He was eating these guys for me. He was doing his small part to keep the apartment bug free. So I decided to let him stay. He stays out of the way and does his own thing. And from time to time, I'll bring in a little treat from outside for him. Today, I brought in a Daddy Long Legs. Those things have fat bodies...and by the end of the afternoon Mr. Legs had sucked that body dry.

Go ahead. Judge me.

But if I can't have a dog or cat...Mr. Legs will have to suffice.

Lessons Learned?

I've obviously taken a lackadaisical approach in updating this blog. I could say I've been busy but I'd be lying. I could say there's been nothing to write about...but (despite the boring life I lead) that's not true either. I've just been lazy. Very, very lazy. However, in scanning some of the other blogs I read, I've noticed I'm not the only one. Several people haven't updated in a while either. That makes me feel a little better.

On to other topics...

I think everyone has an image of themselves they'd love to see. A picture, in their mind, of the kind of person they'd like to be. I'm sure there are a few people out there completely satisfied with the kind of person they are. But for the rest of us...there's this image. I have one. I tend to look at it like an ordinary puzzle. There are a thousand little pieces laid out before you and you're trying to put it together with the help of the picture on the box cover. That's the perfect "you." You're using it as a guide as you assemble the puzzle piece by piece. But, as with any big puzzle, reaching completion is no easy task. I've been able to put together some pieces...here and there. But there's much left undone.

I was reminded of that when I stumbled upon an old journal yesterday. I didn't write in it often but I wrote in it regularly...if that makes sense. It covers the time between my first summer in Glacier and my winter spent in Big Sky. That's 3 and a half years. Collectively, that time was a big learning experience for me. Luckily, I wrote down much of the important stuff that occurred. I also had a little forethought. Several times during those years I put to paper questions about what I'd be like in the not-so-distant future. Would I have gotten any closer to completing that puzzle?

In some ways...yes. In most others....no. I've still got to do a lot of work on myself. I need to focus on my puzzle a little more. That realization was a little disappointing. I wish I'd been a little more proactive.

But I think there's a silver lining. Too many people reach a point in life where they think, "I wish I'd done things differently." For me, there's still plenty of time. I've now noticed that there really is no time to lose. And I've noticed it when there's still, presumably, a lot of time left. Let's not waste it anymore.

A good first step in this process: writing a little more on this blog. I'm going to. Hold my feet to the fire if I don't.

Teeth Woes

I first wrote about my ancient teeth about a year and a half ago. We all know most dental insurance sucks. And with my whopping $18,000 salary, I couldn't afford the work my dentist said he needed to do. He basically patched things up a bit and said I should get my teeth fix when I could afford it.

Fast forward to now. I finally went to the dentist after almost 5 months in Boise. I remember my Bozeman dentist's reaction when he saw my teeth. He wasn't too good at hiding the shock. So I was interested to see how this latest guy would react. It was humorous. They sent in the 20 year old (I'm not kidding) dentist who'd just been hired at the office. I'm sure he was at the top of his class and felt like he could tackle anything. Before he even looked at my teeth I told him my history and what the last guy said needed to be done. This guy kept up appearances and basically said it was all wrong. Then he looked at my teeth. He couldn't hide the shock either. He took one look and said, "Okay...I'm going to have Dr. McRae consult with you." He was way out of his league.

So I met with the "real" dentist and things went much better. He's one of the top guys in the business and really knows what he's doing. But even he couldn't put a positive spin on what I need to do.

On the surface...my teeth look fine. I smile and they seem straight and white. But inside..they are severely worn down. I've been grinding and clenching way too much over the past years. I've lost several milimeters of tooth height and much of the enamel has been eroded away. They need to be reconstructed with crowns. It's going to cost a pretty penny.

I briefly considered taking out a loan and financing the whole project right now to just get it done. But instead, I'm going to attempt to buckle down and save. If I can save up a good chunk of cash over the next little while, it will make things easier.

So that's where I am. Take care of your teeth people. You'll regret it if you don't.