Wednesday, February 8, 2006
06:04 p.m.
Last of my SuperBowl Pics
After getting my camera back, I realized that a lion's share of my own pictures are of us goofing off, because I lost my camera before the weekend (where most of our work occured) and got my camera back on Monday (after all the work was done). So you will simply have to imagine the hours and hours of work, setup and faxing of lines (faxing means making sure video and audio lines are working properly) and I will put up the rest of the pictures that were taken before and after said work was done.
But I think, in a way, that it is nice to remember the SuperBowl by the people that I worked with every day than think of it by the work that we actually accomplished. At the end of the day, even though it is nice to receive a check after sending an invoice, a job well done is often it's own reward and the relationships we build are more important than the work we finish.
Robb (1b or 2?) and Ryan pack up their vehicle with the old Global Logo. The new logo took effect over SuperBowl weekend, and they went from a crescent to a sideways checkmark.
One of the cool things about hanging out with Canadians is that you can talk about hockey and not get a strange look, which is what happens in at least half of the NASCAR-speaking U.S.
Here Quin and Eamon and I are walking back from dinner. The stadium was not really near any restaurants, so we could either hoof it for five or six blocks each night like we did this night. And sometimes it was just easier to drive to where we wanted to go.
The other weird thing about doing a big event like the SuperBowl is that you have to spend a day going to get credentials, and then another day going to get game day credentials. That wouldn't be a big deal, except that this year it required getting lost in a very big building. The nice thing is that I bumped into a bunch of people I knew, and I think that the other crew members did the same.
Michele and Eamon look for some memorabilia to bring back to their crew. Some of the memorabilia is found in tables and stores throughout the stadium, media center and other compounds such as the NFL experience. And in other cases, there are usually a series of stores scattered around the city who also have SuperBowl swag, official and non-official.
Quin is talking to friends or family, and this is another common site throughout the week. It's amazing how important cell phones have become to everyone, especially television crews. It often becomes the preferred mode of communication, even when headsets, IFBs and two-way radios are available.
One of the nights we all went out to a local restaurant to go over the game plan for the upcoming week. After we finished, we ended up talking mostly about game shows and reality-based game shows. Quin, the guy with the light blue shirt and goatee was telling all of us about how he just took a job on The Price is Right.
Here, Quin and I are checking out our camera position, which is down in the Seahawk's end zone in the black risers to his left.
The camera may be showing a little age, but it shoots some beautiful pictures. We used the camera to send out virtual advertising for viewers in Canada.
Here's an example of a shot we did on SuperBowl Sunday. The white billboard doesn't exist until computers put it there. And not only is it there, the graphics zoom in, zoom out, there are virtual blimps outside the stadium (another camera position we built outside) and they set all of this up between Saturday during our test window and Sunday night's game. Sometimes they also have time to build throughout the week, as we send stills and such to the crew in Canada throughout the week.
I haven't had time to red-eye correct all of the images yet, but with my schedule I figured I'd get them up there as soon as I could and try to fix them later.
Here, Michele and Quin are talking to Jeff Lombardi of the NFL. He's our go-to guy and sometimes we're pretty sure we couldn't get it done without him. He works very hard, and works impossibly hard during the SB week.
Here's one of two generic party shots. Back at the blue screen, the city of Windsor had a series of bands and DJs playing. The food was wicked awesome (they had a chef flown in from Italy - he didn't even speak english!).
Here's another pic from the Windsor party. Both Windsor and Detroit treated us very well.
My Super Drink.
Michele poses with the Super Drink.
Eamon poses with the Super Drink.
At the Windsor party, I was able to meet a lot more of the Global staff, and also a bunch more of the Canadian people. They were classy, very hard working, fun to work with, and fun to get to know.
After the SuperBowl, I rushed to Chicago for a job yesterday. Tonight, I'm in Manhattan (not the big apple, but the little apple), Kansas. Next I'm in K.C., then Iowa. I hope I get some time to get home for a few hours. It would be nice to get some laundry done, but I can always do it on the road (and I usually do!).
