Thursday, January 31, 2008

Prayer....

Please pray for my friend Beth... She and her husband Burt have been trying to have a baby for several years and have had some bad luck. She is currently six weeks pregnant and yesterday's ultrasound brought bad news. They've had two miscarriages in the past and several treatments and surgeries in order to improve their chances. Please keep her in your prayers. They want to start a family so badly.

Monday, January 28, 2008

A day in the live of Evelyn

Another typical Monday morning. Didn't go to sleep until around 9:15 last night. (Pete & Kelly were over and the four of us played a few games.) This isn't unusual though. It's hard to go to sleep early after sleeping late on Saturday morning. I only have one producer today. This makes my job easier, but their's harder. One person has to do both hours. Most times, they repeat everything in the second hour. They usually have the majority of the show done by the time I get here, which means I don't have to sit around and anxiously wait for them to finish their show. It makes things easier. It usually takes me from 3:30 to about 4:40 to set up the rundown and build graphics for the show. It's 4:02am. I've been done for a few minutes. Now I'm waiting for Brandon (my producer) to print.

I'm still tired of working the AM shift. I'm still tired of my job. Someone mentioned the other day that it could be the "Seven Year Itch." They said that they had the same problem and wanted to quit. Someone else said that they did quit but came back about 6 months later. Maybe that's it. I don't think my feelings for the AM shift will change, that is unless Wes starts working the same shift which won't happen. Hopefully, I'll feel differently about my job one day. I don't have anything else I can do, so I don't have much of a choice right now. (Brandon just printed the first 1/2 hour(5am) yeah progress! It's 4:08) Tomorrow will be my 7th Anniversary in TV. I started working at WTOK on January 29th, 2001. I've been directing for 6 1/2 years. (August 4th, '01 was my first show.)

Now, I'm marking my 5am scripts. This usually takes me 3-5 minutes. It's 4:15am. Brandon just printed the 530am show.... Done.... It's 4:18am. The show is so formatted that most segments are identical from day to day. For example, we always have a short weather hit at the beginning of every segment. The pre-recorded Sports segment is always at the end of the 5am 1/2 hour. Lunch menus are always at the end of the first segment of the 530. There's the CBS Money watch package (featuring Alexis Christoforous with her recent facelift) that runs in the 530 after the main weather. The main weather hit is always in the second segment of each half hour. This is when I am usually marking scripts and catching up (or taking a catnap). Kristy, the 6am producer who is off today, usually doesn't print her first half hour (6am) until about 5:15 or 5:30, after the show starts. So I am catching up during breaks and weather. (I'm pretty good at doing 8 things at once now!!) Doing the morning show really helps you manage your time. (I even have time to blog!)

It's 4:21am.... Marking 5:30... I have to wait for the camera guys to bring me scripts after they are printed. They are called PA's (Production Assistants). Done.. It's 4:24.
There's also weekly franchise segments that run in my show. For example, on Mondays we do a segment called Unclaimed Cash that has ten local people that are owed money from the State Treasurer's Office. It's kind of stupid if you ask me. There's also a Most Wanted Sex Offender segment that runs on Thursdays in the 6am. I have to shoot this on Wednesdays after the morning show. There's also a Most Wanted Deadbeats (for fathers who don't pay child support) and a regular Most Wanted. They both run in the afternoon shows. There's Schemes & Ripoffs, Burglaries & Breakins (which is even more useless than Unclaimed cash!), Hall of fame (an oldie in which the public can nominate someone who does outstanding volunteer work, or someone who is retiring. These usually turn into the weekly retirement party story), School Patrol (which is dumb too), Speed Patrol where the reporter goes out with a cop to a place with a lot of speeders, and my all time favorite, "What's going Around." This one tells which school is reporting what illnesses. Yeah. (Sarcastic!) There's another one called Golden Apple where the "station" gives an "award" to an outstanding teacher. It doesn't really mean anything. (I hate franchises!)

(It's 4:37am-the show starts in 20 minutes) I'm still waiting for him to print 6am. When Brandon does the show by himself, he usually prints everything before the show starts. He can wait and print from the control room if he isn't finished, but he's pretty good about getting everything done. (mainly because it's the old "rinse & repeat," our term for copy/paste)
There's no live shot today. I guess there's nothing going on. That's good because my audio guy (Johnny) hates live shots. I like them. That means there's less graphics for me to build. Right now, we are training a new person to do Deko (the Character Generator--layman's terms: where the names, locators (called lower 1/3rds) and full screens come from). She's pretty good now. The other guy (Jason) is sitting around and actually "enjoying" his job now. I'm not sure what her regular schedule will be once she is trained. (It's 4:42am) - I'm going to set up the switcher now. That takes about a minute. Still no 6am scripts. The switcher is the "big board o' buttons" that I use to put the show on the air. I'm just a "button-pusher" (I thought about putting that on my license plate: BTNPSHR) Setting it up really doesn't require much. I have several plasma monitors in the studio that I can route video or graphics to. I route those and then prepare for the first segment. That's about it.

