Malicious Intent

Do you remember the Rhode Island nightclub fire back in 2003? 100 people died and 200 more were injured. The clubs owners, two brothers, were sentenced today. One of them got 4 years in prison. The other got probation. They'll both have to complete countless hours of community service. Earlier this year, the third person involved, was also sentenced to 4 years in prison. Family members of the victims were, and still are, outraged at the light sentences. I, however, am not.

I've thought long and hard about this aspect of crime and punishment. How should you punish someone who commits a "crime" but had no malicious intent? What is the appropriate sentence for an accident?

First, a disclaimer: I've never lost a loved one to any type of crime. I don't know what it feels like. But my opinions on crime and punishment haven't changed much. I've always gravitated towards a more forgiving approach. I still do...especially when it comes to accidental crimes. (Pre-meditated crimes are a different story and I won't delve into that now).

I feel as much sympathy for those two nightclub owners as I do for the victims' family members. I know people were lost. But those responsible do not deserve to spend 10, 15, 20 years in prison. They never dreamed of hurting anyone. And for most, the weight on their conscience will have more of an effect on them than any lengthy prison term.

I don't know that I have a point. I just wanted to share my opinion. I don't know if that opinion would change if I was affected personally by a tragedy. I'd like to think my forgiving attitude would triumph. Hopefully I'll never have to test the theory out.

OVERLOAD!!!

I have so much to say, so much to write about, and so much to contemplate. My head's about to burst.

First of all, I enjoyed my trip back home. I'll be heading back to Montana on Tuesday afternoon. (Fortunately the vacation's not over. I'll spend the rest of the week in glorious Glacier). It was fun but it was stressful. I always stretch myself too thin when I come home. Everyone wants to see you and everyone wants you to spend time with them. So, in an effort to please everyone, I end up pleasing no one. It was overwhelming. And to everyone I wasn't able to hang out with...I'm sorry. Perhaps we'll have more time together if and when I live in this city permanently. (It also would have been nice to meet some of you blogspt acquaintances out there and share a cup of coffee. Alas, that's for the future.) Moral of the story. Keep it simple when you're on vacation. You'll thank yourself later.

My sister is evil. I went to the restaurant where she worked and she guilt-tripped me into ordering a drink called the Death Star. It's huge and it contains a lot of alcohol. It is tasty but WAY too much for me.

I miss my cat. Lame, I know. But I do. My parents just don't have the time or energy to look after him in the same way I did for so long. He's gotten so fat. He's not very active...and that's saying something for an animal that normally sleeps 23 hours a day. I want to take him home to Bozeman with me. But I can't have pets in my apartment. It's sad. I just get the feeling that he's depressed and there's nothing I can do about it. Does this mean I'd be a bad parent?

I watched a little TV when I was home. I'll agree with urban princess and say ABC does have some damn good shows. I'm a fan of Brothers & Sisters. Luckily for me, it's on Sunday night's so I'll be able to watch. (On a side note: Here's a strange little TV news fact that no one will care about. Some TV stations have started to have their main anchor teams work Sunday through Thursday nights because of primetime line-ups. In essence, Fridays are being abandoned.)

Every family has drama and mine is no exception. I'm not one to air dirty laundry though. Let's just say there are issues that I only discovered in coming home for a little while. We'll get through it just fine though. In thinking about it all for the past few days I've only reached one heartfelt conclusion: Sometimes it's hard to love troubled people...and yet it's the troubled ones that need the most love. That answers no questions. I just believe it's an over-arching theme to keep in mind when dealing with familial issues.

Kathryn and I did what we normally do when we get together. We went to The Olive Garden. I've expressed disgust at what was done with my favorite OG dessert. After complaining, the company basically said, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Here's a gift card to find a new favorite." I attempted to do just that. I'm still not happy. The two new dessert items could be found anywhere at ANY restaurant. Chocolate Lasagna was unique. It was special. No one else had anything like it. And now it's gone...to be replaced by drab concoctions that Applebee's, TGIFriday's, or Chili's could come up with. I'm sorely disappointed. (I did like the new pasta dish I tried. :)

I've been eating like a pig since I've been home. Frankly, I don't care.

"Wow Lincoln. That's so cool that you're doing something you've always wanted to do. You've followed your dream." Countless people have expressed that to me ever since I started my job as a news anchor....and there was a new round of congratulations during my visit home. But I'm not quite sure how to respond when people say that. In my head I'm thinking, "yeah...it is pretty cool. What about you?" When people comment on me landing my "dream job" they do so with an air of wistfulness...as if they themselves can't follow their own dreams. There's a lot I'd like to say about this but for now, I'll keep it brief. I realize we all live under our own set of circumstances. But dammit people, if you have dreams...go for them. You'll come out better in the end.

