Week 26: December 14-20

Ok I'm a few days late on this one. The week is going by so fast!

Sunday, December 14, 2008: Went to the company Christmas dinner in the Tower Club. It was my first time up there... what a view!

Thursday, December 18, 2008: Tried fruitcake for the first time! It wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but I can't say I'll be having it again any time soon.

Ridiculous Ratings

So I was looking through some Nielsen ratings stuff tonight and came across the top rated shows every year since the 50's. Classics like I Love Lucy, Dallas, and of course Seinfeld were on the list. However, only two shows since 1951 finished with the highest average Nielsen rating for 5 straight years... All in the Family and The Cosby Show. When I think of these shows I think of groundbreaking great TV much of America enjoyed.

American Idol is on the verge of joining the ranks of those American classics. How sad.

So far it has 4 straight years at the top, and I don't see it sinking any time soon. How did this happen?! Do that many people watch it? Or is it at the top because there are 3 episodes a week? Either way, there is no excuse America. This many people should not still enjoy this show after it's been on for so long.

Forty years from now are people really going to look back and remember Ryan Seacrest and his amazing antics on the show? No. Are people going to remember who won Season 3? No. It's been 20-35 years since All in the Family and The Cosby Show had new episodes, but they still rerun on TV Land and the such. People these days still watch the shows and have a general understand of them and what they meant for American television. They're still quoted and people remember the characters. I just don't see that happening with American Idol.

On a side note, we got some preliminary numbers back today and KSPR improved in every show! :) Yay! Watch out Oprah...

Week 25: December 7-13

Friday, December 12, 2008: Installed my new TV! Now I just need an HD TiVo.

Saturday, December 13, 2008: Rang the Salvation Army bells.

Saturday, December 13, 2008: One of the most important so far... got Jason to like Bailey! Admit it Jason, he's not so bad after all. :)

Week 24: November 30-December 6

Sunday, November 30, 2008: Became the proud owner of my 1st flat-screen TV! However, as you can tell from the picture, I haven't set it up yet...

*I also have an add to last week's... I went to my first ever sex toy party. It was for my best friend from high school's bachelorette party. Of course there are embarrassing pictures, but not on my camera :)

Week 23: November 23-29

Friday, November 28, 2008: Made our annual trip to Kiener Plaza. They had new lights this year!

Sweet no more (sort of)

The cat I adopted 2 weeks ago is gone. A new, energetic feisty kitten has replaced him.

It was so weird earlier this week. One minute Bailey was just sitting around and them BAM... he did a 180 on me and was running around, climbing on stuff, exploring, and playing. Crazy. He's more exciting now because when I throw his little jingle ball across the room he goes after it. It's fun. While he is he showing off this new side, he still lays in my lap whenever possible, including right now.

On a side note, whoever invented water-less cat shampoo is a GENIUS. I never knew they had that kind of stuff! I was expecting to come out of today's bathing session bleeding with scratches everywhere... not the case thanks to these fancy new shampoo wipes. I had to clean Bailey because after tomorrow he's going to be a star. We'll have our 4 seconds of fame scattered throughout the holiday season on KSPR. Like TV stations do every year, we're going to do a Holiday ID together, aww! Cats never get any of the Holiday ID love, but that will change this year :)

I took a couple pics of him today... he's getting so big already! Here's one I had to share. He looks like a vicious animal, but I just caught him in the middle of a big yawn.

Week 22: November 16-22

I was a lazy bum this week and did nothing but lay around with my cat.

More exciting things to come next week...

Is it too soon?

I'm bored. I kinda want to put my Christmas tree up, but in the back of my head I keep telling myself "NO!". Growing up I thought it was just plain wrong and crazy to put the tree up before celebrating Thanksgiving. When is it too soon to put your Christmas tree up? I guess having my own place and Christmas tree (I got a six footer this year!) I feel the need to put it up sooner. Like it would make coming home that much better and just brighten up my mood and spirit.

I am going to budge a little this year. Now matter how much I want to whip out the tree, ornaments, and lights right now... I'm going to wait until next Wednesday to put it up. That way it will be up when I get back from Thanksgiving in St. Louis. :)

Week 21: November 9-15

Sunday, November 9, 2008: Brought Bailey to Springfield!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008: Went to Wingapalooza for the 1st time. Yummy.

And the winning name is...

...Bailey!

I think it's a cute, and fitting, name for the little stud.

