Keith's First Post

So today was a very exciting day for me at work. For those who saw my facebook updates today you already know a little. For those that didn't; here is as recap of what I did at work. (That sounds like a really lame way to start my first posting, but trust me it isn't.)

I had the assignment of covering President Obama's town hall meeting in Orange County today. I know it sounds rough but it was loooonnnnnggggg day!

During the very contentious '02 Presidential Elections of Whitworth, in which I had very strong feelings about one candidate, I was chastised by my advisor for my views. Since then my role as a journalist has changed a little, I have a clear understanding on the issue. I hate seeing when reporter friends put on their profiles that they support certain candidates or political parties. We are supposed to be reliable sources of information, but expressing your views turns you from journalist to pusher of ideas. So.... with that said, here is my day covering the President, in an objective manner.

I had to be there by 9 to start setting up and carrying in all my gear. We all had to be complete in by 10, even though things didn't start until 4. They had to search all our stuff and have the bomb dogs sniff everything. So while they searched from 10-1:30 my engineer and I sat around in the shade. Then we were let into the hall again to get everything ready for the town hall. Our little PBS station was the only one from the LA area to cover it wire to wire. We went on the air when President Obama came in and didn't end until he was leaving the hall. Yup all 1 hour and 15 min live on the air.

So I know that that doesn't sound like much, it happens all the time in TV. The diffence with that and ours is that we only had 1 camera. Shows like American Idol have lots of cameras and all sorts of fancy things that help them polish the show nicely. We had a single camera 50 yards away from the President and stayed on it the whole time we were on the air. I think that was the hardest I have worked in television, and I have walked backwards for more than a mile following a protest march with 40 pounds of gear on my back and shoulder. I had to focus on what I was doing so intently that I kinda forgot where I was at times. By the end of it I was exhausted. Don't get me wrong. It was a great thrill getting to cover the President of the United States, but it was like running a marathon.

What I saw today was one of the most eloquent speakers that I have ever heard. Regardless of political views, his ability to connect with the audience and speak candidly and with great depth of knowledge are something to be seen. I have heard the pundits on other networks say that he can't talk unless he is reading from the prompters, but I can say that he was "off-script" for nearly all of the town hall meeting. He rolled up his sleeves and spoke to the audience about genuine questions. If you have not heard him speak in person I strongly urge you to. I know that doesn't sound like the impartial ideal that I was preaching earlier, but I think that there is a slight difference. I am not advocating his politics or his plan for the future, nor am I railing against it. I am simply saying that he is worth seeing, if only for rhetorical analysis. And no rhetoric is not a dirty word. if you don't believe me ask my wife the communications professor.

There are few times in my career that I have been struck by what I see and hear. I have gotten to interview childhood hockey heros, and meet famous people. Today, however, was something that I will find hard to lump in with other things that I have done. And while I am more tired than I have been in a long time from a day of news coverage, I am still in awe of what I got to be a part of today.

A New Reason to go to the Dentist

source

Just a quick post cause it's late!

I recently saw a friend of mine who is currently in dental school. I may or may not have asked him all sorts of teeth related questions hoping to avoid the real dentist. 

While we were talking, he tipped me off to a secret that makes going to the dentist almost worth it. You can get your jewelry cleaned at the dentist's office! He said all the older ladies who would come into the dentist would take off their tons of rings, earrings, bracelets, etc. and hand them to him for a good steam cleaning. I guess the dentist has a steam cleaner for dentures or something...which I guess is why it was the older ladies who were in on this and I was not. 

I guess it would help if you have a cool densitst and it isn't too busy in the office but it seems like it's worth a try to me. And while having a sparkling clean ring might not make up for the floss-till-you-bleed teeth cleaning, it might save you a trip to the jeweler. 

How Do You Do It?!?

I have been doing everything on Earth this past year but write my thesis. Don't get me wrong, I've tried and even have done some work on it. But mostly, it has been neglected but definitely not forgotten. It looms over me like a suspended jail sentence.  It haunts me when I am trying to fall asleep, creeps in when I am out with friends and taps me on the shoulder anytime I am having too much fun doing something, anything else. 

I don't really have anyone to blame for my procratination but myself. Yes, I know thesis hatred is definetly a first world problem. But, in my defense (get it? defense??), I was busy planning the wedding and then recovering from the wedding and working and all that but I know I could have done more work on it than I have. 

I just seem to work best under a deadline. Like if I know something is due in 2 weeks I will definetly get on it on the 13th day. But the deadline for the thesis is seven years....seven years!! This is not helping. 

Because I do not teach in January,  I have deemed it thesis month and have vowed to get a lot of work done this month. It's going well so far but in the words of our friend Robert Frost, I have miles to go before I sleep. And by miles I mean pages and pages and chapters and chapters. 

So, my dear friends, how do you approach seemingly insurmountable tasks? How do you stay motivated? Help me out. I have a few years left until my thesis is due but only a few months until my insanity expires. 

You Give Me Fever

Well, technically my husband didn't give me a fever, but Peggy Lee didn't address sinus infections. 

