Ain't Life Grand?

Life has an unusual way of working it’s self out. I find that sometimes everything goes according to plan; I am on-top of the world, thanking my lucky stars. But then there are some, more than I would like, occasions when everything derails and catches me completely off guard. That is when it dawned on me I have learned my life lesson number…2,675. Not an exact number but I feel there are about 100 per year of my life, the other 675, just added them for fun. As you all know I have been trying relentlessly to land my “dream” reporting job. I have spent hundreds of dollars, took internships after my college graduation to gain additional experience, making $2 an hour, and created a website to sell myself even more. I have poured all my efforts and energies into getting a job that would not only fulfill me, but make my parents and family proud.
Well this story is not about my pity, it actually has a different purpose all together. The internship I was working at offered my a full-time position. It is not exactly what I had hoped for when I accepted my diploma in front of thousands of people last year, but it’s something. Now I have begun thinking more about the path that I have taken. Maybe broadcasting for a news station is NOT my destiny. Maybe I had to take an internship to gain this knowledge… or maybe this is just a transitional stepping stone for me. I don’t know. But I do know that whatever the reason, I am learning to take things as they arise. To think that I almost turned down the internship in hopes of a job in Colorado, but I stuck it out and now things are coming together. I feel like for once I can breathe and have finally made the transition from college student, to unemployed, to full-time reporter for Arizona Capitol Television. Life is funny! I guess the moral is, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.”

If you want to check out my website... KristinaSawicki.com

It's Out!

I have sent out my tapes and now I wait.

In the mean time I am working on Solana. The world's largest solar power plant being built in Gila Bend, AZ. It's about 70 miles outside out Phoenix and it is a billion plus project. Like always, I will keep you up-to-date and post my story when it's finished!

Have a great week.

News Reel

Vibes

I am getting vibes... The ones you know you hate, but you are forced to do something about. The type of vibes that keep your mind wondering all through the night. The ones that keep you occupied even when you have nothing to do. You know what I am talking about... and I have them full swing!

And the reason for the vibes that are pulsating through me like gasoline... It's getting near that time! Time to apply for a job.

Technically I am working right now, a full-time job at that, but it is a temporary placement until May. I gave myself some personal deadlines- and the more and more I look at my calendar, the closer the deadlines are approaching. I have to send out five resume tapes by March 15Th. It may seem like I have a little while until my deadline, but actually it's just a few weeks away!

And the closer it gets the more uneasy I feel. I hated the rejection that I was faced with the last time. It does something to your ego when you just keep hearing NO. And although this time around I am feeling much more confident in my abilities... I have stronger stories, a new tape and am learning everything I need to know about the news business, plus the government, on top of meeting deadlines and digging for stories.

I just have the vibe rumbling in my heart again. And its telling me to get my hard hat on, cause it's not going to be any easier this time around.

On to something new

My next story is the CASA Program. Haven't heard of it? Well you're not alone. I hadn't heard of it until a friend told me about it. CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate. Basically, it is a program designed for children who have been placed in the state's hands due to abuse or neglect and are assigned volunteers to be their voice/mentor. I think the program has such a great mission and I couldn't be more pleased to work on the story. I really hope to give the program a voice here at the legislature and get people active in the program.

I am also working on, not as exciting of a story, the traffic cameras throughout Arizona. If you haven't heard of or don't know what I am talking about... Arizona highways and city streets (not all, but the number is growing) are equipped with photo radar cameras, to issue citations for speed or red light running. And a new bill passed a few days ago, permitting 170 more cameras popping up all around Phoenix. I am doing a chain reaction based story, from start to finish, beginning with the actual picture, the ticket, to the fees and classes.

It's not as heart warming as the CASA program, but a side note and interesting point, the Governor of Arizona is proposing that these cameras serve as a tool to balance the budget. I sat in on a meeting the other day and the number of tickets that is needed to balance our budget, if the tickets around $200 a piece, would be a over five hundred thousand... interesting concept to balance the budget???

The Right J.O.B

I have been working like a mad woman... putting together stories, covering the Super Bowl, The Presidential Primaries, and a ton of Legislative meetings. It seems like Monday was just yesterday, oh how time fly’s. But the best news of all, my tape is shaping up, I am improving daily and I am learning all about our government an added *bonus!

