Ridiculous Titles for TV News Coverage

I saw an example of bad judgement today on the news. Sensationalism at its worst. The murder of a local bartender was presented with graphics that read "Cold Blooded Murder." Give me a break. Aren’t most murders, by definition, cold blooded?

It’s redundant. Someone doesn’t just walk around with warm fuzzies and gun another person down, do they? Same goes for “terrible tragedy.” When was the last time you heard of a wonderful tragedy?

Sometimes clichés or redundancies get into a news script because you are pressed for time and don’t have time to seek them out and fix them. But trying to label news coverage with sensational titles is just irresponsible. A good rule of thumb is... if you are struggling to give something a title, maybe it doesn’t need one. “Bartender Murdered” may sound boring, but it tells the story, it’s easy to write to, and it won’t be outdated. Managers will sit in an office and rack their brains trying to figure out a title for coverage, but often there’s no thought given to how easy it will be to write that title into the coverage. They seek input from other members of the news team for titles, then shoot down the most obvious ones that will work in favor of awkwardly worded sensational junk.

I can count the number of times my suggestions for titles of coverage were actually used on one hand. I hope eventually stations will see that those over-the-top titles only turn viewers off.

Even Alex wants to go green!

I got the following email from Craig today, shortly after he dropped Alex off at daycare.

"This morning while I was making lunches, Alex came into the kitchen with a handful of toys and said he needed to "recycle" them."

I was laughing out loud everytime I thought about this today. Even my two year old wants to recycle!

A Mom Dilemma

All mom's face dilemmas, but working mom dilemmas are in a class of their own.

I only have a few precious hours with Alex each day. A few minutes in the morning, because I have to be to work by 8AM. Craig doesn't have to be to work until 10AM, so he handles breakfast, daycare drop, etc. And he does a FANTASTIC job. I am so lucky to have a true partner.

Evenings, by the time I get to daycare, it's between 5:30-6PM. Alex is supposed to be in bed by 8:30PM. But invariably, it's closer to 9PM. I just want as much time as I can get with him! He's awake and at daycare longer than he's awake at home. The majority of our time together, is when we are both sleeping. It's hard to take sometimes. It's disappointing too. I just love Alex so much. We make the most of the time we have together. We read, we play, we watch Disney movies/Little Einsteins/Bob the Builder ad nauseum. I get suckered into "just one more book" almost every night. He's not going to be little forever, and really how bad is reading one more book? It's not like he's grabbing "War and Peace!"

But am I hurting him by letting him stay up so late? He's been really crabby in the mornings... but he's just as crabby on the mornings that he gets 11 hours of sleep as he is when he gets less. UGH! This is the kind of internal battle I fight with myself.

I also beat myself up about serving him hot dogs, about him still using a pacifier, and hitting the wall with potty training. It's not easy, whether you work or not. But my other mom friends are a great source of strength and support. My non-mom friends are also great about reminding me to have fun when I can.

I certainly don't have it all figured out, and I probably never will. I just know that I will continue to read one more book, rock a few more minutes, and give more hugs and kisses than Alex probably wants.

I miss my ponytail!

I miss my long hair. I've had long hair most of my life. About 3 years ago, it started getting shorter. I guess it was over 3 years ago... when I was pregnant with Alex I started getting shorter 'dos. I let it grow long enough for a ponytail, so I could pull it off my face when I was in the delivery room. I HATE having my hair in my face, especially when I'm sweaty. I left it long when I was asked to be a bridesmaid by my future-sister-in-law Sarah. I love up-dos. Then I went short again. And shorter. And shorter, and shorter. I wanted to look serious yet fun. I was also relying a bit too much on my ponytail as a fallback do. It was a time saver. But when I started thinking about job interviews, I looked at myself in my suit (I only had one wearable one at the time) and my ponytail... the look screamed "you are not in college anymore."

Don't get me wrong. Ponytails are very practical. I understand why so many women wear them. But I was trying to break into a new profession at the time, and felt like I personally needed to look professional... and the pony wasn't cuttin' it.

So I got it chopped off. I loved my new hairstyle. It saved me time in the morning. Most of my morning prep time was spent blowdrying. So it definitely had it's perks. It was fun. I could make it really wavy, or I could just let it go straight. Anything that gives me more time with Alex couldn't be all that bad.

But I've reached a crossroads with my short hair. I'm working out more now, and I hate having my hair flop in my face when I run. It's too short to pull back, it doesn't stay tucked behind my ears. I'm not good with the round brush, so blow outs are not happening. When I try to curl it, it gets a little too curly, and I end up looking like a mushroom, exactly the look that I don't want.

