New Guy in the Shop

It's been a long time coming

2006-10-07T09:06:00.000-04:00

This is mainly because a certain co-worker of mine won't stop bugging me to do this. It's been a long time coming, and its not like it hasn't been obvious, considering I haven't updated in like 2 months, but here goes....

I am closing up shop for good. No more posts, pictures, or rants. With reader's out there other than friends and family, I feel I am not really able to say everything I want. No big deal, I didn't put enough effort into my blog anyway. Thanks to all who read and commented.

If you still want to hear me, you can listen to me on the radio every Friday night starting at 7:10PM EST. I am still doing high school football play by play. If your not anywhere near Richmond, KY; you can check out the live stream on the net. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO ANDY!

What time is it!.....

2006-08-19T09:27:00.000-04:00

GAME TIME WHOOOOO!

That's right folks. I return to the airwaves of Wallingford Broadcasting's Richmond Airforce tonight. After what seems like an ever-long hiatus from being on the radio, the time has come to make my return. THANK GOD!

I love calling games. I love everything about calling games. I love the preparation, the setup, the nervous anticipation, and the sound of the opening billboard saying..."And now with the call of tonight's game, here is Andy Pollard."

I think I was born to be a radio announcer. Ever since I was a child, I would turn the TV down when I played sports video games, and do my own play by play. Shit, I actually did it last night. Its kind of a pregame ritual for me. It's weird, but I still do it and I'm 23. So here we go, in just a few short hours, I will be signing on with the "Accel-Autocare Pre-show" If there is anyone out there that is bored say around, 5:00 PM EST, get on the net, Click on the link, and ENJOY!

LISTEN TO ME ON THE TRI-CITY AM RADIO NETWORK!

I always seem to do this

2006-08-09T15:33:00.000-04:00

I am a bad blogger. I know it. I never update. I have reasons, but most of the time it is time. I never seem to have the time to update anymore.

Especially, with high school football just around the corner. I have been working hard preparing for my 3rd consecutive season as the "Voice of the Madison Central Indians". Things are getting a little hectic, as the first game is coming up on the 19th. I'll be ready.

YOU SHOULD LISTEN.

LISTEN HERE!

FCC Regulations

2006-07-27T19:11:00.000-04:00

We got a memo the other day, outlining, in a miniscule 13 pages, what our friends at the Federal Communications Commission, define as indecent. There is a lot of sh*t that has been deemed indecent. It seems to me that this has all been brought about by the t*t baring of Janet Jackson at the Superbowl 2 years ago. Not that I have a problem with that, I just want to point out some of the funny things that I found by reading this long a** memo.

Things listed that you can pretty much be sure of, are indecent.

- A reality show episode with 20 porn stars at a pool party with pixilated nudity, and touching of sexual organs.

- Full frontal nudity during a TV morning show broadcast

-Party goers licking food off strippers in a sexual manner.

Seems to me that most of this stuff is obviously indecent, unless its cable TV.

Now to the fun part, the short a** list of things that are deemed NOT INDECENT
This is the list of explicit language that is deemed permissible by the FCC

- Use of "dick", "dickhead", or "sucked" as insults.
- Single, momentary use of the words "penis", "testicle", "vaginal", "ass", "bastard", "orgasm", "breast", "nipples", "can", and "crap"
- Use of "ass", "pissed off", and "up yours" as slang

Of course there are many more, but these were the good ones. Which really makes good for my radio career as a play by play announcer. Now I know longer have to fear saying...

"That BASTARD referee just made a SUCK ASS call, that has PISSED OFF the coach. What a DICKHEAD!"

Look for it, during the opening game of the season on August 19th.

Finally, the memo reminded me of a certain comedian, who is hilarious, that does a great bit about the 7 dirty words you can't say on TV. Trust me, they still are deemed indecent.

Mr. George Carlin. One of the most foul mouthed, yet funny as hell comedians, in the world. And now...The 7 Dirty words you can't say on TV.

F*ck
Sh*t
Pi*s
C*nt
T*T
C**ks*cker
Motherf***er

Atleast I was decent enough to censor, for those readers of mine that are under the age of 18.

Perks of the Morning Show (4)

2006-07-20T16:17:00.000-04:00

Today is going be lame. Sorry. I got called into work early, and had to stay late. However, the day was quick. So my lame ass "Perk if the Morning Show" is...

WHEN YOU ARE THE ONLY PHOTOG, AND YOU HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING....THE DAY GOES BY FAST!

Happy weeked to me, I am off on Friday, so don't expect anything. I'll be back at it monday. Later!

Perks of the Morning Show (3)

2006-07-19T08:17:00.000-04:00

Today's perk finds me with nothing to do at 7am. We did live hits at 6am and 6:30am, but we weren't far from the station. That made it possible to break down and be back by 7.

However, the rumbling in my stomach, made me remember the days of yore, when dad would make me wake up at the ass crack of dawn, for what else....BREAKFAST! So, a quick run through the golden arches, and we find ourselves to the 3rd "Perk of the Morning Show"...

MCDONALD'S BREAKFAST!

That's right, its been a long time since I have been up in the morning, thinking..."Man I should go get breakfast..." Being at work at 4am, I have the chance to go get breakfast every morning. That, however, would not be the healthy thing to do.

So...Today's picture is some McDonald's breakfast silhouetted by the TV, with the greatest show ever...When I was a kid..."Saved By the Bell."

Perks of the Morning Show (2)

2006-07-18T10:10:00.000-04:00

As I continue my series on the "Perks of the Morning Show", I find myself out in the parking lot. Everyone always wants a good parking space, no matter where they are at. I don't care who you are, the closer the spot to the door of the place you are going to, the better. Especially, when you have to haul in all of your gear for a 5am newsroom live shot. In the evening, the parking lot here is usually pretty full. When I worked nightside on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, there was almost never a spot in the photog parking area that was "technically" a spot.

In my short experience here, I have learned that parking illegally is the best way to go. In a marked car, you are usually not going to get ticketed for parking illegally, in less you take it overboard. But at the station, not being able to find a spot, sucks.

This is the view from my old "usual" parking spot. See that black hole of a door, all the way down at the far end of the picture. Not that it is really a far walk, but for the purposes of this series of posts, I am going to completely blow it out of proportion. It wouldn't be a good post if I didn't. I mean look how small the door looks from this end of the parking lot. You almost have to remember you parked in "Scooby Doo # 7 " (Amusement Park Humor) and take the tram in. However, that is a problem no more.

When you arrive to work at 4am, there is practically no one else here in the news department. You are fighting for a parking space amongst 2 producers, 2 editors, 2 anchors, and 1 reporter. Yet, they all know, the front row is where the photogs park. When your the only photog in the morning, you get what I call "Perk of the Morning Show # 2".....

PREMIUM PHOTOG PARKING!

I mean look how big the door is in the second picture, and that light...You can actually tell its a light, compared to the first one. The moral of the story...Work at 4am, and parking isn't a problem.

Perks of the Morning Show (1)

2006-07-17T06:18:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not, there are some perks to working at 4am. It was hard to believe, but its true. It took me a few days to figure this out, but they are out there, you just have to look for them. So my goal this week, is to post a "Perk of the Morning Show" everyday.

Today wasn't hard. When I started as an editor, I worked 3am-9am M-F. We run a lot of National stuff in the mornings, and there was a reporter for ABC News, who made appearances in London most of the time. When I left the morning show, I never saw her because she rarely reports in the evening, or we just don't run any of her stuff at night. Today for the first time, in a long time, I was lucky to take the feed of a package from my future wife...She just doesn't know it yet. The first in a series of "Perks of the Morning Show"...Lama Hassan!

unfortunately, this picture just doesn't do her justice. She is BEAUTIFUL, take my word for it!

New Guy in the Morning

2006-07-09T10:32:00.000-04:00

Its been forever since I have posted, and there is a good reason for that. I am not going to get in to it. Also, I have been really busy taking care of some things around my apartment.

Back to the title of this post. New Guy in the morning....That's right, I am going to the morning show. Temporarily. Starting tomorrow I will be working 4am-1pm. YIPPEEE!

I am doing about a month long stint on Good Morning Kentucky, as our newest photog has to go thru all the live truck training and all that jazz, before he can take it over. Our chief says I will be back to the normal schedule as soon as he is "up to speed" or HS football starts.

Football comes in to play soon, because I am going to be starting my 3rd consecutive season as the "Voice of the Indians." I will be the play by play voice of Madison Central High School once again. Hopefully, the world wide web will get us some more exposure, as the radio station that I work for is now streaming live audio. Take a listen to me sometime, I am good....I swear!

