I feel very unable to do much of anything right now.
I was driving home from a workout when WITF/NPR reported what was going on. I will not say I could not believe it; because I could.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-22160978
The link is BBC America's live coverage and it is working. Local service in Boston is pretty much shut down, and sites are jammed. Sites here in America have their issues with it as well.
So far, the Beeb is doing a very calm, measured job at covering the matter. We are hearing from reporters and others at the site, and what strikes me about it is how calm people are. They are not putting distraught people on the air for maximum whatever.
I won't give you figures, because they are going to change. I do hope there are no more than the two deaths reported.
I felt a strange feeling of dread all day; things were just strange. I had no idea why.
I am a native of New England, and I lived in Boston for nearly ten years. I know Boylston Street, the site of the explosions very well. I walked and/or drove down that street many times, though I never was there for the marathon events.
Today, for those who don't know is Patriots Day. It is a Massachusetts state holiday; the Marathon runs, the Red Sox play an game at Fenway Park with an 11 am first pitch. It is supposed to be a day of celebration.
From my own experience of being in newsrooms when things like this happen, believe me when I say that the media (at least...the media I WAS TRAINED FOR) does NOT want to report these things.
I cannot speak for the new generation of alleged media, and those who have replaced many of my colleagues and me in newsrooms and out there in cyberspace.
I have seen the footage, and honestly? The marathon has been considered a target for a long time; the one in NY and in Boston as well.
From what I have heard and seen, it appears security was in force and reacted quickly and professionally. For them, we can be grateful.
I feel I can do nothing but take to the blog and write how I feel, and hopefully I can put this in the right words.
We will find out soon enough who is/was involved. I cannot say for domestic networks, because I am not monitoring them. The BBC has made a good point of not racing down a darkened corridor screaming bloody murder about Al Qaeda, terrorists, etc.
The discussion is on about how well coordinated the explosions are or were. Hard to say at this point, but that two went off very close to one another. I have no idea.
One thing, too: they are giving equal weight to domestic terrorists, as well as foreign ones.
Facebook friends, many of them are reporting they are okay, even though friends of mine were close to the blast site.
In the wake of this, I know what's going to happen...there is going to be a gigantic screamfest.
I have a pretty good idea of which media in Boston will do what. Suit to be followed around the country, if not the globe.
This is a time when I have nothing to do, except this: let's hope for the best for those up there, and if we can do something to help, then we must do it.
Please think before you post on Facebook, Twitter or social media. Please do not spew emotional hatred when you don't have the facts.
I don't have any. You don't have any.
We'll find out soon enough.
This time, it's really hit home for me. Great sadness for those involved; let us let the authorities do their jobs. Say what you will about the Boston police, I have friends on the force. They do their best under difficult circumstances.
Stay cool. Breathe.
We can never be 100% safe, but we must not waste our lives looking over our shoulders, afraid the whole world is out to get us. Too many people do that. We need not be that way.
We also find a need to point fingers, and attack. Do not be a part of it.
A friend of mine made an interesting point: what "friends" post and write on Facebook may not make them friends of hers anymore.
Harsh? Don't know. I've nullifed the newsfeeds of so many people who are friends, because I will not let social/political views ruin what positives we do share.
Still...makes you think.
I'm lighting incense and candles tonight for my friends, fellow Bostonians and the visitors to a great city.
Peace, Out.
Showing posts with label Twitter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Twitter. Show all posts
Monday, April 15, 2013
Thursday, December 20, 2012
"If this were the last night of the world..."...and How to Find a Literary Agent!
Well, I am going to to all out here in these final hours before "The End of the World as We Know It," yeah, right and I'm going to give you a long-winded and Pepsi Throwback/Goya Decaf induced frenzy that has become the past several days.
As per the usual, my iTunes will chime in with its offerings...just finished the lovely first movement of Joe Jackson's "Symphony." Right straight into Nick Moss & the Flip Top's "You Got to Lose."
So first of all, the initial part of my title for this blog is taken from Bruce Cockburn's wonderful "Last Night of the World." I suggest you find it and give it a listen. It's really a beautiful song.
Tomorrow night is the Winter Solstice; Yule for those in my dual tradition. For many more it is the end of the world, or rather they'll wake up in the morning and go, "Hey, wha'happened?" or whatever it is they'll do.
I could go on forever about these loons, but I won't. They are not worth my time.
Anyway...December 21st for me shall be spent with good friends, many of whom I've not seen in too long. So if indeed it is the last night of the world Friday night, I shall be amongst friends.
So what has been going on of late...well, I have been furiously working to finish a long-overdue edit of Volume 3 of the "Sweet Dreams Series," subtitled, "Tougher than the Rest." The first two of the series are now as ready as they will ever be; the third, I don't know yet. I need to read over the mad pace I set for myself this week.
Writing is never really finished; I have been advised by friends to not refine anymore, but you know, it's something that is different for each individual. I am one who feels these stories are my children, and while I can't say how they're going to do in the world, I have to give them my best so they can be their best.
"Little Wing," from Axis: Bold as Love. Jimi figures in a tiny little way in Book 3, or SDS-3 as I call it. Kinda nice.
This leads to a question from a new friend. I have joined this writer's community, through my new Google+ account:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/107534692606148129223
This is on the science of writing, and I think I'll meet some interesting folks who are as passionate about this business as I am.
Anyway, one of the fellows here asked me about my literary agent, and how I acquired her.
"Innocent Moon," Will Ackerman. From Hendrix to gorgeous new age guitar...hmmm...love iTunes...for shuffle, anyway.
So you know, I am repped by Jeanie Loiacono of the Sullivan-Maxx agency, and have been for the past three years. Jeanie has been kicking open doors, but no hits as of yet. Bites, yes...but this is more about acquiring that agent, that person who can open those doors for you.
I am no expert, but I will tell you how I did it. It was by working it like a job, and having a bit of luck.
How you find an agent is exactly how you find a job, in my experience: you have to be ready to sell yourself, via the resume, or in the agent's case, a manuscript.
Whatever you have...make sure it's ready NOW. Make 100% sure that what you have to offer is ready RIGHT FUCKING NOW. You can go back and edit later, but you need to have it NOW.
"It's Time to Play," Alvin Lee...from a very good CD, "Saguitar."
There are conventional ways to find an agent, and there are books to help:
1. Writer's Market. This is one of the holy books of the trade, but there are others. WM has one specially for literary agents. So that's 2.
3. Dustbooks publises a guide to Independent Publishers and Small Presses. Just as it says.
1 & 3 are necessary! 2 if you want to go in-depth.
Figure out your genre(s), target audience, etc. Then go hunting.
Read these books...mark them up, dog-ear the pages, highlight them, and keep a list (Word file or whatever) of everything about the presses and agents that are worth going after. Everything...names, addresses, numbers, faxes, websites, web addresses...all of it. You will need this, and it stays in your mind.
Do NOT waste the time of publishers (and YOUR TIME) by submitting to those that don't want your stuff. If they say, "No this" or "No that," they mean it.
You will find plenty of places to send to.
"Into Brooklyn," by Innocence Mission...different.
Okay...next! We go into Cyberspace.
Check for websites, but...I will tell you right now: keep a sharp eye out for sleazy, fly by night publishers and agents who want your money.
DO NOT GIVE ANYONE ANY MONEY, FOR ANYTHING, EVER. NO reputable agency takes a reader's fee. NOT ONE OF THEM. YOU are NOT responsible for their costs. THEY ARE TO GET PAID ONLY WHEN YOU GET PAID.
