Adios, 2006!

This is it: The final day of 2006! This year has been great to say the least. It started off better than any man could hope for with Alyssa's birth in February.

It's also ending on high note. Alyssa had her first Christmas, and boy did she rack up. We were on the road from the 22nd to the 27th, and we've been at home since then. However, we're still sorting out the toys and gifts. It was a wonderful Christmas with all three families. We all got lots of quality time and great gifts.

If that last sentence isn't structured well, that's okay. I'm very sleepy at the moment. :-)

It's been great being away from work. I really haven't had a vacation since last Christmas, and I haven't missed the station at all. Don't read anything negative into that, but it's been nice not having to come up with stories every day. It's just been relaxing.

I did go to the station in Columbus last night, though. I went to hang out after work with some buddies I haven't seen in a while. A couple of them are basically heading out the door to other jobs in a few months, and that breaks my heart. I've had two great years with them, and I know our friendships will always be there.

I also went with Brian to see "We Are Marshall" today. I did a story a couple of weeks ago with Mike Morehouse. His dad, Gene, was the radio guy when the team plane crashed. Spending that evening interviewing his family really made me want to see the movie, and it did not disappoint. It was a very touching movie, and it's definitely one I'll buy when it comes to DVD.

I guess that will do it for tonight. We're all pooped, and I've got two more days of freedom. I'll go get some rest so I can enjoy them. Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

This is kind of a copy-and-paste post from last year with a few adjustments. It's Friday night, and I've still got a lot of packing to do. What more do you want? :-)

With that said, from my family to yours, have a safe and merry Christmas! We wish you all of God's blessings and mercies this holiday season. This blog shall return when we do. We've got a few days on the road, then a few days at home to relax.

And the best part of it? We get to watch Alyssa tear into paper and boxes Christmas morning. This is what life should be like all the time. :-)

At the end

Breaking at 10:10 a.m. CST:

This is a story I covered at my old station in Tuscaloosa:

Body of Heaven LaShae Ross found

I'm glad her remains have been located, but I feel so bad for the family. I interviewed them a few times after she went missing in 2003. I went to several vigils and events for her, and it's sad it ended like this.

I hope there is justice for Shae.

New photo galleries

I've updated the photo galleries on my personal site, BrockP.com. They're Flash files, so they'll be easier to update. I've been asked by several people to update Alyssa's pictures more often, so maybe these will help.

And just for grins...

Deal of the day

Greetings on this fine Saturday night. It's been a week since the last post, but I won't get into how this week has been. I'll just say it's been good, but boy... I cannot wait until Friday again when I start my vacation. I love my job, but I haven't had a string of days off since Alyssa was born in February. It's time.

Today was a relaxing day. The females of the house went to Macon to see a friend, and I did basically nothing. That is, until I went shopping shortly after 10:00 a.m.

I have wanted a DVD recorder for the last four years. We were living in Tuscaloosa when they first hit the shelves. I drooled over them, but I wasn't ready to jump at the $800 price tag they were commanding.

Since that time, I have adapted and overcome. We've had TiVo for more than a year, and it's set up with a wireless connection to my computer. I download the shows and transfer them to DVD with my PC's burner.

Needless to say, it's a lengthy process when a two-hour show takes about three hours to transfer through the air. I'm keeping a lot of my reports and newscasts on TiVo, but space is becoming a precious item. I needed a way to get them onto DVD more quickly.

All that's been said to talk about my "deal of the day." The recorder I've been looking into costs $170 at Best Buy (which I'm a proud "Reward Zone" member). The last three weeks have been good to me concerning BB.

My "Reward Zone" membership landed me some gift certificates, and it also gave me a 12 percent off coupon in the mail. Throw in a couple of gift cards from the station Christmas party, and I'm in good shape.

Today, I bit the bullet. I marched in there, picked up the recorder and headed to the cashier. Poor girl never knew what was coming as I whipped out two WTVM Visa gift cards, a gift certificate, the 12 percent coupon, cash and a check card. Yes, you counted correctly: Six forms of payment.

She just looked at me, and I immediately apologized. She laughed about it and told me it was the funniest thing she'd seen all day (glad I could make her smile). I watched with delight as she knocked all the "free money" off the price.

I thought I would still wind up with paying a bit out-of-pocket, but the total of my hard-earned cash came out to $0.76. I bought a $170 DVD recorder for less than a dollar. Even Amy was amazed to see what I pulled off when she got home.

So, I now have that recorder, and I've put it to good use. I've already burned nine stories off the TiVo, and it's breathing easier with the extra room. However, the funniest part of the deal is I ran off from home and forgot my change on the kitchen counter.

I had to put the $0.76 on my check card.

No Time For Panic

Cecil Hurt is the sports editor for the Tuscaloosa News. He's also one of the only people I trust to accurately report on Alabama athletics. The rest of the people I trust are those on that T-News staff, along with Paul Finebaum (I may catch heck for that name).

That aside, Hurt has a great head on his shoulders when it comes to looking at the future of Alabama football. All you have to do is read his article below.

Now is not the time for UA to lose focus

Kudos, Cecil.

No Coach Rod

Well, Coach Rod decided to stay at West Virginia. That's where he and his family are originally from, so I can't fault him. Best of luck to you guys.

Bama moves on in the coaching search. I think I'll be a little more patient this time. We'll get someone who's right for the job.

If not, ESPN has all the more ammunition toward us.

The clock ticks down for Coach Rod

What a week it's been. We've seen Shula fired, now we are anxiously waiting for these next three days to pass. According to ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel Tuesday night, Bama will decide whether or not to offer current West Virginia University Coach Rich Rodriguez the head job within 72 hours.

I watched the WVU-Rutgers game Saturday night with Dad. Am I impressed with him? You'd better believe it. From everything I've seen and read, I'm all for this man to take over the Crimson Helm.

Spurrier would've been nice. Saban, too, but I think we're about to have a quality and disciplined man leading our team.

I hope we can soon say, "Welcome to Tuscaloosa, Coach Rod."