The Tri-city AM Network

The thunder rolls...

2006-06-20T15:29:00.000-04:00

Oh the fun of shooting weather video. I have said it before, and I will say it again. There is nothing like braving the elements to get a few pics of some people running from the rain, thunder, and lightning.

I will repeat what I have always said. Its disconcerting to know that when severe weather hits, our chief meteorologist is doing cut-ins telling everyone else to hide in something sturdy, and get to safety, that the managers in the newsroom our saying: "Get out there, we need pics of the tornados, oh yeah...Get some lightning video as well. We want to do a live hit during the cut-in. If you don't see any lightning, put the mast up."

I think that all photogs know it. Most of the managers have never spent a day in their life in the field. Hell, I am not even that experienced yet, but I know what it takes to NOT DIE. They don't understand that the mast is made of metal....And what did 5th grade science teach us....METAL ATTRACTS LIGHTNING.

However, in local news, in the short time that I have been in the business, I have learned...Weather is King. Luckily, the coverage of last night, didn't involve anything other than a few shots of this sweet as sky. I shot this from right outside the station.
You can even see a certain CBS affiliate's in the background. I think the sky looks pretty similar to this screen shot from the movie Independence Day, right before everyone died. I was just waiting for the giant spaceship to purge the clouds and rain alien wrath all over me with a single beam of light. The movie had a great tag line.

"Earth...Take a good look...It could be your last!"

The Rocket's Return

2006-06-13T12:11:00.000-04:00

As I promised, here are some of the highlights from The Rocket's return to baseball. I shot these highlights from behind home plate. They include:

Clemens first pitch
The HR he gave up
His last Strikeout and curtain call
Another strikeout

Critique Me...

2006-06-13T01:59:00.000-04:00

The Best Kept Secret

This is my first NAT PKG. I have shot some in college, like back in the day, when I had 5 days to shoot one. This is the first time I had to turn one in a tight deadline. Let me know what you think!

Updation Nation...

2006-06-10T01:41:00.000-04:00

So, it has been forever since I have updated. There is a very valid reason. I have been too damn busy. I have worked an average of 25 hours of OT the last two paychecks, which I am fine with...$$$$, helped my sister move, and try to find the time to hang out with my friends. So, what gets pushed to the back burner....THE BLOG. Get over it. As promised, here is what has been going on.

UPDATE #1

First and foremost. THE STATION GAVE ME A NEW RIDE....And it's SWEET!

The roving death trap that is unit 18 is no more. I am now driving our old chief's car. UNIT 6. Its a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

It rides smooth, unlike unit 18.
It sucks gas, unlike unit 18
It's clean on the inside, unlike unit 18.

It's just an all around better ride. I have been promised a "newer" car since the station ordered the 2 new ones we received his year. The most important part of the this whole entire story. NO MORE UNIT 18.

UPDATE # 2

I had my first freelance gig come last week. The NCAA baseball tourney had a regional stop in Lexington at Cliff Hagan Stadium, home of the UK baseball team. I shot some B-roll of the College of Charleston baseball team, and shot the press conference for WCIV, the ABC affiliate in Charleston, SC. Everything went great. I worked from 11am - 4pm. 5 hours. There station agreed to pay me $100. Good deal....WRONG! Our station found out about it, and apparently, when we do things like this, it has to be done through the business department, since its the "stations gear." So basically, WTVQ charged WCIV $100, and I got to put it down as OT, consequently screwing me out of $23.54. It's not much, but its the principle of the thing. The only good thing about the free-lance gig was this token of remembrance...
So, other than my media pass, that states that I work for a different news station, I really didn't get anything out of it, except for the chance to hang around with some of Lexington's great sports teams.

UPDATE #3

I shot my first NAT PKG. Everyone I have shown it too like it. I even got a compliment from a friend that works at a competing station. I didn't know how it was going to turn out, but I was pretty happy for the first NAT PKG I turned in a few hours. I mean, I have shot them before, but it was in college, when you have like 5 days to do it. I managed to turn a decent NAT PKG in about 5 hours. I was happy with my performance. If I can ever put it up here, I surely will.

UPDATE # 4

Severe WX. This is a quickie. Not that I don't enjoy getting out into dangerous situations because the adrenaline rush is sweet, but there is something disconcerting about the fact that while our chief meteorologist is doing cut-ins saying. "Stay in your house, we are under the gun", the News Bosses are saying...Andy, get out there...We need video of the tornado that is destroying shit. It's fun though. Here are some pics from the latest bad weather in LEX VEGAS. Melinda Roeder, Paul, and I were sent to cover a tree that fell into a house. Luckily for us, the rain stopped before we got there, and we were able to stay dry. I worked dayside, so I just ran a 5/6 liveshot, while Melinda and Paul turned a great PKG for the 11.

Paul slicin' and dicin' the VO/SOTS for 5 and 6.

Me running the Live @ 5 and the Live @ 6. You can kind of see the shadow of the intern holding the reflector on the lower right corner of the pic.

UPDATE # 5

Roger Clemens pitched in Lexington. Need I say more. Our sports photog has season tickets to the Legends (Houston Astros' A affiliate) and wanted to watch from the stands, so I jumped at the opportunity. It was electric. The atmosphere was amazing, not to mention the sold out/standing room only crowd...The first in the 6 season history of the Lexington Legends. I was busy working, so here are the pics that I got.

I'm in the middle, on the far right...The one that should probably be shooting something

ESPN's Jeff Brantley, Live @ Applebee's Park

The Rocket's post game press conference

Duane loves live shots and getting his picture taken.

It's Been a while...

2006-06-07T12:12:00.000-04:00

Sorry for no recent update, but I have been extremely busy lately, and have found no time to blog. Not that you are hanging on to every word anyway.

I am, however, working on a big update including the following topics.

- First NAT pkg
- First freelance gig
- My new ride
- The Rocket in Lexington

It is coming soon. I PROMISE

Pics while working...

2006-05-25T17:09:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update of some pics I found on the Paul Dunbar Baseball team website today. This is the game I covered last night. Its from the 42nd District HS Baseball tourney in Lexington. Dunbar beat defending champs LCA, as the Bulldog pitcher pitched 6 2/3 innings of no-hit baseball.

Dream Job Rejection...

2006-05-23T22:12:00.000-04:00

Dear Andy,
Thank you for your interest in 700WLW and the University of Cincinnati Sports Announcer position. We are always looking for the best and brightest people in the business to join our broadcast. I have received your resume and other information. We may call once an interview process has begun for a position your are qualified for. In the meantime should you have any questions, please feel free to call.

Sincerely,

Darryl Parks
Director of AM Operations
Clear Channel Cincinnati

There you have it. I have officially been rejected from my dream job. Not that I was really expecting to get it. I really felt I had no chance in getting that job period. However, it is a "Dream Job", had I not applied for it, I would have hated myself forever. This way, I know...They were looking for someone with more experience. I am e-mailing them just for some quick comments about my tape. I will update as I get them. Thanks to all who gave me some encouragement, but it looks like I will be continuing my journey in the photog world, which I am also happy about.

I proved Brad Paisley wrong...

2006-05-22T11:03:00.000-04:00

"In the deep dark hills of eastern Kentucky....That's the place where I trace my bloodline....And its where I read on a hillside gravestone...YOU'LL NEVER LEAVE HARLAN ALIVE..."

I spent 32.5 of the last 48 hours in Harlan County, more specifically, Holmes Mill, KY; covering the worst mining disaster in the past 5 years in the state of Kentucky.

5 miners died, and 1 was pulled to safety by a rescue squad. That town IS coal mining. That's all most of those people know. The people we talked to have seen it before. They all know that their lives can be in jeopardy every time that they set foot in those coal mines.

Its probably the worst part of the job. Going into a disaster area, finding the families that this has effected, and trying to convince them to talk about it. We go to these people during the absolute worst times in there lives, and want them to get so emotional, because it makes for great TV. Its part of the job, but it still sucks to meet that 10 year old girl whose father just died in a coal mine, who is very emotional, but not like she will be once the realization that her father is never coming home sets in. I feel bad for them all, but there is just no way for me to really relate to it.

On to the problems with our coverage...

