Time Killer...

Being a geek, I really enjoy RPG's. No Mr. DHS Snoopy Pants, not rocket propelled grenades, but role playing games! While I never really got into Final Fantasy, I have always been into RPG's that involve space.

Back in late 2003 or possibly early 2004 I stumbled upon the MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online RPG) EVE Online. I made my transition there once the ghetto EA game "Earth & Beyond" or something like that went belly up.

I signed up and began to play. It was addictive and a lot of fun! $25 dollars a month was no big deal. But I got a little too into it. I purchased a second account so that I could play two characters at once. I joined a corporation (guild) that was in an alliance and participated in space battles that at times had more than 50 players involved.

Of course my old computer couldn't handle that kind of graphical load, and it never worked right and I constantly had both my ship and my escape pod destroyed, but hey.

Anyway, I stopped playing for about a year now. I decided last week to start playing again, mainly to try and restart some of my creative juices as I am at a stand still on my fan fic and on the show. Unfortunately the game server only preserves your old character for X amount of months, and my character was toast.

Sad too as she was trained up really well. So I created a new character that I am training again from scratch.

Seneca Kanaka is her name. She's a combat fighter pilot in a small corporation right now, but as soon as I get her skills trained up, well, she'll be an unstoppable killing machine!

Why is she a girl? I dunno, I like having girl characters. Gives me something to look at! There's nothing to read into it. I don't wanna be a girl. Asides from the benefits of being a girl (free meals, get out of tickets, having boobies to play with) there's the who pregnancy thing and having to kiss ugly men. Ish.

I have come to the conclusion, however, that 9/10ths of the girl characters on EVE are actually men.

Anyway, EVE is a lot of fun and is a nice distraction. I just really have to make sure that I don't make it as big of a distraction as it was when I quit playing. Fuck, I would play constantly and not do anything else. Now, at least, I am sleeping.

I am also still making sure that I make my nightly trek down to my complex's gym and spending 20 minutes on the treadmill. I don't run or anything, I just usually take a nap on it. But still, it's a semi long walk down there!

The screen captures you are seeing down here are of my current ship. Right now it's the best ship I am trained on, and pretty much the only one I can afford. In the game you have to earn money in order to pay for skills, ships, equipment, ect... You can do that either by killing NPC (Non Player Characters) pirates for their bounties, real pirates (players) for theirs - although that is far more risky and not usually a good idea by yourself or in the ship I have, by running missions for NPC agents or by mining and producing stuff and then selling it.

Mining is far to boring for me, so I usually run missions and shoot NPC's. Hopefully when the corporation I am in is big enough and has enough trained players we can start going after real players, as their bounties are pretty damned high, depending on how many bastards they've slaughtered.

Anyway, if you're an EVE player, drop me a line (and send me some ISK!). If you're not, and are interested, sign up! EVE has a huge back-story and a great community. There are usually around 22,000 players online at any one time anymore. And, unlike some MMORPG's, there is only ONE server, so everyone plays in the same world. It's pretty cool!

Alas, you can't play EVE with a shitty computer, so don't try! Every ship is rendered in 3D, and whe you have a crap load of ships, that's a crap load of rendering.

Glad I got my 256MB card!

PS :: I understand that I will probably get grief for admitting my uber-nerdness, but whatever. Bring it on!

The Timeline...

I warned you people!

Last night was raunchy boring. That's like fifteen times more boring than regular boring! If it had been any more boring, I would have thought I was still in Springfield!

Here's how my night went.

12:00 AM: Wasn't completely dressed yet. Turned on my portable scanner as my logic is if I'm listening to my scanner, I'm working!

12:07 AM: Finished getting dressed. Sat down at my computer to check email and the notes to see what happened before my shift. Checked METRO, NHP and CCFD/LVFR/NLVFD's websites to check on open accidents, fires and medical emergencies. Nothing noteworthy.

12:15 AM: Grabbed my bag, my scanner and my camera (plus two batteries that had been charging all weekend) and hopped in Unit 6, my trusty chariot. Drove to Walgreens to grab some batteries for my Sansa MP3 player.

