Jerzei Collie's journal

I was looking at past DreamWidth and LiveJournal entries and was surprised by how much has changed. Back in May 2018, I was still working at KRCC, I had had just begun applying to work for various delivery companies and my mom was still alive. Ten years ago, I used my tax refund to buy the laptop I'm currently using. Fifteen years ago, I was a news writer for the local office of Metro Networks in addition to working at KRCC, and I was looking forward to a Halloween singles cruise later that year.

I'm brewing a pot of coffee at the moment. I wanted to finish off the pitcher of "Purple Rain" vodka lemonade tonight, but I'll save half of it for the end of Doggy Radio. The pitcher had more servings left than I expected!

A staff member from the station I applied at called me today to get more information about my background. He asked me to send more written and audio examples of my news work. I forget where I stored my old news reports from Metro Networks, but I have a photo of a Denver report from September 2008. I'll combine that with a few national stories from that time and record one or two news briefs.

KRCC's membership drive will likely wrap up this weekend. This is the first drive in a long time where I wasn't constantly stressed out during my Saturday/Sunday shifts. So many positive things have happened in my life since last October, and I made sure to get enough rest and nourishment before each shift. Breakfast for the morning shift usually arrives/is made around 7:30, but I used to feel grumpy when I came to work at 6:00 on an empty stomach. Having a light snack before work alleviated that.

Speaking of so many positive things happening in my life, my 10-year anniversary on LiveJournal will be in a few weeks. Back in May 2005:

* I was still living with my parents since I couldn't afford an apartment.

* I was recovering from an April 2005 auto accident. I had broken my right knee, right ankle and left wrist.

* I worked two jobs: Board operator/announcer at KRCC-FM (which I still do today) and news writer at Metro Networks (2001-2008.)

* I hadn't heard of the "furry fandom" until the following year, but I liked to pretend I was a dog ever since I was a teenager.

* I created the LJ account mainly to comment on a Web comic (Purple Pussy) that shut down a few months later.

Today I live in a condo (though my dad had to buy it for me,) the Subaru Impreza I bought after totaling my previous car is still in great condition, I haven't broken any bones since then, and I'm debt-free. I set up accounts with MySpace, Twitter, Facebook and Fur Affinity. MySpace is the only account I haven't updated recently.

After arriving at my new job today, all the new employees were told we would actually be starting tomorrow because a client was visiting the office today. My sleeping pattern last night was a bit erratic. Between 5:30 and 7:00, I kept waking up every 10-15 minutes.

EDIT: As I mentioned on Twitter my new workplace (2860 S. Circle Dr.) is just two buildings away from my former office at Metro Networks (2864.)

Ah crap! I forgot the vice presidential debates were going to delay tonight's newscast. I'm recording the news at home, but I hope the work VCR was able to catch the first 2-3 stories.

I'm back to just doing audio stories for Colorado Springs. I hope the station which provides my audio actually has a decent assortment this week.

I should be all right sleep-wise this week. I slept for 3 hours after getting home from work, got up for a few hours, then went back to sleep for about 6 hours.

Rep. Mark Udall's last name sounds like "You Doll."

New "slogans" for the Kum Back Lunch in Perry, OK (see one of my earlier posts):
Kum Back Lunch...Home of the Footlong
Kum Back Lunch...Our sausage gravy will melt in your mouth
Kum Back Lunch...You'll kum more than once
Kum Back Lunch...New back door entrance

I wonder if the Kum Back Lunch is like this...

The Denver boss at Metro called me earlier today to tell me I no longer need to do news summaries for Colorado Springs. That duty will now be handled by the main office in Phoenix. I still have to do audio stories, as well as news and sports summaries for Denver.

As of midnight, there are ten days (eight workdays) left until Metro closes this office. I've been looking at this two ways: a prisoner who's about to be set free and a prisoner about to be executed. I look forward to having a bit more free time, but not the struggle to search for a job. If I don't find anything in radio, news or TV, I'll accept anything I qualify for. I just want a full-time wage and insurance.

Mike at KRCC told me there weren't any weekday openings. However, he said I could fill in for other board operators/DJs if they need a substitute. That could give me a little extra money in the days before the cruise.

Today and October 3rd are my last Metro paydays. I actually managed to get some rest before work, and I got all my reports and audio stories on the wire before 5:00. Yay for not having any complaint calls! I wonder if the CD drive in the work computer is read/write or read-only. I'd like to transfer the summaries I have saved on the work computer to disc as a kind of archive for my work.

I went to print my resume yesterday, but I found it was about 1-1/4 pages long after updating it. I re-typed some parts and reduced the font from 12-point to 11-point to fit everything on one page.

Freddie offered to call some of my co-workers to see if they'd be interested in either joining Primerica or having the free financial analysis done.

I just found one of my stories on the Metro wire was translated into Spanish.

>>Frontier To Charge For First Checked Bag

(Denver, CO) -- Frontier Airlines will soon begin charging for all checked bags. In June, Frontier began charging 25-dollars for a second checked bag. Starting November 1st, the Colorado-based airline will charge 15-dollars for the first bag. Aviation expert Mike Boyd says air fares have been unable to keep up with fuel costs, so creating new fees is a way to deal with the problem. Boyd says the fees will likely remain even as revenues are forecast to go up next year. Airline officials say passengers with a certain flying status and military personnel will not be charged for any bags.

>>Frontier Cobrará Por Primera Maleta Registrada

(Denver, CO) -- La aerolínea Frontier comenzará pronto a cobrar por todas las maletas registradas. En junio, Frotier empezó a cobrar 25-dólares por la segunda maleta registrada, pero a partir del 1 de noviembre los pasajeros también tendrán que pagar 15-dólares por la primera maleta. El experto de aviación Mike Boyd dice que las tarifas aéreas no han estado siendo suficientes para compensar los costos del combustible, y que crear tarifas adicionaeles es una forma de abordar el problema. Los oficiales de la línea aérea indican que pasajeros con cierto estatus de vuelo y el personal militar estarán exentos de la medida.

My boss told me I would be receiving a severance package including a month or so of pay, plus credit for my unused vacation time. I need to ask him if the company will give me COBRA (health insurance for the unemployed.) I also need to find out if the Denver news I need to do next week has to include audio stories, and what stations' Web sites can provide the audio (I no longer receive the Denver stations via cable since I switched to DirecTV.)

What is it about the end of a presidential term that causes companies to start laying off people? I was laid off from my last job in early-2000, at the end of the Clinton administration. Now I'm out at the end of Bush's term. The two of them should star in a sitcom together: "Bubba & Dubya." It could be a take-off of "The Odd Couple" or "Laverne & Shirley."