"I Kill Children," Dead Kennedys. Love these segues.
There are several websites out there, in which forums are available to check out publishers and agents that might not list in WM or Dustbooks. They all don't.
AbsoluteWrite.com is a site I strongly suggest you join. Look around, make contacts, and you will learn quite a bit. I surely did.
"Sunday Papers," live version by Joe Jackson...with all that's in iTunes, they do repeat artists.
Okay...you often hear about "Vanity Presses." These are companies that charge you money to print your books. Createspace is one, Xlibris is another. Avoid them.
If you want to self-publish, be prepared to know that you will be in charge of everything, from the editing (unless you hire an independent one) to your own marketing and promotion. I have friends who have self-published in various ways, and they can tell you...don't quit your day job.
I don't have the money to invest thousands of dollars into this, only to get a cover that was not what I wanted, pages that fall out, typeface that is unreadable, and nothing anyone would buy just on the aesthetic displeasure you get. Also, I've seen too many people sitting alone in bookstores with their horribly produced books stacked there, and smiling, hoping someone comes and buys their books.
There's so much more you need. If you can get the help, then accept it.
Next up...the Internet is a great place to find reputable, decent and professional literary agents. You can check them out through numerous ways, thanks to the 'net, so these can be vetted pretty fast.
Here's another...Twitter.
I have found not only a ton of bookstores, but publishers this way! The big and the small, they all Tweet.
"Little by Little," by James House. Great song; I generally despise nearly all the country music produced since 1991, but this one from '94 was alright.
Now...do you know who you are going to send to? Have you got your target list, one you will add to as time goes by? What do they want? A query letter? The first chapter? Do they want email, or snail mail?
Do it the way they want it! Or you get nowhere; or at least a fast trip to the slush pile.
The Query Letter is probably the hardest thing I've ever had to write, up there with a cover letter for a job. Yes, this is a job, and I shall remind you now of this. This really is a job, or your job.
No more than one page; clear, concise, no flowery bullshit. That's all. They'll want to know the word length (75-thousand is average for a novel), but few more or less is not a terrible deal.
Get to the heart of it in just a few words (clearly, less than mine here!).
Keep track of every letter or email you send; date your master list, keep your receipts, all of it.
"Strange Brew," BBC session by Cream. Nice...
Budget out your time; if you are still writing, good! Time for writing, time for finding, time for sending, time for updating the lists.
Do what works for you, but keep in mind you're looking for a job here.
So how long did this take? I literally spent four months, nearly every day doing these very things I told you about. I got lucky; damned lucky.
A small agency in Georgia, Sullivan-Maxx took me on. My agent loves the "Sweet Dreams Series," she gets it. Sometimes all you need is one believer, beyond your circle of friends.
Do not quit, and do not get discouraged. Can't stress it enough; this is a lot of work, it don't happen overnight. If you wish to go the traditional route this hard work really will be worth it. You will get somewhere.
Meanwhile, keep writing; keep refining, keep thinking about what you have dreamed of and get it ready. It will happen...it's not a question of "IF," it is a question of "WHEN."
"I Feel So Good," Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and Pinetop Perkins...legends doing great music...
Now, I do not mean to denigrate anyone who chooses the self-publishing way, such as through Amazon.com or however you do it. Make sure it is what you want; I honestly do not have the tools within me to do every single thing. I do not know a lot of that, but I also know I have to keep learning as the time goes on.
Do what you feel is right, for you. I wish you well on the journey...and for those who do, a Joyous Yule.
Peace.
As per the usual, my iTunes will chime in with its offerings...just finished the lovely first movement of Joe Jackson's "Symphony." Right straight into Nick Moss & the Flip Top's "You Got to Lose."
So first of all, the initial part of my title for this blog is taken from Bruce Cockburn's wonderful "Last Night of the World." I suggest you find it and give it a listen. It's really a beautiful song.
Tomorrow night is the Winter Solstice; Yule for those in my dual tradition. For many more it is the end of the world, or rather they'll wake up in the morning and go, "Hey, wha'happened?" or whatever it is they'll do.
I could go on forever about these loons, but I won't. They are not worth my time.
Anyway...December 21st for me shall be spent with good friends, many of whom I've not seen in too long. So if indeed it is the last night of the world Friday night, I shall be amongst friends.
So what has been going on of late...well, I have been furiously working to finish a long-overdue edit of Volume 3 of the "Sweet Dreams Series," subtitled, "Tougher than the Rest." The first two of the series are now as ready as they will ever be; the third, I don't know yet. I need to read over the mad pace I set for myself this week.
Writing is never really finished; I have been advised by friends to not refine anymore, but you know, it's something that is different for each individual. I am one who feels these stories are my children, and while I can't say how they're going to do in the world, I have to give them my best so they can be their best.
"Little Wing," from Axis: Bold as Love. Jimi figures in a tiny little way in Book 3, or SDS-3 as I call it. Kinda nice.
This leads to a question from a new friend. I have joined this writer's community, through my new Google+ account:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/107534692606148129223
This is on the science of writing, and I think I'll meet some interesting folks who are as passionate about this business as I am.
Anyway, one of the fellows here asked me about my literary agent, and how I acquired her.
"Innocent Moon," Will Ackerman. From Hendrix to gorgeous new age guitar...hmmm...love iTunes...for shuffle, anyway.
So you know, I am repped by Jeanie Loiacono of the Sullivan-Maxx agency, and have been for the past three years. Jeanie has been kicking open doors, but no hits as of yet. Bites, yes...but this is more about acquiring that agent, that person who can open those doors for you.
I am no expert, but I will tell you how I did it. It was by working it like a job, and having a bit of luck.
How you find an agent is exactly how you find a job, in my experience: you have to be ready to sell yourself, via the resume, or in the agent's case, a manuscript.
Whatever you have...make sure it's ready NOW. Make 100% sure that what you have to offer is ready RIGHT FUCKING NOW. You can go back and edit later, but you need to have it NOW.
"It's Time to Play," Alvin Lee...from a very good CD, "Saguitar."
There are conventional ways to find an agent, and there are books to help:
1. Writer's Market. This is one of the holy books of the trade, but there are others. WM has one specially for literary agents. So that's 2.
3. Dustbooks publises a guide to Independent Publishers and Small Presses. Just as it says.
1 & 3 are necessary! 2 if you want to go in-depth.
Figure out your genre(s), target audience, etc. Then go hunting.
Read these books...mark them up, dog-ear the pages, highlight them, and keep a list (Word file or whatever) of everything about the presses and agents that are worth going after. Everything...names, addresses, numbers, faxes, websites, web addresses...all of it. You will need this, and it stays in your mind.
Do NOT waste the time of publishers (and YOUR TIME) by submitting to those that don't want your stuff. If they say, "No this" or "No that," they mean it.
You will find plenty of places to send to.
"Into Brooklyn," by Innocence Mission...different.
Okay...next! We go into Cyberspace.
Check for websites, but...I will tell you right now: keep a sharp eye out for sleazy, fly by night publishers and agents who want your money.
DO NOT GIVE ANYONE ANY MONEY, FOR ANYTHING, EVER. NO reputable agency takes a reader's fee. NOT ONE OF THEM. YOU are NOT responsible for their costs. THEY ARE TO GET PAID ONLY WHEN YOU GET PAID.
"I Kill Children," Dead Kennedys. Love these segues.
