A Studio in Flux

For the past several weeks, my workplace has been in transition. A major studio overhaul is underway.

A new set was definitely needed, and we are excited to see the finished product in October. But until then, we've had construction noise, paint smells, hallways cluttered with equipment, and a few creative endeavors to get the news on the air.

Our production crew created a makeshift set in the lobby, and it looks pretty good. However, this setup means more work everyday to make the show happen. The crew has to run cables, run mics, draw curtains, and put up signs to keep people out of the lobby. We can't make copies, page people, or even use the restroom between 4:00-4:30.

Then everyday, the crew has to take it all back down and lock it up before they go home. They will certainly be glad when things get back to normal.... only it'll be a shinier, more glitzy kind of normal.

Football has begun...

It's a good thing, truly it is.

But football season means life in the Schwartz household takes on a new level of crazy. One of the reasons for the lack of blog posts here has been a different kind of crazy, and that will be posted later. While the busiest month for Dave's station is generally March with prep hockey and other championships, football season starts a whirlwind between prep football (that's high school to everyone else) and pro football. College football up here really gets downright deserted except for the random highlight. Maybe the new Gopher stadium will change that.

However, I came by the station for dinner recently (I do that when I haven't seen my husband in awhile) and happened to snap Dave coming off the desk in his sportscaster attire. This is what they look like off the desk. Busy times, folks.

Corn Feed

Who says there aren't rednecks in Minnesota? I guarantee it took a few rednecks to come up with this scheme. It's worthy of making people down South jealous.

Minnesotans are crazy about their sweet corn, and for good reason. It's good stuff. There are roadside stands galore and several "corn feed" fundraisers by local charitable groups, like the Lions who sponsored this corn feed.

Hundreds of people waited on hot blacktop for sometimes up to an hour to get a plate of fresh, hot corn made in this contraption. The club claims it's their own invention.

Each can will cook up 7-dozen ears. There's a rack at the bottom. The can is filled up with corn still in their husks. Then, a pressure washer with the pressure valve removed is inserted in the top of the can. The other end is located below the rack. So, the hot steam cooks a can of corn in about 20 minutes.

The hot corn is taken over to a group of people who shuck it and dip it into a big vat of melted butter. I wished I'd gotten a picture of the guys who were shucking--they had to wear gloves because the corn was so hot. They were pouring out sweat, as you can imagine. It's a hot job, and I think I'd much rather be serving up the beer on the other end.

I wouldn't try this one at home, folks, but I laughed about it a great deal. The corn must've been good because people came out and ate it for about three hours straight.

Otter mania!

The last week that I helped out at a local nature center, I actually got to help with something I know a little bit about--photography. For nature photography camp, we had just shy of 20 kids all with digital cameras. We talked about picture composition, lighting, framing, close ups, whatever. Every day we went on nature hikes to find interesting objects and lighting. We put a toad in the freezer for a few minutes to slow down his heart rate so he'd be still enough for a posed picture. (Hey, he gets alot colder for alot longer in January in Minnesota, I promise) We looked at picture books and gave out special challenges and assignments.

Often, more pictures of friends sticking out their tongues would be taken than actual nature shots. Buy hey, they're 10, and it's camp.

We couldn't have paid for a better experience than what happened one day at Purgatory Creek. After a night of rain, the creek had high water. We walked through the prairie and planned on making a short jaunt into the woods before heading back to the nature center.

Then, one kid spotted something swimming. Maybe a muskrat? Nope... Otter--a family of otter, two parents and two babies, swimming around a storm drain. One sat on a rock and ate a fish. The others took turns sliding down a bank and swimming around, just watching 20 10-year-olds who were being surprisingly quiet snapping pictures.

The critters put on a 10 minute show before running off through the weeds on the opposite bank. The naturalist who led the class has never seen otter out here before. It's rare to see them in the wild, much less in the middle of the city. In my time in the outdoors, I've never seen one alive, except in Alaska.

The kids kept inching closer and closer to the bank, and I caught one under the arms before he went right into the water. (you know, the one that never listens?) It was tough lighting for a picture--shooting into the sun and trying to balance out the shadows of the creek. But here are a few of the best pictures from the kids that day.

The experience turned a mediocre morning into a monumental one... and we went back everyday to see if we could spot the otter family. The water went down, and the otter stayed away.... but I know the kids have already checked out that spot in the trail a few times to just see if the otter came out to play once again.

First Emmy Nod

Friday was an exciting day at our little station. We got a mid-west Emmy nomination for our special "25 Years of TV" that we put together last November. A monumental amount of work went into the half-hour edited show, which documented 25 years of television in the Northwest Metro.

The show was produced by one of our anchors, Jennifer Anderson, and she submitted it for the award on the sly. Since it's already won one award, she thought it stood a good chance of making the next cut-- being nominated, but she didn't want to go through the hassle of getting our application and fee approved by management. So, she paid for it herself and we all benefit as being emmy nominees. After all, Jen was just living up to one of our favorite slogans in the news--it's easier to get forgiveness than permission. From experience, we know that forgiveness is easily granted when there's an Emmy involved.

I find it slightly ironic that my contribution to the show focused on a public access show that comes out of our partner next door... and is run totally by who else? Seniors. I produced a show catering to seniors for three years in Shreveport, and I still haven't escaped the senior beat.

Facebook took the news to most of my family before I did, and before I knew it I was fielding calls from friends and family about my Emmy nod. To answer those questions: No, it's not quite like Susan Lucci's Emmy, and No, I won't be sharing a table with Oprah at the award ceremony, but Yes, it's still really, really cool.

As the Favre turns

It might finally happen. The media coverage today of Favre-gate was unbelieveable.

As I stood waiting for a press conference to begin in Eden Prairie, all stations had cameras and equipment lined up and ready to record. Then, one person got the call....Brett Favre was about to land at the Eden Prairie Airport....only minutes away, so these crews were the closest photographers. One photog quietly packed up and left. Another got the call and packed up and left. One by one they quietly disappeared. By two full minutes into the half-hour long press conference, all the major stations quietly packed up and left. Needless to say, all 10 police chiefs and personnel were a tad miffed.

But we stuck it out. Since we're hyperlocal, the only way we would leave is if Favre had some local connection to the Northwest Metro. But he doesn't. So we stayed.

By the time we made it back to the station, local stations had the choppers in the air covering the SUV that was transporting Favre from the airport to his meeting. It reminded us all of OJ and the blazer chase. They do this sorta thing in LA, but not in Minnesota. Local stations had traffic reporters in the air, and reporters on the street --like it was a presidential motorcade or something. Back at the station, personnel were already trying to get game tickets and others were trying to sell certain games. Favre was the proverbial talk around the watercooler.

Dave's day turned upside down as he shifted from the start of Prep Football (that's high school football to the rest of the non-midwestern world) to the questionable Favre. Could this finally be it?!

All eyes on Hazeltine

As the sports world keeps tabs on goings-on in our cute little adopted hometown, Minnesotans are becoming golf enthusiasts too. It's the hottest ticket in town, in more ways than one.

Here's a few early risers who got out early to see Tiger, and stayed to watch everyone else. Dave and two of his coworkers, Strandy and Mike.