The poor little guy has an upper respiratory infection right now. The vet gave me medicine to give him (the yummy pink stuff you take when you're a kid) and boy is it fun making him drink it! His sneezing has all but stopped. However, his nose is now a snot factory. I just wish I could tell him to blow into the kleenex!

I got a kitten!

I have a new man in my life. Of course I didn't replace Jason... I got a kitten!

I haven't named him yet, but I do have a couple names in mind. I got him Saturday at the Humane Society in St. Louis. He's not even 4 months old yet and he's so soft! Mom and I went Friday when I got home and he was one of the first kittens I saw when we walked in. He was exactly what I was looking for: a long-haired, gray kitten. We waited around about an hour and a half so we could sit in a room with him for a bit. He was so shy and just wanted to sit in the corner.

Saturday we decided to go back and see if he was still there. Good thing we went when we did. About 5 minutes after we got in the room to visit with him again, Mom and I saw some other girl staring us down. We overheard her say she came in to see him in particular. After waiting around for Jason to stop by and see if he was allergic... I adopted him!

The trip to Springfield was a breeze. He didn't cry or meow... just sat in his carrier and slept. He's adjusting well to my apartment. He won't let me out of his sights for more than a minute. He's really not into playing so much. I bought him some toys, but the only things he's interested in are a piece of ribbon I got from home and the mouse on my laptop screen. He's always purring, literally, and just loves to lay in my lap. I love him! He's the cutest little thing.

He might have a cold though. He keeps sneezing. I even caught him making a snot bubble a couple minutes ago.

Week 20: November 2-8

Not a boring week by any means.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008: Worked Election Night.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008: Watched Obama make history by winning the Presidential election.Tuesday, November 4, 2008: I voted! That's my "I voted, then worked 15 hours and am ready for bed" face.

Saturday, November 8, 2008: Adopted a kitten!

Campaign '08 is History

I wonder how Barack Obama felt this morning when he woke up. It must have been a pretty cool feeling knowing you're the President-elect. Surreal is probably the best word.

What a day yesterday was. It got a little crazy, but it wasn't complete madness like I was expecting. I guess it helped that the AP called the governor's race within 10 minutes of polls closing. One big race down, one big race to go.

Yesterday I produced the 4:30 and tried to keep the madness under control from then on out. I mostly coordinated live shots and hits with all the reporters/photogs in the field and update the web as much as possible. It was really cool to watch the returns roll in through the wires... every time I saw "APNewsAlert" I got excited thinking it would be the one declaring who our nation's president would be.

However, I didn't end up finding out that way. I was back in the control room with half the crew helping get things ready for the 10:00 cast. The show didn't go on as normal because right before we went on air ABC called it for Obama. So that's how I found out... watching a muted TV in the control room, hearing my boss scream from master control that Barack Obama is the President-elect. It's definitely one of those moments that will burn in your memory. Where were you when the first black man was elected president? I'm proud to say I was helping cover it at KSPR.

The whole night was a blur. It's hard to take in the atmosphere when you're so focused on answering phones, getting stuff on the web, making sure a reporter knows when they're going on and what we expect from them, and taking care of this and that in between. The first bit of network coverage I got to watch was right when they declared Obama the winner. When McCain and Obama made their speeches I made sure to take a minute or two by myself and absorb history.

This was my first time covering a presidential election. I must say it was pretty cool and in the end a lot of fun.

Pet Poll

It's no secret I love my cats. I've always thought they were just the cutest, prettiest things. So when I found out about a Purina Pet Calendar photo contest I had to enter some pics of my babies. Yes, I know this is on the verge of being the crazy cat lady, but I just couldn't resist.

You can see the pictures I entered by clicking the links below... please vote for them! They're cute, I promise! If they win the pics go in the Purina Pet Calendar.

Happy, Healthy, Playful Entry #1

Happy, Healthy, Playful Entry #2

Hide-a-pet

Ultimate Snoozer

Election Eve

Election day is just hours away. I can't believe it's here already! To be honest, I'm glad, and I'm sorta ready for it all to be over with.

Covering campaigns and candidates can be an exhausting task in a newsroom. We bend over backwards to be fair to all sides, yet still someone calls in saying we "obviously" lean left or right. I remember there was one period within a week where I got two different calls... one accusing my show of being too liberal, one accusing my show of being too conservative. I took a big offense to that because I think I just cover whatever is news, whether it be something to do with McCain or Obama. Sherwood told me I should take it as a compliment, that I must be doing something right. Ever since then I've been trying to have that attitude, but it's difficult considering we get a least a couple calls like that every day.

