Support Systems

It's been a rough couple of days.

My dad had a seemingly routine surgery last week to repair a herniated muscle in his stomach. On Wednesday he was re-admitted to the hospital because apparently something went wrong with the original surgery and he wasn't able to use the bathroom. He underwent a second surgery on Thursday, and is currently recovering. But my dad's an old man (no really, he's 73). Having two surgeries in one week in the exact same place is not a walk in the park, and I would imagine the older you are, the harder it is to deal with these complications.

Yesterday my dad was transferred to the ICU for shortness of breath. Since he's not able to use the bathroom, all the gasses in his stomach were pushing up and against his lungs, causing him to have trouble breathing. I was scared. I was scared this whole week. But God has a way of showing us that He's always there, and He always provides.

I don't talk much about my half-brother, but the truth is he's almost a carbon copy of my dad, which is probably why we get along so well. At the beginning of the week it was just me and my dad; now it's me, my dad, my half-brother, and my brother, which lifts such a huge weight off my shoulders. I know I don't have to go it alone, and I can ask and consult my half-brother (since he's much older and has more life experience) on what to do or how to best handle a situation. We can go months without speaking, but talking to him is so easy, when we reconnect it's as if we never stopped. We can openly discuss differences we experienced growing up with our dad as, well, our dad (he is my dad's second child from his first marriage, while I'm the second child of his last marriage), and we understand and truly know our father as the person he is, not as the mean old guy who wouldn't let me out past 10 p.m. on weeknights.

Then there's my small group. God has truly blessed me with these people! It's so refreshing to be able to connect with people who have an active passion and love for God and to be able to talk about everyday issues from a Christian perspective and even discuss questions that we may have about these issues. They are an excellent support group, simply because it's so laid back and unpretentious; I never feel ashamed or embarrassed to say something, even if it's something mean (because we are all haters, haha). ;) To have people who pray for you, even when it's about everyday needs, it's powerful. To be able to give and take Godly advice is powerful. My small group is exactly what I needed after this week.

Throughout this whole ordeal, God has never been far from me. While I waited by myself in the waiting room during my dad's second surgery, I knew I wasn't really alone. I prayed and read psalms and lifted my dad's life up to God, and I didn't feel scared. I was liberated. All my worry was cast upon Him, and it was exactly what everyone talks about at church all the time. I felt a wave of comfort over me, and I gave glory to God as I sat next to my father when he came out of surgery. I just watched him sleep, and thought, Thank you, God, for this man's life. Thank you for choosing him to be my father.

It's not over yet, but I'm praying for God to guide me and my brother and my dad through the next phase, which is his recovery. Please pray as well.

It's so humbling to see God in action.

I lift up my eyes to the hills-
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
--Psalm 121:1-2

The Home Stretch

So this is my last two weeks as an intern at CBS4. Time seems to have gone by way too quickly, but I wanted to give whoever reads this an update as to what's been going on lately.

Next week (Saturday, to be exact) is our Intern Newscast. Basically this is a full thirty-minute newscast produced and performed completely by the interns at WFOR. Obviously, this includes anchors and weather/sports talent. The interns who wanted to be anchors had to submit an audition tape to the intern supervisor, Stephanie. The day I taped my audition, I woke up late, was stuck in traffic and was having an overall bad morning. I wanted to blow dry my hair the night before, but I simply didn't have the time, since I didn't get home from the station the night before until midnight. So that morning I blowdried just the front of my hair (hey, it's all you folks see anyway!) and went over the script about a million times before going in to tape it (we were only allowed to tape it once).

I was "OK" with the outcome. I tried incorporating all the things that Stephanie told me to work on. Let me tell you, anchoring is really not all that simple. You have to constantly be aware of what you're saying, how you're saying it, how your face looks, how your inflection is, and how you're interacting with the viewer. It's exhausting trying to remember all of it! Anyway, I was looking over my tape and I was able to catch one of the photographers, who has been so helpful to me over the course of this internship. He's no-nonsense, in-your face, tell-it-like-it is. I love him. Anyway, I knew he would tell me if something wasn't right..... well, he loved it! I took his word for it, left it up to God and pushed my tape into Stephanie's mailbox.

The following Friday, Stephanie commented on how much she loved my tape. She said she was so impressed with my audition and she thought I did a good job. I'm actually very quiet around the newsroom, so I think this made her even more surprised. The next day I got an e-mail... I made anchor! :)

I was so excited. My hard work had finally paid off! The newscast is on Saturday, and to be honest, I'm a little eager to get it out of the way. I'm pressured to do a good job, because a couple of days after the newscast, there's a watch party which everyone in the newsroom is invited to (this includes, reporters, anchors, and managament...eek!). They'll be able to critique our work and give us pointers on what to improve on. It's so exciting! I still have a lot of work to do on my resume tape, and I'm polishing my resume so that I can give it to the Executive Producer tomorrow. I'm nervous. I really, really need this job. Please continue to pray for me to finish strong and be able to show everyone what I'm capable of. Most of all, pray for this job opportunity. I can't tell you how awesome it would be.

