Our Loss

Within the past hour we learned that our NBC colleague, Tim Russert, has died.

There is a palpable sense of shock in the newsroom. 

Tim Russert did not spend a lot of time in our newsroom.  There are not many people here who knew him personally. 

But KXAS is part of the NBC-owned family of stations.  And as vast as NBC might seem, this organization is a much closer bunch than you might think. 

Most of us can say we’ve had a brush with people like Brian Williams, Matt Lauer and Tim Russert.  I had the pleasure of chatting with Tim once via satellite.  He was smart and friendly.  Those moments are always special because these are more than co-workers.  They are our standard-bearers.

We lost a great one today.

Thanks for everything, Tim.  Rest easy.

 

 

Sunscreen and Towel Time

I will be on the set today.  Promise.  Sunburned, but there.

This is the time of year when reporters in North Texas need to adjust their daily regimens.  But it always takes a cosmetic catastrophe to remind me.

I was outside for several hours today working on a story.  But I was still in fall/winter/spring mode.  No sunscreen.  No towel.  (I know, I know…  I’m supposed to wear sunscreen all the time.)

When you see the story, there’s sweat running down my face.  And when you see me anchor today, I’ll be wearing extra makeup to mask the redness.

The towel and sunscreen go in my bag tonight.

Remind me!

 

 

Oops!

We all know the song that goes:  “Just get me to the church on time…”  Today it was:  “Get me to the station on time…”

Only it didn’t happen.

Have you ever been to St. Jo, Texas?  Gorgeous country in Montague County up near the Red River.

We were shooting a story with Bret Erickson, who is going to his fourth Olympics in the sport of trap shooting.

We thought we could make it up to St. Jo and back in time for me to anchor the 4:00 news.  But you throw in some severe weather and a couple of traffic jams and you’re outta luck.

Get Meredith on the set!

That’s why you saw the Kristi and Meredith show today.  I wasn’t off.  I was just late.

A Delicious Deception

As a rule, journalists hate to be snookered.

And it’s actually pretty hard to do — especially when you’re Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.  Or in this case both.

The story usually leaks somehow, which we love (especially when it leaks only to NBC).

But Obama and Clinton pulled this one off.

Yesterday’s secret meeting between the two was… well, secret.

I must admit, it made me smile over my morning coffee.  It’s one of those no-harm-done/gotcha kind of shenanigans.  A truly delicious deception.

Well done.

We’ll be watching even closer now.

 

 

 

The Obama “Pound”

We’ve been talking about it the newsroom.  What do you call that gesture that Barack and Michelle Obama did onstage after he clinched the nomination?  This one: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqHpI_ppENo

Some people are calling it a “fist bump.”  Others insist it’s a “pound.”  I even saw it described as a “closed-fist high five.” 

They’re all wrong.

Anyone who’s forty-something knows it’s the Wonder Twins deal.  You remember:  “Wonder Twin powers… ACTIVATE!”

I found this tribute on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5KnuK4ayaI&feature=related

So from now on, he’s Zan, not Barack.  And she’s Jayna, not Michelle.  And if they win in November, they really will be the Wonder Twins.

The Nightmare

It’s one of those things that anchors have nightmares about.

In nearly twenty years, it has never happened to me.

But there’s a first for everything.

It wasn’t until 3:00 yesterday afternoon — an hour before news time — that I realized I had driven from home in Dallas to work in Fort Worth without a critical component of my costume:  the tie.

In my quiet panic, I considered my options.  Target and Wal-Mart were just down the road.  Maybe Snyder had an extra red job lying around…

Then the wardrobe gods intervened.  Tucked way in the back of the filing cabinet drawer that holds all of my personal special effects (makeup, hair goo, etc.) I spied a wrinkled plain blue cravat.  Perfect with everything.  I must have stowed it there on a morning after my recurring nightmare.       

I actually got a few compliments on it.  But only I knew how great that tie really was. 

Now you do, too. 

 

 

Dancing with the Dems

In my best British accent:  “This is Dancing with the Dems… with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton!”

By the end of today it is likely that Barack Obama will have enough pledged delegates and superdelegates to claim the Democratic nomination.

So now the dance begins.

