Looooooooooong day at the TV station.

First off, we do this package that is to be aired at a later date about people buying houses in tiny hick towns because they can get all the amenities there nowadays, but still with all the "down home charm" which basically seems to consist of strangers talking to you when you are at a store.

The reporter I was with made me shoot like a thousand houses. I was getting pretty tired of this as time wore on. We got way more than you'd ever need for a package, something tells me he figures I probably screwed half of the shots up, and he made me shoot so many that he'll still get something out of sheer volume. Anyway, it got annoying because it was like, drive in the van for two blocks, haul everything out and set it up and shoot something, drive in the van for two blocks, do it again.... It took over FOUR HOURS. I just wanted to get the hell out of that town.

But then anchor lady calls us up and wants weather footage, which basically entailed doing the same thing only getting people from a driving range, cows laying around in a field, people flying kites, trees in the wind, grass in the wind, mud.

Then, anchor lady takes me aside. And though I've mentioned her before as one of the more unpleasant people, she didn't seem to be in "put down" mode today, but it was still a depressing conversation. Because 1) she said that she didn't think I took away as much from the experience as a lot of the interns the station has. That while I'm technically proficient with a camera, I don't seem to have the journalistic skills needed, like standing up for myself and interviewing people etc. 2) she also said to be in this business, you need to love it, because otherwise it beats you down. That people don't have time to ask for things nicely all the time. And everything's rush rush rush, and that it can get to you if you don't start out loving it.

And it got me thinking, do I love it? I DID love it, at TV-10. When I did 1 story a shift, two shifts a week. With people I liked. And I didn't have to drive anywhere. And there was no real pressure.

But it WAS a pain today. I was dying to get out of that stupid town we were doing the package on. And I have been hating it lately because of all the driving. Not only does it suck to not be able to find things, but I really am a poor driver, as the dent incident and the blood sucking money grubbing whores I bumped with the newsvan incident illustrate. And I had to drive all the way to bloomington normal and back for the story afterwards, which was a gigantic pain. I have a headache every day after work because of all the driving. Is this a career I really should be in?

But what should I be in if not this? I really liked it. I want to do something creative with my life. But you can't do any other video prod, it seems, without paying your dues in news first. So I guess it's lame horrible cubicle job for me, yay. I get to live out dilbert! Whee.

Then I actually did have fun on the last story, except for all the driving. ISU got this new fancy pants electronic organ for the center of performing arts. I interviewed the dude that installed it, and he was awesome. And I could find everything, because I know ISU. And then I got to listen to organ music!

And this is something that happened while I was interviewing the guy who installed the organ, as related later in an IM conver:

Phoemeister: oh, here's something goofy: someone called the company phone I had and was all, "who is this?" and I'm like, "Phoe," thinking it's someone from work who doesn't know me that well or something, though I have my name on the board by the phone when I check it out, anyway, they're like yammering on at me and finally I'm like, "I think you called the wrong number." and they're like, "No, you called ME awhile ago! You left a message for Ross!" and I'm like, "I don't know anyone named ross!" and they start to yell at me but I hang up on them
Phoemeister: So I think ross is cheating on this lady
Phoemeister: and now she thinks it was with me