Doom & Gloom

It was a bad day at work.

Our general manager made the rounds and informed a handful of people that their jobs were being eliminated.

We've gone through several months of empty positions not being filled but these are the first layoffs. Now everyone is wondering if more are on the way.

It is not a good time to be in the news business.

Although I feel very secure in my position (though I know anything could happen) the trickle down effect is hard. Quality suffers. Morale suffers. We're being asked to do much more with much less. It's difficult to keep your head up.

I know I'm not alone in this. Every other business out there is suffering. But I'm starting to personally feel the effects of this economic meltdown. It's no fun.

Cliche

This is where and when I write about what I'm thankful for...right?

I'm definitely the kind of person to focus on what I don't have rather than what I do have. But there are those times when I realize I'm so much better off than the majority of people in this world. I've got my issues but when it comes down to it, none of them are life-threatening. That's important.

I could mention the myriad of things I'm thankful for. But I won't. I'll name one thing. Something that's especially timely considering the crap this country is knee-deep in right now.

I'm thankful for my job.

This has nothing to do with following my childhood dreams and becoming a news anchor. It simply has to do with getting a decent paycheck. I personally know about a dozen people who are unemployed right now and certainly don't want to be. It's scary and I feel for them. Necessity would force me to adapt but I'm still not sure what I'd do if I were in their shoes right now. I have a good job in very bad times.

I'm very thankful for that.

Bullets in My Bed

It's not the best story I've ever done. It's not very visually compelling. But it is my first, official sweeps story I've put together in Boise.


In other news, Thanksgiving is tomorrow. It doesn't feel like it. Some news buddies and I will be getting together for a gourmet meal at Marie Callender's. Jealous? I thought so.

Random Happenings

I was at dinner last night and witnessed something very telling and eye-opening. I noticed two guys having an apparent conversation. One of them was doing most of the talking. I looked at the one listening and saw the unmistakable look of boredom and disinterest on his face. He wasn't absorbing any of what the other guy was saying. I chuckled a little at how obvious it was. Then I realized how often that bored look spreads across my face. If it's so easy to spot it in him, then I'm not as good at faking interest in boring conversations and stories as I thought.

My co-anchor finally had her baby. I've been filling in on weather for a full week now.

Don't I look meteorological?

I look at this as a learning experience. That's it. I'm not that interested in weather. I certainly didn't realize how much we talk about it on the morning show. Frankly, it bores me. But I'd like to get halfway decent in presenting it. I think it will be good for me in the long run.

A couple days before Halloween, I went into a costume shop to look for some fake blood. This was one of those temporary shops that spring up every October. You know what kind I'm talking about right? They open up in some vacant building and disappear after the holiday. The employees are all temporary. Sometimes, they're not the brightest nor most well-groomed individuals. I went after work. I was wearing a shirt and tie. As I was walking around with a gallon jug of fake blood in my hand (seriously) when some woman came up to me and said, "you work here right?" I said no. She said, "Oh...you look like you work here." Then she walked away. Not 30 minutes later, I was in Walmart, wearing the same clothes, standing behind my shopping cart looking at cheese. A woman came up and said, "do you work here?" I said no. She said, "oh...you look like you work here." Lame.

Has anyone seen the History Channel show called "The States?" I guess it's a mini-series of sorts. There are 10 one hour episodes. There are five state profiles in each episode. It's fascinating....and strangely addictive. The entire series was on today. I almost watched all of it. I thought they did a good job of presenting Utah. The segment on Montana sucked. They didn't capture the spirit of the state at all. I didn't get to see Idaho. I really liked the one on Colorado too.

There are changes coming to work. My boss is leaving for a job in Omaha. I have mixed feelings about this. I won't get into it here. Let's just say there's a lot of uncertainty ahead.

The Utes won yesterday. Woohoo! I sat in a sports bar for 6 hours watching the Boise State game and then the Utah/BYU game. It was strange. Boise State fans were hoping Utah would lose so BSU would have a better chance of making it to a BCS bowl game. Every time Utah would score, me and 4 other people in the entire place were cheering like crazy. The BSU fans wanted to strangle me. But I don't care.