Inspiration

"Along the way someone will tell you that you can't do something or be who you want to be. When that happens, remember to think, 'Oh yeah, watch me.' I did and I showed 'em. I bet you will, too."
-- Ann Curry

Not Enough Hours In The Day...

My weeks have been pretty crazy lately. Last week at CBS, the intern supervisor asked me to help them out at the assignment desk and with producing on Sunday nights (it's been tough for them lately with budget cuts, and I figured it would be a great way for me to get some experience in other parts of the newsroom, not just reporting). I had my first day yesterday, and I enjoyed the experience, as I always do when I'm at the station. I never let myself forget about the fact that I'm extremely blessed to be interning at such a great station with great people who have a tangible passion for what they do.

But it seems like my weekends have been getting shorter lately... I'd love a day off, but it comes down to deciding between taking paid hours off of work, or taking away valuable experience.

Please pray for me and for God to help me stay focused on the larger goal, which is, of course, a possible job at the station, and in the future, a successful career as a reporter. I'm remembering this passage to help me get through:

"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
-- Romans 5:3-5

iNews

Friday was an interesting day at the WFOR newsroom. The new iPhone 3GS came out, and a few producers and reporters were excited about getting their new gadget in the mail. The I-Team producer, Gio, had gone to the Apple store in the Falls to pick up his iPhone.

In the morning editorial meeting, a bunch of producers were discussing the new video capability on the iPhone. The News Director, Adrienne Roark, suggested that Gio get some interviews and sound bytes for the story using the phone.

This is the result. (Keep in mind that this was completely shot using the iPhone. Sound was captured using the Voice Memo capability).

The story's been getting a lot of buzz in the industry lately. The Poynter Institute, a school and resource for journalism, brought it up in a recent blog regarding the impact of technology on citizen journalism. Check it out.

PLUS, for all you iPhone junkies out there, Gio posted a new iPhone challenge on his twitter page. Shoot a video response to his story using YOUR iPhone, and email it to him at gbenitez@cbs.com. Who knows-- it might just be broadcast on the air!

Best Day Ever

Yesterday was probably one of the best days I've ever experienced.

I had the opportunity of heading out on the field with Michael Williams, CBS4's political reporter, a veteran of the news biz (today is his 29th anniversary), and one of my personal heroes in the field. The man is an amazing journalist. But more on that later.

Besides being able to shadow one of my heroes, we headed out to Hialeah Park, where Governor Charlie Crist was taking a tour of the abandoned park. Earlier in the day he signed a gambling bill which hammered out a deal with the Seminole Tribe of Indians for casinos (one of the stipulations in the agreement is that Hialeah Park be revitalized to bring horse racing, and eventually slots and poker, to the historic park.

(Watch Michael's story here)

It was my first real political/photo-op experience, and it was amazing. The energy that this business brings is unreal. Here are some pictures from my BlackBerry:





I didn't really interact too much with the Governor; it was a quick visit. But just watching everything going on around me was such a great experience. And yes, his tan is really that great ;)

I learned so. much... about writing, interviewing, researching, and just journalism and the industry in general. I was so happy to find that Michael Williams is so nice and genuinely helpful; it never felt as if I was bothering him or anything, he was always available to answer any questions I had. As I taped my sign-off for my resume tape, he told me I had a good camera presence, and gave me some tips on writing news stories. Later in the day, he offered to help me get my foot in the door in some smaller markets around Florida, and mentioned that I have a "natural talent". I was floored. This is Michael Williams! I know a lot of you might not know him, but to me, he's huge. I grew up watching him on NBC6!

God has really blessed me in tremendous ways. Just getting this internship was something that I never really expected. But I'm there, and I'm constantly around some of the best talent in South Florida. I'm constantly amazed by the caliber of people that work in this business, and I've gained a newfound respect and passion for the craft of storytelling. If you watched the piece above, note Michael's vivid imagery and use of words. I know, this is the nerd in me. Don't judge.

One of the questions I posed to Michael yesterday was whether or not he suggested starting off at a small market to gain experience, or if I should find a job in a larger market such as Miami. He suggested that I start off small, so that I can make my mistakes and become a better reporter. This is something every reporter has advised me to do during my time so far, and I'm seriously considering it. Pray for me as I make these decisions in the future... I'm excited to see what God has in store.

new look

What do you think?? :)