Bowling Night!

Sarah and Missi... The party's just getting started.

Guess Who?

The inner circle.  These are the people who worked so hard to help me get my footwork right. It's all about the feet!

Nice form Missi!

Mike Clark is all about the need for speed. The screen showed the MPH your ball was going, Mike had it at 22mph. Somebody pull him over!

EP Wells... ready for battle. Look at Tim! So serious - Only hard core bowlers roll up one sleeve... and those, that are in gangs, I suppose...

Go Steve!

Ooooohhhhh. Let the trash talking begin!

This picture is begging for a caption contest.  I don't remember what Maria was saying at the time, but the hand gestures are hilarious. And apparently they left Steve scratching his head...

Or, maybe that's some secret bowling move?

Here we have Tom. He's our 5pm producer... and apparently he's an Olympic bowler on the side. I'm pretty sure he's about to mow down all 10 pins and get ANOTHER strike here.

Paul... it's your turn!

What a fun night! We were all so sweaty by the end of it.  The first game, I bowled 102, which I'm pretty sure breaks a personal record... 2nd game was 56, I'm guessing to keep me humble. It worked.

Yesterday I left work in the middle of the night because I was gross. Gross. Snotty, slimy, sneezy, wheezy. Gross.  So, I gave in and I'm taking Dr. Oz's advice.  I ordered a Neti Pot on E-Bay.  Because I'm the girl who can't wait for anything, I had to do it "Buy it Now," so it was $30.00. I hope it works.  I hope I don't drown.  I'm a little scared, because I was one of those kids that had to hold her nose in the swimming pool. (I came up with a creative way to do it though, perhaps that's a story for another day)

I need to post pictures from this weekend. I went bowling with some of my co-workers and it was great fun.  I forgot how horrible I am at bowling! It was almost embarrassing, but thankfully, I wasn't the only one who couldn't break 100!

The funniest story in our newscast this morning... a 13 year old girl was apparently able to escape from a would be kidnapper because her hair weave snapped off. Seriously. Weaves save lives people.

Maybe I'll write more and post the bowling pics when I get home. I hope everyone has a good day!

Every week I have this thing with Thursday.  Every time it's Thursday, I feel like it's Friday.  I'm guessing this is because by the time Thursday rolls around, I have already worked my 40 hours.  Yeah... that New Year's resolution I had to work less... isn't really working out.  I am doing pretty good on my resolution to travel and do a better job of keeping in touch with people, however, so I guess I'm doing okay as we approach the resolution check-up mark.

The May ratings period is over!! Woo hoo! I am happy that it's over and I'm happy with how our our team did. WE WON! Channel 4 Action News This Morning is the #1 morning newscast in Pittsburgh and I could not be more proud to be a part of this team.  We have such a great crew, on the air and off the air.  Everyone works so hard on so little sleep and manages to smile on a daily basis. I am truly blessed to have a job that I love and to get to work with people who I respect and really enjoy.  I'm stealing a picture from Andrew's blog (this is just a fraction of the people it takes to pull the show off), and I'll link you there so you can read his take on it:http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/andrewsblog/index.html

So... they can't say that at The View, huh? Ouch. Rosie vs. Elisabeth.  I am so non-confrontational, I was squirming just watching them spat.  Yikes! There's no denying it though... that was compelling television.  I love how Matt Lauer and I are always on the same page - thanks to Robin for pointing out to me what Matt said this morning "it was the last day of sweeps... I'm just saying..." Matt, you read my mind.

In other news... Brokaw is in trouble.  I tell you, it's a good thing he's adorable, because he has been a very bad boy lately.  What is it with the really, really cute boys? It's like they just know they can get away with anything.  Last summer, he chewed a piece off of a Steve Madden shoe. It was still wearable, chewed and all. Yeah... this week, while I was sleeping, he got a hold of that shoe again, and finished it off.  Now, unless I break a leg or something and only need the left Steve Madden, my black sandals are done.  Thanks Brokaw. Thanks a lot.

Okay, so I just read in the New York Times that Stone Phillips is leaving NBC News when his contract expires. Sadness abounds. I had a crush on Stone when I was in middle school.  And I think he's the first guy I EVER had a voice crush on. Sigh. I'll miss you Stone.

I also read that female sharks can make themselves pregnant. That is interesting, yet very disturbing, however, it seems like a great idea.

Other thoughts this morning... You know that Bob Greene guy on Oprah with his Best Life Diet? I just don't trust that guy. You can't trust a white guy that has a box.

