In running, it's obviously a good idea to keep your head up and your eyes on the path ahead. In blogging, it seems the same is true. At least for me.
A few nights ago, while I was working on a seemingly endless order at work, I started thinking about resuscitating this blog. Admittedly, I haven't put nearly as much time or effort into this portion of the Running With the Locals brand (it sounds weird to call it a brand, but that's the best word I can think of to describe what I'm doing), and I felt like trying to bring something else to the table, besides the occasional video on YouTube and comment on Facebook. I hadn't forgotten about the blog. That's actually where the origins of this whole endeavor lie. If I hadn't started blogging about running on my Running Journal blog, then I probably wouldn't have started making videos. And if I hadn't started running at all, then I wouldn't have had much to blog about. So this seemed like a way to get back to my roots, in a world-wide-web kind of way.
Once I started thinking about getting back into blogging, it just took over my brain. That's also how I usually end up starting an early day: I just can't stop the wheels once they start spinning.
So I grabbed some paper and started jotting down ideas for blog topics, and also a few ideas for some recurring posts. I think the latter came from my experiments with video segments this year. They came to me organically, and some seemed to have promise (if I would give them a chance to grow before moving on to something else!).
I think this may end up being a nice component of RWtL, and it could end up being an outlet for things that I can't, for whatever reason, create with video. I certainly hope it will, anyway.
RWtL
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Post-race, catching up
When I last blogged, I was anxiously awaiting my live television debut. Let me tell you, it was quite the experience.
I did not realize how nervous I would be. I was okay before the show started. I chit-chatted with a couple of the guests, and also with the host. We went over what I would be doing, and it all seemed fine. Then, the show started. Live TV. I quickly started feeling warm under the lights, and my nerves got to me. By the first commercial break, I was ready to walk off. I felt light-headed, hot and sweaty, just awful.
We got back from commercial, and, luckily, I was out of frame. I thought I might pass out. I had my head on the podium, hoping for an end to this misery. Shortly after that, the host threw it to me, so I sucked it up and took us to the next break. This continued until I got a drink of water, and finally started to feel okay.
By the end of the show, I was feeling more like myself. Maybe it was the humongous coffee I drank on the way to the show, along with my nerves, that created this perfect storm. If and when I do that again, I won't be downing 24 oz of coffee before I go on.
--
Since then, I've been working on more videos, averaging about 1 a week for the last couple of weeks. My personal schedule got a little busier when I agreed to help out with my oldest daughter's soccer team, and that has cut into my vlogging time. Also, the weather here has been downright nasty! Up until a few days ago, we had rain and storms every day for 9 or 10 days. We even had a tornado hit a church behind our house, then touch down again at a trailer park about a mile from here. Our house had some minor damage, but luckily, no one was hurt
--
Lastly, I ran the Kentucky Derby Festival mini-marathon today. I must say, I did better than I expected. Conditions were great: clear skies, temps were ideal, and the support was fantastic. The course got a last-minute change, which ended up being great. I thought the 4-mile stretch of 3rd Street was going to be dull, but the folks that lined up along the course kept things lively. Along with that, there was plenty of shade.
Let me just say that the city of Louisville has a lot of beauty and history, and they highlighted that wonderfully with this course. And the people that came out to cheer on the runners were phenomenal! They helped make this a fantastic day for me and the thousands of others who ran.
Thank you, Louisville!
I felt like such a rock star when I typed that.
I did not realize how nervous I would be. I was okay before the show started. I chit-chatted with a couple of the guests, and also with the host. We went over what I would be doing, and it all seemed fine. Then, the show started. Live TV. I quickly started feeling warm under the lights, and my nerves got to me. By the first commercial break, I was ready to walk off. I felt light-headed, hot and sweaty, just awful.
We got back from commercial, and, luckily, I was out of frame. I thought I might pass out. I had my head on the podium, hoping for an end to this misery. Shortly after that, the host threw it to me, so I sucked it up and took us to the next break. This continued until I got a drink of water, and finally started to feel okay.
By the end of the show, I was feeling more like myself. Maybe it was the humongous coffee I drank on the way to the show, along with my nerves, that created this perfect storm. If and when I do that again, I won't be downing 24 oz of coffee before I go on.