12:20 AM: Began my nightly crawl through the city. Drove up Decatur to Vegas, took it east till it turned into Carey. Drove down J street to Washington, then headed east to LVB. North on LVB to Craig and over to the Air Force Base. Drove down Nellis to Sahara and went west to Maryland. Took Maryland south to Sierra Vista and drove through the ghetto eventually arriving on Paradise. Took it up to Convention Center and over to Channel 8 Drive and back to the station.

1:25 AM: Somewhere in the middle of all that I heard a call about a 445 (explosive device) at 3-thousand something the Boulevard South. Regardless of the location, that's on the Strip! Could this evening be interesting? I call the watch commander to get details and an exact location.

1:27 AM: Watch commander calls me back in record time and informs me that it's nothing but some kook. He's 421A (nuts), and police had dealt with him earlier but didn't send him for a mental evaluation. He apparently called back 911 and informed them that he had a bomb and all sorts of dumb shit. Police came in and threw him in an ambulance and sent him to the looney bin. He had no bomb, so no evacuations or anything. It happened a block from the station!

2:15 AM: Arrived back at the station from the long drive beginning at 12:20 AM.

2:20 AM: Sat down at the assignment desk to check iNEWS to see if I had any crap I needed to shoot early morning and they didn't bother emailing me. I didn't.

2:22 AM: 415A (shooting) dispatched! Near Charleston and Nellis (wouldn't you know I was just there 20 minutes earlier?!). Multiple callers (which means the call is more likely to be a real shooting) reporting three victims, one shot in the back of the head! OMFG!!!!!!

2:24 AM: After printing out the Google Maps page with the location and taking a moment to drain the lizard (hey, if this was a homicide, I'd be there for a LONG time) I bolted out the door and got stopped by EVERY red light between the station and Sahara & Eastern.

2:35 AM: Despite the red lights and some fucktard doing 20 in a 45 (along with his buddy fucktards in the other two lanes) I arrive before ABC and NBC! First on the scene, mother fuckers! YEAH!

2:35:03 AM: ABC and NBC roll up as I am shifting into park and getting out of my truck.

2:38 AM: Get great video of a man on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance. Scanner traffic reports one is shot in the back of the neck, one in the chest and one in the back.

2:40 AM: We find out the cop watching the perimeter is a super cool officer! Cops don't tend to walk to us to chit chat and be friendly! When one does, it's a glorious moment. I have mangasms just thinking about this friendly cop.

2:40:18 AM: It's really fucking windy. I get nailed in the face with sand, dirt and garbage.

2:45 AM: Watch commander walks over to give us info. Turns out it was a possible gang related drive by. One of the people was the intended target, the other two, just innocent people trying to get their drink on. Stupid gang bangers. LEARN TO SHOOT YOU ASSHOLES!!! And don't use a shot gun at a drive by, you jackasses. Sheesh.
Watch commander informs us that all the injuries are NON LIFE THREATENING. I faint, unsure of how a shot to the back of the neck could not be life threatening. Then again, a shot gun blast tends to spread out, so it's possible this person got hit by some stray pellets, being as the shell casings were a half a block from the house.

3:10 AM: After ABC, myself and the friendly cop had some fun at the expense of NBC (thanks to the wind moving the crime scene tape to the other side of Tony) we decided it was time for lunch! (Note: When no one is going to die, you are allowed to have fun at a crime scene! Yeah, it's still kind of ghoulish and rude, but hey. If I'm found dead I encourage people to enjoy my crime scene!)

3:20 AM: Arrive at Triple Play. I opt not to get my usual Chicken Philly Cheese Steak and instead get a taco salad with EXTRA sour cream! Mmmmm. Tony and Sol both get Phillies.

4:20 AM: What else do you do at 4:20? I went home and used the little boys room!

5:00 AM: I eventually made my way back to the station, wrote up the information on the drive by that they probably won't use, and surfed the six internet sites that the IT filter allows us to visit.

7:00 AM: Somehow, I am still awake. 11PM producer calls in. I tell him to call the manager on call, because I'm to lazy to do it.

