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.

The Question

I've been alive for a little over 26 years now. Only recently have people started asking me "the question."

When you're young, they ask you because it's a cute thing to ask. They like to see how a little kid responds.

When you're in your early teens, they ask because you just might be reaching the point in life when you're actually interested in the topic.

When you're a full-fledged teenager about ready to tackle college, they ask because they want to know who the "flavor of the month" is.

When you're a finally an adult, they ask because, apparently, that's what I should be focusing on now.

So to answer this question once and for all...NO. I'm not currently seeing anyone. When I am, I'll let you know. But to satisfy the murmurings in your mind, I'll delve into this topic further.

I am not interested in dating. Dating is a foreign concept to me that I want no part of. I have never dated. I am not dating now. I don't see myself dating in the future. (Could happen I guess, but don't count on it.) Now don't mistake me for an aesexual eunich. I don't want to be alone. I would like someone special in my life. I've had a significant other before and I loved how it felt.

BUT...I'm not a fan of actively "dating" to find that someone. I won't go up to someone I find attractive and ask them if they want to "go out on a date." I'm just not comfortable with it. I prefer to meet people simply by living my life. I can meet people at work and slowly get to know them. Sometimes that can lead to some sort of relationship. I can hang out with friends and, over the course of a given amount of time, meet new and interesting people. Sometimes, a relationship can emerge. You never know. I just want to live life and see what happens. I don't want to be active about this whole thing. Perhaps that's the wrong way to go. Right now, I don't care. That's how I do things.

So for all those reading this (and I realize that's not many) don't ask me "the question" if you ever get the urge to. It irritates me.

If and when I find someone, I'll let you know.

Musings

Ahh life...

I was home for the Easter weekend. You know something...I like Salt Lake. I really do. I guess it's just because that's where I grew up. It's home. But I really like it. The mountains are gorgeous and enormous. They tower over the city. I think people who live there often take them for granted. The city is, for the most part, nice and clean. People are friendly. And, above all, it's more cultured than people think. Would I love to be the next Tom Brokaw and work out of a studio in New York City? Sure. But if I stay in the news business, and I'm working in local news for the rest of my life...I'd rather it be in Salt Lake. I could work for KUTV for the rest of my life and be happy I think.

On the other hand, I'm liking Bozeman more and more these days. It's getting warmer every day. I'm becoming more and more social. A couple long, lost friends have resurfaced in this town. Things are going well. My co-anchor is fast approaching the end of her career here. She's flying down to sunny Florida for a job interview at a station there. She's good and I have no doubts she'll go far....but it's gonna be sad without her.

Kathryn and I ventured to Olive Garden while I was home. For some reason Ms. Kat wanted me and the waiter to be best friends. She wanted us to have more of a conversation. She wanted me to invite him to sit down so we could all learn more about each other's lives. He'd say, "How is everything?" I'd say, "Great, thanks." She'd say, "That's all you have to say? Couldn't you be more creative?" I told her her mom was fat. For some reason I can't quite pinpoint, Kat and I always have the strangest interactions with the waitstaff wherever we go. It gets doubly weird when Liz is with us.

Danny's a freakin' musical genius. He's gonna be country superstar soon. He's got a website now, www.dannymcintosh.com. Check it out. He's got some good stuff on there. I like to think I'll be anchoring the Today show one day and Danny will be part of our summer concert series.

I suppose that's all for now.

Me in action

This picture doesn't have the best quality but I thought I'd post it and show you all what I look like. Granted, there's probably only one person out there who reads this blog and doesn't know what I look like...but whatever.

This is a picture of my co-anchor and I at the anchor desk just before a show.

I love my job.

The road to being a slob....

....is paved with good intentions.

I have so many of them. The warmer weather and the sunshine have inspired me.
I want to rise early every morning and go for a jog.
I want to hike into the mountains and feel at one with nature.
I want to go to the gym and work out with the best of them.
I want to eat right and exercise and take care of myself.
I want to be confident and have people notice it.

But, alas, I wake up in the morning and think....

...I want to stay in bed.

So I do.
I'm pitiful.

Linco

Love & Marriage

Okay, here's the deal. I have this friend who's fallen in love with a married woman.
And seriously, it's a friend of mine. I'm not using one of those "i have a friend" lines to cover up the fact the story is really about me.
So yeah...he's fallen in love...with a married woman. Apparently she feels the same way about him and tells him that she's been drifting apart from her husband for quite some time. They've only been married for a couple years. She now says it was a mistake to marry him and that, at the time, she assumed she knew what love really was. Now she says she's discovering the truth...she's found out what love is supposed to be like.
These are not crazy people. I know all three of them. They're not the whacked out type that pops up on Jerry Springer from time to time. They're all well-grounded, well-behaved, honest, down-to-earth, caring individuals.
Physically, this girl has not strayed from her marriage. Emotionally, she has.
My friend took a step in the ethical direction and told her that they probably shouldn't see each other anymore...at least until she figures out where she wants to take her marriage.