Last time I went in, I told my stylist I wanted to let it get longer on the sides, keeping it short in the back. I'm trying to be patient... but again with the hair falling in the eyes. It just annoys me.

So stay tuned as to what hairstyle I come up with next. The ponytail may be making a comeback.

Fun Weekend

It's been a busy but fun weekend. Saturday we cleaned all morning. Had to go out and get Craig a new winter coat... he busted the zipper on his old one. After a successful shopping trip, we went out to dinner at our favorite restaurant, Guadalupe. It was a great day.

Today, all three of us went to church together in the morning. We had lunch, and after Alex's nap, we headed up to the Tri-County YMCA in Menomonee Falls. They have a small waterpark up there, and we were desperate to do something fun and different. We got there about 4PM. The water was a little cooler than I expected. Alex was a little aprehensive at first. He kept saying he wanted to go home. But after about 10 minutes, he got used to it, and of course didn't want to go home. He played under all the sprinklers, went down the toddler slide in the zero- depth entry pool, watched Daddy and Mommy go down the two big waterslides. It was a blast! We just had such a good time. My friend Sara actually gave me the idea. She's enjoying a free 3 month membership that her brother (who lives in Illinois) won last year. She took her kids up there yesterday afternoon and had a good time too. So Sara, thanks for the idea!

Funny conversations with Alex

Friday in the car on the way home from daycare:

Alex: "I'm gettin' sick."
Me: "Really, what's wrong?"
Alex: "I choked."
Me: "You choked?! On what?"
Alex: "Shadow choked too."
Me: "Shadow choked? On what."
Alex: "On the carpet. She's fine."

Competely made up the story.

Saturday after helping me clean the house, while playing his xylophone:

Me: "Are you singing?"

Alex: "Yeah."

Me: "What are you singing?"

Alex: "Alleluia."

Saturday afternoon:

Alex: "Mom, I got boogies in my nose."

Me: "So take the Kleenex out of your pocket and wipe your nose."

Alex: "Okay. (wipes nose) Now what?"

Me: "Fold it back up and stick it in your pocket."

Alex: (Examines the Kleenex, completly disgusted by my suggestion, looks down his nose at me and says,) "But there's boogers on it."

Tuning up my workout

I am by no means a runner, but I’m trying to become one. I got an MP3 player for my birthday last year and I love it. It’s really helping me with my workouts. I find if I have the right song playing, I can run or go on the elliptical for 40 minutes and not even realize it. I find the elliptical easier on my joints, plus I don’t get as winded. But I have set a goal for myself of being able to run for 3 miles, either on a treadmill or on the track, by summer. I’m up to 1¼ miles… with the rest of the time spent walking briskly. I’m trying to work my way up. I also need to get better about adding strength training. I'm posting a list of songs I like for running. I would love to get some suggestions. Post them in comments!!!

Songs I like to Run to:
Start Me Up – Rolling stones
The Distance – Cake
Monkey Wrench- Foo Fighters
The Pretender- Foo Fighters
Best of You- Foo Fighters
All My Life – Foo Fighters
Times Like These (not the slow version)- Foo Fighters
Generator- Foo Fighters
Cold Hard Bitch- Jet
Do the Evolution – Pearl Jam
Wishlist- Pearl Jam
Doesn’t Remind Me- Audio Slave
The Underdog- Spoon
Paralyzer- Finger 11
Ray of Light- Madonna
Rehab- Amy Winehouse
Makes Me Wonder- Maroon 5
Fire It Up- Modest Mouse

Reconnecting

I got together with my girls from the TV station last night. It was great! I hadn’t seen them in over a month. There was a moment of panic though. Craig called me to say he had to work late, and didn’t know when he’d be home. I was really disappointed, emailed the group to tell them I couldn’t come. Then all of a sudden at 6:15, Craig called to say he was on his way home!

So I headed over to Amy’s apartment on the East Side. The group last night was Amy, Diane, Lacey, Steph and me. (We were short the other Amy. We missed her!) We had so much fun snacking and drinking wine. We talked about the joy of finding the perfect bra, work, food, losing weight, guys. The usual. Lacey is getting married in the fall, and I hope we’ll all be able to go down to central Illinois for her wedding. That’s my neck of the woods! Lacey actually went to Carl Sandburg College, which is in my hometown of Galesburg, before heading to Illinois State. Lacey’s fiancé Pat works with Craig, so we have quite a bit in common. She talked about wedding planning, wanting kids, wanting a house, she told us her engagement story. It was really fun to hear her so excited! (I also know she reads my blog, so I figured she should get a shout out! Hi Lacey!)