7:10 AM: Manager on call calls me and requests 17327 phone numbers.

7:20 AM: Manager on call calls me back and requests another 287389219.

8:30 AM: The photog assigned to work the assignment desk today comes in. The normal assignment editor is off. I pass along information and watch Sports Center for the remainder of my shift.

9:00 AM: I meet the assignment manager (who just happens to be the manager on call) for breakfast. You see, he's leaving in a week to be the news director at a station in Florida! Lucky him! We had a 5$ steak from Ellis Island. My fries were cold, but I don't really care.

9:55 AM: I arrive home, and go to bed. Somehow I manage to fall asleep within an hour! Good thing too. I bought some sleeping pills to take care of my inability to fall asleep. Insomnia, you will be vanquished!

So there you go. Now I hope you will appreciate the silence of my blog from time to time! Peace!

I'm in Trouble...

I'm getting emails scolding me for not blogging.

I apoligize, but there really hasn't been that much interesting happening lately. I tell you what, regardless of how boring or dumb it is, I will blog about what happens tonight!

Unless, of course, I don't.

Started Out Like This... Ended Up Like That...

Yesterday afternoon I got a call from my assignment desk letting me know about a couple of stories I would have to be taking care of overnight. The first one was boring but the second one was going to be pretty cool.

Henderson Police were going to be doing a 'round up' operation, where they had dozens of arrest warrants and would be going through ghetto Old Henderson and arresting tons of drug dealers.

We won't go into how simple legalization would end this problem... That's a rant for another day.

Anyway I am told that when I show up to the command post I can get great video of he SWAT teams suiting up and getting ready to roll on out. I know there is trouble when I show up (late due to a different story) and there is not a car in the parking lot. Just the command post.

I'd already spoken to the reporter who was meeting me there, Ky, and he said that nothing would begin until 6:30. We meet the PIO and he gives us all kinds of stories about how much access we're going to get, and how we'll be able to go with SWAT and get video of them busting down a door and making an arrest!

Well, it was 6:30 and no one was around. The PIO himself is confused to where they are, and goes off to find the SWAT teams. He comes back to inform us that they started without us, and that he will find some place for us to catch up with them.

Going down hill, this story is...

Suddenly the PIO calls and tells us to head to the parking lot of a high school ASAP! So we (me an Ky, and FOX and NBC) all hop in our cars and speed off to this school. Where we all set up in the parking lot.

Three camera crews and the PIO says 'Try not to stick out'.

WHAT THE FUCK?! It's impossible for three camera crews in a parking lot NOT to stick out.

But whatever. We wait and wait and wait and finally the SWAT team and what equaled a parade of police cars (there must have been 20+) come driving down the road and stop in front of a house. They run in and arrest some people and we get video, just like any SWAT activity, from 5000 feet away. At least it wasn't dark.

We interview some guy in the schools parking lot who's name was Hans and was 'Veery hoppy da police are doing dis!' The police then tell us to come down and we get some video of the aftermath. Sadly, that included four kids in a police car who just had to endure SWAT slamming into their house and taking their mommy and their daddy to jail.

We ask some neighbors some questions, but they were all too afraid to go on camera.

The PIO came over and said that we could accompany SAWT on their third house in the string that they would do, but within a minute he informs us that they are already on number six! SWAT's hauling ass! I just wish they worked this quickly on a standoff. The PIO did tell us, though, that we could hang out at a 7-11 near where they were going next.

We go down there and SWAT had just busted down two doors at once. The PIO drags us down there and we find that in two apartments about fifteen people were arrested. Good times were to be had as they let us walk right up to these guys and get really good close ups of them. I figure that throughout this whole thing the police and SWAT were just using us as a public relations tool as they were quick to show the people who were just ever so happy the police were cleaning up their neighborhood.

But dare we want to go off script, I'd hate to see what would have happened!

Anyway, we come back to the command post and interview the Chief of Police. Ky heads back to the station with the tape, and I head home.

