Happy New Year's Eve

I've been awake since 2:00 a.m.

No, really. I have. And you want to know the best part (perhaps I should say worst part...)? It was on purpose.

And not so I could witness something amazing. You know, like a meteor shower, a cool lightening storm or a blue moon (that's tonight, by the way).

I was awake before the crack of dawn so I could be at work before the crack of dawn. And no matter how you look at it, no matter how far to one side or the other you tilt your head, when the clock says 2:00 a.m. when your alarm goes off it doesn't matter how much sleep you got the night before...your body just doesn't want to wake up.

So I get to work around 3:00 a.m. so I can sit in the booth for the two-hour long morning show. Then once the shows ended (Mr. Food did not stage another take over), I trotted back upstairs to fulfill my duties as Wayne, our cantankerous assignment editor.

Things were looking pretty grim for the planner - New Year's Resolutions story (nobody wants that), Fireworks Safety story (it's been done to death) - and I didn't know what miraculous story would be chosen for the 5:00 and 6:00 leads. Fortunately, the journalism gods smiled on me today and dropped a story right into my lap, and what a story it's turning out to be.

A guy called in, quite breathless I have to say, to report that a gym in downtown Enterprise was on fire. The tip turned out to be true. Lanny's 24 Hour Fitness had caught fire and the blaze was threatening the other businesses that shared its part of the block. So I called Denise (she happens to be stationed there so it was perfect!) and got the ball rolling.

Now we have two reporters in Enterprise: one to cover the "nuts and bolts" of the fire itself and one to cover the fire's impact on other business owners. We've already got pictures and even some video up on our web channel, along with the details we currently have. You can check all that out by clicking here. And of course those of you who just so happen to be in our viewing area can get all the details by tuning in to channel 4. We'll have live updates at 12:00, 5:00 and 6:00.

What a way to end 2009, huh? The last shows of the decade are destined to be a blazing success.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Mr. Food: The Take Over

This blog has absolutely no journalistic value whatsoever.

You know, other than it happens to be about a newscast. Today's Live at Lunch, to be precise. If you'd like to see the show (minus the end-of-show blunder), you can check it out on our web channel. Just make sure you click on the Live at Lunch link.

Anyway, here's what happened. It was a beautiful show... if you don't count the mics not being open for the beginning of the show (nothing like a whole bunch of random video playing and not knowing what it means) and the spectacular ending, which is what this blog is all about.

So I don't know if you know anything about Mr. Food. He's this crazy southern chef that we feature in our morning show and when we don't have two interview segments at noon we play him again. Today was one of those days... but his actual segment isn't where the problem was.

Apparently Mr. Food (he looks so innocent and friendly, doesn't he?) decided his minute and 45 seconds in the C block wasn't enough air time. No. He decided to make one last appearance.

This is how we end our show: the anchor and weather person are sitting in chairs (it looks more personable than having them at the desk). They talk about what's coming up on later shows, what's on the menu for the next day's Live at Lunch, and have a final look at weather. As the show is getting ready to end, they zoom into a computer (they remind you to look online for local headlines, etc.).

But that's not how today's show went down. When Joe, the director, hit the button for them to move into the computer who do you think shows up? A giant picture of Mr. Food. So Erica (anchor) and Martha (meteorologist) zoom out to sit in the middle of his face.

Meanwhile, the control room is going crazy. There are cries of Where the @*#$ did that come from?! and the director frantically punching buttons to get him off the screen. But we learned today that Mr. Food is a stubborn adversary. He would not disappear.

Thus, I dub today's episode of Live at Lunch Mr. Food: The Take Over.

Let's all fly South for the Winter!

First of all, let me start by saying I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend. I know I did. Good food, good family...and for the first time in a long time (at least it's been a while since I remember) it didn't rain on Christmas day!

So we've been tracking these endangered whooping cranes for about a month now at work. There are 23 of them traveling from Wisconsin down to Florida under the guidance of a team of experts who are trying to teach them how to migrate. It's all in an effort to reintroduce the whooping crane to North America.