Is it weird that I like fog? I don't like driving in it of course, but in any other circumstance I find it intriguing. I walked home last night from downtown Boise. It's about a 20 minute walk. The fog was thick and heavy. I found it strangely refreshing. There was an eeriness to it but it was a comforting eeriness. Does that make any sense?

I'm a little obsessed with this blog. Its authors, my friends Ron & Jessie, are livin' it up "The Shining" style in Glacier National Park. They're winter caretakers...

....at the 90+ year old Many Glacier Hotel. The winter caretaker job was always a source of curiosity for me and other former Glacier employees. Now, someone I know, is actually doing it...and they're doing a damn fine job of documenting the whole thing too. It's fascinating...to me anyway. You should check it out.

Is it really almost December? Is 2008 only a month away from being over? Where did all the time go? Seriously.

A New Horizon

I added a picture to the banner at the top of this blog. I truly can't explain my deep fondness for this image. It's the background on my MySpace spage. It's my desktop image at work. Now it sits at the top of this blog...I think the most fitting place for it. It speaks to me. I can look at it and see a myriad of different meanings, each one just as profound as the others. What exactly is he doing? The answer depends on my mood. Frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way. How many times can you find a picture, an image, a passage, a quote, a proverb that speaks to you in a different way every time you take it in? I realize we all find meaning in such things. But multiple meanings? I suppose it may happen all the time and I've just been left out of such revelations until now. If that's true...I don't care much. All I care about is that I found this picture. To me, it's the most thought-provoking image I've ever come across.

Inspired

I should have written this yesterday. But I'm only now getting a break from the rigors of the news business around Election Day.

I wrote the previous post before I voted on Tuesday. I meant everything I said. But I feel like my words discredit what I witnessed Tuesday night. I fully expected Barack Obama to win the election. But I was caught off guard by the enormity of the event. When the networks called the race at 9:00, I quickly shuffled between all of them, catching glimpses of how they chose to cover it. Every outlet was focused on Grant Park in Chicago. I settled on CNN and sat there transfixed. The crowd was jubilant. People were crying. I've never seen anything like it. Then they showed what was going on across the world. Celebrations in Kenya, Australia, and parts of Europe. It was incredibly moving. "This is big," I said aloud to myself. "This is an awe-inspiring and defining moment." In an instant, I felt guilty that my initial support for this man was tinged with a hint of apathy. I was witnessing a rare event. Millions, probably billions, of people across the world were having the most meaningful group hug seen in a generation...and I was just barely walking into the party. An hour or so later, Barack Obama walked out on stage. He seemed different. He seemed presidential. I watched his victory speech with a grin across my face. Up until that point, I had never fully comprehended what an Obama victory would mean to this country given its racially charged past. Now, I suddenly understood. But that was only part of my quickly vanishing apathy. What truly blew me away was Barack Obama's ability to unite. Even McCain loyalists couldn't see what was happening and not be moved somewhat. It doesn't matter that millions of people chose not to support Obama this week. What I saw on Tuesday night was a grandiose show of unity. Not just in America...but across the world. It's good to see that again.

For a while I was paddling my own little boat alongside the big ocean liner. Sure, we were going in the same direction, but I kept a distance. That's over now. I've jumped on board. Let's not look back.

Apathy

I'm apathetic about today's election.

I will vote.

But deep down, I'm a little bummed.

You wanna know why?

Because I'd rather be voting the first female president into office.

Sorry Hillary. I really am sorry.

(sigh)

To Mr. McCain: I'm sorry for you too. I think you're a good guy. You probably would have made an okay president. I have my reservations about you but that's beside the point. I know you wanted it so bad you could taste it. Sorry buddy...your time has come and gone.

To Mr. Obama: Okay. You got what you wanted. While I'm cautiously optimistic, I know actions speak louder than words. Please, please don't disappoint us.

