Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
I am on vacation and it won't stop raining. This means too much time spent online and so here are some You Tube selections featuring rain. I can't get the fancy link to work so you'll have to click on them. Enjoy.
Monday, June 22, 2009
This Is Nothing Like The Mary Tyler Moore Show
I thought I would take you all on a field trip to the TV station. I reluctantly spend 40 hours a week there so you should have some idea what it looks like. I complain about my job a lot but at least I have one and I need to remember that more. It is a good fit for me when you think about it because they want me to watch TV and be online all day. I couldn't even imagine working in a real office and wearing heels and going to meetings and whatever else people with real jobs do. Half the people I work with show up in their pajamas. I dream about offices sometimes but I doubt people that work in insurance or something stop everything they are doing and watch a live California police chase when it's happening on CNN.
Here is my desk. The assignment desk sits a little higher than the rest of the newsroom and I am tucked away in the corner with a wall in front of me that hides me. I actually have the biggest desk of anyone. Starting from the top, you can see the 5 police scanners that really sort of suck but I am used to them by now. 95% of the time they aren't saying anything interesting but I do hear very personal medical issues that I'm sure the people in the ambulances wouldn't want me to know about. You can see my skinny reporters notebook by my computer because if I don't write everything down I'll forget it. I also have the biggest fake leather chair in the newsroom. You can also see the phone that I want to rip out of the wall daily.
Of course I have pictures of the kids but you know what they look like. I have my little picture of Patrick Dempsey too next to a little pile of acorns that Declan brought me last fall.
The newsroom has no windows-that is until last year. They were re-doing the roof and they cut a skylight out right over us. They were then supposed to fix our ceiling and make it look nice instead of just a hole in the roof but then the economy tanked and our renovation was cancelled. Instead we removed 2 tiles from the suspended ceiling so we can see the skylight 10 feet above it and now we have a square of light in the newsroom.
Now we are heading out into the studio. It's tinier and rougher than it looks on air. I used to run one of those camera's back in the day but I have moved on-I sort of miss it.
Here is what I sometimes do now when someone is sick or on vacation-the teleprompter. You might think the anchors have just memorized all their scripts but really its just us, sitting there and turning a knob so they can read while they are staring into the camera.
Now a guest appearance by our Daybreak meteorologist Sarah Long. In real life they don't have maps swirling around behind them. They are standing in front of a green screen and the directors do some magic to make maps appear when you are watching at home. Sarah has TV monitors on both sides of her that you can't see at home so she can see the maps too and know where to point. We have many field trips come though and this is always the thing that amazes people the most.
Of course everything is computerized but we also have this huge dry erase board in front of us that keeps track of everything we need to cover and who is doing it and what show it will end up in. I have to fill it out in the mornings with every story idea and scheduled event that is going on that day plus how many crews we have to cover them. Then we have a meeting to decide what we are going to get to. Then I get to decide how we are going to cover everything they want with our limited crews.Every day we don't cover several great stories but we just don't have enough staff to be everywhere. On top of covering the actual event, we have to think about driving time, tape logging time, writing time and then editing time. I don't know how we get it done every day.
Here is Daybreak anchor Kate Barker pretending to work for me. I think she was actually reading TMZ or something.
Okay, here is Kate actually working. I forgot what she was doing but somehow she got 2 photographers out of me for it.
Here is my desk. The assignment desk sits a little higher than the rest of the newsroom and I am tucked away in the corner with a wall in front of me that hides me. I actually have the biggest desk of anyone. Starting from the top, you can see the 5 police scanners that really sort of suck but I am used to them by now. 95% of the time they aren't saying anything interesting but I do hear very personal medical issues that I'm sure the people in the ambulances wouldn't want me to know about. You can see my skinny reporters notebook by my computer because if I don't write everything down I'll forget it. I also have the biggest fake leather chair in the newsroom. You can also see the phone that I want to rip out of the wall daily. 
Of course I have pictures of the kids but you know what they look like. I have my little picture of Patrick Dempsey too next to a little pile of acorns that Declan brought me last fall. 
The newsroom has no windows-that is until last year. They were re-doing the roof and they cut a skylight out right over us. They were then supposed to fix our ceiling and make it look nice instead of just a hole in the roof but then the economy tanked and our renovation was cancelled. Instead we removed 2 tiles from the suspended ceiling so we can see the skylight 10 feet above it and now we have a square of light in the newsroom. 
Now we are heading out into the studio. It's tinier and rougher than it looks on air. I used to run one of those camera's back in the day but I have moved on-I sort of miss it. 
Here is what I sometimes do now when someone is sick or on vacation-the teleprompter. You might think the anchors have just memorized all their scripts but really its just us, sitting there and turning a knob so they can read while they are staring into the camera. 
Now a guest appearance by our Daybreak meteorologist Sarah Long. In real life they don't have maps swirling around behind them. They are standing in front of a green screen and the directors do some magic to make maps appear when you are watching at home. Sarah has TV monitors on both sides of her that you can't see at home so she can see the maps too and know where to point. We have many field trips come though and this is always the thing that amazes people the most. 
