Dangers of the Job

It's no secret that the life of a photog can be a dangerous one. Chasing down forest fires, tornadoes, gangstas and nudists comes with its risks, which helped bump the career to #4 on this year's 10 Most Stressful Jobs list. Some may call us heroes, others... perhaps less than flattering adjectives (my personal best was "F'ing cockroaches!"), but it's all in the name of journalism. Just doin' my job, ma'am.

But one of the more hazardous elements to the job requires a skill that few have mastered, mostly because it's impossible to master... the infamous backwards-run-down-the-street-after-a-subject. Yes, a big-ass bulky camera leaves you with many blind spots, and not having eyes in the back of your head doesn't help, so you must be cautious when attempting this maneuver. But even the best in the biz have their off days... Gavin Maloof, co-owner of the Kings, provided one unfortunate professional with just such an incident...



So next time you see a courageous photojournalist running backwards down the street, feel free to give a shout if they're about to slam into something (you people are usually honking and shouting at us anyway). You just might get a hug for it.

Good Eats!

Can't say I've ever really been a fan of eating food outta the back of a truck. Editing news stories outta the back of a truck is one thing... but something just seemed unsettling about the whole thing. Is this a fair bias? Probably not, but after today I will say that my mind has been forever changed... for as I pulled into work this morning, what should I see but this grand orange beheamoth offering nothing but items from my favorite food group: the grilled cheese!!


Skidding to a stop, I jumeped out of my vehicle and dashed over to this glorious contraption, hopping back and fourth from foot to foot as I waited for the morning show to finish their live hits with the cooks. I could barely contain my excitement as they offered up several different gormet takes on the classic, including a grilled brie, apple and walnut sandwich and a grilled s'mores sandwich. Wash it down with some sweet potato fries and you're ready to start your work day! Oh, this was shaping up to be a quality day of journalism.

So I wander into the station and inquire about the day's stories... only to find that I'm gonna be making my way down to the State Capitol to interview some guy... I think his name is Guy. Actually I'm a fan of his work, including such shows as Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and the carnival sideshow Minute to Win It. Stuffed to the brim with various grilled sandwiches, I grabbed my reporter and we headed down to lawmakers' land.

So yeah, Guy Fieri was there with some government folk to make some sort of resolution that parents should cook with their kids. They went as far as to delcare it "Cook With Your Kids Day," hoping that parents will teach their kids the importance of eating healthy food. Like perhaps a grilled cheese with apples and walnuts?


Following a little to-do about the resolution, we swooped in so I could get a few questions with the Guy himself. Which is to say, I asked Guy Fieri where I should go to lunch. I thought that was kinda funny, although he probably gets it from everybody. After listing his own two restaurants, he said Jamie's is the best in town. I didn't take him up on it, as the s'mores grilled sandwich was starting to give me indegestion, but the advice was apprecited. He also paused for a quick picture with my reporter:


I always wondered what Guy would be like in person, as his tv persona makes him seem like he might be kinda douchy (although it may just be the hair and backwards sunglasses). But he turned out to be a really cool guy, who seemed totally happy to take a few minutes for a one-on-one interview (and that's not usually the case with recognizable personalities). He said he was trying to use is brief time in the spotlight to do something good, which is what this Cook with Your Kids was all about. I'm usually quick to disapprove of people, especially if they're more famous than me (which, to be fair, is most everybody), but Guy seemed like a genuinely nice guy (and he was amused by the whole Alfonzo bit), which earns him the coveted Photocalypse Seal of Approval.

Here We Stay... There They Go?

Wednesday night, the Lakers were in town to play the Sacramento Kings. But this wasn't just any old NBA game... this could very well be the last game ever for the Sacramento Kings. Despite the noble efforts of fans, including the groups Here We Stay, Here We Build and Here We Sit (I really wanted to write "Here We Piss" over a urinal at the arena...), it appears as if the Kings are outta here. Of course I wasn't about to miss out on this monumental moment in Sactown history (or the chance to be on tv...) so I headed down to Arco Arena (I mean Power Balance Pavilion... yeah, I know...) to get a front row seat for the action.