To everyone else: Go vote. It's your civic duty.

Halloween '08

So here's the deal. I haven't had an original costume in years. I've either been a Mormon missionary or a bear attack victim. Being a missionary would have been the easiest thing to do this year. But the novelty and humor doesn't have the same effect when you're in a place with a significant Mormon population. There weren't many church members in Montana...where I first donned the costume. There are plenty of Mormons in Idaho. Thus, I decided to go for the bear attack victim. It was my third go-around...and by far the best one. It was a lot bloodier. My back patio is covered in fake blood. It looks like I dismembered someone out there. Hopefully the rain will wash it away soon.

Halloween was fun...if underwhelming. It was cool to go out and see what people come up with in terms of their costumes. But it was still a night out on the town...bar hopping. We all know how much I love that. I went home before everyone else, washed the blood off, and went to bed. I'm lame...I know. But I still had fun.

Cat

I don't get why some people hate cats. I don't get why I always have to defend the fact I like them. I don't get why there's a stigma on single men who live with a cat. You know why I don't get all of that? Because Merlin is f***ing awesome. That's all I'm gonna say.

I'm not going to be one of those people who blab on endlessly about their adorable pet. But I had to post a few more pictures. He's not the perfect pet. But he's pretty damn close. So shut up about my cat. I think he's cool.

"And now...Lincoln Graves...with your Precision Forecast"

In the fall of 2006, my old colleague, Andrew Capasso, did a story on whether people on the street would recognize political candidates. He hit the streets of Bozeman with pictures of celebrities and those running for office to see who would recognize who. Just for fun, he threw a picture of me in the mix. One lady did recognize me. As Andrew laughed in the background, she said, "That's the guy that does the local weather. I forgot his name...but he does the weather."

Andrew, if you're reading this, I'm sure you'll be delighted to know that I'm about to become a weatherman.

I've been learning how to do weather for the past two weeks. My co-anchor, Mellisa, is about ready to pop...meaning she's very pregnant. The woman who was tapped to fill in for Mellisa just got a job in San Francisco. So, starting sometime in November, and going until sometime in January, I'll be delivering the forecast.

I'm okay with it....I guess. I'm not going to be very good in the beginning. The computer system is daunting. Delivering the weather and understanding it are two completely different things. But I'm excited to learn. I think it will be a good skill to have if I stay in this business for a while. I just wish the learning curve phase was already over. I hate looking stupid on-air.

Aged 3 Years

A fine wine gets better with age.

I don't.

Tonight, I was sitting on my couch, computer in my lap, talking to Beth on the phone. My screen saver rotates through all of the photos I have on my laptop. At some point, I stopped paying attention to what Beth was saying and started focusing on the photos. The ones I noticed were about three to four years old. They were eye-opening. For the first time in my life, I noticed a younger version of myself. Looking back at photos of when you're a child doesn't apply in this situation. I'm talking about an adult version of yourself looking at a different adult version. I've aged in the past three years. I really have. I only need look at the photos to realize it.

From this brief moment, I've developed a theory: the key to looking and feeling young is a care-free lifestyle.

My immersion into the news business hasn't been particularly wrenching. I don't feel as though I've struggled. In fact, I look back on where I've been and I smile at the good times I've had. But there has been stress. How could there not be? It's been a whirlwind three years and I feel like I just barely took the time to notice how disheveled that twister has left me. Real life puts you through the wringer....even if the highs outweigh the lows. I'm not writing all this with a wistful tone. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It just...is.

Three years ago I was carrying luggage for a living and hiking all day. Now I'm into my third year of trying to be a responsible adult. It's worn me down a little...and I'm just now noticing. I don't know what this means for the future. I can't go back to the way things were. I don't even want to. But now I see my four years spent as a wanderer weren't just good for my spirit. They were good for my health. I'll have to figure out how get a little closer to that point. For now, I suppose I'll just try to have a little more fun in my life.

