Beads and Barack

I enjoyed St. Louis to opposite ends of the spectrum Saturday. The day kicked off early with a trip to Soulard for Mardi Gras. If you can't make it to New Orleans for the festivities St. Louis is the place to go. The parade alone lasted three hours. Anyway, it was my first true Mardi Gras experience (it doesn't count when you're 10), and it was good times. I saw more than I needed to, but at the same time not nearly as much as I thought I would. The weather was beautiful and I had fun with all the people I was there with.

I made sure to not have too much fun in Soulard because I knew I had a big night ahead of me. The big night included presidential hopeful, Barack Obama. I'm going to be honest with you here, politics is not my strong suit. I just don't get that excited about it like I do other things. However, in the past week my boyfriend Jason has become a huge Barack Obama supporter. When I found out Obama was visiting St. Louis the same weekend we were I had to tell him because I knew he would want to go.

We were going to go as members of the "media" but ran into a few difficulties, so we were stuck in the back of the crowd. At this point in the game I can honestly say I do not have a favorite in this presidential race. I just haven't looked into everything deep enough yet. I simply went to listen to what he had to say. I figured the best way for me to get into the whole campaigning ordeal is to actually go and experience the candidates. There really is no better way, right?

Nearly 20,000 people showed up for Saturday's rally. A truly impressive number given 1) it was a Saturday night downtown, and 2) it wasn't just any Saturday night downtown, it was Mardi Gras. Besides the sheer number of people who showed up, the make-up of the crowd really impressed me. As Claire McCaskill put it that night, the room really looked like America.

I found Obama to be a great speaker with a lot of character. I just hope I'll be able to see the other candidates in the next coming months.

You can watch and listen to a little snippet of Obama's speech in St. Louis by clicking on the video above.

Look-A-Likes: Marino/Hasselhoff

Welcome to the latest edition of Look-A-Likes. Tonight's entry is inspired by the biggest (football) game of the year--the Super Bowl! I don't have anyone from either the Giants or the Patriots... I'm featuring someone much better and, who I think at least, is his look-a-like. Some of you may find this one a bit of a stretch.
On the Left: Former Miami Dolphins Quarterback, Dan Marino
On the Right: Actor, Author, David Hasselhoff

I think they look a lot alike. The big thing working against me here is Hasselhoff just looks more weathered, more "experienced", I guess, in life... aka maybe a little too much booze and time on the beach. Marino, on the other hand, has been looking pretty good on TV.

I did come across some very interesting photos of Hasselhoff in my searches... they made me giggle. I invite you to Google his name and see what pops up.

PS-Don't Hassel the Hoff.

So, so sad

I find it truly sad when people don't have a life of their own. It almost makes me want to cry, but then I realize they should be crying, not me, because they have nothing better to do than to sit around, stalk people, and call them names to make their lonely, pitiful self feel better. I just find some people so incredibly pathetic. So sad.

Tornados in January?!

I witnessed all but 45 minutes of KSPR's 12 hour wall-to-wall severe weather coverage. I know you're thinking 12 hours is a bit excessive, but trust me, if you were in the Ozarks yesterday and this morning you'd think otherwise.

The storms were filled with wave after wave of severe weather... all of which produced several funnel clouds, hail, strong winds, and tornadoes. Apparently there were at least 62 tornado warnings during the 12 hour period just in the Ozarks. I find that amazing. Last night, not so much, but right now, most definitely. The repetitiveness of each wave and its path is crazy. You can see a great preliminary photo of each tornado's path at the KSPR Weather Blog here.

(A viewer sent this photo to the newsroom.
I never knew hail could look like that!)

I spent most of the time during the severe weather in the newsroom answering phone call after phone call. I figured it out to be 7 hours straight of picking up that ringing phone... needless to say my ear hurt last night.

