Crazy TV News Chick Update

Lovelies,

It has been a whirlwind two weeks with 16 hour work days and a combination of excitement, anxiety, crunching deadlines and adrenaline fueled live reporting.  I am totally in my element!

As most of you  know from my Facebook posts, NBC hired me to do some freelance work during their Olympic coverage.  So, after my regular day reporting for NPR on the radio from 8am -3:30pm, I head to the TV station for a 4pm to 1am shift.

I assumed this would mean reporting on local Atlanta athletes and the like, but I have been plugged into their daily news coverage, which is perfectly fine with me.  Part of what I love about reporting is the unexpected nature of day-to-day stories and the "go on live TV at any moment" pressure.  Call me crazy, but that kind of pressure cooker atmosphere is where the Mistress thrives....

Prepping to go live on the NBC set

Here's a moment from a typical day in the life of a TV news chick:  Picture being in the back of one of those TV news vans, with less than ten minutes to go until the top of the newscast.... My cameraman is swearing like a sailor while he's slamming to edit the last part of our story, trying to tune in the live shot, while I'm getting a mic check, and hoping that I'm not sweating through my foundation.... then rehearsing in my head what I'm going to say in the actual live shot.  I hear the producer say in my ear, "10 seconds to air, Parker, stand by.... GO!"

Live on NBC News in Atlanta

It's super intense and I feel like I have jet fuel coursing through my veins in those moments.  I freaking love it.  Adrenaline junkie that I am, it's the climax of every day working in TV news!  Here's a link to the above story on a lady who contracted flesh-eating bacteria.

Funny thing about being back on TV though--- all of the sudden, people start coming out of the woodwork....all the people who stopped returning  my phone calls when I left the biz and wasn't "that girl on TV" anymore....the 'friends' who start commenting on your FB page:  "Saw you on NBC last night, Parker!  WOW!  Let's catch up!"

Badmuthafucka predicted it.  He was like, "Just wait-- you're going to suddenly have a lot of invitations to 'catch up' with people.  MMMHHHHMMMM.  Catch up, indeed.


In the midst of my frantic pace, I haven't been able to get very regular workouts in--- combine the hours of what are in essence 2 full-time jobs with primary election coverage for NPR that lasted until 2:30am and going live on-air for NBC the rest of the week after midnight, it's been exhausting.  I'm trying to pace myself, but it's hard...Instead of getting up to workout, I've been choosing the extra hour of sleep because I simply have to be rested.  The good news, is that I've actually lost a couple pounds in my marathon work schedule-- I'm being really diligent about packing high protein meals and not snacking on junk.  I have been indulging in Diet Coke, which I normally don't do, but the caffeine is necessary during these couple weeks of craziness!

Thankfully, you can't really see the extra weight I'm carrying in my face, so even with the ten pounds that TV adds, you would never know from my live shots that Miss Muffin Top and her nasty sister Gutty McFatty are tucked under my blazer! LOL!

On a serious note, please pay attention to the hazards of driving while exhausted and looking at your phone in traffic!  I rear ended someone on my way to the TV station on Friday.  Totally my fault.  Fortunately, no one was hurt and there was hardly any damage to the car I rammed, but let my accident be a reminder to STAY OFF YOUR PHONE WHILE DRIVING!  NO TEXTING and NO EMAILING!  All this extra cash I'm making is going to be spent on car repairs.  Awesome.

Collateral Damage: Driving while Tired and Looking at Email

I still managed to show up for work at the news station after my fender bender and was promptly put on a story about a cleaning crew who found a fetus in a shoebox stuffed into the freezer of a vacant apartment.  And that, my lovelies, is the glamour horror of TV news.

I have about a zillion loads of laundry to catch up on and a kitchen floor that needs scrubbing, so chores are calling, but wanted to give you a "crazy TV news chick update" while I had a moment!

Lots of Love,

Mistress of Rear Enders....(Wait, that sounds worse than I intended!)

xxoo