In fact, it’s already started.  In recent weeks, both Obama and Clinton have made subtle overtures to each other.

Who knows if it will end with an Obama-Clinton ticket.  (Most pundits say no.)  But he does need her.  More specifically, he needs her support among women, Hispanics and working class white voters. 

So what kind of dance will it be?         

I know it won’t be the Cha Cha Cha or the Jive.  Way too happy. 

Definitely not the Rumba.  Too sexy.  Don’t even what to think about it.

Not the Viennese Waltz.  There’s not much grace left in politics.

Please not the Samba or the Mambo.  Did you see them last week in Puerto Rico?

Possibly the Paso Doble’ or the Tango.  Love, hate, bullfighting.  Now that’s more like it.  And as Len would say…  I want to see hip action! 

 

 

The Long Ride

The Factory is back in business.

I’ve been in northern New Mexico, where there’s still snow on the mountaintops, and the mercury hovers in the mid-thirties at night.  My body needed one last chill as we head into the long Texas summer.

I drove.  There’s something about an entire day spent rolling parallel to the Red River and across the Panhandle that helps me decompress.  It reinforces the sense of distance and space between vacation…  and what I’m vacationing from. 

The long ride always leaves its mark.

It will take a week of washings to blast away the bug paste on my car.  The cracked windshield will get fixed when I get around to it.  The ding in the bumper from backing into a boulder will likely stay forever.  

A couple of other lasting impressions…  Add my voice to the chorus of Americans whining about high gas prices.  I paid as much as $4.34 a gallon.  There were noticeably fewer RVs on the road.

And here’s a developing story:  We need rain.  The high plains are absolutely parched. 

Somewhere along Highway 287 northwest of Wichita Falls stands a replica of the Statue of Liberty.  Normally she stands atop an island in the middle of a pond.  Today her perch is a grassy hump ringed with cracking mud.

Crops look stunted.  Fields are dusty.  Cattle are nibbling at anything and everything.  There’s not a drop of water in the Canadian River.

Usually when I travel I fly.  (That’s a whole other batch of impressions.)  But the view from the road is always more interesting and satisfying.

The long ride, it seems, is not purely vacation.  It’s also a chance to do a little bit of reporting.

 

Make a Dog’s Day

Here’s another pack of dogs that needs help. Check ‘em out and call Carrollton Animal Services if you see any faces you can’t resist: (972) 466-3420.

Thanks, and have a wonderful holiday weekend!

 

 Name: Bryan
 File Number: 17563
Breed: Australian Cattle Dog/Heeler mix
Sex: Male
Age: young Adult
Size: Medium about 40-50 lbs
KHI: None
Availability: General Public
Bio: I went out-a-wanderin’ and seem to have gotten myself lost. As of today, no one has come to look for me, and now I am ready to look for someone new. I am a very friendly boy, I don’t mind other dogs, and I really like to run and play. I miss being at home with a family and am hoping that you will take the chance on me.

 

Name: Ed

File Number: 17527

Breed: Shar-pei (PB)

Sex: Male

Age: Young Adult

Size: Medium

KHI: None

Availability: General Public

Bio: The people here at the shelter where I am currently staying say I am the best Shar-pei they have ever met! I really like to play with all the other dogs and am even very tolerant of the yippy, yappy one I used to share my kennel run with. I really like to meet new people and greet them with a kiss and paw each time. I am not sure why my people never bothered to come and look for me, all I know is that the people here are right and I am the greatest dog there is.

 

Name: Trish

File Number: 17528

Breed: Min-pin/Chihuahua mix

Age: Young Adult 1-2 years old

Sex: female

Size: small 8-12 lbs

KHI: None

Availability: General Public

Bio: I knew better then to wander out of my yard, but I could not resist the temptation of the sights and smells of the outside world. Well now I can tell you I have had enough of this outside world stuff. I am a friendly girl who is a bit on the timid side and might need someone with some patience to spare in helping me adjust top my new home. Oh Yeah, I almost forgot I like other dogs as well!

