Here we go again

I remember when the days of job hunting were simple. I'd look through the classifieds, circle things I found interesting, and apply. In my days of seasonal hospitality, I'd zero in on cool and interesting places and simply "find a job" there. Then I got into TV...and things changed. I realize all of us understand the personal nature of not being chosen for a job. But am I wrong in thinking rejection in broadcast journalism is especially personal?

Here's my face. Here's my voice. Here's my style. What do you think?

Um...thanks, but we'll have to pass.

It is time again for the job hunt. I will have been in Boise for two years come February. Staying here is an option. All I can say about that is that there are many things to think about and I'm taking everything into consideration.

But I still have to see what's out there. I have to explore every possibility. I still have to apply for other jobs. Things are trickier this time around. The economy sucks. News outlets across the country are cutting back. Things just aren't looking rosy for the industry. But I've started the process anyway. I've put together a resume tape. I've written cover letters. I've updated the resume. I've even applied for a few jobs just to see what happens. There are additional steps to take but I'm holding off until the end of my contract draws closer. Still, the response to my initial efforts has been...dismal. When it comes to jobs, no one has contacted me. When it comes to talent agents (one route I'm exploring) only one has expressed any interest. It's simply frustrating.

While I don't have the thickest skin, I am pretty good about not letting things get to me. But it can be a battle. I have highs and lows. Why did I get into a business that can wreak havoc on my self-esteem?

I do have to remember one things. I went through the same process when I was looking for my second TV job. I wasn't very satisfied with the responses I was getting. But I did end up finding something good. So I'm not giving up. I'm just simply recognizing what I've already been through and saying to myself, "here we go again."

I've developed a fear of cars

This is my latest "sweeps" story. Foreign countries routinely show gritty, graphic public service announcements. Should America take the same route? I think it turned out pretty well. Kevin, my photographer, did an awesome job.

Check it out. Although I've become numb to the footage from seeing it so much, I guess I should warn everyone and say it is pretty graphic.

Finished Product

Thanks for all the comments on the promo spot from the previous post. Here's the actual story. I have to give a lot of credit to Eric Turner. He's the photographer who shot most of the footage and edited the story. He did a great job. Journalism (however featurey it may be) is so much better when a reporter and photographer come together for a great collaboration. One man banding may be the wave of the future...but quality is going to suffer along with that. I love Halloween.

BRAINS!!!

I like doing fun stories at work. In honor of Halloween, I've got a fun feature story that's airing this weekend. I haven't seen the finished product yet. But I did get to see the promo my station will be running for it. Our promotions guy did an awesome job. I'm already getting flack for it at work but who cares? Enjoy.

Starbucks Stats

I have a very embarrassing story to tell you. But first, let's start off with another story. 

I like lattes. While I enjoy small, independent coffee shops I still appreciate a coffee giant like Starbucks. When I'm in a hurry and I want my latte fix I know I can find a Starbucks fairly easily. I know what I'll be getting when I go there. I know I'll like it. Yet I've slowly come to realize there's an issue with Starbucks. I should have noticed it a long time ago. But I never thought about it long enough to notice the pattern. That pattern is this: Starbucks gets my order wrong about 20% of the time. I always order the same thing...a tall, one pump, vanilla, nonfat latte. There are two ways to screw this drink up. They can either add way too much syrup or use whole milk. It doesn't matter what method they use. My drink still gets screwed up...20% of the time. My problem is that I don't immediately notice there's something wrong with the drink. I'm not an everyday Starbucks drinker. I'd say I get a latte about twice a week. I don't think I get one often enough to spot the bad seeds immediately. But I'm getting better at it. I'm paying more attention. My vow to myself is this: I will take one sip of that latte and immediately know whether Starbucks has screwed it up. I will then return it and ask for another one. 

This brings me to that embarrassing story. I order my usual latte this past Saturday on my way to work. I went through the drive up window. I got my coffee, put it in the cup holder, and drove off. I finally tasted it a couple minutes later. It didn't taste right. I had other things on my mind so I chalked it up to "too much syrup" and thought, "I can live with it." But over the next 30 minutes I kept trying to put my finger on what exactly was wrong with my latte. The taste was just..."off." Finally, after the drink was nearly gone, my mouth dropped open. There was no espresso in it. My latte wasn't even a latte. I was drinking steamed milk...with a little vanilla flavoring. How I didn't notice...well, that's beyond me. But I'm noticing from now on. 

One other note about lattes. While it's probably a good thing for my checkbook, I'm very irritated at the fact there are no 24-hour coffee shops in the Boise area. I would love to grab a latte every morning at 3:30 on my way to work. No such luck. 

