|
|
-
John’s Blog 3/16/11
In a few short weeks we will be
launching our annual ‘Seek it Local” Campaign. I love “Seek it
Local” because it is the constant reminder that we need to support
our local business economy if we expect it to survive and prosper.
‘Seek it Local” allows a small business to reach hundreds of
thousands of potential customers every week with a powerful
consistent call to action. At the same time, it allows you to reach
thousands of viewers with an internet campaign of information,
special offers and solid validation to buy your product! Finally,
“Seek it Local” gives you a mobile platform to reach hundreds of
targeted customers with very specific quick expiration offers. Most
importantly, the “Seek it Local” campaign is so reasonably
priced, you can’t afford not to consider it a viable option to your
marketing needs.
We’re inviting every local business
with a vision for success to join us at our next “Seek it Local”
seminar. If for some reason you don’t get an invite, please feel
free to call me at 893-6532 for a free look at the new marketing
reality.
I know it’s tough out there. But if
we try to keep it local and give our customers a reason to “Seek it
Local”, we can make 2011 and 2012 landmark years!
Sincerely,
John Stall
Vice President/General Manager
|
-
Recently someone asked me why cable TV cost so much every month and I replied because you’re paying a very high price for stations you don’t watch. Cable TV, Direct TV and Dish all pay cable channels subscriber fees for channels you probably don’t even watch. If you’re not a big sports fan you’re still paying over $4.50 dollars a month for the privilege to watch ESPN or $2.37 to watch Fox Sports Net. The Disney Channel charges cable $.86 cents a subscriber and Fox News adds another $.78 cents to your bill. Keep in mind these are wholesale prices and cable companies are obviously marking up the prices even more to make a profit.
On the other hand, KHSL (Channel 12) and KNVN (Channel 24) receive pennies from the cable and satellite companies for local programming, news, sports etc. while delivering five times the rating of ESPN from sign-on to sign-off. It’s no wonder that ESPN can outbid everyone for sports programming that used to be free and over the air. They’re getting over $4.50 every month from 85% of the households in America in addition to the revenue from the incredible amount of commercials they cram down our throats on a daily basis. When you’re paying more in subscriber fees for the Cartoon Network that has no ratings than your local news affiliate, we have a flawed economic plan.
The good news is, in most areas you can stick a decent quality antenna on your roof and not only get all the local channels and their digital sub channels but you can also get them in high definition. The best part about it is that it’s free!
I realize this may not be the solution for everyone and many of us have our favorite shows that can’t be missed. But if you’re tired of paying hundreds of dollars for hundreds of channels you don’t watch the solution is just an antenna away.
Please feel free to contact me at jstall@khsltv.com and thanks for listening.
Sincerely,
John Stall
Vice President/General Manager
Catamount Broadcasting
|
-
|
Okay, okay...no matter what you thought of our story on Stormy...the Magalia cat who spent a week in a tree after being chased by a dog, I have to admit, the response was overwhelming. We got the call from Stormy's owner Monday when several other story ideas had fallen through for reporter Derek Demo. Derek's a former vet technician and has an uncanny way with animals. So, I said, "Okay, here's your story. If you get this cat down, I owe you one." We typically don't do stories about cat's up in trees, but an entire week? It appeared Stormy's future wasn't going to be filled with a lot of sunshine. So, Derek happily agreed. When he returned, we all rushed to the edit bay and I can see why Stormy didn't want to come down. She was way, way up there. Even more than my surprise as to how high she had gone, was the response we got from Action News viewers. Derek hadn't even sat down at his desk before his phone started ringing. While he was on the first phone call, eight more people left voicemails. So many tree service companies offering their free service to save Stormy. Although I'm much more of a dog person, we were all pulling for this frightened feline. We called the owner and told her about the response. She selected a service and I went to bed last night having a little more faith in my fellow man. I did worry, however, that Stormy would decide to give it a go on her own. Thankfully, the cat stayed put and M&S Wesley Tree crews followed us up to the home early Tuesday morning and got Stormy down without a scratch. A feel good story and probably one which at the end of the year will have received the most hits on our website. Thanks M&S and to all the other businesses who called. You have a big heart! May the goodwill you displayed come bouncing right back to you...just like Stormy!