Since last Thursday, I have been taking care of my poor, sick husband and trying not to catch his germs. I failed.  I have been battling some nasty congestion, coughing and other unpleasantries since Sunday night. Yuck! 

It seems almost inevitable that anytime Keith is sick, I get sick too. I sort of knew when he was coming down with something I would be next. The good news? My illness seems not to be as severe or prolonged as his. And I think I know why...

The Neti Pot! Yes, I have taken up nasal irrigation but...only out of desperation. I think I first saw the Neti Pot on Oprah. As one who has suffered from allergies for as long as I can remember my interest was piqued. It works, people! 

And while I do not use the Neti everyday, as is the practice for some, I do use it whenever I am feeling allergic or sick or just plain congested.  And what sweet relief it has provided. I still feel awful but the degree of awfulness has been toned down just a bit. 

Keith's doctor also told him to try Benedryl for sinus problems which I had never though of before. I have been using it for the past few days and it works so well! Benedryl is not just for allergies anymore. 

So, do any of you use the Neti Pot? Do you have any home or off label remedies to share with those of us who are starting off the New Year under the weather?

We're Gonna Be Famous!!

Ok, well, maybe not famous famous. But our wedding is going to be published in an upcoming book on wedding style by The Knot!!

We got a call from our wedding photographer, Susan, a couple of weeks ago and she told us he publishers at The Knot had contacted her regarding publishing rights and all that legal stuff for our wedding photos. How exciting!

So, in honor of our future Knot appearance and because I just recently figured out how to publish photos in this little blog (yeah, I know it's not that hard...don't judge me) here are some of the photos.

You can find these and a few more (with captions!) on my photo stream on Flickr which can be found here. 

Recovering from the Festivities

I love Christmas. I love the traditions, the Christmas carols, the time with family. What I don't love is the stress! Finding the right gifts, wrapping them all, planning holidya menus and braving the grocery store. It can be really crazy. 

This year I decided to try my first pot roast to serve as Christmas dinner. I searched high and low for a recipe and eventually found one here. I am not going to repost the recipe here as it is super long and involved. We have been over to my sister-in-law's mom's house for prime rib Christmas dinner several times and I have always known that making such a big, wonderful meal took a lot of effort but I never knew that it tool a lot of effort. The prime rib turned out well in the end but in the process of making it there were a lot of spills, a few curse words and even a small(ish) kitchen fire. Yes, fire. But not nearly as bad as the one pictured above. I really think I overestimated my cooking abilites. Just because you can make hashbrown casserole does not mean you can make a prime rib. And it doesn't help that my husband told me the digital thermometer I was using was a candy thermometer, not a meat thermometer. Turns out he was wrong and I kind of overcooked the meat...whatever. 

I am hoping as my cooking skills improve, our Christmas dinners will improve as well. The meat took so long to cook that we ended up eating each course on its own. Salad-break-rolls-break-potatoes-break-meat-break-Yorkshire pudding-break-cookies and hot chocolate-food coma. I comfort myself by thinking forward to Christmases of the future and hope that this Christmas will be remembered as the progressive dinner with the fire that was our first married Christmas and it will be a funny, yet distant memory. A memory...which would mean it wouldn't happen again and all future Christmases will be incident free. And all the food will be ready at the same time. 

How was your Christmas? Any incidents you'd like to share?

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I hope you all had a great Christmases. Things here in the Spitzer house were fun and relaxed, my favorite kind of holiday! We spent Christmas with my mom, sister, uncle, cousin and her mom. My cousin is only 7 and got all sorts of toys. I loved watching her open her gifts. Some American Girl stuff had her mouth wide open and eyes all bugged out. As much as I love Christmas now, there is nothing like Christmas when you are a little kid. 

Christmas morning I made a big breakfast for all of us...cinnamon rolls, bacon, sausage, and the hit of the morning- hash brown casserole. I have been trying to add to my recipes recently and came across the recipe for some Cracker Barrel style hash brown casserole on this website. It was so tasty I thought I would share it with you. 

Cracker Barrel Style Hash Brown Casserole

1 hour total time - 15 minutes prep time

Serves 10-12 ( I halved the recipe and fed all 6 of us with good sized portions) 

2 pounds of frozen hash browns

1/2 cup of butter or margarine, melted

1 (10 1/4 ounce) can of cream of chicken soup

2 cups of sour cream (I used reduced fat and it turned out fine)

1/2 cup onion, peeled and chopped

2 cups of cheddar cheese (again, I used 2% and it turned out fine)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 11x14 (I used 9X13, it was fine) baking dish with cooking spray. 

2. Mix the above ingredients together and then spoon into the prepared dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until brown on top. 

This recipe was so easy to make and tasted really good. And while not healthy by any means, the substitutions of lower fat ingredients (sour cream and cheese) helped make it a but more healthy and did not compromise the dish at all, in my opinion. 

This dish would be perfect for a lazy weekend morning or for your next brunch gathering. You definitely will not have any leftovers. Enjoy!