Discoveries

I discovered three things about Merlin today. 

While his shedding irritates me beyond belief...it's gotten a lot better as we head into winter. Here he is laughing at me when I vacuum. 

It suddenly occurred to me that I've had him for just over a year. This is the first picture I ever took of him. 
He also likes beer.

Morning Jaunt

Have I tried as hard as I can? No. But over the years, I've made somewhat of an effort to become a runner. I do okay. It just never takes hold. I never embrace the intensity I should. I'd describe my efforts as a little more than half hearted. Therefore, it's no surprise I was a little nervous about running a 10K this past weekend. I wasn't worried about finishing 6.2 miles. I was worried about the hit my pride would take if my time was dismal. I was concerned I'd somehow injure myself due to a lack of sufficient training. Things went better than expected. I finished in under an hour (barely) and while I was sore Sunday and today, I don't think I hurt myself. The best part is that I actually had a good time. I didn't have to battle my way through it. I felt pretty good. That's motivated me for another race. I know that if I actually train a little harder, I can run faster. My goal for the next 10K (probably in December): Under 50 minutes. Not too ambitious, I know. But it's something. 

We finished the race by running into Boise State University's Bronco Stadium and taking a lap around the Smurf Turf. Here I am on the 30 yard line. All in all...it was a good day. 

Changing Seasons

Ahhh...Fall is here. I guess that's good. Snowboarding is right around the corner. That does, however, mean the end of zip lining for the season. I might have one or two weekends left as a part time zip line tour guide. I took these photos last weekend. With all my gear on I'd normally look like a badass in the second photo. Unfortunately, I'm too much a of a dork. I'm so glad I've been able to do this. It's been a lot of fun. I'll do it for my third season if I'm still in Boise next summer. But that's another story. 

It's been over two weeks since my last blog entry. I used to feel much more guilty about not posting new stuff. But besides my parents, a few close friends, and a sprinkling of other acquaintances, no one really reads it. Still, I'll try to be better. It helps when my life is a little more interesting. For instance, I'm being made up to look like a zombie tomorrow night and I'm acting in one of the Boise area's most popular haunted houses. It's for an upcoming story on my station. That should be fun. 

Oh...and I'm running a 10K on Saturday. A distance of 6.2 miles may sound like a lot to some people...a little to others. I know I can do it, but I haven't been training like I'm supposed to. Right now, I'm simply hoping to finish in under an hour. Wish me luck. 

Quiet

I've been quiet for the past 10 days. No particular reason. Just not much to say. I will say I'm happy that fall is here. The switch from summer has been frustrating here in Boise. We've gone from hot temps (low 90's) to downright chilly ones (low to mid 50's). What happened to the 60's and low 70's? I think they'll be here next week. I look forward to that. I suppose that's all for now. I've buckled down for a busy several months at work. Therefore, I won't have many interesting things to say. But I'll try to speak up a little more often. 

Snuggiedom

I first mentioned the Snuggie late last year. I thought it was the stupidest item anyone could ever buy. Earlier this summer, I posted this parody that someone had made and uploaded to YouTube. It still makes me laugh every time I see it. This morning, I was watching TV and saw a fairly new Snuggie commercial. Now I'm confused. 

I know people who genuinely like the Snuggie. I also know people who think it is just as ridiculous as I do. I think it brings out strong emotions on both sides. But after seeing this new commercial, I'm thinking I have some newfound respect for the makers of the Snuggie. Take a look. 

It seems like the commercial is so ridiculous, that it must be intentional. Perhaps the Snuggie people said to themselves, "Our product is such a joke, that we might as well make that our marketing strategy." Is there any other way to explain the dumb music, the stupid dancing, and the father you'd like to punch in the face? I'm inclined to believe it's intentionally over the top. If so, I have to give these guys credit. I won't be buying a Snuggie anytime soon...but still. 

Also, I found another parody of the Snuggie commercial. This is part two and it's still pretty funny. 

Southwest Shenanigans Part 2

I swear I'm not being lazy in only posting photos and not writing anything of significance. But I wanted to post some more pictures of my trip to southern Utah. Between the four of us (Ron, Jessie, Jason, and I) there were some cool photos taken. I had to wait for them to send me CD's filled with their photos. So hear you go. I've lost track of who took what.

Before the descent into Left Fork of North Creek

Jasper & I in the Utah backcountry

The Subway

Sunrise in Bryce Canyon Nat'l Park

Pre-hike board game fun at the St. George condo

Ahhhhh....Sipner

Nowhere, Utah (Ron's phrase)

Cedar Breaks

Holding a snake right before it reared its head forcing me to drop it. He was unhurt.

