This morning I was watching CNN while getting ready for work and I noticed something interesting during their weather segment. They were doing weather for the whole U.S. and posting temps for cities across the states. Well in the space where Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota is on a map there were no temperatures posted but instead a party hat with the words "Happy New Year" Thanks CNN for not caring about the weather where I live. Telling everyone Happy New Year is great nice of you and all but do you know how many miles are between Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota? You just left out a lot. I get that millions and millions of people don't live there but still. I'm offended while at the same time thinking this is funny. Something on CNN.com that I found absolutely hilarious today was their story about all the remixes that have been done of the song "Empire State of Mind." This song is originally about New York City but people all over the country have made their own versions about the city they live in. There is one for New Holland, PA which is basically in amish country PA where horse and buggies own the streets. Great Video for that one. The Minnesota version was also great. It looks like 3 high school guys that put it together and the lyrics are just funny. Now living in a cold state I understand the line "frozen tundra that we are fond of." I Just wish there were a Montana version. Maybe there is I'll look for it and if anyone finds it let me know. Maybe I'll make one. I could incorporate my story I worked on today...New Years Eve fireworks. Stands are allowed to sell fireworks here from December 29th-December 31st. A very popular way to ring in the New Year here is to set off your very own fireworks. This is sooo not allowed in PA so it's a new concept for me. Some people do set off their own fireworks in PA but they have to drive down to South Carolina or somewhere to buy them I think. Anyways, while I was doing the story the woman at the stand I was filming gave me a very large box that was some type of firework and told me to take it with me. I kindly said no thanks and told her to keep it and make some money off it. 1. I can not ethically except these things I know she was just trying to be nice tho and I appreciate that. 2. I probably wouldn't light that. But again it was a super nice gesture. I'm told July 3rd here is like a war zone with all the fireworks that go off so I'll be sure to let you know how that day goes.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Have fun and be safe tonight don't drink and drive!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Controlling a teleprompter with your foot
Today I had to control my own teleprompter with my foot. There is a foot pedal under the anchor desk that you simply push down on like your driving and it makes the teleprompter move. Our anchor does this every night for the news cast but I have never had to do this. I had what should have been a blue wall shot tonight but they couldn't get that to work in the control room so I had to instead stand behind the desk. We pulled the teleprompter pedal out from underneath the desk and set it in front of me. I then read 3 stories while controlling my own teleprompter. I'm pretty sure I probably had no personality on camera because I was way too worried about pressing on the pedal too much and having the teleprompter speed up and at some points I was just going sooo slow to prevent that. When I do a normal blue wall someone sits at the anchor desk and works the pedal for me. One of the guys will joke with me that he's going to do Nascar aka press all the way down on the pedal making the words on the teleprompter fly by so fast you have no idea what's going on. Anyways just had to share because it was a new experience. Also, I hate liars. I've been trying to get something for Joey as part of his xmas present (we are celebrating late when he's here) And every store has been sold out and just tells me to keep calling to see if they have received any more. Well finally today when I called one of the stores the girl on the phone told me yes they had just got a bunch in. I was so excited, I was going to get it just in time. Well I went to the store and looked around and didn't see what I was looking for so finally I asked someone working there and he told me no they didn't have any. I relayed the phone conversation I had just had with another worker there to him and his response was "Nooo sorry about that" Awesome. Dear chick who answered the phone, why did you lie to me?
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
I went to Mars on Christmas
Hope you all had a good Christmas! I spent Christmas Eve in the gulch's. Basically the area behind a mountain where there's not much going on. The road was dirt. But anyways I was at a person's house there who was having a party. The party was in their barn. Literally you walk in, see lots of horse stables, open a door, go up some steps and bam you are in what looks like a banquet hall. Very nice. They rent out this barn for weddings apparently. Anyways it was basically one huge family there plus my cousin and her husband and me. I've never spent any holiday with over 30 people so this was a new and noisy experience. It was good though and good to see how big families are during the holidays. Christmas day I went to Mars, made a volcano, and herded some forest animals. I was playing with my cousins kids who are 4 and 2 and obviously all of their new toys. The volcano was made out of purple play dough. Later in the day we went to a neighbors house for dinner. She had bought 20 pounds of huge crab legs. It was delicious. Also, before dinner I wandered into the back room where some of the little kids were but there was also a football game on. The guy in there told me he was watching the kids (aka football) I hung out there for a while and other people came to watch "the kids" I later learned he and one of the other girls are Cowboy fans so our friendship ended. Ok not really but seriously cowboys? As an Eagles fan I just don't like this.
The next day I drove to the Bozeman area with my cousin, her husband, 2 boys, and her mom. We went to visit more family. This family is one of my dad's cousins and his wife. They live on about 40 acres and own 2 horses. It was a good relaxing weekend in a very large log cabin in the Montana country. The mountains were covered in snow so it was beautiful scenery. I played in the snow with the little boys and just hung out talking with family. But let me just tell you, if you want a work out try carrying a child through over a foot of snow when you are sinking down in the snow with every step. Now try doing this up and down hills. Oh man was I tired. I also may have taken a few breaks and put the 2 year old down to ask him if he could walk yet, of course he couldn't though because with every step he took he was up to his waist in snow.
Yesterday was back to reality aka work. The job is still going well. However, there have been some technical problems. KXLF launched a new web site last week: KXLF.com , however, it hasn't been working. We are now in charge of posting our own stories. This is good so I can get my stuff up there for people to see except nothing new has been posted for the past week because every time anyone tries it just doesn't show up. I think the problem was finally fixed today so we will see how tomorrow goes. Tonight our microwave went down 10 minutes before the 5:30 news so we had to get the news out of Billings. I'm hoping everything is fixed tomorrow. I previously said that I was told to get more Twitter followers so this week I came up with the brilliant plan of coming through Twitter and finding people in Butte and following them in hopes they would follow me back. So far this has increased my followers by about 2 haha. But I did get an exciting new follower today. His account says he is a journalist for ABC in...Australia!! yay!! You probably don't understand my excitement unless you really know me but I love Australia. If I could get a job as a journalist in Australia that would be sweet/best job ever. My mom would definitely freak out though.