Home sweet home

I arrived in the city by the salty lake on Friday afternoon.

Say what you will about Utah, it's capital city, or the many Mormons who live therein but I happen to like this place. I've missed it.

In driving around the past day or so, I'm overwhelmed at how big this city is. I realize it's because I've spent so much time in "remote" areas the past 5 years. Bozeman seems like a quaint little village compared to Salt Lake. Yet life in Bozeman seems like life in the "city" compared to living in national parks. It's all very strange. I find it exhilarating. I find it depressing. I find it vibrant. I find it crowded. I find it welcoming. I find it scary. I guess I just don't know what to think of it.

There is one aspect of city life that terrifies me. It's the ability to get lost. I'm not speaking directionally. I can find my way around almost anywhere. By lost, I mean overlooked. Cities seem like they can swallow a person. Individuality is lost. The mass of people that dwell within the city is just that....a mass. One person is inconsequential. I don't like feeling inconsequential.

My fears are a little absurd. Most of us have connections with people that make us feel needed and appreciated. I, myself, have my entire family in Salt Lake so I don't know that I'd ever feel "swallowed" in this town. But what about those lonely souls who don't have anybody? To me, they appear more lost and forgotten within a big city.

And I'm only talking about Salt Lake. I may feel even more discouraged if I went to New York.

BUT...I still like being home. A huge part of me wants to live in Salt Lake forever. For now though, I'll just be content with my short visit. Mom and Dad are happy to see me. My cat purrs happily in my lap. The dusted Wasatch Mountains feel welcome and comforting.

It's good to be home.

Everything Ends

I'm obviously late in my accolades but can I just say the last season of Six Feet Under was awesome. (More than that, the last 5 minutes of the last episode...I got chills)

I was a Six Feet Under fan the first time it debuted on HBO. I was loyal in my viewership right up through season 3. Then, as I begin to wander and live the seasonal life, my favorite TV shows fell by the wayside. Six Feet Under was no exception.

Fast forward to a few days ago when I was in the video store. I saw the final season there on the racks and thought, "well no time like the present to catch up." (I mistakenly believed I had seen season 4. Now I realize that's not true so I'll have to go back and watch that as well. I hate doing things out of order). So I spent last weekend in my apartment watching the final season. What a damn good show. I have a serious crush on Lauren Ambrose.

In other news, I am comin' home this weekend. I'm excited to see my family and my cat. Although I'm sure he either hates me or doesn't remember me.

It's raining in Bozeman. I dislike the rain. I don't mind sunshine. I don't mind clouds. I don't even mind the snow. But rain...is just...too wet.

One final thought: Does anyone know anything about the broadway musical Wicked. I'm intrigued by it and I'd like to know more.

"Summer" in Montana

I love AND loathe Montana for the following reason.

It is still technically "Summer" and yet this is what it's supposed to look like this weekend in the mountains around Bozeman.



I'm not exactly ready to freeze my ass off.

Man, summer was short.

A New Day

While I've been annoyed to no end by those "It's a New Day!" ads for the Today Show, I've decided to play copycat once again and use it to talk about the new beginnings at the station I work for. Above is a picture of the new and improved anchor team. Steve's our sports director/anchor. He's been around for a while. The new addition is Jenny. We're all very excited to have her with us. She's doing an awesome job...but it is interesting to see someone go through the rookie learning curve that I did. Hopefully the three of us will be together for a while.

On to other news though.

It's getting cold. I can feel the air changing. Summer is short in Montana. While I'm not dreading winter, I am sorry to see summer go. It's been a good ride.

Having my own place is AWESOME! It makes me wonder how I'll be able to share space with someone if I ever get married. I'm growing dangerously accustomed to my very own space.

I've mocked MySpace even after joining. Now, I'm realizing the benefits. It really does put you in touch with old friends. The level of communication with these long, lost souls probably won't improve much. But at least we can check up on each other and see how life is going.

Kathryn admitted to me today that she's taken up jogging. (Sorry if that's a secret Kathryn) I nearly laughed my ass off. Perhaps if Kathryn can grow to love exercise, she can grow to love Montana.

I hate politics. So much of what I do as a journalist is political in nature and I hate it. I'm dreading Election Day.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I'm now riding my bike to work. Well I recently met a girl who got pulled over for not completely stopping at a stop sign. $130 ticket. Only...she wasn't in a car. She was on her freakin' bike! I was stunned. I didn't even know that was possible.

I want a dog....or a cat. I want some sort of animal companion. But I can't get one.

Why does traffic in such a small town like Bozeman suck so bad?

Oh...and I broke a mirror today. A big one. I found out the bad luck superstition came from the Romans. Stupid Romans.