Merlin

I don't know how it happened. I wasn't planning on it. If anything, I was thinking about sharing my apartment with a creature of the canine variety. But now I have Merlin. You know what he's saying in the above photo right? "Ha ha! I conned you into adopting me! I own you sucker!" Little bastard. Cute little bastard...but a bastard nonetheless.

Wow...it's short.

I got a haircut on Friday. It's short. Have a look.

Whaddya think? Be honest. I can take it. I think I'm okay with it. It may take some getting used to but my hair's been pissing me off lately and it was time for something different. I'm sure it will morph a little but I think I'm set on keeping it short. Besides, when you have thinning hair (and I've done my research on that) a short style is better. It masks it a little more.

So my computer's been running slow lately. I was going through some of my computer files over the weekend, doing a little weeding, when I came across something I'd forgotten about. It was a goodbye project from Brandon, my old technical director in Bozeman. I teased him a lot. He teased me a lot. We mercilessly mocked each other. But deep down, I know he believed in my talent and I believed in his. Although we never told each other, I think we had a lot of respect for each other. As I was getting ready to leave Bozeman, I had an idea he was working on something for me. But before long, I was gone, and I'd forgotten about it. In reality, he just didn't finish it in time. A few weeks later, I got a package in the mail with the following gem of a video. He doesn't hold back. Some might consider it mildly inappropriate but I've decided to post it anyway. There's many inside jokes but still...it's funny. The concept? Someone's watching satellite TV and they do a programming search under my name. I guess this is what they'd find. Thanks Brandon. This definitely made me laugh.

That is all. I apologize for this completely narcissistic post.

Winding Down

Ever since I worked in Glacier National Park, I see the coming of fall and winter as a form of closure. I'm pretty sure it was a late September evening in 2003 when I traveled up to Logan Pass with a few friends. Glacier had just received it's first snowfall of the season. It comes early up there. It didn't snow a lot, but the newly charred forest was noticeably dusted.

The most vivid thing I remember about that night is how quiet it was. Going-to-the-Road is a hotbed of activity in the park. There's always an endless stream of cars coming up and down the road. But on that night we seemed liked the only ones around. We sat on the edge of a rock wall and looked out over the valley. I turned to Hardy and said, "I think the mountains are letting out a huge sigh of relief." While summer belongs to the tourists, winter belongs to the park. The hotels are closed. The roads aren't plowed. The people stay away. If the mountains were people I imagined them saying to themselves, "Finally. It's over. Now it's time to rest." A time of closure, albeit temporary, for the park itself. A time to recuperate, reflect, and recharge.

I've been thinking about this as summer comes to an end. Although life doesn't stop in the next few months, I still see fall and winter as the time to wind down, settle in, and rest up. On some levels it is sad. No matter how much I might crave the snow I never like to see warm weather disappear. While the colorful leaves are nice to look at, I hate to see the tree branches turn stark and bare. A winter sunrise may seem icy, refreshing, and exhilarating but it's no fun when the sun sets in the late afternoon hours.

Good and bad. Either way, I'm ready. I distinctly remember last summer lackadaisically meandering by. I wanted it that way. I knew it was my last summer in Montana and I savored every minute of it. This summer simply flew by. I don't think there was any other way for it to go. It was a time of adjustment, growth, bewilderment, and simple observance. I had to get used to things. Each new day was a baptism by fire of sorts. Such an indoctrination is bound to happen at breakneck speed.

Now I'm settling in. I'm reflecting on what I've learned so far to make the next summertime go-around more memorable and productive. Instead of the mountains breathing a sigh of relief, it's me. The whirlwind is over. Now it's time to breathe.

Fire, the Sawtooths, & Bunny Feet

Finally...FINALLY!...I got into the Idaho backcountry this past weekend. The Sawtooth Mountains are breathtaking. I went with my co-anchor Michelle and two of her friends from San Francisco. We hiked up to Sawtooth Lake. Gorgeous...as you can see. Although I'm excited for snowboarding, this hike made me a little weepy. Summer is coming to an end quickly. I don't necessarily like that. Hopefully, I can get one more Sawtooth hike in this Fall before the snow starts to fly.
Staying in the mountains of Idaho...I've been doing a lot of zip lining lately. A while back I did a story on a new zip line tour company that opened just outside of Boise. I've become pretty good friends with the owner and thus, have been able to take a few trips. Zip Idaho has the longest zip line in Idaho...at 1800 feet. Here's a shaky video I took going down.