Steph just got cast in a play. I don’t know how she balances it all. She acts, she’s a special projects producer, she plays intramural sports, she’s a teen mentor, she does radio news on the weekends. She’s a busy gal!

Amy and I share a love of reading. We were cube mates at the station. I got her signed up on goodreads.com. I hope she'll keep updating her list. She gave me another book to read last night. It's called "Kabul Beauty School." I can't wait to read it.

We can always count on Diane to say something crazy or funny. It's always fun to hear what guy she's crushing on!

It’s a great group, and I’m glad I still get we still get together. I was worried when I left the TV job that I would lose touch with all these people that I liked so much. But we're really making an effort to get together as often as we can. Since the premiere of Grey's Anatomy last fall... some semblance of the group has gotten together nearly every week. I'm counting on us to keep it going!

Voter Turnout is a Joke

35% voter turnout for the primary? Are you kidding me? And we’re excited and proud of this?

We are a nation at war, whether you support it or not. We live in one of the most heavily taxed states (and despite those taxes have really crummy roads, which should be repaired with some of that money). It is a presidential election year. Every able-bodied person who CAN vote SHOULD!!! It’s our civic duty. Our country was founded with the intent of creating a government elected FOR the people BY THE PEOPLE! Hello? Anyone listening? The people that refers to… that’s US!

There are few excuses for not voting.

Can’t get to the polls? I believe there’s a hotline you can call for a ride. Most political parties will drive people to the polls.

No time to vote? The polls in Wisconsin are open from 7AM to 8PM. You make time for what’s important. Or vote absentee.

Don't know where you need to go to vote? Call the election commission in the municipality in which you live. Or call City Hall. They'll point you in the right direction.

Think your vote doesn’t count? In the past few years there have been a number of local contests that have been decided by just a few votes.

Don’t want to drag the kids? I can understand that to a point, but you’re setting an example by taking them with you to vote. One of my most vivid memories is my mom taking my younger brother and I with her to vote at the polling place at Cottage Hospital in Galesburg, Illinois. I remember how cool it felt to go into the voting booth (which was fitted with red, white, and blue striped curtains), closing the curtains, and watching my mom punch the ballot. I asked her lots of questions. I must have been in grade school at that point. That experience left an impression on me. My siblings and I all were super-excited to be able to vote when we turned 18. I think I’ve missed one election since then… and it was a really small local primary. And I felt bad about it for weeks.

I don’t care which political party or candidate you support. That’s your business not mine. And notice, ever the journalist, I kept my own personal politics out of it! That’s my business, not yours! Voting is a right and a duty that our forefathers and foremothers fought for. You have no right to complain about the government or the state of this country unless you get out there and vote. So remember this as the campaign season continues. When October rolls around, cast your vote absentee if you think you can’t make it to the polls. Call your friends, family, neighbors, whoever and see if they need a ride to the polls. Remind all your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers to vote.

I’m on a mission to get the voter turnout percentage up to a respectable number. I hope you’ll join me.

Center of the Political Universe

Wisconsin is at the center of the political universe today with the primary. Actually, it's been the center for about a week now. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Mike Huckabee have all spent a good deal of time touring the dairy state this past week. I hope they enjoyed the stay. Wisconsin is a pretty great state!

I must admit it feels weird to be out of the media loop this primary. I know I keep saying the same thing over and over. I sound like a broken record. There’s this weird camaraderie in TV news to begin with, or at least there was at my station. That feeling gets more intense on election night.

The group of producers that I worked with had known each other for so long that we developed this shorthand. I knew that Gary liked to break the tension with movie lines (mainly from “Office Space” and “Animal House”) and occasionally with lines from Beatles songs.
I knew that a picture of a Panda or a really cute dog would cheer Erin up… although candy usually worked too. And a good dirty joke always won Rob over. Amy and I relieved stress by cruising the celebrity trash websites for dirt on our favorite stars. Sometimes we needed to toss a Nerf football. Sometimes we needed to take a walk back to the art department.

As random emails from my former co-workers appeared in my inbox throughout the day (Erin left the “election theme music” on my voicemail!!!! hilarious!) I realized I was missing out on that excitement. I don’t miss working till god-knows-when, but I do miss being “in the know.” I miss stalking the wires for the latest returns. I miss coordinating live shots in the control room. Producing the perfect election cut-in, praying there would be results to show. I miss yelling at people in the stress of the moment, and knowing that later things will be okay, because things said under deadline stress don’t count.

I really felt like I was part of the democratic process on election night. It was a pretty cool job, and I'm glad to know that I got to be part of the process for a decade. I'm also glad I've moved on and found a job doing something I feel good about, that I enjoy, and that allows me more time with my family.