|
-
|
Well, she said she was going to do it. And, boy, did she ever! On her farewell season premiere, America's favorite talk show host Oprah Winfrey, topped her past stunt of giving every audience member a car, by telling all three hundred of her guests, they were going with her to Australia. Monday's show was chalked full of surprises for her guests and for her. It ended with an emotional song written by one of Oprah's favorites, Paul Simon. As he sang about the difference she's made over the past quarter century, I thought about where I was the day her show debuted. I was 15 and I remember all the women in the neighborhood gearing up for the very first show. There is no doubt that Oprah has changed the world of journalism, in my opinion, for the better. She started, like so many in this business do behind the controls of a radio board..and ended up leaving one of the biggest journalistic imprints in history. It's hard not to cry with her, to laugh with her, to care with her. I do believe she's shown America the importance of really loving one another. She may be one of the richest women in the world, but its what she does with that money that makes all the difference. I have good friends in this business who have their own talk shows in local metropolitan markets. Most, use her as a model as the host they aspire to be. I use her as the person I aspire to be. I wonder what it will be like without Oprah. It seems, she's always there. I imagine she'll stay front and center somehow. Her spirit is too big to fade into the background. Either way, it will be hard to ever replace her. Stations all over the country are trembling, hoping losing Oprah doesn't mean losing ratings. I hope losing Oprah won't mean losing our sense of humanity. I'll make a pledge to try and carry on her acts of kindness. I hope you will, too!
|
-
Ray Kroc the founder of McDonald's once wrote "You're only as good as the people you hire." If this is true, then I feel fantastic. I would never say this to my first hire, but tonight's goodbye party for Owen Clark will be very difficult. I won't have time to say it on his last day, election night, so I hope he gets a chance to see this before he's off to the big city for his new PR job.
Owen, it has been an absolute pleasure. You are a role model, a professional and a truly all around good human being. Everyone will miss you here so much. I still have the resume tape you sent me. I watched it the other day and it's amazing how far you've come in the four years you've been here. Your blogs have made me cry, laugh and one time even sing out loud. Your wit is unparalleled. I hope some day news will sneak back into your life because it's not just KHSL that's losing an employee...but this business that is losing someone with great potential. Good luck to you and Courtney. Always in my thoughts!
|
-
I was at the gym this morning on the treadmill. All of a sudden CNN put up a black slate with big white letters. It was up for a good minute and even though all of us had our Ipods on, our heads all shifted to that monitor. The words read "You are about to see very graphic video. Please take your children out of the room." In my many years in news, I'd never seen it put quite that way. Of course, my eyes never shifted from that television. In moments, I was watching a young girl, who I later learned was named Neda" being shot during an Iranian protest. The amateur video then showed her laying on the ground grabbing her chest. Her father desperately crying over her and holding her hands. In moments, her face was covered in blood. I have seen a lot of things in my time, but probably nothing as disturbing as this. I later learned she was a travel agent and that her family was being barred from holding a public funeral for her. When I got to work, the first thing I did was google her image. She was a beatiful girl. She is now on YouTube, Facebook, all over the internet. I have to agree with network anchors. This has been happening to male protestors for years and we rarely bat an eye. But seeing this today, somehow hit me where it really hurt. For a moment I couldn't breathe. And it wasn't because I was going too fast on the treadmill. These images physically affected me and yet I couldn't turn away. When it was over, I took a deep breath in and wiped the tears, not sweat, from my cheeks. WHAT IS GOING ON IN THIS WORLD? On the next monitor over, Fox News talking about the North Korean ship that was about to be intercepted by the Navy. Two monitors over, more bombs exploding in Iraq and on the last monitor, soldiers dying in Afghanistan. When my younger reporters ask me if I think the world will really end in 2012. I chuckle. I've heard that before. In seventh grade, we all sat out in the quad at lunch waiting for the sky to fall as predicted. But, for the first time, today, I started to worry. I'm not an alarmist. But things have been running through my head all day. Should I make a bucket list? How do I explain all this to my 16 year old? Will my baby be alive to find the love of her life and have a family of her own? This is a very unstable time. No matter if you voted for President Obama or not, you have to admit you would not want to be in his position right now. I imagine, he's not getting any sleep. So, maybe now is a good time to tell your family members you love them. To stop yourself when you feel like arguing about petty things. To stop and smell the roses. Whatever it is you can do to make yourself feel at peace..because right now it's a very difficult thing to find in our world.
