Utmost Respect for Producers

Last week, I got the opportunity to learn the ropes of producing and anchoring, shadowing West Texas Today anchor, Stephanie Harris.

Instead of coming into work at 9 am, like a normal day for me, I was coming in at 2:30 am. Now that's a time, I usually never read on the clock. However, in order for Stephanie to teach me how to produce, and still having her show ready by 6 am show time, that's what time we needed to come in.

There are so many little things that a producer needs to remember. And as for functioning at that time in the morning, it's certainly difficult. That's where 3 cups of coffee comes into play.

After finishing the show by 5 am. That's when Stephanie hits the makeup room.

I learned how to produce over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday, Stephanie also let me do the morning webcast and the Today Show cut-ins. That was my first real anchoring experience.

Then on Thursday, I co-anchored the morning show with Steph, which was a lot of fun. Except for the fact that I didn't get the memo that I didn't have to wear a suit jacket. So while, Stephanie was pretty in pink, I wound up looking like a Hillary Clinton. Getting ready for the show was especially fun because Stephanie had to teach me how to have the anchor hair, which requires some serious teasing.

Then on Friday...I was on my own. Stephanie decided not to come in even to supervise until 4:30 am. So, instead of the 2:30 am time I had been coming in all week, instead I got into work at 1 am. Which means that I got up, showered, and blow-dried my hair at midnight. Friends were wishing me good luck on my solo anchoring debut, as they were going to bed and I was going to work. I went into work so early to allow myself plenty of time to triple check everything and still have time to relax before sitting at the desk.

I feel good about my anchoring debut, but boy was I exhausted after a week of crazy hours. I respect the morning crew so much for their ability to function at that time in the morning.

Wylie Jr. High Career Day

Today, I went to Wylie Jr. High's career day, where they invited all kinds of people within the working world of Abilene to come in and speak to students about what they do for a living.
Before the students even started showing up to class, KRBC's Chief Meteorologist, Randy Turner and I were sitting at the small desk chairs, reminiscing about our middle school days. When the bell rang, I had to snap out of my daydream and realize my middle schools days are long gone.
Speaking to all of the classes was a lot of fun. Although, many students did seem interested in my job, they did not ask too many questions. I guess I might have been a rare middle school student because I can remember having guest speakers and asking them a million questions...which could explain why I continue to ask people questions for a living! ; )
I think it's a great experience for students, even if they're far from entering the working world to hear from people about how they got to where they are today, after sitting in a classroom just like them years ago.
So, I just want to thank those that organized Career Day at Wylie Jr. High for inviting me to be part of it. It was a lot of fun and I really hope the students learned a thing or two from me!

Why don't Texans Rollerblade?

I'm well aware that rollerblading was popular in most places during the 90's. I remember rollerblading with my parents when I was still in Elementary school. Back then my rollerblades were bright blue with hot pink laces. In Florida, we'd rollerblade to get ice cream. A few years later, my cotton-candy-looking rollerblades no longer fit and then rollerblades kind of went out of style.

I didn't think much of them until a guy in high school asked me to go again, saying that I could use his sister's pair. It ended up being so much fun rollerblading around our tiny town in Massachusetts. Then, I realized just how good of a workout rollerblading was and decided I needed a pair of my own. As I was heading to college in Miami, I knew investing in a pair of rollerblades wouldn't be a bad decision. So I bought a pair and rollerbladed all through my tiny High School town, Harvard Massachusetts. I got a little ahead of myself, skating uphill not realizing that I had to go back down. Clearly, going downhill creates even more speed, and yeah pretty much had an ugly wipe out shortly thereafter. I gave rollerblading a rest for awhile...until I left for college in Florida.

Luckily, with Florida being so flat there were really no hills to worry about. So, I picked up rollerblading once again and even encouraged friends to get a pair to come along. It was definitely fun rollerblading by the beach and being able to get a workout in before going for a swim in the ocean.

Now in Texas, you'll still find me rollerblading. While, I often rollerblade in my apartment complex, I have neighbors looking at me like I have eight heads. Once I meet them, they usually say to me, "you're that girl that rollerblades, aren't you?"

Which is why I have to ask why Texans don't rollerblade? It's a great way to make exercising fun and be able to enjoy the nice weather by being outside. I encourage those that gave up their rollerblading days in the 90's to pick it back up and give it a whirl again. A great place to go rollerblading in town is the track around ACU. ; )