re:lax

re·lax    ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (r-lks) v. re·laxed, re·lax·ing, re·lax·es v. tr. To make lax or loose: relax one's grip. To make less severe or strict: relax a curfew. To reduce in intensity; slacken: relax one's efforts. To relieve from tension or strain: The warm bath relaxed me.

Today, I relaxed.  It was so nice.  Weekends are the best, aren't they?  Some people get lots of stuff done on the weekend.  Mowing the lawn.  Cleaning the house.  Grocery shopping.  I usually am in that camp... but today I spent almost all day in my pajamas.  I got some stuff done around my house, including decorating my bedroom with my fabulous new furniture!!   But the best accomplishment of the day was chillin.'  I took a bath in the middle of the afternoon, then didn't put any make up on.  I forgot how fabulous it feels to let my hair dry naturally and not to have anything on my face but moisturizer and blistex.  I finished my afternoon off with a cup of french vanilla decaf, and I started a new book, recommended by a friend.  Ahh... all while wearing my favorite comfy yellow socks that remind me of scrambled eggs.

night out

Finally... some social interaction!  I was so excited Saturday night, some girls from work asked me to come out and see a guy we work with's band play.  Bobby, my director, plays in a blues band.  We went to dinner, then to an Irish Pub to hear the band.

Okay, if you know me... you know that's not my deal.  I'm not much of a bar chic.  No diss on bar chics... I'm just not one, really.  Well, I had a blast last night, none the less.  I even had a beer.  I didn't like the beer, but I figured it was time to give it another shot.  You know they say you acquire a taste for things as you get older.  Well, I'm still not there with the beer.  The place we were at didn't seem to have much else, and Bobby wanted to buy us a drink, so there I was with a Corona.  I finished almost all of it. 

The best part of the evening was seeing Bobby in his element.  You know, like when you see a teacher out in public, grocery shopping... it reminds you that they're human.  Here is this guy who's worked at the station longer than I've been alive.  He can direct a newscast in his sleep.  He's the best, you can't shake him.  He can come off as a bit of a gruff at work... but I can already tell it's a front.   He's a teddy bear with a soft spot for "daughters."  He was delighted to have us there last night.  The pleasure was all mine.

Here are a couple of horrible pictures from the occasion.  Bobby was making me laugh during the picture.

 

re: american idol

See, this is the risk of being honest.  Earlier tonight I blogged about how I wished Kevin would get voted off American Idol.  I even called him Chicken Little.  He got canned.  Now I feel bad.  See?  One little video montage to Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" and I'm feeling all guilty.  Typical.  Sorry Kevin.

Beat the Press, Breaking News, am music & American Idol

Well, isn't this just the pot luck update?  So, blogs are officially on the map.  Today President Bush was speaking in Wheeling, WV and he played along as the audience blamed the current demise of the war in Iraq on the media.  He said he's all for a free press, and Americans have all kinds of ways to communicate to get around that.  Blogs are one option.  Fellow bloggers: we are on the map!  We are vindicated!  The Commander in Chief has told us to be so.  Seriously, I feel bad for President Bush.  Certainly he didn't WANT a war.  Certainly he didn't want thousands of young Americans dying in a foreign land.  Certainly he didn't want a 31% approval rating.  That sucks.  I would be depressed if only 31% of people liked me.  Heck, I can't handle it if one person is upset with me for any length of time.  Hang in there George.  I'm thinking it will get better.  As for the war, I don't really want to get into all of the politics... even on my own free blog... but I will say that as long as my brothers and sisters are over there fighting, I will not waver in my support of them.  I pray for them.  That they will be safe.  That they will be well.  That their tour of duty will help Iraqis have lives worth living.  God bless them all.  Back to the media point.  Being a member of the media, I obviously have a bit of subjectivity here.  It is the media's job to question authority.  We are your voice.  We must question.  We must find the truth.  We must.  I do not agree that it's the media's job to push a certain agenda.  And I do worry that the select few powerful people who happen to hate the President have too much pull... but all I can control is myself.  I am committed to finding, telling and reporting the truth in a way that viewers want, can understand and process.  Okay, long time on that topic. Sorry.  And broadcast writers are supposed to be concise!!  Geez. Wrap.

In other news... sorry for the lame segue... I told you, I'm trying to be more vigilant at updating this space.  Like my headline?  Yeah.  So today was CRAZY at work.  Every story in my newscast could have been a lead today.  The President speaking in the region.  A woman who was missing for 10 years is found alive and claims she was held in a house for four of those years against her will.  Now she's back with her family.  Oh, and a man who was shooting a pigeon in Downtown Pittsburgh sends the city into a whirlwind of chaos and lockdown, and two hours of wall to wall local news coverage.  All for a pigeon.  Please... all the worry and lost commercial time for that?  I don't usually like to come  home and write about the events I've covered at work all day because I spend all day typing those into a computer... the last thing I want to do is come home and do it... but, like I said... today was CRAZY.  Oh, there was also the 90 year old woman who woke up in the middle of the night becasue a car was on top of her.  Yeah, a car.  A guy was speeding, flipped his car, it went through her house and landed on her, in her bed.  She just has bruises.  She said she read an extra chapter of her Bible last night.  Whew.  God bless her too.  And I need to be better about reading my good night Bible stories. 

Now, I'll have to get back on point if I'm going to deliver on my headline.  So, I've realized how important the soundtrack of the morning commute is.  I spend about half an hour in traffic every morning on my way into work.  The tunes totally set the day.  I have a great mix going now.  Something for every type of morning.