|
-
Hello everyone, We have just made available commenting to stories on our websites (www.khsltv.com & www.knvn.com). All you need in order to comment on a story is to be signed up with an account to our websites. If you never have signed up before, click here.Now when you read a story, if you scroll down you will see this icon:  When you click that, it may ask you to sign in if you haven't, but if you already are signed in, just go ahead and leave a comment. Thanks, Taylor
|
-
I've been in television a long time. And I've met a lot of amazing people. But there are certain ones, that touch your life in a way you'll never forget. One of those people for me is Russ Buss. I met him at the MDA jail and bail fundraiser in Chico a few months back. We were in the "cellar" of Johnnie's. I saw him at the end of the room and was immediately intrigued. Here was this small man, with a bigger than life attitude and voice. I watched him as he placed call after call making his pitch about why people should donate. I sat down at a nearby table and started to make my own calls. But, in just a matter of minutes I had flipped my cell phone shut and said to him, "I don't know who you are, but with that pitch and that voice, I'd sponsor you." He laughed his "Russ Buss" laugh. We immediately started to talk and our conversation went on for an hour. It seemed like minutes. I was mesmorized by the stories he told me about how he came to be a christian radio d-j in Chico and about how he met his wife. Then he started to tell me the story about how he helped save the life of a local teenager and it shook me to the core. Let me tell you why. I started working here August 2006. I was sitting up on the assignment desk one night and heard all kinds of commotion on our scanners. It was a horrific accident. You could hear the tragedy unfold and just listening to the voices of the firefighters and paramedics on scene gave me the chills. I sent my reporter Nicole Shanafelt out to cover the accident. When we got back, she was as white as a ghost. She said she'd never seen anything so horrible. I watched the video and it took both of us a while to calm down. Nicole went back to write the story, complete with a bite from the "hero"...the man who saved Tim by pulling him from the burning wreckage. The next day, I got a call from Tim's family. They wanted us to use the last name "Hooper." It was the name he now went by..not the name on his drivers license. I talked with his family members who were very gracious and told me he had been flown to San Jose to be treated. The day after that, I spoke with a woman who didn't want me to give her name, but said, "There was another man there that night. He put out the flames. His name is Russ Buss." Russ Buss, I thought??? There's a name you never forget. So, I started searching for Russ Buss. I couldn't find him. And it bothered me. As the days went by, new stories shifted my focus and I forgot all about Russ Buss. A few months later, he was honored by Rick Keene along with Mark Kinsey. My reporter Ashley Coleman did the story. I was in the edit bay when she was cutting it and I saw Mark's face, but I got called away on breaking news and never, for whatever reason, got to see Russ' face on camera. So, here I was a few months ago, sitting at this table listening to this man tell this story about Tim Hooper. And in a flash, I started to clap my hands, and I shouted, "Oh my gosh!!!! You're Russ Buss." After all this time! We sat and talked for a while longer. He finished the incredible story of what happened to him and Tim the night of the accident. I was in tears. The MDA people kept looking at us like...are you guys going to get on the phone and make some calls or what??? He had to go do his show and didn't have a card. He gave me a pen with KKXX on it. It had the phone number of the station. I was curious to hear his show(he does two a day one from 8am-9am the other from 2-3pm) I listened. And I loved it. He is hysterical. Even better, he puts a funny spin on a very serious topic and makes you want to listen to his every word. Weeks went by and one day I was having a HORRIBLE day. One of those days where things just feel like they're spiraling out of control. I sat down in my chair and saw a red pen on my floor. I picked it up. It was the pen Russ gave me. I called him. At that very moment, my angst, anger, frustration, stress, whatever it was, just melted away. I joked to my staff that I just had a "Russ Buss" moment. I spoke to several people in my newsroom about how I met him and they all agreed it was an amazing story. But more than that, Russ himself, is an amazing story. So we took a gamble and told his story to our viewers. We can't really do it justice in four minutes....which is why we decided, for those of us who've met him, to write about him in our blogs tonight.