Date Night Follow Up

We ended up eating at Water Buffalo, a restaurant in Milwaukee's Third Ward. Great restaurant. I'd like to go back there in the summer. It's situated right on the Milwaukee River and they have outdoor seating. Couldn't really take advantage of that in the driving snow!!!

"The Lion King" was AMAZING. I have never seen anything like it. The procession at the beginning, the songs, the dancing, the costumes and masks. I could see it over and over. It was such a treat. When I worked at the TV station, we would often get tickets to opening night so we could write about the performance, review it, etc. I haven't been able to take advantage of that for awhile. So it was nice to get to a theater performance. I told Craig I'd like to go see "Spamalot" next month, too. But I don't know if we'll be able to do that or not.

Alex did very well with our friends the Strunks. It probably helps that we see them quite often. We're trying a babysitting share with them. So far so good! I'll babysit for them March 2 when they go to the Billy Joel concert.

It was also enjoyable to have grown-up time. I of course feel guilty for saying that. It's a mom thing. But it was nice to just focus on the two of us. It always kind of shocks me how when Craig and I are truly on our own, it takes awhile to remember how to talk to each other without Alex being the main subject. But once we get past that, we really reconnect as a couple. My New Year's Resolution is to have date night's more often. They don't need to be big expensive endeavors. We could go out for a burger and fries for all I care. We just need more couple time.

Random Thoughts from Alex

First off, a milestone of sorts. Alex just went down for his nap without his pacifier. He didn't ask, I didn't offer. So far he's been down for 20 minutes, and not a peep. I'm hoping this is the beginning of the end for dear old "nuk!"

As I was changing Alex's diaper yesterday, he starting checking his legs for "owwies." A scratch, bruise, bump... all of these are owwies in his mind. He actually got a doozie of an owwie yesterday. He ran through the living room, lost his footing and smacked his ear into the coffee table. His earlobe turned purple!!
What cracked me up was a little conversation Alex had with himself:
"I have one owwie there. And another one. And another one. And another one.
I have four owwies Mom. Look! This one's my favorite (pointing to his shin). And this one's your favorite (pointing to his knee)."

Date Night!

Date Night has finally arrived for the Hofers! Craig got us tickets to go see "The Lion King" for Valentine's Day, and tonight is the big night. My friend Sara and I worked out a babysitting trade. We're going to drop Alex off at their house, then go out for a grown up dinner (there will be no nuggets or fries involved), and then off to the theater. With the crummy weather, I was a little concerned we might have to skip dinner. I was afraid they might cancel the performance... which they actually did the day that we got the 16 inches of snow! But so far we're on! Hooray! I'm sure I'll write tomorrow about the show. I've never seen it, so I'm especially excited. "The Lion King" is one of my favorite Disney movies ever. I've heard the staging and performance is so beautiful, so I can't wait!

Phooey on winter...

We woke up to rain today. Rain that froze shortly after hitting the ground. We also got hit with ice damming problems again (google ice damming). The water was coming in through the top of the big window sill in the dining room. Craig was out in rain for an hour trying to chip the ice off the roof. The rain seems to have slowed now. Thank goodness. Now it's just a slushy, icy, frozen mess.

The Earring Abyss

I don't know what it is about me and earrings, but I always seem to lose earrings. Well, I seldom lose the pair, but I tend to lose just one, breaking the set. It's starting to get annoying. My problem is I like dangly earrings. Not ones that hang down to my shoulders, just ones that hang a little past my earlobe.

Yet again today I have lost an earring. It actually happened some time last night. My sister called, I had on new earrings that I just ordered at a friends Lia Sophia party, I took one off while we were on the phone because it kept clinking the phone reciever. That was the last time I saw the pair. Craig picked up an earring off the floor this morning in the living room and said, "This is yours." That's when I realized I didn't remember taking the earrings off last night before I went to bed. I've been tearing apart my room, the living room, the kitchen, the couch, the laundry chute all to no avail. I don't want to give up because I really like these earrings. I've resorted to prayers to St. Anthony, patron saint of lost items. I hope he's not having too busy of a day! I really want to find that earring.

The ironic part... I bought these earrings to go with a necklace my friend Sangeeta made me. When she gave me the necklace... she gave me matching earrings too. I lost one of those earrings as well. So I have a mismatched pair of earrings to go with my necklace. BOO!

