It's Dada Time

You Probably Think I'm Crazy

For Christmas I gave Carrie a trip.  No, it wasn't an excuse for me to go on vacation.  The stipulation, she go anywhere she wanted.  She just had to be back after 4 or so days.  I was going to take time off of work to stay home alone with the kids.

Now You Probably REALLY Think I'm Crazy

Carrie and her sister Lisa set their dates and decided to go on a cruise of the Bahamas.  They left Tuesday the 4th of October and got back home late Saturday night (read, after the kids were in bed).  They were able to visit Nausa but unfortunately rough seas prevented their second stop.

Enough About Them, Let's Talk About Me (+kids)

I had a plan.  Mother Nature had different plans.  My plans consisted of going to the Hogle Zoo, going to the Tracy Aviary, maybe time at a park, walks...  Mother Nature?  She decided to open up the sky and rain.  Non-stop.  Well, it wasn't that bad.

Wednesday morning as soon as the kids got up I fed them, got them dressed and then tried to get out of the door as soon as possible.  It was 9:30AM when we drove off (I was aiming for 8:30AM).  The sky was overcast but no rain was coming down yet so I decided we were going to the zoo.  We were bundled but we were going.

Just Monkeying Around

It was the perfect zoo trip.  Most of the time when I've gone to the zoo in the past, it's Summer, the animals are hot, I'm hot.  It's okay.  This time it was cool, not cold.  Overcast, not briliantly sunny.  The animals LOVED it.  ALL of the animals were much more active than I've ever seen them. 

KITTY!

Lydia kept pointing and telling me when she spotted a kitty.  I think the bobcat was her favorite.  Tyler said the fox was his favorite, my guess, that means the wolves we saw.  I didn't see a fox.  My favorite, the tigers or the baby elephant that was playing soccer.

I think I was the only boy there over the age of 15 that day. 

What You Don't Sell French Fries?

After doing the zoo loop one and a half times, we went to Gourmandise in Salt Lake.  A couple of sandwiches and French pastries later, we were on our way to the car.  That's when the sky opened up.  Had we stayed any longer at the zoo, we would have gotten dumped on.

He's A Lady's Man

When I ran out to the car to buckle Lydia in, Tyler waited for me under the covered awning.  It was funny watching him go over to a couple of college girls and just start talking with them.  A lot of grown men won't even do that.

"They like tigers too Dada," he told me as I scooped him up and ran with him through the rain storm.  (Okay it was like 15 feet away but it was raining.  A lot.)

(I'll add pics and video clips when I get the chance, which may mean in 3 years)

If You Must Do, Do Good

My job is frequently chaotic, stressful and downright deadly for anyone with a heart condition or high blood pressure.  Carrie once asked me if I've ever felt like everyone is demanding my attention RIGHT NOW.  Only ever single day I produce the news.

I've learned the best layed plans of mice and men often go ary but producers don't have time to cry about it, TV waits for no man or mouse. 

I see a lot of stuff.  Some of it pretty nasty.  Still, I recognize that there is so much good in the world.

Don't believe me?  I'll prove it.

In South Dakota I used to get a call after every sob story we ran.  There was this man in Rapid City that wanted to donate $5.00 to this cause or that family and did I know how I could get it to them?  He didn't have a lot, he had $5.00 and he would give it away.  Heaven is full of men just like him.

In Utah: an 11-year-old girl with an adopted autistic brother held a bake sale on her birthday.  She gave up her special day and raise more than a thousand dollars for autism research.

Then there's this story that most of you have probably heard of.  A car pulls out in front of a man riding his motorcycle.  He throws it down and rides it like a metal sled, slamming into the car and getting stuck underneath.  As onlookers watch the wreck burst into flames and burn ever hotter a group of complete strangers rush to the accident.  They try once, twice, three times before they are able to successfully lift the car off the man and pull him to safety.  Everyone of them is a hero.

A wallet with thousands of dollars in it was recently discovered by the Salt Lake City Police.  Whoever found it, returned it and every single penny inside to the rightful owner.  I tried to talk the police into letting us know who it was.  "It was a group of people and they don't want to talk to the media."  I asked if we could at least know who it was.  "They don't even want us to release their names."  Amazing.

A mother bound to a wheelchair has no hope of getting out to see the countryside alone.  So her kids, now fully grown, trained and bought a special wheelchair.  This Saturday they are going to take turns pushing her for 26 miles and 385 yards in the St. George marathon.

I am a realist but it would take an ignorant man to ignore all the good there is in the world.

I love the chance I have to put together live interviews for my morning news.  There are stories of heroes that should be told and I have an opportunity to make that happen.  No matter the chaos, if you must do then do good.

Stuff You Really Needed To Know But Just Didn't Know It Yet

On Falling Off and Getting Back On The Wagon

I had a goal of blogging once a week. That hasn't happened for a while. Oops. Lots to catch up on so here are the "news briefs" as we say in the biz.

On Being Old

I turned 30 years old on July 26th. I don't feel older. I don't feel younger either. For me it is just a number but also a good time to evaluate my life. Am I at where I thought I'd be decades ago? I'm not so sure. Life just turned out differently.