Right now they are in north Alabama. We all hoped they would take off today and make their way further south, but as it turns out, although the weather is beautiful, if cold, the wind was too turbulent and they just couldn't keep their strength up long enough to fly above it.

Anyway, if this interests you at all (I know not everyone is a dork like me) you can track their progress here and read their field journal here.

Viral Videos of 2009

So I got finished producing my show early, and instead of posting more stories to the web like I should be doing, I was browsing on Yahoo (as usual) and found a bunch of videos. There are random categories, like Top 5 Viral Videos of 2009 and Top 5 Epic Fail Videos of 2009.

What led me there was a link about opening a banana like a monkey. I couldn't help myself. I had to know. Especially since I can never get into my bananas. It was so simple. I can't believe I never figured it out before.

The page was set up like a play-list, so after this banana video played it automatically moved on to another video...which was, in my opinion, really cool. Not that I would do it or anything. But still. I got a thrill just watching it.

If you'd like to see more videos of 2009, check out the playlist here.

Sir Elton John's Chrome-and-Glass Palace

Sir Elton John has sold more than 200 million records in his 40-year career as a rock star.

He has homes in Atlanta, France, Italy and England, and recently he and his partner, filmmaker David Furnish, decided they needed a home in Los Angeles.

Who am I kidding? This apartment is more like a rock palace.

The couple invited Architectural Digest into their 3,000 square foot 70s inspired chrome-and-glass palace. I originally found this story here, and you can read the Architectural Digest article, as well as see more pictures here.

Check out the view. Wow.

I really like the chandelier. It's from the Grand Hotel in Milan.

Also, and I know it's random, I like the picture on the left side of the door.

Presto!

Because everyone needs a little amusement in their life.

Things Men Don't Know About Women

I found a very intriguing article from Esquire.

You can read it here.

Anyway. It's called "12 Things You Don't Know About Women". What it did was take 12 female celebrities and ask them for relationship and dating advice. While they were all mostly true and a lot were funny, of course I'm not going to repost the entire article (that's called copyright infringement). So I'm just going to post my top three favorites... and also the one that made me literally lol.

1. "Call us back right away. That 'three day' business does not apply. We're getting older, and we don't have time to screw around. Wait too long and we'll lose interest. Trust me on this one." - Christina Applegate

2. "When considering whether or not to ask out the girl you're afraid to talk to, keep this in mind: No matter who you are or what you look like, it's always flattering when you hit on us. Always." -Poppy Montgomery

3. "We are all about our necks. Feel free to spend as much time there as you wish." -Mariska Hargitay

lol funny: "Supersecret: Unless we're blind or have no night-light in the bathroom, the whole toilet-seat thing is exaggerated and meant to control you." -Tea Leoni

Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile

"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale
Her infinite variety; other women cloy
The appetites they feed, but she makes hungry
Where most she satisfies;..."
--Shakespeare's Anthony and Cleopatra

Cleopatra was an infamous Egyptian ruler. Most of the myth surrounding her history is just that, myth - tales spread by her Roman enemy, Octavian, unintentionally crystalized her legend. The legend grew even more through the writings of Plutarch, Chaucer and Shakespeare, as well as through the many film versions of her story.

Cleopatra VII was actually the seventh Ptolomaic queen of the same name. She ruled Egypt from 51 to 30 B.C., first sharing a co-regency with her father Ptolomy XII. After her father died, she co-ruled with her brother, Ptolomy XIII. However, hard times throughout the country drove the siblings apart, and Ptolomy ousted Cleopatra in 48 B.C. Cleopatra tried to raise a rebellion with no success and eventually fled to her Roman protector, Pompey.

At the time, Pompey had just been defeated by Julius Caesar. In an effort to gain Caesar's favor, Ptolemy XII killed Pompey, and upon Caesar's return to Rome presented the severed consul's head. Caesar, however, was not pleased with Ptolomey's act and subsequently had him drowned in the Nile. Cleopatra was restored to the Egyptian throne, and thus her entanglement in the Roman Empire began.