Missing the Rush

The NIU shooting story caught my attention today, for obvious reasons. It's a sad story, but it made me really miss news for a brief moment. When there are big breaking national stories like that, newsrooms have access to many different wires services that provide you with tons of information. Not being able to access that information was frustrating today. Since Illinois is my home state I was particularly interested in the story. It really made me miss my old job, if only for a minute.

Feeling better, still sick of winter

I'm feeling much better. I went to work on Tuesday, and just ate very light to let my stomach get better. I had a lot to do at work both yesterday and today, so I couldn't afford to miss any more.

We got more snow yesterday. It snowed ALL DAY! I would say we got about 4-6 more inches. There's at least 2 1/2 feet of snow on the ground right now. With more expected by the end of the week. At first it was funny. It felt like an adventure. After all, I lived through the blizzard of '99. I actually got stuck in the Quad Cities for two days. I was home for my first Christmas break after starting grad school. I called my old TV station to see if they wanted me to cover shifts so the producers could take time off over the holidays. Everyone was ecstatic... plus it gave me a chance to make some cash. It started snowing on my way to work that afternoon (a Friday) and didn't stop until Sunday morning. Craig was in Milwaukee at that point. His parents offered to drive in and pick me up... but the highways between Reynolds and the QC were bad. They shut the interstates down. So I ended up crashing on the couch of one of the reporters. We kind of knew each other, but really hadn't hung out enough for me to be sleeping on his couch. He had no food in his apartment. I had no clothes to change into, so I had to borrow sweats to sleep in. We made a quick run to the grocery store then headed back to his place. He couldn't have been nicer. It was just a weird situation. I think that was the same winter that Milwaukee got 50 inches of snow in a months time.

All this snow reminds me of that blizzard. Of course, this time it's spread out. I read in the paper today that we had nearly 75 inches of snow in Milwaukee for winter... so far. Amazingly, that doesn't even make the top ten list for "most snow in a winter."

I'm just tired of the weather. It's getting expensive too. The first snow back in December was sloppy and resulted in ice damming on our roof. (Google it if you don't know what I'm talking about.) We had water seeping in through cracks in the ceiling, in the basement, and through the windows in the kitchen and dining room. Now we're getting estimates to have the walls cut up and repaired so we don't end up with mold. Then just today I hit a massive pothole on my way home from work today. Blew my front passenger side tire. Just last month someone hit my car and knocked the passenger side mirror off the car... and they kept on driving. I hope we can make it through winter with no more major repairs!!!

And I know Craig is sick of shoveling, roof raking, snow blowing, and working in the cold. Here's hoping spring starts soon!

What to do when Momma's got the flu?

I went into work today feeling alright. I had an old shirt on with a new necklace, a sassy skirt, some sassy boots. I looked good. On the inside, my stomach was a bit rumbly, but I blamed it on the chili I made for dinner last night, and the bad night's sleep I got. As the morning wore on, it got worse. My head started to hurt in the front and back. I had a pain in my neck... literally. But I had a huge lunch meeting I had to help out with, so I convinced myself it would pass. Boy was I wrong. The smell of the food we ordered was starting to get to me. I actually had to excuse myself twice. I prayed so hard all day that I wouldn't get sick AT work. I made it through the meeting, then ran for my office and shut the door. I put my head down on the desk, and again prayed that it would just pass. It wasn't passing and with ever tick of the second hand on my watch it was just getting worse. I went into my boss's office and said "I've got to leave. Now. I've almost thrown up twice." He wished me well, and every time I hit a red light I prayed I wouldn't get sick in the car, or get into an accident. I finally made it home. Tore off my really cute outfit, put on sweats, and then laid down on my bed. Whew. Then I tore for the bathroom and got sick.

UGH! I hate being sick. This is the second time in the last three weeks I've gotten sick. Both times have been on Mondays. It's not a pattern. And I'm not pregnant. This seems to be the first question out of anyone's mouth when a 32 year old woman with one child over the age of 2 throws up. "You're not pregnant are you?" Three people have asked me this question today. No, I'm not, and it's none of your business anyway! I'll have baby number two when I'm darned good and ready to! And right now, I'm not ready!!! Okay. That vent is over.

So I rested most of the afternoon. Caught up on my work related emails. Even dealt with a couple of media calls to my cell. Picked Alex up and made him some dinner. Managed to eat some toast and drink a 7-Up. I just wanted to lay on the floor all night. But Alex kept me going. Craig called to check in on me a couple of times (he works night shift on Mondays). I'm glad I haven't gotten sick anymore, but I'm still not 100%. I need to get a good night's sleep tonight, and I hope I feel better tomorrow.