Ohhh I just remembered...on Christmas when I was at my cousins she showed a Butte cookbook that she had found here. The book is split into different sections depending on the immigrant group that the recipes came from. For Example there's German, English, Irish, etc. Then I came to a section titled "Black" I just kinda paused and asked, "Are they allowed to do that?" I have no idea and I don't really know anyone else's feelings about this but I just thought Butte is so not Politically Correct.
Anyways, Joey is coming on Thursday so I have lots of cleaning to do. I also bought Chicken for I think the first time in my life in preparation for his arrival. I'll eat it now since my years of vegetarianism have passed but I still don't buy it haha. I love my veggie burgers with A1 sauce. But Joey and I have to find some cool New Years Eve activities to do around Butte. I'll let you know how it goes.
The next day I drove to the Bozeman area with my cousin, her husband, 2 boys, and her mom. We went to visit more family. This family is one of my dad's cousins and his wife. They live on about 40 acres and own 2 horses. It was a good relaxing weekend in a very large log cabin in the Montana country. The mountains were covered in snow so it was beautiful scenery. I played in the snow with the little boys and just hung out talking with family. But let me just tell you, if you want a work out try carrying a child through over a foot of snow when you are sinking down in the snow with every step. Now try doing this up and down hills. Oh man was I tired. I also may have taken a few breaks and put the 2 year old down to ask him if he could walk yet, of course he couldn't though because with every step he took he was up to his waist in snow.
Yesterday was back to reality aka work. The job is still going well. However, there have been some technical problems. KXLF launched a new web site last week: KXLF.com , however, it hasn't been working. We are now in charge of posting our own stories. This is good so I can get my stuff up there for people to see except nothing new has been posted for the past week because every time anyone tries it just doesn't show up. I think the problem was finally fixed today so we will see how tomorrow goes. Tonight our microwave went down 10 minutes before the 5:30 news so we had to get the news out of Billings. I'm hoping everything is fixed tomorrow. I previously said that I was told to get more Twitter followers so this week I came up with the brilliant plan of coming through Twitter and finding people in Butte and following them in hopes they would follow me back. So far this has increased my followers by about 2 haha. But I did get an exciting new follower today. His account says he is a journalist for ABC in...Australia!! yay!! You probably don't understand my excitement unless you really know me but I love Australia. If I could get a job as a journalist in Australia that would be sweet/best job ever. My mom would definitely freak out though.
Ohhh I just remembered...on Christmas when I was at my cousins she showed a Butte cookbook that she had found here. The book is split into different sections depending on the immigrant group that the recipes came from. For Example there's German, English, Irish, etc. Then I came to a section titled "Black" I just kinda paused and asked, "Are they allowed to do that?" I have no idea and I don't really know anyone else's feelings about this but I just thought Butte is so not Politically Correct.
Anyways, Joey is coming on Thursday so I have lots of cleaning to do. I also bought Chicken for I think the first time in my life in preparation for his arrival. I'll eat it now since my years of vegetarianism have passed but I still don't buy it haha. I love my veggie burgers with A1 sauce. But Joey and I have to find some cool New Years Eve activities to do around Butte. I'll let you know how it goes.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Today I stood on a highway with my camera
Yes, the title is correct. I did a story on Holiday travel today for the 5:30 news. I went to the local airport and talked to people there and of course got video but people also drive to wherever they are going for Christmas so had to get that part of the story too. I talked to highway patrol and had to get some video to support the story of cars...on the highway. So me and my camera had a fun time standing there video taping everyone as they drove by. It was fun. My favorite part was when I was on an overpass to I could get shots above the highway and a man came by with his dog. Yes he was walking his dog on the overpass and the dog had no leash. They don't believe in leashes here, at least I don't think they do. I have yet to see a dog on a leash. I also have yet to see a majority of the dogs walking around with an obvious owner near them. Today when I was in the airport I was filming some friendly travelers in line and suddenly this little dog walks towards me, past me, and around the corner. No clue where it was going or where it came from but I did not see a person following it ever. Cute dog though.
on to food...I've had a lot of free food this week. I guess because it is the Holidays lots of guys (who work at KXLF) wives have been baking or making various food items. So they bring them into the station and offer me some. I had povitica, which is you read my previous blog is the thing people told me to try that I couldn't remember what it was. It's like a nut roll with some Eastern European influence. It was very good. I've also had cookies, breads, muffins, homemade caramels. And....I finally tried a pasty! I've been hearing so much about them in Butte. I actually liked it, crazy since it contains beef but whatever seasoning is in those things is good and the pastry part is also very good.
OHH interesting thing I learned today while working....when you fly for the holidays don't wrap your gifts before hand. You may just have to unwrap them at the airport for them to be screened at security. Another interesting tidbit I learned at work....Montana does not do DUI checkpoints. I was asking a Highway Patrol captain what they'll be doing this weekend for drivers on the road for the holidays and he talked about not drinking while driving so i naturally asked if they would have DUI Checkpoints. Boy was I quickly reminded I'm the new girl when he told me "we don't do those" he also said they get in trouble for doing those but in the summer they have safety checkpoints. I don't know. Also, Butte does not have an open container law. Yep, you can walk the streets with an open can of beer or whatever or so I've been told I have yet to see this.
Anyways tomorrow is Christmas Eve, I'll be working woo. Happy Holidays everyone!
on to food...I've had a lot of free food this week. I guess because it is the Holidays lots of guys (who work at KXLF) wives have been baking or making various food items. So they bring them into the station and offer me some. I had povitica, which is you read my previous blog is the thing people told me to try that I couldn't remember what it was. It's like a nut roll with some Eastern European influence. It was very good. I've also had cookies, breads, muffins, homemade caramels. And....I finally tried a pasty! I've been hearing so much about them in Butte. I actually liked it, crazy since it contains beef but whatever seasoning is in those things is good and the pastry part is also very good.
OHH interesting thing I learned today while working....when you fly for the holidays don't wrap your gifts before hand. You may just have to unwrap them at the airport for them to be screened at security. Another interesting tidbit I learned at work....Montana does not do DUI checkpoints. I was asking a Highway Patrol captain what they'll be doing this weekend for drivers on the road for the holidays and he talked about not drinking while driving so i naturally asked if they would have DUI Checkpoints. Boy was I quickly reminded I'm the new girl when he told me "we don't do those" he also said they get in trouble for doing those but in the summer they have safety checkpoints. I don't know. Also, Butte does not have an open container law. Yep, you can walk the streets with an open can of beer or whatever or so I've been told I have yet to see this.
