Run Ragged With A Full Plate

I'm sick, tired, and I have too much to do.
First the sick part. I felt it coming on yesterday. By the evening, I had a sore throat and it hurt to talk. I muddled my way through the two nightly newscasts. I had a pretty good feeling that I would be calling in sick the next day. Lo and behold, that's what happened. Now it's 11:30 and I'm lying in bed waiting for the Tylenol PM to kick in.

I should have used my day today resting. While I did do a lot of that there are other things I need to take care of. First and foremost...moving. I need to be out of my current place by Friday. Normally that would be fine but climbing up and down stairs while carrying my belongings and wheezing takes its toll. My body hates me. I've made a few brief trips between the old place and the new place. The car is loaded up with yet another load which I hope to take in the morning. The big stuff...my bed and futon...still needs to be taken care of. Hopefully Friday morning.

Why did I get sick? I don't know. It may have something to do with the hectic weekend I had. I ventured on up to Glacier this past weekend. It was the 3rd annual Babbfest (a local music festival). It promised to be a big Glacier reunion as friends from years past would be making an appearance. I was looking forward to it. Then work came calling. A wildfire that had started the day before exploded in just a couple hours. I called the office and made sure they knew about it. They not only knew about it but were gleeful when they learned I was in the area. They had already sent the satellite truck and another reporter to the scene and they thought the "team coverage" they could have would be awesome. I wasn't mad about it. I was pretty excited in fact. I've seen some big wildfires in Glacier before and here was my chance to report on one of the worst. My friends were a little pissed. Understandable. But events like this were the reason I got into the news business. It just validated my career choice.

So I worked and did a live report from the scene at 10 o'clock that night. (FYI: for those interested the Red Eagle forced the evacuation of the town of St. Mary Saturday. Everyone got to go back tonight.)

I spent the next day catching up with people. I left for Bozeman early Monday morning with Whitney in tow. I got home and had to go to work in an hour. Then some friends came into town. I entertained them that night and the next morning and sent them on their way. That's when I started to feel the sickness coming on.

Oh, and I'm going to Glacier again this weekend. A camping trip that's been scheduled for a few weeks. The check engine light in my car's on now. It came on during the last drive to Glacier. I have every intention of getting it looked at. But with moving and being sick...the time is hard to find. Oh and I can't afford it anyway. On the 1st, I wrote out 3 different checks for approximately $1,400. Rent for the new place. Deposit for the new place. Rent for the old place. I still have some money left in the checking account...but not a lot.

In other news, my friend and former co-anchor Melissa began her new job in Oklahoma City. Here's a picture of her first live shot there.

I guess that's it for now. I'll wake up in the morning and see if I'm well enough to go to work. Wish me luck.

The Perks of Being Poor

There are few advantages to making the pitiful excuse of a salary that I make.

But I've found one.

I qualify for affordable housing. I'm moving into a new apartment next week.

Affordable housing can mean the "projects" in larger cities. Not in Bozeman. These are nice, brand new apartments made for the people who have too many zeroes missing from their paychecks.

That's me.

The best news, I'm moving out of my current place. It's been a fine place to live but I'm really sick of having roommates. I want my own place.

Now I'm getting it. Woohoo!

Long time no blog

It's been a while. Sheesh.

Where do I begin? How about the President. In my last blog I wondered why everyone cared so much that the president said "shit." A co-worker of mine, Shawn, agreed and then said everyone should be focused on the disgusting way Bush was shoving food into his pie hole and talking with his mouth open. I agreed. He seemed like a bit of a slob.

I have a new co-anchor. She starts August 30th. There were 3 finalists for the job...including my current co-anchor, Beth, who had been filling in since Melissa left. I was rooting for Beth. She does a great job and I thought she deserved the position. The powers that be felt otherwise. I'm confident things will work out and I am excited to meet my new TV wife...but at the moment I feel for Beth and her disappointment.

I saw "An Inconvenient Truth." Excellent movie. I highly recommend it. Why did Al Gore have to become so cool AFTER the 2000 election. We could have used the coolness factor back then. Anyway, go see it. It's worth it.

The Olive Garden followed through on its promise to send me a gift card. A $10 one. I was surprised by the amount. I was expecting $5. Now if only they'd build a restaurant in Bozeman.