There are several websites out there, in which forums are available to check out publishers and agents that might not list in WM or Dustbooks. They all don't.
AbsoluteWrite.com is a site I strongly suggest you join. Look around, make contacts, and you will learn quite a bit. I surely did.
"Sunday Papers," live version by Joe Jackson...with all that's in iTunes, they do repeat artists.
Okay...you often hear about "Vanity Presses." These are companies that charge you money to print your books. Createspace is one, Xlibris is another. Avoid them.
If you want to self-publish, be prepared to know that you will be in charge of everything, from the editing (unless you hire an independent one) to your own marketing and promotion. I have friends who have self-published in various ways, and they can tell you...don't quit your day job.
I don't have the money to invest thousands of dollars into this, only to get a cover that was not what I wanted, pages that fall out, typeface that is unreadable, and nothing anyone would buy just on the aesthetic displeasure you get. Also, I've seen too many people sitting alone in bookstores with their horribly produced books stacked there, and smiling, hoping someone comes and buys their books.
There's so much more you need. If you can get the help, then accept it.
Next up...the Internet is a great place to find reputable, decent and professional literary agents. You can check them out through numerous ways, thanks to the 'net, so these can be vetted pretty fast.
Here's another...Twitter.
I have found not only a ton of bookstores, but publishers this way! The big and the small, they all Tweet.
"Little by Little," by James House. Great song; I generally despise nearly all the country music produced since 1991, but this one from '94 was alright.
Now...do you know who you are going to send to? Have you got your target list, one you will add to as time goes by? What do they want? A query letter? The first chapter? Do they want email, or snail mail?
Do it the way they want it! Or you get nowhere; or at least a fast trip to the slush pile.
The Query Letter is probably the hardest thing I've ever had to write, up there with a cover letter for a job. Yes, this is a job, and I shall remind you now of this. This really is a job, or your job.
No more than one page; clear, concise, no flowery bullshit. That's all. They'll want to know the word length (75-thousand is average for a novel), but few more or less is not a terrible deal.
Get to the heart of it in just a few words (clearly, less than mine here!).
Keep track of every letter or email you send; date your master list, keep your receipts, all of it.
"Strange Brew," BBC session by Cream. Nice...
Budget out your time; if you are still writing, good! Time for writing, time for finding, time for sending, time for updating the lists.
Do what works for you, but keep in mind you're looking for a job here.
So how long did this take? I literally spent four months, nearly every day doing these very things I told you about. I got lucky; damned lucky.
A small agency in Georgia, Sullivan-Maxx took me on. My agent loves the "Sweet Dreams Series," she gets it. Sometimes all you need is one believer, beyond your circle of friends.
Do not quit, and do not get discouraged. Can't stress it enough; this is a lot of work, it don't happen overnight. If you wish to go the traditional route this hard work really will be worth it. You will get somewhere.
Meanwhile, keep writing; keep refining, keep thinking about what you have dreamed of and get it ready. It will happen...it's not a question of "IF," it is a question of "WHEN."
"I Feel So Good," Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and Pinetop Perkins...legends doing great music...
Now, I do not mean to denigrate anyone who chooses the self-publishing way, such as through Amazon.com or however you do it. Make sure it is what you want; I honestly do not have the tools within me to do every single thing. I do not know a lot of that, but I also know I have to keep learning as the time goes on.
Do what you feel is right, for you. I wish you well on the journey...and for those who do, a Joyous Yule.
Peace.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Hurricane Sandy...the Blogger on the Beach, So to Speak...
2:56 pm, Eastern time...I'm back at my house, after spending the morning and balance of the afternoon out and about. As I have no specific duties until tomorrow, I've made my preparations to ride out the storm, before I have to ride into it.
I wrote earlier about the cycle of madness when people go out of their minds and buy out the store; based so far on what little I've heard from the eastern shore of the US, we might well have a reason to be a bit worried.
I was up and out early this morning to...and yes, I railed about this, and here I am being a part of it...to replace my cell phone.
Let's just say it was lost in an unfortunate accident and a bit of my own foolishness. Anyway, I zipped over to the Galleria (Deatheria, some call it) Mall near my house. I wondered if it would even be open.
Rain had been falling much of the night, and it was steady but not unusual. The ground was pretty saturated, and there as a little wind.
Well, thanks to the Verizon guy, he was there, and got me fitted out with a new one...a "free" upgrade on my account, so that took no time. While getting my data transferred, he noted a text that the Capital City Mall in Harrisburg was closing.
I wondered if most of the stores in the mall would even open today.
Anyway, I took a ride up Route 30 to the Office...they were open, and from there I watched as things unfolded.
I even managed a quick workout at the gym; Morebucks closed at 2 pm, the gym closed at 3, and other than convenience stores and gas stations, just about everything else has already shut down.
So far, no real concerns or worries. I did not detect anyone being really flipped out, like some seemed to be the during the buyout.
So I'm home, and as long as I have power of some sort, I'll be transmitting.
Some shots of the property I just took...the rain is falling steadily still, with a few gusts but nothing serious as of yet.
http://www.noaa.gov/stormcentral/
NOAA is on top of the situation as well...this gives you a pretty fair look of how it's doing.
NPR and one of my employers, WITF have been keeping tabs on the storm as well. None of the alarmist, Frankenstorm bullshit; we'll have enough time to get into that later.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20121635
This link is to the BBC, and they are keeping a close watch as well. Doing a good job.
So, you may ask, why am I not out there reporting? Well, this is where I am. I will be on duty for WITF tomorrow, and I am essentially the extra pair of hands. If they need me, I come off the bench.
I am again "on the beach," but figuratively. You feel like you should be out there, or doing something, but that's how it goes. I'll have enough to worry about and do later.
I must be a real geek...while traveling through Harrisburg recently, I realized I was listening to AM 1670. In that area, that is the NOAA Weather Radio relay station. If you don't have a specific Weather Radio (as I do at home), you can the National Weather Service forecast and other related information from there.
I found that infinitely more interesting than anything that was on the radio at that moment! My presets are to the sports stations and the weather channel, because there is NOTHING worth listening to on the AM other than that. And the sports stations are barely tolerable.
I don't listen to FM radio hardly at all; my car presets are WITF, whom I work for, 91.7 in Philly (NPR, Jazz) and 95.3 (ESPN). I used to have an XM radio, but no more. (If you'd like to buy mine, let me know, heehee)
So now I'm listening to NOAA, and the robot voice. My main plan is to check stuff out online, and my friends on Facebook, Twitter and other places and see how it goes.
Already the New Jersey coast and parts of New York, etc., are getting it. A tall ship has apparently been lost, and two crewmen are missing. I'm afraid we're gonna hear more like that.
I picked up the New York Times today, and I have something else to read, so I'll not be idle. This is kind of how I am...you never stop being on duty, never stop wondering about how it's going out there. And you be ready, in case of whatever.
So Baldrick is sitting beside me on the desk while I type; my coffee is brewed and I'll keep myself watching and waiting. Our area is probably gonna get it tonight; I do hope we keep power; my landlady next door is up there in numbers, but I'm glad to see she had visitors, likely her son.
I'll add more photos to my Facebook page as time goes on:
http://www.facebook.com/tory.gates
In any case, I understand some are trying to ride the storm out in the danger zone. I certainly hope they're going to be all right; I honestly don't want news of peril, doom, and "if it bleeds, it leads."
