Tidbits

It's official. I lost the dancing competition at my station. Still, thanks to everyone who voted for me. If it wasn't for you...I wouldn't have received the 41% of votes I did get. A landslide loss? Yes. But it could have been worse. 

I haven't yet talked about the season finale of Lost. I won't say anything revealing in case some of you haven't watched it. I still love this show. But I have to admit this latest season confused me more than any other. I hope I'm not alone in this. But it did give me one of my favorite phrases. "When are we?" I love that. I've also got a crush on Juliet. 

Merlin, my well-behaved cat of seven months decided he had enough of me and tried to make a break for it a week ago. He's never showed much interest in going outside like some cats do. He's never bolted for the door. He never whines in front of the window. I usually open a window so he can sit on the window sill and get some fresh air through the screen. I was watching TV one morning when I looked over and saw him poke his little paw through a small hole at the bottom of the screen. It's like something clicked inside him. "This is it! Here's my chance!" He rammed his head through the hole, tore the screen from its edges, and lodged half his body outside before I ran over to pull him back in. Little bastard. He's still a cool cat though. 

Yeah, he drinks out of the toilet. He won't touch a water dish. And no, he's not fat in that first picture.  He's just very, very furry. That damn fur fills up my vacuum every time I use it. 

While not official by the calendar, summer is, nonetheless, here. That means I'm back on a zip line. I'm helping out at Zip Idaho this summer as a part-time, zip line tour guide. It's a nice escape from the real world and the extra money is good too. Here's my latest ride on Wild Turkey. 

Zip Idaho is in the mountains...meaning I've finally put my Jeep through some rugged paces. Soooooo nice. Bumpy, dirt roads are so smooth compared to how they felt in my Camry. It's nice to have a new car that can go pretty much anywhere. 

I really dislike it when someone makes a favorite treat of mine the wrong way. I'm somewhat addicted to Cappuccino Blasts from Baskin Robbins. I've gotten so many of them that I can immediately tell when the worker behind the counter starts to make them in a way I don't like. They let the blender run long. They let it run short. They don't add enough ice. They don't give me enough whipped cream. The possibilities are endless. It makes me want all the materials at home so I can make it myself. 

With me being a news anchor, I don't report on as many stories as I'd like to. But, this is one I did as part of my weekly environmental franchise. It's one of my favorites, so I'll share it with you. I'm having a hell of a time trying to embed videos from my station's website. For some reason, I can't get it to work for all videos. I'll just give you the link instead:

A Smoggy Day in Boise Town

I watched the finales of Dancing With the Stars and American Idol. Man, I need to cut down on my TV watching. I've become addicted. I'm happy Shawn Johnson won. I'm okay with Kris Allen winning...even though I wanted Adam Lambert. Whatever.

Finally...old school Nintendo is awesome. I brought the old NES and SNES game consoles home with me from my last trip to Salt Lake. Since then, I'm wasting hours in front of the TV playing Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Street Fighter, and others. Good times...but not good for my lazy tendencies. You just can't beat classic video games. 

Ouch

We play games in TV business. Sometimes we take digs at the competition. They do the same to us. It's a back and forth...and you just have to roll with it.

Unfortunately, I figure prominently in a promo from another station in town. More specifically, my bad dancing figures prominently. I have to give them credit...this one was pretty creative, and a pretty good dig. And despite my poor performance, I stand behind our dancing segment 100%. It was a cool, fun feature story that tied in with a hit show on our network. They've done similar things.

But yeah...this one stings a little.

Yep...it's bad

Okay...it's done. Just keep one thing in mind. Since I'm encouraging all the world to see this story...please go to our station's website and vote for ME...even though I'm not a good dancer. 

Don & Michelle Judge the Dances:

Be nice to me folks.

Oh geez...here we go

Here's the promo spot my station will start running tomorrow. I know some of you are giddy with glee to see me make a fool of myself. I'm considering faking my own death after the whole thing airs.

This is gonna be bad.

