The End of the Night

Well, the night ended in with its usual flair of last minute craptitude. Everything was running pretty smooth and then everything went to hell in a hand basket. We were scrambling to get on the air of 11 and some how barely made it... many obscenities were said in multiple 100 yard dashes to and from the live truck.

Besides work, Franklin St crowd was a lot smaller this year and part of the reason seems to be the roads in and out of town (the police were routing most of the traffic through one street and because they did not close the street off till after 10. Yet there was much to be seen, the biggest costumes were pretty obvious

• Sara Palin


• The Joker


• Batman


• bee outfits (slutty and guy)


• pirates
  

As I mentioned last year I always love the "slutty" outfits, it’s strange that young girls (and some older ones that did not need to be slutty) strut around in barely anything and I have to look at it. I kept telling The Wife that they were everywhere and I could not but accidental gaze upone them for a split second.
Besides that it was a typical Halloween, maybe one day I will not be stuck in a giant truck doing work and I will be wearing a cool costume... maybe the sea captain from the Simpsons, or Ponch from CHiPs

6 O'clock down, the 7, 11 and More to Go

The six o' clock show is over and the only issue has been the IFB (the thing reporters have in their ear so the producer can give them cues) was cutting in and out. Not so big of a problem, but it's Halloween and people who do not need to worry about such things need to relax (I'm looking at you Mr Anchor type person). We don't have enough extension cord for monitors and we are just at the edge of the wireless IFBs, the one easy fix is for me to call the producer and they relay commands and info through me.

Everything went smooth and the only glitch was the reporter did not realize I was cuing her to go so there was a three second pause. People at home probably thought she was on a satellite shot and it wasn't a problem. So far so good. I'm waiting for the pain to begin.

Chapel Hill Live Blog Hell

Today is Halloween, a holiday I actually like prior to coming to North Carolina. Since I've been here I now hate this holiday more than anything. The reason why, I have to cover Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. Pretty much it's like Ohio University, only smaller, but with my previous history with the town, it makes for a bad night. To recap last year, I laid 1000 feet of cable four different times (each time to a roof of a three story building) was surrounded by idiots and was kicked off the roof by the town snipers (their only reason for this... "we don't like the TV stations").

I've prepared myself for the worse and so far at 5:04 everything is going OK. The only problem so far is the live truck they gave me only had 500 feet of cable. That's 150 feet short, luckily I brought an extra cable. I'm going to try and do updates with photos through out the night, I don't know how often I will be updating, but between here and facebook you will be able to see how bad or easy the night will go.

Look At That Wiener!

The Serg and I were driving back from an assignment involving false voter rumors about early voting when The Serg states; "Hey, I think that's the Wiener mobile." Of course I over react and scream where and then I see it. I was just going to continue on to the station, but The Serg wanted a closer look and I obliged by cutting across three lanes of traffic and cutting off an old lady. As I am racing around a hotel parking lot, I ask if we should talk a picture. The Serg gave me a look like I was stupid for asking. "Yeah!"

Why are two guys in their 30s so interested in the wiener mobile. All I can think of is that this is a part of our child hood and some how we are still trying to connect with that time of innocence in our lives. Then it's a freaking car shaped like a hot dog! I so want to drive it!

Wake Me On November 5th

I am sitting in the newsroom finishing a story and for some reason I decided to watch another Presidential debate and to be honest I feel even less like voting for either of these clowns. It feels like this election has been going on for a couple of years and over the last few months I feel like it's been a constant stream of political attack adds and I just want this whole thing to be over.

Both John McCain and Barack Obama have made this election another muckfest with attacks on each other and have helped lower the expectation of our leaders. I'm tired of the Democrats attacking McCains age, his connection to Bush and how insane Palin is. I am tired of the Republicans trying to connect Obama to terrorists, Arab and inexperienced. I have an idea, why don't you actually talk to us about how you are going to make us a better country not how your opponent is going to destroy it. I understand you need to go over your "talking points" but I have not really heard anything that will make me want to vote for them.

I love how I keep hearing how this is a "historic election." How do we know this? Did Dr Brown come back in the Delorean and tell us that this was historic? Only time can tell us how historic this election will be. Yes, I understand this is the first major party to have an African American and this is the second time a woman is running for Vice President, but that it. Who knows this could turn out to be Pierce vs Scott and both of these guys will end up as footnotes. We need to stop call every Presidential election as historic.

I still think this country is ripe for a new major political party, but it probably will never happen. The Democrats and Republicans have become too polarized for their own good. Yet with the political stronghold these two parties have over the media and the country it will take a miracle for a new party to form and have any chance of succeeding or has a new party already has made inroads and that's why I am voting for Wiggum.

Hippy Car

While working with The Serg we drove past a Prius with the vanity plate "Im Green." This leads to the conversation of how the Prius has become the new Volkswagon Beetle. Just look at the picture to the left, I know this is a little extreme but it's not too far off. Why are people who want to be "green," so full of themselves. They have to tell the world... look at me, I'm driving a car that uses less gas than you. Well good for you, but I could care less. Your car still runs on gas so you are still being controlled by the man so suck it!

I don't want to know what your political views are and since you are driving a Prius I would have never figured out that you hate the war, George Bush, you probably are a vegetarian and are annoying. Yes, I would like us to get away from oil and I also recycle, but you need to dial it down with your piuos Prius... stupid hippies.

