Journalistic Musings

2012-02-04T15:10:00.000-06:00

It's February, a.k.a. the month of love and relationships, so all this month, in addition to the stuff I normally blog about, I'm also going to talk about relationships - loves, friendships, family and work-related.

No matter the relationship, there's always the possibility it will come to an end, permanently or temporarily. The finality of the ending is up to the parties involved, but the decision doesn't have to be mutual. It only takes one person not wanting the relationship to continue for it to end, but in order for it to last or be rekindled both parties have to want it.

Let's talk about those temporary hiatuses from a relationship. They can be caused by anything, and most times they're painful for at least one involved party.

Sometimes we don't want these relationships to end, especially in the ways that they do. We hold onto the memories, torturing ourselves and trying to figure out what went wrong where and how we could have fixed it. Eventually we resign ourselves to it and move on with our lives ... until that person comes back.

Sometimes the offense is easily forgivable and you can start right where you left off. Other times, it's not like that at all.

Sometimes so much time has passed and you've worked so hard to forget the hurt that even the thought of letting that person back in is difficult to wrap your head around.

It's not that you don't want to rekindle your friendship or relationship. No, it's not that at all. It's just that you've worked so hard to not need that person anymore and now you don't know where they fit into your life, and by letting them back in you're opening yourself back up to be hurt again.

So what do you do?

My advice? If you really do want to renew the relationship, be up front about your concerns. If the other person is serious about wanting to make things right, they'll understand and be considerate of your feelings. Then take it one day at a time, allowing time for trust to be built back up. There's no certain time frame in which you have to re-achieve the level of companionship you had before.

Remember that people make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes are big, other times they are insignificant. In the grand scheme of things, few mistakes are so horrible that they can't be forgiven.

Ultimately it is up to you to look into your heart and determine if there's still a place in it for this past friend or lover. There's no right or wrong answer, but I firmly believe that certain people are brought into your life for a reason. Maybe they're meant to be a part of your life forever, maybe they're meant to teach you something. Whatever the reason, don't you owe it to yourself to at least find out?

Wedding Planning

2012-01-29T22:34:00.001-06:00

It's been awhile since my last wedding planning post. A lot has happened since then, not all of it productive or definitive but stuff has happened.

The biggest thing that's happened was buying, or starting the payment plan for, the perfect wedding dress.

Then we set our date and reserved our venue. It's a barn, in case you couldn't tell. We're going to have the ceremony and the reception in the same place, set the tables up on either side of the aisle and use rotating teal and orange tablecloths.

We've looked at flowers.

I want calla lilies for myself, thinking about orange Gerber daisies for my bridesmaids (to match the groomsmen's vests).

This is kinda what we're thinking about for the boutineers.

Chris is going to have a camouflage vest.

One weekend, Chris and I, along with one of my bridesmaids, went on a dress finding trip. That's the style I've decided I want, not in that color of course. The color we're using is called 'Peacock'. I wouldn't mind having this dress in black...

My mom and I went to a bridal expo today and got a lot of cool ideas that would fit in with our general theme. Don't worry - I took pictures.

We may have to integrate hay bales and twine in somehow.

Love the buckets.

Like the burlap...

and the lanterns.

Really liked the idea of tying twine around the napkins.

Obviously we still have a bunch of stuff to do, but not so much as before.

Next on the list? Catering, confirming our photographer and paying off everything.

Oh, and don't forget all the fun stuff that's coming up in the way of showers.

7 1/2 months to go!

Behind the Scenes: Inappropriate Comments

2012-01-27T10:45:00.000-06:00

Last night at 6:00, we ended the show with a story about a dozen 6-month-old giant pandas getting to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year with a party of their own.

The purpose of their party was for the pandas to show off the skills they've learned at a giant panda breeding facility in China.

As soon as the female anchor said, "Some played with balls...", our meteorologist burst out laughing, even though the video was of a panda playing with a beach ball.

So they finished the script and the meteorologist says, "I was a little worried when you said they were going to show off skills they'd learned at a breeding facility."

And that's when our male anchor says, "We don't have video of that."

At which point the meteorologist replies, "You can order it!"

And with that my friends, we ended the show.

Happy Friday.

2012-01-24T00:07:00.002-06:00

The SOPA & PIPA bills have been shelved in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, but that doesn't mean we should fall back into complacency concerning our use of the internet.

In fact, SOPA and PIPA were not the only internet-based bills before our federal lawmakers.

The 'Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act of 2011, H.R. 1981, is making its way through the House, and lo and behold if it isn't sponsored by the same senator behind SOPA, Sen. Lamar Smith.

On the surface, this bill seems like a great thing. I mean, who doesn't want to protect children from sexual predators?

However, there are several provisions in this bill that are a complete invasion of privacy, not to mention an increase in a person's risk of having their identity stolen.

Basically what this bill does is requires all internet service providers to keep 18 months of your activity on file in a secure location. That means all your billing information, including your credit card and personal information, will be stored with those providers - ripe for the picking.

What's worse is that you don't have to be suspected of child pornography for those files to be searched by the federal government or any other law enforcement agency, although they do have to request access to the information.

So what Sen. Smith wants is for every single person in the United States' internet browsing history to be kept on file, regardless of if they're guilty of or even thinking about child pornography.

I don't know about you guys, but sifting through the browsing history of hundreds-of-millions of people doesn't seem like an efficient way to catch child predators. No, it seems more like an invasion of our privacy and a violation of our first amendment rights.

Useless Is As Useless Does

2012-01-21T15:22:00.000-06:00

Apparently my degree is the #1 most useless degree to achieve, according to Newsweek's The Beast.