--
Since then, I've been working on more videos, averaging about 1 a week for the last couple of weeks. My personal schedule got a little busier when I agreed to help out with my oldest daughter's soccer team, and that has cut into my vlogging time. Also, the weather here has been downright nasty! Up until a few days ago, we had rain and storms every day for 9 or 10 days. We even had a tornado hit a church behind our house, then touch down again at a trailer park about a mile from here. Our house had some minor damage, but luckily, no one was hurt
--
Lastly, I ran the Kentucky Derby Festival mini-marathon today. I must say, I did better than I expected. Conditions were great: clear skies, temps were ideal, and the support was fantastic. The course got a last-minute change, which ended up being great. I thought the 4-mile stretch of 3rd Street was going to be dull, but the folks that lined up along the course kept things lively. Along with that, there was plenty of shade.
Let me just say that the city of Louisville has a lot of beauty and history, and they highlighted that wonderfully with this course. And the people that came out to cheer on the runners were phenomenal! They helped make this a fantastic day for me and the thousands of others who ran.
Thank you, Louisville!
I felt like such a rock star when I typed that.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Tomorrow, I'm the guest announcer!
The day has nearly arrived. Tomorrow, I head to the WAVE 3 studios for my first of hopefully many appearances on Live From 725. I have The Local Guys to thank for my debut. I've got to admit, I am a little nervous. I went to the set to watch the show a few weeks ago, and was amazed by how quickly it goes by. I hope I don't freeze or stammer or anything too embarrassing. One thing I do intend to do is mention RWtL. I may also try to get a little time with the host before or after the show to try to figure out how to make it a regular segment on the show. That would be super cool.
Fingers crossed for a good show tomorrow!
Fingers crossed for a good show tomorrow!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Thoughts from a sleepless morning
Being on third shift is great for some things. It allows me a bit more flexibility when it comes to appointments and getting the kids to and from school, things like that. But when it comes to the weekend, all bets are off.
Yesterday was a busy day for me. I worked overnight, came home and slept for about 3 hrs, then got up to meet Lincoln and visit the Live From 725 set. After that, it was time to pick up the kids from their schools, then a brief pause before turning around and heading back to work for a 6 hr shift.
Please don't think I'm complaining, because I am glad to be employed and to have the opportunity to get some OT. I'm just illustrating one particular day.
After work, I get home and everyone is up, so we caught up on our days events. I don't end up crawling into bed until after midnight, but I am asleep in no time. Fast forward to about 5 hrs later, and I wake up to a quiet house but can't seem to get back to sleep. This is how most of my Saturday mornings are.
I start thinking about RWtL: ideas for videos, trying to get someone to write some theme music, things like that. At that point, it is pointless to even try to get back to sleep. It just ain't happening right now.
I get up with the intention of getting some of these ideas out of my head and onto paper, but I get sidetracked by email/facebook/blogger. Nothing new there, but I should know better. I did manage to get a few things jotted down (theme music, get out and actually run with some locals, a list of some notable locals to run with), but it wasn't worth getting out of bed before sunrise.
So, to recap, I am about a day behind on sleep, and I have a few flimsy ideas to try to build on to make RWtL more interesting and, hopefully, successful (whatever that means).
Yesterday was a busy day for me. I worked overnight, came home and slept for about 3 hrs, then got up to meet Lincoln and visit the Live From 725 set. After that, it was time to pick up the kids from their schools, then a brief pause before turning around and heading back to work for a 6 hr shift.
Please don't think I'm complaining, because I am glad to be employed and to have the opportunity to get some OT. I'm just illustrating one particular day.
After work, I get home and everyone is up, so we caught up on our days events. I don't end up crawling into bed until after midnight, but I am asleep in no time. Fast forward to about 5 hrs later, and I wake up to a quiet house but can't seem to get back to sleep. This is how most of my Saturday mornings are.
I start thinking about RWtL: ideas for videos, trying to get someone to write some theme music, things like that. At that point, it is pointless to even try to get back to sleep. It just ain't happening right now.
I get up with the intention of getting some of these ideas out of my head and onto paper, but I get sidetracked by email/facebook/blogger. Nothing new there, but I should know better. I did manage to get a few things jotted down (theme music, get out and actually run with some locals, a list of some notable locals to run with), but it wasn't worth getting out of bed before sunrise.
So, to recap, I am about a day behind on sleep, and I have a few flimsy ideas to try to build on to make RWtL more interesting and, hopefully, successful (whatever that means).
Friday, April 1, 2011
RWtL moving forward
I know I've said this before, but Lincoln is the man. It is a fact that bears repeating.