Feeling Crafty

It must be the cold. I'm feeling crafty. I've always loved trying new craft projects, especially if their easy and inexpensive. I've done counted cross-stitch, made knotted friendship bracelets, made decorative soap, dabbled in beading, and even taken a stab (quite literally) at knitting.

I'm almost finished reading "The Friday Night Knitting Club." It's a great read, by the way. If you need a chick-lit book to cleanse your mental palate like I did (I read 3 really heavy books right in a row), I highly recommend it. It's not all light-hearted... there are some serious parts. But I'm enjoying it. At the end of this book are directions for how to knit a scarf. I've now got it in my head that I need to knit a scarf.

My dad's mom knitted and crocheted. She made us blankets, afghans, slippers, hats... she even made me legwarmers in the second grade! She was a whiz. When I was in about seventh grade, I begged her to show me how to knit. So she did, and I learned the basics. I can cast on, I can knit and purl, I think I remember how to bind the edges, and I may even have learned how to increase stitches. The directions for the scarf looked pretty easy. I understood most of the terms used. There's even a website for the fictional yarn shop that is the setting for the book that has the instructions for this scarf. It's supposed to be instructions that even the worst knitter can muddle through.

I've also been wanting to try my hand at jewelry making again. I've made a few pairs of earrings and bracelets. But I just bought a Lia Sophia necklace (that I love) which I'm convinced I could have made myself for about a third of the price. So I dug out the beads I keep buying with the intention of making something to see if I might need more. I decided, of course, that I needed more stuff to make a piece of jewelry or two.

I loaded Alex into the car, went to church, and then we headed to Michael's crafts. I picked up some yarn and giant knitting needles (the instructions say the bigger the needles, the faster your project will go) and I grabbed some beading stuff to try to finish a few beading projects.

As soon as I'm done with this post, I'm going to whip up a pot of chili, then I'm going to start crafting something more than just words. I just hope Alex take a nice LONG nap!

My Snow Heroes

Officially, we ended up with 12-14 inches of snow from the snow storm yesterday. I think those totals are way off. The snow was blowing and drifting a lot, and I believe it was closer to 18 inches. My mom called yesterday evening, while it was still snowing. While I was chatting with her I heard the faint sound of a snowblower. I couldn't make out the figure clad in black and covered in snow. I kept squinting trying to figure it out. I finally decided it was my neighbor, Don. Don did our driveway and all the sidewalks. He even plowed around my car. I called his house thinking he was done. His wife Elaine answered and I asked her to pass on my thanks. We actually had a nice chat. About 15 minutes later, they called me back, offering to help push my car up the driveway. It took some serious pushing, too. After a good 4 hours out in the snow it was pretty well stuck. I promptly baked some brownies, which I will deliver to Don tomorrow with a six pack of really good beer.

Craig got home about 7:30. His car was out in the station parking lot all day in the blizzard. It took him about an hour to dig out. He then came home to dig out the driveway again, then scrape the snow off the roof with the roof rake.

So Craig, Don, and the lady who pushed me out of the intersection yesterday... they're my snow heroes.

Still more Alex funnies

"I can't see! Whoa, it's amazing!" -- Alex on the ride home from daycare, commenting on the heavy snowfall

"What song is this?" Alex
"Bohemian Rhapsody" Me
"Oh... I like it. I like it better than the other song. It's pretty."


"You know what? I love you. It's okay." Alex to me as I was expressing frustration while driving home.

That's it, we're moving someplace warm!

It's been snowing since last night. I know it's winter. I know I live in Wisconsin. But this is ridiculous. We had something like 27 inches of snow in December. Now we are in the midst of the worst snow storm I believe I've ever seen in my 32 1/2 years on this earth. Minimum of 18 inches already on the ground, and an hour and a half left in the storm warning.

I went to work Downtown this morning, and it was the easiest commute ever. We decided to shut down operations at 2PM. I left my office at 1:30PM, and it took me 45 minutes to get to Alex's daycare. He was happy to see me, but that was the single worst drive home ever. I don't think I've ever driven in snow that bad.

I actually got stuck in an intersection. A really nice woman got out of her car and helped push me through. (WOMAN POWER! At least 4 big pickups driven by men went around me. The woman in the minivan stopped!)



Below right, please notice my car, stuck at the end of the driveway. Our drive has a bit of an incline. Add 18 inches of snow (still coming down) and you have trouble. My plan if I couldn't get into our drive was to park at the neighbors (who are in Vegas). They have a level drive. I couldn't get into ANYONE's drive. So I just managed to get far enough off the street so the plows could get by to do their job.

More picture explanations. Top, the view of the wooded area that divides the two sides of our street. In the spring it's pretty, and full of wild life, even though we're in a fairly suburban area. Today it looks like a postcard for winter tourism.
Middle, one of our bushes heavy with snow.

