I had to recover from Election Day in order to actually write about the insanity of the day. I ended up working about 17 hours that day, and was TOTALLY braindead the next day. I am shocked that I didn't call Bob Kiss "Smoochie" on-air or commit any other blunders. (Well, there was a doozy, but that is another story.) Here is the rest of the day:
3:15pm--Flop down on couch, attempt to nap.
3:30pm--Wake up as I couldn't sleep, and headed to Milton to see how the school budget vote was going and to get reaction from voters.
4:00pm--Start interviewing random people, some of whom looked at me funny, but got a few decent quotes.
4:30--Depart Milton, head to Colchester to do the same.
4:45--Arrive, bump into a few people I got to know during the strike, and then start talking to more random people, some of which did not like the fact the district was asking for more money after the strike. Really, not surprising at all. (Side note, Friday there is a recount on the passing of the budget as it passed by only eight votes.)
5:30--Head to Burlington for the real fun of the evening.
6:15--FINALLY find a place to park and start hobbling to City Hall on one and a quarter knees.
6:30--City Hall was just ELECTRIC!! There was quite a bit of excitement over the IRV, and the various issues that were on the ballot. I also bumped into one of the guys from VPR whose name escapes me. As always it was a great conversation.
7:00--Meander Church Street in search of coffee, and then head to Sweetwaters to talk to the Kiss folks. Now those are NICE people!! I had a fantastic conversation with Kiss' stepson about VAA, the Waterfront Theater, and how the election was panning out.
7:30--It's go time everyone, here come the votes!!!
We skip the timeline for awhile, as when I say I was having fun, I was really having fun. Maybe I am a sick and twisted humanoid, but being at City Hall when the votes are announced ward by ward is an interesting experience. Each of the Ward Clerks goes up one by one and announces the totals for each ward. This year, it was a bit different with the IRV as there were two and even three sets of votes that were announced. Now, all of us news people were writing furiously and calculating votes as we went, wondering if the IRV would kick in.
8:30--Miller loses her own ward which was not a good sign for her.
9:00--The final vote is announced and Kiss has 37%, Miller 32%, Curley 26% which means the IRV kicks in. Kiss and Miller are the two left, Curley, Cowpoop, and Loyal were out. (Poor Loyal, only 58 TOTAL votes.)
9:05--The final vote is announced and Kiss wins, pandemonium breaks out.
9:20--Head to Sweetwaters for the victory party and interviews.
9:45--Kiss enters and I swear that Sweetwaters shook. What a scene it was, and Kiss was just so low key about everything. He had this look of "aw shucks" and made his very short victory speech. To me this was a good sign as the man had just won the election, and it was like he found a quarter on the ground. He is very low key, which to me means he is all business and ready to face the tasks at hand.
9:50--Interview Kiss, leave Sweetwaters, and head to the Scuffer to talk to Curley.
9:52--After hearing Curley rant and rave about Miller and Kiss, I got a quote from his campaign manager and left. Curley more or less ripped into Kiss for not taking his congratulatory phone call which was WRONG!! I was there when Kevin called and Mayor-Elect Kiss could not hear him over the noise, and tried to call him back. I told Kevin I was there and that Kiss was trying his hardest to talk to him, but Curley wouldn't hear anything of it. Also, when I walked in, Curley was raving about how he is glad Miller didn't win and that he would have saved the city from the horror of a Miller administration. Needless to say, I don't think he recognized me as a reporter, so he has no idea someone was listening. Kevin, always assume there is a reporter around right after the election results are announced.
10:10--Talked to a couple of people outside of Sweetwaters and headed home.
10:45--HOME!!!!!!!!!!!
12:30AM!!!--Finally fall asleep after unwinding. Total time of the day was 17 hours or so and I was so tired and so wound up from the day that I couldn't sleep. Here are the totals on the day......
1--Times I locked myself out of my car.
2--Full meals eaten.
7--Cups of coffee.
15--Interviews with voters.
17--Interviews/Discussions with politicians.
17 1/2--Hours worked.
24--Phone calls made to various camps, wards, etc.
What a day. As exhausted as I was, and it took me a day and a half to recover, man did I ever have fun.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
A day in the life of the one person news department.....On Election Day.