This happened at 12 or 1 on Saturday morning. We didn't find out until about 9:00ish when it came over the wires. Our Saturday desk guy is relatively new, and doesn't want to cause controversy by sending us 3.5 hours away and then calling in the SAT truck. That's understandable. He puts in a call to the ND and we wait to see if he wants to send us. Meanwhile, we continue to see info pop up on CNN, MSNBC, and the AP wires. We are just waiting for word to leave. The ND says he is calling the GM, and will let us know. Mind you, they already know that 5 people are dead. So we wait....

and wait...

and wait...

almost an hour and a half later the ND calls back. "I haven't heard back from the GM...But you should probably go."

YEAH WE SHOULD HAVE....70 MINUTES AGO. But no one wants to make a decision, even the bosses. We almost missed sound with the governor.

Harlan, is the closest "city" from Holmes Mill, its 25 miles away. Because of the curvy ass road, and the up and down of the mountains, it takes 45 minutes to get there. After our live hit at 6, we get a call on the SAT phone in the truck..."Do a Look-Live for 11, and try to talk to some of the families."

"You know, we are 45 minutes from a town, we don't have cell service, and have no way to contact the families. We have the names, can you guys make some calls and let us know." There response.

"Uhhh...Just go into town get the phone book and buy a phone card and have the station reimburse you."

WHAT! Are you kidding? Drive 45 minutes to get a phonebook and a phone card. Get on the internet and make some damn phone calls. Give us some freaking help.

Instead we repacked the stuff for 11, drove back, returned at 12:30, then got up at the crack of dawn early Sunday morning and drove back to Harlan.

We turned some good stuff for 6 & 11 on Sunday, after we got ahold of some of the families.

A Saturday and a Sunday....
A total of 700 some miles....
A total of 32.5 hours....
A total of 84 minutes of video....

All amounted to a total of 5 minutes of local television news(2 live pkgs, and 2 LL pkgs), and the ability to say I left Harlan alive....TWICE!

Dream Job...

2006-05-09T11:57:00.000-04:00

I have officially applied for MY DREAM JOB!

Dan Hoard, former WXIX, Sports Director, and "Voice of the Cincinnati Bearcats", has left Cincinnati. He took a job with the Pawtucket Redsox. It is definitely a step up, as his old bio says "his dream job is to call major league baseball." Its certainly a step in the right direction. That means that there is a job opening at THE BIG ONE, as they are the flagship station of UC sports.

that's right, the job as "Voice of the Bearcats" is open. I can't believe it. Next to doing Reds or Bengals on the radio, I can't think of anything else that I would rather do. Of course, I love my job as a photographer, however, my true goal in life is to make it in sports radio play by play.

In my heart, I think I am the best one for the job. A young, passionate, announcer, who doesn't have a lot of experience, but you can't tell that from listening to me. I think I sound like I have been doing it for a long time.

In my head, I know I probably don't have a chance at it....But YOU NEVER KNOW! I am sure that they are looking for someone with much more experience than I have, but I know I would regret it forever, if I didn't atleast apply for it.

YOU CAN'T GET THE JOB, UNLESS YOU APPLY FOR IT...So wish me luck, and listen to some of my work. Let me know what you think. When you click the link, click the download button, then simply click open....And enjoy.

Football 1
Football 2
Football 3
Football 4
Long Football Clip
Basketball 1
Basketball 2
Basketball 3
Basketball 4
Basketball 5
Long Basketball Clip

I am glad the tickets were free...

2006-05-01T16:50:00.000-04:00

I do some commercial work for a local radio station in Richmond. By that I mean, that I go in every once in a while and use my talented voice, to lay down some commercials. They usually don't pay me anything to do it, because it usually only takes me 3 or 4 minutes, and I want to stay on good terms with them, to make sure that they will let me continue my play by play work when football and basketball season comes around. So, one way they compensate me...FREE TICKETS TO STUFF.

This time, it was WWE Backlash, a wrestling Pay Per View at Rupp arena in Lexington. I use to watch wrestling as a kid on Saturdays and then again as a high school student with some buddies, but I haven't watched it very much in the last 3 years. I have seen the occasional show on Mondays or the free pay per view when I happen to be at Hooters on the night it airs, and I have even seen it live in Cincinnati back when I was a HUGE Stone Cold fan...But this was Pay Per View....LIVE...FOR FREE.
After we scammed the parking guy with an expired parking pass that I borrowed from our Sports departmentent, my roommate and I were treated to a buffet of rednecks...And what comes with that....MULLETS. I snapped a few, but most of them are blurry. So here are the best two that came out.

Like I previously stated, the tickets were free, and the seats were pretty good. We had a great view of the stage, and we could see the ring fine. Much better seats than probably 80% of all of the people that had to pay to go see it. The show was ok. Some of the matches really sucked. I am pretty sure that Trish Stratus got hurt during her match. She got thrown out of the ring, and didn't move much. A couple of minutes later, she won by DQ. Strange.

There was a bit of controversy going into the PPV. A match on the card booked Shane and Vince Mcmahan VS HBK Shawn Michaels and GOD. God, was seriously listed as HBK's tag team partner. I thought there might be something cool about it, but there wasn't. The only good thing that happened during the match that involved God, was his entrance. There is the almighty making his way to the ring. He is obviously signified as the beam of light coming down from the heavens. Shawn Michaels eventually got his ass kicked when some guys I didn't even know came down and interfered. They threw him threw a table, and then laid Vince on top of him for the win. HBK, did however climb the ladder and fly off, out of the ring, on to this so called "invaders." That was one of the cool things about the whole event.

Here is a quick list of the cool things, followed by a few good pics.

* All of the pyro, lighting, and sound
* Goldust wrestled in a "bonus" match
* Ric Flair wrestled
* HBK jumping off the ladder
* RVD whooping some guys ass
* HHH getting dropped on the Spanish announce table, that failed to break.

Here are some cool pics...

LIKE I SAID EARLIER.....I AM GLAD THE TICKETS WERE FREE!

The end of what was a real good thing...

2006-04-26T12:04:00.000-04:00

It's over. Done. Fin.

Last night I found out I was wrong. Dead wrong. I thought she was being leading. She thought I knew there was no chance of a reconciliation. I was holding on to what I thought may once right itself again, however I know now that it will never be the way it use to. She officially put a bullet in the head, of any hope I still had.

Friends. That's cool with me, its not what I wanted to hear, but that's the way its going to be. Time to stop being a pussy, and get over it.

It's hard though, when you can look her in the eyes and see that there is still something there. Deep down, I think she knows it. She is too afraid...What she's afraid of, I don't know, but I can see that also. I told her she is making a big mistake, and by the time she realizes it, its going to be too late, and she will regret it for the rest of her life. I know it, and one day, she will too. I mean shit, I know this girl better than anyone I know.

But, like I said...TIME TO STOP BEING A PUSSY AND GET OVER IT!!!!!!!!

B-Roll dot net

2006-04-25T16:29:00.000-04:00

So I go to the great photog site B-ROLL all the time. Today, I finally logged on to the forums. So, for the 4 people that may read my blog, now you can read my stupid comments and remarks under the same name at that site.

So confused....

2006-04-22T00:50:00.000-04:00

What a night! That is pretty much the only thing that can be said about it. I usually don't blog about much other than work and they occasional funny shit, but tonight, I need to vent. Well, I guess that's the term for it.

Hit downtown Rich-Vegas tonight with the crew, even though I have to work at 7am. However, I did the responsible thing and was the DD tonight. I don't mind it, because other friends DD a lot, so I take my turn every now and again.

Ran into the ex-girlfriends current "boyfriend" if that's what you want to call him. I personally have absolutely nothing against him, I'm just saying it like she tells me. We've never met, but I am pretty sure we both knew who each other were. Here's some quick background on the relationship.

We dated for a year and one day, she ended it, never gave me a reason. Ups and downs from there, stayed pretty good friends. I was an ass a lot after that. Things never got back to the way they use to be, even though a ton of our friends say it will all work out in the end.

I'm not gonna lie, I am still madly in love with her and I am pretty sure that she feels the same way. Atleast sometimes she acts like it. The thing is both of us are absolutely crazy...I mean nuts. We don't know what we want. It has become a lot more clear for me lately, as we have talked almost every day, and hung out more than we have in a long time.

I am not even sure how to really explain it. All I know, is I miss the way things use to be. I miss her, the way she use to be. Lately to me, it seems as though things could be changing...Until tonight.

Back to the main story...