Click HERE to see what other degrees made their top 20 list. Most of them are degrees in agriculture or the arts.

Yahoo published a list of their own, albeit much shorter. Only 5 degrees made their list, the top spot going to agriculture. Journalism didn't make this list. I guess the writer had the presence of mind to realize that including it would completely invalidate his work.

I think what makes me the angriest about these lists is the fact that they seem to be based on salary, not their actual usefulness to the world.

Well, my job may be useless, but I enjoy doing it.

And here's a thought to end on.

If journalism were so useless, there would be no one to report on pressing issues such as these.

Professionally Speaking...

2012-01-20T02:21:00.000-06:00

Earlier this week I wrote about how people are always moving in this business.

It's still just as true today as it was on that day, especially in the market I work in. The way the market system is set up for television newscasts makes this market ideal for a first job. The idea is to come here, work for a few years, grow as a reporter/producer/anchor and move on to the next big thing.

For the most part, that's how it works, but why does it have to be that way?

The way television markets work is so unfair. The number of eyes you have to watch you dictates your market size, i.e. the more eyeballs who have the ability to tune into your show = higher market number (and more money).

So what if more people decided to stay in markets like mine? It's not like those markets are going anywhere, and this whole idea that the only way to be a reputable or credible journalist is to work in a ginormous city is detrimental. What if people decided to settle down at a hometown market and make it better?

Last week my general manager challenged me to figure out where I want to be professionally in the next five years. Well, I think I've figured that out.

One day I would like to be in a position to help those people who come here but are only passing through to develop their skills and become better at what they do. That's what we're supposed to be about, but as it stands no one has taken on that role. The reporters I work with are good at what they do already, but they should be evolving instead of staying the same.

I want to be that person who doesn't move on. I want to be that person who has pride in her hometown station and wants to do everything in her power to make it better.

2012-01-18T18:06:00.000-06:00

If you're reading this, then SOPA/PIPA should be of major concern to you.

But you shouldn't just jump on my bandwagon in protest of these two bills. You should understand what they are and what they could mean for you as a fellow blogger or someone who contributes to my comment section.

In short, what these bills do is make it a felony for the owner of any site to allow copyright infringement. That doesn't sound so bad. As a journalist, I know that taking someone else's work and passing it off as your own is bad, and I'm all for putting a stop to it ... but these two bills are not the way to do it.

The wording is vague, and the language is too broad. The bills basically give the U.S. Attorney General unlimited power when it comes to shutting down websites suspected of allowing comments, content, etc. that violate copyright infringement. He can also shut down a website if he deems it doesn't have enough safeguards to prevent copyright infringement.

And it doesn't stop there. If you're found to be in violation of this bill, there's virtually no way to get out of it. The way this bill is worded, you are all but guaranteed to be slapped with a felony charge. And that, my friends, is a life ruiner.

I recommend reading this article to put things into perspective, and then I recommend that you sign this petition.

I don't know about you, but I don't want what other people leave as a comment on my blog or on my Facebook wall to brand me a felon.

Training Part 3

2012-01-18T06:29:00.000-06:00

I've been back on overnights this week with work, training another producer for the morning show.

Since I moved to the 6:00 and 10:00, we've gone through two morning show producers, but I'm pretty confident this one will at least work through her contract. She seems to want to be here and is catching on so quickly.

She's the first person I've trained who hasn't been terrified of the control room, which to me is the easiest part of the day. And she wanted to jump right into things after watching and talking to me for only one day.

Of course she's got to get a pattern established and work on her timing as far as getting things done on time, but that's an issue with all new producers.

Tomorrow I'm going to have her do pretty much everything on her own. I'll be reading behind her of course to make sure she's on the right track. My goal is to have her independent on Friday and me back on my normal schedule next week.

Wish us both luck.

One Size Doesn't Fit All

2012-01-15T14:48:00.000-06:00

I read an article today that really spoke to me: singers who are often in the media (entertainment media anyway) being criticized for the size of their bodies speaking out and defending their curves. Bravo.

For generations women have been told that to be attractive is to be a size zero.

If that's true, my size 6-7 butt must be hideous. Shhh, don't tell my fiance. He thinks I'm beautiful.

Marilyn Monroe was the envy of women everywhere, sought by men and she definitely did not fit the standards of beauty as dictated by society.

She had curves and wasn't afraid to show them off.

So maybe I'm not a model. At 5'2 1/2" I'm certainly not tall enough for it, and tipping the scale between 125 and 130 pounds certainly would deem me a 'plus size' model.

But if Marilyn Monroe wasn't a conventional beauty, then I don't want to be either.

I'll take my size 6-7 jeans any day.

The Joy of Books

2012-01-15T14:24:00.007-06:00

Stop-motion films are amazing.

Money Isn't Everything (But It Helps)

2012-01-13T21:38:00.000-06:00

It's a blessing to do what you love and be with your family.

The statement above was said in regards to the departure of one of my coworkers. Today was her last day with us before she moves back home where she's accepted an anchor job.

In this business, people are constantly moving, whether it's to break into a higher market size and make more money or to get back home. It seems like no one stays in one place for more than a few years before they're packing up all their stuff and moving again.

But not me. I'm not like that at all, and it didn't take getting engaged to the love of my life to reach that point. I've always been this way.

I've never wanted to stray far from home. Family is too important to me to be so far away that the only possible contact would be a telephone call.

I'm coming up on my two-year contract anniversary with my station, which meant a meeting to renegotiate the terms of my employment.

That meeting wasn't exactly satisfactory, and it led to several other meetings with different people. Long story short, I found myself questioning why I would even want to stay where I'm at now, and that led to a weekend full of contemplation about what I should do and what I want to do.