One person interviewed on NPR today said something that portends a not-good situation: he was either on Long Island or New Jersey, I can't remember where he said. He had lived through Hurricane Irene, and he said, this already is worse.
Uh-oh.
I am glad I don't have cable...I can just imagine what the major networks are doing right now.
Well, that's all for now, blurkers...let me know where you're at and what's going on...stay dry, stay safe, and stay cool.
I wrote earlier about the cycle of madness when people go out of their minds and buy out the store; based so far on what little I've heard from the eastern shore of the US, we might well have a reason to be a bit worried.
I was up and out early this morning to...and yes, I railed about this, and here I am being a part of it...to replace my cell phone.
Let's just say it was lost in an unfortunate accident and a bit of my own foolishness. Anyway, I zipped over to the Galleria (Deatheria, some call it) Mall near my house. I wondered if it would even be open.
Rain had been falling much of the night, and it was steady but not unusual. The ground was pretty saturated, and there as a little wind.
Well, thanks to the Verizon guy, he was there, and got me fitted out with a new one...a "free" upgrade on my account, so that took no time. While getting my data transferred, he noted a text that the Capital City Mall in Harrisburg was closing.
I wondered if most of the stores in the mall would even open today.
Anyway, I took a ride up Route 30 to the Office...they were open, and from there I watched as things unfolded.
I even managed a quick workout at the gym; Morebucks closed at 2 pm, the gym closed at 3, and other than convenience stores and gas stations, just about everything else has already shut down.
So far, no real concerns or worries. I did not detect anyone being really flipped out, like some seemed to be the during the buyout.
So I'm home, and as long as I have power of some sort, I'll be transmitting.
Some shots of the property I just took...the rain is falling steadily still, with a few gusts but nothing serious as of yet.
http://www.noaa.gov/stormcentral/
NOAA is on top of the situation as well...this gives you a pretty fair look of how it's doing.
NPR and one of my employers, WITF have been keeping tabs on the storm as well. None of the alarmist, Frankenstorm bullshit; we'll have enough time to get into that later.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20121635
This link is to the BBC, and they are keeping a close watch as well. Doing a good job.
So, you may ask, why am I not out there reporting? Well, this is where I am. I will be on duty for WITF tomorrow, and I am essentially the extra pair of hands. If they need me, I come off the bench.
I am again "on the beach," but figuratively. You feel like you should be out there, or doing something, but that's how it goes. I'll have enough to worry about and do later.
I must be a real geek...while traveling through Harrisburg recently, I realized I was listening to AM 1670. In that area, that is the NOAA Weather Radio relay station. If you don't have a specific Weather Radio (as I do at home), you can the National Weather Service forecast and other related information from there.
I found that infinitely more interesting than anything that was on the radio at that moment! My presets are to the sports stations and the weather channel, because there is NOTHING worth listening to on the AM other than that. And the sports stations are barely tolerable.
I don't listen to FM radio hardly at all; my car presets are WITF, whom I work for, 91.7 in Philly (NPR, Jazz) and 95.3 (ESPN). I used to have an XM radio, but no more. (If you'd like to buy mine, let me know, heehee)
So now I'm listening to NOAA, and the robot voice. My main plan is to check stuff out online, and my friends on Facebook, Twitter and other places and see how it goes.
Already the New Jersey coast and parts of New York, etc., are getting it. A tall ship has apparently been lost, and two crewmen are missing. I'm afraid we're gonna hear more like that.
I picked up the New York Times today, and I have something else to read, so I'll not be idle. This is kind of how I am...you never stop being on duty, never stop wondering about how it's going out there. And you be ready, in case of whatever.
So Baldrick is sitting beside me on the desk while I type; my coffee is brewed and I'll keep myself watching and waiting. Our area is probably gonna get it tonight; I do hope we keep power; my landlady next door is up there in numbers, but I'm glad to see she had visitors, likely her son.
I'll add more photos to my Facebook page as time goes on:
http://www.facebook.com/tory.gates
In any case, I understand some are trying to ride the storm out in the danger zone. I certainly hope they're going to be all right; I honestly don't want news of peril, doom, and "if it bleeds, it leads."
One person interviewed on NPR today said something that portends a not-good situation: he was either on Long Island or New Jersey, I can't remember where he said. He had lived through Hurricane Irene, and he said, this already is worse.
Uh-oh.
I am glad I don't have cable...I can just imagine what the major networks are doing right now.
Well, that's all for now, blurkers...let me know where you're at and what's going on...stay dry, stay safe, and stay cool.
Friday, July 27, 2012
The Post-Zoloft Withdrawal, and Gut-Wrenching Psychosis (of Others)...
"Now you're time has come...I'm gonna cut you...Like I should've done...A long time ago........"
Penelope Houston's "Cut You" is a fabulous 90's record that went under the radar back in the day. Great voice and wit.
Yes, this day is the day for me to fire off a missive about many different things. I just left my doctor's office, where I reported my self-imposed takedown of the Big Z.
Ten weeks without the compression drug. Needless to say the first four weeks of withdrawal were enough to make me a wreck; there have been varied schools of thought about how long it would take to get 12 years' reside of the little blue pills out of my system. The doc says it's definitely long gone.
It was not a fun period, at least the start of it.
"Criminal," the Pretenders, from that unplugged album of theirs. Never been a huge fan of them, but it's pretty good.
How do I feel? Well, I do feel much more like myself. I have had friends say my color has returned, and that I seem more alive on varied levels. I do feel that way, but the anxiety and stress levels are nowhere near what I thought they would be.
I still have issues that involve stress, which I'll get to in a second. I wish to perhaps again pimp a new book, "Coming of Age on Zoloft," by Kathleen Sharpe; she writes for Psychology Today, and the book chronicles her being arbitrarily put on the Big Z while in college. I think Sharpe suffered from some definite depression in her high school and college years, based on her very frank descriptions and assessments. There I think was some OCD component, but beyond that I can't really say.
Her experience and that of the individuals she interviewed for the book show a cross-section of people who for as many different reasons ended up on Zoloft, Effexor or any of these other meds.
The book is NOT an attack on the medical profession, nor is it a slur on the use of the meds...just a good report on the loss of the plot.
"Common Ground," Midnight Oil. Superb song...Peter Garrett has gone on to represent Australia very very well in Parliament, but I miss him. He's also a great interview and a really nice guy.
Doctors have admitted this...it became far too easy to hand over the pills and send people on their way. Moneywise, doctors admit in a number of cases they can bill and make more by handing out the drugs than actually doing therapy and treatment.
What's wrong with this picture, folks?
My physician said that the main aim has been to get people off stuff, if they can tolerate it. In each person, it's very different. It also has to do with the ingrained anxieties and issues.
As she said, paraphrasing, when you're crying nonstop and can't stop, or you are so anxious and freaked out that you can't function, treatment has to be looked at.
In answer to my question, she's seeing a lot more depression and anxiety cases. Much of it is tied to the economy, and the loss of jobs, etc. Logical; money makes shit like that come down. I wondered if even before the downturn, were we seeing more of it.
If you for example feel really down, and really depressed, and there's no reason for it, why is that happening? That is hard to say, again we're so different. I went through nearly 35 years of it, nonstop.
"Why Did You," Sass Jordan. Another of the female singers still with us that didn't get the attention she should have.
I do not believe the purists who bitch about how over-medicated we are, because they apparently are all so very happy in their unhappy, grumpy world. It's true, though a lot of us may well be.