So I see this guy at the bar, and figured she is probably somewhere there. A good 10-15 minutes later, I see her she's wasted, its her senior night with her sorority. I continue the conversation I am in, only to look up later to see her kissing him. And that I'm not ok with. If I could go into detail to what she tells me she thinks about him, and all that shit, you would understand why I'm mad. I don't know if what she tells me is true, or she is just leading me on. I am ridiculously confused about her whole situation with me...That's not the worst part.

He must have gone to the bathroom or something, because she came to talk to me, and the conversation went like so.

Me: Hey you, how's senior night going.

Her: I came to tell you that I am here with my boyfriend.

Me: I know

Her: You know who he is?

Me: Yeah, curly hair, beard, the guy you were just kissing....Wait...You came to tell me what?

Her: I came to tell you I'm here with my boyfriend...I don't want you to be mad, you know I still have feelings for you.

Me: Than why are you telling me your here with him.

Her: I Dunno, I didn't want you to be mad....blah blah blah...I'm drunk.

Me: Well, thanks...I am gonna go back over there now.

Her: Bye.

I know she was drunk. But I don't know what to do. She says she has feelings for me, yet she is making out with this guy almost in front of me. This, well I don't know what you would call it, is so fucking confusing between her and I. I don't get it, I don't get her.

I WISH I KNEW WHAT TO DO. I WISH THIS SHIT WOULD WORK ITSELF OUT.

It's late, I work early. I'm out.

Critique This...

2006-04-20T14:03:00.000-04:00

So I have finally figured out how to add some video to this deal. Unfortunately, the only video I have been able to add, is the first package that I ever shot as a "professional."

It's an As-Live PKG on a home repair event that happened in Georgetown, KY. It's also long as hell, but it was a Saturday, and the producer needed to fill some time.

Feel free to critique it if you want, but remember, this was my first time...And as I watch it now, its rough, and I can assure you I have gotten better. Hopefully, I will be able to upload some of the new stuff I have done.

Cause I'm as free as a bird now...

2006-04-20T11:44:00.000-04:00

First, congratulations to Smitty, his new son is adorable...If you haven't seen the pics yet, you must go see Carter...Smitty and his wife have produced a couple of cute ass babies.

Now....THE REST OF THE STORY...

Freebird, by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Great song. Just makes you feel good to listen to it. I think you don't even really have to be in to southern rock to enjoy it. Really, I'm a pretty big Skynyrd fan anyway.

But fellow weekender and WTVQ photographer Ryan Kendall inspired me for this post. He calls it the freebird shot. The shot that just makes you feel good. I assume that all photogs out there can relate to this. Its that shot you look for in every package where it presents itself. That shot that when you get out of the car...You already thinking of where you going to get it.

For me, I use to be a big fan of the rack focus...atleast a meaningful one. For the few readers I have that aren't lenslingin' friendly, a rack focus, is when you focus on something in the foreground, and by rolling your focus ring, another pertinent object comes into view...Or vice versa.

I tried to work rack focuses in to a lot of my earlier stuff. Then I got bored with it. I didn't think it looked that good anymore, so I have moved on.

Right now, I am kind of obsessed with the sunburst silhouette shot. I don't know what it is, but I just like the way an irised up sun shot can silhouette something very pertinent in your story. I gotta give props to Smitty though, he taught me the best way to do it. So, here are a few examples of my latest freebird shots, that I have used in some recent packages.

The picture quality isn't that great for some reason, but you can imagine what it would look like on the air.

The first one I ever tried.

The cross outside of a church that burned down in Flemmingsburg.

Anti-immigration rally

I love how there is always 6 defined lines.

The latest, wasn't as good as some of the others.

The story was about a man who can't sell his house, because it is located just off of the Maxey Flats nuclear site in Flemming County

What else should I be....

2006-04-17T22:01:00.000-04:00

ALL APOLOGIES....Ahh a little Nirvana now and again is great for the soul. You would get that, if you read the title to this post. And now to list my apologies...

My sister, for sometimes being mean to her.

the photogs of the photogblogsphere...As shitty as most of my posts are, I just have had no desire to write lately. Its not that I don't have anything to write, I just haven't felt like it.

that's all for the apologies. Here's a quick update on my life.

1. Got wasted at Keeneland, won $50
2. Got wasted at Keeneland, left a car door unlocked at home, had my XM radio stolen.
3. Got my IPOD back...Well not mine, but my friend who lost it, bought me a used one.

Those were all good posts, I just had no desire to write about them. So with that....

I APOLOGIZE. HOPEFULLY SOMETHING WILL INSPIRE ME TO POST MORE!

Reds go to .500 (1-1)

2006-04-05T15:59:00.000-04:00

The good old Redlegs bounced back from an embarrassing 16-7 opening day loss to the Cubbies today, however, the reds' pitcher's ERA, isn't looking a whole lot better; but they are beginning to hone in on their control. They only managed to give up 7 runs today in game #2 of the season and the series as the Red's where victorious by a final count of 8-7. Thanks to good old XM satellite radio, I was able to listen to the win courtesy of the hall of fame broadcaster Marty Brennamen. Which reminds me of this old post This one belongs to the reds.

Anyway, newly acquired pitcher Bronson Arroyo got the win, as well as a deep drive to left. Griffey homered as well, and Adam Dunn learned how to use his glove today. The final boxes can be found here.

Reds 8, Cubs 6

Oh the pictures that amuse me...

2006-03-28T18:42:00.000-05:00

Simple post today. My roommate Biggs and I went grocery shopping today, and after I spent $70 bones at the store, we were loading them into the trunk of the car, and I had take this picture. It's on the trunk release lever from inside the trunk.

I am pretty sure that the caption would read: "Pull this letter if you piss off a big fat Mafia boss, and they stuff you into the trunk of their car. Then run like hell."

The next picture is from Spring Break. If you haven't checked out my pics from the cruise. This picture is featured on College Humor. It's from Cozumel, Mexico, at Senior Frogs. We were quite intoxicated, and thought we recognized this guy.

Yeah, that's Kato Kaelin. What he was doing with a mic, we don't really know. This just proves that no matter how old you get, you are NEVER TOO OLD FOR SPRING BREAK!

The final pic for today's post also comes from Spring Break. I have a subscription to
Maxim Magazine, and they have this great section in every issue that is called "Found Porn." Basically, reader's send in pics that they take or boxes that they find that looks like unintentional porn, or just some good bathroom humor. This is the pic that I am sending to them, and hopefully they will send me $150.

I don't think that I need to explain anything.

Hell, let's make a contest...Leave a comment and let me know which one is the best picture. I would love to hear from some people.

Lazy Monday...

2006-03-27T20:10:00.000-05:00

If I knew how to put some video on here, I would have made a re-cut of SNL's Lazy Sunday, and rap the story of tonight at WTVQ. I got to work at 3:00 PM, the same as every M,T,W. None of the nightside reporters, which we have 3 now on weeknights, had a story yet, so I did what I usually do. Check the e-mail, check my facebook (I graduated and I'm still obsessed with it) and sit and BS with the rest of the crew.

4:00 comes, still nothing. I did accomplish one thing though. I cut a VO/SOT for Smitty, after he cut a damn fine PKG on a fire in Jessamine County.

5:00 comes, I chose not to run prompter for the 5 (because yes, photogs have to run prompter for the 5, 6, and 11 newscasts...WHY? I DON'T KNOW), for one certain reason...THE SIMPSONS is on in LEX from 5 - 6. So I sat by the edit bays, and watched the Simpsons with a fellow photog and an editor.

6:00 comes, My turn to run prompter. That's over with, and back to the sitting. About 6:40, I decided to unprop myself from the chair by the edit bays, and move to the desk while the night assignment editor is at lunch. There I was ...Sitting...Waiting for breaking news...Bored...And sitting....

and sitting...

and sitting...

I may have even dozed off while watching the chatterboxes.

I think this picture pretty much somes up the night. I think I am actually going to edit a mini-pack with about :20 of file footage and 5 fullscreens.

WHAT A BORING FREAKING DAY.

PICTURES COURTESY OF WTVQ PHOTOG JON SMITH. MOST OF YOU KNOW HIM AS LIGHTS...CAMERA...JACKSON

Back from the boat...

2006-03-20T01:54:00.000-05:00

What a trip! I wish it didn't have to end, but it does. I am going to do a post about the trip in whole, but I just wanted to post a few pics now, and a link to where you can catch all the pics from my trip. So many posts, I don't even know where I will start...Maybe one about how I managed to rack up a $289.44 bar tab in only 2 nights....That should be a good one....If I can remember much of it.