Now, this is going to be an interesting day. I see myself in 20 different places at the same time, and losing what is left of my hair at the same time. As of 3:00 this afternoon, here is my day:
3:45am--Alarm goes off, hit snooze button.
3:50am--Alarm goes off again, snooze button punched.
3:55am--Alarm goes off yet again, wife kicks me in the head, cat farts, and I finally get out of bed.
4:35am--Arrive at studio, almost slip on the one piece of ice left in the parking lot, but manage not to spill a drop of coffee.
4:45am--Sit in front of monitor and look at about a dozen press releases, write some gibberish, then start drooling as writer's block kicks in.
5:00--Crap, I really have to stop staring at the monitor.
5:10--Kick myself in the @ss, and bumble my way through three newscasts. In the process, since I not only have writer's block, but my tongue doesn't work, I remove said tongue and replace it with a coffee filter.
5:40--Replace replacement tongue with the old one. Neither one seems to work, so why not use the original?
6:00--Potty break, and yes, everything did come out ok, thanks for asking.
6:15--Curse the fact that Saint Mike's didn't make the second round of the playoffs in hockey and basketball as reading the IRS taxlaws are more interesting than what I wrote.
Fast forward to about 8:30, as the second cup of coffee kicked in, and there was only massive amounts of braincrampage and peeing. As they say, you don't buy coffee, you rent coffee.
8:30--See into the future and write the afternoon news.
9:00--Crystal ball breaks, realization there is an election today and head out to see Deano vote.
9:30--Comes to realization that watching Dean vote really won't be that much fun, but I just want to see if I can beat someone to the tough question.
10:00--Dean arrives, smiles, and poses for the cameras.
10:15--Done voting, the lunatic radio guy asks, "So, how did you vote on Measure Six?"(Anti-war/closing of Air Guard base.) Dean dodges question, but answers it without knowing he did so.
10:30--Back to the studio for more frantic writing.
10:45--More peeing.
11:30ish---Get news done with quotes, e-mail Shay at the Guardian with quotes from Deano, e-mail Curley, call Curley, curse the City of Burlington as they won't fax election results to the media, and then ponder what in the world will happen if IRV doesn't work.
12:00--Cut PSA's, and do other random news stuff, including making sure the fax machine works for those kind and wonderful towns that will actually FAX results over.
12:45--Go to leave to cover Hinda Miller voting, cannot find keys....Keys in car with door locked. Oh poop.
1:15--Arrange for door to be unlocked at home, intern gives me a lift home, and then back to the office to pick up my car, FLY to see Miller vote...OOPS!! TOO LATE!!
2:00--Curse my brain, and head home.
2:05--Damn, I need to stop peeing.
2:10--Phone rings five times in eight minutes; Measure Two, Six, and Eight reps calling me with their press conference locations and times, Alice to make sure I get paid, and Curley's office. (By the way, I forget his campaign manager's name, but he is HYSTERICAL!!!)
2:30--Eat for the first time since 4:30 this morning and start writing this to clear my head as I will be up until about midnight tonight.
More later, as this should be a fun night. Yes, I am being serious. As much as I am going on and on, this really is fun. Of course, my brain picks today of all days to go BOOM!!!! Naptime, more later.
3:45am--Alarm goes off, hit snooze button.
3:50am--Alarm goes off again, snooze button punched.
3:55am--Alarm goes off yet again, wife kicks me in the head, cat farts, and I finally get out of bed.
4:35am--Arrive at studio, almost slip on the one piece of ice left in the parking lot, but manage not to spill a drop of coffee.
4:45am--Sit in front of monitor and look at about a dozen press releases, write some gibberish, then start drooling as writer's block kicks in.
5:00--Crap, I really have to stop staring at the monitor.
5:10--Kick myself in the @ss, and bumble my way through three newscasts. In the process, since I not only have writer's block, but my tongue doesn't work, I remove said tongue and replace it with a coffee filter.
5:40--Replace replacement tongue with the old one. Neither one seems to work, so why not use the original?
6:00--Potty break, and yes, everything did come out ok, thanks for asking.
6:15--Curse the fact that Saint Mike's didn't make the second round of the playoffs in hockey and basketball as reading the IRS taxlaws are more interesting than what I wrote.
Fast forward to about 8:30, as the second cup of coffee kicked in, and there was only massive amounts of braincrampage and peeing. As they say, you don't buy coffee, you rent coffee.