You didn't get to hear the part about three days before the accident. Russ came upon a motorcycle crash on his way home from work. The two victims were lying mangled on the hot pavement...but still alive. Russ said all he could do was get a blanket and shield their bodies from the sun. When the emergency crews got there he asked them what he could have done better. He was told he should have gotten the medical histories of the couple and blocked off the road. At home that night Russ says he felt helpless so he prayed. He said God told him he gave up his hope. That's why he felt hopeless. He didn't let God work through him to help those two people. Russ promised he wouldn't give up his hope again. Three days later...BOOM....the accident that involved Tim Hooper. I feel in my heart, that Tim is alive, because this time, Russ didn't give up his hope. He pulled a tiny fire extinguisher from the back of his truck. It was one he just put there the day before. And when he did, he thought about the years of training he had received as an electrician. A man would fill up a bucket full of water and gasoline and set it on fire. Russ always grabbed the little fire extinguisher he had for training. They'd laugh and ask him why he wouldn't pick up the big ones and he would always say, "Because this is the one I have at home and this is the one I have in my vehicles and I want to be able to use it when I need to." He remembers the demonstrations and learning about how the man would put out the flames only to be able to relight it a few minutes later in that same bucket. The night of the fire, Russ said he remembered all that. Shoot the gasoline with short bursts...then count until the flame relights. That's how long he had...that's how long Mark Kinsey had, just a few short seconds when the flame went out underneath the van to break the window and pull Tim out. Then there is the part about the tube going in and the firefighter everyone remembers, but nobody knew. Was it an angel? Russ believes it was. And so too, do those who were there that night. I know we've probably all had things happen in our lives that no one can explain. I know I can't explain meeting Russ in that room years later..and the feeling of relief I got to finally meet the person I'd been searching for. I remember Russ said to me..."and this story goes on so many years later. You're the new chapter."
So whether you're a skeptic, or a churchgoer, the fact remains the same, that successive events happened that night that leave you wondering. If you don't believe in angels, miracles, a higher power, or whatever you might call it....listen to his show.(KKXX 930 AM) He gets paid about minimum wage, but never complains about his life. He's there telling the incredible stories day in and day out of people who may be your neighbors and have fallen upon hard times, only to pick themselves up again. And he's not one of those people wanting to shove things down your throat. He is....in one word...inspiring. I hope you all are able to experience a "Russ Buss" moment in your life. It's a wonderful feeling!
|
-
Being in the media, I get the opportunity to meet some amazing people; but, I rarely meet someone with the energy and passion of christian radio D-J, Russ Buss. Whether or not you agree with his beliefs or his religion, you can't help but like the man and love the positive energy he gives off.
His life has been extraordinary, yet he lives life simply. He loves Jesus, loves his wife and family and loves to live. He never lets a second go by without appreciating "the now." It's clear that he has learned from his experiences and the people he has met. He certainly has learned from Tim Hooper.
Even though Russ Buss is his senior ( Tim is just 21 years-old), you can tell how much Russ looks up to Tim. On the radio, Russ commands the show with his stories and ideas about life and God, yet that commanding presence is replaced with awe and humility when he looks at Tim. It's not just because Tim's face is a reminder of that horrible crash, it's because Tim is a reminder of God's love and the possibilities of endless miracles.