More to come...Here is the link to see all the pics I have uploaded so far:
Pics from my Cruise to Grand Cayman and Cozumel

Perks of the job?...

2006-03-10T22:24:00.000-05:00

So I graduated college and got a real job. With that, comes several things.

40 hours a week, atleast,

a car I get to take home,

a 401K,

health insurance,

and most importantly...

PAID VACATION!

Tomorrow night, my roommate, myself and 6 other friends are loading up the cars and driving to Tampa, FL! We are staying there on Sunday night, only to get up Monday to load up the Carnival Cruise ship and head to the Grand Cayman Islands, and Cozumel, Mexico. I have never been on a cruise, hell, I've never been out of the country (yes, I don't count Canada as out of the country). I can't wait. 5 days in the sun, relaxing and drinking it up with some of my favorite people in the world. I don't know if I will be able to update while I am there....And frankly I don't care. I plan on doing nothing but drinking in the sun, and enjoying my time off.

PEACE!

And the Oscar goes to...

2006-03-06T02:20:00.000-05:00

So, I just got done watching Crash for the first time, not only does it have a star-studded cast, but there was a reason it won BEST PICTURE tonight. WHAT A GREAT FLICK!!!!

All for now...

Loving the False Sense of Security

2006-03-01T02:48:00.000-05:00

Just like a band-aid took the pain away when you were a kid,

or the most expensive shoes make you a better basketball player,

or Gatorade makes you perform better during sports,

the alcohol makes you a better dancer,

or the alcohol makes her more attractive,

or the alcohol gives you more game...

So does my Nyquil, make me sleepy!

I don't know if it really works or not, but the Nyquil I have taken the last 2 nights, makes me feel sleepier. I think it's just a false sense of security, but for some reason....I am dozing off. You can definitely tell in last nights post, considering the title has 3 commas, as opposed to the 3 periods of an ellipses.

NIGHT ALL!

Offsetting Penalties,,,

2006-02-28T03:35:00.000-05:00

Two quick stories to tell tonight.

1. Walking past the desk, ON MY WAY OUT THE DOOR TO GO HOME FOR THE NIGHT, I hear a call for a structure fire in Georgetown, I needed the OT, so naturally I went. Wasn't much, just an average trailer fire...No one hurt, no flames, no one really cares....That sounds bad, but unfortunately, we all know that is newsroom speak...No flames, total loss, or death, no one really cares. Shoot that, return at 1:3o am, only too find that there is an accident in Lexington, and "Would I like to go cover it?"....As if I had a choice. A great visual two car accident. Cars smashed up nice, but luckily only minor injuries. Time for the usual COP TALK, to get all the details for the morning producer...As we find out that alcohol is a possible ingredient, assertively, I ask involved in one or both parties....We find out both. A certain "interesting" photog, from a certain 2 numbered station, that happens to reside in the teens, says, "So that's kind of like offsetting penalties huh?" probably not the way that I would have put it. The cop really didn't know what to say, but I would have like to see him get pissed. This guy basically said, 2 drunk drivers = no harm, no foul....Maybe it just erks me, because I had a car totaled by a drunk driver a few years ago...It just made me uneasy at the time, but Jason, our morning producer, and I, got a kick out of it back at the station.

2. On the way back from the accident, I stopped into a 24 hour Walgreens, for some cough medicine. As I approach the counter, I notice a locked case full of Sudafed. As I place the cough drops on the counter, I speak:

ME: "Hey, How are ya?

HER: "Good, this gonna be all?"

ME: "Nope, I also need 8 boxes of Sudafed, and the largest bottle of lighter fluid you have"

HER: "Excuse me what!"

ME: "Just kidding, I am not a meth kind of guy."

HER: "That wasn't funny at all!"

ME: "Sorry, I thought it would make you laugh at 2:30 in the morning."

HER: "Well, it was NOT FUNNY TO ME."

She didn't appreciate it, but I did. She also wouldn't let me take a pic of her with my digicam for the blog. Oh Well, I had a fun time.

Sorry no pics in this post...maybe tomorrow...

I'm sick...
I'm tired...
It's late...

I'm out....

A bit of red on the back of my neck.

2006-02-20T11:39:00.000-05:00

I think the best way to start this post is to begin with a quote:

"...I'm from OH-IO. When I think of pro football, the team is wearing orange. I know all the 4 seasons: Winter, Still Winter, Almost Winter, and Construction. "Toward the lake" means "north" and "toward the river" means "south." I measure distance in minutes. If someone yells OH, I know what to yell back. I've had Jell-O salad with marshmallows and I wash it down with pop, not soda. When asked about the size of the shoe, I know it doesn't go on my foot. I know that WHO DEY is not a question, its a celebration, I'm an Ohioan..."

Going to a Kentucky school and being from Ohio, you learn a term pretty quickly. FIFO. A "Fuckin Idiot From Ohio", that's because everyone from KY thinks we're idiots and cityboys and all that kind of stuff. It's funny really.

So the other day, my fraternity brother Kyle, a true country boy(I mean this guy is like programmed to say "BY GOD" three or four times in a sentence) asked if I wanted to go be redneck for a while and shoot guns with he and few of our other fraternity brothers. Now I had never shot a gun before, my family doesn't own one, and they don't hunt. I just never really had the opportunity to shoot any thing.

We went down to the Wildlife Management Area in Richmond on Friday, to the shooting range. It was just a big open field that you could blast the hell out of clay pigeons. We started with a 12-gauge shot gun as you see in the picture. My old roommate Zach showed me how to properly hold the gun, so I don't break my jaw, and how to load it, and what to do to not kill anyone.

"Let's see what you got city boy," said Kyle. "PULL!"
The pigeon flys, and I blast the hell out of it. "Beginners luck," they say. Another one flys, I blast it, and the next one.

3 FOR 3.

They are mesmerized. Not bad for a first timer. Then I proceeded to tell them, that my job is to follow stuff with my eyes. To anticipate where the action is going. I have shot baseball for the last 2 summers for a pro team in Lexington, and I have decided, if you can follow a baseball with your view finder, you can follow a clay pigeon with the little ball on the end of the shot gun. I was a natural...Sort of. I ended up doing farely well for the first time that I had ever really even held a gun. I love the feeling of the power you get when you pull the trigger. The loud noise is kind of cool too. I know it sounds like I am being redneck. I was finally told that I could go "huntin wit 'em" sometime and blast the face off of a deer. It turns out that I am a pretty good shot, so watch out. In the future, I might go buy a gun, just in case the Queen of England ever tries to bust into my house and try and tax me without representation...That bitch (you gotta love the simpsons). Here are some more pics from that day.

If you look closely at the middle, you can see the pigeon
that is about to die

Bennett pulled a Dick Cheney....Except he celebrated!

You ain't no Picasso...

2006-02-16T13:12:00.000-05:00

Dave Z and I actually did a story on blogs the other day. Unfortunately, I have left the pictures from the story on my disk at the station, and I am off on Thursday and Friday. Sooooo, you have to wait until Saturday morning for the whole post. However, I will give you a link to his blog...Its quite fascinating. Here is an abstract of the story.

Matt Jordan, or You Ain't No Picasso, is a 19-year-old, blogger that is a journalism student at UK. His blog, as for mentioned before, is in the national spotlight. He does an excellent job, reviewing and featuring underground music and their artists. His blog is nominated for "Best Teen Blog," and he has a pretty good shot at winning his first "Bloggie."

Like I said, I will have pics from our shoot up, and the detailed story on the weekend, for now....To satisfy your cravings here is a pic of me, or atleast my big fat shadow....HA!

Raymond J. Bury

2006-02-11T17:29:00.000-05:00

Born: 12 July 1929

Died: 10 February 2006

Loving husband, father, brother, and grandfather!

Grandpa Bury passed away last night, around 9 p.m. He definitely stayed around as long as he could. He had emphysema and lung cancer, but his ticker could run with the best of them. When we arrived to Detroit Recieving Hospital on Tuesday night, he wasn't expected to make it through that night. Well, he stayed with us that night, and Wednesday, and Thursday, and most of Friday. The good thing about his passing, was how peaceful it was. He was in no pain, and had most of his loving family around him at his passing. I will blog more about his life, when I am able to get more details on the earlier years. Here are a few pics of pics of my grandpa.

Grandma and Grandpa Bury on their wedding day...Now they are together again in a better place.

Probably the longest I have ever seen this military man's hair

Burning the midnight oil at work.

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO GAVE ME THEIR SUPPORT DURING THIS DIFFICULT TIME, YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE IT!