I love my job. I have no desire to move up a market size, and I have no delusions of making it rich in this business, but making the decision to stay where I am and accept a mediocre, almost non-existent raise was a tough one.

Money isn't everything. I know that. But it sure does help make things a little easier to get through when you're not sure if you can buy groceries to feed yourself.

I know that in the end it's the people in your life that make it fulfilling and that when it comes down to it, it's up to me to make myself happy.

In the course of all those meetings I mentioned, my boss issued a challenge. More like a request, but it will be challenging. He asked me to figure out where I want to be professionally in the next three to five years and let him know so that he can help me to work towards that goal.

So where do I want to be at in my professional life in the next five years?

I have no idea where I want to be at in that time span. I don't know if the things I've always wanted to do professionally are even possible here.

And therein lies the challenge.

Mountains & Molehills

2012-01-04T22:51:00.000-06:00

Have you ever noticed that people tend to focus on all the small things that annoy or bother us that don't really matter in the long run rather than devote some time to the big issues that genuinely need to be fixed or improved?

Why do we make mountains out of molehills?

We turn something that could easily have been taken care of with a word or an email or maybe even the flip of a switch into this huge deal. Before you know it we've created some outlandish, unnecessary plan that involves an army of people to implement.

I've seen this at work, with family members and in everday life, and I'm sure I'm just as guilty of blowing things out of proportion as the next person.

So here's my New Year's resolution:

I resolve to only focus on the little things that make life worth living, like holding my fiance's hand, seeing a shooting star, texting someone just to say 'hello'.

I resolve not to make mountains out of molehills, to be understanding of small mistakes and to leave work at the office.

I resolve to love more, stress less and have fun.

We only have one life to live. Why do so focusing on the things that don't matter?

Crocodile vs Lawn Mower

2011-12-28T22:41:00.000-06:00

This is Elvis.

Elvis doesn't like lawn mowers.

Or maybe he just wants to start a collection.

Either way, he just took the zookeepers' mower.

Elvis - 1

Zookeepers - 0

Letter to Myself

2011-12-26T21:39:00.000-06:00

Dear Ashton,

This is one of those times you'll remember for the rest of your life. You're engaged, ready to spend the rest of your life with the man you love. You're excited, and you have every right to be.

Unfortunately, not everyone will be as excited and happy as you are, but hey, that's life, right? There will always be someone in your life who can't be satisfied with simply being happy for you, but don't let the negativity of others get to you.

Remember that you deserve to be happy, and the people that truly matter in your life will be happy for your happiness.

Don't try to please everyone, especially when it comes to your wedding. It's your day and should be a reflection of you and your groom. You will be a beautiful bride, and those who love you will think you are beautiful no matter what you're wearing.

There will always be nay-sayers, debbie downers and drama queens. You can't avoid them, but you can kill them with positivity, happiness and kindness.

Don't let someone talk down to you or intimidate you. Stand up for yourself and don't back down from what you believe to be right. Remember, you can't please everyone. And you shouldn't have to.

Your wedding day will be beautiful and perfect, and if you keep telling yourself all of these things the stress that often comes with planning the beginning of your future life will be minimal.

Keep your head held high and your loved ones close to you.

And don't forget you are a strong, independent woman who doesn't need the approval of those around you to be happy.

Love,

Wedding Planning, The Beginning

2011-12-20T21:46:00.000-06:00

Guys, this is really happening. I'm really getting married.

It's exciting and overwhelming and great and terrifying all at the same time.

I've got to find an etiquette book so I don't do anything wrong. Although, I'm really considering throwing the rule book along with all of its superstitions out of the window and doing this thing the way we want to. Etiquette be damned.

If I want a giraffe print garter, why can't I have a giraffe print garter? It's not like it will be visible for anyone to know it doesn't really match the other colors. And besides, isn't this wedding supposed to be a reflection of us as a couple? What better way to express myself than to have giraffe stuff randomly tucked in there? I mean, it's perfect!

So we've been picking out our colors and taking tours of venues ... all while stressing over the money we'll be spending that we don't have to spend.

We've considered just going to the courthouse, but let's be honest.

I want to wear the dress.

And the giraffe garter.

And possibly giraffe print shoes.

After all, my fairy tale wedding isn't exactly that of a princess.

Confessions of a Worry Wart

2011-12-14T23:02:00.000-06:00

I have a confession to make.

I'm a worrier.

I can't help it. When I become bothered by something, whether it's a situation at work or with a friend or family member, it just eats away at me until it's resolved.

Granted, it usually takes a while for a situation to build into one that turns me into a worry wart. Usually it happens after I find myself getting the short end of the stick over and over again and make a decision to put my foot down.

It's one of the biggest things I don't like about myself - my inability to keep myself from dwelling on whatever the situation happens to be. I think about it and think about it and think about it. It ends up affecting my sleep because I can't relax my mind enough to get a good night's rest.

Even after I've taken some action to start the resolution process, I can't stop thinking about it or talking about it (much to the fiance's chagrin, I'm sure) until that action has culminated in some sort of solution.

When a solution is finally reached that satisfies me, it's like the skies open up and the sun starts shining again.

Minimum Wage Blues

2011-12-13T11:20:00.000-06:00

You probably wouldn't mind working minimum wage if the price was right, right?

Well, in that respect, the city of San Francisco is about to make history.

Starting January 1, 2012, the city will up its minimum wage to $10.24 an hour. That's more than two dollars more than California's minimum wage and nearly $3 more than the federal wage.