It's 4:46am.. The 7am FOX show director (Jon) just walked in. He has two hours to prepare for his 1 hour long show. I have 1 1/2 hours to prepare for a two hour show. Does that make since?? I'm scheduled to work 4am-1pm. I have to come in at 3:30 because sometimes there are days were I am slammed with a bunch of graphics and maps to build and I barely have time to breathe (and pee). I usually leave at 12:30, immediately after the noon show (I do audio for the noon show). Jon is scheduled for 5am-2pm. Jon is leaving in a few weeks. He & his wife had a baby last month and they are going back to Ohio, where their family is. His replacement was hired and started last Monday, but is already been fired. He was "walked out" on his third day. All we were told was it was a "conflict of interest" situation.

Every morning while I'm sitting here working, I listen to my iPod. It gets boring and I get tired of listening to "Up to the Minute"(CBS's overnight news show) repeat every half hour. We use several stories from them in our show, so it's one less time I have to listen to it.

It's 4:49--Brandon just printed 6am! I'm going to wait to mark them because so I'll have something to do during weather (otherwise, I will get sleepy!) He should print the 630 in a few minutes.
Since there's not much going on today, I'll continue this little "charade" until I get bored with it... I'm sure whoever is reading this is bored already! I am about to stop until after the show is over. There's not much to do until the show starts, but producers usually gets fidgety if I'm not "ready" when they get in here.
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SHOWS OVER!!! YEAH! (It's 7:01) Now I can sit around and do pretty much nothing! Here's a recap of the past two hours... Brandon printed the 630 show at around 505. I marked the 6am during the first big weather at 513 or so. Then I marked the 630 around 540 in the second big weather hit. After the show we have four 3 1/3 minute cut-ins: at 7:25, 7:55, 8:25 and 8:55. Since the 7am FOX show is on right now, Jon does the 7:25. Ryan, the Fox producer has to time his show so that he goes to break at 7:24 so we can do the CBS cut-in at 7:25. We produce the FOX show for WTAT (the local fox affiliate) and then they air it on their channel. Their station is about 8 miles from here. They have a microwave receiver that they use to receive our signal and take it to their air. The 7:55 cut-in for CBS is only weather and is run out of Master Control. (Not the control room). All I have to do is set up the cut-in rundowns for Jon and that's it. It takes 5 minutes. Today since I only have one producer, I have to wait for Brandon to set them up. Usually the 5am producer will do them and they will be done by the time the 6am show is over.

So now I just edited this (because I'm anal and obsessive) and I'm pretty much done until the Noon show. I usually eat "lunch" at 9am. Most times I'm not real hungry and I'll get a granola bar or something small. I read during my "lunch break" as well (I'm currently reading "Thunder at Meridian," by Hewitt Clarke) Most Mondays, I will take a nap in my car instead of eating because not sleeping much the night before. It depends on how I feel. I might take one today. My day can be boring if I'm really tired and there's nothing to do. But usually I can find something to do. I do audio for the Noon show and then leave after the show it over. That's about it.... You can wake up now.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

CLOVERFIELD RULES!!!!!! POLITICS DON'T!!!!

Okay, so it's a terrible weather day in the "good ol' SC" (EXTREMELY Sarcastic here). How appropriate for the most ridiculous primary day!! (I did vote by the way.) It's pooring down rain and it's really cold. Tonight it's supposed to be below freezing which means tomorrow it's going to be iced over.
It snowed everywhere else. (I take this as a sign!!) Here are some pics of my parents house from this morning!! They got about 4 inches!!! I'm SOOO jealous!! I want to go home so bad now!! It's beautiful!!!!


Dad & Luann


The Hockey Snowman (his mouth is a hockey puck and he's holding a stick!)


This just makes me want to move back home even more! Even if snow is rare. There hasn't been snow like this since the "blizzard" of '93... I remember that day. It was March and it was the Friday we got out of school for Spring Break. My friend Amber stayed with me that night. Pete, Amber and I were having a blast in the snow. It was SOOOO cold! We slid down the hill in the front yard and made a snowman. I think we got about 6 or 7 inches then.