My specialist was the one who suggested Zoloft for me; I at that point in my life felt this was the first medical professional I could talk to about a very serious depression that was leading me to think about some heavy plans to get out of this world. Not fun.
I don't regret any of it; it kept me together, smoothed out the moods for the most part, and let me live my life. I've changed.
And we do change a lot. I'm older, my body has changed and my mind has changed. Right now, I feel healthier than I have in more than a decade. That's due to my choices, most of them anyway.
I still do have issues. Anxiety, guilt, stress, an occasional hyper-awareness.
"Ain't That a Lot of Love," Fabulous Thunderbirds...there we are.
Now, I do think a fair number of people out there do need a little help now and then, and there's no shame in that.
There are however people whose internal chemistry, and the circumstances of their lives where's it's different. Some serious cases do need meds, plus monitoring. We can't just decide one way is the only way.
I don't even know what my way is. I think that changes, too.
I still have stress in certain areas. Mechanical devices seem to not like me. I don't think I can use a copier once without it jamming or having a malfunction. Happened yesterday; making copies at WITF and I'm up to my elbows in trying to figure out how to get that piece of paper out of the top drawer mechanism when you can't physically touch it.
Exasperating; and it's bad form to just walk off and leave it. Cary Burkett walked into the room for coffee while I was doing this, and we said hello and exchanged pleasantries. I then muttered, "I hate these things."
He laughed. We both did.
"Blue Harvest Blues," Mississippi John Hurt. iTunes shuffle iz good.
Computers...there's another one. My friend Alice points out that patience is not a good thing with me in certain areas. True; I can be patient in some ways, not in others.
Now, how about the second half of my title? The giant metal claws that pop out of some people's fingers and then reach within and start digging and twisting one's self inside and out keeps happening, and I'm watching the sometimes infantile activity take people out of the picture.
"Watching Over You," Mick Fleetwood Band. I think Rick Vito is singing on this.
This has been on my mind for some months...consider this:
When you write an email, or post a message/reply on Twitter or Facebook, etc., do you catch the meaning behind the words? The intent?
I don't always. Neither do others.
Words are such an interesting and fun thing; we can do so much with them, but as George Carlin used to say, we also use them to hurt. Not always with bad intent, but we do it.
We also use them for opinions, and those opinions I find become incendiary. I know I'm guilty of this, as much as the next person: we over-react.
Then, as Jim Rome likes to say about certain relief pitchers, out comes the gas can and the blue tips.
FLAME WARS!
We argue over the dumbest things, don't we? Politics, religion, whether the sky is really blue, and like that.
Opinions are like assholes, we all got 'em. Why is it when someone actually has an opinion and someone counters it, do one side (or both) go mad?
Then it gets mean...name-calling, accusations, more and more arguing. We're fighting over an opinion, folks.
Oh but that' right it's also the battle for supremacy, and righteousness. You get pulled into the game; you must get the last word or you have lost.
Actually, I don't think so. It is at times best to do nothing at all.
"How Long Blues," Eric Clapton version.
Of course someone's gonna tub thump and proclaim victory by saying they were right all along because they got the last word or wasted hours by dissembling every word to prove they were right.
Time to get a life...I have one, and I'm not being arrogant about it. I write this blog not to make people mad, but because I like to. I like to write about the things that interest me, and if you actually can think about this, then good. I didn't say you had to agree with me.
"You and Me," Mick Ronson...sad loss to rock n' roll.
I suppose living as I do; barely employed, working to keep my sanity, keeping the projects running this way leaves me somewhere. I don't know where.
The point I make is: each day of my life, I have do SOMETHING. I have to do something positive; it can be working out, editing or writing one of my works, cleaning my house, whatever. As long as I did something of value this day, either for me or for another, then I have done my job.
There are days I don't. I try not to worry too much about that. I am more aware that more than half my life has passed. What have I left behind?
To borrow a phrase, "What indeed?"
"Hangdog Hotel Room," Gordon Lightfoot.
I do feel remorse if I have wronged someone, and I wish to make right those things I've fucked up. Often, I feel forgiveness is impossible to attain no matter what I do.
I can't back down from what I know is true, but the pull of the other makes me think. From some I feel, nothing I do will ever be enough. I will go from what I once was to them, to someone beneath contempt.
I have to live with that; and realize that if they're going to decide I'm a terrible, awful person, then that's their perception.
Maybe they need a bit of mood stabilization.
Now and then, I find I ask myself: "Am I this horrible person? Am I really so unapproachable?"
No.
Definitely not. I'm a person. If people are put off by my hair, my spiritual leanings, my politics or whatever, then too bad. I'm not arrogant, just realistic.
"When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful," Clapton. Skipping...not one of Eric's better efforts.
"Milk Train," Graham Parker. Much better!
We do tend to destroy one another, though; we shit on and tear people down because it suits us in the moment. We make a point, we think we win.
I make jokes all the time about stuff, but do you think I hate people? Not at all. Hate is a useless emotion; I see too many people use it. Just look at the comment section of any website.
People have nothing better to do than spew it, just to start a fight.
Collective madness, perhaps?
I'm not sure where this is all going, but we need to again think a little. I'm sorry if people don't get it, or this, or whatever, but this is where I'm at right now.
Crossroads, maybe?
Could be...we all have one. I for one do NOT believe 2012 is the end of the world or any of that. I do not think we're headed for a full meltdown of the entire world, but if something does happen, we survive. We adapt. Or you hope we do.
Gotta go...more to do. In future, we may be transferring the blog over to Wordpress, so I'll let you know where it goes.
"This is no social crisis, this is you havin' fun..."
Penelope Houston's "Cut You" is a fabulous 90's record that went under the radar back in the day. Great voice and wit.
Yes, this day is the day for me to fire off a missive about many different things. I just left my doctor's office, where I reported my self-imposed takedown of the Big Z.
Ten weeks without the compression drug. Needless to say the first four weeks of withdrawal were enough to make me a wreck; there have been varied schools of thought about how long it would take to get 12 years' reside of the little blue pills out of my system. The doc says it's definitely long gone.
It was not a fun period, at least the start of it.
"Criminal," the Pretenders, from that unplugged album of theirs. Never been a huge fan of them, but it's pretty good.
How do I feel? Well, I do feel much more like myself. I have had friends say my color has returned, and that I seem more alive on varied levels. I do feel that way, but the anxiety and stress levels are nowhere near what I thought they would be.
I still have issues that involve stress, which I'll get to in a second. I wish to perhaps again pimp a new book, "Coming of Age on Zoloft," by Kathleen Sharpe; she writes for Psychology Today, and the book chronicles her being arbitrarily put on the Big Z while in college. I think Sharpe suffered from some definite depression in her high school and college years, based on her very frank descriptions and assessments. There I think was some OCD component, but beyond that I can't really say.
Her experience and that of the individuals she interviewed for the book show a cross-section of people who for as many different reasons ended up on Zoloft, Effexor or any of these other meds.
The book is NOT an attack on the medical profession, nor is it a slur on the use of the meds...just a good report on the loss of the plot.
"Common Ground," Midnight Oil. Superb song...Peter Garrett has gone on to represent Australia very very well in Parliament, but I miss him. He's also a great interview and a really nice guy.
Doctors have admitted this...it became far too easy to hand over the pills and send people on their way. Moneywise, doctors admit in a number of cases they can bill and make more by handing out the drugs than actually doing therapy and treatment.
What's wrong with this picture, folks?