Smoked Out

For the past week or so I've woken up, looked out my bedroom window, and gazed upon a thick, brown, smokey haze hovering over the Gallatin Valley. The Bridger Mountains, normally visible, seem to have disappeared.

So much for Montana's clean air.

I'm sick of the fires. From a journalist's perspective, I love covering them. From a citizen's perspective, it's disgusting. The smell of smoke is getting old. My eyes burn all the time. People around town are coughing constantly. It's making me crave the crisp, cold air of winter. Anything to get this haze out of the air.

In other news, some of my Glacier friends and some of my work friends traveled up to the Garnet Mountain Lookout Tower for an overnight stay.

It was awesome. I've known you could stay in Forest Service cabins and towers for year but I had no idea how luxurious they were (well....as luxurious as you can get for an old cabin at the top of a mountain). The hike was intense but the view was well worth it.

A few other thoughts: Goodbye Steve Irwin - I wasn't what you'd call a loyal fan but I was sad to see you go. Reliving 9/11 - I still think about what happened that day and I'm shocked. What a horrific day...and yet as a journalist, I wish I could have been there covering it. Coffee - I've been drinking too much of it. I need to stop.

That's all for now. Later.

Copy Kat

So I introduced the love of my life to a new game. She, being the queen of all things blog-like and cool, decided to share the the game with all the world on her own blog. I, being the one who has followed and copied every single one of Kathryn's blogospheric ideas, decided to do the same. The game is called:

(Your name) reminds me of

1. Go to Google.
2. Type in "(Your name) reminds me of." (Make sure you put you quotes around the whole things)
3. Pick out the funniest entry that you can find and post it in the comments.

Since I don't have as big of a fan following as Kathryn does, I don't expect many replies. But I know there are some of you out there who read this blog and never leave your input. (That includes you, Mom.) So, take a stab at something different, and play along.

As for my own results. I found the following beauty:

"Lincoln reminds me of a president, a car, and a city in Nebraska. I definitely wouldn't choose it as a name for a child."

Laughing at Myself

You have to be able to laugh at yourself.

I think that's true for everyone. But I think it's especially true if you're somehow in the public eye. Whether you give speeches, or you're an actor, or a politician, or in my case...a news anchor...other people are going to laugh at you at some point. You might as well join them.

With that said, I present a montage of bloopers from my 9 months and counting on the local Bozeman news. It's not just me. The whole news team is included. And they're not all mistakes. I've included some moments that just made me chuckle. (And yes...that choking fit I wrote about in an earlier blog entry is included. It's at the beginning.)

So I will watch this and laugh at myself...because I know you're going to.


Get this video and more at MySpace.com

Bikes, Milk, and Sinus Infections

I have started to travel to work...via bicycle. It's pretty awesome. I'm doing it more for health benefits but the money I save on gas is nice. I've joined a large crowd too. I never realized how many people ride bikes in Bozeman until I hopped on one myself. I encourage everyone to do the same.

Stay away from "thickened" skim milk. I was grocery shopping the other night and they were all out of regular skim milk. They did have something called "Viva Skim Delight." I got home, poured me a glass, and was disgusted by the thickness. Skim milk isn't supposed to be thick. Then I read the ingredients and saw they add thickeners and artificial color (is there really such a thing as white food coloring). I didn't like it. But I drank it all. Without being too graphic, I'll just say it does wierd things to your digestive system.

I went to the doctor today. I got sick about 3 weeks ago and I haven't been able to shake it off. Mostly it's just been my throat and my voice. It isn't enough to make me feel miserable but my on-air performance is suffering. (It's the reason behind my choking fit which I wrote about in an earlier blog entry) My sinuses started to hurt yesterday so I decided to go in. The doctor believes I had a bacterial infection that never quite went away. He says it's decided to travel up to my sinuses and try to hide there. Now I have some antibiotic medicine which is supposed to take care of it. We shall see. I'm anchoring alone tonight which makes me a little nervous. That's a lot more talking I have to do and my voice has been on the verge of failing several times since the choking fit. I'll be sure to let you all know if things go awry.

p.s. Doug Miller, the outdoor reporter for KUTV in Salt Lake died. Very, very sad. I wasn't a loyal fan but I share his love for the outdoors and the desire to combine that with television broadcasting. Nice job, Doug. We'll miss you.

S.O.A.P

Yes I saw it.

I have not been a part of the Snakes on a Plane hype but I did go see the movie on opening night.

It was not a good movie. But it was good fun.

I recommend everyone go see it. And although I was sober, I recommend being slightly intoxicated when you see it. You might enjoy it a little more.

p.s. Julianna Margulies is hot. I never thought so when she was on ER. But now...I have a little crush.

myspace & video

I've jumped on the bandwagon.