If you ask Russ Buss about his past life, he'll probably tell you that it hasn't been easy; however, his scars are the basis for his stories. If you don't believe God was a part of what Russ calls a miracle the night of Tim Hooper's crash, Russ won't be offended. He is hardly offended by anything. The real miracle lies beyond the crash, looking at a man full of love even after a life filled with trials and tribulations. And, looking at the young man who can walk after fire charred his legs, and who can smile after brain surgery and a coma.
The crash is no longer the headline. The outcome, the miracles have replaced it. Don't we deserve and need to hear more news with this outcome?
|
-
Yes! We are still at it. Nitin, Jennifer, Rick, Charity and I are on to our second WakeUp Fine in 09' Fitness Challenge. This time, personal trainer Leah from Fit One has decided to give us all she's got. And Wow!!! She's got a lot. We are mainly working all muscle groups on the machines at Fit One. But in between sets, we do things on those little wobbly balls and running the stairs that surround the gym. There's no time for rest. Last Friday, we got a chance to take on the Gravity Room. It was so much fun. But honestly, I could barely wrap my fingers around the steering wheel the next day. Everything was so sore. The Gravity room has these huge machines in it. It looks like a major upgrade to the Total Gym. You know that infomercial with Christie Brinkley and Chuck Norris? As we slide and glide,each muscle pulsates and stretches. Leah was kind enough to pump up the disco, making it much easier for me to "get in the groove." This Friday we're going to box, which I'm really excited about. Our workouts are three days a week and then we can do as much cardio as we want in between. We are on an eating plan, but there's no olive oil involved. Thank God. Instead, Leah's got us all hooked on these brown rice tortillas. And I tried hummus for the first time. Not bad! I really want to lose weight this time. I ended up losing 7% body fat the first time around. But my obsession with the scale has not subsided. Everyone tells me to ditch the scale which I may end up doing. My clothes feel better and I can spend more than an hour chasing my baby without getting winded. Whoo hoo! You'll see us live again next week, I think on Tuesday. I'll update you when we confirm. Thanks for all your support. It's weird to be recognized at places like the doctor and Safeway. But everyone is so wonderful. We appreciate it and knowing you're right there with us, makes us keep up the good fight. Leah has offered to let folks email her with any questions you might have. Take advantage, she's full of fun ideas and ways to make you healthy. Her email is jaden0122@yahoo.com. You'll see less of us on t.v. next week. Oh, and by the way....I NEVER TOLD NITIN HE HAD MORE WEIGHT TO LOSE....HE'S SO DRAMATIC. HA!!!
|
-
Hello Everyone! In an attempt to build up our community site and get everyone talking, we now have community Forums which allow anyone who has signed up with an account to post! You have been reading and replying to blogs from our News Room for the past couple of months, and with the huge response in comments I figured we should give the viewers a way to express their own opinions. There are forums for discussing top stories from our shows, entertainment, suggestions on the websites, weather, talking about local events, local sports, and an off topic chat for everything else! They are already up and running so all you have to do is click the "Forums" picture on the top of the Community Connection homepage. Haven't signed up with an account yet? Click here!Click here to go to the Forums now!
|
-
|
Last night I got the fun task of heading to downtown Chico to shoot the riot. Now I'm guessing you sense a little sarcasm from that previous sentence and sure, I was a little bummed out that I had to come back to work after I had already gotten off at around 11:15 p.m., but hey, the excitement that ensued as soon as I got downtown quickly washed any bad feelings I felt away. The bottom line is, that was the most intense news assignment I've encountered since I started working as a photographer and it was exciting to be able to go downtown and film.
Imagine holding a camera in an area where hundreds of people are out of control drunk and rioting in the middle of the street. A lot of people yelled obscenities my way and told me to leave because it wasn't any place for the news. Sorry pals, I got a job to do and nothing was going to keep me from shooting this scene. Bottles whizzed by my face, bricks pounded the concrete near my feet, even oranges were falling out of the sky. I'm actually pretty lucky to have not gotten hurt. Rioters were throwing anything and everything they could get their hands on. Some kids even grabbed couches off random decks sitting in front of some houses and tossed them onto the fire that burned in the middle of the street. Some people might say it was bad judgment on my part to get so close to rioters with a news camera, but as soon as I got on the scene, I wanted to get the best video possible and the best video was right in the center of the riot.