Anyways tomorrow is Christmas Eve, I'll be working woo. Happy Holidays everyone!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Irony and Beef
When I was getting ready to move to Montana I had this image in my mind of a place with mountains and lots of snow and of course cold weather. I never really had a problem with cold weather and snow as a child or even to the age of 18. However, once I went to college and had to walk up to 30 minutes in cold and snow I began to hate it. So I was a little scared of Montana but decided I would suck it up cuz hey gotta start my career. Anyways, this weekend Montana was sunny and dry while my old home home of Philadelphia and Maryland where I went to school got slammed by snow. About 20 inches of snow. Ironic. I haven't seen that much snow in a long time and who knows when I will since Montana is just gorgeous haha.
Besides for the weather I have now completed my first 2 weeks of work at KXLF. Nothing too drastic in the second week. Still a lot of holiday feel good, charitable stories. I'm thinking that's what the third week will be all about as well. I had three live shots my second week and by that I mean I was live standing in front of a blue wall in the studio. On Thursday another reporter and I drove to Bozeman, Mt (about an hour and 15 minutes away) to go to the CBS station there for some website training. Well we were told it would be website training, it turned out to be just a guy talking to us about social media. Terry Heaton was his name and I guess he's written books on the subject. He congratulated me for owning melanieyuill.com but then told me I needed to update it and turn it into a blog about news and the things I cover. He also told me I need more Twitter followers. His advice was to tell all of my facebook friends to follow me on Twitter. I knew that wouldn't work but thanks to the three of you who (not including my parents) now follow me on twitter after that status update haha. You will one day help me get a job at CNN since he told us that when CNN has two candidates up for a position they hire the one who has the most twitter followers. I was also told to have a facebook page that people could become fans of. I think I'll wait til I actually have fans so like 10 years if I stay in this business maybe lol. I also had my pictures taken for the KXLF website so maybe that will be up there soon along with my bio.
Saturday night was the KXLF Christmas party. It was good, was at a local steakhouse. For those of you who know me well, no I did not order steak although everyone kept telling me how good it is there. I'll probably have to try it at some point I just am not quite ready to delve into eating red meat again. Never really liked it in the first place. However, at this Christmas party lots of people were telling me about Butte food that I have to try. I was told about a nut roll like thing that has a name I don't remember and probably couldn't pronounce but guess I'll have to try it. I was also told about pasties and where to get the best one's around here. Pasties are pronounced like the tense past with an e at the end, not like paste or glue with an e at the end. The latter would be adhesive coverings women put over their nipples and I don't think anyone wants to eat those. So now a pasty is basically a pastry filled with beef, potato, and onion. I know I'll have to try one at some point while I'm here I just don't know if I'm looking forward to that. I'm very open to trying lots of things even if it doesn't sound great but I of course want to experience my new home so a pasty tasting will come sometime. People also told me about pork chop john's. They have famous pork chop sandwich's. That I may just make my boyfriend try when he is out here and have him tell you how it is. I despise pork. I'm also not a big red wine fan but they drink it a lot out here. Maybe cuz they love steak so much. I'm much more willing to start drinking red wine regularly tho then I am to eat steak and pork chops.
Friday night ( I know I went out of chronological order) I had dinner at a local steakhouse with my cousin, her husband, and her father who was in town for the weekend. If I've ever met her dad I don't remember it because I was so young so it was good to get to see him. Very nice guy from California. I ordered fish and chips at the steakhouse but they were delicious. Also, after visiting London last March I now love fish and chips and order them whenever I see them on a menu in the states. Now this steak house that we went to Friday night I'm told is very old school Butte from about the 50's. It was what they call a supper club back then and to this day all the seats are red velvet. Crazy. But great food and lots of food! When you sit down at the table there is already salad, bread sticks, beets, carrots, onions, and something else that I'm not sure what it was. Then when your entrees come out they come with pommes frites (fries) ravioli, and spaghetti. These are placed as huge platters in the center of the table for everyone to enjoy. So you really get about three meals in one. It was all very very good though.
End note: Being in Montana means I can't watch all the Eagles games. I'm a little saddened by this. Currently I have the Steelers Packers game instead and the Steelers just got a touchdown to tie the game with no time left. Impressive and at this point I kinda feel bad for the Steelers because they've lost so many in a row. Still Bresnan Cable if you could make sure I get the last two Eagles games of the regular season that would be terrific. Thanks. Oh and Go Eagles for winning today!
Besides for the weather I have now completed my first 2 weeks of work at KXLF. Nothing too drastic in the second week. Still a lot of holiday feel good, charitable stories. I'm thinking that's what the third week will be all about as well. I had three live shots my second week and by that I mean I was live standing in front of a blue wall in the studio. On Thursday another reporter and I drove to Bozeman, Mt (about an hour and 15 minutes away) to go to the CBS station there for some website training. Well we were told it would be website training, it turned out to be just a guy talking to us about social media. Terry Heaton was his name and I guess he's written books on the subject. He congratulated me for owning melanieyuill.com but then told me I needed to update it and turn it into a blog about news and the things I cover. He also told me I need more Twitter followers. His advice was to tell all of my facebook friends to follow me on Twitter. I knew that wouldn't work but thanks to the three of you who (not including my parents) now follow me on twitter after that status update haha. You will one day help me get a job at CNN since he told us that when CNN has two candidates up for a position they hire the one who has the most twitter followers. I was also told to have a facebook page that people could become fans of. I think I'll wait til I actually have fans so like 10 years if I stay in this business maybe lol. I also had my pictures taken for the KXLF website so maybe that will be up there soon along with my bio.
