Archive for the ‘personal’ Category
I just want to see if my older brother is paying attention
Posted: September 13, 2010 by datechguy in personal, short films/interviews, special eventsTags: blogcon
There is lot more to journalism than smiling in front of a camera
Posted: September 12, 2010 by datechguy in internet/free speech, media, personal, special eventsTags: blogcon, blogs, honorable, kerry picket, media, MSM, reporting
A few months ago I was driving home with the wife and son when I noticed a TV camera crew across the street from the Hospital.
My wife saw the look in my eye and insisted that I head home (we were less than 10 min away) I did that, grabbed my camera and a pad and ran off to see what was going on.
There had been an accident earlier in the day where a teen had hit a young kid, who was hospitalized. There was going to be a live shot so the young lady and her crew was setup in the parking lot across the street to shoot the segments for her report and some teases:
There was an awful lot of waiting around and trying to tweak presentations. It’s wasn’t a pleasant spot to be, the lights attracted the bugs but the shots needed to be made.
I talked to the crew guys, the discused going around in the truck, having to drop things on a moment’s notice to get a story and how on occasion it was awkward because once in a while you had to stick your nose in during a bad time for people.
The bottom line is these folks have more on their plate than you may be aware of.
I thought of this today when Kerry Picket of the Washington Times came by, she had come in to visit with us BLOGCON bloggers and hang out a bit. It was past midnight and most of us were relaxing.
I first met Kerry during the Brown campaign, Stacy had introduced us at the North End Brown/Guilliani event in the north end and Stacy Ran into her again at the Bill Clinton event and filed her stories on the subject from my dining room table and we of course saw each other at the victory party.
Kerry has a lot more street sense than I do having been many places and seen many things. As I’ve been grabbing everyone in sight I asked her if she would care to do one of my two minute (patient pending interviews).
It wasn’t so odd that she asked if I could catch her in the morning. I had asked several other people here for interviews and we did them at a more convenient time. No big deal, but the way that she did it struck me.
You never saw a person so regretful, she explained had been working hard, and was a bit run down and felt she wasn’t at her best, physically or mentally but she also said that she understood that she asks other people this very question every day and felt guilty for putting me off.
It was an incredible display of class and respect. I’ve asked local MSM people if they would do a short interview and was rewarded by the curt refusal, but only one other time had a reporter (one from Fox 25) decline with regret as he was running to file.
If you have read Kerry’s work or heard on Captain Ed’s show or seen her on Red Eye you know the high quality of her work, however I’m pleased that I can acquaint you dear readers of the high quality of her character.
The fedoras have landed
Posted: September 9, 2010 by datechguy in personal, special eventsTags: anti war, blogcon, koran burning, washington
Had an early breakfast with my pal and am already checked into the Hotel, the Fedoras are ready to rumble!
The full Fedora Monty
The room doesn’t seem to have MSNBC available on the TV so although it means I will miss Joe & Mika tomorrow it shows great taste on their part.
There is a lot of news out there. You have Sarah Palin and Barack Obama, Pam Gellar on the same page concerning the Koran stuff: Palin briefly
Our nation was founded in part by those fleeing religious persecution. Freedom of religion is integral to our charters of liberty. We don’t need to agree with each other on theological matters, but tolerating each other without unnecessarily provoking strife is how we ensure a civil society. In this as in all things, we should remember the Golden Rule. Isn’t that what the Ground Zero mosque debate has been about?
And Rightnet via Glenn comes to the same conclusion as me.
But the Democrats that use these . . . people . . . are the ones who are really playing political games with our soldiers’ lives and their well-being—because they are the ones who enabled the antiwar movement’s behavior, for eight long years. And now that the Democrats have been in charge for two to four even longer years, they would now like to pursue a grown-up (i.e., Republican) stance on the Global War on Terror (GWOT) — because, contrary to progressive belief, the American public tends to react badly to political parties that actually lose wars.
I’d end by asking rhetorically whether the Democrats expect to get away with trivializing the antiwar movement now, and then seamlessly reactivating it later. Except that I already know the answer: they do expect it, and they’re right to expect it. The antiwar progressive left has nowhere else to go, so it might as well get on with the business of rubbing the lotion in its skin.
But you know what, this is my third trip to DC and I have yet to see a single monument, so I’m going to do that now while I have a chance. I’ll be back blogging in a bit.
Washington DC and the case of the confiscated cannoli
Posted: September 8, 2010 by datechguy in personalTags: cannoli, have fedora will travel, mea culpa
Cannoli, business card and a book in happier times in Boston before takeoff
I scanned the area, no luck, I checked at the police stop, no luck, I checked with TSA since it was an unmarked box nothing, although one TSA agent’s eyes lit up when I said the missing box contained fresh Cannoli (that’s what you would call a bad sign).
I had asked some baggage handlers if they wished to be interviewed, they declined, but they remembered me and said I had the box when I left their area. It’s possible that I put it down when I was giving a gentleman change for a two and someone grabbed it thinking it was some kind of valuable gift.
In the end it is a straight loss for me and my own fault. There is an outside chance that either Delta or the Police will give me an holler but I’m assuming that some officer, some thief or some average person is now enjoying a box full of the best cannoli that Dutch Kitchen can provide.
Yet I have no business complaining, on the way to the house we gassed up and at the station two police cars had pulled aside a young man and two of his friends. He had been stopped for a taillight but was driving with a suspended license so he had to wait while the police arranged to tow the vehicle. Compared to him I”m doing much better.
If losing that box of cannoli is the worst thing that happens to me in Washington then I’m doing fine, but I do apologize to my blogger buddies that I am not able to provided the cannolli. I feel guilty particularly since I’m sipping 18 year old Chivas Regal with a good friend as I type. I’ll wager the person who is eating that cannoli tonight might be jealous, at least a little bit.
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