I'm Rusty

This week I realized I am rusty. My reporting isn't really, but I'm doing that on a weekly basis and actually continue to improve on it. I actually really liked my story this week. You can view a video and text version here.

But this week I produced for the first time since January, and it was stressful. I can't wait for the week of producing I'm doing with the Spring Break crew. Producing everyday for a week straight was really great for me because I just built on the things I did the day before. I constantly try and push myself to be better than the shift before, but if I haven't done anything since January it's a little hard to remember what I need to focus on. I think on this shift I saw I wasn't as aggressive in the booth. And that's an area I think I really excel at. I'm always confidant going into shows heavy because I know what it takes to make time so we finish perfectly. (My definition of perfect? No awkward anchor chat. They come out of the last story and say, "Thanks for watching, join us at ten." It's perfect and beautiful and what I always strive for.) I noticed I was lacking that confidence. I'm going to make pro-active measures for the next two semesters to see if I can have a shift that I call my own -- even if I don't get paid for it.

My second rusty revelation was on Monday when I realized the dotcom worker didn't know ANYTHING. She didn't even know where to find the information on what to do on a shift. I didn't realize Nick and I were doing everything for her. I know she is new and I appreciate her trying to learn, but it's stressful when your partner isn't there and everything is falling back on you. This week I'm going to go through everything with her so she actually does know, but I felt bad because I wasn't as strong as I used to be at dot com. Again I'm just going to have to be proactive in making sure I understand everything as we continue to move forward.