So I had to work this morning. It was an easy day, but it was a waste of time. The show started at 7am (1 hour + cut-ins til 10). Nothing but live shots and "where to vote" graphics. It was ridiculously unnecessary. In the last cut-in, one of our live reporters said that she's kept a rough count of voters and she counted 117. Very compelling! Hey, at least I got free Chick-fil-a and four hours OT!
CLOVERFIELD RULES!!!
Yesterday, I SAW CLOVERFIELD!!!!!! IT WAS AWESOME!!!!! I went with some friends from work. If you like LOST, You'll LOVE CLOVERFIELD!!! It keeps you on the edge of your seat!! It's shot really well. I highly recommend it!! After the movie, we had a big discussion on why it's called Cloverfield. There's no mention of the name that I noticed anywhere. Wes & I are going to see it again on Wednesday. Maybe I'll pick it out then. With most of JJ Abrams' work, you really have to watch it several times to understand everything and pick out the small hidden details to "get" the story. There's hundreds of hidden numbers, props, and other clues that tie things together. Hopefully I can figure out some unanswered questions on Wednesday. It's like a puzzle... It's so much Fun to me!!!!
Afterward, when I got home, Oscar was dead! He was one of our fish. He was supposed to grow to about a foot long. He was really growing fast. He was about 4 or 5 inches long. He had been a bit dormant lately, but that's not unusual. His color was fine and he was eating. I don't know what happened to him. We were looking forward to having a big fish in our tank for once. So, today after Wes & I went to vote, we went to the fish store we like and got another one. A Big one! He's about a foot long and should grow a little more. Our tank is a 75 gallon. It's only big enough for one oscar. We also have a Pleco (algae eater sucker fish) who's about 10 inches long in there too. Here's a few pics:

Friday, January 11, 2008

Wes's TV debut (s)

Yesterday, Wes went to the Myrtle Beach Republican Debate to "rub noses" with the president want-a-be's. While I was flipping channels last night, I landed on my station's 5pm news and our "qualified" reporter was there running her mouth (When she interviewed Ron Paul, the only question she asked him was--are you racist?!!! It caused a big stink and Ron Paul was visibly shocked.) The second I started watching it, there goes Wes, trapsing across the field behind her. It was so funny!! I called him and told him what he did. (Every news station was lined up in that area, including FOX news and CNN). He laughed and then went by again holding the phone, laughing at me... It was funny. I went to bed shortly after this. He didn't get home until around 1:30 am. When I woke up, he had TiVo'd the debate and the Spinroom that followed. He showed me where he was walking around in the background of the spinroom while they were talking to Huckabee. THEN, one of our other reporters who was there and did a story just for the AM shows and there was Wes, standing there taking with the camera. It was rather funny. Here's some pics that he brought back.
Huckabee

Hannity & Colmes on Set


Random Press People


Random Press People


Ron Paul


Huge sand sculpture outside the convention center



McCain

Romney


Giuliani


Thompson


Thursday, January 10, 2008

Stitch Free Again.....

Went back for my second post-op yesterday... They took the stitches out. It's also still a bit numb on the bend of my big toe. The Doc said there could be a nerve that's getting pinched. I asked if it would go away and he said "hopefully." We'll see. He also gave me a spacer to put between my big toe and the others. I got a few extras and I'm glad I did. I lost the first one within a few hours. I wasn't wearing a sock then. Now I'm wearing a sock so I won't loose another. Last night, my foot started to really throb. I think it's this spacer thing. I had to take a pain pill so I could sleep. This morning it's swollen again. Frustrating!!!

Before my appointment, Wes and I ate lunch at On The Border..... We sat in the outside dining area! In January!!! Wes was wearing shorts!!! This is crazy!!!