After months of being pressured, I finally created my own myspace page. I realize myspace is the domain of pre-teens and teenagers everywhere. But I caved in anyway. Kathryn has said myspace has no point. She's right. It's an incredible time waster. Still, it's fun to post pictures and find old friends in the myspace network. So if you care to visit my new myspace page go for it. The address is www.myspace.com/glacierlink.

But don't foresake this blog. I've come to love it and it will always be my chosen communication with the outside world. Myspace has actually provided me with a way to make this blog even better. I'm now able to post video. I've decided this would be a good way to let everyone see some clips of me anchoring. I took a low-tech approach to do this. I transfer video at work to a DVD. Then I play the DVD on my computer. Then, using my digital camera, I take video of the video playing on my computer. Then I can transfer the file from my digital camera to my computer. Then I can upload that movie file to my myspace page. Then I can take that link and post it to my blog. The result: video on my blog. I'm sure I didn't have to take such a complicated approach. But I know of no other way. So without further delay, I present random clips of me being a news anchor over the past several months. Because of the low-tech approach, sound and video quality isn't great. But at least you get the idea. I hope it works. Let me know if it doesn't. Enjoy...and don't hate me for joining myspace.



Get this video and more at MySpace.com

Let me know what you think!

Ridge Runnin'

Ridgeline of the Bridger Mountains

I first heard about the Bridger Ridge Run early one morning near the top of Sacagewea Peak. I was descending from my early bird hike when a man hiking up stopped me and asked, "Do you know which direction the Bridger Ridge Run goes?" I had no idea. But I went home, hopped on the internet and Googled it. Turns out it's a 20-mile race traversing the Bridger Mountains ridge line. The Bridgers tower over Bozeman...much like the Wasatch tower over Salt Lake.

Salt Lake City and the Wasatch Mountains

Bozeman and the Bridger Mountains

My first thought was, "a 20 mile run over rugged terrain? No way." I love hiking. But I detest running. I'm a wimp. I just can't do it.

Fast forward to yesterday...date of the annual Ed Anacker Bridger Ridge Run. I decided to climb up Sacagawea Peak early in the morning (Brandon, our station's technical director came along) to cover the race for our station. We were both expecting it to be nice. It was for most of the night. But by race time, the cold moved in. As the runners approached the peak, brief little snow squalls passed over. Snow in August. Part of living in Montana I guess. Anyway it was miserable. The runners faired a little better. They were working their asses off after all. I'm sure that kept them warm. I was freezing. We headed back down the trail eager to get out of the wind and cold. It wasn't until later that day, when I was interviewing some runners as they crossed the finish line that the first inkling of desire popped up.

I kind of want to do this. I hate running but I think I may sign up for the Bridger Ridge Run next year. It's really just accelerated hiking after all.

Right?

p.s. The winner of the caption contest from my previous post. Definitely slcurbanprincess with "It's rabbit season, really."

Bunny Wabbit

I have no idea why but this picture makes me laugh my head off. This little bundle of fur is no doubt adorable. I also find him hilarious. Again, I have no idea why. Perhaps it's what may be going on his head. I have an idea. I want to know what you think. Let's play the "Caption This" game? What is this little bunny thinking? Even if you don't normally comment on this blog, leave your thoughts. You don't have to be a "Blogspot" member to do so. Just click on comments and leave an anonymous post. That's all for now. Adios.

TV Viewers

So apparently people really do watch the news.

I was out on a story today and I had several different people come up to me and mention my choking (and my co-anchor's uncontrollable laughing) incident on last night's newscast. (see previous post.)

Everyone was good-natured about it. They all thought it was hilarious.

I guess it is when you look back on it.

Good times.

Another Live TV Disaster

I've had several stupid moments on Live TV. Nearly all have been due to some level of a lack of self-control or experience. I said the wrong thing. I laughed at the wrong time. I messed up the words.

Tonight, I can say without a doubt that it wasn't my fault.

I was in the middle of a script when my voice...simply stopped working. I tried to cough it away but it was to no avail. Nothing would come out. Things would have been fairly okay had my co-anchor taken over and explained my predicament.

But no.

He knew I had a sudden throat spasm but thought that it passed quickly. He assumed my turning away from the camera and my inability to speak was due to a laughing fit I was having.

I was not laughing. I was choking.

But he thought I was laughing. Which in turn made him laugh...a lot. Luckily we were close to a commercial break. He was barely able to get through it. I can't fault him though. I may have reacted the same way.

I couldn't even continue with the news. I tried but my voice failed me. I've always wondered what would happen if I had to sneeze or if something happened to my voice in the middle of a newscast. Now I know. It wasn't pretty.

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.