But before the game started, the real action began. As we were setting up our live shot for the evening news on the court, Kobe arrived (hours before the game) to do some warm-ups (Note: Ron Artest arrived maybe 45 minutes before the game). Guess that's why they pay him the big bucks, right?


Now, mind you, I'm not used to seeing big-time celebrities around this place, so I was sure to snap a picture of the guy. But don't be mistaken, I'm no Lakers fan (and to be fair, I don't much follow the NBA (Maybe if we had a better team in town I would! (sorry, that was inappropriate))), but the guy's a big deal, and I had to keep my Facebook street cred up with the other photogs. He seemed cool with the picture snapping, as everyone else in the pre-game arena was doing the same thing.

After warming up, I noticed one of my photog bretheren was sitting only feet from the guy. Figuring he might get a kick out of having a few shots of him sitting next to Mr. Bryant, I started rolling. Seemed reasonable, but ol' Ko-Ko disagreed...



It was weird... as soon as he started yelling at me (I suppose I use the term "yelling" loosely...) my finger hit the record button to stop the camera. It wasn't that I was scared, it was more out of shock that he acknowledged my existence. The entire time, he ignored the cameras and fans as he warmed up, so as I was shooting him, it was more like watching him on TV. When he suddenly looked up and told me to knock it off... it was like having a tiger at the zoo glare at you and say, "move along, ya jackass!" Totally unexpected. Clearly, I'd never make it as a TMZ cameraman (and to be honest, I don't see that as a bad thing).

Once our sports guy arrived, he filled me in on Kobe's recent events in the media... which is probably what he was talking to those guys about (he was fined that same day). Whoops.


In the end, the Kings lost in overtime and Kobe didn't beat me up. Will they stay or will they go? It's still up in the air (as of press time). But if nothing else comes from this night, at least I can claim that I had an "exclusive 1-on-1 interview with Kobe Bryant."

Twister!

So we were preparing a fun little tale about a dog stolen from an animal shelter (with security video!), when word came across the wire that a twister had touched down a few miles from our location. "Holy crap!" I eloquently proclaimed as I grabbed my reporter and ran for the live truck. After the beast had passed, we slowly climbed out to survey the damage, and it was brutal.

BAM!! Fence knocked down!

POW!! Tree into salon!

SHAM!! Another fence knocked down!

WOAH BITCH! Roof panels fell off!

As I surveyed what remained of the Fairfield suburb, I stumbled across a NOAA storm chaser. "Good sir!" I pleaded. "Tell me, what brand of madness has devastated this humble burb?!

He explained to me that a tornado had indeed touched down. A devastating EF-ZERO tornado. Thinking back to that Jan de Bont film that I watched as a child about a disaster... what was it called? Speed 2: Cruise Control? Anyway, I seemed to remember that the big tornadoes were EF-FIVE or something? EF-ZERO doesn't sound nearly as cool (unless it involves some sort of futuristic racing!). Upon hearing that, my dreams of beginning a career as a TV storm chaser were dashed. It was brutal.

But it's just as well, cuz I don't really like getting rained on (once those socks get damp, they ain't gettin' dry till you get home). Oh well, back to stolen dogs I guess.

Red Rocker Back in the Sac

Yesterday, I was driving back from Ceres after a live shot... a good 90 mile (or so) drive. After a jolt, the CHECK ENGINE light came on in my Jeep, and the engine sounded like it was struggling. It seemed unable to shift into the higher gears, becaue driving at 60 MPH was putting it into 6000 RPM... the red zone! I litterally COULD NOT DRIVE 55... and it took forever to get back to the station. This is a true story.

The following day... Sammy Hagar made an appearance in Sactown (technically Roseville) for a book signing. Coincidence? I think not...

