Shhh!

Hee-hee!


It doesn't really matter where I am. The person beside me makes everything worthwhile.


I'm in no condition to be posting, but just wanted to share. There is happiness in the world. Also adventure and excitement. . .and rum. Lord, yes, there is rum.

The Latin Grammy Award goes to. . .

Work hasn't been too thrilling of late.

To make up for it, here are a couple of celebrity pics from the Latin Grammy Awards Tribute to Carlos Sanatana. I don't think that was the official name, but that's what I'm calling it.

There were lots of celebrities. Of all the celebrities, there were only a handful I knew. Of those that I knew, I got pictures of three.

Quincy Jones and Salma Hayek.


Rob Thomas


Salma Hayek



Quincy and Salma


Remember when I went to the BET Awards? I didn't know any of the stars. Same deal here, but this time I didn't know anybody in Spanish. Great, now I'm un-hip in two languages. I'm going to bed.

I have half a mind to rent a convertible, grab Action-Wife and run off to Las Vegas for a couple of days. That would be cool.

Go ahead. Dare me.

California "Lootery" (okay, I'm bitter)

Quick round-up of the last few days. Lottery Story. I didn't win. The reporter here didn't win either.


Missing K9 found. No pictures.

Also, I "found" that I'm allergic to Cech Shephards. Achoo. Sniff.

First question if they're missing?

It's never going to be color.

I was on my way to 2nd man for the crew covering the disappearance of Sharon Anne Santos. Okay, maybe I should explain the term "2nd man". That's newsroom shorthand for saying that the primary photographer and reporter get another photographer to assist out in the field. That's not vital information for this post, that's just how I happened to be on the story. On the way to the location, I was listening to a local talk-radio program. The topic of conversation was something that always perks me up. Fairness in "the media". Actually, lack of fairness. I'm sure you knew that. The question posed was specifically whether the major news organizations have provided more coverage in stories of missing persons if that person happened to be white, female, and pregnant. I couldn't believe that was actually a topic of conversation on talk radio. Are people really asking themselves this question?

I couldn't follow the program very long. As typical, my job kept getting in the way. What I did hear irritated me. This is the type of ignorance I try to discourage whenever possible.

What else can we do? This is the story.



The friends and family of Sharon Anne Santos was holding a rally in their neighborhood to keep the public aware of their daughter's case. As cars drove by, with the driver's permission, they taped copies of the missing poster to the cars.



Relevant? Maybe. Ironic? Yeah, well, I don't know if any national media covered the story. I don't know what the other Los Angeles news stations were doing. I do know that I was there. A reporter and another photographer were there. I couldn't tell you what it is about the Laci Petterson case and cases like it that draw in so much national attention.

I just believe you're missing the point when you look to media coverage with the expectation of some secret agenda or bias based on race. If you're really trying to help society, you're never going to accomplish anything just by questioning why "THE MEDIA" is covering a story. At least, not if you don't follow up by asking, "Why is the public watching?"



We're in the business of news. There are stories that need to be told and there are stories that the public wants to hear. Our business success depends on attracting viewers. So, when people stop watching stories that involve car chases, celebrity court cases, and fill-in-the-blank-with-the-story-of-which-you've-seen-enough, we'll probably stop covering them.

In the meantime, if you see Sharon Anne Santos, tell her to call home. Even though she's not white and probably not pregnant, I'd still like it if she turned up safe.

I'm not surprised by this. . .

. . .but I have to admit, this is just how I'm feeling today. I'm sure there are many days where I'm more Tigger or Eeyore. Piglet rarely, but never ever Rabbit.


You are Winnie the Pooh! Although very loyal to
your friends, your drive to fulfill your own
desires sometimes gets the better of you.