Saturday night was the KXLF Christmas party. It was good, was at a local steakhouse. For those of you who know me well, no I did not order steak although everyone kept telling me how good it is there. I'll probably have to try it at some point I just am not quite ready to delve into eating red meat again. Never really liked it in the first place. However, at this Christmas party lots of people were telling me about Butte food that I have to try. I was told about a nut roll like thing that has a name I don't remember and probably couldn't pronounce but guess I'll have to try it. I was also told about pasties and where to get the best one's around here. Pasties are pronounced like the tense past with an e at the end, not like paste or glue with an e at the end. The latter would be adhesive coverings women put over their nipples and I don't think anyone wants to eat those. So now a pasty is basically a pastry filled with beef, potato, and onion. I know I'll have to try one at some point while I'm here I just don't know if I'm looking forward to that. I'm very open to trying lots of things even if it doesn't sound great but I of course want to experience my new home so a pasty tasting will come sometime. People also told me about pork chop john's. They have famous pork chop sandwich's. That I may just make my boyfriend try when he is out here and have him tell you how it is. I despise pork. I'm also not a big red wine fan but they drink it a lot out here. Maybe cuz they love steak so much. I'm much more willing to start drinking red wine regularly tho then I am to eat steak and pork chops.
Friday night ( I know I went out of chronological order) I had dinner at a local steakhouse with my cousin, her husband, and her father who was in town for the weekend. If I've ever met her dad I don't remember it because I was so young so it was good to get to see him. Very nice guy from California. I ordered fish and chips at the steakhouse but they were delicious. Also, after visiting London last March I now love fish and chips and order them whenever I see them on a menu in the states. Now this steak house that we went to Friday night I'm told is very old school Butte from about the 50's. It was what they call a supper club back then and to this day all the seats are red velvet. Crazy. But great food and lots of food! When you sit down at the table there is already salad, bread sticks, beets, carrots, onions, and something else that I'm not sure what it was. Then when your entrees come out they come with pommes frites (fries) ravioli, and spaghetti. These are placed as huge platters in the center of the table for everyone to enjoy. So you really get about three meals in one. It was all very very good though.
End note: Being in Montana means I can't watch all the Eagles games. I'm a little saddened by this. Currently I have the Steelers Packers game instead and the Steelers just got a touchdown to tie the game with no time left. Impressive and at this point I kinda feel bad for the Steelers because they've lost so many in a row. Still Bresnan Cable if you could make sure I get the last two Eagles games of the regular season that would be terrific. Thanks. Oh and Go Eagles for winning today!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
First week in the Real World
So my first week of work at KXLF is officially over and the second week will start tomorrow. The first week went well. I was introduced on TV on Wednesday and had a story about a new book out about Butte. After doing that story I've had a lot of people tell me I did a good job and even some people went and bought the book so cool! Did another story on Thursday with a live shot that didn't go great in my mind but oh well hopefully it can only get better. The weather is getting better. 29 degrees may not sound good to most people back in PA or MD and believe me I was one of those people just two weeks ago. I hated weather in the 50's and below but after experiencing temps around -20 for a week I think 29 feels great. Didn't even wear gloves today when I went out and didn't button my jacket either. Amazing how things really are so relative. It's so sunny here too it's great. Even when the temperatures are in the negative numbers it is bright and sunny here. The people are also great. No one has been anything but super ridiculously nice to me. Every where I go during the work day I carry a camera and tripod with me because I have to film the stories obviously since they are for television. And every where this first week that I have taken the camera and tripod for a story someone has asked me if they can help me carry it. When I was carrying the same gear around in Maryland for Capital News Service I don't think I ever had anyone ask me if they could help. I did a story about a Christmas display that high school students were putting up and one of the kids carried my tripod and when I tried to tell him he didn't have to he told me his teacher told him he had to. Really just super nice people.
Thursday I had some real world grown up stuff to deal with. I had a message from my landlord the day before that she called the energy company and they told her that I hadn't put the account in my name yet so she asked me to get it switched over to my name as soon as possible. Well I had paid the energy company and switched it over in my name days ago when I first moved in. So early Thursday before work I had to call up the energy company and get that mess all straightened out. They told me that the account had my name on it and my landlord's name on it so they would just delete my landlord's name. Thursday I also had to take my car to the local Toyota before work because I had an appointment to get a block heater installed in my car. (Basically makes it so my car will start in subzero temperatures). When I scheduled the appointment they said they weren't there on Saturday's so it had to be a weekday. I told them I had work and asked about a rental car and they said they could give me a ride to work and pick me up so I settled on that. So Thursday morning I dropped off my car and was given a ride to work. Around 4 p.m. I got a call that my vehicle was ready and they would send someone to pick me up. Whoa news goes on at 5:30, 4 p.m. is a pretty busy time for me so I told them I'm still at work I don't need a ride yet so he asked when I got done work when I responded 6:30 he said oh that won't work we leave here at 5:30. Hmmm kind of a problem and someone probably should have told me that before they said they could take me to and pick me up from work. But guess it is also my fault for not asking. I asked if someone could bring the car to me and the response was "No we only have one driver." Seriously??? Luckily one of the other reporters was sitting right behind me and heard this convo so he said he could give me a ride to Toyota after work. So it ended up that they left my key in my car and I had to pay over the phone with my credit card number but yea a little stressful for a few minutes there thinking I had no way home and no way to get my car.
Wednesday night I went to a party for the new director of the orphan girl theater here. Met some people there and went out with them friday night and met more people. Everyone was really cool. We started at one bar that was pretty chill then went to another bar that had a live band playing. That was an interesting experience. It was fun but the music was definitely not what I'm used to. I heard some Johnny Cash haha. The dancing was also not typical east coast out in the club grinding and what not haha but that's probably a good thing. People also were not super dressed up jeans and a sweater was just fine along with some boots. Also saw a few guys in cowboy boots and cowboy hats. It was different but it was still fun. Last night (Saturday) I went to a holiday orchestra and choral performance with my cousin (who I found out lives in Butte and she's really a cousin removed a few times but cousin is just easier) Music was really good and very festive. Today I drove around town to get myself acclimated and try to learn the streets and where they go. Saw a lot of cool old houses and Montana Tech's campus which is so high up on a hill that it has some awesome views. So all in all a successful first week and weekend in Butte.