I suppose that's it for now. Adios.

The Sh_t Heard 'Round the World

So the president said "shit."

Big deal.

I am no fan of of President Bush, but I like him just a little bit more tonight.

Everybody swears. EVERYONE. I don't care how religious you are. I don't care how inappropriate you think swearing is. At the very least...when you are alone...you swear. You know it.

So our president is no different than us.

So let's attack Mr. Bush for every other stupid thing he's done...but not for the use of a four-letter word.

The Olive Garden's Response

Dear Lincoln:

We understand your disappointment with the removal of Chocolate Lasagna from our menu. We make decisions about our menu based on guest demand, along with an effort to keep our menu fresh and interesting. Guests help determine what remains on the menu by ordering those items, and conversely help determine what is eliminated from the menu by not ordering those food and beverage items. We regularly review the preferences of our menu items and make additions or deletions accordingly. Please be assured that we are interested in your comments and have documented your preference for Chocolate Lasagna for future consideration. In the meantime, in the hopes that you may find a new favorite, we are sending a complimentary gift card to try one of our other menu items.

Erich

Olive Garden Guest Relations

(I'm still somewhat unhappy but at least they responded to me. Plus I'm getting a free gift card. :) Now if only they'll build a restaurant in Bozeman so I can use it.)

The Waters of Madison County

I've been in Bozeman for almost 8 months now and I finally took part in a local tradition of sorts. I floated the Madison.

(Disclaimer: I have no idea who the people in the picture are. It's a random one I found in cyberspace.)

The Madison River begins in Yellowstone National Park and meanders for 133 miles before converging with the Gallatin and Jefferson rivers to form the mighty Missouri. There's a small whitewater section along its path but for the most part the Madison is a gentle, wide waterway.

Every weekend during the summer, hundreds and hundreds of people, (mostly from Bozeman) grab whatever flotation device and jump into the river. Coolers of beer get their own inner tubes.

A lazy day of floating down the river. It was awesome. I'll be doing much more of it I'm sure.

I'm also nursing a nasty sunburn. It's been a while since I've had one.

It hurts.

A Sad, Sad Day

I have devastating news.

The best dessert in the entire world has been discontinued. Olive Garden officials, in their infinite wisdom, have decided to stop selling the beloved Chocolate Lasagna. Is there even a reason to eat there anymore? (Not that I can that often anyway because in another brilliant business move...they have yet to build a restaurant in Bozeman).

Kathryn broke the news to me this afternoon. She, more than anyone, knows what Chocolate Lasagna means to me.

This news has so upset me that I even sent a message of complaint to The Olive Garden on their website. I don't do things like that. Even when I was a kid and my favorite microwave snack, Suddenly Smores, disappeared off the supermarket shelves, I didn't take the news this hard.

I encourage all of you to contact The Olive Garden and demand that they bring Chocolate Lasagna back to the masses.

Please. I beg of you. Help me in this important endeavor.

Roadkill #2

Ahhhhh.....Isn't he cute? Well, cute and dead that is.

I'm an animal lover. So don't think I'm just casually talking of Mr. Squirrel's death as if I don't care about him. I do.

But damn....these are some stupid, stupid animals.

They are Columbian Ground Squirrels for those who don't know. They look like prairie dogs. They act like prairie dogs. They are NOT prairie dogs. I promise. They are however, dumb.

I killed two (and watched a third one dying) on my way home from Glacier over the weekend. I've killed countless others in my four years spent in the Big Sky state. They just can't seem to learn that the roadway is a dangerous place. They'll trot out into my lane...and sit there. The imposing edifice of my Toyota Camry (I'm sure from the ground a Camry looks imposing) racing towards them doesn't seem to phase the little bastards. They will simply NOT MOVE. Don't they see the car coming? Are they just blind? Are the processes in their tiny little brains not working fast enough? I don't know. What I do know is they appear to be on suicide missions. They run into my lane and simply wait to die.

What's worse is that the rest of the Columbian Ground Squirrel family will quickly choose to devour their fallen comrade. It's disgusting. They in turn stand a great chance of also being run over. I've seen it happen. It was a little squirrel graveyard. A squirrel would die. Another would try to eat it. Said diner would also be hit and killed. It's a never-ending cycle.