It was truly an exhilarating experience and I was so pumped up after I finished shooting at around 1:45 a.m., that I couldn't settle down and go to sleep until 4:00 a.m. Luckily an incredible semi-final tennis match from the Australian Open between Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco was airing live on ESPN2, so I was able to watch that while my heart rate slowed down to a relaxed pace.
All in all, shooting the riot was an awesome experience and in the end I hope people realize behaving in that manner is completely unacceptable and it really isn't cool to cause destruction to that degree. Yet if it ever happens again, I hope I am the guy they call to get to the scene and shoot.
|
-
|
It's finally Friday and that means week one of our WakeUp Fitness Challenge is complete. Thank goodness! I'm only able to sit down long enough to write this today because the truth is, I can't get out of my chair. The only thing that doesn't hurt is the fingertip on my right index finger. Ha! All joking aside, this experience has been amazing. Despite the fact that I will never be able to look at olive oil again, after downing an entire cup of it on the second day of the challenge. I am fortunate to be working out with my employees, Nitin Lal, Jennifer MacDonald, chief photographer Rick Carhart, and former WakeUp reporter Charity Bailey. It's amazing the power their voices can have when I'm staggering trying to finish my last lap and the horizon becomes blurry. I hear this little, "Go Coder" from the sidelines and the adrenaline starts pumping again. I never thought I'd be able to accomplish what I've done in the last five days. The first feat, going anywhere at 5 a.m. The second, being "peppy" about working out. In our fitness challenge, we do circuit training in the middle of the soccer field at Off The Wall Soccer. On our third day, we circled the buildling, outside in the dark, running for 26 minutes straight. Okay, run/walking for 26 minutes straight. By the time we went back inside the buildling, it felt like someone had stuck a fireplace bellow in my mouth at high speed...oops I'm showing my age here. Needless to say I'm extremely out of shape. I've been that person you see on those late night infomercials who's "tried every diet, yo-yo-d five times." Yep, that's me. After having my baby last April, I looked into those little eyes and said, "Now's the time Trisha, no more fooling around." I'm what they refer to as "an older mom." And my husband is ten years older than me. Let's face it, we're no spring chickens. But he's in great shape and is very supportive of my efforts. Our trainer Roland told us to find a picture of ourselves when we were at our most fit. I've had that image burned into my brain since the day I saw the picture of me standing in my prom dress, my junior year. I've struggled with my weight since I was a child. Always being a little "bigger" than my friends, and describing it as "big-boned." When I entered the TV world, whew, that was difficult. Imagine spending day after day working beside tiny, beautiful tv personalities. While I am so proud of all that I've accomplished in my career, this battle with my weight has been one that has haunted me daily, and one I've yet to permanently defeat. But today's a new day. And I've got a new attitude. I'll leave you with two of my favorite sayings, NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS BEING SKINNY FEELS. And the one I will sign off with today....My favorite Weight Watchers counselor used to say to us at the end of our meetings, "I'll see less of you next week." Well, folks, hopefully you'll see less of me next time I'm on TV. I hope you'll workout with us. And write me and let me know how you conquered this battle or if you're still waging it like I am. I can use all the support I can get!
|
-
While shopping for ticket prices, for my March trip from San Francisco to New York, I walked into Great Escape Travel in Chico. With 27 years of experience, travel agent, Bernadette Rivier, knows what she’s taking about. She asked me where I was going and when, typed away for a few seconds and then came back with $299 for a non-stop roundtrip to JFK plus a $30 fee for her services, bringing the total to $329. Not bad, I was expecting to pay a lot more than that. Don’t worry, I didn’t write her a check and started packing. It was time to shop around.
I started with Expedia (www.expedia.com). Their best offer, non-stop roundtrip, $278, but add tax and fees, the total comes to $306.