I'd say about 90% of the phone calls were people asking what to expect in their city. With so many phone calls I was unable to watch the weather, so I was of little help to these people. I usually told them if they're watching, they already knew more than me. I did what I could to help them since it's a serious situation, but it always came down to two things: 1. if they're not saying your city, then that's a good thing, and 2. it's better to be safe than sorry, so just take shelter and keep listening. The other 10% of calls came from people reporting damage, hail, funnels, etc., and if not that they were complaining about the coverage. These people get on my bad side extremely fast. I absolutely cannot fathom why people find JEOPARDY! or Who Wants to be a Millionaire? more important than keeping viewers safe. If you're tired of the coverage then change the channel! Don't curse or yell at me or accuse our meteorologists of over-doing severe weather coverage... all of which I dealt with last night. It may not be you affected this time around, but one day it will be and you'll be so thankful for that "long-winded" coverage.

After a 15 hour day I went home around midnight for some sleep, which didn't really happen. I knew another round or two was on its way so there was no way I was going to sleep. At one point it seemed like things were calming down, so I started to snuggle up in my blankets. Then, all of a sudden there were Tornado Warnings all around Springfield.

At about 2:45 a.m. the tornado sirens started blaring and the meteorologists started urging Springfield residents to take cover. So that I did, but not without the TV cranked. The winds started to pick up and then cable went out. That's the point when a tornado touched down a couple blocks away from the station... right smack dab in the middle of Springfield. THANK GOODNESS the electricity stayed on. I probably would have lost it if that went out, too. That minute when the cable was out and the winds were howling was seriously the most terrifying minute of my life. I've never been so close to a tornado before. I was so relieved to hear Josh, Kevin, and Natalie's voices come back on air. It was a very fast moving system so I didn't have to spend too much time huddled in the bathtub and eventually went to sleep sometime around 4:00 a.m.

Even after a long day and a lot of phone calls, both good and bad, I still feel lucky and proud to do the job I do. I get to help keep people informed and safe. Granted I'm not in front of the wall interpreting radar, but I think I helped some people last night. It's a great feeling to think you helped someone in such a severe situation. I can only imagine how meteorologists feel after a night like last night.

I'm not sure if it was the caffeine or adrenaline that's kept me going, but never at one point have I felt exhausted or tired today, even with only 3 hours of sleep. Actually I felt better today than I did in the middle of answer phones at 10:00 last night. However right now I'm starting to really feel my body tell me to get some sleep. I'm gonna do just that.

Cotton Bowl Champs!

Okay, I'll admit it. I was a little, teeny bit worried about Arkansas and McFadden. As it turns out, neither one showed up to play in the Cotton Bowl so all my worries were in vain. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact Mizzou got into such a huge bowl game (should have been a BCS bowl, but that's a whole other post), much less the fact we destroyed the Razorbacks in that bowl. It was a great time, possibly once in a lifetime, and something I'll never forget... especially since I was sober. It was just too damn cold to hold a beer.

The atmosphere in Dallas was pretty good. It really seemed like Tiger and Razorback fans took over the city, especially downtown. Everywhere you go there would be someone wearing their team's gear or driving with a ridiculous amount of team stuff on their cars. It was cool. However, one thing that wasn't cool was Arkansas' chant. It's one of the most annoying things I've ever heard. The school has a pretty cool mascot... it's original, and those wild hogs can be pretty damn scary (ever seen hogzilla?). Instead of calling themselves Razorbacks they chant "Pig Sooey." I just don't get it. Why would you degrade yourself like that?

Anyway, I had so much fun at the 4 hour long game, even though I was without a voice (I sounded like the Godfather) and it was freezing (my fingers were purple and white). I'm so glad I got to go and stay in Dallas with people I know. We saw a lot more of the city and visited places we otherwise wouldn't have known about (Thanks Blaine and Trevor!).

Tony Temple was on his game... Chase, not so much. But it all worked out in the end. Throughout all the controversy and bowl invitation disappointment I am still amazed with our season. Like Jason has said, if someone would have told me back in August Mizzou would go 11-1 in the regular season, spend a week in the #1 spot, and win the Cotton Bowl, I would have said that's kooky talk. Thank you Tigers for an incredible season. With that said, I can't wait for next year!

M-I-Z... Z-O-U!