Thursday I had some real world grown up stuff to deal with. I had a message from my landlord the day before that she called the energy company and they told her that I hadn't put the account in my name yet so she asked me to get it switched over to my name as soon as possible. Well I had paid the energy company and switched it over in my name days ago when I first moved in. So early Thursday before work I had to call up the energy company and get that mess all straightened out. They told me that the account had my name on it and my landlord's name on it so they would just delete my landlord's name. Thursday I also had to take my car to the local Toyota before work because I had an appointment to get a block heater installed in my car. (Basically makes it so my car will start in subzero temperatures). When I scheduled the appointment they said they weren't there on Saturday's so it had to be a weekday. I told them I had work and asked about a rental car and they said they could give me a ride to work and pick me up so I settled on that. So Thursday morning I dropped off my car and was given a ride to work. Around 4 p.m. I got a call that my vehicle was ready and they would send someone to pick me up. Whoa news goes on at 5:30, 4 p.m. is a pretty busy time for me so I told them I'm still at work I don't need a ride yet so he asked when I got done work when I responded 6:30 he said oh that won't work we leave here at 5:30. Hmmm kind of a problem and someone probably should have told me that before they said they could take me to and pick me up from work. But guess it is also my fault for not asking. I asked if someone could bring the car to me and the response was "No we only have one driver." Seriously??? Luckily one of the other reporters was sitting right behind me and heard this convo so he said he could give me a ride to Toyota after work. So it ended up that they left my key in my car and I had to pay over the phone with my credit card number but yea a little stressful for a few minutes there thinking I had no way home and no way to get my car.
Wednesday night I went to a party for the new director of the orphan girl theater here. Met some people there and went out with them friday night and met more people. Everyone was really cool. We started at one bar that was pretty chill then went to another bar that had a live band playing. That was an interesting experience. It was fun but the music was definitely not what I'm used to. I heard some Johnny Cash haha. The dancing was also not typical east coast out in the club grinding and what not haha but that's probably a good thing. People also were not super dressed up jeans and a sweater was just fine along with some boots. Also saw a few guys in cowboy boots and cowboy hats. It was different but it was still fun. Last night (Saturday) I went to a holiday orchestra and choral performance with my cousin (who I found out lives in Butte and she's really a cousin removed a few times but cousin is just easier) Music was really good and very festive. Today I drove around town to get myself acclimated and try to learn the streets and where they go. Saw a lot of cool old houses and Montana Tech's campus which is so high up on a hill that it has some awesome views. So all in all a successful first week and weekend in Butte.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Last days and first days
I know I stopped with the blog entries last week but once I got to Butte I didn't have internet the first night in my apartment then just had a ton of unpacking and things to do to get settled. My dad and I did however make it to Butte ok. Our last day of drying from Buffalo, Wyoming to Butte, Montana was much shorter than the other three days. We actually made it to our destination before dark. There also wasn't anything quite as exciting as the corn palace as we drove through Wyoming and Montana. We did make a stop for gas near the Custer Battlefield. The gas station was literally in the middle of nowhere and was attached to the Custer Battlefield Museum. That's all that was there for miles and miles and miles and miles and lots more miles. I went into the building to use the potty and that was interesting. They've either had lots of problems in there or the owners are super preventative people. There were signs in the bathroom telling me how to operate everything. There was a sign about the lights, a sign telling me to turn the handle clockwise, a sign that told me to hold the toilet handle down for five seconds, etc. There were also two cats roaming the parking lot that really creeped me out. Actually, one didn't bother me at all but the other was missing a tail and seemed larger than a cat should be and not fat wise but height wise so I was a little scared of that creature. Speaking of creatures, when we were pulling back onto the highway from this pleasant stop a truck was in front of us with two dogs in the bed and one dog in the back. However, this was not a normal pick up truck. The back of the truck was flat and nothing on the sides so nothing to really hold the dog in, it was just jogging from side to side barking and probably desperately trying to not fall off (at least that is what I would be doing)
The rest of the drive through Montana was pretty tame. Passed Billings, the biggest city in Montana, it looked like a bunch of refineries and about three tall buildings. Also passed Bozeman and saw a sign for a water park. Don't worry it's indoors because an outdoor water park in Montana would be insane. This place is cold. There have been below zero temperatures every day that I have been here so far. A 23 year old guy died of hypothermia too. Although today I found out he was extremely intoxicated. So basically life lesson: If it's below 0 don't get super drunk and pass out in your back yard. You may just want to avoid getting super drunk all together so that you don't somehow drunkly end up in the cold. I've also been told that this is just an unusual cold snap and it doesn't normally get this cold. I hope not. My apartment has heat tho so no worries.
Anyways I've had my first few days in my apartment now and my first day of work. The first few days in the apartment were spend unpacking, assembling furniture, and making daily trips to Walmart when I discovered there was something else I needed. Good thing there is a Walmart in this town because there is no Target or basically any other store you've ever heard of. Well K-mart. There is a mall though. Walked through it yesterday and for all my friends from Garnet Valley, it is smaller than the Concord Mall. To those of you who have no idea what the Concord Mall is I'll just tell you that this Mall in Butte is small. They do have one nice department store though called Herbergers.
Last night Dad and I went over to I think my Dad's second cousins house. (I'm really not sure how the whole second cousin, cousin once removed thing works) But we found out right before I moved here that she, her husband, and two little boys live right here in Butte so wooo I have family here. I met them for the first time last night and they were very nice so that's good news for me. I think my mom is also super psyched.
Now today was the first day of work. That went well did some paperwork, learned the basics of the editing system and went out to do some stories. I didn't actually interview anyone today but I did go along and shoot the interviews with Vets for the Pearl Harbor Day story, an interview with a Butte native about a famous "mover and shaker" in Butte that just passed away, and filmed some leaking pipes due to the extremely cold weather. All of these stories I edited as a way of learning to use Final Cut Pro. After I got home Dad and I tried a local Pizza place for dinner. It was pretty good. There's no national chain restaurants in Butte all pretty local stuff. Well unless you consider Denny's and Perkins but they would never be my first choice for dining out. Now it's almost 9:30 here and since I'm a real person now and have to wake up early for work that means I have to go to bed in about two hours or less. Wow. Goodnight.
The rest of the drive through Montana was pretty tame. Passed Billings, the biggest city in Montana, it looked like a bunch of refineries and about three tall buildings. Also passed Bozeman and saw a sign for a water park. Don't worry it's indoors because an outdoor water park in Montana would be insane. This place is cold. There have been below zero temperatures every day that I have been here so far. A 23 year old guy died of hypothermia too. Although today I found out he was extremely intoxicated. So basically life lesson: If it's below 0 don't get super drunk and pass out in your back yard. You may just want to avoid getting super drunk all together so that you don't somehow drunkly end up in the cold. I've also been told that this is just an unusual cold snap and it doesn't normally get this cold. I hope not. My apartment has heat tho so no worries.