Oh, and a crazy sidenote. After 8 or 9 years, I finally was able to meet Kory Loy. We'd known each other for almost a decade, but for some reason our paths had never crossed. At one point, about three or four years ago, we were working on opposite sides of Lambeau and still never met one another. So this week, he parked across the isle from me, but for the strangest reason (either he was busy, or I was busy) we really never had five minutes to talk. I did tell him he should "take off that Wisconsin hat," which made him laugh, but they had him running around doing two jobs, uplink and video. And it looked like he could have used another person to help.
There are a lot of friends I've gotten to know over the years whom I just don't get the time to see them any more. When situations permit, I try to get to their side of town, but they have to be willing to go out on a moment's notice, and most people just aren't that flexible.
I would have to say that many of my friends and colleagues have been very understanding and know that I am who I am... all over the map... and that I'm not likely to change, at least in the near future.
Saturday, February 10, 2001
12:35 a.m.
More SuperBowl Party Pics
I'm still posting pictures from Tuesday's party because there are so many to post. I also had to make arrangements to have a coworker, Marj Sontag, pick up my camera because it fell out of my pocket on the bus and somebody from NFL International picked it up. Steve, Marj and Randy have all been working really hard. And while I know I haven't been working as hard, I definitely have been dealing with an increased level of security every day. Every time we leave or enter a new compound, we have to go through security, wait to have bags searched, or sometimes go through metal detectors. And we find a few shortcuts once in a while, like handing equipment up to the scaffolding rather than try to make several trips back and forth.
We are going to eat now, and this may be our only chance to eat until tonight.
Friday, February 9, 2001
12:02 a.m.
SuperBowl Week, day five
They have upped security again, so today we had the fun of walking an extra few blocks to go through security, then another few blocks to get back to the stadium. Since they change the route every day, we found out today we have to circle the stadium to get to our compound.
I guess if all of these measures keep us safe, then it's worth the extra walking. Good thing at some of the parties they have messages. From carrying all that gear along, the photographers have been very happy.
Here's a picture of one of the reporters who works with us, and as I understand it he shoots some of his own stuff. I haven't seen him yet this week without a tripod or a camera on his shoulder. These guys have been working hard, and it's always nice to unwind at the end of the day.
Here's a shot of Eamon with one of the ladies doing massages. At the parties, it took some convincing to get all of these guys to go for a massage. The city of Detroit was paying for it all (we obviously gave tips, too). But I think sometimes it takes a little convincing to talk ourselves into believing that we deserve a little break once in a while, to let somebody else handle our stress for a little while.
They had artists doing caricature drawings, people taking pictures (which remind me, I need to get online and try to find them). They had bands playing, djs spinning records and cds. But I think the best touch was the messages. Heck, they got rid of a couple of knots in my back that had been bugging me for some time.
Here's a picture of Ryan getting his massage.
I have to go off to open up another sat window in a minute. But I have a lot more pictures to go. And this morning, I just found a treasure buried in my email. Our neighbor growing up, Arlene Johnson, sent a bunch of pictures from when we were little. And I'll try to get them cropped and sized right and post them here when and if I get the time.
Thursday, February 8, 2001
02:22 a.m.
The setup and live shots for the SuperBowl are going swimmingly. We were all invited down to the Fox Theater on Tuesday night.
As we walked off the elevator to the second floor, we found there were six massage therapists and a short line.
The city of Detroit is treating us very well, indeed. I'll post some more pictures after my next live feed.
Monday, January 30, 2006
10:57 a.m.
SuperBowl XL
I decided that every day, every chance I had, puclic terminal or on my own computer that I'd update my blog whenever I had something new to add.
So far, I've only arrived in town, met with Randy to swap some gear, stopped in at the convention center for credentials, and met up with some people I know.
I stopped in to see my friend Dave Stephens at ESPN. And while I was there, I saw Adam Whitlock and a bunch of other producers, camera people and talent.
