You just can't go wrong on a Monday when your story involves a very sweet pooch and loads of grateful people.

Alain's owner (although 'who owns whom' is probably the other way around judging by how quickly Alain had all of us wrapped around his paw)... anyway, Alain's owner Tom mentioned he was a member of the Delta Society. I "googled" it when I got back to work and found this link:

http://deltasociety.org/home.htm

Looks like they have Pacific Northwest roots which is always nice to hear.

Here's to Ed Eby getting better soon. His condition is still quite serious, but stable. And when you've been in the hospital for three months-- stable is a good thing!!

Spelling Bee update... yep, I still can't spell.

I didn't go out first like I had planned, but went out second (probably only because I was farther down the line-up). I couldn't spell fascism correctly.

BUT WHAT A HOOT. Who says "hoot" anymore these days? I would participate in that event again in a heartbeat. I sat next to Nicole Vogel with the Portland Monthly magazine and Steve Patterson with the Blazers. They were great fun to sit by-- even if it was only for about 5 minutes. :-)

http://www.schoolhousesupplies.org/index.htm

I have to show you the really thoughtful cards some of the school children made for me:

(HI to the first graders in Mrs. Barcelona's class at Kelly School!)

and:

and my favorite (because if you look off to the right you can see where the teacher translated for me, haha!!)

Wow: one whole blog without the "c" word. Nice going, Steph.
Email me: Stephanie Stricklen

Posted by Stephanie Stricklen at 4:09 PM | Permalink

This is the shirt I made to wear tonite to the celebrity spelling bee that benefits Schoolhouse Supplies:

http://www.schoolhousesupplies.org

When I signed on, I told the gal here at work that I can't spell. She told me not to worry... it was all for fun. "Great," I said.

And then two days later the organizer sent me a 1,000 word list, a dictionary, and a copy of Akeelah and the Bee.

Most of the words I have never heard of and can't use in a sentence. Rote memorization would be the only way to pull this off. I did some quick math and figured out that I'd have to memorize about 50 a day to get it done in time. That's when I decided I'd just take the pressure off everyone else and shoot for going out on the first round.

In all honesty, I am excited about tonite. It will be fun and it's all for a good cause. I just hope the other contestants haven't decided to adopt the "go-out-fast-and-furious" strategy or else it will be the fastest and most boring spelling bee E-V-E-R.

Okay.. look at this little cutie (I didn't say "cute" so this doesn't count toward my weekly allotment of the word). His name is Pad and no matter how many photos I took of him he kept closing his eyes. Slowly.

Finally, I must have looked pretty confused because his mom (who was a little ways away) said, "Oh yeah, does he have his eyes closed?"

"Yeah, it's weird. Everytime I go to take a picture he closes his eyes" I said.

"He's afraid of the flash."

Email me: Stephanie Stricklen

Posted by Stephanie Stricklen at 4:58 PM | Permalink

It's like Big Brother but actually way, way cool and not creepy at all... of course, I'm talking about tonite's story on the OHSU/Intel partnership.

Here's just a sampling of the sorts of devices they are working on:

~~Computer games that can tell if you are experiencing cognitive decline.

~~Canes that send feedback on well you are using them (like if you're off balance).

~~Walkers that will remind you to use them if you forget.

~~Chairs that can tell how long you've been a couch potato (which is important to determine a person's overall health).

~~Medicine trays that will alert you if you pop open the wrong day or take your medicine at the wrong time.

~~Beds that can tell how soundly you are sleeping.

~~Location devices that can tell if you are moving around with purpose, aimlessly, or not at all.

You get the idea. And the grant that Intel gave OHSU helps researchers bring this technology from the lab right into the homes of about 20 to 30 qualified seniors.

Read the release here: http://www.ohsu.edu/ohsuedu/newspub/releases/012407aging.cfm

Now, I'm not in a position to tell you if you're qualified or not.. but I can point you in the right direction:

Call OHSU's "ORCATECH" @ 503-494-7198

ORCATECH is the name of the program and stands for: ORegon Center for Aging & Technology
Or email here: orcatech@ohsu.edu
Or check out the website here: http://www.orcatech.org

Pictures, pictures!!

Okay, I said it was Ed on a Sled, but it's really Ed on a Saucer. Ed on a Sled just rhymed. :-)

And here is that photo of the new Dr. McDreamy!! His name is Jack and he's a relatively new addition to my friends' Jodie and Eric's clan:

CUTE. There, I said "cute" like I always do but this time I did it in ALL CAPS which is like cute squared... or super-cute.. or cute with an extra shot of espresso.

Tomorrow... the funniest little kid I ran into while I was on snow coverage-- and I've got the photos to prove it AND why Chance and Drake now have me rethinking my puppy-policy (whoops-- it's 4:45pm and this chicka needs makeup!!)

Gotta scoot. Email me:Stephanie Stricklen

Posted by Stephanie Stricklen at 4:27 PM | Permalink

((Wow, I only used the word "cute" three times in this blog. I'm making progress on finding a new crutch-word.))