Which Winnie the Pooh character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

It felt like it was time to let the heavier content take a break (I was depressing myself with some of these posts). It's been a quiet week so far and I like having the luxury of blogging on whatever moves me at the moment. We have to chase the news so often and fill that air time, it's nice to be able to not feel guilty for taking it easy. I know the lazy days can end at any point and the quiet is just a matter of point of view. There's always something going on in the world. The day or the story might be just waiting to really kick my ass. It's good that I've had a chance to relax at home and not have to deal with the bad or the ugly on the job.

I like that I feel rested and ready to say something if something needs to be said. It's also nice that for the recent handful of words that I've written, I'm okay with not having said much at all.

My lovely Action-Wife is home on break from her teaching job. I'm going to go hug her and hold her close for a minute.

Thanks for reading. beGood.

Who's been buying drinks for the short guys at table three?

It was good to be on a story that had some visually interesting elements and even better that it wasn't about the latest West Nile Virus victim. It is difficult sometimes to do the same tragic story over and over. There comes a point where you need to have a light day with the right combination. Good story, good reporter, and good lunch (I had salad with chicken breast strips and honey mustard dressing). Now, the problem for me is I want to try and find the bar angle for all our stories. How can we cover the Presidential election from a bar? Pope coming to town? Does he have a favorite watering hole? See, this is why they don't let me make these decisions.

All in all, not bad for a Monday.



These folks who were running the place were very nice to us. I'm not used to that. No, really, it was freaking me out. Most places we go, people are hurling insults or worse our way.



. . .and so, the story tonight was about the Little League team from Thousand Oaks. I'm sure they did something important (they were on TV after all), but I'm just ROTFLMAO because we were doing the liveshot from a bar all evening. I'll finish this post later. We have one more hit for our 11pm newscast.

Justitia beFriended

I just added to my blogroll a blogger who seems to post similar to mine in tone and content. I found her recent writing on civil unrest, the media, race relations and law enforcement in her area to be extremely interesting.

I can't really do her blog justice in a sentence or two when she deserves a view or two.

Justitia

If you have the time, check it out.

Yes, I want to be a photographer!

For all of my fellow digital photographers. I plan to participate in an open showing of digital photography and I thought some of the people who drop by here (magz? gemmak?) might be interested also. Here's the info from a newsletter I subscribe to:

Every year for 50 years the L.A. Municipal Gallery has held its "Open Call" exhibit where any artist can show up with their art and an entry fee (to benefit gallery programs) and the piece is shown. The Los Angeles Center For Digital Art decided to launch an international experiment of the same nature where the artists upload images that are printed and hung by the gallery. The hundreds of works are displayed in a grid like installation (reminiscent of postcard art shows of the 1980's) where every work submitted is exhibited. The usual (less than democratic) selection process where only the precious few are chosen is turned on its head in a curatorial anarchy where everyone gets to participate and the viewer is literally left to be the judge. The show represents a snapshot of a current moment in art history when digital imaging has reached the hands of the many, an age where culture belongs to the "mobblogers" around the globe. From Thailand to Texas, amateur to academic, beautiful to banal and beyond the monumental quantity and variety of "Snap to Grid" becomes an aesthetic experience where each individual piece adds to an agglomerative effect that has a life of its own.

Submissions are still being accepted until September 5.

To register and upload follow this link:
http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=69229


I'm planning to submit two of these three.

Scooter, you've already met.



This is HarvardGirl and her sidekick, Kato (grrr, Kato).



One of my older brothers and his son at graduation.


I like these three, but $30.00 a pop is steep for me. I may have to cut it back to just one and Scooter might have a shot she'd like to submit.

(Why, yes. Yes, I am shamelessly trying to push my children to be interested in photography.)

I know who you are!

So, get this. I found out recently that the person who posts comments as Planetary is-- eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. Okay, he's not famous (yet), but he's a friend of mine and he wants to stay anonymous. Don't ask me why. I'm just obliged to respect his choice.

On that subject, I know there are a few more friends of mine lurking in the background. Many of them might have interesting (differing?) points of views on my posts. I'd like them to know their comments are always welcome. No pressure. As any blogger would tell you, it's the page hits that really count.