I'm not afraid to say it

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

I hope everyone had a great holiday. I just got back in Springfield a little bit ago after a 4 day weekend in St. Louis. It was oh so wonderful, and, of course, went way too quick. I got to do a little of everything in my time off... went out with friends, relaxed at home, and spent lots of time with my family and Jason's. The ride home was rough though. The weather was clear, the roads weren't too busy, and the ride went by fairly fast... I'm just such a home-body sometimes, so it makes me sad to leave.

What's also sad is it takes times like the holidays to make many people realize all there is to be thankful for. I'd like to take this time and space to express how much I appreciate everything in my life. My Mommy is amazing; Unfortunately, I don't think she knows that, but she is. For endless reasons I am thankful for her, her thoughtlessness, and her strength. My family is much more to me than their titles of "aunt", "cousin", etc. They've helped me grow and offered so much support and encouragement along my journey to adulthood. And my friends, even though I don't get to see them as much anymore, are great. I've always thought I couldn't ask for better friends in the world. As far as Jason goes, he's just perfect for me. He's tolerant and understanding, and, to put it simply, I can't ask for a better boyfriend. Besides these people, I'm just plain grateful for everything in my life... my health, my job, and all the love that's in it.

In the midst of presents, traffic, and finances I hope everyone can take some time to reflect on the good things in life. Happy Holidays.

Too much reality?

Since when did I become such a reality TV junkie? How did this happen? I just realized the other day the bulk of TV I take in is reality-based. It's hard to avoid, and in the next coming months, with the writers' strike and all, it will only get worse.

So, how bad is it now? Let's go through the list starting with my TiVo "Season Passes"...
- Real Housewives of Orange County (guilty pleasure #1; I don't like that new girl they just brought on)
- Ghost Hunters (these are my top 2 right now... opposite ends of the spectrum, but they keep me entertained)
- Man vs. Wild
- Bridezillas (guilty pleasure #2)
- Paranormal State (not nearly as good as Ghost Hunters)

And some recent favorites...
- Rock of Love with Bret Michaels
- The Pick Up Artist

Not to mention my absolute favorite show that's (kinda) on TV right now, The Office, is scripted, but meant to look like a reality show.

It wouldn't be a balanced entry if I didn't go through the non-reality shows I watch. It's a pretty short list... Seinfeld, My Name is Earl, Conan (that doesn't count as a reality, right?), and that's about it.

I've always viewed reality TV shows as too easy for networks; it's kinda hard to explain, but basically I disappointed myself when I realized all the reality I'm watching.

Come on, writers!

I am officially annoyed by the Writers' strike. I want my Office back. I'm just now realizing there will be absolutely no holiday episodes. Those are always the best ones. One of my favorite all-time Office moments happened in Season 2's Christmas Party episode. You can see it below. I did a little research and it appears there are no episodes in the can. Nothing. Production shut down a month ago; the last original episode aired a couple weeks ago. I also read if nothing gets resolved by the end of the year there will be no new episodes for the rest of the season. Only 8 episodes in Season 4?! What a tease! Especially since the last episode was okay at best. I'm frustrated.


A little scenario for this scene: It's Secret Santa time in the office and Jim gets his gift from Creed.

Look-A-Likes: Huckabee/Spacey

One of my weird little quirks is I think just about everyone looks like someone else. People usually think I'm crazy. This is something I've been meaning to do on here for at least a year now and never really got around to it. Well, my friends, tonight's the night. Prepare yourself for the 1st edition of "Look-A-Like." Today's is in honor of a new ABC/Washington Post presidential candidate poll released today.


On the left: Former AR Governor/Republican Presidential Candidate, Mike Huckabee
On the right: Actor, Kevin Spacey

I really don't think I'm crazy with this one... how could someone not think they look alike?! It's something in their eyes, they have those droopy eyes or something.
Actually, Spacey even kinda looks like Norm McDonald in that picture. Oh, it never ends.

Also, in case you haven't seen it yet, you need to watch the Chuck Norris endorsed Huckabee ad. I was never really big on that huge Chuck Norris phase, but this is pretty good.

It feels like years since it's been here

I miss the sun.



That's all for now.