Gotta love a nice sunny day in January, especially since we get them so rarely!

So, I'm on special projects today. With my shoot schedule and the President's State of the Union Address I won't be on the air tonite. BUT, I do have some photos that I want to post!!!

Check out my co-workers cute cute dog Moose (and he is about as big as a Moose so he is appropriately named).

Moose misses the snow. I do not. :-)

Amy writes to tell me she really likes Scott's photos.. and she even started her own blog which I checked out (cute kids Miss Amy!!). Well, I have these for you:

THANKS SCOTT!!!

My friend Stacy just found this blog ((naw, I don't insist that my friends check it out)). She just adopted an adorable new dog and sent me this picture. Cody is the yellow one and Gretchen has been with Stacy for more than a year.

And John is new to this blog... I thought I'd introduce him to you. Hi John!!

Still to come (hopefully tomorrow) "Ed on a Sled" and my good friend Jodie and Eric's new Dr. McDreamy! AND, why blog buddy Joe says a Joe Becker snowman would be easier to make than a Stephanie Stricklen snowman. Any guesses anyone??

:-D <-- sideways smiley face for those of you who wonder what that is...

Email me: Stephanie Stricklen

Posted by Stephanie Stricklen at 3:14 PM | Permalink

I am just wiped.

So pooped after this week.

This long week of nutty hours, sad stories, and snow coverage.

Thank Goodness It's Friday!

I don't have a health entry this time but I can update the firefighter story... Heather sent me this update:

Hi Stephanie!

The beginning group weight for CCFD#6 was 6062. Their week 1 results were 5983 and week 2 were 5968 for a total of 94 lbs lost or 1.6% of total weight lost. VFD's initial group weight was 7630. Their week 1 results were 7486 and week 2 were 7446 for a total of 184 lbs lost or 2.4% of total weight lost. So, VFD is currently in the lead!

Heather

Way to go Vancouver Fire!!!!!!!!!!!

A big HELLO to Dennis who just found this blog and likes it (which makes me super happy to hear). Very kewl he said... :-)

Marsha likes my earplug idea and wishes other people carried them as well to cut down on ear-splitting concerts (no, I'm not being lame. Barry was VERY loud.) And she wanted you all to know you can find bags of earplugs for cheap at big one-stop-shopping stores.

Terry and Nancy like the down-do I've been sporting for weather coverage. Yeah, truthfully I won't make it a part of the daily mix because most of the time I'm running around and don't have time to tame it. You have to keep in mind you always see it down.......... when I'm wearing a hat! Now, if they'd let me wear a hat everyday...... :-)

Debi says most any person who leaves a water bottle in the freezer will have it explode all over the place so that confirms I must have somehow picked the one with super-strength plastic!

One reader sent me a picture of a snow couch that the neighborhood kids built.

Wait, where is the snow-TV?

And while the couch is cool and all.. it just can't hold a candle to my friend Kris's kids. I mean come on: CUTE! I wish I could upload voicemails from my phone. Tristan leaves me the most adorable messages. He knows a lot of people who are on TV so Kris thinks he will grow up thinking everyone is that way.

And Kiernan I sort of helped name in a total accidental way. Okay, actually I only contributed one extra letter (the "n") when I made a mistake writing down his name and everyone was like, "Ooh, I like it"... but I love to take total credit for it.

Rob sent me an email asking if the higher-ups know I have this much fun at work (on my blog, posting pictures that kind of stuff...) Well, I'm not going to say anything if you don't.....

And finally, my friend Kristi works for basketball great and all around awesome guy Baron Davis and told me about a website where you can vote for him for the NBA All-Star game. Well, when I first clicked on the link like a million names popped up and different positions they play-- that kind of stuff and I had a small moment when I panicked. See, I have about 0% sports knowledge. Well, Baron and Kristi... maybe you'll be happy to see this. One vote at a time, right?

And Scott up in the Gorge sent me another cool picture of his furry visitors but I'm saving that so I have something fun to post Monday.

Happy Friday everyone. :-)

Please do email me. Really. I mean it. I love getting them.
Stephanie Stricklen

Posted by Stephanie Stricklen at 3:04 PM | Permalink

You don't really think about firefighters potentially carrying around spare pounds.

Nor do you usually think about firefighters dying more frequently from heart attacks than fighting fires, but it's true.

So, that's why Monday's 5pm story on those Vancouver/Clark County firefighters is so important (and fun since they came up with the "Biggest Loser" competition as a way to get them motivated).

The contest just started a few weeks ago and lasts 12 weeks. I don't know who is winning in terms of weight loss right now, but Heather tells me she'll keep me posted and I'll share it here. They are doing it on a percentage basis since the city has more participants.

As for the fitness tests they take-- those happen once a year. And, yes, firefighters are a fit bunch. But just like in many professional sports... it is possible to get the job done and STILL carry extra pounds. But like Devon said.. when you are in the best possible shape you use oxygen more efficiently and it allows you to fight a fire longer and not rely on other firefighters to pick up your slack.