401K equal Zero

With Wall Street in turmoil and the Stock Market doing it's best Kamakazi impersonation I had no desire to look at my 401K plan. This is the first job where I actually make enough to put money in and not have to eat Ramaen Noodles for a month. I heard the horror stories from the others in the newsroom and knew that at times it was at a 26% loss and I had to be around that number.

Then today I get an email from Fidelity with this message in giant letters:

Thoughts on investing in a volatile marketplace.

Holy crap, this can't be good? They are telling me not to panic, but I am panicking! Oh crap oh crap oh crap! I asked around if this was bad, and The Serg said I should not look at my portfolio. Of course what do I do, I log on and find out I've lost 36.5% of my portfolio.

To put this in to prospective; I've lost everything I have put into my 401K in the past year plus $300. I'm not as bad off as some of the people in the station, but how am I going to make this back? I did a little bit of changing, like drop all of my company stock (hasn't made money since I've been here) and took some of the riskier investments and put into simple bonds that will make money. I know I am young and can be and need to be a little risky, but I can't ever have this happen again. To loss a years worth of work when I could have used that money to... I don't know pay off credit cards or make a house payment.

Truckasaurus

I had one of those days at work so when I got home I grabbed a cigar a beer and my iPod and watched a couple of Simpsons episodes. One in particular was Bart the Daredevil, the main plot of the episode is Bart's attempt at becoming a daredevil, but that's not the part of the story that I am writing about. I'm writing about the beginning and the name sake of this episode.

The episode starts of with Bart and Homer watching a wrestling match at different locations. During my youth wrestling was a father and son event. I remember sitting there with my dad watching plenty of matches, I was still at the age where I thought wresting was real. My father was a little smarter than Homer in the fact he knew it was all staged, yet he still allowed me to think it was real.

Then a commercial pops up in the episode promoting a monster truck rally featuring Truckasaurus. When I was Bart's age for some reason monster truck rallies were huge. To this day I have no idea why, but it was the 80s and well, that was a weird time for all. My sister Julie use to work at a local UHF station and she would have have the abilities to get free tickets for all of these rallies. Of course I would beg her to get us a couple and on occasion we could go. Along with the monster trucks they would have side show attractions and there was actually a Truckasaurus. I never had the chance to see it, but as a 10 year old it was my dream, yet he never came to the Tri-State area.

Why was a giant robot dinosaur truck so big? It couldn't do much, it would pick up a car, put it in it's metal mouth and chomp down and throw some flames. Wait a second, that does sound kind of kick ass. I wonder if Truckasaurus will make a return trip and come to Raleigh?

UPDATE!!!

Via email from my sister the actual name of the real robot dinosaur that eats cars is actually Robosaurus. She was watching Barrett Jackson Car Auction and the original owners could not afford to keep Robosaurus so they had to sell it and using Barrett Jackson. That cracks me up, that an invention of the 80s was sold at a car auction. Then I went to the website and guess what, he's going to be in Charlotte! Too bad gas is so expensive and I have to work or I would be so there to see Robosaurus.

Shananagins!

Do you see this cute little bugger? That is baby Cash Replogle, ain't he a cute little guy? Wait, he isn't named Cash? Shawn and Melissa went with Nathan? Did they not see the poll? Look over to the right folks 53% of the votes wanted, NEY demanded he be named Cash. Even regular readers have written me and want action:

J.B..... I'm filing an official protest if that baby isn't named
"CASH"!!!!! Put it on Polkamoney...put it on the station website.....put it on
the other station website....I don't care!!!!! That baby is two words!!!!
AWE-SOME!!!! He looks like he's ready to go out and shoot on day one of
his life!!! He looks like Shawn!!!! That's the only problem!!

We must fight this naming, you have spoken and must rise up and take action. We have to find a crappy lawyer who will find some kind of league loophole that will allow us to change his name.

VIVA LA CASH!

Dog Sittng

Last night Shawn and Melissa went to the hospital because baby Cash caught the Orange Blossom Special and wants out. While Shawn was on his way to the hospital and asked if I would watch their dog Titus. I can watch Titus, I'm a viking at dog watching! So I grab Titus and a few items Shawn ask I bring to the hospital to them and head on over to the house.

If you are wondering, Lucy and Titus get along, they act a lot like Chester and Spike from the old Warner Brothers cartoons. Titus is Spike and Lucy is Chester, the second we walk in the door, Lucy is running around Titus and going insane. Titus growls and Lucy backs off. I let them outside, Titus is sniffing around and Lucy runs laps around Titus. It took Lucy about two hours to calm down.

I love watching them play out these rolls, it's good for Titus because he gets interaction with other dogs. For Lucy it wears her out a little bit, she has a lot of energy and this helps her be calmer at nights.

What If

I came home one day and was bored so I started going to my usual websites and then I noticed something new on the address bar, yearbookyourself.com. Then I wasted about an hour and a half of my life. The big thing with the site is you upload a picture and it will add your face to a yearbook picture from a just about any year from 1950 to 2000. The older ones are the best.

Who ever created this idea needs to get a Nobel prize or a least a hug. After I used a few of my photos I got the idea to use people I know. Hmmm who would be a great person to use this tool on. The Wife? no, I give her enough grief. I've got the perfect person.

Wilson! I love the fact I found a picture with deer in the head lights look. I think he needs to let the hair grow and get this look.