Here in Alabama, minimum wage only adheres to the federal standard of $7.25 an hour.

What I want to know is what bonehead on Capitol Hill decided that was a good starting rate? Do they really think a person can survive on that? I barely survive on what I make, which is a little more than San Fran's soon-to-be minimum, and I'm not spending my money frivolously.

Last night we said that it was exciting news for that city, but when you really think about it, it's not all that exciting. Higher minimum wage means higher standards of living, so making $10.24 is about the same as making $7.25 when you consider how much everything costs.

But hopefully the higher minimum wage in that city will mean lower unemployment. Maybe it will make working at McDonald's a more attractive option than simply relying on Welfare and food stamps. Maybe if people feel like they aren't being underpaid at those types of jobs they'll actually take them.

My Vacation, In Blog Form

2011-12-11T12:59:00.000-06:00

The boyfriend and I decided to take some vacation time this past week.

He took a whole week - which for him is only using 2 days - and I took a four day weekend. We packed our bags and headed to Atlanta.

Our first stop: Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

The dinosaurs were by far the coolest things in there, but there were a lot of other really cool exhibits.

During the holiday season, there are dozens of Christmas trees decorated in the style of a different country. Sadly, I fell down on my photography duty and didn't take a single picture of them.

Then there was the Darwin exhibit, which took you on a step-by-step journey through his life's works.

After the museum, we checked into the hotel.

Our view was incredible. 41st floor.

After a nap, we decided to walk down to Centennial Park where the 1996 Olympics were held.

Everything was decorated for Christmas, so our stroll was really romantic.

There was even an ice skating rink set up, but we didn't take a turn.

Chris had other things on his mind...

We sat down on a bench and were just looking at the lights. I was watching the water-sidewalk-fountain randomly shooting up...

Then he got down on one knee...

I almost started crying...

But I said yes.

Then the water/light/music show started.

Once that was over, we walked back to the hotel...

But not before Chris took a picture with Andrew Young.

Then we had a really nice dinner at the hotel's restaurant, Sear. Biggest piece of salmon I've ever had.

The next day we went to the Coke Museum.

We were bubble-ized.

The vault where the secret formula is supposed to be kept.

A holographic map of the countries where Coca Cola is.

Did you know Coke was the first soft drink in space?

Santa Claus looks the way he does today because of Coca Cola.

Letters people have written telling their Coca Cola stories.

The tasting room. About 30 unsupervised kids. It was madness.

2011-12-07T21:45:00.000-06:00

Monster.com and Payscale.com have collaborated to create a list of the top five low-paying, high-stress jobs.

Mine made the list.

Maybe I should consider a career change?

But I have a feeling I fit into the little explanation they provided:

Still, many news reporters might not want to change to a lower-stress career because the work wouldn’t feel as important.

2011-12-02T13:05:00.000-06:00

It's amazing how one person can be such a sour spot in your day or even your week.

Especially when that person jumps to multiple conclusions without even looking for evidence to support their claim that you're disappointing when it comes to your job performance.

I'm so frustrated.

What's Wrong With Kids Today

2011-11-29T21:34:00.001-06:00

It's no secret that kids today are different than kids used to be. I can tell a difference even from 15 years ago, and those differences aren't necessarily good.

So if you've found yourself wondering what's wrong with kids these days, I think I have a theory.

Parents let them watch all the junk that comes on Cartoon Network and buy them games like this:

The Exception

2011-11-28T23:55:00.000-06:00

Last week I talked about moving in with my boyfriend next year, and someone made the comment that there is a 50% divorce rate in this country. While that statistic is sadly accurate, it still leaves some pretty good odds - 50% of marriages succeed.

I'm not a naive person where marriage is concerned, and although I don't have any intention of getting divorced once I get married I do know that sometimes it's necessary. Discounting those who get married and divorced as many times as normal people take a shower, some relationships really are not meant to last and it takes a marriage to show it.

My biological parents are divorced. I have no doubt in my mind that they were in love when they got married, but in the end they just weren't compatible with each other. My biological father has been married three times, each of those times shorter than the last. He did (and still does) drink too much, did (and still does) have an affinity for not going to work, and in the end all of that plus a lot more added up to a negative.

It's people like my biological father who contribute to that 50% divorce rate.

My mother, on the other hand, has been married to her current husband and the man I call my dad for nearly 20 years now. Theirs is a successful marriage that will fulfill their wedding vows - til death do us part. They still hold hands and kiss each other. They laugh together and do everything else together. Sure they fight, but what real couple doesn't argue every now and then? She takes care of him when his diabetes goes haywire, and I swear he'd do anything to protect her.

My paternal grandparents have been married for more than 50 years. They say my papa was a woman-chasing, fast driving chain smoker before her. He's still a speed demon who likes to 'let the horses run', but he's been true to my mema for all these years.

He's not doing so well now, and whenever I get a chance I drive back home to see them. The last time I was able, Papa asked me to find his pictures on his phone for him. So I did, and as he was flipping through those photos he got to one of Mema. He just stopped on that photo, smiled and said, "That's my lady."

I want that.

And I think I've found the one person who can give it to me. So that 50% divorce rate can count me out. We're in it for the long haul.

The Next Step

2011-11-21T21:38:00.000-06:00

"We're moving in together."

Four words most parents dread hearing from their child. Four words my boyfriend and I told our parents a few months ago.

We've decided to take the next step in our relationship but not until May. And this isn't a decision we've taken lightly at all.

He's not just some boy, after all. He's the one. I know that sounds cheesy, but it's true.