It's my day off and everything is quiet. Last night I set up a live-shot for a sidebar story to the plane crash from this weekend. It's not a great start to my weekend, but at least I can appreciate the time to decompress.

I've got to get a few things done around the house today. Action-Man has to whip out the Action-checkbook and pay the bills. There's some yardwork to do and the pond filter is clogged (thanks again Obi and Kayla). Action-Wife and Scooter both deserve a nice home cooked meal and I need to work on getting some photos ready for framing.

Very likely, I'm going to fire up the grill later and put a six-pack of beer in a tin bucket of ice. The family will be getting home from work and school and if nothing exciting happens today, that's fine. I'm probably missing some bit of action in the world. If that's the case, there's not much to be done about it. Right now, today, my older kids are safe and happy in their lives. My youngest is eager and motivated in her school work. My wife will come home and we will kiss like we haven't seen each other in weeks. I'm very thankful for the life I have and I hope I never take any of it for granted.

Just a slow day for me. You know what's really cool? If I play my cards right, I can have another one tomorrow.

Pa, it's okay. You can let go.

Scooter's first day back to school. She's a high school senior this year. I'm not completely freaked out yet, but it is in the back of my mind. At this time next year, she'll be off to college. There's not enough time or space on the internet to say everything I could say about how proud I am of her.



This is what comes to mind after I've dropped her off this morning. All parents probably have the same memory.

The training wheels are off and she's peddling pretty much on her own. All I have to do, is let go of the seat. She's riding the bike and I'm running as fast as I can to keep up with her. Eventually I can't keep up and I have to let go. My heart skips every time I see the wheel wobble, but she doesn't fall. I have to admit, it never really changes. I'd like her to slow down. I want her to keep her eyes on the road. I want her to avoid the bumps. It fills my heart and brings a big kool-aid smile to my face every time I see her look back over her shoulder at me. I can see that she's afraid (just short of terrified), but I also see everything else. I see the pride at her accomplishment. I see the excitement and I see her enjoying the feeling of independence.

She may never have really learned to ride a bike exactly like this. Her memory may be completely different of that specific time and event.

If she reads this (anyone who reads this), I'm sure you know. This post really didn't have much to do with learning to ride a bike.


A cup of java to go. I wonder if she's aware of how much smarter she is than I was at the same age.

Yeah, I know. She does.

(It's petty, but I can still ground her.)

Whoops, my bad.

That water story from Friday? Nope, I just can't let it go.

The issue for me is not the legality of providing assistance to people crossing the border illegally. I freely admit I don't know what should be done, but I certainly wouldn't deny aid to anyone in need. It just feels like I may have missed something in not questioning an elected official's role in this activity. Should he be involved in anything that supports an illegal activity? As a point of journalistic responsibility, should I or someone from my station have questioned his involvement?

It's not a judgement of placing the water. A charitable act isn't always going to be defined by what's "legal".

Ultimately, I hold myself responsible for being asleep at the wheel and not asking the question of Villaragosa when I had the chance. I'm not a reporter and there are actually union agreements that I have to follow. From where I stand, that union stuff isn't really what's important here. I feel like beating myself up a little and I probably have the right. See, I didn't even think to ask the question until the next day.

People who work in the news? We are not perfect. Given the opportunity, we might (under the right circumstances) admit that we're not perfect. It's a human thing to make mistakes. Regardless of how this situation should have been handled, I hope people who read my blog keep this in mind for me and anyone working in "the media".
We are still just human.

I'll get him next time.




(I think he's doing a good thing by supporting the water drive, but when I'm on the clock, it's not my job to make that call. I should be fair, unbiased, and balanced in what I do. Without making a judgement in regards to the people or issues involved. On this story? Yeah, I missed something here.)

Where is he?

"He's coming towards you!"

"I don't see him!"

"Get out of there, he's right next to you!"