Mom's Surprise

I went to the gym pretty late Saturday night. While there, I thought to myself, "it'd be nice to surprise mom at breakfast tomorrow morning." So I did. I didn't leave Boise until 10:41 that night. I got into Salt Lake around 3 o'clock in the morning, slept for four hours and headed to the restaurant to meet my family. Only Dad and my sister knew I was coming. I surprised my aunt, grandma, and cousin when they got there first. When my mom walked in I was sitting at a table with a newspaper held up over my face. Mom went to sit down with my nephew moving in beside her. I got up quickly, walked over to the table, pushed my nephew out of the way and said, "I want to sit by my mom." 

The look on her face was priceless. It was a nice surprise if I do say so myself. Happy Mother's Day mom. 

It was a quick trip...but well worth it. After breakfast my mom, sister, her kids, and myself headed to Lagoon. I haven't been to Lagoon about 3 or 4  years. Every time I go back I get nostalgic for the good ole days. When I was kid I went to Lagoon EVERY SINGLE day during the summer. My aunt would take my sister and I along with our cousins. We rode the rides occasionally but the vast majority of our time was spent at Lagoon-A-Beach. Hours and hours spent at the waterpark. It was awesome. We'd rent tubes each day and get a two dollar refund when we returned them. My cousin Levi and I would use that two dollars to play Sidewinder. It was a game they had along the midway. It was only around for a couple years. I found a couple pictures online.

You start with a large ball (about the size of a skee-ball) near the top of the curvy track. Using the steering wheel, you guide it down the track and make it fall into a hole at the bottom. Near the bottom, the guardrails disappear. Plus, the steering wheel turns in opposite directions. Turn it right, the track goes left. It was confusing. Levi and I, however, got very, very good at it. We'd throw two bucks towards practicing every day and within weeks...we were always winning. This was a game with big prizes too. I'm not sure why we needed huge stuffed animals but we kept winning and winning and winning. They had a rule against winning more than once each day so we'd come back at different times when there was a different game attendant. Lagoon tried to make it a little harder the second year. They put a plastic ring inside the hole to make the opening smaller. It challenged us a little more but...we still kicked ass. 

It was nice to go back and re-live some of those memories. Lagoon is a fun place. If you try to compare it to a Six Flags amusement park...Lagoon will lose every time. But take it for what it is...and it's fun. 

My only problem is that I noticed my age once again. When I was young I could ride any ride as many times as I wanted and feel great. This time around I felt a little queasy getting off some of them. So sad. 

Whoa there buddy....

This is cute...until the cat decides to take it too far.

Mr. Chihuahua wants none of it. 

The moral of the story...you can't be friends with benefits unless your friend wants the benefits.

Dancing with the Hopeless

As far as reality TV talent shows go...I'm an American Idol loyalist. I've taken a gander at Dancing With the Stars but I can take it or leave it. 

Still, I've wondered what it takes to do a little ballroom dancing. I can wonder no more. For the last two days I've taken a crash course in the Waltz with a dance instructor in Boise. My co-anchor is doing the same thing. It's a competition of sorts. It's called Dancing With the Anchors. Since we're an ABC affiliate, we're doing a little local tie-in with the season finale of the show. 

We don't get much practice time. I'm getting one more hour on Wednesday and then I have to perform the routine...while a photographer videotapes the whole thing. Apparently, we're airing the embarrassing footage sometime this month. 

I'll share the footage when the time comes. But let me warn you. It's bad. Really, really bad. Perhaps, with time, I could get better. 

But it'll take a while.

Lazy

You can always spot a lazy blogger. They rely more on random YouTube videos to entertain rather than write anything. But let's be honest...my life hasn't been interesting enough to write about.

With that, here's a clip of a kitten versus an electric fan. It's pretty awesome.

Facebook Guilt

I have 302 friends on Facebook. I don't know if that's a large number or not. I've seen people with more. I've seen people with less. There's one thing I'm sure off. No one should be impressed with anyone who has lots of friends.

I wouldn't recognize half of my "friends" if I saw them on the street. I can't be alone in this. The only reason most people have hundreds of friends is because they won't deny a "friend request." There's a myriad number of reasons for this. I'm sure some people love to see that "friends" number climb. In my case...it's guilt. I feel guilty if I don't accept someone as a friend. What a blatant form of rejection. "Um...no...you can't be my friend." That's harsh. I can't do that. Some people are from high school. Some are from Glacier. Most of them...I don't talk to anymore...not even on Facebook. There are even some who apparently "know" me...but I've never even met them. Chalk that up to my job. Someone sees me on the news and throws a friend request my way. Some of my colleagues wouldn't entertain the idea of accepting such an invitation. I, for one, feel guilty if I don't. It's Facebook Guilt.

