Hello and Happy Monday, gang.
Is anyone else feeling overwhelmed by the images coming out of Haiti? The death and destruction there is so horrific, and the standard of living so poor to begin with - it's hard for most of us to wrap our heads around it. Last week I was riveted by a story I saw on CNN about an 11-year-old girl trapped in the rubble. People had been working for days to free her, but with no luck. They thought it was going to be necessary to amputate her leg in order to get her out, but then crews arrived with new equipment and she was rescued. It was so amazing to watch - the raw emotion in everyone's faces and the elation they felt over the rescue of this child. It's all I could talk about at work. Then on Friday I read that the girl died. Her family got her to a first aid station, but they were told the staff there wasn't equipped to work on her severely injured leg. She passed away before they could make it to a hospital. It's all so heartbreaking. If you feel helpless in situations like these ... don't. Instead, send money or help assemble meals. We've put several links in the "As Seen On 13" section of our website that make it easy for you to make a difference.
Speaking of making a difference ... our "13 Cares" story this week highlights the work of a couple in Honduras. I met them last month when they were home visiting family in Iowa and their passion for helping others is contagious. Honduras is a very poor country - much like Haiti - and the efforts of these folks are helping improve the quality of life for many kids.
As you're thinking about donating money or clothing or time, you might take the time to analyze your budget. Every week Dan Winters brings us great tips in his "Money Savers" reports and I thought last week's was particularly interesting. It highlighted some websites that make creating a budget really easy, and even give you lots of tools to help you stick to it. check out www.mint.com.
I have done a really bad job budgeting my time today, so this will wrap things up for now.
As always, thanks for reading and commenting.
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com
Monday, January 18, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Falling down ... Getting up late ... What the ?!?!
Hello and Happy Monday gang!
Is anyone else just about beside themselves because the weather is improving? It seems crazy, but I am giddy about the twenties. I will probably be euphoric when we hit thirty. During tonight's five o'clock show Ed said "We'll all be saying whooohooo on Wednesday!" No kidding.
Falling Down
There are a lot of reasons to be excited about getting out of the sub-zero temperature range, not the least of which is safety. Parking lots everywhere are like ice rinks and walking across them is more than a little treacherous, particularly if you wear high heels. You're probably thinking, "Who in the world would wear high heels in this weather?!?" The answer is: Erin (sometimes) and Sonya (often). High heeled boots are one thing, but I have seen Sonya tiptoe across sheets of ice wearing crazy, three inch, open toed stilettos. It is amazing. And that's why what happened to her last week is unbelievable. She fell down while wearing snow boots and YakTrax. Even worse ... she was inside. It happened as she was striding through the newsroom, going from carpet to tile. In an instant her feet were up in the air and she came crashing down on her rear. Ouch. Luckily Sonya is still in one piece. I did notice that she's wearing the sky-high heels again today, though.
Getting Up Late
Is there are more rotten way to start the day than by oversleeping? I don't know what kind of coma I was in last week, but I hit the "snooze" button over and over and over one morning. When the time finally registered, I bolted out of bed like my hair was on fire. It was nearly nine o'clock, and the class I teach at the Y starts at 9:20. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I hate that feeling of panic. It sets a terrible tone for the entire day. It's one reason I'm trying to follow three morning rules I heard a talk show doctor talking about recently: 1) As soon as you wake up, stretch. 2) Eat breakfast. 3) Be early. Not on time ... EARLY.
What the ?!?!?
Have you ever had a string of bad luck or unpleasant incidents that leave you screaming, "What next?!?!" That was me at the end of last week. I should know by now to never ask that question or make a statement like "Things can't get any worse...." The short version is that I thought I was having a stroke during the five o'clock news on Thursday. I had a splitting headache, I started having trouble reading, then I couldn't speak and my arms and hands went numb. I was exhibiting such weird symptoms that Sonya and one of our photojournalists took me to the ER. The docs think what I had was an "atypical migraine." I sure hope it's atypical, because it was horrible. I have never had headaches - much less migraines - so this thing scared the snot out of me. I'm hoping it never happens again, though I'm told there are all sorts of triggers and there's no telling for sure what caused this last one. Geesh!
I'm hoping for a drama-free week. No falls, no rushed mornings, no migraines.
Thanks for reading!
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com
Is anyone else just about beside themselves because the weather is improving? It seems crazy, but I am giddy about the twenties. I will probably be euphoric when we hit thirty. During tonight's five o'clock show Ed said "We'll all be saying whooohooo on Wednesday!" No kidding.
Falling Down
There are a lot of reasons to be excited about getting out of the sub-zero temperature range, not the least of which is safety. Parking lots everywhere are like ice rinks and walking across them is more than a little treacherous, particularly if you wear high heels. You're probably thinking, "Who in the world would wear high heels in this weather?!?" The answer is: Erin (sometimes) and Sonya (often). High heeled boots are one thing, but I have seen Sonya tiptoe across sheets of ice wearing crazy, three inch, open toed stilettos. It is amazing. And that's why what happened to her last week is unbelievable. She fell down while wearing snow boots and YakTrax. Even worse ... she was inside. It happened as she was striding through the newsroom, going from carpet to tile. In an instant her feet were up in the air and she came crashing down on her rear. Ouch. Luckily Sonya is still in one piece. I did notice that she's wearing the sky-high heels again today, though.
Getting Up Late
Is there are more rotten way to start the day than by oversleeping? I don't know what kind of coma I was in last week, but I hit the "snooze" button over and over and over one morning. When the time finally registered, I bolted out of bed like my hair was on fire. It was nearly nine o'clock, and the class I teach at the Y starts at 9:20. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I hate that feeling of panic. It sets a terrible tone for the entire day. It's one reason I'm trying to follow three morning rules I heard a talk show doctor talking about recently: 1) As soon as you wake up, stretch. 2) Eat breakfast. 3) Be early. Not on time ... EARLY.