Of course everything is computerized but we also have this huge dry erase board in front of us that keeps track of everything we need to cover and who is doing it and what show it will end up in. I have to fill it out in the mornings with every story idea and scheduled event that is going on that day plus how many crews we have to cover them. Then we have a meeting to decide what we are going to get to. Then I get to decide how we are going to cover everything they want with our limited crews.Every day we don't cover several great stories but we just don't have enough staff to be everywhere. On top of covering the actual event, we have to think about driving time, tape logging time, writing time and then editing time. I don't know how we get it done every day. 
Here is Daybreak anchor Kate Barker pretending to work for me. I think she was actually reading TMZ or something. 
Okay, here is Kate actually working. I forgot what she was doing but somehow she got 2 photographers out of me for it. So that was the newsroom. Maybe next time I can show you the control room and our engineering department.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Project Runway
A very rainy Sunday gave me the push to finally make Grace her sundress. I bought the fabric months ago but it has just sat on my desk since then. I didn't have much of a pattern to follow but thankfully most of the work is already done for you when you buy the fabric. All you have to do is sew it up, put on a couple of straps, and hem it. Easier said then done when measuring things makes you break out into a sweat.
I started by having to measure it around Grace to see where to pin the seam. I sound like I know what I'm doing when I throw out these sewing terms. Grace was very non-cooperative for this process. She told me she was never going to wear it and that it was too itchy for her to bare. Exactly what I wanted to hear when I was getting jabbed by pins. Then I just had to sew one long seam and I had a dress.
Then I had to cut out 2 strips and sew up some straps. Sewing them was the fast part. Turning them inside out took forever.
Here is where I made a big decision. I vaguely remember making a hem for my 8th grade Home Ec skirt project and I don't remember that turning out very well. That skirt also turned out to be see through but that's another story. Anyway, I Googled it thinking there must be some great shortcut discovered since 1986 but there wasn't one. I found directions involving a lot of measuring, pressing and making sure it was hanging straight. Grace was still in a mood so I knew there was no way I could get her to try it on again for me. I remembered an old post I read somewhere where you can fake a hem by sewing bias tape to the bottom. It's an edging that comes sold in every color possible at the fabric store. It comes folded in half and all you have to do is pin it in place and then sew it on. I cut the length of the dress and eyed its evenness and then sewed it on. It's a great trick. It makes it look very finished and like you took extra effort, when in fact, you are taking the easy way out.
Once it actually started to look like a real dress, Grace changed her tune and is going to wear it to school tomorrow. My putting a shirt underneath it to control its "itchiness" may have helped too. Hopefully my sewing will hold up through the day. That's one project down-20 more left to go.
I started by having to measure it around Grace to see where to pin the seam. I sound like I know what I'm doing when I throw out these sewing terms. Grace was very non-cooperative for this process. She told me she was never going to wear it and that it was too itchy for her to bare. Exactly what I wanted to hear when I was getting jabbed by pins. Then I just had to sew one long seam and I had a dress.
Then I had to cut out 2 strips and sew up some straps. Sewing them was the fast part. Turning them inside out took forever.
Here is where I made a big decision. I vaguely remember making a hem for my 8th grade Home Ec skirt project and I don't remember that turning out very well. That skirt also turned out to be see through but that's another story. Anyway, I Googled it thinking there must be some great shortcut discovered since 1986 but there wasn't one. I found directions involving a lot of measuring, pressing and making sure it was hanging straight. Grace was still in a mood so I knew there was no way I could get her to try it on again for me. I remembered an old post I read somewhere where you can fake a hem by sewing bias tape to the bottom. It's an edging that comes sold in every color possible at the fabric store. It comes folded in half and all you have to do is pin it in place and then sew it on. I cut the length of the dress and eyed its evenness and then sewed it on. It's a great trick. It makes it look very finished and like you took extra effort, when in fact, you are taking the easy way out.
Once it actually started to look like a real dress, Grace changed her tune and is going to wear it to school tomorrow. My putting a shirt underneath it to control its "itchiness" may have helped too. Hopefully my sewing will hold up through the day. That's one project down-20 more left to go.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
T-Ball King
It's already halfway though the T-ball season but I have to write about how much Declan loves it. He loves to talk about it and wear his shirt and hat and practice in the backyard. I don't know where it comes from because Tim and I had no interest in organized sports. We have practice on Wednesdays and games on Saturday. His last game is the most anticipated because it's played out on Peak's Island and we all get to take the ferry out to it.
I don't find practice all that interesting but I would look like a bad mother if I brought a book to read. He plays right in Payson Park and at least I can pass the time looking out at the skyline and pretending I live in a real city.
Here is his saint of a coach trying to teach them that they all don't have to run after the ball at once. It hasn't sunk in yet.
He is very intent on hitting the ball as far as he can. The other kids all sort of wander around but he stands at his T and hits it over and over.