8:30--See into the future and write the afternoon news.
9:00--Crystal ball breaks, realization there is an election today and head out to see Deano vote.
9:30--Comes to realization that watching Dean vote really won't be that much fun, but I just want to see if I can beat someone to the tough question.
10:00--Dean arrives, smiles, and poses for the cameras.
10:15--Done voting, the lunatic radio guy asks, "So, how did you vote on Measure Six?"(Anti-war/closing of Air Guard base.) Dean dodges question, but answers it without knowing he did so.
10:30--Back to the studio for more frantic writing.
10:45--More peeing.
11:30ish---Get news done with quotes, e-mail Shay at the Guardian with quotes from Deano, e-mail Curley, call Curley, curse the City of Burlington as they won't fax election results to the media, and then ponder what in the world will happen if IRV doesn't work.
12:00--Cut PSA's, and do other random news stuff, including making sure the fax machine works for those kind and wonderful towns that will actually FAX results over.
12:45--Go to leave to cover Hinda Miller voting, cannot find keys....Keys in car with door locked. Oh poop.
1:15--Arrange for door to be unlocked at home, intern gives me a lift home, and then back to the office to pick up my car, FLY to see Miller vote...OOPS!! TOO LATE!!
2:00--Curse my brain, and head home.
2:05--Damn, I need to stop peeing.
2:10--Phone rings five times in eight minutes; Measure Two, Six, and Eight reps calling me with their press conference locations and times, Alice to make sure I get paid, and Curley's office. (By the way, I forget his campaign manager's name, but he is HYSTERICAL!!!)
2:30--Eat for the first time since 4:30 this morning and start writing this to clear my head as I will be up until about midnight tonight.
More later, as this should be a fun night. Yes, I am being serious. As much as I am going on and on, this really is fun. Of course, my brain picks today of all days to go BOOM!!!! Naptime, more later.
See ya Kirby.......
I think it is a sign of age when you hear of the passing of one of your childhood idols. Yesterday, Kirby Puckett passed away at the age of 44. Growing up in San Francisco, I worshipped Puck. I loved the way he would run through walls to catch a fly ball. I loved the fact that someone shaped like a bowling ball could hit .330. I also loved the fact he played the game with passion, and had fun out there. Puckett recognized that baseball is a kids game, and that most of the male population could only dream about what he was doing.
When I was a kid, we would play wiffle ball against the garages of anyone whose parents would allow us to abuse their garage doors. Being the baseball addicted dreamers we were, (And for that matter still are) we made lineups, and tried to even mimic the stances of our "team". Well, as a left hand hitter, I don't think I did Kirby much justice when trying to hit from the right side, so of course, a change had to be made.....Kirby became a lefty. Man, in real life, Puck should have hit from the left side, because he was awesome!! Some of those shots that cleared the gutter, and went into the thorny bushes were legendary!! (I think I still have one of the scars from those darn things.) I was Kirby because I was the little guy with some heart, and countless dreams.
Thanks for the memories Puck, and rest in peace..
When I was a kid, we would play wiffle ball against the garages of anyone whose parents would allow us to abuse their garage doors. Being the baseball addicted dreamers we were, (And for that matter still are) we made lineups, and tried to even mimic the stances of our "team". Well, as a left hand hitter, I don't think I did Kirby much justice when trying to hit from the right side, so of course, a change had to be made.....Kirby became a lefty. Man, in real life, Puck should have hit from the left side, because he was awesome!! Some of those shots that cleared the gutter, and went into the thorny bushes were legendary!! (I think I still have one of the scars from those darn things.) I was Kirby because I was the little guy with some heart, and countless dreams.
Thanks for the memories Puck, and rest in peace..
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Why I love this time of year.
Being the sports nut that I am, March has always been one of my favorite times of the year with the NCAA Tournament and the start of spring training. Now that I am covering the state basketball and hockey tournaments, I want it to be March all year round.
If you haven't gone to a high school hockey or basketball tournament game, do what you have to do to go. Drag the kids, bribe a babysitter, and walk uphill in 20 feet of snow to get to the game, because it will be well worth it. You walk into the gym and are defeaned by the cheers from both schools. You have a bunch of crazed kids screaming and yelling, along with their parents and grandparents, and the whole place feels like an indoor version of Mardi Gras. The cheerleaders are flying, kids are hitting the floor chasing after loose balls like their lives depend on it, and there is a collective gasp everytime a shot goes up.
