How not to clean a dirty DVD.

Saturday Night is often "movie night" for John and me.  I know it didn't get great reviews but I was really looking forward to "Secretariat."  I like Disney movies.  I like horses.  I like history.  I like strong female characters.  I like John Malkevich.  The perfect combination!  Except for...when the picture scrambled and became unwatchable at about an hour in.

Grrrr.  Just then, the phone ran.  Our son Charlie is pretty technical and offered the following solution:

• Smear a thin film of toothpaste or peanut butter (we used Crest) on the DVD.
• Put the DVD in the toilet and flush.
• And flush.  And flush.  And flush.
• And flush.

Supposedly the swirling water cleans the toothpaste/peanut butter off, leaving a pristine surface.  Maybe we used too much Crest but after 15 flushes, there was still residue on our DVD and I was feeling pretty guilty about the wasted water.  Then we realized how ridiculous we would look to anyone who walked into our bathroom and saw us watching the DVD bob around in the toilet bowl.  We fished it out and tried again but it still did not work.

John found the movie on pay-per-view so for five bucks we were able to watch the end.  Spoiler alert!  Secretariat wins the Triple Crown.

And Netflix sent me an apology.

	Dear Margaret, We're sorry to hear that Secretariat was unplayable. We go to great lengths to ensure the movies you get will play without any problems but occasionally a few get through our inspections, or are damaged in transit. Please return the unplayable disc and if you've requested a replacement, we will ship it out as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience. -The Netflix Team

I wish they'd pay my pay-per-view charge.

Slippery slope.

Bottom Line Communications™

Sad news

Rick Gevers announced today that Greg Koelfgen passed away suddenly Monday. Greg and I worked together in Reno back in the 80s. Great guy. Smart guy. Loved his family very much and was especially proud of his daughters' success on the softball field.

"I have been on the mountaintop" - Martin Luther King jr.

Seriously?

Starbucks offers now the Big Gulp version of its cold coffee.  Is this really neccessary?

Let's disagree but be more thoughtful, ok?

U.S.

Obama Calls for New Era of Civility in U.S. Politics

By HELENE COOPER and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN

Published: January 12, 2011

The president offered the nation’s condolences to the victims of the Tucson shooting rampage, urging Americans to usher in a new era of civility in memory of the fallen.

The NYTimes has already posted it's first story about President Obama's speech.

I must admit, the early cheers, whistles and hoots made me uncomfortable.  But when the announcement came that Gabby Giffords opened her eyes today, I was thrilled.

I was following the speech on Twitter and not surprisingly, our local Darla Jaye called the president an android with no soul.  (sigh)

We have a long way to go.

Choosing our words and images carefully

I can't disagree with the advice of this article:
Threats, Violence and the Language We Should Remove From Civil Political Discourse

I think we in the media can ALL do better in our coverage on multiple platforms.

CNN reports.

And Business Week.

How to pursue a story. Every story.

Tommy Lee Jone's character in "The Fugitive" gives a great roadmap on how all journalists should track down leads.

Paraphrasing...

"Alright, listen up, people. The STORY has been on the run for ninety minutes. Average foot speed over uneven ground barring injuries is 4 miles-per-hour. That gives us a radius of six miles. What I want from each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in that area. Checkpoints go up at fifteen miles. The STORY is still out there. Go get it!"

One call to the police PIO is not enough.

With apologies to James Brown...Hot Tub!

A story from our Reno trip that will re-told umpteen times:

We went to Mt. Rose Ski Resort for some downhill action.  Charlie and Carly on snowboards, John on skis, me in the lodge.  That's how I roll.

It was a great day, okay, bitterly cold and windy but we were dressed for the weather and enjoyed our time outside.

When we got back to the hotel, we decided to head to the 17th floor of The Sands to spend some time in the jacuzzi tub, relaxing, etc.

Charlie and I were the first to arrive and yes, I did notice the wheelchair but I didn't give it much thought.  We both stepped into the bubbling water, joining another couple.  We exchanged some pleasantries and enjoyed the sensation of being meat in a pot, slow cooking.  Very relaxing.

About ten minutes later John and Carly joined our group and for some reason, the woman decided to chat with John.  We learned that she had two children.  We learned that she would not be spending the New Year in Reno because her kids' dad had died and she was going to return to the Bay Area to see them.  We learned that the man sitting next to her was a long-time companion who had recently been through an amputation.  At some point, he asked quizzed us.

"Do you know how I lost my leg?"

Obviously we had no idea but John tried to guess (much to my dismay).

"An accident?  Diabetes?"

"Nope," he said, somewhat proudly.

"Bacterial flesh-eating disease.  I was in the hospital for six months.  I almost died."


















Dude!  Harsh my mellow!

I wanted to pop out of that churn like toast out of a toaster but not wanting to be rude, we all stayed for about five minutes more before politely excusing ourselves.

Ignorance is ignorance.  I now know flesh-eating bacterial disease is not contagious in a hot tub.

Now you know too.

Thank you, Art Long

Art Long is a major building block in my life.

In the early 80s. I was a reporter at KTVN-TV, the CBS affiliate in Reno.  Ed Pearce was the news director.  During the time I worked there, I shared office space with lots of media-future-stars including Ginger Casey, Elizabeth Vargas, Pat Naegle, Tony Kovaleski, Patricia McRae.  Interestingly, I stopped by the KTVN crew's area on New Year's Eve and introduced myself as a former co-worker.  The reporter and photographer gave me little more than a passing glance.  They had no interest in me or my stories.  But that's another blog...

I like to say I was much younger, cuter and thinner (not than those previously listed, just as compared to me now).  Those things are true.

Art was the guy we in the media called when we wanted to do a story at John Ascuaga's Nugget in Sparks.  Back then, the Nugget was the only major casino that had an elephant as it's spokes-animal and it was the only big casino NOT in downtown Reno (located in Sparks, next door).  Art handed us media-types drink tickets sparingly but we knew that if we needed an interview about a gambling story, he could get it.

At some point in my professional career, I grew weary of reporting.  Frankly, it happened pretty quickly after Ed allowed me on the air.  Maybe because I wasn't very good!  I loved the news but hated being on camera.

After a snit with the new managers who replaced Ed when he was unfairly dumped by KTVN's new ownership, I convinced Art Long to hire me as the Nugget photographer.  I was not qualified for the job, having never darkened a darkroom door.  Art gave me a chance.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

John's office was next to mine.  I have a loud voice so he knew my secret failings and failures as soon as I spoke them out loud.  Which, at age 27, I did often.  To anyone who would listen.  And yet, we fell in love.  (awwwww).

Recently, John and I visited Art when we were in Reno.  Mainly, we wanted to thank him.  For hiring me.  For being the conduit to our more than two decades of married life.  Art is now 85-years-old and still has the best stories about Reno, ever.  He's a book, waiting to be told.

We are grateful.  Thank you, Art Long.