Sometimes you have to take a break during practice. You never know when a grounder might head your way and you have to be prepared for it. He got hit by the ball twice tonight and I could see him tearing up over one of them. I, of course, wanted to run right out on the field and scoop him up but he would be horrified. I could hear the other coachs telling him to shake it off and be brave and I wanted to run out there and hit them and see how they liked it.
Endlessly running the bases. It's hard to do when you need new sneakers and we keep forgetting to buy them.
I must add that Grace has no interest in his games. She told me tonight they were ruining her life because the made her so bored. I sent her off to look for frogs in the pond.
I don't find practice all that interesting but I would look like a bad mother if I brought a book to read. He plays right in Payson Park and at least I can pass the time looking out at the skyline and pretending I live in a real city. 
Here is his saint of a coach trying to teach them that they all don't have to run after the ball at once. It hasn't sunk in yet.
He is very intent on hitting the ball as far as he can. The other kids all sort of wander around but he stands at his T and hits it over and over. 
Sometimes you have to take a break during practice. You never know when a grounder might head your way and you have to be prepared for it. He got hit by the ball twice tonight and I could see him tearing up over one of them. I, of course, wanted to run right out on the field and scoop him up but he would be horrified. I could hear the other coachs telling him to shake it off and be brave and I wanted to run out there and hit them and see how they liked it. 
Endlessly running the bases. It's hard to do when you need new sneakers and we keep forgetting to buy them. 
I must add that Grace has no interest in his games. She told me tonight they were ruining her life because the made her so bored. I sent her off to look for frogs in the pond.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
A Sewing Experiment
I stayed home sick from work today with a massive headache but after about 4 hours alone on the couch, I started realizing that, with the kids in school, I could get some projects done in peace. I decided to drag my sewing machine out and make something. I am still a very amateur sewer. I get nervous when the machine starts going too quickly. I have been buying fabric headbands on Etsy and they looked very simple to make so I thought I would try them. I bought the materials weeks ago and never got to them.
I Googled some instructions that seemed easy enough and I gathered all of my supplies. They strongly recommended using scrap fabric for your first try so that's what I did because I knew it wasn't going to be pretty.
You cut out 2 strips of fabric and 2 smaller strips for the elastic gathering in the back. The round rotary cutter used for fabric scares the heck out of me. It's unbelievably sharp-I keep it locked up so the kids don't find it. One small slip and you can cut off your finger. My major problem with sewing is the math and the cutting. I can never manage to measure correctly or cut in a straight line.
So, you sew them together, leaving the ends open. Then you turn them right side out.
You're left with these two tubes that you really have to iron flat. Here's where my math dyslexia comes in because it's supposed to be wider in the middle and taper off to the ends. Mine was just sort of straight.
Then, you sew the elastic in and you are done.
This is what I ended up with and it's very rough! I'm going to make more now that I know what I have to fix. I have to buy a clear fabric ruler so I can see what I am doing as I cut it. I also need to buy complimentary colored thread because I can't keep using white-it sticks out too much. Also I need to add about an inch to all my measurements. The headband is a bit tight on me-guess I have a bigger head than I thought.
Here are my real fabrics. Hopefully I won't have to call out sick again to get them made. I need some sort of craft room space in our next house. I can't keep making everything on our coffee table from college. These pictures just highlight to me how much we need new furniture-more on that soon because we might be getting some! But I don't want to talk or think about that until I see the money for it in front of me.
Grace came off the bus just as I was finishing up so she graciously stood still for 2 seconds so I could take her picture. Even she said it was too tight on her head.
I Googled some instructions that seemed easy enough and I gathered all of my supplies. They strongly recommended using scrap fabric for your first try so that's what I did because I knew it wasn't going to be pretty. 
You cut out 2 strips of fabric and 2 smaller strips for the elastic gathering in the back. The round rotary cutter used for fabric scares the heck out of me. It's unbelievably sharp-I keep it locked up so the kids don't find it. One small slip and you can cut off your finger. My major problem with sewing is the math and the cutting. I can never manage to measure correctly or cut in a straight line. 
So, you sew them together, leaving the ends open. Then you turn them right side out. 
You're left with these two tubes that you really have to iron flat. Here's where my math dyslexia comes in because it's supposed to be wider in the middle and taper off to the ends. Mine was just sort of straight. 
Then, you sew the elastic in and you are done. 
This is what I ended up with and it's very rough! I'm going to make more now that I know what I have to fix. I have to buy a clear fabric ruler so I can see what I am doing as I cut it. I also need to buy complimentary colored thread because I can't keep using white-it sticks out too much. Also I need to add about an inch to all my measurements. The headband is a bit tight on me-guess I have a bigger head than I thought. 
Here are my real fabrics. Hopefully I won't have to call out sick again to get them made. I need some sort of craft room space in our next house. I can't keep making everything on our coffee table from college. These pictures just highlight to me how much we need new furniture-more on that soon because we might be getting some! But I don't want to talk or think about that until I see the money for it in front of me. 
Grace came off the bus just as I was finishing up so she graciously stood still for 2 seconds so I could take her picture. Even she said it was too tight on her head.
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