By the time May rolls around, we'll have been dating for nearly two-and-a-half years, and I've done my research. The two-year mark is the milestone most relationship experts say you should pass before moving in together. That's how long it takes for the warm fuzzies to wear off and reality to sink in. By that time you should know enough about your partner to determine if you really want to spend forever with him/her or if you want to cut the cords.

I've always said I wouldn't live with someone before we were married. I've even advised friends not to uproot themselves for a guy who hasn't at least given them a ring (I still stand by that advice). But the timing is just right.

I can't imagine my life without him in it. We're already spending every day/night together. He has stuff at my house, and I have stuff at his.

We've looked at, tried on and priced rings for the both of us. We've looked at house plans for our future home. We've talked about kids.

And we're paying double bills when we don't have to.

I'm sure people from both of our families will frown upon our decision, but that's just it. It's our decision and shouldn't be looked upon as the two of us 'shacking up'. Because it's so much more than that.

Fall Fun

2011-11-17T17:30:00.002-06:00

I haven't had anything to write about lately, so instead I'll bombard you with pictures of how I've been amusing myself this Fall.

We'll start with scarecrow exhibits.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

A Tangled Affair

Not exactly scarecrows, but I liked them.

And now we'll go to the fair.

National Peanut Festival

View from the top of the ferris wheel.

One of the few rides we went on.

Honoring the boyfriend's request with this one, haha.

Feeding an alpaca. I wanted to feed the camel but its teeth were intimidating.

Life of Me: Nerdiness

2011-11-10T13:30:00.000-06:00

I'm a nerd.

A nerd who likes to read and whose favorite animal is a giraffe.

My idea of a vacation is going to the beach/lake and sitting in a chair by the water with a good book.

I enjoy reading blogs, news articles online and nothing beats the smell of a freshly-printed newspaper.

My favorite books are the ones that require a lot of research to write - historical fiction/romance - and a lot of times when I finish reading them, I find myself online doing research of my own to learn more about the characters or time period.

I'm also pretty sure I was born in the wrong time. I wish I could have experienced the era of true investigative journalism, that time when the hard work that went into uncovering sinister truths actually meant something and resulted in reform.

I'm interested in almost everything, and because of my job I know a little about a lot of topics.

I'm a nerd, right down to the glasses I almost never wear (they're nearly always lost) and the amount of research I (willingly) do on a daily basis. But I don't mind it at all. Nerdiness is the new chic.

Occupy the Waiting Room

2011-11-06T20:25:00.000-06:00

Sometimes joy can be found in the strangest of places and against all odds.

Last Thursday, my cousin Travis was in a really serious accident. He crashed into a tree and his truck caught on fire. He wouldn't be alive today if not for the heroism of a nearby homeowner who just happened to hear the accident and pulled him from the vehicle. Travis has been in ICU since the accident, going through surgery and suffering through several potentially life-threatening injuries.

Of course my aunt and uncle have been at the hospital every day, camped out in a corner of the waiting room. They've had crowds of visitors over the past four days, including my family and me on two of them.

Yesterday was no exception, but it was exceptional. What started as just a group of people sitting around ultimately turned into a football party. There were about a dozen of us, not all in the same group, gathered in front of a 24-inch television set watching the LSU-Alabama football game.

Hospitals are normally somber, depressing places where you're lucky if you get a smile and laughter is almost nonexistent, but that all changed last night.

Our rag-tag bunch of waiting room occupiers broke every rule posted on the wall. The television was turned up too loud, we were too loud and the furniture had all been moved (although we were careful not to scratch the floor!). Had the head nurse thought to stick her head in the door, I'm sure we all would have been kicked out immediately.

But it was worth it. For one night, the halls of the hospital rang with laughter. And that, as they say, is the best medicine of all.

Behind the Scenes: Crazy Callers

2011-11-02T21:44:00.000-05:00

Make no mistake, crazy people call the newsroom all the time. Whether they want to 'make a comment', relay a story idea or are potential stalkers, we get at least 10 crazy phone calls a day.

The best ones are those who feel entitled to tell me how to do my job.

Take tonight for instance. This person from somewhere up north called to demand we give him credit for a video on our website. He was insistent that he was the only person who could possibly have the video and was upset that we had somehow 'altered' it.

It took me a good five minutes to convince him that we did have rights to use the video as it came from CNN and we pay good money to use material contributed to them. He was also reluctant to believe that the video was from the dash cam of a police car and had been contributed by a local television station.

He was convinced that we had stolen his video from YouTube somehow and vehemently demanded that it be removed from our website if we refused to give him credit.

Of course I refused to do either and directed him to call the contributing station.

Good luck, guys. This guy's a real winner.

Honoring a Fallen Hero

2011-11-01T20:14:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how a community can come together sometimes.

For the past two weeks we've been covering the death of a local Marine who was killed in Afghanistan.

Lance Corporal Jason Barfield was just 22 years old when he was killed by an IED last Monday.

What makes this story unique is the fact that last Christmas we did a story on how he came home unexpectedly to surprise his family before he was deployed. It was such a great, heart-warming story.

Today, Jason's body made its final return home. Hundreds of people showed up at the airport to honor his memory. Hundreds more lined the streets from the airport to the funeral home.

All of the people we've talked to about Jason remembered him for his kindness as well as for his dedication to this country.

I am so grateful to live in a place with people like Lance Corporal Jason Barfield. They put themselves in harm's way willingly all to protect our freedom.

God bless the U.S.A. and our troops.

Media Vultures

2011-10-31T21:30:00.001-05:00

This job is hard. It can be ruthless, full of criticism and it can make you question your morals.

In the past couple of weeks we've reported so many deaths. Not of old people who had fulfilled their life's purpose, but of young people who it seems were cruelly snatched away from the families and friends that love them.

