Energizer Bunny

To say I’ve been too busy to blog would be an understatement.

It would also be a lie of omission.

And since this is the Internet, and I fully support the free-flow of ideas and information, I need to be 100% honest with all of you.

I’ve been too damn tired to blog.

There. That’s more accurate.

Things have changed around here. The Collier County bureau is no longer (wo)manned by the dream team— Lindsay was moved to weekend anchor at the end of August, which also means she moved to the main station in Lee County.

And until just about a week ago, that meant I was the sole reporter in the largest county in the state of Florida—the fourth largest county in the country.

To make up for the lack of second reporter, there were just a handful or so days throughout the entire month of September and first three weeks of October where I did just one story per day’s work. There was one day when I did a story in the morning that was edited just in time to shoot another story in the afternoon, and as C was slamming to edit that, R set up my live shot on breaking news. Even now with a new reporter starting, I’m still pulling double duty many days while she gets acquainted with the station.

This is not a complaint.

Most of my friends know I love my job so much it’s probably not healthy. I have wanted more responsibility since starting here six months ago, and now I’ve got it. I love owning a story and a beat and consistently stomping the competition. Deadline pressure—bring it on. But that all comes with an adrenaline rush so strong that at the end of the day, all I have energy for is to take off my work clothes, put on pjs, and crawl into bed.

Imagine pixi-stix… dumped into Red Bull… mixed with a double-shot carmel macchiato from Starbucks… with a side of Diet Coke.

… funny… that sounds like my last three meals… minus the Red Bull and pixi-stix.

Anyway. The crash that comes after that kind of rush is one that cannot be cured with a simple glass of water or healthy meal. I need 10 hours of sleep, minimum, to even be able to function the next day. Still, there are things I need to update you all on, so here goes—

-I’ve made friends here that have made this feel a little less like a tropical fantasy island and more like home. I always have an option for happy hour, a closet to shop in, and plans for the weekend.



- That being said, I still jumped on the chance to fly back to the Midwest earlier this month—even though it was just for a very quick trip. The first weekend in October was DDays, aka homecoming, aka the greatest party anywhere. It was so fun—I saw almost all of my closest friends from college, and got to hang out with my family. I also saw Scott. That was… hard… but I think we both needed the closure. I’ll leave it at that. I also got to see colored leaves, which we don’t have here.

- That brings me to my next point—I’ve been having serious trouble remembering what day it is, what month it is… what season we’re in. The only reason I know it’s supposed to be fall are the Puffs Plus with Lotion commercials (the ones with the animated kids throwing snowballs) and the Tweets from people in the Black Hills describing ice-covered roads. Magazines are showing off sweaters while I am sweating. We broke a record high earlier this week. I am, however, wearing boots whenever I can… because Fall is still my favorite.

- As mentioned, sweeps starts tomorrow. It’s hard to believe that I’ve already been through one sweeps cycle here—November is the big one. I can expect to be twice as tired as I am today on Thanksgiving… and oh, I’m working that day, too.

- Politics in Florida are even worse than politics in South Dakota. Some days I feel like if I see one more political ad I will literally go crazy. I can recite most of them in my sleep.



Speaking of sleep… I did say how tired I’ve been, yes? It is way past my bedtime. I will try to never go this long without a real update again (Sorry Ash and Tiff, the only two people I KNOW will read this)!