Like New York City, the news business never sleeps. Even in the wee hours of the morning the WVEC newsroom is humming with activity: from scanners to producers and reporters and technical staff working to get the next show on the air....the television news biz is 24 hours. When the rest of the world is taking a holiday, there are still at least a handful of staffers in our building, working.
I long ago accepted the fact that my job doesn't fall in the general category of "normal" and that a 9-to-5 workday is a mythical creature not unlike a unicorn. I love what I do so much that I don't mind working the holidays, especially if it means my co-workers with kids can get some quality family time in.
This year, I'll be working Thanksgiving again...the only difference is that my family will be 3000 miles away and not a 3 hour drive. But, don't cry for me, because although my Thanksgiving will involve quality time in a live truck...it will also involve my best friend.
Laura and I met in our freshman year at Cal State Long Beach in chemistry class and have been attached at the hip ever since. She grew up in Redding, California. When I started my first job in tv in that city, I actually lived with her parents to save money (small market, tiny salary).
This September, Laura called me....and she had a plan. She said she was making a trip to Hampton Roads (her first!) to spend Thanksgiving with me, so I wouldn't be alone.
On November 22nd, when we're eating our Thanksgiving pizza... (Neither of us can cook, and we once accidentally set macaroni and chesse on fire. No joke.) ...I know exactly what I'll be thankful for: great friends who go that extra mile. Or 3000.
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