Keep up on the Primary race results for yourself, its getting down to the wire...
www.cnn.com/POLITICS/
http://democrats.org/
http://gop.org/

Oh Tuesday

Sad news, my little puppy (Duke) broke his leg today. I have a 3 pound Chihuahua and he jumped off the couch and his leg broke in two places. So needless to say, I have had a very stressful morning. I just got a call from the doctor that his surgery went very well and he'll be coming home tomorrow.

My whole day wasn't stressful- I sat down with both the Democrat and Republican chairs today, to interview them about the Presidential Primaries. Both interviews went really well and now all I have left to do is cover the actual Presidential Primary, next Tuesday.
Lesson of the day: For every bad, there is some good.
Keep you posted on Duke's progress and the Primaries!

Overview

This week was another outstanding week at the Senate, despite the fact I came down with a cold Thursday and am still fighting it off. I have already interviewed Senators and Representatives. I have covered meetings dealing with education, finance and even transportation. The government is a lot more interesting then I was ever anticipating and I cannot wait to share all my discoveries with you! I have arranged an interview with the Republican Chair, January 29Th, and will post my Presidential Primaries story as soon as I am finished. I am going to get more rest and hopefully will fight this cold over then next day or two. Keep you posted-

Shaping Up

The 2008 Presidential Debates have begun and they are getting down to the nitty-gritty. I have been doing my best to follow the candidate's and the polls. I hope that you are all watching and thinking about who you are voting for! It's a BIG ONE!!

I begin working at the Senate tomorrow and I cannot tell you how excited I am. I have been waiting a long time to get into a news room and get my feet wet. I have already thought of a million stories and am praying John McCain goes past the primary election- so I can hopefully score an interview and represent Arizona to its best degree. I have been super busy, that explains why I have not posted in a while, preparing for the Senate.

On a side note... It's the New Year and I know that 2008 has a lot in store, for everyone! And I have to say looking back on 2007, a lot happened, and I feel like it was a tough year for a lot of people. I hope that the economy and the world starts shaping up. Happy New Year and New Beginnings!

Blog What?

You would be so surprised at the power of the Internet. I am sure that you have heard how powerful of a tool the Internet is, but I cannot stress to you enough... its amazing! If you want to be discovered there is YouTube!, there are thousands of blog sites, like this one, and personal pages like, MySpace and Facebook. The cyber world is truly fascinating. Just last week one of my postings was read by the CEO of Entertainment Careers.net, who contacted me about publishing one of my posts on his site. I would encourage anyone in any industry to begin blogging. You would be so surprised at some of the feedback you get from a simple little post. If you are looking for anything to put your name on... put it on the Internet. It is a powerful tool that so many of us can access for free! Use it! But remember to be careful, you never know who is watching.

Irony

I was talking to a friend yesterday, about the entitlement recent grads and college students have. She told me that my generation has a sort of entitlement to them unlike any generations before- they expect things, believe they deserve and are owed things, referring to the students entering the business world. At first I really didn't agree, but after she finished stating her point- she was right! I noticed I did this very same thing. I expected to find a job right out of college. I was going to send my tape out after I graduated and land the perfect job, making lots of money, being the town superstar reporter... then I realized real quick, that is so far from the truth.

I have busted my butt, sent out hundreds of tapes, made a thousand calls, and have had two job offers. One that I turned down, because it just wasn't what I wanted! Wow... what was I thinking? I have a bit of advice to all you recent grads or college seniors. Nobody in this business is going to give you a break, because you're cute, smart or a good writer. It doesn't matter (sure it all helps in the long run), you have got to work hard and start now. Determination comes with success, hard work gets you noticed, and not giving up will get you the job. Take it from me.

The irony of it all... I have finally followed my own advice and now I am going to have to choose a job! What a great feeling!