I went through my Facebook and MySpace friends lists about 6 months ago to do a little weeding. I deleted about two dozen people. But it's no secret that Facebook has really taken off in the last six months. I've had friend requests pouring in since then...(some from people I weeded out weeks earlier). I'm not fighting it anymore. It's not like anyone actually keeps up to date with everyone on their list. I keep in touch with a select few...and just let the others sit there. I suppose there's no harm in that.

Reality

Somewhere in my blog archives there's a post in which I talk about "harboring secret desires to be a morning person." 

That desire has officially been flushed from my system. 

I'm a night owl. It's part of my personality. I never denied that...but fought it from time to time. For most people who come to such a realization it's easy to settle back into their "normal" lifestyle. Unfortunately I can't do that. My livelihood depends on it. 

It's really not fair of me to speak harshly of the mornings. I still haven't been able to give it a real shot. Getting up at 2:30 or 3:00 (like I do Monday-Friday) isn't really being a morning person. No one gets up at that time. Some stay up that late. Some work through the night. But who actually rises at 2:30? It sucks. I hate it. I can't deny it anymore. I can't escape it either. It's part of my job. I wouldn't rule out a similar shift in the future. If I want to stay in this business, it's a distinct possibility. But I do not like these hours. I long for the days of staying up late. I long for the days of waking up whenever the hell I want to. I long to truly be a night owl again.

Addictive

Bored?

Go here.

Do so at your own risk though. It's a highly addictive game. I keep finding new designs to make and new ways to manipulate everything. 

Go ahead. Explore and see what I'm talking about. 

Now if you'll excuse me...I have to get back to American Idol. 

Plugged In

During the height of my Glacier National Park experience, I was blissfully uninformed. There was no reliable TV in Glacier. Internet access was slow and computers were usually occupied by all the foreign kids. Much of my time off was spent hiking and exploring the backcountry. When I did make it to town I only had time to stock up on necessities, see a movie, or do a quick email check. My most reliable source of news was the Great Falls Tribune...a good paper by Montana standards but no New York Times. I knew about major events happening in the world but for the most part, I was disconnected. I was kind of happy about it too. (The only time I ever missed it all was during Hurricane Katrina. Even the Great Falls Tribune made it known what a big deal it was. For a day or two, I would have given anything to sit in front of a TV and watch CNN for hours).

Fast forward to the present. I have been sucked in to the media/entertainment world. It's no surprise I'm a news junkie. Not only is it part of my job but it's part of my personality. What is surprising is all the pop culture and television shows I've become addicted to. My DVR is set to record half a dozen different programs. There are gossip websites I check every day. I've been completely sucked in to American Idol. I'm not sure what happened to me. I've become one of the huddled masses. It's a little sad...but I've given in. I'm not fighting it anymore. 

In light of all that...let me share this:

I love Ellen. And this is one hell of a clip. It's a little lengthy...but watch it if you have time. At least watch up to the 3:55 mark. That's when it gets really good. 

One other thing in the world of pop culture. I'm growing tired of all the Susan Boyle coverage. I know I posted the clip of her singing a week ago. But that was before EVERY media outlet in the world decided to run with it. It's still an amazing clip of an amazing moment...but if there ever was a definition of "overexposure" this is it. I want only good things for her...but geez...let's all ease up a bit. 

Spring has sprung in Boise. I love it. I put a lot of miles on my bike this weekend and it felt great. 

One last thing. I must give a shoutout to my very good friends Ron & Jessie. They have been winter caretakers at the Many Glacier Hotel in Glacier National Park for the past 186 days. They have that many blog entries to prove it. Not only has the blog been entertaining...but visiting them this past February is one of the best trips I've ever taken. With spring coming quickly, their job is done and they're off to greener pastures. Nice job guys. Good luck and stop through Boise if you get a chance. 

Quote of the Day

This happened a few days ago so it's not exactly the quote of today...but whatever. 