It's those stories I hate the most.

They're hard to write, hard to edit and hard to air.

And if you know the person involved, that makes it all the worse.

We're responsible for telling people's stories, but it sucks that all too often the people whose stories we're telling are no longer in this world.

People will call you a vulture, taking advantage of others' grief just for the sake of a story. But we don't enjoy it. No one wants to be put on death duty. Knocking on the door of a grieving mother/wife/daughter is one of the hardest things any reporter has to do. Invading on their time of mourning isn't something we want to do. It's something we have to do.

And in the end we try to piece together the voices of those who were left behind to tell the story of their lost loved one.

Make no bones about it, this job is tough in that respect.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-25T17:29:00.003-05:00

I Feel Like I'm Walking the Plank on a Sinking Ship

2011-10-19T22:47:00.000-05:00

Just assume that everything you're doing or have done is wrong.

That's what it feels like when the boss is back in town.

Even when you have a legitimate reason for doing or not doing what you did or didn't do, it's going to be wrong. Maybe not today or the next day you do it, but you can bet by the time you get into the habit of doing it that it will be wrong.

It's that inconsistency that keeps me feeling like I'm on a sinking ship. We're bailing out the water and just when we get ahead of the flood, BAM! There's another hole and more water comes gushing in.

I love my job, and I love the people I work with, but the captain of our ship wields an unsteady hammer and the holes it leaves are never the captain's fault.

Everybody's Got the Money Blues

2011-10-17T21:43:00.000-05:00

I didn't decide to go into journalism to make money. In fact, if money was my goal I'd be nowhere near this field. With that being said, however, I wasn't anticipating just how little I would be making.

I'll be honest, what I make amounts to what most people refer to as pitiful. There are times when I find myself choosing between gas and groceries. Gas most always wins seeing as how I have to get to work somehow to make more money (to pay for my gas).

I live by a budget (or at least I try to), and I don't have a credit card. I don't want credit card debt to compound my student loan debt (roughly one new car), which has been put off until next year because the payments became too much.

My student loan debt is overwhelming. I try not to dwell on it too much to avoid depression. At the very least, I wonder why I went to school in the first place. My job is supposed to pay it off right? Well, it sure doesn't seem like it.

And I'm one of the lucky ones. I have a job that pays more than minimum wage; I have health benefits; I haven't gone hungry yet; and although my car is rarely full I have gas to get to and from work. There are countless others out there who can't claim any of that.

People just like me, or who are worse off than I am or even doing better than me are marching on Wall Street in protest. While I admire that we're finally starting to stand for something, I have to wonder if we know what it is we're standing for or if we're even standing in the right place to begin with. I see videos and I read articles written by protestors, and they're all over the place. With no common direction, how can anything get accomplished?

What is Normal?

2011-10-11T21:42:00.000-05:00

Most journalists cannot be classified as normal, myself included.

That's a fact.

We look at the world differently. We're conditioned to be that way.

Most of us are analytical, and sometimes when we're in situations outside of work we find ourselves asking the hard, uncomfortable questions regular people would never even think to ask.

Case in point:

One of my coworkers was talking about a friend of hers who's been having a rough time of it. Another reporter walks into the conversation, hears who it's about and asks, "Did she die?"

Such is our lives.

The Muppets Blog Post

2011-10-08T23:22:00.001-05:00

Most of us grew up watching Sesame Street. It's where we learned to count or say our ABCs, and we all felt that those puppets were our friends. Even Oscar with all his grouchiness.

Sesame Street has always served a purpose, and for the most part it's been pretty open minded. It teaches kids how to love one another through all of our differences. And that's something a lot of people don't do nowadays.

Now, the show is introducing a new puppet. Her name is Lily, and she comes from an impoverished family that struggles to get enough to eat.

Lily will be introduced in a one-hour special called 'Growing Hope Against Hunger.' It's sponsored by Walmart and will feature real-life stories of families living in poverty. The goal is to teach kids about famine in a hopeful way.

Right now Lily is only slated to appear in the special, but the show's creators haven't ruled out bringing her back for special appearances.

Sesame Street has addressed various issues since it began back in 1969, including economic insecurity and having parents in the military.

Recently, what with the push for gay rights going on in the country, people have been pushing for Sesame Street to bring Bert and Ernie out of the closet. I'd like them to stay there.

While I support gay rights and am tolerable of their lifestyle, I wouldn't want my three-year-old child learning about homosexuality from Sesame Street. I understand that they will be exposed to it at some point or another, but Sesame Street? That's too much.

And what about all of us who grew up watching Sesame Street believing Bert and Ernie were best friends who were also roommates? Making them homosexual would be like telling all of us that Sesame Street lied.

And let me just say that when I was growing up, I never thought there was something weird about Bert and Ernie's living arrangements. Maybe I was naive, but what three-year-old isn't?

Bringing Bert and Ernie out of the closet is too much. Maybe the creators had some sort of underlying meaning when they dreamed up Bert and Ernie, but maybe just this once it was innocent. But even if it wasn't, children are supposed to be innocent so leave Bert and Ernie's relationship alone.

Pacman the Musical

2011-10-04T21:41:00.002-05:00

First there was PacMan the video game. Then there was PacMan the movie. Now, there's PacMan the claymation musical! Enjoy :)

Perks of the Job

2011-10-04T00:15:00.000-05:00

I'm not good at making friends.

I'm not the type of person to go out and find people to hang out with. I'm the type of person who bonds with people I interact with on a daily basis, so my coworkers become my friends.