This hotel sucks...

2006-02-08T01:30:00.000-05:00

Its hard to sleep.

1. The hotel bed is TOO soft, it is not comfortable.
2. I worry about my Grandpa.

Soooooooo, I am just outside of the Motor City, and home to Super Bowl XL. We are at a Red Roof Inn, because my dad had to make reservations till Sunday, just in case. We saw my Grandpa tonight. He is on a machine that is "helping" him breathe. Its not breathing for him, but its helping....A respiration specialist is coming in tomorrow, to ease him off of it. Meaning, once the machine stops helping him breathe, the rest is up to him and the man upstairs. I just hope there is no pain involved. The doctors assured us of that, saying they will take the very best care of him.

There was a glimmer in his eye tonight. He awoke and saw his daughter(mom) and the rest of his family there, and you could tell he just wanted to say thank you for being by my side at this time. He can't talk, but he can move his head. Sometimes we weren't sure if he could tell what we where talking about, and then sometimes he would answer the yes/no questions that we asked. I just wish I got the chance to see him more over the past few years. Unfortunately, that's what out of state schooling and the necessity to have a job do to you.....And from what I hear, it gets worse before it gets better, with this business. Its all part of the gig though.

Not sure how often I will get to be at this, because this stupid hotel has wireless internet, and you only get 24 free hours....WTF is that about. What semi-decent hotel doesn't offer free internet. Just another thing that will annoy me on this trip!

Thanks to all who have given me their support....You really don't know how much I appreciate it!

The worst phone call ever...

2006-02-07T11:09:00.000-05:00

10:58 AM - Tuesday

Mom: Andy you need to come home....Its Grandpa, they don't think he is going to make it though the night. Katie is on her way to pick you up. You'll probably want to bring some nice clothes with you.

Andy: We'll be home as soon as we can.

Thus starts the treck back to Hamtramck, Michigan. My sister, a student at EKU, will be with me on the ride home. I don't know how she will take it. Back in the day, I was pretty close to my Grandpa, then once I left for Eastern, it kind of faded away. Due to work and school, I haven't been back to see him in almost 3 years. I am hoping that he can hold on until tonight, so I can atleast get a final goodbye.

Now, I sit and wait for Katie to make it to my apartment, not knowing what to do, this is the first thing that I could think of. Amazing how just writing down your thoughts is such a release of tension and anxiety. I am not a very religious person, but I ask those of you that read this, to add Raymond J. Bury to your prayers today. If he must go, please let it be peaceful. Thanks!

Updates when I can....

The roving death trap that is UNIT 18

2006-02-05T11:54:00.000-05:00

I haven't been in this business very long, but I have already learned how dangerous that it can be. I've gotten the call from the desk to go to so and so street, but wait for the cops....Its a shooting and it still may be going on. As exciting as that is, its not near as thrilling as the everyday driving that I do in UNIT 18, the "Roving Death Trap".
Allow me to introduce to you UNIT 18, my news car, Betty. She has the name because I don't know anyone around my age with that name, so I consider it a grandma name. And Betty is old. She just turned 8. Born back in 1998, this Ford Explorer has (according to an engineer) "been through too many photogs that just beat the hell out of it."
Betty doesn't have a whole lot left in her. She is my day to day and take home car. We have been through a lot together in just the short time that I have been blessed with her, includingng trips to the far outreaches of the commonwealth and the 21 mile commute to and from Richmond.
Betty is one of the few "unmarked" newscars we have...sort of. She has the WTVQ phone number on both sides, but that's it. You wouldn't believe how many times I have been asked, "Where's the Action News 36 logo? Why isn't your car all painted up?
Betty is pretty run down. She drips ever so slowly: oil, transmission fluid, coolant, and ABS fluid. Luckily she doesn't leave spots. This white beauty has been around the block. Since her debut back in 1998, she has amassed miles.
All the other news cars are equipped with CD players. (Not that its important, but sometimes when your out in BFE, the radio doesn't pick up and sometimes you just want to listen to your own music.) Betty however is not. She is equipped with a tape player...In this day and age, it might as well be an 8-track. So, for Christmas this year I put some thinking into my requests, and my parents bought me a MyFi XM radio and an IPOD Shuffle, complete with TAPE ADAPTERS. If you don't have XM radio, I highly recommend it. The is no better way to wind down on the way home from work than listening to XM Comedy Channel 150. Its lude, crude, and unrated....The best kind of comedy there is. So until the tape deck dies (knocking on wood as we speak), I atleast have good stuff to listen to.
The final reason that Betty scares me...Acceleration! Every time you hit the gas, you were CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK! As if the transmission is slipping and its not going to catch. It really sounds like it is about to fall through the floor. I worry that one day, Betty is just going to be disgruntled enough to where she might just decide to blow up. Hopefully, I, or anyone else for the matter, is in or near it.
OK, time for my last gripe about the car...The number. Not that I don't like the number 18, but there is a specific reason its not a good number for the car. WALES, a competitor, is channel 18. Too many times have I been asked, "If you work for channel 36, why is there an on your car?", or "Did you get that car from Channel 18?"
With all the gripes, there is one major thing I love about my take home car, Betty. No matter what happens to her, no matter how much she doesn't like to work, or how bad it sounds driving down the road, one thing won't change...atleast in the near future...

THE GAS IS ALWAYS FREE!

Long live Betty!!

And this one belongs to the Reds....

2006-01-29T21:54:00.000-05:00

That is the signature line of Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman. He alongside Steve Stewart, make up the Reds On Radio Network. They, along with several other players/alumni, including Tom Browning, Austin Kearns, Jerry Narron, and Mr. Red where in Nicholasville today as part of the 2006 Winter Caravan Tour. Some of them arrived in

the Cincinnati Reds Rover. I think its graphic package looks a little bit better than the good ol' Action News live truck Unit 16.

The hood is pretty sweet though. I wouldn't mind it on my car.

They sign a bunch of autographs and all that good stuff, and then I get some sound with Lexington native Austin Kearns. Knowing there would be players from my favorite baseball team in the world, I took my digicam to try and snap a shot of a future hall of famer. I saw Marty and Steve sitting at the autograph table, and the first thing I could think of was, "Man...I want a picture with them." I guess that shows the passion I have for radio play by play. Out of all the people that I could have taken a picture with, I chose the radio guys. That guaranteed me a picture with a Hall of famer, and a picture I will cherish, because I have grown up listening to Marty and the reds on the radio. Hell, I even got XM radio over Sirius, because I will be able to listen to every Reds game if I want to. Hopefully, with the new management that has just be instated, the program will pick up.

We look like a good team! I told Marty that if he ever needed anyone to fill in, he should give me a call, and I dropped a business card on him. He chuckled and said "I think there are a few more people ahead of you on the totem pole, but if something happens to them....You'll hear from me." HA! Stranger things have happened...

Tops in Lex

2006-01-25T13:28:00.000-05:00

If you drive around Lex Vegas daily like I do, you have probably heard an ad for the website called TOPSINLEX.COM. The ads even have Casey Casem as the talent. I decided to check it out, and I happened to find this pic on the website from the "Releasing of the Hounds" that the Iroquois Hunt Club did back in November.

Its the first picture taken by someone else that has shown me out in the field. I bet he was trying to miss me, but I snuck in the frame anyway. Oh yeah, you barely see me, I am on the far right of the picture, eyeing my shot.

If only I was rolling on this...

2006-01-25T02:16:00.000-05:00

Today was the first time I had the F-BOMB dropped on me by a citizen of lovely Lexington. I am called to a "bank robbery" around 4:30. When I arrive LEX 18 photog, and fellow graduate of EKU, is shooting some VO of the scene, when a young man gets out of his car and as he is walking to talk to the cops....Yells to Vic.

"What are you doing here?"
"We heard there was a bank robbery," said Victor
"Well, there isn't...So quit bothering my ass and leave!" exclaimed the dude.

I get a small chuckle out of their exchange, and as he continues to walk past me, he looks me right in the eye and says "Yeah....And FUCK YOU TOO!"

unfortunately, I barely had the chance to set up my sticks, and by the time I was ready to roll, he was in the cop car talking to the police. Apparently, four guys pulled up to him in a car, robbed him in some neighborhood, and the first thing he could think to do was to go to his bank, and then call the cops. Probably not my first action, but the choice was his.

I have been really slacking on the pics lately. That, and my digicam seems to be on the fritz. I am working to get the pics up for some of my previous blogs.