Beth is a news colleague from Bozeman. We worked at the same station for a while before she left to work for the competing station. She's currently the morning anchor for KBZK in Bozeman. We still talk quite a bit...several times a week. She usually calls me when she's driving. It's a way to kill time I guess. 

I called her one morning to catch up and she said this:

"I was going to call you...but Journey's 'Don't Stop Believin' was on the radio."

Ahh...priorities. Thanks Beth.

Wow

I haven't blogged in a while. Haven't had anything interesting to say. But I came across this today and had to share. Watch the whole thing if you can. It's pretty awesome.

Susan Boyle - 47-letnia śpiewaczka z brytyjskiej wersji "Mam
by luloczek

Haunting

There are some things that transfix me and beckon my participation. I was obsessed with the news when I was a kid. Thus, I became a journalist. At one point I took an interest in gymnastics and wondered what it would be like to accomplish a back handspring. So I took a class in college and learned how to do it. One day I took a look at a New Zealand travel brochure. Months later I was living in the country. 

If I'm transfixed...I usually "want in."

Usually. 

Art and photography are two notable exceptions. I have no desire to learn how to draw or paint nor do I care to know more about cameras than "point and click." But there are times I'm drawn in to a painting or photograph. All I want to do is admire. I'm satisfied with just looking. 

With that, take a look at my latest piece of eye candy.

My initial reaction to this photo was "wow." It's disturbing, I know. Even frightening. I wouldn't want to encounter this dog in a dark alley. But it's also kind of beautiful. I don't know enough about the artistic side of things to tell you why. Perhaps the best word for it is "haunting." Thoughts?

It was taken by Giacomo Brunelli. Check out his work. Most of his photos aren't so scary. 

If I was wealthy enough to buy "art"...I'd buy this photo.

Birthday Boy

It's been a while since I posted any news related videos. This is some serious morning fluff right here. I had a nice surprise on my birthday when I got not one, but two birthday cakes. 

While I did go home and fall asleep at 7:30 that night, I still had a good birthday. Thanks everyone. 

29

I could use this opportunity to moan about the weight I've gained, fret about the hair I've lost, whine about the dental work I need, worry about the wrinkles that are showing, and generally lament the passing of my youth. But I won't. Besides, that old adage "age is just a number" is pretty accurate. I still feel young...and there are probably thousands of 30-60 year olds out there who'd like to punch me in the face when I say, "I'm getting old."

Instead of all that, let's focus on the positive. I feel pretty good about what I've accomplished in my 29 years. Friends, family, my job...I'm proud of it all. But more than anything, I'm proud of the exploring I've done. To some, it's a lot. To others, it's minimal. To me...it's formed my identity. While I've "settled down" a bit in the past few years...I'm making a vow to myself on my 29th birthday. I'm not finished exploring. I encourage everyone else to do the same. I think it's what life should be about. 

Missing Out

Is there a pattern forming?

Go to Montana for a little vacation. Leave. Watch from afar as a "big" story develops and wish I could be there to cover it.

I drove to Bozeman/Big Sky over the weekend. Spent time with old friends, visited some old haunts, and gawked a little at this:

That's what's left of an explosion that ripped through downtown Bozeman in early March. I would have loved to cover it as a reporter.

Fast forward to yesterday. I left Big Sky at about 3:30 in the afternoon headed back home to Boise. I didn't know it yet but a small plane had already crashed in Butte killing 14 people. I got a couple text messages as I drove through eastern Idaho telling me about it. When I worked in Montana I worked for "Butte & Bozeman's News Channel." I've covered plenty of stories in Butte...none as big as this one. I'm not going to dwell on it...but I'm disappointed. 

I'm also disappointed in my snowboarding performance at Big Sky. I took three runs on Sunday before I caught an edge and did a chest plant into the snow. It knocked the wind out of me and I just lay there on the slope for a while trying to get my breath back. After that, I was in no mood to ride. I went down to the bar with Mike and Beth and spent the next two hours over beer and nachos. As for my wipeout, it turns out it was more of a shoulder/chest plant because my right shoulder is killing me today. 

Still, I had a good time. 

Oh..and thank God for satellite radio. I'm not quite sure how I survived long drives without it. I love Sirius. 