My physician said that the main aim has been to get people off stuff, if they can tolerate it. In each person, it's very different. It also has to do with the ingrained anxieties and issues.
As she said, paraphrasing, when you're crying nonstop and can't stop, or you are so anxious and freaked out that you can't function, treatment has to be looked at.
In answer to my question, she's seeing a lot more depression and anxiety cases. Much of it is tied to the economy, and the loss of jobs, etc. Logical; money makes shit like that come down. I wondered if even before the downturn, were we seeing more of it.
If you for example feel really down, and really depressed, and there's no reason for it, why is that happening? That is hard to say, again we're so different. I went through nearly 35 years of it, nonstop.
"Why Did You," Sass Jordan. Another of the female singers still with us that didn't get the attention she should have.
I do not believe the purists who bitch about how over-medicated we are, because they apparently are all so very happy in their unhappy, grumpy world. It's true, though a lot of us may well be.
My specialist was the one who suggested Zoloft for me; I at that point in my life felt this was the first medical professional I could talk to about a very serious depression that was leading me to think about some heavy plans to get out of this world. Not fun.
I don't regret any of it; it kept me together, smoothed out the moods for the most part, and let me live my life. I've changed.
And we do change a lot. I'm older, my body has changed and my mind has changed. Right now, I feel healthier than I have in more than a decade. That's due to my choices, most of them anyway.
I still do have issues. Anxiety, guilt, stress, an occasional hyper-awareness.
"Ain't That a Lot of Love," Fabulous Thunderbirds...there we are.
Now, I do think a fair number of people out there do need a little help now and then, and there's no shame in that.
There are however people whose internal chemistry, and the circumstances of their lives where's it's different. Some serious cases do need meds, plus monitoring. We can't just decide one way is the only way.
I don't even know what my way is. I think that changes, too.
I still have stress in certain areas. Mechanical devices seem to not like me. I don't think I can use a copier once without it jamming or having a malfunction. Happened yesterday; making copies at WITF and I'm up to my elbows in trying to figure out how to get that piece of paper out of the top drawer mechanism when you can't physically touch it.
Exasperating; and it's bad form to just walk off and leave it. Cary Burkett walked into the room for coffee while I was doing this, and we said hello and exchanged pleasantries. I then muttered, "I hate these things."
He laughed. We both did.
"Blue Harvest Blues," Mississippi John Hurt. iTunes shuffle iz good.
Computers...there's another one. My friend Alice points out that patience is not a good thing with me in certain areas. True; I can be patient in some ways, not in others.
Now, how about the second half of my title? The giant metal claws that pop out of some people's fingers and then reach within and start digging and twisting one's self inside and out keeps happening, and I'm watching the sometimes infantile activity take people out of the picture.
"Watching Over You," Mick Fleetwood Band. I think Rick Vito is singing on this.
This has been on my mind for some months...consider this:
When you write an email, or post a message/reply on Twitter or Facebook, etc., do you catch the meaning behind the words? The intent?
I don't always. Neither do others.
Words are such an interesting and fun thing; we can do so much with them, but as George Carlin used to say, we also use them to hurt. Not always with bad intent, but we do it.
We also use them for opinions, and those opinions I find become incendiary. I know I'm guilty of this, as much as the next person: we over-react.
Then, as Jim Rome likes to say about certain relief pitchers, out comes the gas can and the blue tips.
FLAME WARS!
We argue over the dumbest things, don't we? Politics, religion, whether the sky is really blue, and like that.
Opinions are like assholes, we all got 'em. Why is it when someone actually has an opinion and someone counters it, do one side (or both) go mad?
Then it gets mean...name-calling, accusations, more and more arguing. We're fighting over an opinion, folks.
Oh but that' right it's also the battle for supremacy, and righteousness. You get pulled into the game; you must get the last word or you have lost.
Actually, I don't think so. It is at times best to do nothing at all.
"How Long Blues," Eric Clapton version.
Of course someone's gonna tub thump and proclaim victory by saying they were right all along because they got the last word or wasted hours by dissembling every word to prove they were right.
Time to get a life...I have one, and I'm not being arrogant about it. I write this blog not to make people mad, but because I like to. I like to write about the things that interest me, and if you actually can think about this, then good. I didn't say you had to agree with me.
"You and Me," Mick Ronson...sad loss to rock n' roll.
I suppose living as I do; barely employed, working to keep my sanity, keeping the projects running this way leaves me somewhere. I don't know where.
The point I make is: each day of my life, I have do SOMETHING. I have to do something positive; it can be working out, editing or writing one of my works, cleaning my house, whatever. As long as I did something of value this day, either for me or for another, then I have done my job.
There are days I don't. I try not to worry too much about that. I am more aware that more than half my life has passed. What have I left behind?
To borrow a phrase, "What indeed?"
"Hangdog Hotel Room," Gordon Lightfoot.
I do feel remorse if I have wronged someone, and I wish to make right those things I've fucked up. Often, I feel forgiveness is impossible to attain no matter what I do.
I can't back down from what I know is true, but the pull of the other makes me think. From some I feel, nothing I do will ever be enough. I will go from what I once was to them, to someone beneath contempt.
I have to live with that; and realize that if they're going to decide I'm a terrible, awful person, then that's their perception.
Maybe they need a bit of mood stabilization.
Now and then, I find I ask myself: "Am I this horrible person? Am I really so unapproachable?"
No.
Definitely not. I'm a person. If people are put off by my hair, my spiritual leanings, my politics or whatever, then too bad. I'm not arrogant, just realistic.
"When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful," Clapton. Skipping...not one of Eric's better efforts.
"Milk Train," Graham Parker. Much better!
We do tend to destroy one another, though; we shit on and tear people down because it suits us in the moment. We make a point, we think we win.
I make jokes all the time about stuff, but do you think I hate people? Not at all. Hate is a useless emotion; I see too many people use it. Just look at the comment section of any website.
People have nothing better to do than spew it, just to start a fight.
Collective madness, perhaps?
I'm not sure where this is all going, but we need to again think a little. I'm sorry if people don't get it, or this, or whatever, but this is where I'm at right now.
Crossroads, maybe?
Could be...we all have one. I for one do NOT believe 2012 is the end of the world or any of that. I do not think we're headed for a full meltdown of the entire world, but if something does happen, we survive. We adapt. Or you hope we do.
Gotta go...more to do. In future, we may be transferring the blog over to Wordpress, so I'll let you know where it goes.
"This is no social crisis, this is you havin' fun..."
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Irene Update, Part 2
So far, the night in the Midstate has been pretty quiet...we've had steady rainfall for more than four hours, and also a bit of wind. Nothing too terrible. My NOAA Weather Radio tripped only once about 35 minutes ago.
Reports have been interesting, from different places, via Twitter:
RT @usedwigs: NJ News Traffic Advisory: Please avoid Highway 9, it's jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive. #hurricane
It's so wet at Fenway, fans are playing 'Marco Scutaro', not 'Polo'... "Marco" from 1st base side, "Scutaro" from 3rd... #hurricaneirene
Those are the more humorous ones. A old boss of mine had a boat near the Rappahannock, and hopefully got that to safety.
On Long Island, an old friend of mine, and nearly 3/4 of her condo have stayed, despite the evac. order; Ardyth's reports include:
"Just starting to get some wind, been raining on and off all day."
"Lightning and thunder just arrived." (10:02 pm, Eastern)
"...the worst of it is not due to arrive for a few more hours."