They are dumb, but I feel bad for them. I've never intentionally hit one and I never would. They are fairly adorable. But come on guys...smarten up a little.

I also hit a bird again. I've started to feel less sorry for them. If you can FLY and you still end up being hit by a car, you aren't using that flying privilege to its full potential.

My Rambling Mind

In an earlier post on this blog I lamented on my hatred of Spring. I love Summer, Fall, and Winter (usually) for very different and distinct reasons. Spring is just...blah.

Good news though. It's often been said that Montana has two seasons: Winter and Summer. Apparently it's true. As I was enjoying the nice summer day yesterday I wondered, "what happened to Spring?" It seemed like it was winter and then all of sudden it was summer. Oh well. Fine by me.

In other news I don't get play anchorman for a while. An expensive piece of equipment was fried in a power surge at our parent station in Missoula. The details are boring. What it means is we don't have a local newscast for at least a week. Instead I get to play reporter and do live reports for Missoula every night. I love anchoring but this will be a nice change.

I want a pet. I want a dog and/or cat. However, I don't have the time for an animal and I can't afford one anyway. But it would be nice. A cat would be the most logical choice but I'd really like a dog I can take to the park and play fetch with.

New Zealand is an amazing country. I spent 6 months there and I miss it quite a bit. Everyone's friendly, the landscape is hard to beat, and life seems so carefree. I recommend everyone go there at least to visit. The North Island is cool but the South Island is where IT'S at.

I have a crush on Allie MacKay...the morning reporter for KUTV Channel 2 in Salt Lake City. I realize she's rather polarizing. You either love her or hate her. I happen to love her. I watch little clips of her segments on the Internet. She's hilarious. Perhaps I'll work with her some day.

I guess that's it. Later.

Farewell Friend

She's gone.

We sent my co-anchor Melissa off in grand style tonight. (These are pictures from tonight) I'm fairly certain I wasn't supposed to give as much time to her "goodbye" as I did, but she deserved it. Better to beg for forgiveness later right?

She was my colleague...and a damn good one at that. More than that though, she's also my friend. I will miss her terribly.

Keep your eye out for this woman everyone. I have no doubt that we'll all see her on network television a few years down the road.

Good luck Melissa! Go make us proud.

Roadkill

Are there more critters in Montana or are these animals just stupider than elsewhere?

I'm not sure what it is but I've killed or almost killed more animals in the past couple months than I have since I first got my license. Here's a rundown.

Deer: Luckily there have been no collisions but I almost ran into a few of these guys on my home from Glacier a couple weeks ago. It's a little frightening when you're barreling down the freeway at 85 miles per hour and you suddenly see animals in the roadway. I braked....hard. Which, I found out last week, is the right thing to do. Apparently most drivers instinctually swerve which is bad....or so I've been told.

Ground squirrels: These little cannibals are everywhere in Montana. They're idiots too. I ran over many when I worked in Glacier and I saw plenty more smashed into the roadway. I guess Bozeman's no different. I was driving home the other day and a doofy little ground squirrel came trotting out onto the road. I grimaced and drove right over him. I mean that literally. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw the dumb little bastard standing up on his hind legs like, "what the hell just happened?"

Birds: What the hell? The only animal on earth that can FLY and I've hit 3 in the past couple weeks. In one case a couple of blue jays were fighting in mid-air. One of them decided to quickly back off but ended up too low...and smacked into my windshield.

Snake: This one's a little different in that a) I don't know if it's dead and b) I ran over him on my bike. It scared the crap out of me though. It was probably a little garter snake but he hissed like hell as my tires ran over his tail.

Anchors Away!

I knew it was coming but it doesn't make it any easier.

My co-anchor, Melissa, (that's us being stupid and acting "newscasterish") is moving up in the world. She's been at the station much longer than I have (2 and a half years to be exact) and the time has come for her to move on.