Anyways I've had my first few days in my apartment now and my first day of work. The first few days in the apartment were spend unpacking, assembling furniture, and making daily trips to Walmart when I discovered there was something else I needed. Good thing there is a Walmart in this town because there is no Target or basically any other store you've ever heard of. Well K-mart. There is a mall though. Walked through it yesterday and for all my friends from Garnet Valley, it is smaller than the Concord Mall. To those of you who have no idea what the Concord Mall is I'll just tell you that this Mall in Butte is small. They do have one nice department store though called Herbergers.
Last night Dad and I went over to I think my Dad's second cousins house. (I'm really not sure how the whole second cousin, cousin once removed thing works) But we found out right before I moved here that she, her husband, and two little boys live right here in Butte so wooo I have family here. I met them for the first time last night and they were very nice so that's good news for me. I think my mom is also super psyched.
Now today was the first day of work. That went well did some paperwork, learned the basics of the editing system and went out to do some stories. I didn't actually interview anyone today but I did go along and shoot the interviews with Vets for the Pearl Harbor Day story, an interview with a Butte native about a famous "mover and shaker" in Butte that just passed away, and filmed some leaking pipes due to the extremely cold weather. All of these stories I edited as a way of learning to use Final Cut Pro. After I got home Dad and I tried a local Pizza place for dinner. It was pretty good. There's no national chain restaurants in Butte all pretty local stuff. Well unless you consider Denny's and Perkins but they would never be my first choice for dining out. Now it's almost 9:30 here and since I'm a real person now and have to wake up early for work that means I have to go to bed in about two hours or less. Wow. Goodnight.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The Corn Palace
Day three of driving across the country to Montana was spent mostly in South Dakota. That is a wide state! Shortly after getting on the road we had to stop at a truck weigh station. My first time ever. I learned that you don't get to know how much your truck weighs. Some guy sits in a building and I guess he gets to see how much you and your truck weigh but it is never displayed to you. You then drive away, guess if your truck is too obese for the road then something happens but I don't know what. Our first gas stop of the day was in Mitchell, SD...home of the world's only corn palace. I know super exciting stuff. Basically there is a building in town that every year they decorate the outside of with corn in some theme. This year's theme is "through the ages" there were pictures of all kinds of transportation from horses pulling wagons to scooters. And all of this was depicted in corn. Crazy. Now the inside of the Corn Palace is a basketball court. DWU or Dakota Wesleyan University plays there. The walls of the basketball court are also adorning some corn decor. To top it off City Hall is right next door to the Corn Palace.
As we drove on through South Dakota I noticed lots of Billboards. South Dakota billboards are not like normal east coast billboards. They are not super high on poles, they are just propped up on the ground with some wood. They are also about a third of the size of billboards that I am used to seeing. Another big difference is what they advertise. Attractions. Yep, they all advertise for attractions in South Dakota. Not phone companies or anything else so corporate but things like Al's Oasis or Antique Western Trading Post. There was also Doo Wah Ditty's Diner, Vet's Whoa n Go, Ray's Western Wear, and Kimball Livestock Exchange. Every once in a while a religious one would pop up. I saw "Jesus died for our sins" and "Abortion, the choice that kills." So basically I would sum it up by saying the roads of South Dakota are littered with cheesy western signs and a smattering of religious one's. However, I have left my favorite signs for last. The Wall Drug signs. All throughout the state I saw signs that said things like, "The Wild West Wall Drug" "Wall Drug, The Remedy for You" "Kids love Wall Drug" "Road Trip Wall Drug" My first thoughts that in these miles and miles of farm land they were growing something strange that was also somehow legal since they could advertise it so much. Then I used my blackberry to google Wall Drug and discovered it's just a tourist attraction in Wall South Dakota. In the 1930's it was a drug store hence the name "Wall Drug." Now though kids can get their pictures taken with some fake dinosaurs, experience panning, and more cheesy western stuff. There's also a restaurant there with buffalo burgers and lots of western art. This is all according to the website by the way.
Some other fun signs: Flinstones Themepark and campground (didn't know such a thing existed), sign for Arby's that next to the Arby's logo read drive thru, casino, buses welcome. Ok an Arby's with a casino? Does anyone else find that odd? Because I do. Guess those types of things aren't too odd in South Dakota though because at our next gas stop I walked into the gas station to use their bathroom and noticed a little room the the left with a sign posted that read, "Must be 21 to enter" my first thought was that there was a small bar attached to the gas station. A closer look allowed me to discover that there were actually slot machines in this room attached to the gas station. Hmm if only I had the time to stop and do some gambling. Oh also in front of this same gas station there was a statue of a Buffalo. I did drive pretty close to Mt. Rushmore today but did not stop and see it. Why? You ask, well because they do not allow trucks with trailers behind them on the park property. I'm in a u-haul carrying my rav 4 behind it on a trailer so no Mt. Rushmore for me. I'll have to make some other time for that in my life. However, I'm a little mad this is a rule there because it prevented me from seeing the famous mountain that someone decided to carve President's faces into. The Corn Palace did not have this rule and I bet you the World's largest Big Mac in PA does not have this rule either.
On to Wyoming...this was the last few hours of the trip and most of it was in the dark and snow. This also made for a bit of a scary ride. At one point we could barely see a few feet in front of us and the snow was covering the road so much that we couldn't tell where the road ended and where it began. This was made even more unsettling when a tractor trailer decided to pass us and kick up a bunch of snow in front of us. We could then not see at all for about a minute. Not fun. Once we got passed the snowy area I felt a little safer. Then I saw a sign for "Crazy Woman Creek" umm excuse me? Who named that? I decided to do some research to see how it got its name. Turns out there are lots of legends and too much for me to type here cuz this entry is already long. So here is the website and if you are curious you may read for yourself. http://www.travel-to-wyoming.com/buffalo/crazy_woman_creek.htm
On that note I'm tired and have to reach my new home of Butte, MT tomorrow. Goodnight.