It is said that Cleopatra bore Caesar a son, whom she named Ptolomy Caesarion. Caesar refused to name the boy as his heir however. Cleopatra returned to Egypt after the assasination of Caesar, where she arranged to have her brother/husband disposed of and installed Caesarion as her new co-regent.

After Caesar's death, Marc Antony and Octavian defeated the rebellion and divided the Roman Empire between them. Antony summoned Cleopatra to Tarsus and then spent the winter in Alexandria. Cleopatra bore him twins. Four years later, Antony returned to Alexandria where he renewed his relationship with Cleopatra. Alexandria became his permanent home soon after. The two were married according to Egyptian rite, and Cleopatra bore him another child.

Marc Antony divided his portion of the Roman empire between Cleopatra and their children against the wishes of the Senate. But in 33 B.C., Octavian defeated Antony in a naval battle. Cleopatra's fleet had mysteriously withdrawn. Octavian pursued Antony and Cleopatra back to Egypt, where Antony committed suicide believing Cleopatra was already dead. She followed suit a few days later. Her son, Caesarion, was declared Pharaoh, but was captured and executed by Octavian who then declared himself Pharaoh of Egypt.

Now, you're probably wondering what brought on my sudden history lesson of Cleopatra. While I was looking through Yahoo, I found this article. Egyptian archaeologists just recovered an ancient granite temple pylon from the harbour at Alexandria. It was part of Cleopatra's palace complex and stood at the entrance of a temple to Isis. The pylon will be the centerpiece of a museum that will showcase the sunken city that is believed to have toppled into the Meditterannean during an earthquake in the fourth century.

Poet's Corner

I know this is a shameless plug, but oh well. This is my blog and I'm allowed.

For those of you who don't know (which is pretty much everybody) I write. A lot. All the time. Mostly poetry. It's, I'd guess you would say, my way of dealing with the issues of my life.

With that being said, I've been badly neglecting my poetry. It's always been a big part of my life, but here lately things have just been crazy busy and I haven't felt inspired (in other words, I haven't been angry, frustrated, in love, or any other major emotion).

I'm trying to make sure I've got all my recent pieces on my writing network, but I'd really like to know what you think. They're not masterpieces by any means.

So anyway, check this out.

SNL Snippet

I don't generally watch SNL, but this is quite frankly the funniest thing I've seen in a while. (And I'm a Twilight fan.) Thanks, Christina!

Gifts for Guys

I like to browse the top stories on Yahoo. In other words, I like to see what stories make the cut for that unique little scrolling headlines thing in the middle of their home page. At the top of the list today (right now anyway)? An article (probably mostly pictures) of Salma Hayek's new hairstyle. While I definitely looked at it (a girl can never have too many ideas for new hair cuts), it was more like a glance.

What really caught my eye was an article from Cosmopolitan titled "Gifts That Guys Say They Love". So of course I clicked on it to see what made the list (just in case I think of a guy I need to buy a gift for).

There were 12 items on the list, most of which I would never actually buy. I mean, who really needs customizable sneakers? If I had a boyfriend, would he really want to run around with my nickname for him stamped on his shoes? Probably not.

And then, of course, there were electronics - an XBox 360, iPod Touch, iPhone and something called a Kindle Wireless Reading Device. Three of those are no brainers...and definitely out of my price range.

The list ends with my personal favorite - Aqua di Gio by Georgio Armani. That stuff is like liquid sex in a bottle. Mmm.

To see all the gifts that made the list click here.

Mystery Light Swirl in Norway

I thought this was really cool.

If you'd like to read more about this phenomenon, check THIS out.

Color of the year?

First of all let me just say that I had absolutely no idea there were designated "colors of the year." So this intrigues me...

I ran across this article on Yahoo earlier talking about the color of 2010.

By the way, it's transporting turquoise...whatever that means.

