No Teleprompter, No Mercy

When I see the word “tragedy” in a script, I almost always change it–ditto for the word “shocking.” It’s something that’s been ingrained in me for a very long time–almost since my first year in news. My mentors advised against its use and I followed their lead. I really wouldn’t truly understand why I shouldn’t [...]

“I smell a blog post.” If there is one thing I can admit about myself, it’s that encouragement only makes me more dangerous and so when more than one person showed even the slightest ounce of excitement over what I might have to say in the aftermath of Tuesday’s earthquake (and by “more than one,” [...]

16 years ago today, Jerry Garcia, founder and frontman of The Grateful Dead, died of a heart attack in California. That day, I took the eulogies over the phone. It was the summer I was doing my penance for the three years I’d spent tied up with less than academic pursuits at college. I was [...]

While your smile is melting straight off your face and your lawn furniture is bursting into flames, your local news team is trying to figure out ways to keep you guessing when it comes to what this crazy weather will do next.  The hope is that you will be too intrigued to turn away and [...]

There is no good reason whatsoever why two people should bond over a beheading, but it’s hard enough to make friends, so I’ll take what I can get. Within seconds of meeting someone I can tell whether or not we will be friends. I either like them or I don’t, there’s very little in between. [...]

It occurs to me that while there are any number of places all over the world I would like to visit, there are probably thousands more right in the U. S. of A that I will not only never visit, but will probably never even know exist.  I imagine that would have been the case [...]