Work's been pretty good lately. I wrote in the previous post how I felt a little inadequate delivering some breaking news. I finally went back and watched my 9 minutes of rambling. I figured I'd give myself a few days to let it all sink in...so I wouldn't be so hard on myself. I don't think it was that bad. It definitely could have been better...but I may have over-reacted. The story I was talking about in that breaking news has dominated local headlines here for over a week now. A fire broke out at the bottom of a hillside on the southeast side of town. High winds pushed it out of control and it ended up destroying 10 homes and damaging 9 others. I went to the scene for the first time today for a story on two cops that evacuated residents. I was stunned. Here are some pictures.
And here's the story I did on it today.

There's no easy transition from devastating fire to dead bunnies...so let's just get right to it. The property around the station is infested with rabbits. I pull into the parking lot early in the morning and they scatter. No one really minds them. We even like them. But I wasn't prepared for what happened one morning last week. I was walking out to my car to go home and saw this on the ground below the driver's door.

Two little bunny feet. No body. No blood. Just feet. It was creepy and I can't explain it. Maybe a coyote got a hold of it and decided he didn't like the feet. I don't know. But there you have it. I don't know what else to say.

Inadequacy

I still have much to learn in the news business.

Today I filled 9 minutes of airtime while waiting for a live press conference to begin. Nine minutes of ad-libbing with just notes in front of me. A friend tells me I did a great job. I don't agree. It's all sort of a blur. I mumbled on and on about certain things and I'm not even sure of what I said. I just know I don't feel good about it. I wouldn't say I bombed. But I know it could have been a lot smoother. All day long I've been disappointed in myself and wondering if I'm cut out for that kind of stuff. I'm supposed to be the person who gets it. I'm supposed to be the one who's a natural when it comes to this stuff. The reality is...I have much to learn. There is no replacement for genuine experience. I guess I'll just chalk this one up to just that...a learning experience. I did learn a lot and hopefully I'll be better next time.

What Is This Crap?

I guess this is old news but I just barely found out about it. The latest "Harry Potter" movie is being pushed back to a July 2009 release. I was unpleasantly surprised when I found out. I'm a huge "Harry Potter" fan/dork. This sucks. Some fans are calling for a boycott. Sounds like a good idea in theory...but I know that once the movie actually came out, I wouldn't be able to avoid seeing it.

Merritt Mayhem

I have some battle scars but I (along with good buddy Ron) made it up my fourth 10,000 foot peak in Glacier National Park. Only two more to go. They're the two hardest mountains to get to but I won't think about that right now.

Merritt wasn't exactly easy. But let's start with the good news. My knees were fine! Ron and I, along with another friend, Andy, summited Mt. Cleveland a year ago. It was sheer hell. My knees were dying. I thought I had done some permanent damage by running the Bridger Ridge Run a few weeks earlier. On top of that...they hurt through winter, spring, and most of this summer. I wasn't too optimistic about how things would go with this climb. But they held out...and it was a grueling trek. We hiked in 13 miles and camped for the night. We were on the trail the next morning by 8:30. The actual climb seemed more tiring than other mountains I've tackled. I kept looking up and seeing more mountain. In the end it was worth it. The views from atop Merritt are said to be the best from any mountain in the park. I'd have to agree. We had gorgeous weather and a crystal clear day. It just took a lot longer than we thought. We were planning on summiting, coming down, AND hiking out by 10:00 p.m. at the latest. We didn't even get off the mountain until 8:00. People were expecting us back that night so we had no choice but to grin and bear the 13 mile hike out in the dark. It wasn't all bad. We had some spectacular moonlight to light our way. We got to the car around 1:45 in the morning. Here's a shot looking back up at the summit after we'd gotten down. I look like Hell.


