Shhhhhh GOSSIP!

Why do people gossip so much? I know it is relevant in all walks of life. The fact of the matter is everyone does it though few will ever admit to it. Sometimes gossip can turn ugly and mean though and really hurt people. Where is line between a fun conversation about someone else to nastiness?

I think gossip can be especially bad in a newsroom. Everyone is Type A, people are all striving to get on top and with so many budget cuts and people forced to do double or triple the amount of work they are used to, things can quickly turn ugly.

With no specifics mentioned I have been the victim of ugly gossip before. Something that was meant to be secret ended up being sent to the entire newsroom and the person gossiping was quickly the one everyone started gossiping ABOUT! Some people just love to talk about others. The old adage of "Don't say something about others that you would not say to them in the face" is hardly the way the world works. I wonder where this all stems from. Jealousy? Insecurity or simply small minded-ness. I am no angel ..I am sure I have done my fair share of gossiping as well and it's something I need to work on. Can you imagine if for one day everything we said to others would be broadcast to the person themselves without us knowing!!!!!

Thoughts??

Camping Mis-adventure

Blogging is such a fun way to document life experiences. I suggest everyone blog. It can not only be fun but also a great way to release tension and stress. I Love it. How was your weekend? Mine was fun. A great fun adventure is what I try to think of life as however this weekend can best be summed up as the "Camping Misadventure"

I had Friday off and we headed out to enjoy a wonderful weekend of camping. We had gotten everything we needed. A tent, sleeping bags and tons of delicious food to barbeque. Early Friday we headed out in good spirits...our first stop was a cluster of camping sites near the Willamette National Forest. We turned into the first road, and headed into the woods only to find just a couple of spots avaialable and non of which were desireable as camping spots...(not near water) ..we continued checking out sites thinking we would find something sooner or later. I couldn't believe how busy the sites were. I always thought finding a good spot to camp would be pretty easy ..but I was wrong. We were pretty hopeful that we would find something so we continued our journey..however after the cluster of camping sites we didn't see another one for miles. We kept driving and driving and before we knew it ..we were in BEND! Somehow we had really gone far without quite realizing it.

No biggie it would seem. We were determined and going to keep looking but, before we could go much further..we heard the all too familiar and heart sinking sound of sirens behind us. Police sirens. Yep a 3-hundred dollar ticket so going too fast! The good mood was sapped fast and we decided to head home and call it a day and try again on Saturday. Bummer!

Saturday we headed out again and found a wonderful site on Gold Lake near Highway 58. Finally a spot! It wasn't directly on the lake but, since we had such bad luck the day before we didn't want to take too many chances this time. As we pulled into the spot we missed a big wooden plank that was supposed to be a mock parking spot. CRASH went the car's grill right into the wood. It left some flaking paint and a minor dent but still enough to dampen our spirits a bit. Then as we went to take the styrofoam cooler out of the back seat..SPLASH we found out that a tiny hole had turned into a much larger one and all the melted ice went pouring over my sleeping bag. Two strikes so far. We managed to get the cooler out and hang the sleeping bag on a nearby tree hoping for it to dry by nightfall.



Then as we started putting our food on the picnic table at our campsite, Trinidad's watch went flying onto the ground off his wrist and broke the strap in half. At this point the whole situation was almost comical..I mean how much more could go wrong? After that though things started looking up. We fed some of the birds in the area and they got so comfortable with us that they actually started eating out of our hands. We also went to the lake and grilled up some delicious food for dinner. My sleeping bag mostly dried out by night and we spent the night looking up at the stars. In the morning we make another round of food and tried to avoid the awful mosquitoes. I have bites all over! Overall the camping trip was fun..but, quite eventful ...better luck next time!

Change is inevitable. Whether it be work related, life related, relationship related or any aspect of anything in life, change must be expected.