Fence sittin'....er...standin'

The Incredible Human Arch...Jason Snow

The four of us (Shelly where art thou)

Subway handstand

Fancy foto takin' (for my perspective look back two posts on this blog)

Hoodoo sittin' in a Bryce Canyon sunrise

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

Best photo of the trip. Peekaboo Gulch. Taken by Jason Snow

30 Years

Southwest Shenanigans

Ahhh, southern Utah. This was a stellar trip. Jason, Ron, Jessie, and I (we missed you Shelly) canyoneered our way through the Subway in Zion. We wandered through the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon. We slithered through the slot canyons of the Grand Staircase. 

I learned three things on this trip. One...my Jeep, officially named Jasper, is awesome. Two...I love southern Utah. Three...I wish I could see my best friends (Glacier friends) more than a few times a year. 

And now...a brief photographic record of our adventure. More to come at a later date. 

Zye-uhn not Zye-ON

Glacier National Park is wonderful. There's really no comparison to it. It is, and will always be, my favorite place. BUT...my first love is southern Utah. Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion National Parks. I explored them long before I explored northwest Montana. 

I'm finally going back. It's been far too long. The highlight will no doubt be the Subway...a spectacular hike in Zion. It'll be my 6th time through. I'm so, so, so very excited. Here are a few clips from my last time through...almost 4 years ago. Good friends, good time. 

Be back in a week. Later.

Wizard Cat

Scared Yet?

Just after Halloween, I always seem to hear people remark, "Are they advertising Christmas already?" It doesn't take stores more than a day to create the Christmas "spirit" by taking down the Halloween displays and erecting the Christmas ones. Still, it's never seemed that odd to me. But Halloween preparations in mid-August?

I was driving home late last night and passed this giant inflatable pumpkin on top of a Halloween store near the mall. We've still got a month of summer left. It was 80 degrees at 11:30 last night in Boise. The pumpkin seemed horribly out of place. Are we really trying to get into the Halloween spirit in the heat of the summer? 

Seems strange...no?

Leftovers

I never wrote much about my recent trip to Glacier. In the absence of anything else of substance...here you go. 

The above photo is perhaps the lamest summit photo I've ever taken. I'm on top of Elk Mountain in the southwest portion of the park. You don't hear much about Elk Mountain. I've never seen any description of it in any trail books. You can see the trail on a topo map but good luck trying to find out any other information about it. The only reason I knew it existed is because I passed by the trail junction on a previous backcountry trip. I remembered it because of the distance on the sign. Elk Mountain - 2.5 miles. That's not very far to go for a summit. But my camping buddies and I were exhausted on that first trip and there was no way we were going to hike it. So I kept it on file in the back of my mind. This time around...I went for it. Now I know why the distance is so short. It's, by far, the steepest trail I've ever been on in the park. It goes straight up. I also hiked it at the beginning of my recent respiratory illness. I'm sure that was a bad idea. On top of all that...the clouds moved in as I got close to the summit. By the time I reached the top...I was in the clouds. I couldn't see a damn thing. But I think it's bad luck to be on a summit and not take a photo. So the above photo is what I came up with. I guess it's got kind of a spooky quality. 

At one point during my trip, I pulled off the road along Highway 89 to talk on the phone. I was looking out my window, admiring the view, when something occurred to me. This photo accurately displays how most tourists see our national parks. 
Very few of them ever get out of their car. They're able to see beautiful things...but they only scratch the surface. Ahh well. More space for me in the backcountry. 

By far the best part of the trip was this:
It's my buddy Dave proudly standing guard over the beginnings of his new cabin. A mutual friend, Danny, is building it for him. I'd heard about the cabin for a while and I have to admit I was skeptical. But in seeing what they have so far, I was impressed. Now hurry up Danny. I need a place to stay when I come next year. 