It was interesting how a story started out like something you might see on Dallas SWAT, and ended up just like any other SWAT call out. I find it interesting how we, the media, allow ourselves to be used as a free public relations firm by the police because you know they next time something happens in Henderson, we'll get the same 'denied access' shit and stand-offishness that HPD always gives us.

Oh well.

The men and women in the final picture are all innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The ones whose faces were blurred are juveniles.

Re-Dycked!

After my redesign, I petitioned the Mighty Dyckerson to reevaluate (a/k/a re-Dyck) my blog!

I recieved 5 Dycks, the highest and possibly gayest rating you can get! YAY!

eWink's blog is very professionally done but still a bit cluttered for Dyckerson's discerning tastes. But despite its flaws, I'm giving eWink's Blog the coveted FIVE DYCK'S...if only to keep him from begging for a re-DYCK'NG three months from now!

Read more!

And for the record, Dyckerson, the center bar IS wider than both other bars. In fact, none are the same size. 200px, 580px, 220px. :)

No, You're Not Going Blind!

I've completely redone the template on my blog! Let me know what you think of the new look! Please, report any and all bugs (computer ones regarding the blog, not the cockroaches in your basement) as soon as possible!

Thanks a ton to Farrell for taking the pictures you see in my header!

Note: There are some small issues with Internet Explorer, but in my opinion that's your punishment for using an inferior browser. Switch to Firefox and you won't have these issues!

Also, the blog is designed for a 1024 X 768 display.

How Fast?

I tend to only do VO/SOTs working the overnight shift. I try to shoot everything like I am shooting a package, because I never know what dayside is going to want, but the fact of the matter is that I do (from start to finish) about four packages a year.

No, that's not a coincidence that there are four ratings periods in a year.

As someone who doesn't work with a regular reporter, the packages I do are traffic packs.

I enjoy doing them because it gives me an opportunity to stop on the freeway. That's the extent of my law-breakingness these days, so I enjoy it when I have the chance. At the same time I hate being on the freeway because this west coast driving mentality that everyone has here is fucking deadly.

Which is why I cheated and shot all my freeway stuff at 6AM on a Sunday morning. The only time of the week when there aren't a billion cars on the road.

Anyway, I was actually happy with my package for this months sweeps period. I had over a week to work on it and I made sure that I shot video for every kind of situation that Justin (the traffic anchor) could come up with. I, of course, failed but all and all I think everything turned out pretty dang spiffy!

So I am bringing the package to you guy, in hopes for a critique! It'll take a little longer to load than my other videos since I kept the video in its original dimensions (720 X 480) which means you will have to go to another page to view it!

I'd very much like for the input of my photographer brethren and of course the other people who come to visit!

There are a couple of issue with it that I know of.

In the middle of the package there is a long talking head sot. I really didn't have ANYTHING relevant to cover him with. I won't use file video unless I have to, and I didn't see the written script till it was too late to go and shoot a few additional scenes. I think it does cause issue with the pacing, but hopefully not so much as to ruin the entire package.

Also, I had an issue with color balance when doing the projection screens in the Traffic Management Center. Projection screens are 5600K light, while I was balanced for the ambient indoor light of 3200K. I unfortunately that day didn't have access to an HMI (they were both in use). Hopefully it won't be too distracting.

A positive was the fact that there was a major incident on the 15 that the TMC was working on. We couldn't have timed our shooting at the TMC any better if we had tried!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy and feel free to praise or belittle me. I'll probably just ignore all the belittling.

VIDEO HERE

OPENS IN NEW WINDOW

Hate 'Em/Love 'Em

Drunks... I both hate them and love them.

I hate them because they always come to talk to me at a scene (especially if it happens on the strip) and they ask stupid fucking questions, like 'What happened?' when there are two cars that obviously collided into each other. They also ask 'Anyone die?' when there is a yellow tarp covering a body sized lump in the middle of the street.

I love them because they won't remember anything I say to them. I also can usually get them to go on camera to explain 'what happened', showing everyone back at the station why I don't bother seeking out sound on the weekend overnight!

Trouble for the LVMPD?