It was the same in college, except I went out a lot more than I do now, which is basically never.

I've talked before about the worst part of my job - having to say goodbye to all of the great people I've been fortunate enough to meet. Well, the best part of my job is definitely all those great people.

The two lovely ladies who helped train me and get me started down this path.

My last station event as the morning producer with my two lovely hosts (plus the chief meteorologist).

My first Friday Night Football season.

Both of these ladies have gone on to bigger and better things, and I miss both of them daily.

One of my favorite reporters, who's also moved on.

I really have no idea what this event was. I'm sure they were feeding us though.

Salsa Night!

Employee appreciation steak dinner with my then-nightside reporter and one of our web producers.

We all had to work on the 4th of July so we (sports director and anchor) decided to play with sparklers on the roof :)

Coworkers past and present celebrating the nuptials of two of our own.

The lovely bride :)

Cheering on the media in our annual softball game benefiting the food bank.

Saying goodbye to our favorite sports guy.

All the people I've been lucky enough to meet in my short time in this profession have added so much to my life. I cherish all of our friendships and know that no matter how many different directions our lives take us in we'll continue to stay in touch and maintain our relationships.

For all the stress and headaches this line of work causes, the people make up for it.

Memoirs of a Working Girl

2011-09-26T21:13:00.000-05:00

I got my first job the week after I turned 16. Between then and now, I have worked in two grocery stores and two restaurants. And I saw/heard/experienced A LOT. That's probably an understatement...

The point is that all those experiences made me a better person. It sounds cliche but it helped build up my character.

I'm of the firm belief that every able-bodied person should be required to work at least one year in a job in which they have to deal with the public.

That way when they make that transition into the so-called 'real world', they don't treat people who do work in the public sector like crap and maybe along the way learn a little patience and respect for others while learning how to work with people to achieve a common goal.

There are people you're going to come into contact with over the course of your life that will vex you. Knowing how to deal with those people is a skill. Working with the public will help instill that skill in a person.

For instance, I wouldn't know how to react to people acting like fools if I had never seen a woman take off her flip flop and chase her child around the grocery store because he wanted a candy bar.

I wouldn't have as much patience as I do if I hadn't worked with a bag boy who was the epitome of a butterfingers. (Granted, my patience ran out and he was banned from my register after the pickles, hot sauce, exploding case of Pepsis, A1 steak sauce, Clorox bleach that ruined my pants and gallon of cane syrup that closed my register and took 20 pounds of sugar to clean up.)

I wouldn't have as much respect for myself and those around me if I hadn't dealt with countless customers who insist on ordering their food while they're on the phone with someone. That's just rude, you know?

My stories could go on and on but I'll resist the urge to tell them all in this post (maybe I could turn them into a book...?).

Now that I don't work with the public, I'm working in the public's eye. I may not be on air, but every word I write, every video I cut, every story I produce is analyzed by countless viewers.

And it never fails that whenever an angry viewer calls to complain, I answer the phone. I deal with them using professional courtesy, although most of the time I want to at the very least hang up on them.

People can be jerks, especially when they're dealing with people who work in a realm they don't understand. Most of the time those are the people who have never had to deal with the public in any fashion.

They don't have the war stories, the friendships forged in controversy and drama, the fortitude of spirit that comes from having countless people tell you that whatever you did was wrong. They feel entitled to their right to have and broadcast their opinions about your performance when they haven't really earned it.

Only when you've worked in the trenches that are public service or had every move you make scrutinized by the public do you have the right to speak out about someone's performance in the same field. The difference, though, is that most of us won't.

You know, unless we're a jerk. And if we are, well then we need to do another year of service.

An Open Letter to "Mr. Fabulous"

2011-09-15T23:42:00.000-05:00

this one's for my work friends

Dear Mr. Fabulous,

Your email updates are a constant source of entertainment for our newsroom, but don't go thinking that's a good thing... We usually end up making fun of you, that is when we're not plotting ways to eliminate you from our lives.

Things are just so hectic!

So that's why you are the way you are? I'm sure most of us would say it's because of something else...

You turn one story a day, and yet you always find some way to stir up drama. Whether it's pitting your stations against one another or pissing off your producers, there's no shortage of drama where you're concerned.

Things are just so crazy around here!

You think it's crazy in your bureau? You should try working in our newsroom. Or maybe not. I'm not so sure you'd make it out of there alive. If the work load didn't do you in, I'm sure I or one of my counterparts would. At the very least, I'm positive you would end up crying at some point.

So be a doll, won't ya, and tone down your fabulousness so the rest of us can tolerate working with you.

Sincerely,

Your Fabulous Producer

P.S. What's the deal with the billboard? Seriously?!

September 11th 10 Years Later

2011-09-11T14:17:00.000-05:00

It's been a decade since that image lit up television screens across America.

It's amazing how short that time span seems to have passed...

10 years ago I was a freshman in high school, watching history unfold before my very eyes.

Since then I've watched our country change.

September 11, 2001, is a day that Americans won't forget. How could we? That day when two hijacked airplanes flew into the World Trade Center in New York City, another crashed into the Pentagon and still one more was grounded before it could inflict further damage upon our country marks the largest terror attack in the history of the United States.

Some 3,000 people lost their lives that day.

As we all pause to remember the lives lost in those attacks and pay homage to those who risked their lives to save others, we shouldn't do so with hate.

One day I hope we can look back on September 11, 2001, and instead of seeing the destruction, death and hatred brought forth on that day, see the progress we've made as a people. I hope that we'll be more than the borders that define our countries, the religious books from which we draw hope and the languages that separate us. I hope the hatred that led to and arose from that fateful day will have dissipated and that we will no longer be fighting hate with more hate.