Silenced

I've lost my voice before. When it's happened in the past, I didn't think much about it. It was almost a kind of novelty. Besides that, it never lasted long. But for the past week and a half, I've been effectively silenced. I got sick (likely bronchitis) while on vacation in Montana. Nearly two weeks later, my voice has still not fully recovered. Most of my other symptoms haven't been that bad. I've had a few choice coughing fits, a sore throat, and some congestion. But the loss of my voice has been the most vexing issue. It's actually depressed me a little. The simple medical problem of hoarseness means I...can't....work. I've never really thought about how much I depend on my voice for a living. But when the ability to speak is suddenly taken away...that simple fact is much more obvious. I'm at work tonight and it's going okay. I'd say my voice is functioning at 80 to 85 percent of normal. But I've missed five days of work so far because I can't anchor a newscast. I tried pulling it together Wednesday morning. Forty minutes in to our two hour show I had another coughing fit and had to call it quits. This work absence comes on the heels of my week long vacation to Montana. I've basically been off work for two weeks. I hate the feeling. Sometimes I complain about my job but there's no better way to be thankful for it than when you want to work and can't. I've got to make it through another half hour newscast tonight and then I have four days off in a row. I'm sincerely hoping I'll be ready to anchor come Wednesday morning. If not...I'm going to have myself a pity party. Never again will I view a lost voice as some kind of novelty.

Twister: SLC Edition

I'm sure some of my midwestern friends have their own tornado stories. I've got my own...and I grew up in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. 

Ten years ago today, I drove right through a tornado...and didn't even know it. I worked at a library in Salt Lake's Avenues neighborhood at the time. I remember it being a gloomy day as I left for work. At one point, I started to notice lots of debris flying through the air. My first thought was that a dumpster had perhaps tipped over. I was only a minute or so away from work when I looked my rear view mirror and saw a tree topple over into the street. "Wow, it's really windy," I remember saying to myself out loud. I wasn't nervous or scared. I was mesmerized more than anything else. Branches, leaves, boxes, a strange blue styrofoam (which I later learned came from a nearby construction site), and garbage was flying everywhere. Hail was coming down hard. I saw another tree fall over as I parked along the street in front of the library. I ran towards the entrance and saw my manager holding the door open screaming, "Hurry!" She closed the door behind me and said, "you're a lucky guy." "Why," I asked. "You just drove through a tornado." They were listening to a news bulletin on the radio. We closed down for the day and I slowly made my way home. Later that night I took my nephew Ricky and drove up to the state capitol building. These were some of the pictures I took. 

I remember people asking me why I kept driving through the storm. What else was I supposed to do? I didn't grow up with midwest psyche of "seek shelter." The possibility of a tornado was the furthest thing from my mind. Luckily, it all turned out okay. 

Lonely nights

Most people don't travel at night, especially when they have to drive. Sometimes, I prefer it. If you're lucky, you'll see some cool things that wouldn't be that impressive in daylight. I headed home from Glacier last Wednesday evening. The plan was to get through at least half of my Highway 12 route, stop at a pullout along the Lochsa River, and sleep in my Jeep. I didn't count on not being able to sleep. After 40 fitful minutes of trying to doze off, I said, "screw it." I got back in the driver's seat and kept going. 

Much of Highway 12 through Idaho is a frustrating and beautiful drive. It's 150 miles of windy, curvy roadway. There's a lot to look at but if you're in a hurry, it's the road that never ends. There's also a long, long stretch between any kind of services. It's a lonely road. Lonelier at night. I could count the number of cars I saw that night on one hand. Imagine my surprise then when I rounded a corner and saw a bright light ahead on the roadway. Beneath the light, a lone flagger holding a stop sign. It was a strange sight at 2:00 a.m. in the middle of nowhere. Eerie is a good way to describe it. As I inched closer, the flagger turned out to be a middle aged blonde woman with a big grin on her face. 

"A pilot car will be along in a little bit to take you through," she said. "Bet you didn't expect to see me tonight, did you?" 

I don't think most people normally roll the windows down and chat with construction workers but under the circumstances, it would have been weird not to. This woman chose the night shift so she wouldn't have to stand in the heat of the day. She told me about the time her construction light suddenly went out. She turned the headlights of her car on so drivers would at least see her. 

"But then I thought that was a bad idea," she explained. "If I was driving through here at night and saw somebody in construction clothes lit up by the headlights of a car, I wouldn't think it was legit. I'd think somebody was trying to stop me so they could rob me or kill me." 

I laughed nervously at that one. 

"You're fully awake aren't you," she asked me. 

"Yeah, I am." 

"The other night a guy rammed right through here because he fell asleep. I had to dive out of the way. He hit the rear view mirror on my car. I think that woke him up. If I hadn't been here he would have gone right into the river."

I'm sure she would have been happy to have someone to talk to for the rest of the night. But the pilot car came and escorted me through. I never got a picture of her. The photo at the top is of another roadblock I came across minutes later. This guy wasn't in the mood for conversation. I eventually got through this last road block and continued driving. Thirty minutes later, I was treated to one of the most incredible lightning shows I've ever seen. Lots of electricity, no rain, and virtually no thunder. Very cool. Consider traveling at night if you can. You never know what strange experiences you'll have.