In the past year and four months that I have been here in Las Vegas and have dealt with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) I've come to determine you can judge how serious an event is by who comes to give a statement to the media.

So when I watched the news this evening regarding an Officer Involved Shooting (OIS) this morning and saw the Under Sheriff on TV, I knew that shit was headed for the fan.

It was just about 8:30 AM and I was just finishing talking to Lt. Lew Roberts from Homicide. There was a body found out on the far east side of the city. A few blocks away, police had an area sealed off and had just taken a murder suspect (possibly related) into custody. I was on my way over to there to see if I could get some video, since that if they were related it would be nice to have video of both scenes.

Suddenly on the scanners I hear an officer call out 'foot pursuit'. The dispatcher asks for the officers location, but no one responds. Not really something new as a lot of officers haven't mastered running full speed and talking at the same time.

Finally one officer states 'near building five'. That of course means that the officer was assigned to a call, since the dispatcher would have already known the general location. I make the assumption that it's at the area sealed off. But the scene was secured, which made me wonder who they were chasing.

Then my heart dropped.

"SHOTS FIRED! SHOTS FIRED!"

"GET MEDICAL IN HERE NOW!"

"EXPIDITE MEDICAL!"

"SEAL THE COMPLEX!"

I've been to a couple of OIS's before, but I've never actually heard the call go out before. It's amazing how much you can sense the urgency of the situation by just how the officers are talking. Yet as true of a professional you can get, the dispatcher remained calm.

"Are all officers code four?"

As someone who wanted to become a cop, I have tons of respect and admiration for these guys. I also, for whatever reason, take it personally when something happens to them. Probably because I live here, and I realize that these guys are putting themselves in harms way in an effort to keep the community (including me) safe. The next six or so seconds were intense while I waited to hear if the person who was shot was a police officer or not.

"All officers, code four." A sergeant finally replied.

I sighed in relief as I pulled into a nearby parking lot. I quickly hopped out of the car and got my gear as the fire department began to arrive. I got video that I usually never make it in time to get (I can usually get the ambulance leaving, but never get the ambulance arriving!) and set up at the mandated 100 yards away. The perimeter cops got all pissy with me, which is nothing new, especially at an OIS, and all the people that came up to talk to me of course didn't see shit.

I wish people wouldn't talk to me unless they've seen something and will go on camera.

Anyway, after about an hour and a half, a reporter and two photogs (one is new) came to relieve me. I briefed them and headed home. I TiVo'd the 5PM news though to see what happened.

That's when I saw the Under Sheriff and said 'Rut-roh...'

Based on his statement, it seems that this guy the police were chasing was the murder suspect that they already caught. For whatever reason they placed him in the front seat of a patrol car. (Some of my cop readers can feel free to comment on what your policy is for dangerous suspects. In Springfield, the only people allowed to ride in the front - of cars with shields - were juveniles.) The suspect then managed to get his cuffs in front of him, got out of the patrol car and fled on foot.

There were like 1298 cops there, I don't have any clue what this dude was thinking.

Anyway, a chase ensues and the suspect is shot two times, in the back. He later dies.

I recommend reserving judgment until all the evidence comes forward. But even I, someone who is a staunch supporter of giving the police the benefit of a doubt, have to wonder WHAT could have possibly made it justified to shoot a handcuffed suspect in the back. I would encourage the LVMPD to be as transparent as possible when it comes to this investigation.

This is the 11st OIS of the year. There has been a serious jump in the number of incidents where the police have been attacked. I wasn't there and I don't know if the suspect was charging at another police officer, or if he was attempting to disarm an officer, or what. These are questions that the public is going to demand to know the answer to, and have the right to know the answer to, and it would - regardless of the outcome of the investigation - be in the best interests of the LVMPD to not drop into the 'protect their own' routine of dodging questions and concealing evidence.

◄For the record, I am posting this not to point fingers and accuse the LVMPD of any wrong doing, but to encourage discussion. I have both media and police visit my site (as well as everyday citizens - DC I'm talking about you!) and I think it would be interesting to see each groups take on this situation. I understand that not all of the evidence has been presented yet, which is why I encourage all to reserve judgment until that date. However, we can still have a good discussion!►

Another One Bites The Dust!