I really do believe people see and hear what they want to see and hear. They deliberately look for things to point out and once they find one they can't dial our number fast enough. A big issue we had this political season was how we covered the candidates when they came to town. I think we did the best we could to be fair... live streaming of speeches on the web. The web doesn't interfere with commercials, TV shows, or newscasts. Also, early on we had no idea all four candidates would come to Springfield at least once. So if we aired McCain's speech live on air and Obama never ended up coming to town, we give off the impression we're all about the GOP.

Politics is a tricky thing to cover. Every day I feel like I'm walking on eggshells. Just one more big test...

Week 19: October 26- November 1

Saturday, November 1, 2008: Began my search for a cat. I didn't take pictures of any kitties, but I did look at the Southwest Missouri Humane Society and PetsMart.

The following pictures really don't have anything to do with my weekly update. I just can't resist putting them on here.

Friday, October 31, 2008: That pretty lady with the golden blond hair isn't the newest intern... that's the ever-so-tantalizing Ron Davis. :)

Friday, October 31, 2008: Luckily he didn't go on air like that. In all fairness, we all took a turn trying on the wig. Halloween was a fun day in the newsroom.

Looking for a Feline Friend

I've made a big decision in the last day... I want to get a cat. It's an idea I've been tossing around for a while now, but for one reason or another the timing was never right. However, on the drive home from work yesterday I came to the conclusion I officially want a cat. Now that I've made up my mind, I can't wait to get one. I keep thinking about it and getting excited. I basically want to go out right now and get a cat. But I don't want to make a hasty decision, so I'm going to take my time. I'm guessing I'll have one by the end of November :)

Pumpkin Jabbing

I never realized it would be so difficult to find a pumpkin carving kit. I went to Dillons and Wal-Mart assuming at least one of them would have them, but neither did. So instead of using one of those handy, jagged knives I jabbed away at my pumpkin with a butter knife. It was not an easy task. So for now, it just has a hole in the top and no face.

On a side note, is it weird that I really love to get my hands all mushy in the pumpkin guts? I think it's a lot of fun.

Week 18: October 19-25

I actually have something this week... HOMECOMING! It was a great weekend, with a great game, spent with great friends. Couldn't have been better. Since I didn't do anything else this week, I'll post a few pics from the weekend.

Saturday, October 25, 2008: Top, with my girls and with the guys. Bottom, Mizzou Homecoming game in Columbia. The Tigers stomped the Buffaloes.

Not-so-live News

I don't make it a habit to watch KSFX News at 9. It usually happens to be on after something I was watching... like MBL Post-season games the past week or so. In that time, I've noticed they pre-record their newscasts. Every once in a while, but not the whole show, they'll put a super in the top of the screen reading "Previously Recorded."

I have a HUGE issue with this. What's the point of news if you're not going to do it live?! A newscast is meant to give viewers the most up-to-date information possible. Anyone who works in news knows it has a tendency to "break" about 15 minutes before show time. That's just how it goes. So if you're pre-recording a newscast you take the risk of missing a huge story or not having the latest development.

Because of their failure to wait and go live AFTER the World Series they ended up rolling the previously recorded show during the suspended game. Right before the sports block, Joe Buck came on updating the audience the game was officially suspended and would resume tomorrow night. About 90 seconds later Dan Lucy came on leading with the World Series. The latest he had was 2-1 Phillies... the game ended 2-2.

Pre-recording a show has to make a viewer wonder how often they do this and how early in the day they record the newscast. It's fooling the audience, especially since they don't leave "Previously Recorded" in the whole time. To me it only seems like they would lose a viewer's trust over time.

Week 17: October 12-18

Alright I know I'm a few days late with this, but that's because I didn't have anything to really put up here anyway. Hearing about my cat dying and Mizzou losing didn't really put me in that great of a mood last weekend. I did have dinner with my cousin, Alison, who's a frosh at MSU Friday night. It was the first time we did something since she moved here. I also attended Michelle (Sherwood) Van Dillen's wedding reception for a bit. It was so nice... and she looked beautiful :)

This week should be a little more exciting (homecoming!).