I remember working at Big Sky Ski Resort in the winter of 2004/2005. I've always been a news junkie and I made sure to catch the local news wherever I was. Big Sky was no different. Bozeman was only 40 minutes away thus that's where the local news came from. During my first few days there I juggled through the local channels trying to decide what I liked best. Maybe it was fate that I finally settled on Melissa. Back then she was a solo anchor for the 10 o'clock news. I liked her style and preferred to watch her over the competition. My friends knew of my news ambitions and they knew that I'd one day leave the seasonal world and pursue my dream of being a news anchor. I remember a prophetic statement made by one of them. "Lincoln? What if you start looking for a job next year and you get to work in Bozeman with her?" I tossed aside the notion back then.

Now look at me. I've been sitting next to her for the past 6 months.

Melissa, our time together has been short. But I've loved every minute of it. You have taught me a great deal on how to be a good anchor and reporter. I will miss you and I know Butte and Bozeman will miss you. Watch out Katie Couric. She's on her way.

Perspective

I went to Glacier over the weekend. Most know of my love and adoration of all things Glacier National Park. This is the first summer in 4 years that I won't be spending within the towering mountain walls of the Many Glacier Valley. That fact has worried me for quite some time.

The seasonal life can ruin you. Most don't understand that because most don't take part in it. Once you do indulge however, the lifestyle becomes dangerously addictive. Why work in the "real world" when you can "just have fun." I spent my last four summers hiking and hanging out with friends. I spent my winters snowboarding and seeing New Zealand. Sure I worked in these places but when you're living that life, being a bellman doesn't seem like work. The whole experience was like college. Only for me there was no school involved and I lived within the most beautiful mountains on earth.

Thus, making the transition to "real life" can be a little traumatic. I thought my experience might be a little different though. I landed a dream job of sorts as a TV news anchor...my lifelong ambition. Not only that, I found that job in Montana...a place that cast a spell over me nearly 5 years ago when I first came to Glacier. So obviously, some good things have happened to me in the past 6 or 7 months.

But that pesky little thought lingered in the back of my mind
"I'm not in Glacier."

So I was a little nervous to go back. I expected something heart-wrenching. It didn't happen. I stared out over the waters of Swiftcurrent Lake and smiled. I was happy to be back. But something was different. I felt like a bit of an outsider. Normally that would dismay me. Glacier is "my park" after all. But then my intuition spoke loud and clear. "You feel like an outsider because you don't belong here. You've moved on."

So I'm relieved. I can go back as much as I want this summer and I know I won't be disappointed that I'm not living there.

My time there is over. And I'm okay with that.

It's hopeless

I had an epiphany today.

Unless I marry someone who gets joy and comfort out of cooking for me...I'm going to become one of those people who eat out...all the time...every meal.

It's not that I can't cook. I believe I have decent culinary skills. But my drive and ambition to cook is...well...absent. I just don't want to put forth the effort. It's so much easier (and tastier) to drive to the Naked Noodle and order me one Gaucho with Red Snapper.

However my habit of eating out does have financial implications. To put it simply...I can't afford it. (Here's a sad, sad side note. I discovered today that new hires at the Bozeman Taco Bell are making more than I am. (Another side note: Yes I went to Taco Bell because I didn't want to cook). Granted there is a serious labor shortage in this town and even fast food chains are providing some impressive incentives. But come on.) Therefore I've been forcing myself to cook a little more.

I started this morning. Scrambled eggs with salsa and cheese. Yum.

Bozeman's Beautiful!

That's a little jingle from local radio station. It's very catchy. It's also true...most of the time. See for yourself. Isn't it purty?

Actually it wasn't this weekend. My parents came to visit for the weekend. It rained...and rained...and rained some more. It sort of pissed me off. And of course on the day they leave...it clears right up. Figures. Stupid Mother Nature. Is she on her period?

On a completely unrelated and random note...do people really care about Brad and Angelina's (oh wait...Brangelina's) baby? How is it possible that a picture of this little kid could fetch $5 million. It's a freakin' baby. Don't they all look the same anyway? I just don't get it. I do however like the idea of combining the first names of celebrity couples. It saves us all time and it's kind of a novelty. Has anyone started referring to Jennifer and Vince as Jennivaughn? If not we should start now.

TV

I find it ironic that I watch less TV than ever since I started working in the TV business.
No more Lost. No more American Idol. No more CSI.
I will catch the ABC Sunday night line-up. (With the exception of the god-awful Extreme Home Makeover). That's about it.
So as everyone I know freaks out about the American Idol finale, I sit back and wonder, "Who the hell is Taylor?"