I have learned a few important lessons: It is worth it to spend a couple extra bucks on toilet paper. It is not a good idea to see how far you can go when the gas light turns on. Look before you leap (I have the scars to prove it). Your relationship with family and freinds are worth protecting, nurturing and creating.

On My New Schedule and New Opportunities

The week before my birthday I began a new shift. Instead of producing 30 minutes of news at 6PM. I produce 2 hours of news in the morning. Wasn't happy about it at first but it will allow me to study for and take the GMAT and hopefully get into a MBA program. I'll apply to the U of U and Weber State.

I have also already had a couple of neat experiences. With that much time to fill it allows you the opportunity to have live interviews. They're a different beast than regular news. Sometimes the guests have good information but make for bad television. Other times they are great and you want to give them more time. Then there are those times when they just don't show. It happens. A lot. Suddenly you have seconds to fill minutes of air. I'll be honest. It's a rush. Stressful? Yes, undoubtedly it is stressful. It's still a rush though.

Check out one of the in studio interviews I set up.

Man Adventure: Father and Sons



I went on my first "Father and Sons" campout with Tyler this month (August). My dad came along as well. It is the most fun three generations of Plastow men (or boys) have had in a while. Boys is probably more appropriate. You'd believe me if you saw how my dad and Tyler enjoyed themselves.

I was paranoid and was most pleased I didn't let my son drown in the Weber River. Give me a break. I work in the news business, stuff happens.

Lesson learned: 2 large air mattresses won't fit in a 5 man tent that really only fits 2 grown men and a four year old. Barely. Yes I pumped them up, let the air out, put them inside the tent, blew them up again and admitted defeat before letting the air out again.

On Being A Farmer

We weren't supposed to get any raspberries this year. Whoever told me that, yeah, they lied. We've picked a lot and by a lot I mean a handful at a time. That's still a lot more than none. I can't wait until next year. The blackberries? If I had a stake tall enough, it'd be twice as tall as I am. I ate the first berry today (8/24/2011).

Tomatoes? Well, who knew you could over water a plant that is set up with a nice drainage system. I certainly didn't. Chalk it up to the life lessons column.

Pottermania

You all know by know that the final Harry Potter movie (Harry Potter 7.2 as people at my work like to call it) has come out. It would officially bring the end of to the Potter world except its creator came up with something called Pottermore.

Today at lunch my family was discussing the Potter series. I mentioned something about how some professor somewhere had created a Pottermania college class. Where isn't really important. It's college. Pottermania. In. College.

The Boy Who Lived Becomes The Boy Most Read

The potter series does hit on a lot of psychological archetypes. That's why it hits home to so many readers. Wether or not they connect to "The Boy Who Lived" there are enough characters in the series that most readers, especially young ones, can identify. Who hasn't wanted to punch the rich, uppity kid in the nose like Hermione did to Malfoy? You may not admit it but did you experience that awkward relationship stage like Harry and pretty much every other character he came into contact with, especially girls he was attracted to? Did you know a Luna, someone in you school who thought a little more outside the box? What about a Neville, the quiet, loyal intelligent guy who didn't have the self-esteem or whatever it takes to really shine until when it really counts? Then there's the Crab and Goyle (sp?) the dim wit thugs. Come on, my school had at least a dozen of them. They're not always large but they are always dim and cruel.

Like Harry, Want To Be Like Harry

Harry is the ideal of what everyone always wants to be when they are growing up, awkward and going to school. He's got the talent, the scars (and we know chicks dig scars), he's a jock and a bit of a geek too. He gets it all and the chance to spit in the face of ultimate evil. In some way we all imagine ourselves a little bit like Harry. Or at least we would if we had a wand made from phoenix feather, a broomstick faster than any other and a lightning bolt scar on our forehead. So maybe we don't ALL want to be Harry but J.K. Rawling in her crafting of the Potter world created characters that we relate to. Because of that, many manic fans will have a large empty void in their hearts similar to when I don't get to eat the last bite of tri-tip. Come on, "You would cry too if it happened to you."

Lunch Topic: Do you think J.K. Rawling did it on purpose?

Yes: I'm sure she wrote based on her experiences in life and in school. Perhaps she knew some punk rich kid named Luke Foy, spruced up the name a bit added "mal" Spanish for bad, to "Foy" and came up with Lucious Malfoy. (I spelled it both ways because I don't know how she spells it.)

No: I don't think she looked up psychological archetypes and thought "How can I get 'Racial Outcast' 'Class Outcast' and 'Orphan' all together as friends?" She probably thought, "How can I create characters that fill a role in the story and feel real to my reader?"

I Knew Dumbledore Had To Die

Archetypes are great for writers. They help the story move forward because we, the writers, know what to expect from them and what we want out of them. That's why I knew 2 books ahead of time that Dumbledore was going to die. He had to as part of Harry's "journey into manhood". You can hate me for saying it and Rowling for doing it but it's true nonetheless. Obi Wan had to die and so did Dumbledore.

Archetypes played a large role in Rowling's success. But that was just part of the formula. You need to throw in her creativity and writing before you get success.