ESPN and ABC have a very impressive set-up on the first floor of the building, with several cameras, a large crew, and a lot of media-types walking through the building all week. That makes it easy should anyone want to interview other talent, many of them with TV and radio shows of their own. Where I'm sitting is not very far away from radio row, where many of the radio stations interview somebody, and that person goes practically to the next in line, then the next, and so on until they lose their voice.
Sometimes I think that's why there doesn't seem to be as much cheering at the SuperBowl versus all of the other games, even the playoffs. So many people have spent a week or two just talking about the SuperBowl, and by the time the game is played they have nothing left to give.
Every year it seems like they come up with more and more exciting things to see. I'm definitely curious about what they'll have for gaming, virtual advertising and virtual gaming and parties. Every city always puts their own flavor, and I'm curious what kind of flavor the Motor City is going to show us this year.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
05:02 p.m.
Sometimes there are days I could sure use a laugh. And I was thinking about this when I came across this picture of a guy I used to work with at Conus. His name was C. Harris, and the goal every night was to try to make each other laugh.
Usually it didn't take much. It would make me laugh whenever he stood there with three phones to his ears. We would laugh at the news items we were taking in to the satellite control room, and laugh at the ridiculous things our coworkers would ask.
I would tell him ridiculous but true stories, like how I was allegedly hired. I was hired for the satellite control position, I was later told, because they fired a guy after he threw a chair across the control room. (So I re-enacted the scene for a still shot.)
I knew he liked listening to funk, so I sent him a story from the onion about how the mothership accidentally decended on a Hootie and the Blowfish concert. If you didn't get that joke, then nevermind.
Early on, I asked C. what the "C" stood for - Chopper? So he loved that so much, everybody started calling him "Chopper Harris." Go figure, the guy liked Harleys, and he thought it was a good fit.
One night he told me about how he was profiled and pulled over while driving home one night from work. He had obeyed every law, there was nothing wrong with his car, he didn't have anything to drink, was minding his own business. But he was pulled over, he said, because of the color of his skin.
Here's a guy who served his country for years. For a while, he even spent long days holding an M-16, guarding the White House. Days that should have gained him respect, were long forgotten. Except for some of his friends and colleagues, and some fellow musicians, it didn't appear that he was given a lot of respect. He quickly gained my full respect, and he still does.
Last I heard, C. went down to Daytona to work on motorcycles, one of his biggest passions. He has great weather (no more Minnesota snowstorms), and plenty of time to ride. And in my mind, that's a highly respectable thing to do with your life. That is, if you're doing exactly what you want to be doing, and you aren't hurting anyone by doing it, that's an amazing thing.
Helping people enjoy the outdoors is a much-needed commodity these days. The job often doesn't pay as well as it should, or at least as well as one of those jobs that keeps you couped up all day, but at least you have the chance to lead a happier, healthier life.
My friend Michele is the same way. After teaching for a few years, she became fed up with dealing with bureaucracy and bad parents (her parents are great, she had trouble with parents of the kids she taught). She left to teach snowboarding in the winter, and white water rafting in the summer. She manages to get in a vacation or two each year, lives very simply, plays on a hockey league, and manages to keep in touch with her many friends (something I am a bit envious of).
It takes a lot of guts to quit everything, rid yourself of most of your worldly possessions and go do what you want to do. And yet, Michele has not quit her life. She is still a teacher, helping people enjoy the outdoors in the snow and on the water. She is a free bird, not to be captured. And yet, she still finds the time to drop a line, sing me a song, and go on her merry way. As the years go by, and I hear from Michele, she teaches me more and more about who I am, should I forget.
I also recently got in touch with my cousin Laurie (at right in the picture). Well, in the picture she is Laurie. Somehow she changed her name to Laura (like Laura Croft? I don't know.), and I hadn't heard about this until recently.
Laura recently got her own place in the Twin Cities. She finished college a little while ago, and she's now working and living the good life in the city. I remember very fondly those times. They were tougher times, and I think I learned more about what I didn't want to do with my life than what I did want to do.
