SETTLED BACK IN LACOMBE
I haven't posted for a while, and like any other post after a long break, I'll admit that I haven't had a good reason not to do it. While work has had a big part of my life, it hasn't been my life, and I have done a lot over the last couple months.
Let's rewind back to my last post, typed in the last part of November. I was in the process of working on Lacombe Minor Hockey photos, and actually, I still am. After the photos were taken and I saved them to disk, I never had any time to process them. As a town with a heavy Christian influence, Christmas is a huge deal here. All through December I was doing my regular sports coverage on top of all the Christmas related events I was assigned to cover. Then, on December 24, I went home for a week.
Ready for just about anything for my week off, I actually didn't do anything out of the ordinary, no real crazy stories to tell. I drank lots, ate lots, and spent many hours watching sports on my dad's 50-inch screen LCD TV in my parent's basement. I only went to the bars once. I'm convinced the lounging around I did back home and here in Lacombe is catching up with me. My mom commented on how I look more plump, and well, she's right.
At about 190 pounds, I weigh about 10 more pounds than I did while I was in Kamloops last spring. Yeah, it still isn't much, but I have noticed my metabolism slowing down. I want to start going to the local Sports and Leisure Complex to swim laps and lift weights, I'd just like to wait until my schedule frees up a little more. That's one of a few changes I'd like to make in my life this year.
Another thing I'd like to do less this year is procrastinate, which is never an easy habit to quit. In regards to my job at the Lacombe Globe, procrastination isn't really a problem. I fill the sports section no problem, and aren't afraid to go after stories and do a little investigation. However, outside of work, I've been putting other things off and I need to make that change.
I work about 60 hours a week, which is a lot of my time. Yet I still have time off work I'm not utilizing to the fullest. But I feel like I'm on the right track. Since I've been back from Prince George I've felt more loose and relaxed. The week off was just what the doctor ordered. I'm ready for a big year, I'm anticipating a big year. I have three weddings to attend this summer, my friend in Red Deer is going to be a father in the spring, and I'm going to make a major career decision that will influence the rest of my life. Basically, I've come to the conclusion that by this fall, I'll know where I'm going. I'm either going to go back to school for Sports Event Management for two years beginning in September 2007 or I'm going to stick it out with journalism and photography. I'd enjoy either enough I feel it's a win-win situation with whatever decision I make.
I'm also ready to quit being such a pushover. Last month I went to the pub one shift after work and was taking harrassment from a cowboy for a couple hours straight about how there's not enough rodeo coverage in the paper. I kind of took it to heart, but I've learned to handle situations like that better. For instance, today somebody involved with a minor hockey team called and said he was upset I never ran a story he submitted. But I made it clear to him that if he wants submitted copy to run in the paper, he's gotta sent it in earlier. With Thursday being our copy deadline, I'm not going to drop a story of my own to run a submitted copy that gets sent in hours before the deadline for the next week's issue. He was upset, but I felt better because I didn't let him stomp all over me. As a reporter, it's my job to cover the news to be the best of my ability, but if people don't care enough to let me in on the news earlier, I'm not covering it. I don't control what is happening around me, and if people don't care, then too bad.
Work aside, life has been okay lately. My cousin who works retail at a store in the Bower Mall in Red Deer got a transfer to West Edmonton Mall, and is planning to have a going away outing next weekend. I happen to have next weekend off, so it should be a blast.
I haven't posted for a while, and like any other post after a long break, I'll admit that I haven't had a good reason not to do it. While work has had a big part of my life, it hasn't been my life, and I have done a lot over the last couple months.
Let's rewind back to my last post, typed in the last part of November. I was in the process of working on Lacombe Minor Hockey photos, and actually, I still am. After the photos were taken and I saved them to disk, I never had any time to process them. As a town with a heavy Christian influence, Christmas is a huge deal here. All through December I was doing my regular sports coverage on top of all the Christmas related events I was assigned to cover. Then, on December 24, I went home for a week.
Ready for just about anything for my week off, I actually didn't do anything out of the ordinary, no real crazy stories to tell. I drank lots, ate lots, and spent many hours watching sports on my dad's 50-inch screen LCD TV in my parent's basement. I only went to the bars once. I'm convinced the lounging around I did back home and here in Lacombe is catching up with me. My mom commented on how I look more plump, and well, she's right.
At about 190 pounds, I weigh about 10 more pounds than I did while I was in Kamloops last spring. Yeah, it still isn't much, but I have noticed my metabolism slowing down. I want to start going to the local Sports and Leisure Complex to swim laps and lift weights, I'd just like to wait until my schedule frees up a little more. That's one of a few changes I'd like to make in my life this year.
Another thing I'd like to do less this year is procrastinate, which is never an easy habit to quit. In regards to my job at the Lacombe Globe, procrastination isn't really a problem. I fill the sports section no problem, and aren't afraid to go after stories and do a little investigation. However, outside of work, I've been putting other things off and I need to make that change.
I work about 60 hours a week, which is a lot of my time. Yet I still have time off work I'm not utilizing to the fullest. But I feel like I'm on the right track. Since I've been back from Prince George I've felt more loose and relaxed. The week off was just what the doctor ordered. I'm ready for a big year, I'm anticipating a big year. I have three weddings to attend this summer, my friend in Red Deer is going to be a father in the spring, and I'm going to make a major career decision that will influence the rest of my life. Basically, I've come to the conclusion that by this fall, I'll know where I'm going. I'm either going to go back to school for Sports Event Management for two years beginning in September 2007 or I'm going to stick it out with journalism and photography. I'd enjoy either enough I feel it's a win-win situation with whatever decision I make.
I'm also ready to quit being such a pushover. Last month I went to the pub one shift after work and was taking harrassment from a cowboy for a couple hours straight about how there's not enough rodeo coverage in the paper. I kind of took it to heart, but I've learned to handle situations like that better. For instance, today somebody involved with a minor hockey team called and said he was upset I never ran a story he submitted. But I made it clear to him that if he wants submitted copy to run in the paper, he's gotta sent it in earlier. With Thursday being our copy deadline, I'm not going to drop a story of my own to run a submitted copy that gets sent in hours before the deadline for the next week's issue. He was upset, but I felt better because I didn't let him stomp all over me. As a reporter, it's my job to cover the news to be the best of my ability, but if people don't care enough to let me in on the news earlier, I'm not covering it. I don't control what is happening around me, and if people don't care, then too bad.
Work aside, life has been okay lately. My cousin who works retail at a store in the Bower Mall in Red Deer got a transfer to West Edmonton Mall, and is planning to have a going away outing next weekend. I happen to have next weekend off, so it should be a blast.