I'm torn. If I didn't know these people I wouldn't have much respect for this girl or the man squirming his way into her marriage. Then I hear how he talks about her. I hear his genuine remorse and how the girl's husband is being treated. My friend's a good guy and he doesn't want to hurt anyone. He's just fallen for a married girl and doesn't know what to do.

Marriage is supposed to be sacred, I know. He should take the honorable road, stop seeing her, and remove himself from the situation. And yet, on some level, I'm rooting for him. Is that wrong?

Cheating takes place all the time. People are pigs and jerks and don't care about other people. But aren't there times when something that just isn't supposed to happen...develops? What if you fall in love with someone other than your spouse? Do the vows you took trump everything else? Does the realization that you married the wrong person even matter?

These are genuine questions I'm asking. I don't know.
My friend feels horribly guilty for what's happening. Yet, he can't help the way he feels.
I suppose I'm in the same boat. Logic and ethics tell me that he's a home-wrecker. And yet, on some level, I can't help but wish that his dreams become reality.

Advice?

Lincoln

Bed

Why is it so, so hard to get out of bed?
Every night I have these grand intentions of rising early and starting my day off right. Whether that be going to the gym, or doing laundry, or getting other errands done.
Every morning I look at the clock and refuse to leave the warmth and comfort of my bed. I end up sleeping a couple hours longer than I should.
I just don't get it. It's like I'm addicted. I simply CAN'T force myself to get out of bed unless I absolutely have to. I've harbored dreams of being a morning person for years. There's just something about it that I'm drawn to. But I can't do it. I just can't.
Does anyone else have this problem? Maybe my bed's too comfortable.
Ah well. It's about 11 am so I'm gonna get up now. But I promise. Tomorrow I'll be up by 8.

Who am I kidding?

Lincoln

Mormonism

Ahh the Mormons. I am one and I'm not one. It all depends on how you look at. I almost prefer to look at Mormons as a race of people. I'm certainly not a Mormon in practice. However in a cultural sense, I will always be a part of the race. I've got Mormon blood in me. But like a lot of people who feel conflicted about their relationship with a certain group, I myself have a love-hate relationship with Mormonism.

I don't go to church anymore. I don't want to and I don't feel guilty about it. I'm just way too liberal for such a conservative religion. I think abortion should be legal. I believe gay people should be allowed to tie the knot if they so wish. I don't see a problem with premarital sex. I enjoy my Irish Cream cappucinos and I think a beer or a glass of wine are acceptable beverages. My views don't mesh well with Mormon teachings.

And yet...

I don't want to be known as a former Mormon. I don't want my name removed from membership rolls. There's something comforting about being a part (even if I don't play the part) of such a unique and often mis-understood crowd. There's something rebellious and satisfying about telling new friends that I have polygamy in my family. I can walk into any Mormon church in the world and know that help is waiting for me if I need it. I can still walk the grounds of Temple Square and feel a tremendous sense of peace.

And yet...

I can be critical of "The Church." I can roll my eyes at that whole priesthood revelation of the late 1970's. I can snort when young Mormons refuse to see a movie because it's rated "R." I can cringe with embarassment when I explain the whole "undergarments" thing to Mormonism rookies.

And yet....

I'm the first to defend "The Church" when someone makes fun of it. I get exasperated when the ignorant try and tell me Mormons still practice polygamy. I can get irate when someone tries to tell me that Mormons aren't Christians. I can tell the story of Joe Smith and what he's all about and I get frustrated when the listener's eyebrow raises and they say, "What is this crap?"

I don't particularly understand my relationship with Mormonism. Am I believer? Probably not. I'm at a place now where I feel more personally connected with God than at any other time in my life. I got there by doing my own thing...not following Mormon doctrine. But Mormonism isn't just a faith to me. It's a culture. Sometimes that culture is too conservative and over-bearing. But I know that if I ever turn to it for help...I will be received with open arms; even if I do see things a little differently than they do.

But I suppose my relationship with Mormonism is a bit like my view on religion in general. We're all individuals and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another. That's how I see things. That's why I'll understand those who faithfully follow that Mormon lifestyle just the same as those who shun it with ridicule. Believe what you want to believe. I'm in the middle and I'm happy staying there.