To my Princess

It's never easy saying goodbye to an old friend. But I'm going to try and do my best.

Friday night I got the call I've been expecting for the past week or so. Mom called to tell me my oldest cat Rachel died.

Ray Ray had a stroke about a year ago. After spending a week in the vet hospital they told us we should put her down, that she wouldn't get any better. I'm so glad my mom didn't do that. We brought her home and she got better. After a week or so of being home she was walking, running, and jumping again. About two weeks ago she stopped walking again and lost a lot of weight. It just looked like her little body was giving up.

Ray and I go way back... I got her when I was 5. She was the definition of a lap cat. If there was one thing that would get her going, it was making the bed. Sounds weird, but she would love to help you make the bed. She loved to "shadow box" on doors. Ray loved to lay in the sun and she had the prettiest blue eyes I have ever seen.

The weirdest part is she died on the 1 year anniversary of my other cat, Libby's death.

Ray Ray was 17 years old. She lived a long, happy life.I already miss my little princess.

Week 16: October 5-11

Thursday, October 9, 2008: Attended the groundbreaking for the 2009 St. Jude Dream Home. I can't wait to see how this house will turn out!

On a side note, I can't believe Mizzou lost. With the way they played, they deserved to lose. All along I've been saying I was worried about OSU, but I didn't think we would have this much trouble with them. Hopefully we can make up for this loss with a huge win against Texas.

Week 15: September 28- October 4

Oops, forgot to do this yesterday. Hurting my back really threw a wrench into my weekend plans, so I don't really have too much to share.

Saturday, October 4, 2008: Watched Mizzou beat/destroy Nebraska in Lincoln for the first time in 30 years!

Saturday, October 4, 2008: Watched the Cubs celebrate 100 years of sucking. Obviously, I wasn't in LA, but I think this picture I found on the internet accurately depicts the atmosphere.

Thank you sports gods

Mizzou won. Cubs lost.

I can go to bed a happy girl.

:)

Pain in the Back

Just give me a cane and sign me up for AARP. I feel like I'm 85.

Somehow yesterday afternoon I threw my back out. Doc tells me I have a back sprain. How the hell did I do this?! After a trip to Urgent Care yesterday (thanks again, Brad) I now have three different meds: a pain reliever, muscle relaxer, and a steroid. I'm better today than I was last night, that's for sure, but it still hurts to walk, sit, and move in general.

I've pretty much stayed in bed or on the couch, which is really boring already. I hope I never have to go on bed rest.

Well I can start to feel that muscle relaxer kick in, so it's back to the couch.

Pop Tart Tiger

How cool is this?! Pop Tarts has a special "College themed" box... it has a mix of 15 different college logos and when I saw Mizzou was one of them I had to buy it. So today after peeling back the silver packaging I finally saw my Tigers! Can't say I ever thought I would see Mizzou's logo on a Pop Tart. Truly the highlight of my day.

Week 14: September 21-27

I actually have some stuff to share this week... and they're exciting!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008: I moved my voter registration from Boone County to Greene County.

Friday, September 26, 2008: I got out of the newsroom for once to help cover a news story... Bob Barker Boulevard. I got to meet Bob and help interview him!Saturday, September 27, 2008: Participated in my first ever Beer Olympics. I didn't have any pictures from the events, so instead I have this picture from later in the night. We lost a lot, but in the end everyone's a winner right?

Week 13: September 14-20

Alright, for the first time I didn't really do anything interesting this week. If I did, I didn't take a picture or I just can't remember it. However I did hang out with some work people Friday and took one picture there. So in lieu of my "picture of the week" I'll share this one instead...

Friday, September 19, 2008: Vance's Goodbye party at Brew Co. Kevin and Mike wore matching shirts!

Homecoming Here I Come

Homecoming will truly be Homecoming this year at Mizzou. Just about all my friends from college will be there. I absolutely cannot wait for October 25.

Man what timing... my TiVo just went back to live TV the moment ESPN started talking about Chase Daniel. I am so excited about this year's football team. They've been building momentum the past two years and this year it will hit its peak. And it will be amazing. So far so good obviously, but I know not all the games will be blowouts like the past two. While those are fun, it's more exciting when the games are close.

That's another huge reason why I'm so excited for Homecoming weekend... I'M GOING TO THE GAME! It will be my first one of this season, but definitely not the last.