Turmoil

Today is Mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom!

Onto the subject at hand.

It is so easy to be angry. Why do people fight with each other? Because it's easier than sitting down and actually communicating. It's easier than telling someone some painful truths about them. It's easier than learning painful truths about yourself. Why sit down and tediously work through the issue when you can be pissed at each other? Because being pissed off is easier.

But as with all things in life, the easy path usually isn't the best one to follow. Avoiding the easy path may just help you grow as a person and help other people grow.

I'm trying to remember this as I deal with a difficult person in my life right now. Given a choice I'd say forget it and simply avoid their poisonous attitude. Unfortunately, that's not a possibility. Circumstances are such that I must interact with this person every day.

I'll let you know how it all turns out. I am vowing to be mature and reasonable. For now, I take comfort in the fact that I, and everyone else around me, know this other person is the irrational one. And if nothing changes, I know that they'll lose in the end.

Stupid President Bush

Oh sure I think he's stupid for many reasons. Tonight, however, I'm pissed at him for addressing the nation and thus causing a very embarassing moment for me.

Mr. Bush spoke at 6 pm local time. Our newscast usually starts then so we were pushed back by 25 minutes...or so we thought.

The president finished early...which meant were were starting our show earlier than expected. We didn't know that though. I was sitting at the anchor desk getting ready for the show. There is a TV in our newsroom that usually has NBC on at all times. I happened to glance at that TV and was puzzled at first to see myself.

"Hmm," I thought. "That's not right. Melissa was sitting next to me, putting her microphone on and getting ready as well. Then I realized....I'm on TV...right now! It was not good. We had no freaking idea what to do. Our production crew in the back wasn't ready. We all got caught with our pants down. Eventually the screen went black, we started our show and pretended nothing had happened.

But man oh man it was embarassing. You gotta love small market television news.

I blame the President.

Eden

This is a picture of Mt. Wilbur. It was taken from the shores of Swiftcurrent Lake in Glacier National Park. For the past 4 summers this was the view I was treated to every day. I've written of Glacier several times in this blog. I know, I'm obsessed. I'll spare you the "Glacier is Great" testimonial this time. I'm only mentioning it because now is the time for all my Glacier buddies to be heading back up to the park. Several have stopped through Bozeman so far and more are on the way. Six months into new career (at least I hope will turn into one) as a news anchor, I'm still conflicted about not going back to the Many Glacier Hotel. Don't get me wrong. I love my job and I'm lucky to have it. But it is....a job. There's no escaping that fact. In a perfect world I'd be independently wealthy and do whatever the hell I wanted. But I digress. I'm simply hoping this picture, in some small way, explains why Glacier is a place hard to let go of. Unless you hate everything outdoorsy. In that case we'd probably never get along. Unless you're Kathryn.

On a side note, I am 5 hours away from Glacier. As I'm traveling up there nearly every weekend will I be enriching myself with the spirit of the park...or, like a bad breakup, prolonging the inevitable?

Will my job get me out of this?

As soon as I saw the police car flip around I knew it was coming for me. I resigned myself to being pulled over, turned a corner, and parked on the side of the road. Sure enough, the cop pulled up behind me...and I waited.

But the wheels were turning in my head. I wasn't wondering how to get out of this ticket. I was simply curious as to whether my job would do it for me...or even make things worse. Bozeman is a small town. My face is on television here twice a night, 5 days a week. I deal with the police all time in my job. I even recognized her. She had to know who I was. The only question is whether she'd give a shit. The answer: No.

Don't get me wrong. I wasn't expecting to get out of a ticket because I'm on TV. I was just wondering whether she'd be lenient with me because of it. If that were the case, I'd drive away and think, "ahh, the perks of my job."

But, alas, it didn't happen. In fact, she gave no indication she recognized me at all. She asked me where I lived, where I worked, and how long I'd been in Montana. I got a ticket for going 43 in a 25. I then got a stern warning for not having a Montana driver license and Montana plates. Then I got sent on my merry way.

So now I have to pay the ticket, get a new license and shell out a lot of money to have my car registered here. All for having a lead foot.

So no...my job didn't get me out of it. I'm still a nobody.