Steve walks warily down the street,
with the brim pulled way down low
Ain't no sound but the sound of his feet,
machine guns ready to go

Are you ready,
Are you ready for this
Are you hanging on the edge of your seat
Out of the doorway the bullets rip
To the sound of the beat

Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust

I really didn't need to quote as much as the song as I did, since only the last paragraph applies here, but I really like this song.

After rolling out of bed at 11:18PM (one of the advantages of having a take home car and gear is that I can sleep in an extra half hour) I shove my clothes in the dryer and check my work email. In the email it says that there will be an implosion tonight. Apparently they old Boardwalk Casino is going to bite the dust to make way for the new MGM project, City Center.

Cool, I think to myself. I was wondering if I would end up taking the stinger to the roof of another hotel and going live from there while another crew does it from the ground, all the while Skywitness 8 oribts overhead.

Turns out that we are not going live with this. That honestly shocked the hell out of me, as it seems like every implosion is treated like a presidental visit. In fact, I learned after calling AP#1 that the reporter/photog crews for the AM show were NOT coming in early! They were scheduled at 3:30, but apperantly no one got a hold of them to have them come in early!

I was running solo on this.

But I have a sweeps package I need to edit!

Tough cookies, I'm told. (Not really, it was more like 'Do what you can, go to the implosion, then finish!') It wasn't a big deal at all, as the package doesn't air till Wednesday. So I ingest all the SOTs and the voice track and then roll out the door.

On the way out I'm told that Martha might be joining me, as they got a hold of her.

Blah, blah, blah no one cares about the rest of the story. Short version, Martha arrived, we - along with the rest of the media - were escorted to the roof of the Belliago (not the big tower though, cry...) where we set up.

Here's the result!

Cool huh?

Oh, you want video too? Okay! :) Here is OTAKUPHOTOG'S Exclusive* video!

CLICK TO PLAY INLINE PLAYER REMOVED BECAUSE IT FUCKED SHIT UP!

*Exclusive is a flat out fucking lie. Every other station in the city had this, plus some other video crew I have never seen before in my life! I just want to feel special by using the word 'exclusive.' I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me. If you can't, well I hope you fall in a well and die.

Is It Wrong?

Is it wrong that you think the wrong things at a homicide? When there, should you be confined to only thinking about what is at hand; that one man was killed at the hands of another?

Or is it okay to be obsessed with one of the CSIs?

My apologies to Sarah, but I think you have met your match. Probably just because this woman is real (although my chances to get with her are about the same).

I have to admit, I am totally obsessed with one of the (female) CSIs. I have no idea who she is, or what her name is, but she is really one of the most stunning women I have seen in my life! My 'hot girl with gun' fetish kicks in a little, but the rest of it is just uber babeness!

I first noticed her on a double shooting several months ago that happened near Sahara and LVB. I had never seen her before as she wasn't one of the usual graveyard CSIs. And after that day, I didn't see her again until just recently at a shooting on MLK and Alta.

It was a humorous situation (ask John Farrell or Kyla). I started doing back flips screaming 'OMG OMG! THE UBER HOT CSI IS BACK!'

Anyway, there is more to her than just her hotness. By observing her (legally) I have determined that she's very nice. She gave one of the old traffic guys a hug before he left the scene and when she smiled at one of the other CSIs, I just melted.

This picture does not do her justice. It is more proof, however, that I am a really fucking bad photographer. I think if I didn't know how to listen to a scanner I would never have succeeded in this business. If you call drooling over a CSI like a 14 year old horny school boy successful. John Farrell allegedly has much better stills he captured and he better fucking email them to me!

Well, now that I have embarrassed myself further, and probably ruined any chance I had to become Rain's bitch, I'm going to see if I can hook up with my buddy Dan who's in town!

Holy Wind, Taxman!