On Wall Street... Target is expected to announce profits are up 7% over last quarter. I totally did my part, did you?

There's a book signing in Pittsburgh tonight for a guy who wrote a book about how he traveled to all 50 states and washed dishes.  Proof that we will all, one day, get a book deal.

Marcie just brought me free STBX.  Love her! 

I'm having a good day already... and when I leave work I'm going to do something that I RARELY do... return a DVD on time.

Cheers!

I am no longer past due

Okay... I think that just about does it.  Now I feel like I can blog without abandon.  I am all caught up.  All of this traveling has been so much fun!  I'm looking forward to more soon. And you should look forward to the pictures... and forward... and forward... since apparently I can't do anything without a deadline. 

Today I finished "Blue Like Jazz." Get it! Read it. Dwell.  I want to have lunch with Donald Miller and talk about Penny and Tony the Beat Poet and Lonliness and Love.  We could eat in the woods, whatever.  I get this guy's random, jumbly way of thinking.  I think he's so right on, and "Blue Like Jazz" seems in some ways to be written from the inside of my head and the spiritual wrangling I have gone through in recent years... life, post the Liberty bubble.

Speaking of the Liberty bubble... last Tuesday, I was shocked to hear that Jerry Falwell died. Yeah, everyone dies. But not everyone dies right there, in their office, at their desk.  I guess it's a pretty good way to go if you think about it. Get up. Have breakfast. Go to work, doing what you love, go home to the Lord.  Not bad.  I wonder if Jerry knew it was coming. If he felt something, had a tiny conversation with Jesus, then met him.  I don't know.  I was surprised this week about the responses I heard from people.  They were all out of love and compassion.  People I thought didn't like Jerry Falwell, saying really nice things about him. Love him or hate him, he was a "polarizing figure" as I have heard way too many times in the media over the past 6 days.  It's cliche', but it's true.  I kind of feel bad now for distancing myself from Jerry.  In my professional environment, I always worried that people would judge me for being a Liberty graduate.  Worried that people would think I was some overzealous, crazy, conservative fundamentalist.  I don't want that. I just want to be a lover of people.  Truth be told, Jerry was that, a lover of people.  Even Larry Flynt had nice things to say the other day on Larry King Live.

Jerry Falwell was a good man.  He did great things. Much more than making fun of Tinky Winky.  I am not in the bubble anymore, but I don't hate the bubble, I get the bubble.  The bubble has it's place. And hey, if it weren't for the bubble - I wouldn't be me now. And you know what? I guess I am a Jerry's kid. So, Thanks Jer-Bear.

I would be remiss if I didn't admit I'm mourning the loss of something else right now, Gilmore Girls.  What WILL I do next Wednesday morning? (I live life on a tape delay)  Final thoughts: I'm happy.  I like to think that Lorelai is having coffee in Luke's from now to the end of time.  And I'm jealous that Rory is covering the Barack Obama campaign.  Me, jealous of Rory, what else is new?  I'd like to have lunch with those two too.   

In my missing Lauren Grahamness this weekend, I rented "Because I Said So." I read on Christin's blog (www.xanga.com/ckuretich), which I have total blog envy for... that she didn't like it.  Well, I did.  I don't see many movies though.  I don't have very high standards.  If you have a cute love story and a cute guy, I'm in.  I could have done without Mandy Moore singing, but I thought it was pretty cute.

Okay, seriously, I'm glad this blog is no longer a delinquent account. Up to date? check.

Apple Blossom

So, in the spirit of getting this blog all caught up (Cue Usher song...) I have to share with you some pictures from my recent trip to Winchester, Virginia for the Apple Blossom Festival.  It was great to see Ann, and carry on our tradition of taking horrible pictures together.  We've been good friends for, what? 7 years? And we MAYBE have two good pictures together? That may even be a stretch.  One of us always goofs.

The Apple Blossom Festival was a blast.  Note to self: Next year, sport the festive pink and green! I ate so much in a 2 day period, just thinking about it now, I'm full. Funnel Cake. Cajun Wrap. Sweet Tea. Smoothie. Elephant Ear. Ice cream. Coffee. MMMMMMMMM. Yum-o!

The parade and the fireworks were so cute. There's just something so small town America about fireworks and parades with high school bands.  I love that stuff. Gets me all nostalgic. And I love that every city in America busts out the Lee Greenwood CD for the fireworks... I still go up on my tippy toes during that one line "and I'll stand UP next to you..." Ahhhhhh. It was great.

