Queenkv’s Brainpickings

The work week is over. Thank God. Now, I’m recovering from a stressful week in the newsroom by going over my vacation pictures.

I suspect I’ll need another break from work. Soon.

On our Buffalo trip, I gave my new passport a workout. This one has my married name on it. Sadly, the border guards didn’t feel like stamping it with a Canada stamp. In retrospect, I should have asked for one.

Bizarre Question at the Border: What do you do for a living?

I think I saw the border guard raise his eyebrows when I squeaked out: “News Producer.”

Hooray for our moms! Terri and Linda took the girls to the beach while we went on a day trip to Niagara-by-the-Lake with Kaine and Missy. Plus Mark rocked as our DD for our personal wine tasting tour.

I was tickled to add some tasty red wines from Jackson Triggs and Hillebrand wineries to our collection.

I also had to see Niagara Falls again. This tourist spot on the Canadian side has become a pilgrimage of sorts for my Buffalo vacations. The misty air feels refreshing on a hot day. The majestic views are free. I’m happy to join the lemmings who are snapping away at one of the 7 Wonders of the World. It’s still a thrilling sight for me. I’d love to take my parents here some day.

If you’re reading this via RSS or Facebook – check out the photo slideshows on my blog.

My first week back in the newsroom felt like culture shock. At 2 AM, I discovered our station was at the heart of two major news stories – Jaycee Dugard and the Auburn Wildfires. I did my best to get up to speed. And as one producer likes to tell me: “Write your ass off.”

So, I think I’m caught up with work and all the death and destruction in the world. I’m also adjusting to my new role as the keeper of the calendar. In addition to producing our morning show, I’m now booking guest segments. Chefs, authors, movie stars, snakes and more. Bring them on, I’ll put them on TV. Just check with me on when and where.

I finally had some time to reflect on our two-week trip to Buffalo, NY. I also carved out some time to go over our vacation pictures.

I never had a two-week vacation. I thought it was time well spent. We caught up with our family – swapping stories about life on the West Coast and life in Western NY.

Oh yes, and the rain sucked. So we took advantage of the sunny days with day trips to Niagara Falls and along the Niagara Wine Trail.

TONAWANDA, NY — Listening to Baby Grand, a Sacramento-based indie/twee pop band and chilling at Panera.

Today, I ran 4.17 miles in Lockport. It feels good to keep up with my 10K training on this vacation…especially with all the eating we’re doing.

Last night, we toasted marshmallows at a bonfire and made s’mores.

LOCKPORT, NY — Today, I listened to NPR’s Morning Edition while driving by farms and Lake Michigan. No deadlines, no beat checks, no IFB checks and no scanner traffic. Life outside of the newsroom feels good. I’m a recovering workaholic settling into her vacation. According to the University of Pittsburgh’s Mind-Body Center - my mind and body needed this vacation.

It’s good for you.

We’re visiting my in-laws in upstate New York. We’re in Lockport, near Lake Ontario.

The other day, we went to an outdoor mass with Lake Ontario as the backdrop.
Beautiful.

Wine fans – Clarksburg rocks for tasty vino and beautiful picnics. Plus – St. Helena has a wonderful boutique family winery just off Highway 29. If you drive by Dean & Deluca, turn around. You went too far.

Last weekend, my hubby and I checked out this adorable town in Yolo County, next to the Sacramento River. I blogged about it on Sac Met Blogs.

On the July 4th Weekend, we explored St. Helena with our So Cal buddy. Thanks to @frankloveswine, we discovered our new favorite winery. Frank gave me a wonderful opportunity to guest blog about my experience with Arger-Martucci Vineyards.

It’s still early in the summer season. Where should I go for my next wine tasting?

Following up on A Really Goode Job: I tied for 11th Place with 40 other amazing candidates.

Thank you to everyone who voted and who blogged/twittered/facebooked about my application. Thanks again to an amazing group of people who produced video references for my Goode Job bid.

Finally, I’d love to see the next Wine Country Lifestyles Correspondent produce a video like this one for Murphy-Goode.

I stumbled on this amazing video from Randall Grahm. Fun use of nats, music and the goat herder soundbites.

Good Luck to the Top 10!

We’re less than 24 hours away from the Top 10 Announcement.

Tomorrow, Murphy-Goode will let the world know who’s coming up to Healdsburg for face-to-face interviews.

Hi Again… from Kris Vera-Phillips on Vimeo.

Thank you for your support! Andrea, Matt, Ann, Kendall, Fally & Sara – you rock with your video/blog references.
It’s A Really Goode Job. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

Guest Blog by Sara O!

Hi. Sara O. here. I’m hijacking Kris’s blog to supplement the video that Andrea shot endorsing Kris for the really Goode job.

See this? It’s a post card with a date stamp of Oct. 31, 2004. It was sent to me in the Czech Republic from England by Kris, husband Mark, and Andrea, back when we were all living in Europe as part of our journalism residencies. If you look at it closely, you’ll see several stains on it.

Those are wine stains. Having traveled and visited and dined with Kris before, I can vouch that food and wine are a big part of her life. So are sharing her food and drinking experiences. I mean, they got me, a relative non-drinker, to go cavorting about Napa just this past January.

I also want to add that, sure, she’s got the multi-media thing going for her (does she ever), but don’t forget that she’s also great with personal touches. Like the post card I’m sharing with you now. I hope it’s worth a thousand words to help her land the Murphy-Goode Winery job.

Imagine cooling off with these jello shots and whipped cream. Relaxing, yes? Everything’s better with jello shots!

Apparently, my co-workers have some vivid memories of my alcoholic desserts. I worked with some amazing and talented people in Kansas. I produced some rockin’ news shows with them. My reporters knew how tor run with breaking news, grab the best video and sound and turn it all into a compelling news story.

Kendall Jones did that quite well. He’s a great writer. It was a pleasure to work with him on my shows. This is his video reference from North Carolina.

Kendall’s Pick For A Really Goode Job from Kris Vera-Phillips on Vimeo.

Aspera ad astra: “To the stars through difficulties.”

That’s the state motto for Kansas. It’s also the name a fantastic indie band from Lawrence. Those words resonated with me as I lived and worked in Kansas.

Kansas surprised me. For 2 years, I sampled anything the state had to offer. At a Topeka pub, I enjoyed raising my voice with a weekly Irish Sing-Along. My hubby and I won 2nd place at a Trivia Night in a Lawrence bar. I also loved sauteed meal worms served by a K-State professor. Plus, I found places, like the Cosmosphere, that inspired my inner space geek.

I love exploring the states and cities I’ve called home – from Chicago to Europe.

I want to start my next adventure in Healdsburg with A Really Goode Job.

This video reference is from Fally Afani in Kansas. I couldn’t have survived the Sunflower State without her.

Fally’s pick from Kris Vera-Phillips on Vimeo.