I can't wait to tailgate. I can't wait to cheer on my Tigers. I can't wait to make the Tiger "roar" sound. I can't wait to chant Z-O-U. I CAN'T WAIT!

I'm pretty excited about the football season. Can you tell?

PS-Thank you Cardinals and Rams for getting me even more pumped for college football.

Look-A-Like: Palin/Fey

Ok, so I already had this one in the bag, but now there is even more proof of this Look-A-Like. Behold video proof of one of the best Look-A-Likes so far... Actress, Tina Fey and Vice Presidential Nominee, Sarah Palin.

Week 12: September 7-13

Wow, it's already been three months!

September 9, 2008: Enjoyed a Cardinals victory over the cubs with my Mom!

Back to the Daily Grind

Here I am, back in Springfield and back to work. In the back of my head I was hoping to have a cushy day at work since it was my first day back from vacation... a nice, easy day to ease back into the work mode. What the hell was I thinking?! The News Gods didn't know I had a break. Anyway, there's no such thing as an easy day in television news.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better. At least it will be Friday.

Week 11: August 31-September 6

Hello from St. Louis! I'm taking a mini-vacation of sorts from work and am enjoying my time off back home in the Lou. So far so good, it's just going by way too fast. Anyway, here's a couple pictures from the last week.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008: Watched Sarah Palin make history by accepting the Republican nomination for Vice President.


Saturday, September 6, 2008: Enjoyed lunch at the Boathouse in Forest Park. The ducks also enjoyed our lunch.

Billy Bob's Got Hope

HEY ALL CARDINALS FANS... you gotta watch this video from last night's Leno. I caught the tale end of the conversation between Jay and Billy Bob Thornton. They were talking about Thornton's love of the CARDINALS! Jay tried to get him to give in and say he would like to see the cubs go all the way since the Cards are "out of it" (as Jay put it). But, like a true Cards fan, Billy Bob wouldn't give in.

To watch it click here, then click on the Sept. 3 episode, then Chapter 4.

Billy Bob's got hope.

Happy 1 Year

Today is my 1 year anniversary of working in Springfield. I guess it's gone by fairly fast. It definitely hasn't been a piece of cake moving down here. There's been ups and downs and a lot of adjusting, but I guess you can expect that with moving to a new place and starting your first job. All and all it hasn't been that bad. The past year definitely could have gone a lot worse.

Now, it's time to think about the future. In the TV business it's hard not to, especially when you're young and at your first station. I have a year left in my contract, which sounds like a long time, but really it's not. It's never too soon to think about what's next. It takes time to get a good resume tape together and once your tapes are sent out it could take a news director a while to get back with you or contact you to begin with. Last year when I was looking for a job, everything happened at once... literally. I was offered two job interviews in one day... and within a month I was employed. That was lucky. Being a producer will definitely help me get a job fairly quick, but I have a feeling my first experience wasn't typical.

There are some things tempting me to stay in Springfield, and other things tempting me to leave. Right now, I have no clue what I'm going to do. In the next couple months I'll have a better idea. For now, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing in Springfield.

Week 10: August 24-30

I had a visitor this weekend, hence the tardy post...

Thursday, August 28, 2008: Watched Barack Obama make history by accepting the Democratic nomination for president.

Saturday, August 30, 2008: Watched Mizzou football make history by starting the season #6... the highest start in school history. The Tigers beat the Illini in the Arch Rivalry game.

Sayonara Sun

The days are getting shorter. I really don't care for that.


That's all for now.

Week 9: August 17-23

Sunday, August 17, 2008: Celebrated a 3 year anniversary with Jason!

Week 8: August 10-16

Ok this is a couple days overdue, but I was pretty exhausted after the trip to Memphis.

Friday, August 15, 2008: Road trip to Memphis! First taste of true Memphis BBQ at Rendezvous.

Friday, August 15, 2008: This is Beale Street at night.

Friday, August 15, 2008: Went to Graceland for a candlelight vigil. It was the 31st anniversary of Elvis' death so thousands of people gathered to remember him. We were going to visit his gravesite, but there were hundreds of people in line... and it was 12:30 a.m.!

Saturday, August 16, 2008: Lunch at Neely's BBQ. They have a TV show on Food Network.

Saturday, August 16, 2008: Visited the Gibson Guitar manufacturing plant.

Saturday, August 16, 2008: Enjoyed some more BBQ, blues, and a few beers on Beale St.