 

Name: Trojan

File Number: 17520

Breed: Labrador/Rottweiler mix

Sex: Male

Age: Adult

Size Medium to Large 60-70 lbs

KHI: None

Availability: General Public

Bio: I come from a long line of big, proud dogs who live their lives to help our families. I am a big guy with a big personality to match. I was found as a stray and I am not sure why my family has not come for me yet. I like other dogs and have and now I am looking for a new family to help and protect..

 

Name: James

File Number 17568

Breed: Black Labrador mix

Age: 8-10 weeks

Sex: Male

Size: Will be a medium to large dog

KHI: None

Availability: General Public

Bio: Hello, my name is James and I am only 12 weeks old. I was found as stray, and am in need of a home. I still have a bit of growing to do, and they say I will top out at about 60-70 lbs. Puppies are such fun, and you can teach me to do all kinds of things! Best of all I am very, very cute. 

 

Name: Rambo

File Number: 17546

Breed: Retriever mix

Sex; Male

Age: Young Adult 1-2 years

Size: Large to Medium 60 lbs or s

KHI: None

Availability: General Public

Bio: Hello there, I am a retriever mix of some kind and I am about the best dog you could ever consider. I like other dogs, and like to meet new people especially if they like to play and get kisses. I am a handsome guy as well as smart and ready to learn to be your new best friend! 

 

Name: Cash

Breed: Chocolate Labrador mix

Sex: Female (s)

Age: Mature Adult 8-10 years

Size: Medium

KHI: None

Availability: General Public

Bio: My people decided that they could no longer keep me and care for me properly, so they brought me here to find a new home. I am a friendly girl, and I do not mind other dogs, but I just gotta have my own food dish. I am a little on the older side, but I have a lot of love to give any family who gives me a chance. Jus think of me as the goofy grandmotherly type and we will be alright. 

 

Name: Minah

File Number: 17558

Breed: Shepherd mix

Sex: female

Age: young Adult

Size: Medium

KHI: None

Availability: General Public

Bio: Here we go again… I was here last week and I thought I had gotten lucky when some people fell in love with me. Unfortunately the adoption was cancelled before it ever really happened, I was taken to the veterinarian but never even looked at before the person called and backed out on me. So here I am again hoping to find a new, new home where the people are willing to give me a try. I like other dogs and am pretty tolerant of children too. 

 

Name: Cookie

File Number: 17553

Breed: Pit Bull Terrier

Sex: Male

Age: Young Adult

Size Medium 45-55 lbs

KHI: None, his teeth work fine, they just look funny

Availability: RESCUE ONLY

Bio: Hidey Hoe there nice people, my name is cookie and I am sure a great fun-loving dog. People sometimes make fun of me because of my buck teeth, but I say it gives my face more of a natural character then those with the normal teeth. I am a young guy only a couple of years old, I don’t mind other dogs and so far I ain’t met a person I haven’t liked.

 

Name: Weasel

File Number: 17554

Breed: Pit Bull Terrier

Sex: Female

Age: Puppy about 8-10 weeks old

Size small now

KHI: None,

Availability: RESCUE ONLY

Bio: Hello people, I ask you, what better dog could you ask for then a great dog like me? I was found as a stray, abandoned by my mother, my brothers and sisters, and my people. Now I am at a place where the food is ok and the people are nice (but, they are not mine). Things have gotta change for me, and they have gotta change for you as well… You need a dog, I need a person to call my own, together we can work this out and come together as a family! Please choose to rescue me from certain doom and certain peril, and I promise to grow to be a great dog and an even greater friend – promise.

Sexy Sells

The new blog stats are out, and Jane thumped us all.  I’m pretty sure that’s a first.  She topped perennial king Newy by more than a thousand hits! 

It’s further proof that sexy sells. (As if we needed any.)  Jane’s blog about highly personal grooming habits rocketed her into the blogosphere stratosphere. 

So what’s my comeback strategy?

Not sure.  I might just wave the white flag on this one.  

Speaking of stats, don’t you wish they’d give the final vote tally on American Idol?  I’m just curious.  Both Davids are clearly winners, so Ryan needs to spill the beans.  How close was it?  Did Cook spank Archuleta the way McGarry spanked us?

Spanking!  Maybe that’s the answer to my blogging dilemma…  Nah.  A guy’s gotta draw the line somewhere.