And when the Red Rocker comes to town, the people come out IN FORCE! Hundreds of people lined up in what might have been the worst weather of the past year... wind, rain, even tornadoes here and there... to catch a quick scribble from Van Hagar himself. One guy even flew in from Washington for this event. Damn.

But then, Sammy is no stranger to the Sactown region. You may remember his appearance at Raley Field last Memorial Day? It was good to get re-acquainted with the guy... although he wasn't available for an interview before the signing (AKA he didn't get a chance to chat with the Yellow Rocker Alfonzo Beta). Oh well, perhaps on his next visit.

Sure... Dan Aykroid, Chuck Liddell and Amy Smart made time to chat with him... but I'm sure Sammy's a busy man.

But no hard feelings, it was great to see Mr. Cabo Wabo himself in town (I went "way down South" years ago to his club in Cabo.... I can honestly say it was the most excellent quesadella I've ever had), and I would be more than happy to step out on the town and see him again. Perhaps next time he can scribble that lil' John Hancock across everybody's favorite yellow local celebrity.

Until next time, Sammy... we'll be waiting!

The (Simulated) Force

The Force isn't something you mess around with. It requires great training and discipline, for with great power comes great responsibility.

That's why Modesto PD brought their Force Options Simulator to town. Time to train some officers in the ways of the Force!

This big rig video game allows officers to play through a variety of scenarios while equipped with a gun, a tazer and pepper spray. Perched in the back of the truck is a mysterious puppet master, who watches and listens to the officer's performance and, with a stroke of the key, can change the situation from calm to hairy.

I was invited to give this training program a little go-round today. Fortunately, I've been training for this day since my early childhood days of playing Hogan's Alley on Nintendo.

So I climbed into this virtual reality trailer and faced off with... an intoxicated homeless woman wielding a pipe. And damnit, I wasn't about to back down! I AM THE LAW!

So yeah, suppose I'm not Force material. But hey, that lady won't be stealing my cans anytime soon! Case closed.

Land of Milk and Potatoes

I've never been one to turn down an adventure, and I've found that one of the quickest and easiest ways to find yourself on an adventure is to strap a board to your feet and hurl yourself down a mountain. Ever since I was 10 years old, I've been tearing up the slopes of Lake Tahoe (although it took several years before I really figured out how to do it (and stopped complaining to my dad for making me)). But eventually I caught on and it became one of my favorite adrenalin sources to tap into.

So a few years back, I decided that I was gonna start seeking adventure by way of throwing myself down the side of this country's finest mountains. 2 years ago, I ventured out to Beaver Creek in Colorado, opened the mountain with Ski Patrol, and tore that rocky crag to pieces.

What, that's all you had to offer? That John Denver's full of shit, man! Although I will say that Beaver Creek's ridiculous altitude certainly made the booze kick in quickly! Hoo-wee!

The following year, my mission for adventure drove me out to the snowy lands of Snowbird in Utah. I had to dodge a few Mormons and consume an abundance of low-alcohol beer in order to find that adventure, but damnit I wasn't about to be stopped!

For all it may lack, Utah certainly makes up for it in vertical dropage!

So for year 3 (or 4 if you include Tahoe), I made my out to the land of milk of honey: Sun Valley, Idaho.

I gotta say, this place is amazing. I always thought that Tahoe was great, but imagine Tahoe without any lines, without douchey snowboarders and without the traffic. After January's trip to Northstar (with at least a 30 minute wait at each lift), this place was such a breath of fresh air! Everybody seemed to be old and skiers, but that just means that nobody is going to be crashing into you after doing something stupid.

All the lodges were gorgeous too, and held a real sense of history. It felt like this old place (celebrating its 75th anniversary this year) was what all the other ski resorts were modeling their new develoments after. Just a really awesome place to hit the slopes.

So with that, I check off another state that I've adventured in, and slap another ski patch on my snowboard bag. Mission: Accomplished.

So what's next? I hear there may be a trip to Ol' Canada in the works for 2012. Oh yeah, we're going international... all in the name of adventure!