Today I’m trying something different for my journal.

I’m going to write today’s journal while Andy and I edit this coming Saturday night’s show. Never done this before. I swear. And way too much by the way. (I seriously need to get a grip on my potty mouth issue.)

Anyway, we’re in a dimly lit room on the second floor of WCNC. (It’s dimly lit so we can easily focus on the three flat-screen monitors in front of us.) Carolina Traveler Intergalactic Headquarters (CTIH) and the 6News department and all the hub-bub are downstairs. Up here it’s quiet and orderly… 100% in the opposite direction from the Carolina Traveler crew.

Andy and I are sitting in a brand-new fancy-schmancy high definition editing suite working on the show open (the first fast-paced 45 seconds off the top of the show designed to make you beg for more). Another creative editing guru Bobby Rettew is sitting next to Andy and they’re talking “video parameters,” …whatever that is. Behind them are Jason Pallante (Carolina Traveler promo wiz kid… he makes the CT commercials you see on WCNC all week leading up to each show) and Jon Wicker (graphics art genius… he created and developed the new CT graphics package you’ll see for the first time Saturday night).

There’s a lot of excitement in this room today because we’re debuting four all new Carolina Traveler shows this November starting Saturday night… and we all want a sneak peak at how everyone’s efforts are blending together.

Andy, Bobby, Jason, Jon and I are all “creative” types. We don’t like schedules or rules… or math. Yet everything we “create” is a slave to digital codes, computer programs and the rest of the technical world of television in which we all work. It’s an unavoidable love-hate relationship. For example: I love to write but I hate when people let their dogs drop terds in my yard and then don’t bag the feces like they promised to when they signed the homeowners covenant (Okay, so I like one rule.). Wait. I’m supposed to hate something digi-technical to make that analogy work. How about, ummm, OH! I hate filling out expense reports! Perfect.

So back to our dimly lit room…. Basically you have a handful of creative types praying like mad the technical gizmotry (new word) will let us have our fun. I’m also praying no one ate cabbage for dinner last night. It’s a small room.

There’s a short video clip of the room and the five “creative types” doing our thing somewhere on this website. Click here to watch the video.

My job is “DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING!” I sit in the back of the room and make suggestions when I don’t like something and nod approvingly when I do…. and nod off when I get bored. Which happens more than you think.

Every once in a while I bark something like, “When my name comes on the screen can you make it bigger and flash on and off, on and off, on and off?” Then I go back to sleep.

I know most of you don’t own a hi-def TV (neither do I) so you’re probably wondering why do I care if CT is in hi-def for November. I can tell you this… it’s still a better picture and a wider field of view even if you have regular definition TV. You see more from side to side and it’s just plain clearer.

Plus on the tight shots of me you’ll notice I’m getting some grey hairs around my temples. I’ll probably regret this some day but right now I take great pride in my grey hairs. I feel I’ve earned them. A 46-year-old man should have some grey hairs.

Sure. In a year I’ll be dying my hair jet black, buying $350.00 jeans and hitting the clubs to recapture my youth. Lord save us all.

Uh-oh. Andy is trying to do math. CLEAR THE ROOM, PEOPLE! WE GOT A MATH PROBLEM HEAR! SILENCE, PLEASE! Hmmm, he’s adding up how many minutes and seconds the show is to make sure we don’t over-run our time slot Saturday night. This is always entertaining.

Gee, I really wish I could help but I’m going to pretend I’m sleep. I have to, yawn, go now.

Zzzzzzzz...