"The only thing I'm really concerned with is the storm surge @ high tide tomorrow. There's a canal 2 blocks away."
"We can't leave the house now...I hear the wind howling now."
Those all in the space of about 10 minutes. Ardyth is Long Island tough, so they should be alright.
My old friend Alexandra has just chirped in from NYC: "All good...Irene is hype...just some wind and rain here."
Well...we'll see...let's hope the track of the storm continues off the coast, as this shows:
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/feature?section=weather&id=8320373
This is pretty neat...anyway, I am appreciative to NOT be in the middle of it, not for nothing. I've been through two hurricanes, and survived countless Nor-Easters to respect Mother Nature.
NBC 4 has done a very good job of covering the storm tonight; still doesn't look like the worst is there yet...appears to be about 2 am for the city, by a rough look at the above link's model.
Mayor Bloomberg is talking once again...will go check this out.
I think I'll get down for a bit...I likely will be awakened by anything that goes down outside my bedroom window...if the storm doesn't wake me, the cats will!
Again, be safe, my friends and all others...
Reports have been interesting, from different places, via Twitter:
RT @usedwigs: NJ News Traffic Advisory: Please avoid Highway 9, it's jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive. #hurricane
It's so wet at Fenway, fans are playing 'Marco Scutaro', not 'Polo'... "Marco" from 1st base side, "Scutaro" from 3rd... #hurricaneirene
Those are the more humorous ones. A old boss of mine had a boat near the Rappahannock, and hopefully got that to safety.
On Long Island, an old friend of mine, and nearly 3/4 of her condo have stayed, despite the evac. order; Ardyth's reports include:
"Just starting to get some wind, been raining on and off all day."
"Lightning and thunder just arrived." (10:02 pm, Eastern)
"...the worst of it is not due to arrive for a few more hours."
"The only thing I'm really concerned with is the storm surge @ high tide tomorrow. There's a canal 2 blocks away."
"We can't leave the house now...I hear the wind howling now."
Those all in the space of about 10 minutes. Ardyth is Long Island tough, so they should be alright.
My old friend Alexandra has just chirped in from NYC: "All good...Irene is hype...just some wind and rain here."
Well...we'll see...let's hope the track of the storm continues off the coast, as this shows:
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/feature?section=weather&id=8320373
This is pretty neat...anyway, I am appreciative to NOT be in the middle of it, not for nothing. I've been through two hurricanes, and survived countless Nor-Easters to respect Mother Nature.
NBC 4 has done a very good job of covering the storm tonight; still doesn't look like the worst is there yet...appears to be about 2 am for the city, by a rough look at the above link's model.
Mayor Bloomberg is talking once again...will go check this out.
I think I'll get down for a bit...I likely will be awakened by anything that goes down outside my bedroom window...if the storm doesn't wake me, the cats will!
Again, be safe, my friends and all others...
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Redemption...26 Years On...
I think I've had one of those epiphanies...or a moment where you spell a form of that word correctly.
I'm coming down from one long night and morning; for those who don't know, I have become the backup host for the local version of "Morning Edition" on WITF 89.5 in Harrisburg. I've been getting a fair amount of training/air time, as a new host finishes his prior commitments and comes in.
I was passed over for the job, due to this fellow's wider breadth of experience. There is always someone much more experienced than you out there, remember that.
Anyway, getting up at 230 in the am every day I think would kill me. In any case, it's been nerve-wracking as hell getting up to speed on the program, because you have to work to a clock, and to what the NPR hosts do.
My hands have been on the levers a lot more of late. Well, I was pretty sure that my boss Tim Lambert was gonna let me run the whole program this morning; four hours of madness.
I didn't sleep much; I never can when I have to change my sleep patterns to fit to this very early morning thing. I was so unable I actually wrote my sports script at home before trying to sleep again late last night.
Now the past few weeks of training have enabled me to get down the quirks of NPR, and also most of the tricks to the studios, the computer system and the other bits. The pre-production is the killer.
You may not realize just how much work goes on before you open the mic. There's a lot.
And of course the weather had to play havoc with everything. Badass weather; tornado warnings, severe thunderstorm and flood watches and warnings all across the region.
The Emergency Alert System or EAS machine had spat out a long roll of warnings. That's that annoying sound and/or screen you get in the middle of your programming, that lets you know something's going down. Well, one of the few FCC regulations left is the one where you have to log and document all of these...every one of them.
Also rewriting wire copy, writing this, writing that, trying to get everything correct, and getting the computer screens up. Screens for the traffic cameras, the weather screens, the Twitter feed page (yes, we use it), and the traffic information screen, and this, and that...
Just after I arrived at the station, about 3:15 am, the storm hit! Same one that caused all that damage down in Alabama; Tim rolled in, and said he couldn't see the road! It monsooned out there quite a bit, and I admit I've not seen a storm that bad since that one we had through here in like '02 or '03...can't remember when that was, but it was a bad one.
Lot of storm-related information to get out there, school closings, cancellations. Thankfully Tim was there, because what we did was a two-man job. I was not the only one on the air, and we both knew what had to happen.
A few little bugs for me, here and there, but I learned a great deal more, and that progress is necessary. It actually went pretty well.
Now...Redemption...what's that all about, you ask?
Well, 26 years ago, I started fooling about with weekend grunt jobs because I knew radio was what I wanted to do in life. I don't feel my family was all that supportive; I think most of them saw this as a hobby or a passing fancy, and that I'd get serious and either do something more worthwhile with my college years or come back to the farm in Vermont.
I do know that once my parents heard me, they realized I loved what I was doing, and didn't think I was half-bad. They just wondered why the hell it took so damn long to get anywhere.
That's called paying your dues. It took me 20 years to get to Sirius/XM, and a living wage. I didn't think I'd do radio again after I was let go in '09, because I'd done it. Did everything I wanted to do and planned to do in the business, so it was time to get on with my writing career and whatever else came my way.
Back in it I was last summer. Being the weekend sports guy for Radio PA and KYW, and jobbing about at Clear Channel and places like that.
On the other end of the cubicles, I got an interview for Morning Edition, but as I said, another guy has the chops and the skills, more so than I.
"I Want It All" by Queen just came on my Walkman. Hmmm...that's a sign, innit?
I have honestly not done much on-air work in years. I had not done any news since 2004, and anchoring can be a different thing. Public Radio is something I never thought I could do. Then again, I once thought the same thing about satellite radio...
This morning was the acid test; we didn't know how bad the weather would be, and did we get hit with it. The pressure level in the studio and the building went straight up. I wasn't perfect, but I know I did all right.
Here's how:
1. During the 7 am hour, the studio phone beeps. Now people call that if they're from schools to give us school stuff, and sometimes WITF people call on it.
Another Commandment of the Radio Business, and it concerns bosses, program directors, GM's and especially owners: YOU NEVER CALL SOMEONE DURING THEIR SHIFT TO GIVE THEM SHIT. EVER.
My first thought when I heard the lady on the other line was, "Oh shit!" But then, Mitzi is the PD, and really a very nice person. In fact, she is one of the most upbeat people I've ever known, though we've not yet met.
She very honestly told me I was doing a very good and was very kind. That's one hell of an endorsement. She also got off right away.
2. Tim tells me about a phone call he received from the President of WITF...the whole thing. Never met her, but a most particular type of lady she is, I'm told.
She asks Tim the open-ended question of, "What's going on?" Tim asks what she means, weatherwise or what?
She answers no, but who is that guy on the air? Tim explains I'm the backup to the new guy.