This wasn't dialog from the movie "Alien". This is paraphrased two-way chatter during the high-speed pursuit I covered last night.

My first still shot of the pursuit. We're traveling South on the 5 freeway and he's traveling North. This is the third time we've seen him. He keeps making these u-turns and passing us in the opposite direction.



It's a longer story than I have time to blog this morning. We were following this thing for over an hour and it ended halfway to nowhere off the 14 freeway.

I have to be honest. It is exciting to be involved in a police pursuit. We're criss-crossing the freeways and trying to guess which way the suspect is going to turn. It's a big adrenaline rush. I imagine that's why people watch them. It wasn't the biggest story that happened yesterday. It just brings in the most viewers.

Thanks for watching. Gotta run, read the previous post.

Ok, paper drive I can understand. . .

. . .but, water drive?

So, I was enjoying my quiet day at work. The only story I'd shot before lunch was about a water drive. Yeah, I didn't understand it either until it was explained.

Illegal immigrants who try to cross the desert are dying from lack of water. In an effort to save lives, water is being collected and placed in locations where the illegal immigrants can find it. To me, it feels like this is helping people to break the law. . .



. . .but when you see the faces of the people who might die without the water, it becomes less an issue of law and more an issue of conscience.



I'll let the politicians figure out what can be done. I don't have much hope that the immigration issue is going to be solved any time soon. There's too many votes to be gained or lost at election time to actually solve the problem. In the meantime, if saving even one innocent life is the result of the water drive, I got no problem with that.


Plus, I don't even know if this story ran last night. If I had to guess, I'd say, it didn't. We had that high-speed pursuit thing going on for a good part of the evening.

Oww!

I don't really believe in Karma in the strictest sense. It tends to make me feel that I'm doing something in the expectation of getting something out of it. If I do something good or to help someone else, I do it because I'm a good person. If something bad happens to me, I don't immediately feel as if it's payback for something I did wrong.

Where's this coming from? I have a toothache and I'm leaving to go to my dentist. I will be violent like a crack addict when I get there, because I am in some amount of pain. It started before I left town earlier this week, but became "MAN" serious yesterday. I should have gone yesterday, but Action-Wife had a conference to attend at UCLA and I volunteered to tag along with her (yep, I'm Morgan Freeman, Miss Daisy). We got to have a coffee and zuccini muffin at Starbucks in the morning. I wandered around Westwood Village for a couple of hours and we had lunch at the Napa Valley Grill. I was in pain and popped a lot of Advil, but it wasn't "MAN" pain.

Today I am in "MAN" pain. I am going to the dentist. I hope he will give me drugs that might make me disoriented. If that is the case, I will blog my experience. I am past the point of rational thought. I am standing up and leaving. . .now!

Santa Barbara, bye-bye.

I'm sipping coffee and bloggin' on my way out of Santa Barbara. I hope Michael Jackson gets a fair and speedy trial. I'll be honest. I'm a parent and an adult. I've made a life for myself in which there's a lot of laughter and happiness. I've had a hero or two and I've respected the artistic efforts of many people. That being said, I have a strong dislike of the fanatics who keep showing up for these hearings. I understand the love they have of the man and his music, but I don't like the fanatical devotion they're showing towards him. I don't like the singleminded acceptance that what he's about is all fairytale goodness and asexual innocence. Growing up doesn't diminish my capacity for love. Moving past my childhood doesn't close the door to happiness and it just seems that the message he sends is one of irresponsible gratification as a way to make up for the childhood he never had. As a parent, I want to raise children to be happy adults who will enjoy everything life has to offer. Even though he claims he'd never harm a child, I think the picture he paints does great harm to children and to society.

I don't know if he's guilty of molesting young boys, but I do feel that he's guilty of encouraging people to live their lives vicariously through him. I think he's guilty of encouraging people to live in a fantasy world, instead of being responsible for leading lives which will make the real world better.