 

Finally, now I don't usually jump on the American Idol bandwagon until like the last couple of weeks... but I've been watching so far and my favorites are Katharine McPhee and Chris Daughtry.  I'm hoping little chicken little, Kevin, will be voted off tonight.  Pack your bags Kevin.  Sorry.  It's time to play ball.

One more note... happy 30th birthday to the wonderful, beautiful, smart, funny and talented Reese Witherspoon!

now that's entertainment

Today I had my own personal Michael Buble' concert, twice.  Seriously, I bought the new DVD and played it on my computer while unpacking my office and I have to tell you, I am such a fan.  Let the record show that I have been a Buble' fan since the movie "Down With Love," so I'm not one of these posers that got on the fan wagon after his song "Home" was a #1 hit.  I love him.  As you already know I also have a weak spot for Harry Connick Jr.  I'm not quite ready to say that Buble' is top throne to Connick, but he's so stinkin' cute, oh and that voice... Seriously, get the DVD.  It's so entertaining.  I just love this guy, and you can look at him and tell he's funny, I think he was a fat kid... they always end up being the funniest.  He has the cheeks.  Such a cutie.  Anyway on the DVD, he starts joking Josh Groban, then Josh comes out, and they impersonate eachother, it's great!  Oh, and he turns pop star for a few minutes and does a Maroon 5 song.  And at the end he does a duet with Chris Botti.  It's the best 30 bucks I've spent in the last month.  Get it.  Michael Buble, "Caught in the Act."  And the DVD comes with a CD too... so you can travel with Michael and sing along in the car.  He's been compared to Frank Sinatra... I have a lot of love for Old Blue Eyes, but I'd take Michael any day of the week.

newsletter

I have been meaning to post several different things on here over the past week or so.  Forgive me for the cheesy format, but I'm going to do this newsletter style.  Do you have any friends that send out those cheesy holiday newsletters with pictures of their house and their dog on that printer paper you know they bought in bulk at Office Max?  Those letters are annoying, however informative, I hope to be at least one of those, hopefully the latter...

I got my stuff finally!! No more sleeping on the floor. Praise God.  In some respects the life of a dog can be admired.  Eating.  Sleeping.  Everyone thinks you're cute.  Okay, sleeping on the floor, or in a corner on a folded up blanket -- not one of the perks... and I don't miss it!!  I didn't realize how accustomed I had become to it though... because once I got my bed together, I was like "man, this is really high!"  It's not really all that high, but from the ground perspective, it's easy to see how it could be perceived as such. 

So the dreadful movers did break some of my stuff... but I was kind of expecting it, and I was just so glad to see my things that I didn't really care that some of it didn't arrive in one piece.  The broke 2 dressers and my office chair.  It was a little sad because I did like my furniture, but it wasn't like it was a great loss... the furniture I had wasn't all that nice, and it wasn't going to last forever anyways... not like MY NEW FURNITURE.   That's right, I got new furniture.  Sorry, no pic available of that yet, it hasn't been delivered yet. Yes, you read right, DELIVERED.  I feel like I won the showcase on "The Price Is Right."  My mom and Granny were visiting last weekend and took pity on me and bought me a new bedroom suit.  It's such a blessing.  It's so much better than the stuff the movers broke.  I'm so excited... I've never had REAL, GROWN-UP furniture before!!

Work is getting better with each day.  I don't quite feel like I'm swimming in a sea of uncertainty anymore.  I'm getting used to the workload and all of the changes, and I think I'm adjusting quite well.  Once I feel like I'm getting a handle on one thing, something else comes up.  Welcome to the planet, right?  I'm excited for all of my upcoming "opportunites to learn."  How's that for a positive attitude?  Check me out...

This time away from my stuff has been good.  Reflective.  Not cluttered.  A lesson learned about how it's just stuff... "small stuff" if you will.  I missed not being around all my stuff, but I'm glad it happened.  It was a good time for God to teach me a lesson about simplifying.  No lesson is fun while you're learning it, but in hindsight, they're the best. 

I'm still navigating these roads this winter.  Winter in Pennsylvania is totally different from winter in Virginia.  Thank God for 4 wheel drive.  Some pics from this morning's commute... can you see the fear in my face?  I did make it to work and home just fine.  See... progress. 

   

Take care all, thanks for reading.

all or nothing

I wish it wasn't the case.. but that's just how I am.  All or nothing.  In life.  In faith.  In work.  In blogging.  Everything.  I am either all in, or all out.  Totally obsessed with something, or hardly interested.  I don't have much of a middle ground.  I wish I was more "all" about my blog.  Some of my friends have the most interesting, funny, challenging and faithful blogs.  I just don't. Sorry.  Sorry that more often than not, if you check this, there's nothing new.  Nothing to report for days... then in one night, I'll get a glimmer of inspiration and blog and blog and... well, you get the picture.  Why am I like this?  Oh well...  Be that as it may, get ready to read.  I'm having an "all" night.  I got caught up on my e-mail and myspace... I'm current, in the e-world at least... I suppose that's better than nothing. 

that's my girl

I am so happy for Reese.  She totally deserved to win the Oscar.  She and Oscar look really cute together, don't they?  So, Reese Witherspoon is my favorite.  If I ever accomplish anything noteworthy and some producer, director and screenwriter see my life fit for the big screen, I have one request:  Reese, please!!  I secretly wish I looked like Reese and I not so secretly would like to put my wish out there -- just in case they need an actress to play me.  Seriously, isn't she the greatest?  Smart girls are cool, see?

"Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense." --Gertrude Stein