My battle scars consist of numerous blisters (as usual) and a bunch of cuts and scrapes from sharp rocks and bush-whacking. It could have been much worse. Twice during the climb Ron and I saw huge boulders about the size of refrigerators fall from the upper reaches of the summit. They were close enough to make me think, "whoa." The only other scary moment was during the hike out. We heard a low, guttural growl not far off the trail at one point. We spent the next 30 minutes shining our lights behind us to make sure nothing was following. Here's another nice shot from close to the summit.

The rest of the trip was just as good. I saw plenty of old friends and had lots of good times. Danny took me kayaking on Apgar Creek. I had dinner with Amanda, Nicole, Dave, Ron, and Jessie. I had a quick cup of coffee with Audrey and Chad. I shook hands and caught up with a dozen others. It made me miss Glacier quite a bit. I thought a lot about where I'm headed in life and whether I'll end up back in Montana. But that's for another post. Besides...I'm always babbling about that.

Finally, I was driving part of the way home last night thinking about all the fun times I'd just had and I saw this road sign.

Cheesy, I know. But I couldn't resist making the connection.

Random Thoughts

The economy sucks right now. I now personally know about a dozen people who've been affected by the downturn in one seriously negative way or another. I have a feeling I'm secure but you just never know. I hope things turn around soon.

The ABC show Wipeout is...awesome. I thought it would get tired real quick but I seem to laugh out loud every time I see it.

I was genuinely saddened to hear that Wall Arch in Arches National Park had collapsed. Arches is my 2nd favorite national park. (Can you guess what's 1st?) I've spent some highly charged emotional (good & bad) moments there. Wall Arch wasn't what you'd call a "favorite" but I've stood atop it a few times. I'm sad that it's gone.

Zip Lining is damn cool.

I've developed a mini-addiction to Cappucino Blasts from Baskin Robbins. It's gotten so bad that employees at two different Boise stores now know me by name.

There's still plenty of summer left but being one of those people who can't stop thinking about the future...all I can focus on is that summer's on the seasonal downturn.

Blueberry Morning cereal from Post is tasty.

I've sort of fallen into a split sleep schedule. Wake up at 2:30. Sleep after work. Wake up in the late afternoon. Sleep again around 10 pm. Repeat cycle. Doesn't always work but it's the only consistency I've been able to find.

I'm very bad with responding to emails and Facebook or Myspace messages.

The Soup...on E....is briliant.

Gas prices are going down again. I don't think we reached the point where serious changes in how we power are cars will HAVE to be made. Perhaps next year.

I'm leaving for Glacier tomorrow. Woohoo! Be back in a week.

Six Months

It's been 6 months to the day since I arrived in Boise. Time flies. I won't get too reflective. Don't you save that kind of thing for the one year mark?

I will say things are going good. Much better, in fact, than just a couple months ago. I've really taken some aggressive steps in "getting myself out there." I'm making a concerted effort to meet people and get involved. I think it's paying off. I'm getting an appreciation for this town (and state) that I didn't have before. I was driving home from my high school reunion (more on that later) this past weekend and was a little surprised at what I felt when I saw Boise's skyline again. I was actually happy to be back. That, more than anything, tells me this city has its charms.

Work is going well too. Still adjusting. Still getting used to things. Still getting used to people. That's all I'll say about that.

Sometimes I still question if coming here was the right choice. But I notice things every day that make me think it was. For example this:

This is a picture of Shoshone Falls near Twin Falls, Idaho. I stopped by to see it on the way home last weekend. Very cool. I had no idea it was so big. I guess they call it the Niagra of the West. I recommend it.

One brief note on my high school reunion. I'm happy I went. The turnout was dismal and I didn't get to see certain people I really wanted to...but overall, it was good. There were a few choice people I got to catch up with. I had a genuinely good time. A few rum and Diet Cokes helped with that.