The snow is deeper than our dog is tall, so when poor Shadow went out to potty, you could barely tell if she was going. I tried to shovel out a little spot for her, but it was already filled in by the next time she went out.

On the upside, Alex and I get a little more time together. This is my first snowday since college. I don't have to spend the day writing unique headlines for the "White Death."
But I am truly tired of snow.

I'm in a Journalist's Hell

It's Super Tuesday, and my DirecTV is OUT!!! "AUGH!!!" to quote Charlie Brown.

It's very odd to be out of the media in an election year as big as this one.

(I know... finally a post about the media. The title of the blog finally comes full circle.)

For the most part, I haven't missed the craziness of my former station. I miss the people. I'm a know-it-all, so I missing knowing every detail about every story. But I don't miss the stress. I don't miss the egos. I don't miss the Monday Morning quarterbacking of the managers (i.e. coming up to you after your show and questioning your lead, when the lead hadn't changed in the 4 hours before the show aired).

But I'm going to miss working election night. True, it always posed a child-care challenge. But election nights really made me feel good about my job. It was so cool waiting for the results to come in knowing we could be wating history in the making. Watching the acceptance and concession speeches, listening for just the right soundbite, then yanking a tape from a machine, racing back to the edit bays to tell the editors "I know exactly where the in- and out-points are." It was really a rush.

It's especially odd for me, because this time, my old anchor is now working for the competition. It's great form him. He is a Journalist... with a big J. I strove to be a big J journalist. Now he's doing political reporting for the competition. It's a great fit for him... as our stations was headed about as far away from Big J Journalism as you could get.

"Explosive investigation!"

"The food you eat could kill you!"

"The food you eat could prevent death!"

"More exclamation points!!!!!"

But now I can't even watch Super Tuesday coverage (mainly to see who survives, and to see how much of an impact the very late Wisconsin primary will have, if any) because of the snow storm! I'm sure tomorrow all the stations will all be in wall-to-wall coverage of the 18-24 inches of White Death we're supposed to get tonight. Okay, I don't miss over-hyped weather coverage either, even though I know and understand how much it can drive up ratings.

This media mom will just have to get her news from the internet tonight.

What in the world was I thinking?

Working where I do (the YMCA) there's really no excuse for not working out... other than being horrendously bogged down with projects or meetings, which happens from time to time.
I've been pretty busy the last couple of weeks, but I'm trying to make it to the gym 2-4 times a week. Didn't get there yesterday, but I did today. I like running on the elliptical. I'm a visual exerciser. I need the boost I get from seeing how many calories I've burned or how far I've gone. I also like knowing when my 30 minutes of cardio is done. Today, all the ellipticals were taken. It's been awhile since I went any kind of distance on a treadmill, but I thought "What the heck? I can do 30 minutes on the elliptical at a pretty good pace, certianly it's time to really try and run."

Oh man was that stupid! I was listening to some great music on my MP3 player (some Rolling Stones, Cake, Foo Fighters) and was really rocking out. I walked fast for 5 minutes to warm up, then I started running. I ran half a mile. Then I kept going. I ran 3/4 of a mile. I had to stop and walk a bit, catch my breath. Then I ran another third of a mile. Walked a little more for a cool down. When it was over, I had run over a mile, and walked about half a mile. I haven't run a mile in at least 3 years. I've never been much of a runner, so this was quite an accomplishment for me. I was getting that endorphine rush. I got a huge drink of water and headed for the locker room. After I got dressed and headed for the car, it hit me. The seizing muscles. My feet felt like two ton weights. I caught a glimpse of myself in the rearview mirror and I was beet red.

I'm sure I'll be feeling worse tomorrow. But you know what? I ran a mile today!!!! And while my body aches, it feels REALLY GOOD knowing I did it!

More hilarious quotes from the two year old

It was misting and freezing last night on the way home. After we got out of the car, I warned Alex that it was slippery. He said, "Whoa, I slipped." Then he looked up and said, "It's slippery in my eyes!!"

We're having some sleep problems with him. As a first-time parent, I'm still learning what to do. Sleepless nights are especially hard now. Craig and I are both exhausted from work. Craig knows I'm a sucker and would probably rock Alex back to sleep, or lay on the couch with him all night long, so Craig usually goes in there to quiet Alex back down. Alex has gotten up the last two nights, and for about the last week, he's been getting up between 5AM and 6AM. While that waking time isn't awful, Craig goes in to work later than I do (8AM for me, 10AM for him) so it can be painful to get up that early for both of us, either from exhaustion, or running around late.