Apparently it's going to blast the world into vacation mode all year long. Just what we need, a whole bunch of business people painting their offices, etc. transporting turquoise and taking lots of vacations. Way to encourage people to help the nation get out of the recession Pantone. Good job.

2009's color was mimosa yellow. I didn't know mimosas were yellow...

Anyway, Pantone said the purpose of that color choice was to put people in a hopeful mood.

So we're going from hopeful to fantasizing. This should work out well...

Zhu Zhu Palooza

This holiday season's hottest-selling toy is the Zhu Zhu pet, a mechanical pet hamster that you don't have to worry about feeding or cleaning up after.



Anyway, these hot hamsters have been all over the news the past few days thanks to a consumer group called GoodGuide. The group tested the toys to make sure they are safe for kids and found high levels of a toxic chemical called antimony.

The federal limit of the toxin is 60 parts per million. Now the consumer group found 93 parts per million in the Zhu Zhu's fur and 103 parts per million in its nose.

The maker of these no-mess pets of course jumped to their defense, saying the toys passed rigorous tests and are safe for children. So the Consumer Product Safety Commission stepped in and reviewed the toys. They found them to be safe and non-toxic for kids, and now GoodGuide is saying their test results were flawed.

So here's my question - why would any child want a fake hamster in lieu of a real one?

Crazy days keep me sane.

Today has been totally insane. One producer called in sick. The other two (me included) are having to be really careful about our hours so we don't go into overtime (heaven forbid). So I've produced (hecticly) the 5:00 and 6:00 shows and will be running the booth for both. As a result I get to sleep an extra hour tomorrow...but I also don't have anything worthy of a blog.

So...in light of all that. It's the 68th anniversary of the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. You know, the day that will live in infamy? It's the anniversary of the event that propelled the U.S. into World War II. Truly a momentous day.

So if you know a World War II vet...or better yet a Pearl Harbor survivor...go shake his/her hand. We owe them a lot.

Sun-Maid Makeover

So I'm sure everyone has noticed the change to the Sun-Maid girl by now. Well...I found this really entertaining article (in my opinion at least) on Yahoo.

They compare the new Sun-Maid girl to a "Barbie Doll in Amish attire."

vs

The original version of the girl is based off of a girl who was discovered drying her dark-colored curls at her parents' home in Fresno. Of course, the company has tweaked the design to keep up with the times but traditionally the final version of the tweak has always been based on the original girl.

The changes were actually implemented three years ago, and the company's president says they were prompted by their desire to educate consumers about healthy eating habits.

I personally don't like the new girl. She reminds me of the evil Barbie Dolls from the movie Toy Soilders...

For the Birds

Things have been crazy at work this week, what with the controversial grand opening of a huge entertainment complex followed closely by a severe storm system that moved through the area. So it was 'round the clock coverage of Country Crossing and electronic bingo while constantly wondering if the governor's task force was going to show up for a raid, followed by 'round the clock weather coverage. It was a fun couple of days, let me tell you.

So I'm really kind of behind on my news other than stuff like - lots of rain = bad news for farmers - and Alabama's governor has a seemingly personal vendetta against electronic bingo. Oh, and this just in! Because of the controversial opening of Country Crossing and southeast Alabama's support of electronic bingo, Governor Riley has not extended "disaster assistance" to the Wiregrass. I smell a controversial interview coming soon!

So, in lieu of not having anything remotely interesting to talk about (I refuse to give Tiger Wood's affair anymore publicity than it's already received, and the same goes for the White House party crashers), I give you my favorite of all Pixar's short films: "For the Birds."

Legoland Christmas

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Legoland.

Santa made a special stop in Carlsbad, California, to throw the switch lighting the 30-foot tree.

It's constructed of 245,000 lego bricks and decorated with 240 lego ornaments.

The night was filled with fireworks, music and even a little charity.

The Legoland general manager presented $10,000 to a Ronald McDonald's House Charity in Southern California.