Officially.

Well, I'm adding another title to my name...Official Meteorologist of the Allen County Fair Concerts 2010.  Yay! 

Darren and I are officially in charge of recording any and all rainfall during the Bret Michaels and Jason Aldean concerts August 27-28th.  The Fair has rain insurance so it's important that such qualified people as Darren and I make accurate observations!  Plus we get to go to the concerts...total bonus.

I'm seriously looking forward to some Jason Aldean.

Jigsaw.

Sister and I randomly picked up a puzzle to tackle on a trip to the dollar store the other day.  I forgot how much I like to do puzzles!  We thought this "Mother Russia" beauty would be a bit of a challenge and it was!  the 350 pieces took us about 2-3 hours spanned over two sessions.  Loved it.  And at the bargain price of a dollar, I can go back and get another to try on my own!

A new cookbook that the BF gave me for my bday..."Gourmet Game Night" should help make the festivities if anyone happens to join me.  It had great recipes for groups of all sizes from 2 people to a roomfull!  Number on on the to-do list...rasperry cream cheese puffs!  Thanks, Bryan!

I've actually seen this ice cream cone building in Red Square, Moscow, Russia.  That advantage must be why I put more pieces together than Jenna did...!

Birthday fun.

Yay, another year older!  This year was a little different with the birthday situation because I didn't have my core friends and family to celebrate with.  My sis, Jenna, came to visit which was great.  She hadn't seen the Bean Town yet! 

What did we do?  Boring stuff just because it was great to spend time together.  We went shopping in Dayton, out for sushi in Findlay (spider rolls are always so good, but too big!), and then to Pappy's in Lima for a few too many drinks with my new crew of friends.  Another birthday in the books. 

Random insert...while we were in Findlay for sushi there was a severe thunderstorm so Jenna snapped a great picture on her iPhone and emailed to Darren at weather@wlio.com for him to use on the air.  He did!  That was a nice little random perk added to Jenna's Lima trip.  :)

We'll miss you, Tyger.

So Erik Tyger and clan have moved...sad.  Out newsroom relied on his grammar skills hardcore.  :)  We will surely miss him but wish him the best of luck teaching future journalists how to write! 

Erik, be sure to keep in touch.  Things change fast at WLIO.

Here's a few pictures of his last day, a testament to the sense of humor.  Thanks for the smiles and laughs.  the full white suit, gotta love it.

Fresh and Fantastic.

I had to call Grandma Helen when my garden started producing both dill and cucumbers.  Dilly green beans are one of my favorite recipes that grandma has continued over the years.  The beans aren't quite ready yet, so I'm starting with Deli Dills.  Pickles! 

Grandma said this particular recipe was one of her favorites so how could I go wrong?  With fresh picked cucumbers and dill, I went to work this morning with freshly washed quart size mason jars...  In my natural style and favorite way to cook, strict measurements aren't necessary.

Here's the recipe I followed: Deli Dills

For each jar:
Cucumbers Sliced Length-wise
1 Garlic clove
Chopped Onion
Fresh Dill
1/4 cup Pickling salt
1/4 cup Sugar
1 cup Vinegar
Cold Water

Layer cucumbers, onion, garlic and dill in a large, clean jar.  Add salt, sugar and vinegar.  Top with more dill in there is room.  Fill jar to top with water.  Screw cap on tight and shake until salt and sugar dissolve.  Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.  Place jar in fridge and leave for 2 days.

After that the pickles are ready to eat!  Can't wait!

Good Eats.

So it's a bit of a weekly tradition that Csaba Sukosd, weekend sports anchor, and I hit the town to try some new restaurants.  We're both self-described foodies and are seriously missing our hometown favs that we left whe we came to Lima.

We have a running list of places to try...tonight it was Lonbardo's Cafe on Main St, downtown Lima.  And the verdict?  Fabulous.  We both opted fo rthe all-day breakfast.  Me with a bacon and egg sandwich and Csaba with a veggie omlette.  Both recommended.

Next on the list is Daryl & Daryl's Pizza & Wings on Harding Highway for some chicken.  Also in the discussion is Casa Lu Al on North West Street and Vivace Cafe on the Town Square.

Any other suggestions, Limalanders?

New New New.

At a small market TV station, I am learning the faces change fast, while other changes take some time.  Whitney Scott and Erik Tyger are no longer employed at the station.  Whitney, who is also my roomie, remember, is still in Lima, but looking to possibly get out of the TV biz, or find another station.  She is moving on! 

Erik has left to pursue a career in teaching journalism.  He's going back to school at the University of South Dakota, closer to his wife's family.  Everyone will miss him and his abilities quite a bit.  He's the guy that corrected all our horrible grammar and spelling...good luck, Erik!

In their place, Jessie Irby and Stewart have started.

Adaptations that take a bit longer to implement at WLIO...a brand new website.  And it's not just a change of name.  A web team consisting of people from every department have been building the website from scratch...I'm one of those people.  Andy Young and I are the main newsroom website contributors.  We're responsible for not only building the site, but making sure everyone else knows how to post their stories, and maintaining the look of it.  It's a big job.  There was a lot of overtime and lessons over the past few days in order to wear this new hat, but I like it!

I'm getting addicted to the designing and creating aspect of it all.  I always was one who got a high off "learning"...this is a challenge I am very excited about...can't wait to show you the launched product, hopefully by the end of August! 

Quiet Time.

It's still golf season as August kicks off and for us here at WLIO, that means no 6pm newscast tonight.  What am I doing instead?  Looking for some new graphics ideas.  Darren and I are looking to give our weather segments a new look, for both the FOX and NBC shows.  It's hard to think of new stuff!  I'm watching meteorologists' online videos form all over the country to spark the light bulb in my own head. 

Any ideas?  What do you want to see on the weather?