The people watching itself was worth the 3 hour drive. Now, you can people watch in a mall. Or in an airport. But nothing compares to people watching in a fair like environment.  Apparently everyone is a beauty queen at Apple Blossom. I will definitely be back.

These pictures tell stories themselves

I told you it was a great trip.  I wish I could figure out how to correctly space in this space so that I could comment under each picture, I apparently cannot do that. My apologies.  Just trust me.  These moments were all hilarious to the point of sore abs.

As promised:

The hunt for the black market bag.  One of the things you definitely should put on your NY to do list is getting a counterfeit designer handbag.  Just pop out of the subway in Chinatown on Canal Street and listen.  When you hear "Coach?" being asked as a question.  Follow that guy.  That's what we did. We snaked through Chinatown, sometimes unnecessarily criss-crossing streets.  I think we ended up in a fake travel agency that had a really cloudy fish tank.  We went down a sketchy hallway a la something you'd see on Dateline.  Through a curtain in a doorway and voila! Fake Coach and Louie and Kate bags from the floor to the ceiling.  Courtney was our source.  She told us how real things looked.  Helped us haggle. We totally scored. Here we are a)on the approach ; b)on the descent ; and c)the goods nestled in my closet

Looking Ahead

I am always looking forward to something.  Right now, there are three things in particular.  All coming up in June.  That Chick-Fil-A I was writing about a couple of weeks ago? It's coming along.  The signage is up.  They're hiring.  Grand Opening can't be far off!  Also coming up in June... Ann and Emily are coming up to Pittsburgh to see Kenny Chesney at Heinz Field with me!  I hope to use my newly honed stalker skills to get a pic with him (even though I know he's going to make me look fat, maybe we'll be able to get him on the end).  Later in June, my nephew, Jorden, is graduating from high school and I'm driving down to Virginia to celebrate. "Back where I come from...."  Right now I'm wondering to myself: 3 weeks out from Kenny, I'm thinking it's a little too early to switch over all 6 cds in my car, what do you think?

Other NY Stories

So, I'm making progress... Now I just have to share our black market handbag purchase adventures and our funny random pictures like Gretchen yelling at a cast iron child and Courtney cropdusting.  Don't let me forget.  I just don't have the pictures here at work.  They're worth the wait - and hey, you've waited this long, right?

When Harry met Dana, and Courtney, and Gretchen...

What can I say? We go together like a "Wink and a Smile."  This was, hands down, the highlight of the trip.  A highlight of my life, really.  So, we're going into Radio City Music Hall and Gretchen decides to harness the power of "The Secret."  She befriends a security guard and finds out which exit our esteemed crooner will be using to leave. "You didn't hear it from me but you take a right, then another right."  We found the door. Made friends with the roadies.  Watched them load up an 18 wheeler and a half.  Watched band members come out.  Waited. Waited. Waited.  The crowd at one point was up to about 50 fans.  Then "Scary Mary" the unisex security guard tried to tell everyone Harry was gone.  We knew it. We totally called her bluff. We stood strong.  Eventually, Gretchen's friend, the security guard came out and told us Harry was across the street.  Then Gretchen SERIOUSLY SKIPPED ACROSS THE STREET. Silently.  I was oblivious, of course.  By the time I saw Harry's hair and the words made it from my brain to my mouth, she was totally right up on him.  I didn't know where Courtney was, but I wasn't willing to take my gaze off of Harry.  I just hoped she was behind us.  There he was, in all his glory.  Tall. Thick, tossled hair. Jeans. Sportcoat. T-shirt. Tired. HOT AS EVER... EVEN HOTTER THAN I IMAGINED. He was kissing his wife, Jill Goodacre, the Victoria Secret Supermodel and his daughters goodnight, but that is so beside the point.  He saw us.  The freaks who had waited 3 hours for a glimpse.  He was exhausted, you could tell. We told him how great the concert was, how much we loved him.  Gretchen even managed to tell him her favorite part was when he was shaking his butt. (she was really speaking for all of us)  He signed our tickets and posed with us for pictures.  He was SO NICE.  You could tell he didn't want to get on that bus.  He wanted to hang out with us.  It's tough, I tell you, pleasing all these people! :)  I'm just kidding. But seriously, Harry was very gracious and I'm happy to report he's not one of those big-headed celebrities that you wish you'd never met.  I still think he is SO the man! Here is the documentation, in chronological order: Before meeting Harry, During, Paparazzi Angle, and After.  It was life-changing.  My life will now be divided in two parts. 1. Before meeting Harry Connick Jr. and 2. After meeting Harry Connick Jr.