Late Night humor that amuses me

2006-01-24T04:27:00.000-05:00

As I waste the hours that my semi-insomnia keeps me up, I spent the time reading other photog blogs. I came across WRAL photogs Under Exposed with an older post about parking SAT trucks in tight places. Thank God, I don't have to drive ours....and in this pic from about a month ago, our SAT truck operator Rodney didn't either.

Its not the best pic, because I didn't know it was happening, but that is the WTVQ SAT truck being towed to EKU for a live shot about "Severe Weather!" Notice all the damage and destruction around us. Turned out to be a little bit of rain and a waste of SAT Truck gas and window time.

Live shot @ 11

2006-01-24T03:19:00.000-05:00

So my fellow co-worker and blogger, Smitty, said I need to update more, and I do. I told him, sometimes its hard to think about what to write about. He says..."Write about anything....write about an 11 o'clock live shot in the cold...or when you have to go live at 6, and you find that out at 5:15. " Tonight, I am taking his advice.

Janis Edmon and I are sent to cover the redistricting of the Fayette County Public Schools tonight....Exciting I know. To make a long story short...We had a live vo/sot at 5 and a live vo/sot at 6. Then went to the meeting at 6:15 by the time I had the shot broken down. It was a simple school board meeting.........

4 hours and 15 minutes, and one and a half batteries later (remember this...Its a key fact to the story) we are scrambling to get some reaction from a couple of parents, and at 10:17 pm we are back at the truck logging tape and setting up for our LIVE @ 11.

Tape logged...
VO/SOT cut and fed back....
Mast raised....
Shot locked in and set up...
Mic and video check on its.....SHIT! Warning light flashing...Battery is dying.

From this you can probably guess what happens. Being the newbie, I tell our 11 o'clock producer, Toby, that we can get the shot off, we'll just do our video check at :30 out. WE DIDN'T MAKE IT. The battery died in the middle of the shot....ON AIR!

It is partially my fault, I assume, for not taking 3 batteries, but I have never needed them. I have always taken 2. I guess I thought that was the standard thing to do. How many should I have taken? I blame part of it on the station, because I am the only photog that doesn't have the battery charger/AC Adapter. If I had any gear, besides my camera, it would be great. I share mics, cables, and sticks, with whoever isn't using theirs at the time. Its frustrating! Had I had my own gear (i.e adapter/charger) this probably wouldn't have happen.

Pics from the Air check to come on Tuesday. Atleast it was a frozen pic of her, rather than black. I guess that is better than black? I don't really know.

Upset city....and the REAL cats.

2006-01-20T12:02:00.000-05:00

Its not UK / UofL, its better. Being from Cincinnati, I have grown up around one of the greatest college basketball rivalries in history....The Crosstown Shootout! In Cincinnati, there is no game bigger than UC v XU. To get tickets to a UC/XU game, you must put yourself on a list...That is 10 years long. This game is always sold out 10 years in advance. To use a giant basketball cliche...."Throw out the records when these 2 play!"
I've been to the Crosstown Shootout, and it is amazing. Rupp arena packed is cool...But usually its just a bunch of annoying, arrogant, Kentucky fans. At the Shootout, the place is divided in half. There is a sea of red and black and a mass of blue and grey.

Even Bob Huggins (we all miss you) returns to watch his beloved Cats play. That new Bitch of a President that UC has may have fire him, but he will always be remembered as....Well probably the coach who got fired for one too many DUI's, but he should be remembered for something better than that.

OTHER NEWS AROUND THE NCAA HARDWOOD

No more undefeated teams remain in NCAA basketball, as the #1 Duke Blue Devils lost to an UNRANKED Georgetown opponent.

and so did # 2 ranked Florida....Who is still going to WAX Kentucky's ass.

MEANWHILE BACK IN LEX VEGAS

(notice WTVQ sports photog extrodinaire, Jason Candy, above Rajon, fartherest right)
Stupid Rondo had to bail the Cats out from another loss, much like the UCF game, except this shot was much uglier. Everyone gets lucky a couple times. His hit the big shots lately, these are just setting him to blow it in either the NCAA tourney or the SEC tourney. MARK MY WORDS!

All this, while I try to continue to make sure that people in Lexington don't confuse me with a fan of the wildcats...So I proudly wear my hat that supports the REAL CATS!

In all fairness Cincinnati lost to Xavier this year, and UC is currently on a 3 game losing streak. That should end today as UC takes on Rutgers at 2 in Cincy.

ATLEAST WE DON'T HAVE A FIRE ANDY KENNEDY WEBSITE WITH PICS THAT HAVE HIM ON FIRE!

Carving a path into the blogsphere

2006-01-16T01:33:00.000-05:00

This is just a shout out to Lenslinger whose most recent post is getting some of us new bloggers and this new photog some more presence in the great photog blogsphere. Thanks for the shotouts.

We'll be back after these words from....

2006-01-16T00:18:00.000-05:00

Probably my new favorite service in the world. I just recently registered with NETFLIX, and it great. You can get a 2 week free trial which I am already in week 2, and have received 6 movies already. I recommend anyone that loves movies to atleast sign up for the trial. For $17.99 a month you get 3 movies at a time, and you can get as many movies as you want. Its so simple, make a list of your movies, when they come watch them, send them back, FOR FREE, and get the next one on your list. I save more money this way than renting for Blockbuster or a local video store.

DAMN, NETFLIX, should pay me for this blog. Once I was done, I realized a sound like the freakin spokesman. Oh well....I love NETFLIX!

WTVQ reporters hits national spotlight

2006-01-11T16:03:00.000-05:00

WTVQ nightside reporter David Zimmerman hit the
air waves of CNN last night to report on a miner that
was killed in Pikeville. Dave was live on Anderson Cooper
360. Photog Ryan Watts was the man behind the lens.
Unfortunately, he gets no credit other than the "attaboy"
he received by some of us, when they made it back to
the station at 2am.

I am not a UK fan but....

2006-01-03T15:27:00.000-05:00

I love shooting sports. I got the chance to go to the GOOD state
up north, and shoot the OU v UK basketball game at US Bank
Arena in Cincinnati. UK fans are some of the most obnoxious
people in the world, from my experience. However, they sure do
back their team, when they need it. I have never been to a UK
basketball game, but this experience was impressive. It was just amazing
to be in a sold out venue, where the noise is so loud, you can barely hear
the referee whistle when you are sitting courtside. Unfortunately, UK pulled it
out thanks to this man. Joe Crawford...

Who went nuts, and posted a career high. The
highlight of the game for OU was this breakaway
dunk, I thought they had the big MO from there,
but the Cats where able to fight back.

My highlights looked good for only the 2nd or 3rd time
that I have shot basketball. Now I just want to keep
working at sports, and then shoot as much of it as possible.

College Graduation

2005-12-19T12:25:00.000-05:00

Me, Mom, and Dad

Me, Goldring, and Cali

Me, Katie, and Tim

Holiday Safety Tip

2005-12-13T15:59:00.000-05:00

This one is pretty much common sense.

DON'T LEAVE YOUR X-MAS CANDLES UNATTENDED!

There house is still standing....but there sure isn't much left inside.

Drive Bye News...

2005-12-13T15:29:00.000-05:00

Saturdays are ususally fairly slow "REAL" news days. Usually, on Saturdays I come around 8ish to edit a morning cut in during GMA, roll tapes for it, then hang around for an hour or so until I have to go shoot a morning anchor package (which I hate, because I have to get people to talk to me about stuff I have no idea about). I can talk to people no problem, but if the topic is something I have no clue about, I don't know what questions to ask them.
So Saturday I am on my way to shoot an anchor pack on some soldiers being recognized at a ceremony at the Firefighters training facility. As I am driving down Main St., I can see flashing lights ahead of me, so I think "great, now I am going to be late." I drive down the road and pass a car all smashed to hell.

Then, I come to the next car, and the passenger is still trapped inside. The firefighters had to rip the door open to pull him out of the car.

Amazingly, the only injury was a cut to the passenger's head.
Back to the title of the post. Its so much easier to find news, when you drive by it. Rather than the phone call that says "there is an accident downtown. Where not sure where, just look for it." Granted, we didn't run the story, because it really didn't cause any problems. Traffic wasn't backed up, and no one was hurt.
Its funny how before I ever became a photographer, I could pass an accident and not think anything but "I am gonna be late" to wherever it is I am going. Now, when I see flashing lights, I immediately look at my phone to see if I have a call from the desk. I find myself more curious when I see ambulances and fire trucks flying down the road. I've been told that's what you need in this business, so I have a feeling its only going to help me in the long run.

