Let me Be a Tourist
It seems even more appropriate now to be writing this after reading Larche’s blog about road trips. He will probably be rest assured to know that the age-old sense of adventure and exploration behind a wheel with the windows rolled down still lives on strong.
Road trips have developed into traditions for me, with certain rituals associated with them like midnight stops for sketchy gas station food, or an unexpected visit to a restaurant chain I hadn’t seen since I was 12 and visiting my step-family in the mid-west.
Finding I had a rare 3-day weekend for my labor day, I couldn’t let it go to waste. My room-mate Carrie and I packed up the backseat of my car (because the trunk is reserved for beach toys) and headed to Orlando for some stereotypical tourism. Since our destination was the Island of Adventure we found it only fitting to wear bandannas and listen to pirate music along the way.
But what makes a great road trip is the unexpected. Even if at the time it seems bad, it still creates some conflict which makes for a great story afterward.
On the way to Orlando we got stuck in a terrible thunderstorm… which actually seemed to follow us for several hours like one of those cartoons where there’s a cloud overhead. At one point Carrie and I were rolling along when all of a sudden we heard a loud noise and went blind for a few seconds. I don’t know how close that bolt of lightning came to my car, but I know it was too close for comfort.
Shortly afterward, my gas light went on and I searched for an exit only to find that Florida is a very spread out state, full of spaces of nowhere in between.
When we finally found an exit, I merged off the interstate, turning right at a red light trying to coast into the gas station across the street. I made it to about 100 feet away, not because I ran out of gas (which I really was afraid I would do) but because I got pulled over for failing to come to a complete stop at that red light at 2a.m.
Mad as I was, I got even angrier when I discovered that this county in particular had unique fines just for that offense. One ticket for $183 later, we arrived at our destination shortly afterward… battered, worn, but not discouraged.
The rest of the weekend went off without a hitch. Carrie and I were complete tourists, wide-eyed at the rides, shows, and hilarious characters Universal had to offer. We went to two parks and spent some time on CityWalk where a great live band with a very talented saxophone player made the bumps in the road seem small and trivial.
One last thing I realized about road trips, the road home is always quieter and more smooth. Hey! I called Panama City home!
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5th Time’s a Charm!
I’ve been waiting to write this entry.
There’s a funny thing about news, sometimes stories don’t work, video comes back worse than expected, or other unforeseeable events happen to throw a wrench into your otherwise routine day.
Your story or video or idea gets “killed” as we say in the industry.
I’m discovering that one of the tools we use in news for certain stories is less than reliable.
I’ll spend the majority of the day working on a story, preparing to go live on location with that big News13 truck you’ve probably seen roam the streets once in a while. So excited about doing my first live shot last week, I scrambled to finish and drive out to pier park for a story on the pier’s reconstruction.
What I learned was how many factors go into that 20-30 seconds of live action that must be precise in order for it to be successful.
Low satellite signals, inclement weather, and timing all play large roles into getting it on air.
Over the past two weeks, I learned about every one of these things as I anticipated going live for a second, third, and fourth time. But finally, today I can say I’ve gone live on location!
It was fun :)
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One of Those Day
Sometimes you see it coming as soon as you wake up. You open your eyes, throw your alarm across the room and think, “it’s going to be one of those days.” But the true epitome of one of those days is when you don’t even see it coming.
Today, I walked into the newsroom unaware that it was about to be one of those days and I received an investigative assignment right off the bat. I began investigating of course, and paid little attention to the announcement being made during the morning meeting because I was busy making phone-calls and sending faxes to get some leads on a story. It wasn’t until I was running to the fax machine when I passed a co-worker who casually asked, “is your car maroon?” It was like the part of a movie where the camera zooms in on someone’s face and they play a flashback to a relevant moment. In my case, I saw the morning meeting and an announcement about how someone’s car was left running out in the lot.
At this point I ran out of the studio to that lot where I found my car parked, on and running, and locked… keys in the ignition. I quickly pulled a MacGyver and got in using my trusty reporter’s pen and skinny little girl arms.
But this was only the beginning.
It is a well-known fact that I’m new, and along with that and having a severely backwards sense of direction means I get lost… quite often. Today was of course, one of those days.
During my journey to Walton County, while making phone-calls, (though I don’t encourage talking on a cell phone while driving and this is one reason why,) I took a wrong turn and found myself headed 20 minutes out of my way only to realize I had an empty gas tank - at about the same time I realized I was in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, I got out of “nowhere” and was soon on my way… with the help of our lovely 6 O’clock producer Taylor.
What no one tells you about one of those days is that they can sometimes be contagious. Taylor, along with basically everyone else in the newsroom, had the misfortune of coming into contact with me that morning and therefore had caught “one of those days.”
Returning to the newsroom, I began editing my work when I heard my fellow semi-newbie, Megan, from the next edit bay say, “Why won’t the video send?” A few minutes later we found out the answer… our video system had crashed. Sometimes technology gets the best of you, and you must do the 5 O’clock newscast without video or graphics, telling the stories and summarizing while holding your notes in your hand.
After what turned out to be a surprisingly smooth but stressful broadcast, everyone seemed to want to disappear early for the evening, each leaving the building mumbling about having “one of those days.”
The good thing about one of those days is the learning that comes with it. I’m sure everyone learned something today about double-checking assignments, preparedness, and their own abilities to act under pressure to get a newscast on air.
I’m proud to be on a team that can be so successful even when it’s one of those days.
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About Me
I was born and raised just outside the nation's capital in northern Virginia, and recently graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a major of Broadcast Journalism and minor in International Relations. I studied abroad for a while in Italy and also traveled to Shanghai, China for a journalism class. During college I worked at CBS6 in Richmond, VA as well as FOX5 in Washington D.C. I'm glad to be in sunny Florida and look forward to making Panama City my home for the next few years...
Recent Entries:
- A Death, a Birth, and a New Year
- Difficult Times to Give Thanks
- World of Couch Potatoes
- Trying the Trolley - Day 5
- Trying the Trolley - Day 4
- Trying the Trolley - Day 2
- Trying the Trolley - Day 3
- Trying the Trolley - Day 1
- A Year-Old Newby
- Throwing a Bone
- Relay for Life a Success!
- Sometimes Too Removed
- Those Born Without Wings Should Jump Instead
- Those Born Without Wings Shouldn’t Fly
- February Sweeping me off my Feet
Other News13 Blogs:
- The Casual Historian - Larche Hardy
- Derby Girl - Enocha Van Lierop
- The Newby - Jessi Chapin
- Gainesville, Georgia's All American Girl - Tuquyen Mach