If you want to support him, fine. I just know there are people on this planet who need the support more than Michael Jackson. Trust me, he's put away a few bucks through the years. If you don't show up at the courthouse waving banners and screaming his name, I think he'll be okay.

Oh, and I wouldn't be surprised if he skips town. More than one person at the courthouse was joking about Michael Jackson learning French.

Jackson, Santa Maria. . .uh, Ole'!

Sorry about the image quality. I ran out this morning and left my camera at the hotel.

This is the kind of rowdy crowd that just turns me off of rowdy crowds.





Courtroom sketches being shot off the back of a SAT truck. What? You thought we had a hi-tech way of getting these onto tape?





Line up and take your shot. Shoot it wide, shoot it close, medium, pan, slow push. . .no really, artistic expression is important in this job. (yaaaaawn!)

Stuck in the truck, but looking forward to an interesting day. Not this one, but I'm sure I'll have an interesting one soon. I have to make sure I'm not looking forward to it, because that's going to just insure that it won't happen.

Road Trip!

I'm on the road tonight to Santa Maria, California. That's right, it's Michael Jackson time. SAT shots around noon tomorrow. We'll learn within the next day or so, if Michael Jackson will stand trial.

Any bets that he's going to trial? Any predictions?

I have yet to get a photo of Jackson. Maybe this trip will be the one where I can blog the King of Pop.

Missing Kidney Woman

We were in full on detective mode yesterday. Chasing leads and using this photo to try and track down this woman. She had been missing for over a week from the baltimore area. Her family could only get limited help from law enforcement because no crime had been commited. She has kidney problems and needs dialysis every 3-5 days.





We started at LAX where she had flown in. Her trail led to Hertz car rental and this motel where her credit card had last been used.





This liquor store next to the motel was another spot where activity on her card was noted.




We knocked on all the doors and hoped for something to happen. The trail ran cold at a bus stop in Inglewood. A driver for Hertz had last seen her after he gave her five dollars and let her off at the bus stop. She was last seen boarding the 212 MTA bus to Hollywood.

I may never know what happened to this woman. We cut a package with what we had, did our live shot, and put her picture on the air. If someone happens to remember her, they'll call in to the police or the station and she might actually be found because of our efforts. Otherwise her family can only hope and pray for the best. That's just another frustrating part of my job. We put everything we have into a story for the day we're assigned to it. The next day, very likely, we're on to something else.

I hope "Missing Kidney Woman" makes it home safely. We tried.

Excuse me, did you say, "Lake Elsinore?"

Yeah, I knew it was coming, but it's like being drafted. I got tagged to cover the candle vigil for David Gonzales. This one is not in Lemiert Park. It's out at Lake Elsinore. It's at least as far as Big Bear and maybe further. We can get a microwave signal out from there. No SAT truck needed.

I guess I can't complain. I want to. I really want to, but a drive all the way to Lake Elsinore is a minor inconvenience.







I'd been pretty lucky in that I hadn't had to interview any of the family members myself. It's difficult. The sadness weighs very heavy. The limited english spoken by the father in this case makes it even more difficult. I can tell by the way he talks in Spanish to the crew from Channel 52, he's naturally more at ease speaking in his native language.

Why do we talk to family members in times like these?




It's not a question of why we do what we do. It's our job to cover a story to the fullest extent possible. I will NEVER avoid making the attempt to interview a family member (More on this later. It deserves a full post). I will be respectful and readily accept their request to not be interviewed.

To me, it's a question of why do people talk to the media? I believe the answer is that you never really know what will work to bring back your child. An emotional plea made to the public might make a difference. No one wants to feel as if they didn't do absolutely every last possible thing in getting their child back.

beMonday Indeed!

I get a kick out of being mentioned in other blogs. Really liked the beMonday post on H O L L Y W O O D L A N D.

Well, it's another work day for me and I'm looking forward to it. I just spent two days without watching any news and while I didn't miss it. I hate the feeling that I might have missed being in on something cool.