I GRADUATE FROM EKU IN 5 DAYS!!!!!!!

girls girls girls girls....girls i do adore!

2005-12-08T18:58:00.000-05:00

Just when you think you understand women.....this one is a true enigma. I am sure all guys can feel me on this one.

Trips I don't understand

2005-12-06T22:54:00.000-05:00

A while back, if you remember, there was a school shooting in Jacksboro, TN. For some reason, we were the only Lexington station to cover it. The reason....NOBODY ELSE CARED! Which makes sense. I am not complaing about being sent on an overnight, 26 hour in 2 days, shoot. The over time was great. I needed the money, but I don't think that anyone in our market area really cared. I am not too sure why the station spent all the money on the trip, hopefully we I'll understand when the ratings come back anyway.

Anyway, this trip was pretty amazing. I edit a package for the 11 in 8 minutes. I started pulling the day time video in at 1o:37. At, 10:42 I started editing, and by 10:54, I was set up and ready to plug in the camera. Talk about deadlining it. After the 11 liveshot, we had to put stuff together for the morning show, with live hits at 5:30, 6:00, and 6:30 AM. Needless to say, we didn't get to bed till about 3:30, with our wake-up call at 4. Shots went off with out a hitch, then got to work on our pack for the noon. Went live at Noon, then came back to pack and vo/sot for the 5 and the 6. What a day.

It was really cool, to be on the scene with almost 15 other crews. CNN was there, MSNBC was there, it was just really cool to do our live hit at noon, and look down the row and see 15 other stations doing live shots. In the end, the pic shows our final product. All in all, I was happy with our work.

We on fiiiiire...up in here

2005-12-04T15:27:00.000-05:00

Covered my first fire where there were actually flames. This was a fire down in Estill County, (Irvine, KY) and was pretty bad. Tony, CE, and I hiked about 50 yards up a hill, and then through some woods to get to it, but if we hadn't we's have never gotten some of the great video that I got. I just used this pic, because I think it is amazing the design, that fire can carve through a forest.

first live shot

2005-12-01T15:33:00.000-05:00

Picture was from early November
First Live shot, with Janis Edmon. Story was about a home invasion. It was cold!

I am the Rich Brooks of Fantasy Football

2005-10-20T15:22:00.000-04:00

I am not a UK fan at all. However, in this situatuion, it is only necessary that I compare myself to the coach of the team, that every time they lose, I celebrate. The fantasy football league at WTVQ is great. Lots of great trash talking and plenty of good times....for everyone else. Let's get this straight, I am having a blast playing in the league, but I really would like to win ONE FREAKING GAME THIS SEASON. Even the Wildcats, have won one game. Granted it was to a team that they should have blown out, but didn't. The score looked good, because they got 2 TDS late in the ball game. Back to my problem. My QBs suck, my running back doesn't produce, and is being a pussy right now with a "sore" ankle. My # 1 wide reciever got injured for the season in the first game. Now, my 2 starting WRs aren't even the # 1 option for any team's offense. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO TO WIN. HELP!!!

B-roll package

2005-10-05T15:37:00.000-04:00

I had to do my first "b-roll" package as I like to call it. Melinda Roeder and I just went out and got 2 interviews, and pretty much all of the b-roll in the pack came from our archives. Much easier, but not near as fun. I like to actually go out and shoot everything for the stories. Just another part of the job. Not sure what is up for tonight, hopefully something good!

I SEE DEAD PEOPLE....

2005-10-04T16:21:00.000-04:00

Sunday, I was editing a package about a 93-year-0ld swimmer, when Matt(desk) says, slap that together, there is a really bad wreck that you need to get to. I slapped it together, it wasn't great, but it was ok, and left...not even sure where I was going. As I head down Main St, I get a call that says the accident is at Broadway and Short st. I park and walk around the corner. A van is flipped over and there is a body laying on the ground, missing about a quarter of its head. Quite gruesome and disturbing. Apparently the van and a police car collided and the driver of the van was thrown from the car, and was DOA. I had never seen a dead person before, except for funerals. It wasn't distrubing as much as it was tragic. Knowing that I am going to be seeing more and more dead people in this career is weird. I am sure it will be something I get used to the more I see, but isn't something that I really look forward to.
Anyways, the guys here continue to give me great complements and better criticisms. It is good to know that the other photogs here are concerened about me getting better. Charles told me today that he was pretty impressed with my package, and he thought it was pretty good for being a new guy. I'm glad that things are going good, and will only get better. That's all for now.

First REAL duty as a new photog

2005-09-22T02:44:00.000-04:00

I am chatting with Don Hudson tonight, about to walk out the door. As I say bye, he answered the phone and then yelled, "Who is on call tonight, its Dean, (night assignment manager) a cop has been hit by a car. I said I would go. Now, I am supposed to be shooting for the "first" first time on sunday, and Charles left me his gear and his car, meaning camera, tripod, and gear (i.e. mics and lights and all that good stuff). However, through the mist of the day, someone had taken his wireless reciever, tripod, and gear. All I had was a camera and a car. Shaky video is about the next worst thing to bad color or exposure, and shooting off your shoulder is very hard. So it was safe to say, that there were a lot of shots low to the ground. I had to put the camera on the concrete to get a steady picture. I can honestly say that ACTION NEWS 36 won this story, just because Don and I stayed to not only interview the police, but we got sound from a witness who was right on the scene. It is self gratifing to know that I did the best that we could do, to get the best news on television. I am proud of the job I did, even though it was small potatoes, but it was cool, and makes me want to get out and shoot even more. Central V. Whitley County this friday, should be an easy win. Got a funny story about Coach turner, but that is for another post. Time to hit the hay.

not much to say

2005-09-13T02:54:00.000-04:00

So i got a speeding ticket in a station car the other day, that wasn't good. My project with emily came out pretty well. The best part was having some of the guys at the station critique it, and tell me what i could do to make it better. that is the ultimate goal. GETTING BETTER. Central vs. Montgomery Co this week. Should be a boring game. MCHS stomped them last year, and it appears they will probably do the same this year. For once, I already started prepping for it. I think its because i know, that Central will blow them out, so I will have to find more stuff to talk about. Oh well, i never really had trouble running my mouth anyway. Its late, and my pillow is calling me.

Friday Night Glory

2005-09-07T19:44:00.000-04:00

So the indians have played 3 games now, and I have finally gotten to make my return to radio. I wish play by play could be my full time job. I love all the preparation, the setup, and finally....AIR TIME. I feel so much more at home in the booth than I did last year. Granted, this is only my second year doing play by play for radio, I already know that I have gotten 100% better than last season. the only thing that I really don't like about working at the Highschool level, is many teams/coaches don't take it seriously. Coaches won't give me info, or send me rosters, or stats , and even starting lineups. I know they don't understand what it takes to put on a great broadcast of a game, but without this vital information, its pretty hard to sound like you know what you are doing. Time to get to work....

This time...

2005-08-11T23:45:00.000-04:00

Last night I actually wrote in this thing again, but, due to BREAKING NEWS, I apparently did not save it. So here is what has been going on since the last time. I have finally gotten word as to when I am actually going to get to go shoot something. I have been told pretty much since the job has opened that I am going to get to start going out and shooting video for our newscasts. A week from tomorrow, FOR SURE. I was promised that I am spending the day with Charles, the Cheif Photographer. Since being a News Photographer(videographer) is what I want to dowith the rest of my life....for now, I feel that I am starting in one of the best video shops in this area, If not the best in the east coast. We have so many great, creative photogs that it kind of makes me nervous to try my hand at what these guys have been doing for a good long while. I am happy that, I am starting here, because I think that I am going to learn so much from these guys, that I will be able to be just as good as some of them someday.
The highschool football season is starting. That pumps me up. It is almost time to make the return of the "Voice of the Indians." I have to be one of the luckiest people to fall into this radio gig like I have. It is perfect. I run the broadcast. I do play by play, set my own show up, and could pretty much do whatever I damn well please. YOU CAN'T BEAT IT. Well, you could. The money could be better, but, I am not going to complain about getting to do what I would love to do for the reast of my life now. Only, one day, I will make it to a bigger level. Thats good for now. Until next time...

DAY 1

2005-08-01T13:02:00.000-04:00

I heard about blogs, and my roommate said that his boss told him, that keeping some kind of journal/record of things that happen is supposed to make you more intelligent, as well as organized. I guess we will find out soon enough!