Out of all the other cousins, Laura seems to be the only other writer. And by that, I mean that she is the only one who writes just for the sake of writing. I often do the same, but from what I'm told it's not near what she has accomplished. Like anything, writing takes practice, and I wish I had as much practice.
Last summer, at my cousin Julie's wedding, a bunch of us sat outside and caught up. And it was as if these kids we'd known for years had become adults years ago, and we had to do more than just catch up. We practically had to re-introduce ourselves to each other. Little did we know that Wendy, the most proper and most classy in the bunch was such a beer drinker. This wasn't just admiring somebody's drinking skills, we started to become jealous. At some point, I think my brother Drew and I turned to ask Laura and Barbie, who is that, and what did she do with Wendy? I recall them being just as shocked and saying something like, "I don't know!"
There was a brief moment in my life shortly after when I was made to felt humbled, even humiliated. And for once in my life I really didn't believe in myself or the goodness of others. And that's when I was met with a pleasant reality check.
Just when I hit my lowest low last year, a beautiful woman comes cruising up the driveway in a wicked cool sports car. And not only that, she wasn't lost, she was looking for me!
For years, I'd heard from friends and colleagues that Marianne was the bomb. Nobody can light up a room like her, they said. Nobody takes care of their clients better. And at a time when I needed it, Marianne made me feel 10-feet tall.
I continue to be fascinated by Marianne's ability to really make others feel special, and wanted.
That acclaim is shared by a lot of other people, from her red-neck neighbors out in the country, to people in some high-powered positions in D.C.
And at this stage of my life, where my only fear is becoming too disillusioned, sedentary, or even crass, I find myself in an envious position... lucky to be surrounded by or even know such fine people. And I decided not long ago, that I'm not going to be afraid to tell people like this how I feel about them.
Monday, January 23, 2006
11:27 a.m.
Photo by Randy Sinke
Boots
Old, beat up, rockin' chair heel boots,
A dog chewed your soul, you smell like goat cheese,
You've survived wildfires, floods and incredible heat.
But don't ever let them tell you you're not good enough,
Because I know better, and I know you inside and out,
And someday we'll go walking again.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
07:56 p.m.
The snow and ice hit us here in Michigan. I had some time to kill, so I sat down in a diner and drew this picture of a cowboy. Then I decided to make him a space cowboy.
I have a game here in Michigan tomorrow. Then I'll stop in Indiana for a little while, then head to Kansas.
Time to "space cowboy up."
Wednesday, January 4, 2006
08:36 p.m.
Today was great, I got to work with my cousin Beau Baehman.
Picture pulled from game's first half DVD, courtesy Metro Sports
After the game, I told Beau I'd give him the DVD copy so he could send it to his parents. They like to keep up with his on-air work.
I was hoping to have more time to write in this blog today, but I was catching up on some other work.
Yesterday I finally had the chance to drop my tractor off at the shop to get the hydraulic pump replaced. After David gets that one done, I'm going to see if he can tap the three head bolts that came out of my cub.
The rest of the week will be pretty busy. My calendar is being built as we speak.
Photo by John Conrad
Back when we got a foot of snow, my friend Johnny and I stopped by a local hill to show some kids how to catch some wicked air.
I was the only one to go face-first. Why not?
Photo by me
Johnny must be going down the hill Kansas-style. Up in Minnesota, we didn't use our feet!
One this was for sure, neither one of us fit on a plastic disc anymore.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
05:02 p.m.
The Road to Recovery
I am now back to work, and because I am behind in my pictures and my blog postings, I thought I would start by looking back to a trip I took to Montana a couple of weeks ago:
The Putzker Household near Stockett, Montana
The road to recovery is not just about gaining back inches after losing feet, it has a lot to do with the people who offer up the words of wisdom, the helping hand, even the right encouragement. I consider myself very lucky to have a physical therapist in my family, and I took this opportunity to learn as much as I could about my recovery, and figure out if I had missed any steps with my local therapist. I took a trip out to see my Aunt, Uncle and Cousins in part because I knew I would be back to work soon and may not get this chance again, and I figured that if there was work to be done out there in Montana, it would probably be a good idea to have a PT (Physical Therapist) nearby to keep an eye on what I should or shouldn't be doing.