Someone once said I'd make a good mentor. I don't know if they were right, but long ago I had the opportunity to supervise a large group of high school students in a summer internship program. Out of almost thirty teens, two have gone on to work in broadcast news and I just found out that a third has been hired to work full time production at a popular cable channel.

It feels good to see these guys that I knew as teenagers move forward in positive directions. Gentlemen, you make me proud.

Now, I'm going to go for a run. Let's all hope nothing bad happens today. If something bad does happen, let's hope I get the story.

Obsession

It's Sunday. Well, it's the second day of my two day weekend. I've got errands to run and STUFF to do.

Each day I wake up and there seems to be a few more things in my life that I'm obsessed about. Okay, the blog is an obvious no-brainer. I check it through the day and I've really loved opening a window for everybody to see what I do when I should be working.

I'm looking for a few specific tech gadgets right now. At the top of the list is a networked media player. It will tie into a home computer network and access digital media (pictures, music, movies) to playback on a television. I've got all these digital photos and I like the idea of being able to sit back on my couch and sift through them.

Action-Wife has decided it's time for me to take the next step in expanding my cultural horizons and she's purchased tickets for us to attend a couple of operas. "La Boheme" and "Carmen" are coming up in the next couple of months. "Romeo and Juliet" is on the list for early next year. These are going to be great nights out for the two of us and I'm insanely looking forward to this. Why? I don't know, maybe it's the thrill of a new experience for me. Maybe it's the chance to dress up and have an evening out in the company of other people in a civilized setting. Loud noise and ill-mannered crowds at concerts and movies? Wow, really not fun for me.

Digital photography always seems to be on the list. I'm ready to buy a new camera, but I refuse to spend another dime unless they put all the features I want into a camera in my price range. Looking at the Canon 10D or the rumored 20D.

The list of "things I want" is always going to be longer than the list of "things I need" or the list of "things I can actually afford". I'm in pretty good health right now. All the headaches and sacrifice (Hi, TLC!) associated with raising a family seem to be paying off. I guess I need to remind myself of this every now and then. When there seems to be nothing but misery in the world, there is still quite a bit of happiness for regular folks. Moments of quiet in the world are few and far between. I look forward to them and I try to hang on to them.

Did I mention the kayak?

My Turn, my turn!

Well, it's been quite a while since I've been able to post anything. Busy, busy, busy. I suppose if I took the survey that was going around about how much time the blog is taking in your life, my percentage would probably be a negative one, and it's still hard to believe Action Man's was only 6%!!

Anyway, our household is all-a-twitter now that our youngest decided (out of pure boredom), to start blogging. If you can just imagine a very athletic parent, into all kinds of sports from the time of crawling, that has a bookworm child -- then one day that child picks up a football (or any type of sports apparatus) and really starts to show interest as well as aptitude. Oh the elation, the JOY the PROUD Papa! Well, minus the sports, that's what's going on at our house right now. Action Man has been wanting for a long time now for one of his kids to pick up the shutterBUG or the pen, and run with it. And now he can hardly contain himself.

Of course, I had to remind him not to say a word or it will all go away as suddenly as it started (teenagers - go figure!). It's difficult, but I think he can hold out until we're sure it has taken hold and the youngest is hooked but good!

I think that I am officially a Blog Widow and soon to be an abandoned parent. So I figure --eh, join 'em.

Just thankful some of you still visit

I was checking the hits counts and thought it might be nice to share. Quite a rollercoaster. It should be obvious where I dropped off the Blogs of Note listing.

Best Wishes,. . .uh. . .do you spell that with a "Y"?

Yeah, I got an autograph.

Just wrapped a live talk-back interview with Richard Ben-Veniste and Slade Gorton of the 9/11 Commission. These guys are the real deal. They wrote the book. Literally.




I'm so ashamed for getting their autograph. What am I? Some teenager hanging at the stage door of a rock concert.

