What's my mid-week pickup? BADMINTON!

I originally took badminton in college because I needed a PE credit. I had never played before the first day of class and it was painfully obvious. Still, I enjoyed it a lot and never missed a single class that semester. By the end, I had really amped up my skill level.

So when KWHL's Bob, from morning talk show, "Bob and Mark" started what he calls the "Badminton Beer League" I knew I wanted to be a part of it. No, we don't drink beer and play....or play and then drink beer. The beer part of the title simply refers to the fact we're all there to have fun. The skill levels are all over the place but each week the 12-15 of us that play have a great time.

I took my camera last night but Nederbrock's timelapse was simply more fun to post. So, while I can't take credit for shooting the above video, I can take credit for starring in it. I'll let you pick out which badminton pro I am :-)

Check out  some of  Nederbrock's other videos, you know the ones he actually shoots and edits on a daily basis. They're pretty awesome.

100 Day Challenge: Day zero.

What I am about to say may shock some of you....News is a very fast paced, unhealthy, semi-dangerous, and incredibly fun field to work in. Yes, I was being sarcastic about the shocking part. News is a tough industry, bottom line. Which is why I've decided now that I am ....gasp...25 years old I HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF MYSELF before I end up with health problems that could hurt me and my job.

This blog is not designed to be a weight loss blog, that is not what it will become over the next 100 days either. However, I am going to be posting about a personal challenge I have set for myself. I wanted to prove over the next 100 days I could make healthy lifestyle choices while working in news.

Since I took this job in May of last year, I can really see changes in my life I'm not happy with so I'm trying to gain control of those things and change them. What I hope to accomplish over the next 100 days is,
1: healthier eating habits in this fast paced setting.
2: get back to the regular exercise I used to treat my body to 5 days a week
3: drop back to at least the weight I was when I moved to the last frontier...if you must know, I have gained 12 pounds since moving here. I see it in m face and don't like that...again, making changes starts now.
4: Do it successfully on the budget of a starving reporter.

 So let me dissect the game plan...healthier eating, more exercise. Basic, right? Well, yes when you dont a:live in the last frontier and b:work in news. Groceries are expensive here, unless it's junk food. Honest to goodness, the unhealthy stuff is the cheapest here. So here's how I'm handling the food, at least for the next 10 days. I realized shortly after moving here, costco is certainly the best place to get the most bang for my buck. I bought $143.74 and got all the things you see in the photos below. Please don't read that and think that's my weekly grocer bill. I can assure you it's not. Part of that includes 3 gallons of almond milk which usually last me about a month.  

 I used to drink the nutiva hempshakes in college and loved them so I decided I should start eating those for breakfast again because it was fast and I can add spinach or fruit and drink them on the way into work. Plus, the hempshakes are packed with fiber which I need for those days when I get into the office and before I can take my coat off something comes on the police scanner I must whisk away to go shoot.

 For me, I'm sure I could have gone with some of the items not already packed in conveniently portioned packages and saved a few bucks there, but have I mentioned I work in news? I need convenience. This is why McDonalds has been so appealing over the past 8 months, it's fast and right next to the tv station. No more. Some items like the trail mix I bought and have already portioned into individual bags, but I only did that because it's a Saturday! Day one starts tomorrow and I'm shooting four packages so I know it's going to be a very busy day so in order to succeed, I knew I had to prepare as much as possible to make my own grab-and-go options.

Fur Rondy LIVE 2013

 ABC Alaska statewide brought you "Fur Rondy Live 2013" yesterday and yours truly was on the frontlines as the field producer for the one hour long live broadcast from Fur Rondy headquarters in downtown Anc. I wish I could say I was able to make better photos than the ones below, but with all the chaos and stress of doing the show, these are as good as it gets. Good thing there's 9 more days left to Rondy!

 

Meet Stevie French, our new morning anchor and producer of "Good Morning AK." The show has not launched yet, but I'm sure Ak will adore her as much as I already do. She's a fantastic coworker and a ton of fun outside the newsroom...did I mention she's also from South Africa?! Holla!

 

 An Hour before the races the mushers were prepped with rules, trail info and what to expect for the noon launch of the dog race.

 This one just made me laugh. Eric Stratton, one of the photogs at your AK link.

 The closest I've ever been to a dog sled...I'm pretty sure in this moment I had news director, Lori Tipton-Lester saying, "Turn the camera, show us the dogs, show us the dogs!"

 I included the above sequence because of how surprised I was to see how excited the dogs are before being told to gun it  and start racing. They're adorable trying to play and mess with each other. They use those barks and squeels that make me think they were all singing a song like a football team getting ready to crash through a run-through.

And they're off!While I know the bosses were happy with how we pulled off the live show, I couldn't help but think it was a very LONG 60 minutes and I was drained. I'm glad we were able to produce a product our managers were happy with...but at the end of the day, I want to produce something viewers are excited to watch and I hope we gave them that.

I'm field producing 3 more live shows next weekend, so hopefully by the end...viewers will be asking for more!

Your Chariot Awaits You My Lady

The last frontiers greatest 10 day festival (so I'm told) kicks off tomorrow. Yes, Fur Rondy is upon us! Which means tons of unique and crazy shows, events and activities are going on. My work dad, Mike Ford who is also the voice of Fur Rondy did a story on the St. Bernard dog weight pull today and I was lucky enough to enjoy a ride even better than the ones I use to take in my Barbie corvette.

Essentially the pull is to see how much weight each dog can pull; but no dog has ever been hurt in the competitions because the dogs are trained not to pull if they feel its to heavy for them...it's really cool how they learn that. So, in between shooting b roll, yours truly hopped on the back of the wooden sled and took a ride to the front door. Carlisle, the St. Bernard pulling me is last years champion, pulling 2000 pounds!!

Sundays Are Made For Relaxing...

Which is exactly why waking up on Monday is so brutal. In all seriousness though, I love love love Sundays and I especially love making breakfast for myself on Sunday mornings. Yesterday, I went out and picked up a few eggs from The chickens we have in our backyard and made home made blueberry muffins with fried eggs and coffee. Mmmmmmmm.

I would have had 6 muffins but one fell on the floor when I was popping them out of the pan, luckily I have Mr.Motley around :-) Its no secret, I am a huge fan of eggs to begin with but the fresh ones from the backyard are by far the best eggs I have ever eaten. Bottom line. Oh, and did I mention how proud I am to bring my southern roots with me to the last frontier?

I brought back the perfect sized iron skillet for one when I went back to Georgia last month for the funeral. Mom had quite a few under her oven, but I could only pack this one in my suitcase...as I mentioned its the perfect size for all my solo cooking!

Valentine's Schmalentines

It's no secret, I feel very different about Valentine's Day compared to most people. I grew up watching and helping my mom dethorn, wire and cut dozens and dozens of roses. I would always joke if a man ever brings me roses, he simply is NOT the man for me. So, I'm not against Valentine's Day and people celebrating their love for the day...I just have a different appreciation for the "Holiday."

Which is why I couldn't think of any better way to spend the day than to go see a zombie film with one of my partners in crime, McMaybe. While I was hoping for a little more gore, I must say "Warm Bodies" is fantastic! It's an absolutely adorable film with an extremely clever story arc, zombies, witty writing and a love story that serves as the reminder that happiness really can be a cure to anything. Oh, and it has an insanely awesome soundtrack!