"We have a backup?" She asks, honestly not knowing. Tim says we do now.
"Oh..." To paraphrase, she apparently said to Tim something along the lines of: "Well, he's highly acceptable."
Redemption...there it is.
To go 26 years without being known, and then getting the chance to show you do know what the fuck you're doing and then deliver what you need to do...it's nice.
Don't think it's going to my head, it's not! I gotta do it again tomorrow!
###
I feel a sense of peace.
"Love the World" by Jimmie Vaughan followed Queen on the Walkman, and I do feel it, but it's not just this.
"Mary," by Pete Townshend is next...a Lifehouse Chronicles demo. I'm pretty sure the Who did not record this one. If so, I don't know where I'd find it.
Yes, I do feel it. You get into a zone or something. Of late I have been placed in one, and it is not just because of how my "old" career has gotten a little bit of a restart. I'm still not full-time, and probably will not be, but at least I'm back in the game, and showing my skill.
###
There is another reason for peace...I got hit by a train the other day, and her name is Alice. We met and had a long talk the other day...three hours long.
This is the listener who on my first morning wrote an email to tell the bosses of ITF that I was a good one. After thanking her, we corresponded, and we finally saw each other. I think we both like what we see.
I'll see how it goes...I have not felt like this in years, it's very interesting.
###
Now...I'm going to enjoy all this for a while, before I get my shit together and get ready for tomorrow.
Redemption...it's not just for religion anymore.
I'm coming down from one long night and morning; for those who don't know, I have become the backup host for the local version of "Morning Edition" on WITF 89.5 in Harrisburg. I've been getting a fair amount of training/air time, as a new host finishes his prior commitments and comes in.
I was passed over for the job, due to this fellow's wider breadth of experience. There is always someone much more experienced than you out there, remember that.
Anyway, getting up at 230 in the am every day I think would kill me. In any case, it's been nerve-wracking as hell getting up to speed on the program, because you have to work to a clock, and to what the NPR hosts do.
My hands have been on the levers a lot more of late. Well, I was pretty sure that my boss Tim Lambert was gonna let me run the whole program this morning; four hours of madness.
I didn't sleep much; I never can when I have to change my sleep patterns to fit to this very early morning thing. I was so unable I actually wrote my sports script at home before trying to sleep again late last night.
Now the past few weeks of training have enabled me to get down the quirks of NPR, and also most of the tricks to the studios, the computer system and the other bits. The pre-production is the killer.
You may not realize just how much work goes on before you open the mic. There's a lot.
And of course the weather had to play havoc with everything. Badass weather; tornado warnings, severe thunderstorm and flood watches and warnings all across the region.
The Emergency Alert System or EAS machine had spat out a long roll of warnings. That's that annoying sound and/or screen you get in the middle of your programming, that lets you know something's going down. Well, one of the few FCC regulations left is the one where you have to log and document all of these...every one of them.
Also rewriting wire copy, writing this, writing that, trying to get everything correct, and getting the computer screens up. Screens for the traffic cameras, the weather screens, the Twitter feed page (yes, we use it), and the traffic information screen, and this, and that...
Just after I arrived at the station, about 3:15 am, the storm hit! Same one that caused all that damage down in Alabama; Tim rolled in, and said he couldn't see the road! It monsooned out there quite a bit, and I admit I've not seen a storm that bad since that one we had through here in like '02 or '03...can't remember when that was, but it was a bad one.
Lot of storm-related information to get out there, school closings, cancellations. Thankfully Tim was there, because what we did was a two-man job. I was not the only one on the air, and we both knew what had to happen.
A few little bugs for me, here and there, but I learned a great deal more, and that progress is necessary. It actually went pretty well.
Now...Redemption...what's that all about, you ask?
Well, 26 years ago, I started fooling about with weekend grunt jobs because I knew radio was what I wanted to do in life. I don't feel my family was all that supportive; I think most of them saw this as a hobby or a passing fancy, and that I'd get serious and either do something more worthwhile with my college years or come back to the farm in Vermont.
I do know that once my parents heard me, they realized I loved what I was doing, and didn't think I was half-bad. They just wondered why the hell it took so damn long to get anywhere.
That's called paying your dues. It took me 20 years to get to Sirius/XM, and a living wage. I didn't think I'd do radio again after I was let go in '09, because I'd done it. Did everything I wanted to do and planned to do in the business, so it was time to get on with my writing career and whatever else came my way.
Back in it I was last summer. Being the weekend sports guy for Radio PA and KYW, and jobbing about at Clear Channel and places like that.
On the other end of the cubicles, I got an interview for Morning Edition, but as I said, another guy has the chops and the skills, more so than I.
"I Want It All" by Queen just came on my Walkman. Hmmm...that's a sign, innit?
I have honestly not done much on-air work in years. I had not done any news since 2004, and anchoring can be a different thing. Public Radio is something I never thought I could do. Then again, I once thought the same thing about satellite radio...
This morning was the acid test; we didn't know how bad the weather would be, and did we get hit with it. The pressure level in the studio and the building went straight up. I wasn't perfect, but I know I did all right.
Here's how:
1. During the 7 am hour, the studio phone beeps. Now people call that if they're from schools to give us school stuff, and sometimes WITF people call on it.
Another Commandment of the Radio Business, and it concerns bosses, program directors, GM's and especially owners: YOU NEVER CALL SOMEONE DURING THEIR SHIFT TO GIVE THEM SHIT. EVER.
My first thought when I heard the lady on the other line was, "Oh shit!" But then, Mitzi is the PD, and really a very nice person. In fact, she is one of the most upbeat people I've ever known, though we've not yet met.
She very honestly told me I was doing a very good and was very kind. That's one hell of an endorsement. She also got off right away.
2. Tim tells me about a phone call he received from the President of WITF...the whole thing. Never met her, but a most particular type of lady she is, I'm told.
She asks Tim the open-ended question of, "What's going on?" Tim asks what she means, weatherwise or what?
She answers no, but who is that guy on the air? Tim explains I'm the backup to the new guy.
"We have a backup?" She asks, honestly not knowing. Tim says we do now.
"Oh..." To paraphrase, she apparently said to Tim something along the lines of: "Well, he's highly acceptable."
Redemption...there it is.
To go 26 years without being known, and then getting the chance to show you do know what the fuck you're doing and then deliver what you need to do...it's nice.
Don't think it's going to my head, it's not! I gotta do it again tomorrow!
###
I feel a sense of peace.
"Love the World" by Jimmie Vaughan followed Queen on the Walkman, and I do feel it, but it's not just this.
"Mary," by Pete Townshend is next...a Lifehouse Chronicles demo. I'm pretty sure the Who did not record this one. If so, I don't know where I'd find it.
Yes, I do feel it. You get into a zone or something. Of late I have been placed in one, and it is not just because of how my "old" career has gotten a little bit of a restart. I'm still not full-time, and probably will not be, but at least I'm back in the game, and showing my skill.
###
There is another reason for peace...I got hit by a train the other day, and her name is Alice. We met and had a long talk the other day...three hours long.
This is the listener who on my first morning wrote an email to tell the bosses of ITF that I was a good one. After thanking her, we corresponded, and we finally saw each other. I think we both like what we see.
I'll see how it goes...I have not felt like this in years, it's very interesting.
###
Now...I'm going to enjoy all this for a while, before I get my shit together and get ready for tomorrow.
Redemption...it's not just for religion anymore.
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