Everyone has their day

Just for a moment picture the state you live in. Does your state have a city or town that's become the "butte" of all jokes. Are they the "butte"hole of your state? Does everyone hate that place and make fun of all who live there?

I'm sure you can think of some place.

In Montana, that place is Butte. It's a town of about 35,000 lying in the heart of southwest Montana. It's called the "Mining City." They got that name because mining was, and in some cases still is, the town's economic foundation. In many ways it's your typical American town.

But they get no respect. For some reason, no one has anything nice to say about Butte.

That is except...for today.

For reasons unknown to me, Butte is the location of one of the largest St. Patrick's Day celebrations in the country. I never knew that until I moved to Montana. But apparently, it's true. I've heard out-of-staters talk about St. Patrick's Day in Butte like it's some sort of pilgrimage.

This just goes to show you that everyone has their day. Even those cities and towns across America that most people like to make fun of.

No one's laughing at Butte today.

Tomorrow will probably be a different story.

70 percent

They say about 70% of what a television reporter or anchor projects into a camera actually comes across on TV. Watch a news anchor on TV and they're talking normally. Watch the same show, live in the studio, and the anchor seems to be shouting at you. Emotions, voice, and projection are all diminished in the journey through television. After tonight, I've decided that might be a good thing.

I had my first real laughing fit on television tonight. I've had one before but I was never on camera and was only laughing while our sports anchor did his thing. Tonight was different. It's a little scary to know that I can't control my giggling fits even when I know I'm live on television with thousands of people watching at home.

We were in the middle of our show. Our weather guy was showing people the forecast while Melissa and I patiently waited for it to be our turn to talk. Tara, our camera operator for the night, said something funny and set both Melissa and I off. We laughed and laughed and then APPEARED to pull it together before the weather guy tossed it back to us. Then Melissa flubbed a line, and for some reason...we lost it. She couldn't get the rest of her sentence out. I lost it and muttered something incoherent about cigarettes in an upcoming story. And that was that. Melissa decided it was best if she left the desk because we were afraid we wouldn't be able to get through the next segment. It was pretty damn funny.

Probably funnier to us. We watched the tape after the show, and while it was very noticeable and very funny, only about 70% of the idiocy we projected, actually showed up on TV. So I figure that 30% of material left out might be a good thing.

Linco

2 weeks?

Is that really all the vacation I get? Two freakin' weeks. There's one more aspect of the real world that pretty much sucks. That's not nearly enough. I think everyone deserves at least 4 weeks of vacation a year. Possibly more. I'm just used to having so much time off. Not only did I get one to two months off between seasons during the past four years, but I had a lot of time off while I was working as well. As a bellman at the Many Glacier Hotel, I got three days off a week. Three days! And I could have those days back to back with the next week and get 6 days off in a row. It was awesome. But back to reality. Now I get 2 weeks a year. That sucks.

March & Fame

The subjects of my title have nothing to do with each other. They're just the two topics I'll be discussing in this rambling post.

First up: March.

I'm so happy it's here. First, my 26th birthday is this March. And it's my Golden one. I'll be 26 on the 26th....in 2006. Although I guess it would be cooler if it was 2026. But whatever. I'll take it. I'll be flying to Colorado for my birthday and hitting the slopes at 3 different ski resorts. Not only that, I'll be hanging out with my friends from Glacier. It will be good times for all I'm sure.

Second, I'll be getting a break from work when I go to Colorado. Don't get me wrong. I love my job. I'm lucky to have it. But things have been go, go, go ever since I started back in November. It'll be a chance to look back and reflect on what's happened to me in the past few months.

Third, Spring begins in March. I can't really recall a time when I've been so happy to say good-bye to Winter. I'm just longing for the hot summer nights (we get a few of them in Montana) and the ability to walk outside without a jacket.

Fourth, when March begins, February ends. And this February has been non-stop. Some good things happened, but just like Winter, I won't be sorry to see February go.

Fifth, one of my favorite holidays is in March: St. Patrick's Day. I'm not really sure what you're supposed to be celebrating on St. Patrick's Day. I don't really care to know. I'll just stick with the belief that it's all about the color green...which does happen to be my favorite color. And on what other holiday are you allowed to pinch people who aren't being festive? Sounds good to me.

That's all for my ramblings on March. Now for a few things about fame.