When Wide World of Sports coined the phrase "The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat", high school playoffs are what they had in mind. Kids jumping up and down on every hoop, not giving up until the final buzzer, and tears of joy and dismay at the final buzzer. These kids won't go on to the pros, or may not even play in college. This is their stage, and they live it up for all it is worth.
On a side note, is anyone dreading listening to the Rich Tarrant campaign ads for the next nine months as much as I am? Good Lord, I don't care to hear about how Red Auerbach releasing Tarrant helped "form IDX" until the campaign comes to its merciful end.
If you haven't gone to a high school hockey or basketball tournament game, do what you have to do to go. Drag the kids, bribe a babysitter, and walk uphill in 20 feet of snow to get to the game, because it will be well worth it. You walk into the gym and are defeaned by the cheers from both schools. You have a bunch of crazed kids screaming and yelling, along with their parents and grandparents, and the whole place feels like an indoor version of Mardi Gras. The cheerleaders are flying, kids are hitting the floor chasing after loose balls like their lives depend on it, and there is a collective gasp everytime a shot goes up.
When Wide World of Sports coined the phrase "The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat", high school playoffs are what they had in mind. Kids jumping up and down on every hoop, not giving up until the final buzzer, and tears of joy and dismay at the final buzzer. These kids won't go on to the pros, or may not even play in college. This is their stage, and they live it up for all it is worth.
On a side note, is anyone dreading listening to the Rich Tarrant campaign ads for the next nine months as much as I am? Good Lord, I don't care to hear about how Red Auerbach releasing Tarrant helped "form IDX" until the campaign comes to its merciful end.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Well, I still have a knee
Well all, surgery yesterday was a success. The doc found a bunch of loose garbage inside of my knee, removed it, and sewed me back up again. I am on crutches until Monday or so, and then can start to walk around a bit. Swelling isn't too bad, and I can actually put a little bit of weight on the thing, but then I pay for it a few minutes later. Needless to say, I have been spending quite a bit of time on the couch, and have actually become one with the thing. If all goes well, I should be back at work bright and early tomorrow morning.
Now, as many people know, I don't sit around well, which is why I am babbling away right now. I have already grown bored with watching CNN, MSNBC, and have seen Sportscenter twice. I actually resorted to watching the NFL Combine on NFL TV, which can be amusing in a twisted sort of way. It is hillarious watching 350 pound men who haven't missed a meal since shortly after birth run the 40 slower than I could run it on crutches. A couple of these guys could be clocked with a sundial, and the time would be more accurate.
Anyway, observations from surgery yesterday.......Operating rooms are COLD!!!! The doc's had to put about 20 pounds of warm blankets on me so I wouldn't freeze to death, and watching your own surgery is actually pretty cool. I was actually able to see what the doc was looking at, and Doc Campbell put up with me asking question after question wondering if what he was doing was actually going to have me walking without serious pain in the next year. Needless to say, I didn't feel a thing, and other than the fact I was freezing my upper body off, it wasn't bad. (With the drugs I was on, one of those 350 pound linemen could have jumped on my knee and I wouldn't have known it.)
Back to the couch, and maybe some breakfast..
Now, as many people know, I don't sit around well, which is why I am babbling away right now. I have already grown bored with watching CNN, MSNBC, and have seen Sportscenter twice. I actually resorted to watching the NFL Combine on NFL TV, which can be amusing in a twisted sort of way. It is hillarious watching 350 pound men who haven't missed a meal since shortly after birth run the 40 slower than I could run it on crutches. A couple of these guys could be clocked with a sundial, and the time would be more accurate.
Anyway, observations from surgery yesterday.......Operating rooms are COLD!!!! The doc's had to put about 20 pounds of warm blankets on me so I wouldn't freeze to death, and watching your own surgery is actually pretty cool. I was actually able to see what the doc was looking at, and Doc Campbell put up with me asking question after question wondering if what he was doing was actually going to have me walking without serious pain in the next year. Needless to say, I didn't feel a thing, and other than the fact I was freezing my upper body off, it wasn't bad. (With the drugs I was on, one of those 350 pound linemen could have jumped on my knee and I wouldn't have known it.)
Back to the couch, and maybe some breakfast..
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