My Uncle Rob is one of those guys who always has a dose of common sense, and doesn't have any alterior motives. Like my Aunt Joanne, they always seem to say the right thing at the right time. Rob would catch me using my left arm too much, and tell me to use my right and get it working again. And Joanne was there in conversation, as part of my moral compass, letting me know that my place in this world does matter.
Katy and Joanne on the hill overlooking their home, Great Falls, and Glacier National Park.
When you travel and work like I do, doing little things like taking walks, playing games, catching up with friends and family, all seem like such alien ideas. The rat race often puts us in a stupor, our eyes glaze over and we don't seem to laugh as often.
The big, open sky of Montana is more than a literal interpretation of the land, it's also a metaphor for the people. They are an open sky, where they see each other very clearly, speak clearly, and where they don't take very kindly to a discouraging word (just like the folk song).
Part of truely enjoying yourself in Montana involves cleansing yourself of the crass, sometimes even vulgar view of the world you see east of the Missouri River and along the west coast.
Mick and Rob sorting cattle
In Montana, work is just something you do. People don't make a big deal about it, and they are always willing to work with you. And since there is always plenty of work to go around, they'll always be willing to take your extra help.
This makes for a perfect situation for somebody from the midwest, like me, who needs to get back to doing a little manual labor.
Sara and Katy (my cousins) wait for the next bunch of Heifers to be pushed into the squeeze chute
Anybody who grows up in an environment like Montana should consider themselves very lucky. I've known a lot of people through work, and others I've met while travelling who came from Montana. They are all excellent people, very hard working, and very kind. There is no doubt in my mind that whatever my cousins do, they will do well in large part because of where they grew up and the amazing people who raised them (including, and mostly because of their parents). Sometimes I think the rest of us should stop breeding for a while and leave it up to the good people of Montana, who seem to be the only ones getting it right.
Mick, Sam (me) and my cousin Katy Mo.
The biggest day for me came when I went to help out with some branding. My Aunt and Uncle have some cows mixed in with another rancher, and they needed to sort through the herd, retag some of the cows, brand some others, and get a lion's share of them back out to pasture.
Branding cows
If you've never smelled the burning rear end of a cow, well, I guess you haven't missed much. It's a time-honored tradition, and helps to sort livestock quickly. Being a part of it is quite amazing, and probably won't last very much longer with all of the different tagging methods.
Joanne
Katy and Rob
Sometimes so much can be said with a picture, of the end of a long day, just hanging out with the people you care about.
Tuesday, November 1, 2005
10:01 p.m.
Physical Therapy is a very slow process. And even though I've come a long way since surgery on October 3rd, after one month I'm very happy with where I'm at, and I know that there is a long way to go to be completely back to normal.
I am finally typing with my right hand (at least for a little while... after too long it becomes painful), so doing little jobs is possible. But I can't lift anything heavy yet and that means I'm pretty much SOL for getting back to work just yet.
I'm experimenting each day on what I can do. I can wash dishes. I can finally reach up to my shoulder and reach down to tie my shoe. And what I've learned the most over this month is how much I've taken for granted, and how many things usually come very easy. Opening door knobs and starting a vehicle should be very easy. But both are difficult, and require thought and care so I don't hurt anything. Doing a push-up or a pull-up should be very easy. But both are impossible until I get the Doctor's go-ahead to do more physical exercise.
It feels as if I'm gaining about a millimeter a day, and once I know the bone is healed, I will be able to put a lot more force into the joint. Thank goodness I didn't harm any ligaments or tendons in the fall, because they don't heal like bones. Of course, I lost some cartilage, which means (more) arthritis in the future. I guess it will be a small price to pay to get any or even all of my motion back.