In my brief stint as a regular teevee news cameraman I did daily lives with Kyla from many different locations. Some of them were just dog lick lives - live for the sake of being live. Others (like the robots and the opening of Red Rock Casino) were good ones (albeit ones with tremendous cable runs).

I think of all my pointless lives, my favorite was on tax day (April 17th this year) at the post office. No one was lined up yet, as the dumbasses who wait till the last day to file them realized they had 16 more hours. What was fun about it though was the 20 - 30 MPH sustained winds.

I remember tuning my shot in and live ops telling me that was going between a 70 and a 90 in signal strength. And I didn't even have my mast up!

Anyway, it was humorous. I'd like to share a couple of hits with you!

CLICK TO PLAY!

Updated :: Knock Knock

I've updated the video from Knock Knock to include the ever lovely Martha in it! Really pissed I forgot the stand to my HMI that day... Grrrr....

Abreast of Issues In Canada...

An MOS is a 'man on the street' interview. That's where a news crew finds some schmuck randomly and asks them what they think about issues, such as the change over from IPv4 to IPv6.

Here is some video from Canada, of an MOS gone horribly wrong. This video is NOT safe for work and may cause damage to your retinas.

BTW, the photogs who visit here might get a little jealous. It looks like they are traveling with a three person (possibly four) crew. Damned Canadians.

Whoa!

20,000!!!

Friends, since I put Site Meter on my blog, which I think was January of 2005, I have had 20,000 visitors!

Thanks! Maybe I'll have even more when I start becoming interesting!

BTW, you have to say 'Whoa!' like Joey from Blossom...

Could You Pass The US Citizenship Test?

You Passed the US Citizenship Test

Congratulations - you got 9 out of 10 correct!

Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

History and government were always my stong points in school. Hell, in the last couple of years of high school I was seriously thinking of becoming a PoliSci major. Then of course I realized that just like a degree in Communications, a PoliSci degree isn't even worth wiping your arse on.

Anyway, check out the test and post your results! Unless of course you failed miserably and don't want the world to know what kind of idiot you are!

wOOt!

Well I don't know if it actually makes me OFFICALLY cool yet, but yesterday I went out and purchased a Sony MiniDV Handycam.

John Farrell has one, Sol has one and Peter has one, and I was the only one who didn't, so I think they were all making fun of me! When something would happen inside one of the casinos, they would all be able to go in and pretend that they are tourists and get video, and I, like an asshole, would be stuck at the 'media staging area' (a/k/a Press Jail & Free Speech Zones) waiting for some dick to come out and give a sound byte.

But now, I can join on these escapades! Now for some more good news...

Erin! You just told us that you didn't have any money! You told us that you were having to bounce your rent check! How can you afford this camera? And what the hell happened to the other one?!

Excellent questions!

While I was in Springfield I got some mail stating that Sinclair had started a retirement fund (401k) for me. I am assuming that it was something I was supposed to opt out of, but forgot (kind of like my current 401k). Anyway, there was almost $1000 in the account, and Mass Mutual said 'Either put in $4000 more dollars or get your weak ass money out of here!'

So I cashed it out. I could have rolled it over into my current one, but as I said before, I was DESPERATE for money. In fact I was going to use this to get ALL caught up on bills, but I thought to myself, 'fuck it'. I'm not THAT far behind on anything and I can use this camera for some freelance work if I want to. I'd be an asshole for not buying it!

As for the other one, it was from Rent-A-Center for my vacation only. I had to take it back last Saturday or pay for another week. I didn't have the money, so I had to take it back. Problem is I never dumped the video off the tapes, so I have four Digital8 tapes with footage from Illinois on it! I'll have to get the camera again just to dump the stuff off!

Anyway, happy other news is that I have proved that if you bitch and moan and complain and make a general annoyance out of yourself for long enough, you will eventually get what you want.

Today I was issued a take home car! YAY! Unmarked too. Now all I have to do is get it pimped out like John Farrell's ride, and I will be a spot news gathering machine!

I'd say God is smiling on me, but he doesn't really like me. In fact I think he's setting me up. SUV + video camera + God's Wrath = CNN breaking news? We'll see!