Hey-- Ken Coleman stuff now. He just got his website done. You can visit it here:

http://kencolemanonline.com/

He's a Northwest native so if you want him to come speak to your group-- that website is the way to go to get in touch with him.

Photo time!!

In the land of boring "props" I wanted you to see my failed attempt to demonstrate what happens when water freezes in a pipe.

My plan was to use that at 10 and 11pm Saturday night. I normally don't work but got called in. Anyway, water expands about 10% when it turns to ice which is why winterizing the pipes around your house is so important. I thought it would make a good visual to have a busted icy water bottle to show that.

Only I didn't count on the plastic being so flexible. It's all warped and everything but it's not cracked. Zzz.

And here is me as I write this.

Debi, you mentioned you like the thermometer I use. Well, it's telling me it's 70 degrees inside here but I don't buy it. That or I'm getting sick.

Another Monday more than halfway done. YAY!

Email me: Stephanie Stricklen

Posted by Stephanie Stricklen at 12:59 PM | Permalink

Debi.... this is for you.

I LOVED Barry!! Had a great time! I only knew three of his songs, but I did know most of his cover tunes (Beatles, Elvis) but was pretty impressed at how well he works the crowd. And the fervor of those Fanilows! It's like a religious experience for them. My friend Jenny is among them and we had these great seats and the smile on her face when he'd get close. Happy, happy girl.

They gave us these glowsticks to crack open and I kid you not... mine glowed for like 72 hours. When I get them at the store they die after like 5 hours. What's the deal with the nuclear-powered Barry Manilow glowsticks?

And, in what I can only find amusing... these are the earplugs that now live in my purse. I put them in there first thing the next morning after Barry's show. I thought I was going to lose my hearing. Of all the shows and concerts I go to... Barry's was the one that led me to now carry earplugs. :-)

Okay- it's 10:45 on a Saturday night. I'm on-call so it looks like it's my weekend to work. I ran around all over the place, from Tualitin to Banks and back. And in about 20 minutes I get to go home and conk out on the couch watching my recorded cooking shows. Hopefully I'll have some health stuff to post soon. I've been doing a lot of special reports stuff lately which takes me out of the daily mix.

Have a great rest of your weekend!!
Email me: Stephanie Stricklen

Posted by Stephanie Stricklen at 10:24 PM | Permalink

It's Monday.

Bleck. :-P

But, this was very interesting so it made my Monday move along more quickly!! So, you've probably either seen or read the stem cell stuff coming from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Here is the press release from the University that spells out more details:

http://www1.wfubmc.edu/news/NewsArticle.htm?Articleid=2020

And here is a link to the Oregon Stem Cell Center at OHSU:

http://www.ohsu.edu/oscc/mission.php

That'll do it for me! I'm off to see Barry Manilow tonite. Yup, you read it right-- Barry. My friend Jenny is one of those "fanilows" and so we're going and have great seats. She is so excited I think she'll collapse when she sees him. One of the guys in the newsroom here, Rick, has tickets too and keeps singing Copacabana. Nice.

Email me: Stephanie Stricklen

Posted by Stephanie Stricklen at 4:06 PM | Permalink

Yes, I am a fan of the all-caps writing for emphasis and normally just bang out these blogs and then go back after-the-fact and fix all the CAPS that I seem to love so much.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

(That one was okay. Maybe I'll leave them in today so you can see what I'm talking about.)

I've never been a big New Year's Eve resolution person although it seems like fewer people are these days. That, or people have just stopped asking me what my New Year's resolution is because they're tired of me not playing along.

But my perceptions aside, resolutions ARE a big deal for a lot of people. And one of the most popular time-after-time is losing weight. You can check out the goverment's list of most popular resolutions here:

http://www.firstgov.gov/Citizen/Topics/New_Years_Resolutions.shtml

Dietitian Kimra Hawk with Providence St. V's says there is one small way you can make a big difference in how successful you are in losing weight: one small change at a time.

If you tell yourself, 'I am going to exercise every single day and run 4 miles and not have any desserts' then you are very likely to fail. But if you tell yourself that today you will take the stairs, and tomorrow you will park far away from the store's entrance so you have to walk, etc etc... you are more likely to SUCCEED! Baby steps. So, I won't get all over my own case for basically not working out over the holidays and instead just try to get in three workouts a week (that's reasonable for me). But if I go twice then that's success. Next goal: add more fruit to my lunch!

Email me: Stephanie Stricklen

My blog buddy Joe emailed me about eating chicken feet (see my previous post). That is something I actually haven't tried. I have had those 1,000 year old eggs:
http://ask.yahoo.com/20011114.html

Random photo.. handwritten note from my friend Ang after we went to see Wicked when the show was in town. Sits on my desk here at work.

If you've seen the show you get the card which is why it's so super-cute (I almost took a photo of our new anchor/reporter Wayne but he just got here and I don't want to make the poor guy too uncomfortable. Maybe tomorrow.)

Posted by Stephanie Stricklen at 2:15 PM | Permalink