Today, I tagged along as he did his Local Guys thing at our local NBC affiliate, WAVE 3. It was really cool to see how live television works. It moves so fast, and the half-hour flew by. Lincoln and Squire's segment was pretty cool (it was for mini of Louisville, btw), and afterward, Lincoln introduced me to the host, John Ramsey.
I had been introduced to Mr. Ramsey about a week ago, via email, by Lincoln, but this was the first time meeting him in person. He seemed like a great guy, and he had already talked with Lincoln about RWtL, and seemed ready to get me on the show to do a few segments. How frickin' crazy is that! It is pretty great having a well-connected friend.
So, long story short, John and I are going to get together soon and discuss RWtL segments for his show. In the meantime, I am going to be the guest announcer for the April 18th show. Holla!
Needless to say, this has been a wild ride, and I cannot wait to see where it ends up taking me.
Today, I tagged along as he did his Local Guys thing at our local NBC affiliate, WAVE 3. It was really cool to see how live television works. It moves so fast, and the half-hour flew by. Lincoln and Squire's segment was pretty cool (it was for mini of Louisville, btw), and afterward, Lincoln introduced me to the host, John Ramsey.
I had been introduced to Mr. Ramsey about a week ago, via email, by Lincoln, but this was the first time meeting him in person. He seemed like a great guy, and he had already talked with Lincoln about RWtL, and seemed ready to get me on the show to do a few segments. How frickin' crazy is that! It is pretty great having a well-connected friend.
So, long story short, John and I are going to get together soon and discuss RWtL segments for his show. In the meantime, I am going to be the guest announcer for the April 18th show. Holla!
Needless to say, this has been a wild ride, and I cannot wait to see where it ends up taking me.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
This weather, ugh!
It has been a crazy, yet typical, early Spring around here. This morning, there was about a half-inch of snow on the ground, and by 11 a.m. it had melted already. I think we hit nearly 50 degrees for the high. Like I said, crazy. And typical for our little slice of heaven.
On a personal note, I have been fighting with an allergy to the early-blooming trees and/or the molds that developed from ALL. THAT. RAIN! Its either that or a cold. Never can tell. Along with that, I somehow bruised my right foot, along the inside, near the heel. I have no recollection of doing it, or how on earth I would have bruised myself right there, but nonetheless, a big ugly bruise is there. So with all that going on, I have been taking it easy on the running. Instead, I have been focusing on RWtL.
I like to think of myself as an idea person. I have had a few that I think could be huge, but I never follow up on them. Never. That's what makes this whole blog/vlog/facebook endeavor so scary and thrilling. Its the first time I've ever tried to make one of my ideas work. And actually, its only partly my idea.
As I've said in earlier blog posts, Lincoln was the spark of this idea, and he is also the one who nudged me into going for it. Along with that, he has been my coach, cheerleader, and counselor. I'm lucky to have him on my side.
Right now, I am pursuing some leads and some other ideas for the vlog. Like I said, its pretty exciting working on this and feeling like anything is possible. As always, I will keep my faithful followers (and anyone else who reads this blog or follows the facebook feed and youtube channel) up to date with the latest developments.
Until next time!
On a personal note, I have been fighting with an allergy to the early-blooming trees and/or the molds that developed from ALL. THAT. RAIN! Its either that or a cold. Never can tell. Along with that, I somehow bruised my right foot, along the inside, near the heel. I have no recollection of doing it, or how on earth I would have bruised myself right there, but nonetheless, a big ugly bruise is there. So with all that going on, I have been taking it easy on the running. Instead, I have been focusing on RWtL.
I like to think of myself as an idea person. I have had a few that I think could be huge, but I never follow up on them. Never. That's what makes this whole blog/vlog/facebook endeavor so scary and thrilling. Its the first time I've ever tried to make one of my ideas work. And actually, its only partly my idea.
As I've said in earlier blog posts, Lincoln was the spark of this idea, and he is also the one who nudged me into going for it. Along with that, he has been my coach, cheerleader, and counselor. I'm lucky to have him on my side.
Right now, I am pursuing some leads and some other ideas for the vlog. Like I said, its pretty exciting working on this and feeling like anything is possible. As always, I will keep my faithful followers (and anyone else who reads this blog or follows the facebook feed and youtube channel) up to date with the latest developments.
Until next time!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Busy week!
Since I started vlogging for RWtL, it seems like time has been moving very quickly. I find myself thinking about the next video a lot. And thinking, how can I turn what I just did into a video to post on the channel? And it has been a lot of fun!