In the television business it seems change happens a lot more than other jobs. People come, you get close to them, they become like a second family to you and then they leave. Bigger markets and bigger dreams. It is the way the world works but, it does not make the process any easier. In just the past couple of months alone so many people have left KVAL and moved to different cities whether they stayed in the business or not. I have kept in touch with many of them however, it is still a completely different relationship when someone moves away. Change is something we must all deal with but it is so easy to get comfortable in a good or even sometimes bad situation. I guess the person who really strives and reaches his or her goals has realized and embraced change as a part of life. Things are constantly evolving and it's the way the world works. People die, relationships end, a new one begins and Winter turns to Summer.
Change can be a wonderful thing if we truly embrace all it has to offer.

Death of the Late Senator Ted Stevens

It was shocking to wake up this morning and see the headlines about the late Senator Ted Stevens and his death in a plane crash over Dillingham.

Having lived and worked in Alaska for 2 years myself, I felt a certain connection to the entire situation.

One has to wonder what it's like to be flying in the sky without a care in the world and the next minute know that the plane you are in is going to most certainly crash. I feel for his family and mostly his children who have lost a father. I cannot even imagine.

I remember myself going up in a tiny float plane heading to Savoonga, Alaska, smack in the middle of the Bering Sea.



As I boarded the tiny plane, which seated exactly 3 people I remember praying aloud for God to keep me safe. The small plane felt every single shake of the wind, every single stutter of the clouds and I held on for dear life knowing my life was not in my hands.

I ended up covering amazing stories in Savoonga all while dodging polar bears that frequented the tiny island. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I am so grateful to have gotten the chance to do the things I did in the Last Frontier.



I also travelled to Dillingham to go fishing while in Alaska. It's one of the most breathtaking places I have ever been. Grizzly bears are common and the sights are unbelievable. I stayed in a tiny cabin with a wood stove and no electricity for a long night and went fishing the next morning. Another experience I won't soon forget.


Alaska can be beautiful but danger lurks everywhere. It is one thing to experience the beauty and another to be killed in one of the worlds most serene places. Prayers to the Stevens family.

Running!

Wow I am terrible. I have not posted in such a long time that it's almost embarrasing. Okay going to start fresh on this Monday, which by the way can you believe it's Monday. The weekend went way too fast. One thing I did do that I am proud of besides all the lazyness is went for a one mile run yesterday. It felt great. Now if I could only run every single day I am sure I would lose all the weight I wanted. It's so hard to get motivated though! I have been reading articles in "Runners World" magazine and it's incredible what some of these people have done! If people who have prosthetic legs can run marathons then what excuse do I have?

My jaunt was around Island Park in Springfield. It was great to see all the people out biking and running. I read once that it takes 28 days to make something a habit so I am hoping if I can get out and start running every single day within a month I will be ready to go! Wish me luck!

The Resort on the Mountain

Blogging. Goodness I need to do it more often. It's amazing how much my head clears after writing down my thoughts and separating fact from fiction. All I can say for today is that I am here...A lovely resort called "The Resort On The Mountain" and it's the perfect place to clear ones head. We have a lovely room. A tiny cottage right in the woods. Last night we barbequed and enjoyed the lovely spaces. Makes me want to move away and stay in a cottage forever. Write my book and never leave. I think I could figure out everything in life if my world revolved around a quaint cottage in the woods...lovely and perfection.

Breaking the Lazy Rut!

I'm stuck in a lazy rut and I need to get out ! Someobody please help me!



So normally I am pretty good at getting out of bed at a decent time and making sure my mornings are productive for the most part however lately I just cannot seem to get my lazy butt out of bed in the morning. What Gives?

Working this 2:30PM to 10:30PM shift has it's benefits but, it also means that you have NO evenings off. Our evenings start when we get home. I cannot possibly go to bed right when I get home so I tend to stay up late, at least until 1 or 2AM which means I should be able to get up at a reasonable time still.

Take this morning for example. I had promised myself I would get up at 9AM to get some work done. The alarm goes off, I turn it off and re-set it for 10. One more blissful hour later the alarm goes off again. "it's just one more hour..I can sleep till 11"

Before I know it I'm up at 12 and I have wasted the entire morning..all that's left to do is wake up, get ready and go to work! Boooooo!

I'm going to give it another whirl tomorrow. Up by 8! Think I can do it?