What the ?!?!?
Have you ever had a string of bad luck or unpleasant incidents that leave you screaming, "What next?!?!" That was me at the end of last week. I should know by now to never ask that question or make a statement like "Things can't get any worse...." The short version is that I thought I was having a stroke during the five o'clock news on Thursday. I had a splitting headache, I started having trouble reading, then I couldn't speak and my arms and hands went numb. I was exhibiting such weird symptoms that Sonya and one of our photojournalists took me to the ER. The docs think what I had was an "atypical migraine." I sure hope it's atypical, because it was horrible. I have never had headaches - much less migraines - so this thing scared the snot out of me. I'm hoping it never happens again, though I'm told there are all sorts of triggers and there's no telling for sure what caused this last one. Geesh!
I'm hoping for a drama-free week. No falls, no rushed mornings, no migraines.
Thanks for reading!
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com
Monday, January 04, 2010
Football ... Weather ... Fat Pants
Hello, Happy Monday - and Happy New Year, gang!
How 'bout these bowl games? Of course I'm thrilled that Nebraska finished the season with a win, but I have to admit - I really didn't watch the game very closely. Victory is great, but it's also nice if the contest is a contest. Blowouts are boring. A game I DID watch quite a bit of (particularly the last half) was the Insight Bowl. Congrats to the Cyclones and Coach Rhoads! I know a lot of people are making snide remarks about the "winning" season, but after the past few years everyone should be thrilled for the program and supporting the guy who's helping turn it around. All eyes will be glued to the tube this week to watch the Hawkeyes in the Orange Bowl. Do you have friends or family who've made the trip to Miami? I heard that some hotel rooms were going for nearly $1,000 a night. What?!?!? I love football, and Florida weather sounds really great right now but that is INSANE.
Actually, just about any kind of weather sounds better than what we're experiencing in Iowa right now. When I went to the gym this morning it was one. One. Are you kidding me?!?! And it's supposed to stay like this all week. I hate to put these words on the page, but I really would rather have tons of snow than this kind of bitter cold. It's becoming more and more clear to me why my parents have moved to a warm climate. If you could pick someplace to visit (or live) right now - where would it be? I vote for anyplace south of the equator.
Today I am turning over a new leaf. Since around Thanksgiving I have really been a lazy bum. Couple that with eating and drinking anything and everything, and here I am wearing my fat pants and feeling really disgusting. So I forced myself to get to the Y this morning, although I didn't want to and it was painful. I'm also keeping a food log again. If you've never tried this before, give it a whirl. You'll be amazed how much it helps you behave and really think about what you're consuming - and why. This will sound funny, but part of my motivation is coming from an infomercial I saw last night. I'm not joking. It's for a workout called "P90X." Have you seen it? Watching it made me want to work out. Unfortunately I was seeing it after midnight so I just stayed on the couch with Michael, the cat and my glass of wine. However - I did think about it this morning and it did give me a little "ooomph" to get going. Sometimes seeing a video or reading an article can be the inspiration you need. Not being able to button your pants can help too. Feel free to share your favorite workouts or tell me about your great personal trainer. Sonya and I would like to start a segment for the five o'clock show about health and wellness and we want your input.
Have a great week, and stay warm!!!
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com
How 'bout these bowl games? Of course I'm thrilled that Nebraska finished the season with a win, but I have to admit - I really didn't watch the game very closely. Victory is great, but it's also nice if the contest is a contest. Blowouts are boring. A game I DID watch quite a bit of (particularly the last half) was the Insight Bowl. Congrats to the Cyclones and Coach Rhoads! I know a lot of people are making snide remarks about the "winning" season, but after the past few years everyone should be thrilled for the program and supporting the guy who's helping turn it around. All eyes will be glued to the tube this week to watch the Hawkeyes in the Orange Bowl. Do you have friends or family who've made the trip to Miami? I heard that some hotel rooms were going for nearly $1,000 a night. What?!?!? I love football, and Florida weather sounds really great right now but that is INSANE.
Actually, just about any kind of weather sounds better than what we're experiencing in Iowa right now. When I went to the gym this morning it was one. One. Are you kidding me?!?! And it's supposed to stay like this all week. I hate to put these words on the page, but I really would rather have tons of snow than this kind of bitter cold. It's becoming more and more clear to me why my parents have moved to a warm climate. If you could pick someplace to visit (or live) right now - where would it be? I vote for anyplace south of the equator.
Today I am turning over a new leaf. Since around Thanksgiving I have really been a lazy bum. Couple that with eating and drinking anything and everything, and here I am wearing my fat pants and feeling really disgusting. So I forced myself to get to the Y this morning, although I didn't want to and it was painful. I'm also keeping a food log again. If you've never tried this before, give it a whirl. You'll be amazed how much it helps you behave and really think about what you're consuming - and why. This will sound funny, but part of my motivation is coming from an infomercial I saw last night. I'm not joking. It's for a workout called "P90X." Have you seen it? Watching it made me want to work out. Unfortunately I was seeing it after midnight so I just stayed on the couch with Michael, the cat and my glass of wine. However - I did think about it this morning and it did give me a little "ooomph" to get going. Sometimes seeing a video or reading an article can be the inspiration you need. Not being able to button your pants can help too. Feel free to share your favorite workouts or tell me about your great personal trainer. Sonya and I would like to start a segment for the five o'clock show about health and wellness and we want your input.
Have a great week, and stay warm!!!
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com
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