As we drove on through South Dakota I noticed lots of Billboards. South Dakota billboards are not like normal east coast billboards. They are not super high on poles, they are just propped up on the ground with some wood. They are also about a third of the size of billboards that I am used to seeing. Another big difference is what they advertise. Attractions. Yep, they all advertise for attractions in South Dakota. Not phone companies or anything else so corporate but things like Al's Oasis or Antique Western Trading Post. There was also Doo Wah Ditty's Diner, Vet's Whoa n Go, Ray's Western Wear, and Kimball Livestock Exchange. Every once in a while a religious one would pop up. I saw "Jesus died for our sins" and "Abortion, the choice that kills." So basically I would sum it up by saying the roads of South Dakota are littered with cheesy western signs and a smattering of religious one's. However, I have left my favorite signs for last. The Wall Drug signs. All throughout the state I saw signs that said things like, "The Wild West Wall Drug" "Wall Drug, The Remedy for You" "Kids love Wall Drug" "Road Trip Wall Drug" My first thoughts that in these miles and miles of farm land they were growing something strange that was also somehow legal since they could advertise it so much. Then I used my blackberry to google Wall Drug and discovered it's just a tourist attraction in Wall South Dakota. In the 1930's it was a drug store hence the name "Wall Drug." Now though kids can get their pictures taken with some fake dinosaurs, experience panning, and more cheesy western stuff. There's also a restaurant there with buffalo burgers and lots of western art. This is all according to the website by the way.
Some other fun signs: Flinstones Themepark and campground (didn't know such a thing existed), sign for Arby's that next to the Arby's logo read drive thru, casino, buses welcome. Ok an Arby's with a casino? Does anyone else find that odd? Because I do. Guess those types of things aren't too odd in South Dakota though because at our next gas stop I walked into the gas station to use their bathroom and noticed a little room the the left with a sign posted that read, "Must be 21 to enter" my first thought was that there was a small bar attached to the gas station. A closer look allowed me to discover that there were actually slot machines in this room attached to the gas station. Hmm if only I had the time to stop and do some gambling. Oh also in front of this same gas station there was a statue of a Buffalo. I did drive pretty close to Mt. Rushmore today but did not stop and see it. Why? You ask, well because they do not allow trucks with trailers behind them on the park property. I'm in a u-haul carrying my rav 4 behind it on a trailer so no Mt. Rushmore for me. I'll have to make some other time for that in my life. However, I'm a little mad this is a rule there because it prevented me from seeing the famous mountain that someone decided to carve President's faces into. The Corn Palace did not have this rule and I bet you the World's largest Big Mac in PA does not have this rule either.
On to Wyoming...this was the last few hours of the trip and most of it was in the dark and snow. This also made for a bit of a scary ride. At one point we could barely see a few feet in front of us and the snow was covering the road so much that we couldn't tell where the road ended and where it began. This was made even more unsettling when a tractor trailer decided to pass us and kick up a bunch of snow in front of us. We could then not see at all for about a minute. Not fun. Once we got passed the snowy area I felt a little safer. Then I saw a sign for "Crazy Woman Creek" umm excuse me? Who named that? I decided to do some research to see how it got its name. Turns out there are lots of legends and too much for me to type here cuz this entry is already long. So here is the website and if you are curious you may read for yourself. http://www.travel-to-wyoming.com/buffalo/crazy_woman_creek.htm
On that note I'm tired and have to reach my new home of Butte, MT tomorrow. Goodnight.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Driving across the country Day 2
The second day of driving took me through Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa. All I state's geeze, I just realized that. weird. Anyways, tonight I was excited to learn that the terps basketball team was also in Indiana today. That has nothing to do with the drive though. While driving I discovered that Illinois has an Ottawa and a Peru, what an international state haha. We stopped in Ottawa, IL actually to get gas and some lunch from subway. While we were at the gas station I peered into the building there and just saw racks of alcohol lined up against the window. Very strange. Coming from PA where they can only sell alcohol in state stores I still find it weird to see beer and liquor in a gas station.
So while actually driving across Illinois and not looking at the alcohol in gas stations I saw signs for something called starved rock. ummm how can a rock be starved?? That's what I was wondering so I just googled this. Wikipedia offered this explanation to the name..."the rock derives its name from a story of Illiniwek history. A band of Illiniwek was reportedly trapped in the 1760s on the rock by a band of Potawatomi trying to avenge the death of the Ottawa Chief Pontiac. The Illiniwek scrambled to the top of the rock, where the Ottawa and allied Potawatomi laid siege until their enemies had starved to death." So yea the rock was never starved it was some people who were on it. Thanks for clearing that up wikipedia.
If you like Ronald Reagan or just want to see his hometown and where he was born then you better go to Illinois cuz I saw a lot of signs for that too. However, the signs won't tell you the names of the town they just tell you what exit to use to go see them.
Our next gas stop was in Iowa at a gas station named "Kum and Go" no lie. I personally think that is a poor choice in a name but hey whatever. You can form your own thoughts. It must be a chain though because I kept seeing signs for "Kum and Go" along the highway. They were advertised to be located at multiple exits. They must be doing something right to have expanded to more than one location. Their bathroom was bright purple, maybe that's it?
Random note, I'm going to be so sick of Christmas music by the time this drive is done. It is all over the radio right now.
Now the hotel that we are in for the 2nd night is not as nice as the first night. There are no popcorn and cookies and milk but that I expected. The major problem is that they have about 10 parking spots. We are in a u-haul with my rav 4 behind it, where are we supposed to park?! Dad called the front desk to ask and the person who answered directed us to a business office complex next door. We parked there but then had to carry all our crap (suitcases, laptops, backpack) up the hill to the hotel. Not fun. Then when we got inside there was more carrying upwards to be done when we discovered there was no elevator. Granted there are only two floors but it's still not fun to carry a ton of luggage up steps. Especially not for me who hasn't worked out her arms in forever and struggles with things over 20 pounds. Neither Dad nor I were very happy. My dad even said a certain word starting with an F twice tonight that I think I've only heard come out of his mouth once before in my life, so you know he was angry. I just hope the pillows are fluffy. Day three starts bright and early tomorrow.