Next up, Priceline (www.priceline.com). William Shatner does their commercials, and who doesn’t love William Shatner? With all the fees included the best deal, non-stop roundtrip, is $299. I knew Shatner would not let me down.
Then I tried Orbitz (www.orbitz.com). Can’t think of who does their commercials, but who cares, can they beat Shatner? $306 for a non-stop roundtrip to New York and that includes all the fees.
Let’s try Cheaptickets (www.cheaptickets). With a name like that I was expecting a lot but, including everything, it’s the same as Orbitz and Expedia.
That means Shatner wins. I knew he would come through for me.
As you can clearly gather, all online services and the travel agent are roughly offering the same rates. Who you pick depends on what you feel comfortable with. If you are looking to book major vacations, such as cruises or weeklong stays at a tropical resort, I would highly advice, at least, meeting with a travel agent. Their services to book a trip is absolutely free to travelers, the agent gets commission from hotels and resorts. Here’s why I would pick a travel agent over online websites when I plan my next big trip. But first, let’s pick a location, where should I go, how about Australia? Sounds good.
If my travel agent was Bernadette Rivier, from Great Escape, chances are she has been to the resort she is recommending. Also, if something should go wrong with the airline I’m on, Bernadette will contact me and switch my flight rather than me waiting in long lines at the airport. And if my resort is the path of a major hurricane called “let’s ruin Nitin’s vacation,” guess what? Bernadette can actually rebook me to another destination, so I can still go on a vacation. Take that hurricane. Let’s face it, you’re going to do what you always do, but take a chance, shop around. Money is tight and if you need to take a trip, it’s worth spending twenty minutes looking for the best deal. Let me know how it turns out.
|
-
I know what you’re thinking after reading the title, how self-absorbed can he (the blogger, me, Nitin Lal) really be!? I mean here I am writing about myself and telling you how I’m going to be fine in ‘09. I completely agree with you, it is rather conceited. But! This isn’t about me, well at least not all of it. Let’s get to the point.
I was thinking about 2009 and resolutions. What should I change about my life? Should I lose weight? If so, how much? Should I stop smoking? But wait, I don’t even smoke. I know, I’ll volunteer more, help fight Global Warming and save the environment, and in the process I’ll bring about world peace. Or I’ll go shopping more and do my part to boost the economy, but that might put me in more debt and now I’m thinking one of my resolutions should be to get out of debt. ARRG! Why is this so difficult? I think I should work on being a more decisive person because clearly I can’t seem to make up my mind on anything. Now I feel like a horrible person who has a lot of things wrong in his life and can’t seem to come up with any resolutions to make it better!
It’s all so exhausting but then I realized why do I need to have resolutions? It’s not like my boss is requiring it? Or my mother is saying, “You can’t watch T.V unless you come up with some resolutions young man.” I’m 28 years old and I can do whatever I want and I don’t have to have resolutions for the New Year. But, part of me really wants to. I want to be able to be to lose weight, be debt free, save the whales, and the economy but I don’t want harsh deadlines. I have to deal with deadlines everyday at work and the idea of incorporating that into the rest of my life scares me.
So here’s what I’ve come up with. I’m going to focus more on just being fine in ‘09, hence the title. I want to be more positive. I’ll be happier if I workout on a regular basis. I will be happier if make a conscious effort to use my Chico Bag at the grocery store. I will be happier if I spend within my means. I will be happier if I surround myself with positive people. I will be happier if I chose to smile rather than frown. These days it seems as though we are constantly bombarded by negativity, the economy, job loses, and wars. It’s hard not let these things affect you. I think the world needs more positivity. So instead of coming up with precise resolutions for 2009 I am going to be focus on being a happier and a more positive person. I know this is starting to sound like an After School Special but bear with me.
We at Action News have come up with a few ways that will help our North State Community be more positive. The segment “I’ll Be Fine in ‘09” will start airing soon on our newscasts. We’ll show you how to focus on yourself and improve your life. So join me here, blog with me and let me know what are your thoughts are on resolutions and then watch our stories. Hopefully together we can make 2009 a good one!
|
|
|