Okay, Okay, Okay...

So, I've been avoiding this blog. I admit it. It's because I had these grand intentions of posting pictures and sharing fabulously told stories of our adevntures.  Now, I'm embarassed.  The trip was a month ago.  I can't ever find the time to write what I want the way I want. Argh.  And, as I have said before in this space, avoiding blogging is like skipping school.  The longer you're gone, the harder it is to come back.  Now, where did I leave off?  Oh, right, GMA.  Another highlight was meeting Robin Roberts.  She gave me a huge hug! And she said "Dana Brown  - you're so young!"  We told her how skinny she was.  She loved us.  She stood with us for pictures.  Signed my copy of her book, which is a nice book by the way if you're looking for motivation.  She signed it, and I quote - "Dana, Thanks for everything. You Rock. - Robin." AAAAHHHHH! I rock, can you believe it?  We were such a hit.  GMA totally wants us.

Sorry...

I have so much more to blog about from my trip to NY. sssoooorrrryyyyy. I never have any time.  I'm telling you, we really need to get rid of Mondays. Oh, the difference it would make if we could just do that. Gretchen, Melanie, Tracy - get the secret powers to devour Mondays, k?

McWhat?

So, on my way home from work today I decided to splurge. McDonald's.  Bacon, Egg, and Cheese, baby! A little slice of heaven.  So I get my baby home, swaddled in it's paper wrapping, only to whip it out and see a tiny little bacon, egg and cheese.  What in the world? I am assuming that this is McDonald's controlling my portion size for me.  Hey! I don't appreciate it.  I only get a B,E & C like twice a year - I want the BIG ONE! And another thing, was this smaller sandwich cheaper, NO? Ronald, I demand to speak to your manager...

In other news... on the fast food beat.  Did I ever write about how sad I was that my Krispy Kreme was closing?  I love their coffee, and they have that one Latte that tastes like doughnut glaze. To die for, really. Yeah, well I was all upset.  Guess what? Now I'm ELATED.  The other day, I saw workers putting up a red awning on the old Krispy Kreme building, and as I drove by, I thought to myself "Oh, my? Could it be? Truitt Kathy heard my cry?  So, of course, I drove up to the building for a full-on investigation. Yeppers!!! Folks, they're turning it into a Chick-Fil-A!!! The hills are alive! Oh. My. Goodness.  Chicken biscuits. Brownies. Waffle Fries. Chicken sandwiches (no pickle, love the red sticker). Strips. Nuggets. SWEET TEA! Praise Jesus!

p.s. Did you guys know Louie Giglio's dad designed the Chick-Fil-A logo? Random fact. That was free.

Brokaw, squared

I'm sorry people. No time to post anything of substance tonight.

More Tomorrow

Sorry, I was trying to blog in great detail about NY because I know Courtney and Gretchen are looking for it  :)

But time got away from me.  I have to get ready for work now.  More tomorrow, I hope.

Friends, you know me.  I am never short on smiles and conversation, right? Yeah, well, it happened.  I had a total personality malfunction.  It's David Muir's fault.  He's too cute and smart. Can't handle it. When he was done reading his news segment on GMA, he totally made a B-line for us.  I had my hands *in my pockets* -- what in the world? I am not a hands in pockets person.  There's nothing in there. No change to jingle.  They're not even big enough for hands, really.  Anyway, he comes over to talk to us and during the entire conversation I managed to say only two words. "Pittsburgh" and "Pennsylvania."  Only the first word was appropriate at the time.  He's all "so you're from one of our affiliates." Me, with my hands in my pockets, lunging forward a la Mary Katherine Gallagher: "Pittsburgh."  And the real tragedy is I had all of this intelligent, invigorating conversation planned about people I know that he knows, etc.  Then I said at one point "Pennsylvania." For no apparent reason.  My hands were stuck in my pockets. It was like a nightmare.  Total malfunction.  It was so bad Courtney and Gretchen were like, "What was that?" Naturally, I tried to act like it wasn't that bad.  True friends, they were like, "Yeah... it was."    Fast forward about an hour and a half... I totally made a comeback.  I stopped him on his way off the set and asked for a picture.  He said he "had to go" but he must have been captivated by me, perhaps it was the mysteriousness I created with my malfunction... I don't know.  All I know is he totally waited while we were talking to Robin Roberts to take that picture.  My wit and charm had arrived.  I joked him for crouching down in the picture, about the paparazzi... he was so into me by the end. :) Not really, but I did feel like the comeback kid.