So last night he woke up twice. The second time he was up for nearly half an hour. We're beyond crying it out. The longer he cries, the more upset he gets. A couple of times he burped and I thought he was going to be sick, but he wasn't. He hasn't had much of an appetite, so I thought maybe he wasn't feeling well. I sent Craig into the guest room to plug in a night light and set up the pop-up trundle. Alex and I slept in there together for a few hours till it was time to wake up. Needless to say, I'm tired today.

I'm not sure what the deal is with the sleep issue. Alex is still in a crib, so maybe he's ready for a big bed. I decided to take a baby-step tonight and gave him the flattest pillow I could find. He was thrilled. We'll see if it works! I'm crossing my fingers!!!

searching for something

I was surfing the web over my lunch today and I found the website for the Newman Center in Iowa City. I got really nostalgic. So much so that I teared up a bit. My first week of college I went to mass at the Newman Center… and discovered my church home-away-from-home. It has a phenomenal liturgical singing group, simply named “The Newman Singers.” It is a vibrant community full of students and community members as well. It was a place that made me feel like I belonged.

I went on a retreat, called “Antioch” in the fall of my freshman year. It was a community building retreat, and as a result I met some great people. I also became a Eucharistic Minister, something I wanted to do since high school. Every week I went to church. Sometimes alone. Sometimes with my roommates or a friend. It didn’t matter. I felt like I was an active part of that congregation. My four years at Iowa went by very quickly. Before I knew it, I was standing at the front of the church the week before I graduated, telling everyone what I majored in and what I would miss most after graduating. Without a doubt, I miss the Newman Center the most.

It’s something I’ve been searching for ever since. The closest I’ve come since moving to Milwaukee was my time as a parishioner at St. Robert in Shorewood. I was a Eucharistic Minister there as well. I was sad to leave St. Robert when we moved to Wauwatosa. I shopped around for churches. I liked the physical structure of St. Margaret Mary, but wasn’t too thrilled with the main priest (though I really liked the assistant pastor). I tried Mother of Good Counsel, and really liked the priest but didn’t like church. Nothing seemed to fit. I’m registered at St. MM, but I still don’t know if it will be a permanent fit.

Being active is harder now that I have a two year old, and a husband who is supportive of me being Catholic, but is Methodist himself. I want to be a Eucharistic Minister again, but who will stay in the pew with Alex, since mostly it’s just the two of us going to church? I know it’s only going to get more difficult as Alex gets older and as our family expands. (God-willing!)

I don’t know if I need to shop around for churches again or not. I just know I want that feeling back… the feeling of belonging to a larger parish family. Sometimes I hear a song that we sang at the Newman Center at church, and I'll belt the song out with my voice cracking, and tears welling in my eyes. It's close to that feeling... and I'm hopeful that eventually I'll feel like I belong.

True Confessions

Time for a couple of confessions. One is just something I need to get off my conscience. The other is something silly.

Two weeks ago, one of Alex's daycare teachers gave us a big bag full of VHS tapes. There was some Barney, Sing Along Songs, a couple of things I didn't recognize. She heard me bemoaning the fact that Alex liked 3 movies... "Cars," "Shrek," and "The Lion King." She has 3 kids, all of whom are too old for some of their videos, and they rarely used their VHS. So she offered to give them to us. I politely declined, trying to explain that I had been collected Disney and other animated movies since I was in high school, knowing someday I'd have kids of my own to share them with.

Much to my surprise, by the end of that week, she brought in a giant bag of movies. I tried to tell her no, but she insisted. I drove around for a week with these movies in the trunk of my car. Few people I know have VHS anymore. I didn't have room or desire for these movies (some of which had been taped off of television). I tried to think of a logical place to donate them... a school, a daycare, but couldn't come up with anything good.

Okay here's the confession. I hope it doesn't change anyone's opinion of me.

I threw them out. They went out with the garbage on Monday. There's no getting them back.

Don't get me wrong. I don't mind getting things second hand. In fact, a big chunk of Alex's wardrobe is made up of things given to me by my sister, Jen, after her 3 boys, or my friend Sara, after her 2 boys. I'm grateful for things like clothes... things I can actually use. But the movies? I have a couple dozen animated movies. Not to mention about a hundred other movies that I don't have room for. I didn't know what to do with them, and clearly this woman wanted to get rid of them. In a moment of frustration, the went into the trash can. And now it's too late. Oh well!

The other silly confession... I like fruit roll-ups. I'm sure there's little (if any) redeeming nutritional value. They're just so yummy. And it cracks me up that Alex calls them "Fruit Pull Ups."