Today, Wes is going to the Republican Debate in Myrtle Beach. (about 2 hrs. away) So far he's gotten to meet McCain, Bill Clinton and a few National news faces (Brian Williams, and a few from CNN). He's trying to add to his collection... I know that's not the only reason he's going. He just likes that kind of stuff. Despite my opinions about politics... We have interesting conversations about all that. They usually end in him laughing at me and me at myself...... :)

Friday, January 4, 2008

Post op #1 & Rambles

Had my first Post op appointment yesterday. My foot is about twice as big as my left and has a color combination of blue, purple and yellow. It was wrapped so tight for so long, that my skin is dry and wrinkly. My regular doctor was on vacation, so I had to see his partner. He was nice, but his nurse wasn't. The nurse put one piece of gauze over the incision and then wrapped it with athletic tape. While she was wrapping it, she was pressing down on the wrap to stick it together--pressing hard right on the incision. It hurt so bad!! As soon as we left the office, it started hurting. It felt like my toenail was ripping from my skin and the incision was opening... We went to the drug store and bought some gauze and more tape and I re-wrapped it when I got home. She had it way too tight. I also went ahead and put band-aids over the incision so I don't have to deal with the stitches when the swelling goes down. My regular doctor likes to wrap feet on his own, instead of having the nurse do it. He uses a bunch of gauze and cuts it to fit in between the big toe and the little ones. It helps protect the big toe and keeps it straight. At first I thought it was a bit excessive. But now I understand why. It's easier now to bent it without thinking or hit it on something. My foot still hurts from yesterday. I can't walk as good now because when come off my right foot, it feels like someone's stabbing me... Today I think I'm going to attempt to wrap it like my regular doctor did.

Wes and I have spent the last two days cleaning out our second bedroom. We finally got rid of my computer desk and took my computer apart. We rearranged the room to make it more user-friendly and less cluttered. Now instead of two computer desks, my Grandmother's chair full of stuff, two filing cabinets and a bunch of boxes stacked in the corner and on chairs, we have just one desk and have eliminated one filing cabinet. I took the Christmas tree down a few days ago, but I can't put the containers up because I can't carry anything while I'm walking up the stairs. We still have to re-arrange the closet and get them in there somehow. That's my task today. Wes will have to move the boxes though.

Wes is feeling much better. However, I woke up with a sore throat this morning. It's better now. I took some of his medicine though. I don't want to get sick.

Found out the other day that another cousin of mine is pregnant! Yeah Becky!!! Congrats. Laura is due in February. Becky is due in August. Two Great-Grandbabies this year!!! (None from me, thanks!)

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year everyone!!! I slept through it all... Had I stayed up to watch the ball drop, it would have been the first time I would see it drop at midnight, and not at 11pm, since we are in the eastern time zone now. Wes has been sick since Friday or so. He called in sick yesterday because he felt awful. Sinus pressure, ears stopped up, a little bit of fever. He went to work today and found out that someone else was sick just like he was. They went to the doc and found out it was a middle ear infection. He might go to the doc tomorrow if he isn't better.
I went back to work on Monday. It was a little hard for me to get around. It's good that there was no one important there these last few days because I've been pushing myself around in a chair. Down the hall and into the bathroom... I'm using a cane as well, but I like the chair. I didn't use it today though. I can almost walk normally with the boot on. I can't put weight on the front of my foot quite yet. It's only hurting a little. Starting to itch a little as well. The absolute worst thing about last time was when the swelling went down and I wasn't supposed to take the bandage off. The bandage was a little loose and the stitches kept getting caught and were being pulled by the bandage. It was TORTURE!!!! I finally had Wes help me unwrap it and he cut the stitches shorter. I hope that doesn't happen again, but if it does, I'll fix it immediately.

I just got finished watching a REAL Hockey Game!!! Buffalo and Pittsburg were playing (NBC). What made it real hockey is that they were playing outdoors. (Not on a pond though, that would have been awesome!!) They set up a rink on a football field and all the fans were in the stadium around it. The game went into OT and then into a shootout. Pittsburg won.

So today, during the show I realized that it is now 2008. That means that 10 years ago, I graduated from High School. I'm old. I used to be able to read the Clarke Co. Tribune and recognize names on the honor roll list or faces in the sports pictures--little brothers or sisters of the people I grew up with. Now I am recognizing the names of children of the people I went to school with. A while back there was a picture of an elementary cheerleading group with the daughter of one of my friends from HS. I went to the hospital the day she was born. Now she is 10 years old. IT'S OFFICIAL.....I AM GETTING OLD!!!!

There are some cool new shows on the History channel this month. There's one called "The States". It's a series that focuses on all the states. Each show features 5 states and talks about the basic history and gives some rather interesting facts about each. There's another one that starts around January 21st called "Life without People". It talks about what the earth would look like if humans died out. There's some cool graphic renderings that show landmarks like the White House and the Lincoln Memorial overgrown with weeds like an old abandoned house. It talks about how the animal population would flourish and take over everything. It seems really interesting.

LOST comes back on January 31!!!!