4:31 a.m.

    A rather odd thing to wake up  a sleeping person way before dawn. Not the fact that I left my beet and apple seedlings uncovered against the night cold (which I did, oops) or that I hadn't taken any meat out of the freezer for tomorrow's -- make that, tonight's -- supper (which I didn't, oops again). I woke up with thoughts of job hunting in television...15 years ago.
   So odd.  I don't work in television anymore.  Full-time, part-time or freelance. News or Production. Haven't in a couple of years. So why do such old thoughts pop into mind and disturb my sleep?
   The realities, at the time, were mildly disturbing.  When I was looking to stay local, some of the options simply weren't rosy. The public access cable station needing a volunteer coordinator was little more than Fred Flintstone era equipment in a large closet. Shouldn't have been surprised, but I cut my television teeth at a model public access station. It's equipment wasn't state-of-the-art, but it achieved much with better resource.  The other niggling item was the shockingly low pay being offered people who had to have considerable experience. The Ohio State University medical compound had a video division which offered exactly half what the broadcast entities were paying.  Not sure if I was able to hide my shock at that bit of news.  And it was a huge reality check to see just how little production people thought of news people, nationwide.  I dare say this feeling became mutual. Those folks who make commercials or episodic programs - with their black clothes, pony tails and John Lennon glasses - couldn't start in a day what a competent news photographer could complete in a hour.  Production people, in turn, thought news people were just hacks with no ability beyond 'running & gunning'. 
   So what difference does any of this make this life, this year, this hour? None that I can see. Maybe that's the issue?
   Stuff and nonsense. I'm going to take some hamburger out of the freezer.