I had been carrying a small notebook with me, in the event that inspiration struck. Then I realized that I could just make a note on my phone (either by text or voice memo), which made things seem so much cooler! Who wants to write things down in a notebook, when they could just hit Record and start blabbing. Of course, I do end up writing those mental notes down, in order to try to piece them into some kind of logical order, but that comes later.
This week, I ran a race (a 2-mile run with a St. Patrick's Day theme on the streets of my hometown), and convinced Lincoln to come down a shoot the April edition of the show for me. He was a super-helpful director, and was able to get a lively performance out of me (The first few videos were, for lack of a better word, boring. Hopefully those days are behind me.).
I also shot a few more videos for the channel this weekend, and I tried to keep it interesting. I also tried to make it look like some of the other videos I have been watching the heck out of lately (Vlog Brothers and Tobuscus). I hope I had some small degree of success with that, because their vids are frickin awesome.
That's all I have for now, so I will see you next time.
I had been carrying a small notebook with me, in the event that inspiration struck. Then I realized that I could just make a note on my phone (either by text or voice memo), which made things seem so much cooler! Who wants to write things down in a notebook, when they could just hit Record and start blabbing. Of course, I do end up writing those mental notes down, in order to try to piece them into some kind of logical order, but that comes later.
This week, I ran a race (a 2-mile run with a St. Patrick's Day theme on the streets of my hometown), and convinced Lincoln to come down a shoot the April edition of the show for me. He was a super-helpful director, and was able to get a lively performance out of me (The first few videos were, for lack of a better word, boring. Hopefully those days are behind me.).
I also shot a few more videos for the channel this weekend, and I tried to keep it interesting. I also tried to make it look like some of the other videos I have been watching the heck out of lately (Vlog Brothers and Tobuscus). I hope I had some small degree of success with that, because their vids are frickin awesome.
That's all I have for now, so I will see you next time.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Here we go!
Let's get right to it.
A couple of weeks ago, after a lot of foot dragging on my part, I took an idea and ran with it (har har). A little over a year ago, my old pal Lincoln and his colleague Squire started a multi-front social media project called Localshoutouts.com. It was a new and exciting way for local businesses to get some exposure via the internet.
Localshoutouts.com spawned Living With The Locals, which led to a gig doing promotional videos for the city of Jeffersonville, and the growth of Squire's production company, Cool World Productions. They also landed a weekly spot on a midday talk show on Wave 3, where they brought a condensed version of LWTL to a much wider audience. Things are going pretty well for them.
So, like I said, a couple of weeks ago, I co-opted the Living With the Locals model, and went with something I enjoy (running, duh!). I contacted Lincoln, asking for his blessing to use the nearly-identical name. He agreed, and asked if I would let him show me the ropes, as it were.
I met with him and Squire a few days later, and laid out my idea for the show. They liked it, and were very gracious to offer advice and support. To be honest, I was humbled. These guys enjoy what they are doing so much, and are supportive of others who want to do the same. I can't thank them enough for giving me the tools and confidence to take this on.
In the time since that meeting, I've posted a few videos on YouTube (check out my channel!), and started a Facebook fan page, which I highly recommend.
So, there it is. A quick recap of how I got here.
A couple of weeks ago, after a lot of foot dragging on my part, I took an idea and ran with it (har har). A little over a year ago, my old pal Lincoln and his colleague Squire started a multi-front social media project called Localshoutouts.com. It was a new and exciting way for local businesses to get some exposure via the internet.
Localshoutouts.com spawned Living With The Locals, which led to a gig doing promotional videos for the city of Jeffersonville, and the growth of Squire's production company, Cool World Productions. They also landed a weekly spot on a midday talk show on Wave 3, where they brought a condensed version of LWTL to a much wider audience. Things are going pretty well for them.
So, like I said, a couple of weeks ago, I co-opted the Living With the Locals model, and went with something I enjoy (running, duh!). I contacted Lincoln, asking for his blessing to use the nearly-identical name. He agreed, and asked if I would let him show me the ropes, as it were.
I met with him and Squire a few days later, and laid out my idea for the show. They liked it, and were very gracious to offer advice and support. To be honest, I was humbled. These guys enjoy what they are doing so much, and are supportive of others who want to do the same. I can't thank them enough for giving me the tools and confidence to take this on.
In the time since that meeting, I've posted a few videos on YouTube (check out my channel!), and started a Facebook fan page, which I highly recommend.
So, there it is. A quick recap of how I got here.
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