Still looking

I guess it might be weird to post a picture that you can already see at the top of my blog. But it seemed appropriate for my mood today.

I walked out of work this morning and the sun was just starting to come up. It was a pretty morning. Crisp and cool. I looked out at the horizon and immediately thought of this picture. I don't know the story behind it. I found it on the internet one day. But sometimes I'll make up a version of who I think this man is and what I think he's doing. This morning is the first time I saw him as myself. "I'm still looking," I said to myself. "Still looking."

Interpret that how you will.

The Big Leagues

It was a taste of the big leagues in Boise this past weekend. For the town, and all of Idaho for that matter, it was a chance to shine in the national spotlight. For me, it was a chance to experience national television, and all the excitement that goes with it. ESPN's College Gameday came to Bronco Stadium ahead of that night's big matchup between Boise State and Oregon State. I was lucky enough to be behind the scenes all morning. Here's what it looked like.

I'm not a HUGE sports fan. I rarely watch ESPN. But this was cool. It was a roving production of a popular national sports broadcast...and I was in heaven just observing everything. I worked a little too. My morning colleagues and I were doing a couple stories on how the show sets up and we had a chance to interview all five Gameday anchors; Lee Corso, Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, and Erin Andrews. I took a bunch of photos. This one is my favorite.

I have no desire to be a sports broadcaster. But hanging around watching Gameday come together only affirmed my love for broadcasting. It only motivated me to keep working towards the "big leagues." It's a fight to the top. I know that. But it's also the one thing I've wanted since I've been a kid. I gotta keep going for it.

Here are some of my other favorite photos from Saturday.

This is our morning meteorologist Kyle interviewing Erin Andrews.

Erin Andrews was, by far, the most popular person there. Here's Kyle and Natalee with her. I took one for the team and took the picture.

Last, but not least, I have to point out how awesome my little Canon digital camera is. I specifically bought it because it had a powerful zoom in a small, compact package. The zoom is awesome. This photo was taken from about 100 yards away. No joke.

I think it's pretty impressive.

Oh...and Boise State won that night's game. Good on ya Broncos. National championship on the way?

Number 5

First thing's first. Despite my earlier blog posting about vowing to write something EVERYDAY...I haven't. I missed Saturday and Sunday. I don't feel too bad about it because it was an incredibly busy weekend. I'll write about that tomorrow. But on to today.

I mourned TV Wife #4 for a few months. But I've recovered quickly. Meet TV Wife #5. Her name is Natalee.

She came from a small station in Oregon. She's only been on the show about two weeks. So far, she's fitting in well with Kyle and I. I have no idea how much longer I'll be working at my station, but it's good to have a partner in crime to share the mornings with once again.

My bad

I've had funnier moments on the anchor desk, but this was mildly amusing...so I thought I'd share. During the intros, listen carefully for the "ka-ding" while Natalee is talking.

Now that I think about it, I think my text message has gone off one other time on the desk. But my phone has never rang. (knock on wood).

WTF!?

I have a cool cat named Merlin. One of his best attributes is his willingness to take care of pests. If I see a spider in my apartment, I just show Merlin. He'll fixate on it, play with it for a little while, then eat it. It's a good system we've got going. I've done this with earwigs, potato bugs, flies, and small beetles. (My apartment's not infested...I promise. I live right by a river and there are insects everywhere). Sometimes, Merlin spots the intruders before I do. On plenty of occasions, I'll walk into a room and see him torturing some poor, helpless creature. I had gotten used to it. Then, one evening last week, I walked into the living room and saw Merlin standing over this.

I was stunned. There was a snake. Inside. My apartment. I just stood there for a moment taking it in. I have a pretty strong fear of spiders. Snakes...not so much. But still...there was a SNAKE inside my apartment. That's not supposed to happen. After a second or two of disbelief I sprung into action before Merlin could terrorize the little bastard any more. I picked him up by the tail. He was a tiny little guy. Obviously, I had to take more pictures. This one is for some perspective on size. See? Pretty small.

Here he is curled up in the glass I used to carry him outside and release him.

Again...I'm not afraid of snakes. But I was much more shocked by this than if I had seen a spider.

I think Merlin was a little pissed at me. It was by far the biggest prize he's ever gotten...and I took it away from him. Plenty more spiders to come Merlin.

New reality

I hate to assume things. Everyone knows that famous saying about "assuming" anything. But we do it anyway. I'm no exception.

I can't see the future. I really don't know what's going to happen. But I'm pretty sure life's going to change in some big ways between now and the new year. If I'm wrong (which is always a possibility) you can say to me, "see what happens when you assume?"

I'm living a new reality...in a couple different ways. In some cases, this new way of doing things has been forced on me. In others, I'm choosing this route myself. In some cases, I'm happy about where things are going. In others...I'm not.

First, and this is pretty banal, I'm making a new blogging commitment. Between now and the end of the year, I'll be blogging EVERY DAY. Even though I don't advertise this blog anywhere else, I think it's an important tool for me. I'm a journalist in a rapidly changing media landscape. I need to branch out in whatever ways I can. An everyday commitment will hopefully improve my writing skills and force me to think more creatively (especially when I feel there's nothing to blog about). I think I probably lost some readers over the past few years with my sporadic postings. Maybe I can gain some of them back.

Second, my current job is likely to end within the next three months. Staying employed is my decision. Unfortunately, changing work conditions were not chosen by me. They've been so bad lately that my day of reckoning is soon to arrive. I'll need to let the powers that be know whether I want to stay. Not only that, I'll need to choose between going and signing a long-term commitment. I've been looking for new employment for a while now. There are few bright spots on the horizon. I also have bills to pay. I'm not independently wealthy. I'm scared to be unemployed. But I don't want to be motivated by fear.

Third, (and this is the hardest one of all), I'm making a pledge to be more genuine and comfortable in my own skin. I've taken some big steps in that direction this year. I'm proud of myself for that. But I've got a long way to go.

There are other aspects to my new reality. But I'm keeping them to myself for now. Still need some secrets...right?

Wish me luck. I need it.