Must. . .regain. . .dignity!

Last trip to Big Bear

People still ask me how I deal with the stories I have to cover. I really have to put it in perspective. If I saw someone get punched in the face, I can relate to that. I've been punched in the face. I know what that feels like. The sign here? I don't know what this feels like. I pray I'll never know. As much as I empathize with them and feel sorrow over their trauma, unless it happens to me, I will never feel the pain the family of David Gonzales is feeling.

I felt depressed and I'll feel down for some time, but this didn't happen to me. I'm thankful that I can feel sympathy for the family, some of the guys that do this are past that point. Putting it in perspective, I still have a job to do. I still have to go to work and face whatever comes my way. When I leave for work, I'll hug my family and hope they're safe while I'm gone. I'll try to keep a good thought that even after all this time, David Gonzales will turn up okay. I would encourage everyone else to do the same.

I knew this was going to be a difficult day. It was pretty common knowledge that the search would be scaled back. I was lucky. Running the SAT truck, I didn't have to face the family for interviews today.

Missing Boy: Day #8

I went to the campsite where the missing kid was last seen yesterday. It's open again and it was just a little bizzare to see families there as if nothing had happened. There were groups of searchers still combing the area. I like that they're being thorough. If my kid was missing, I'd want every rock and tree checked twice.

It was a long day and a longer drive than normal to get there. The drive home wasn't too bad. I was just happy to not have to over-night.

When I got home, Dellis (Action-Wife) had set a nice romantic mood for me. The candles were lit, I had a bite to eat, and we both had drinks. It was a perfectly peaceful way to end the day.

I have to get up and do it all again today.

(AW, please light the candles and pour me a drink. I'm sure I'll need it.)

Life in the woods.


Had my closest call in recent memory. I shouldn't miss liveshots (didn't, but it was close).


When I put this dish up, I should be able to find the satellite in less than two minutes if I'm in a rush. Two detours because of road construction and an accident put me in more than a rush. I won't panic because I know if the shot doesn't happen, it wasn't because I didn't know my job. We were in a remote part of the forest and the problem were the tall trees all around. I had to stow the dish and move to a spot with more open sky or we wouldn't be going on TV for the first afternoon newscast.

It was close. We were throwing up gear and making connections quickly. I found the satellite and did the fine tuning I need to do (more complicated than it might sound). We could hear the director calling for a picture and sound and we could hear the lead in show's closing credits. We go the talent in front of the camera. I fed the edited piece back to the station and we were ready to go with a minute or two to spare.

Much closer than I like, but the folks at home will never know how close.

This was interesting

I was driving to Big Bear when this incident came out of nowhere.


Officer ran out and stopped traffic.

I can't get away from it, no matter what I do.




It was a full on felony traffic stop. I don't know where the police officers came from, but I'm glad they were there.

cool.

Lost in thought

Quite a day (night) yesterday. I didn't have a reporter, so I wandered around shooting bits and pieces of stories for other crews.



Press conference for the family of Rick James. Held on the sidewalk on Barham Street. Barham is a hellishly crowded street that runs along the south side of Unversal Studios.


Cruising along Sunset Boulevard. I'm looking for a notorius billboard that shows a very explicit image from the soon to be released movie, "Brown Bunny".


Tower records on Sunset.


Found the billboard, but it looks like I was too late. They cracked under the weight of the public outcry.


Ended the day by doing a "live shot" from Hollywood Boulevard in front of the Kodak Theatre. We're parked right across from the El Capitan. Lots of tourists, freaks, and stalkers.



All in all a good day. Now, I'm off to Big Bear to cover the search for the still missing kid. If I'm a little melancholy later, don't be surprised. I may have to stay overnight. Action-Wife, as always supportive, but none too happy about it. Have I mentioned how important her trust and understanding is in our relationship. I couldn't do what I do without her in my corner 24/7.

She's a keeper.