Internal Monologue

It's 6:40 pm. I'm sitting here at work on the computer. For the time being, I'm filling in on weather every other Saturday. I'm fine with that. There's a 5:30 show and a 10 o'clock show. Working this shift brings back memories of my days in Bozeman. The time between shows was usually my favorite time of the day. It was breathing time. I could do whatever I wanted. Maybe take my time getting the 10 o'clock show ready. Perhaps go out for a bite to eat. Even get in a nap every now and then. There were plenty of nights where breaking news ruled the day but for the most part...it was relaxation time. I can't believe that was more than a year ago. I can't believe I'm smack dab in the middle of another chapter to my life. It's amazing how fast time can go by. It astonishes me to see how life happens. I remember being in Bozeman and thinking about just two life chapters. There was Glacier. There was the present (being Bozeman). There was the seasonal life. There was real life. Now...Glacier is TWO chapters ago. TWO!! That weirds me out. Before I know it I'll be done in Boise. At least, I think. I have no idea what's going to happen March 1, 2010 (my contract expiration date), but I suspect I may leave Boise. I could be proven wrong. But I haven't really found anything here to keep me. I've learned a lot at my current job...but I don't want to stay in my position forever. Boise is a nice place but I'm more attached to other locales. I've met a couple close friends and plenty of acquaintances...but my closest ties are elsewhere. The big question is where I will end up. Let's just forget a crappy economy right now. It really effects movement within the TV industry. For the sake of argument, let's just say things have turned around by next year. I guess I could keep climbing the ladder...or at least keep trying. I suppose I wouldn't rule anything out. I'm not above going to a less desirable location if some money was thrown at me. But it would have to be a lot. More likely is me looking for a better job in a place that attracts me. Portland is at the top of my list. It's a hard TV market to get to. Many people want to work there. And getting an ANCHOR job...just might prove impossible. But I'll probably try. Salt Lake is another option. My ENTIRE family is there. It would be nice (and maybe slightly annoying) to live close to them all again. Again, an anchor job would be hard to come by but it seems more likely than Portland. I'd consider Denver. I'd consider Seattle. I'd consider San Diego. I'd consider San Francisco. I'd consider Austin. I'd consider Raleigh. I'd consider Asheville. I'd consider Portland, Maine. I'd consider Burlington, Vermont. I'd consider a few places in Florida. And unlikely though they may be, I'd consider New York, Chicago, or Philidelphia. Those are all places I'd actually seek out. The other big cities in this country (LA, Houston, Dallas, etc.) don't appeal to me. Again, throw some money at me and I might bite. But...fewer people are making more money in this business. And yes, I want an anchor job. I don't want to be a reporter. I've learned some things about myself in the last three years and I know I'm not a fan of general assignment reporting. I LOVE breaking news. But it's not ever-present. I LOVE feature reporting...but feature reporters are becoming extinct. More likely than not, if things worked out reasonably well, I'd end up as a morning anchor or weekend anchor/weekday reporter in a bigger city. As for anchoring, I like it. I realize most people just see it as reading the news. On the surface, that's all it is. But there's something about it that I like. I've been lucky enough to be an anchor in both of my TV jobs. I've reported as well, but "anchor" has always been in my title. I don't want to give that up...unless I got a primo feature job...or better yet an outdoor reporting job. I suppose my dream job would to have my own show on the Discovery Channel or the Travel Channel or the National Geographic Channel. I'm just not sure how to get to that point. Time right now is 7:10. I'm wasting that blessed break between shows. I should go get something to eat. I'm thinking Subway and a Starbucks one pump, nonfat vanilla latte. Adios.

(this post not checked for spelling errors. Hopefully I'm a good typer...or is it typist? Whatever)

Ahem...my new crush

I was an American Idol fan during season 2. I was sort of a fan during the Carrie Underwood season. But somehow, I've really gotten sucked in to the latest season.

I don't write about pop culture that often. But I'm a little smitten with Megan Corkrey...and it's not just because she's from Utah. She just has "something" that's very appealing. Sadly, I don't see her winning. I don't think America likes her type. I see Adam Lambert winning. I'm okay with that too.

This is a shallow, meaningless post...and I vow to write about pop culture only on rare occasions.

The End