I'm not calling myself famous. I'm a news anchor in a small town in Montana after all. But I am often recognized in this small town. I've always wondered what fame would be like. Frankly, it's kind of unsettling. What is the protocol when someone approaches you and says they watch you on TV every night? I have no idea. When it happens, I feel very sheepish and the urge to get away quickly overcomes me. I was at the gym one day on the treadmill when a commercial for our station (with several shots of me) came on the TV. This was the gym remember so it actually came on 4 or 5 different TV's. I wanted to die. The guy next to me turned his head with a look of recognition and smiled. I avoided eye contact. I was embarassed. I don't know why. I shouldn't be. But I was. And for every person who recognizes me and says something, there are others who keep their mouths shut. That creates further problems because they still give me that look of recognition without the explanation. Therefore I'm thinking this stranger is giving me a dirty look for no reason and I return the favor. It doesn't occur to me that they recognize me. I'm just thinking they're jerks. So then they go home, tell their family they saw the "news guy" at the store and then say, "he was kind of a jerk. He gave me a dirty look." Then there are people who recognize you, but they're not sure why? That happened tonight as my co-anchor and I went to Cold Stone. We're at the counter and the girl says, "do you guys go to Grace Bible Church?" Melissa says no. She says, "then why are you guys so familiar?" Melissa and I look at each other and smile. Then she leans over the counter, puts her hand to her mouth as if to conceal what she's about to say, and whispers, "We're on the news." So then the girl yelps, "oh wow! I knew I knew you from somewhere." That brings attention to us and again...I want to die.

The moral of the story: I'm not really sure I have one. Maybe it's this though: People say they want to be "rich and famous." I'll take the "rich" any day. I'm not so comfortable with the "fame."

Linco

Busy

I'm busy.
Very busy.
It's February sweeps right now. Some outside the TV world know what that is. Some do not. I'm not going to explain it. Suffice it to say that during this time, we are working overtime. A lot of it. I worked 32 hours of overtime last week.
Therefore, forgive my sporadic postings.
Not that I entertain anyone with my ramblings anyway. Just thought I'd explain.
March is SUPPOSED to be better. I'm praying for that.
Adios

Randomness

Why is it that most Olympic sports are only popular during the Olympics? No one gives a crap about ski jumping or speed skating or bobsledding at any other time. But suddenly, once every four years, we're glued to the TV rooting for the American team...probably not having any clue who's actually on it. Or if we do know who the team members are, we soon forget about them after the games are over. Just wondering why.

My iPod stopped working the other day. Well...maybe "stopped working" isn't the right way to put it. It's more like my approximately 750 songs...disappeared. Seriously. I picked it up, turned it on, and...nothing. Everything was gone. How the hell did that happen? No one else has touched it. It hasn't been hooked up to a computer in months. I had listened to music only a week before. There is no plausible explanation. I called Apple and even they didn't know and suggested I take it to an Apple store. Good luck finding one of those in Montana. Maybe it's a sign that I should get one of the video iPods.

The heat went out in the house I live in. The upstairs thermostat just stopped working. I woke up the other morning, crawled out of bed, shivered, and then saw my breath leave my body. That's not acceptable. You shouldn't be seeing your breath inside your own bedroom. So I went to Costco and bought a space heater since the problem wasn't supposed to be fixed til Monday. It worked well. And then, with our thermostat ripped off the wall and lying in pieces on the floor...the heat started working. Now it won't turn off. So I find myself in the awkward position of baking in my bedroom with the temperature hovering around 10 degrees outside. Irritating.

I love Wal-Mart. I know I'm not supposed to. I know the people who run it are evil, evil people. I know they've completely changed the landscape of worldwide business...and not for the better. But everything they sell is....so....damn....cheap. I can run to Albertson's and buy a box of Great Grains cereal for $4.78. Or I can get the same box at Wal-Mart for $2.45. I can stop by the gas station and buy a gallon of milk for $4.69. Or I can buy the same gallon at Wal-Mart for $2.58. It's amazingly affordable. I'm sorry everyone. I feel like I'm supporting terrorism or something but I just can't help it. Forgive me.

That's all for now. Adios.

Linco

I'm scum

...or at least I can see why people would think so.

Today I approached a woman and asked her if she could elaborate on the fact that her husband may be under investigation for child molestation.

I felt awful about it. I didn't want to talk to her about it. But at the same time I knew there was a story there. I won't go into specifics but if such allegations are true, there are many in the community who could be affected. I truly believe it's an important story to tell.

But it didn't make it any easier for me to approach her. Not much was said. I tried to be sensitive. She was courteous. Nothing of value came out of it.

This isn't an easy job. It IS easy for others to sit back and judge what I do. I have to come to terms with the fact that I may have to approach people I don't want to approach and ask questions I don't want to ask. But I'm making myself a vow to never do that unless I feel it's justified. I won't do it to be sensational.

"Reporters don't care about people." Maybe some don't. I, however, do. Even when I'm making someone uncomfortable and they'd just as soon spit in my face as talk to me...I still care. I promise.