But no matter how long it takes us to reach that point, I hope we will never forget. You have to know where and what you come from to move forward, and there's nowhere else worth moving.

Life of Me: Wet Blanket

2011-09-06T21:33:00.001-05:00

When it comes to my alcohol consumption or lack thereof, I've been called a wet blanket, party pooper and lame. I rarely drink, and when I do decide to turn it up it's not much.

Sure there have been times, mostly in college, when I drank more than I should have and did things I shouldn't have, but those times were few and far between when compared to the frequency with which other college kids were/are getting hammered.

I can't say that my decisions are based on lack of enjoyment. I enjoy the taste of alcohol. What I don't enjoy is that feeling of losing all control of whatever situation I happen to be in.

I've only been in an out-of-control situation once.

A few of us went out to a bar one night. I had one drink... and ended up in the emergency room.

I don't remember much from that night other than being scared out of my mind for no reason. And I'm not in any hurry to repeat the experience.

Then there's the fact that my biological father is an alcoholic. I've grown up watching him get increasingly worse when it comes to his habit. I can't say that he struggles with it because he doesn't actually fight against it, but it has given me this sense of awareness when it comes to drinking.

He's the type of drunk who will forgo buying food for his family in lieu of buying a case of beer for himself, and maybe a pack of cigarettes. He pops his first top at lunchtime or earlier and when he runs out, he drives himself to the store to buy more. I've seen the way he influences my siblings, treating them as his friends instead of his children, using them as drinking buddies and letting them pretty much do whatever they want when they want to do it. He gets crazy when he drinks and even violent. While he's never raised a hand to me, he has to some of the people I love the most.

I refuse to turn into him. I'm terrified that I will.

###

It should be noted that I do not consider my biological father my dad. To learn more about the amazing man who fills that role. click here.

Carpe Diem

2011-09-01T16:22:00.000-05:00

I've been on vacation this week, and it's made me realize how much I miss having time off.

Once you've graduated and moved into the so-called real world, life all-too-often becomes a pattern.

For example, Monday through Friday I work from 2:00 until 11:00 p.m. I get an hour lunch break at the same time every night. I'm off on weekends. I get paid every two weeks.

I rarely have time to just sit and do nothing for an extended amounts of time. Or rather, I rarely take advantage of those times because if I do I run out of time to do something else.

When you're a student you get lots of time off, not counting weekends. There's Spring Break, Christmas vacation, summer and in some cases even a Fall Break.

When you become a working girl, you get ... well, weekends are your only guarantee. So far this year I've worked every single holiday except for New Year's, but that doesn't count because it was on a weekend, and my 'holiday' has been scheduled for a random weekday.

I guess it's true what they say - you don't know what you've got til it's gone.

In 23 days, I'll have been working a professional job for two years. In that time, this week has been the most consecutive days off I've had. And boy did I need a breather.

It's been so refreshing not having to worry about being somewhere at a certain time, not having to deal with the storm leading up to my shows, not having to put on makeup or even fix my hair. Recharging my batteries, so to speak.

How many of us have forgotten what that's like? We get sucked into that pattern our careers force upon us and before we know it the days have become weeks have become months have become years have become a lifetime.

So here's my advice to those of you reading this...
Take time away from your job every chance you get without abusing the privilege, i.e. no false sick days. Don't just live for the weekends that you've filled with all the things you didn't get to do during the week. Everybody needs a break every now and then, even if it's just one extra day all to yourself.

LiLo Double Take

2011-08-24T21:43:00.000-05:00

As much as I hate to bring more attention to Lindsay Lohan, I can't help but to express my opinion over this latest bit of gossip about the misguided actress/singer.

She's suing rapper Pitbull for using her name in his chart-topping song 'Give Me Everything'. The lyric in question? I got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan.

The reason for the suit is the biggest load of crap I've read recently. LiLo is concerned that the reference to her time behind bars will cause, and I quote, "irreparable harm" to her reputation.

What?!

Excuse me Lindsay, but all the craziness surrounding your life lately, including the jail time, has done more than enough damage to your reputation. Do you honestly think anyone takes you seriously anymore?

But here's the sad thing. Lindsay actually has a case. Under New York civil rights laws, she and everyone else is protected from having her name exploited for commercial benefit.

Sorry, Pitbull.

I'm Too Young for a Midlife Crisis

2011-08-20T18:33:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you reach a point in life where you start to question what you're doing, whether it be in your career or in your relationship. I recently experienced such a crisis in my career.

Over recent months I started wondering, is this really what I want to be doing? Am I fulfilled here?

Truth be told, for awhile the answer to those questions was a resounding NO. I was unhappy a majority of the time, and not without good reasons, for me anyway.

At the same time I wasn't sure if I wanted to move in another direction. But the only way to determine what direction I would ultimately take was to explore different options, so that's what I've been doing.

If you've been following along with my journey here, then you know the past few months haven't been easy. Love of what you do sometimes isn't enough to justify continuing to do it.

Out of frustration and what could be considered desperation, I started perusing jobs websites in the search of something that might be fulfilling and able to make me happy.

I found one such position and I applied for it. I was asked to come in for an interview, and I did.

I didn't get it.

I've always been a firm believer that things happen for a reason. Sometimes we think we want things, but those things aren't what we need.

Am I saying I need my job? Well, aside from the obvious things it provides that I do need (money, health benefits) ... I don't know.

I truly enjoy what I do. I don't always enjoy who I do it with or what I'm working with to reach my end result, but as far as my actual job title goes ... that part I enjoy always.

I just need a raise ;)