So while actually driving across Illinois and not looking at the alcohol in gas stations I saw signs for something called starved rock. ummm how can a rock be starved?? That's what I was wondering so I just googled this. Wikipedia offered this explanation to the name..."the rock derives its name from a story of Illiniwek history. A band of Illiniwek was reportedly trapped in the 1760s on the rock by a band of Potawatomi trying to avenge the death of the Ottawa Chief Pontiac. The Illiniwek scrambled to the top of the rock, where the Ottawa and allied Potawatomi laid siege until their enemies had starved to death." So yea the rock was never starved it was some people who were on it. Thanks for clearing that up wikipedia.
If you like Ronald Reagan or just want to see his hometown and where he was born then you better go to Illinois cuz I saw a lot of signs for that too. However, the signs won't tell you the names of the town they just tell you what exit to use to go see them.
Our next gas stop was in Iowa at a gas station named "Kum and Go" no lie. I personally think that is a poor choice in a name but hey whatever. You can form your own thoughts. It must be a chain though because I kept seeing signs for "Kum and Go" along the highway. They were advertised to be located at multiple exits. They must be doing something right to have expanded to more than one location. Their bathroom was bright purple, maybe that's it?
Random note, I'm going to be so sick of Christmas music by the time this drive is done. It is all over the radio right now.
Now the hotel that we are in for the 2nd night is not as nice as the first night. There are no popcorn and cookies and milk but that I expected. The major problem is that they have about 10 parking spots. We are in a u-haul with my rav 4 behind it, where are we supposed to park?! Dad called the front desk to ask and the person who answered directed us to a business office complex next door. We parked there but then had to carry all our crap (suitcases, laptops, backpack) up the hill to the hotel. Not fun. Then when we got inside there was more carrying upwards to be done when we discovered there was no elevator. Granted there are only two floors but it's still not fun to carry a ton of luggage up steps. Especially not for me who hasn't worked out her arms in forever and struggles with things over 20 pounds. Neither Dad nor I were very happy. My dad even said a certain word starting with an F twice tonight that I think I've only heard come out of his mouth once before in my life, so you know he was angry. I just hope the pillows are fluffy. Day three starts bright and early tomorrow.
Driving across the country Day 1
I started my drive from the suburbs of Philly to my new home of Butte, MT yesterday morning. My dad and I are making the four or five day drive across the U.S. in a u-haul truck with my rav 4 following behind on a car trailer. Driving through PA I noticed a lot of cars and pick up trucks pulled over on the side of the turnpike, but not on the shoulder, they were on the grass and sometimes up hills. I was told that it was the first day of deer hunting season in PA and those cars were probably hunters who were in the woods. I even saw one hunter standing in the back of his pick up wearing a bright orange jacket and holding his rifle. He was also very close to a rest stop so that was quite an odd sight, for me at least. And one thing I have decided I dislike about rest stops is they discriminate against trucks. The parking for them is so far from the actual building. Not a fun thing when it's cold. At the first stop we made a guy came up and knocked on our window asking for a pen. He also told us to bundle up because it's a cold walk. He was right. Now I know there is lots of historical stuff to see in PA for anyone who ever drives through it but personally I think if you are planning a ride on the PA turnpike you should stop and see the world's largest big mac. I unfortunately don't have the time to make stops on this trip but if anyone ever checks out this attraction let me know how it is. I think it's exit 67 or somewhere around there on the PA turnpike.
Next we drove through Ohio and this turnpike made me think, "where is the toll money going in PA" Ohio has brand new rest stops all along their turnpike. They are super nice and even have good food options in them like Panera. PA on the other hand has lots of old buildings with lots of junk food options. I'm sorry but when I'm driving for four or five days I just can't eat junk food continuously. ( I don't know how healthy Panera is but it just seems like a better option than Burger King) There's was really nothing else worth mentioning in Ohio plus a lot of the drive was in the dark. On to Indiana...I was not impressed with their toll system. First their tickets don't give as much info on them as Ohio and Pennsylvania for example exits and how much they cost. It listed random cities not exits. Then once we got to where we were staying for the night and had to get off the toll road the only way to pay was this self pay machine. Boy did that clog up traffic trying to get off. Probably because no one knew how to use it. If you've ever been to another city and tried to use their metro or subway system it's kinda like that. Trying to figure out the machine to get tickets with. It takes a while. And when you have a line of people in cars and trucks trying to figure this out it really holds up traffic. The other problem for us was that there are 2 heights on these machines : car height and semi truck height. Well a u-haul is in between the two and there's no easy way to reach either height in a u-haul, you basically have to get out. That just holds up the line even more. Another thing, as soon as we reached Indiana ez-pass turned into i-zoom. The signs said they still accepted ez-pass and something called i-pass. This made me think, "why can't there just be one name for this thing" On a plus side tho the hotel in Indiana was nice. First off I love hotel pillows because they are so fluffy but this hotel was also nice enough to offer free popcorn and free warm cookies and milk after 8 p.m. How nice!
Next we drove through Ohio and this turnpike made me think, "where is the toll money going in PA" Ohio has brand new rest stops all along their turnpike. They are super nice and even have good food options in them like Panera. PA on the other hand has lots of old buildings with lots of junk food options. I'm sorry but when I'm driving for four or five days I just can't eat junk food continuously. ( I don't know how healthy Panera is but it just seems like a better option than Burger King) There's was really nothing else worth mentioning in Ohio plus a lot of the drive was in the dark. On to Indiana...I was not impressed with their toll system. First their tickets don't give as much info on them as Ohio and Pennsylvania for example exits and how much they cost. It listed random cities not exits. Then once we got to where we were staying for the night and had to get off the toll road the only way to pay was this self pay machine. Boy did that clog up traffic trying to get off. Probably because no one knew how to use it. If you've ever been to another city and tried to use their metro or subway system it's kinda like that. Trying to figure out the machine to get tickets with. It takes a while. And when you have a line of people in cars and trucks trying to figure this out it really holds up traffic. The other problem for us was that there are 2 heights on these machines : car height and semi truck height. Well a u-haul is in between the two and there's no easy way to reach either height in a u-haul, you basically have to get out. That just holds up the line even more. Another thing, as soon as we reached Indiana ez-pass turned into i-zoom. The signs said they still accepted ez-pass and something called i-pass. This made me think, "why can't there just be one name for this thing" On a plus side tho the hotel in Indiana was nice. First off I love hotel pillows because they are so fluffy but this hotel was also nice enough to offer free popcorn and free warm cookies and milk after 8 p.m. How nice!
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