A few places to get you started...
http://journalismjobs.com
http://entertainmentcareers.net/id/?id=70571

San Diego Wildfires

I have family in San Diego and with the wild fires blazing, I have to say it is very devastating that something so destructive has taken a city down in just a few short days. I was watching the news and it really is just pain sad- I hate watching things destroy peoples lives, especially knowing there is nothing I can do. My prayers go out to all the people, fire fighters, families, pets, and the entire city of San Diego.

A billion dollars in damage and seven reported dead. Not to mention the 1800 homes lost in the blaze. And still thousands more are still in danger of being destroyed.

Thank you to all the firefighters who are risking and saving lives!
Take a look at how much damage has been done.

http://signonsandiego.com/firemap/

Arizona Senate

I got the job!
Today I have my first meeting at the Arizona Senate. I cannot tell you how great it is to be a state reporter covering the many issues facing Arizona and the government. I get to work closely with Senators and Representatives. Plus I will be covering the 2008 election and of course, the progress of Arizona's own, John McCain.

Ready for the Weekend

Well... I cannot tell you how much I enjoy the weekends, even though I am usually working! I enjoy the weekend so much because I get to work on my stories. This weekend I am actually not shooting a story, but am finishing up the Arizona Meth Project story I did last week.

The Suspense Is Killing Me

I find out today or tomorrow about the reporting job in Colorado... and I am so anxious!

I have to admit that I have not been watching the news lately. Which is weird for me considering I am a news junkie. I am always wanting to know what is going on in my city and around the world. But "news people" watch the news in a completely different way then the "average" person. What I mean is, when I watch the news I focus on voices, packages, live shots, how the anchor looks and sounds. Not to criticize, but to learn. I find a reporter and/or anchor that I like and I try my best to learn how they do what they do.

I am a huge fan of Kaley O'Kelley (ABC 15). She is the weather personality, but she used to host Sonoran Living Live, when I started at ABC. She has such a charisma about her that I would watch her intensely when the show was on and try to figure out how she was so comfortable talking to the guests (no matter the subject). What I realized is Kaley would just act like herself. Bubbly, full of energy, and excited for whatever the story was, and that made her and the show great. When I started out reporting, I used to write down questions, spend hours talking out loud, working on my voice, and now I just go where the interviewee takes me. If I get stumped... I revert back to Kaley, and pull out my personality. I too am bubbly, outgoing, full of energy, and it just feels right.

So while I wait to hear the job news... I'll try to watch more news, so when the call comes I am ready! And my personality will pull me through.

http://abc15.com

Life on Track

This weekend I have been working on some stories...

I met with the Maricopa District Supervisor, Don Stapley, yesterday regarding the Arizona Meth Project. I have to tell you that meth is a very devastating drug that is creeping up on our youth. I have really hit the ground running with stories, working on one almost every weekend. I have been so blessed to have the chance to still work on stories and improve my talents day by day. My future endeavor is going to be illegal immigrants here in Arizona. I am trying to find an actual illegal to interview... and get their perspective on coming to the United States. That should be a great story- keep you posted of my progress.

Arizona Meth Project

My next story is on the horrible drug meth. The Arizona Meth Project is launching a huge campaign to keep meth off the streets and out of the hands of the children in Arizona. When I was reviewing the facts about the drug and how it truly destroys peoples lives... I have to tell you it was devastating. It hit home to me, because one of my best friends from my childhood got mixed up with the drug and it ruined her life. It was very hard to see someone you care about make bad decisions because of an addiction, that she tried many times to kick, but just couldn't. Anyway, next weekend I am going to a meth recovery program, similar to the 12 step program of AA, here in the valley and will get the opportunity to listen to others stories and how the drug impacted them. It will be one story that I think many can benefit from and hopefully pass on to others.

http://arizonamethproject.org

Hello!

Hello! My name is Kristina and I want to just say "hello" to all of you who have taken the time to visit my blog. I am no expert on the computer, so I decided to perfect my http:// skills with a personal/professional blog. My girlfriend used this site, so I thought I would give it a try. I just recently graduated from ASU (Arizona State) and let me tell you... it is so much more difficult out in the "real world" then any test I ever had in school. My dream job would be a news reporter/anchor in a small market close to home. I eventually want to end up back in Phoenix as a reporter one day, to be close to my family and friends.