Paul Henry Promotion...YES!

Henry poised for bigger role at 7pm



TV One breakfast show host Paul Henry is poised to take a bigger role fronting Close Up.

Television sources say momentum is gathering for a change.

The debate is whether TVNZ will wait until Mark Sainsbury's employment contract runs out in late 2010 before making the move.

But it would be a risk. Sainsbury has appeal with viewers but is a weak interviewer.

Henry flies close to the wind in his interviews and takes chances that can provide good TV. But he polarises audiences.

In that sense he is a broadcaster's broadcaster and favoured by Close Up boss Mike Valintine and further up the TVNZ pecking order.

But Henry would also be a risk for TVNZ.

In March he humiliated a female news guest over facial hair.

A public broadcaster was rubbishing the way a guest looked for a laugh.

TVNZ upheld a complaint, but Henry wasn't embarrassed.

The bad attitude from the broadcaster's studio fortress illustrated the dangers when big egos misuse their power.

It came close to bullying.

Now he is up for promotion to prime time, the question will be whether he can manage his wish to shock.

Is he Paul Holmes without a self-deprecatory streak?

This week Henry declined to discuss speculation about his Close Up role, the state of the 7pm current affairs slot, or his acknowledged aspirations for Sainsbury's job.

Asked if the "lady with a moustache" incident indicated he was not up to the prime time spot, Henry said: "You cater for the show you are on, but I am always me. I walk on that fine line, but to me that fine line is the place to be."

HIT HIM OR HUG HIM

A former TVNZ head of programming once told me that the secret of an X-factor TV star was that viewers either wanted to hit them or hug them (or words to that effect). In other words they should elicit a strong emotional response.

Henry acknowledges he polarises opinion and says that the days are gone when broadcasters are overly concerned about polarising people.

But bringing in Henry will be the subject of extensive market research.

In August last year Henry told this column: "It is no secret I have ambitions [to present Close Up].

"Seven o'clock is where I want to be."

TVNZ did not take the bait. In a recent Sunday Star-Times interview he was ambivalent about the Close Up role. It is a handy "I can take it or leave it" stance after missing out last time, and now being courted by TVNZ with the prospect of pay negotiations ahead.

That Plane is BIG

I am so excited to have finally seen my first Airbus A380. It was actually an Emirates plane in Auckland, but I got impressive pictures of one parked in Sydney and owned by Singapore Airlines. It is parked next to a United 747, which is a big plane anyway. I hope you enjoy the photos!

8 Days...

I can't believe I have only 8 days left of work at the hotel and then it is off traveling. I can't wait. I will miss Taupo, and the friends that I have made here. But I have had some scattered thoughts about the town...

- I need to get a picture of the Karen Walker line of clothing. I knew she was a drunk, New York socialite, but I never thought of her as a New Zealand clothing designer.

- Last week was a perfect autumn week. Very sunny and warm during the day and near freezing at night. And the trees are starting to change colors.

- I did the Tongaririo Crossing last week, it wiped me out and I still need to get the video together.

- On my daily walk to work, I pass a Maori graveyard, it is really beautiful.

- Daylight savings time ended yesterday, the sun is going down way to early.

- I am going to miss seeing the sunset every night on the lake.

- I am SO proud of my state.

Marie Gookin

My Great Grandmother Francis passed away when I was very young, around the age of 2, so I really never got to know her. My Great Grandfather Willard was another story. He was a part of our lives for many years, in fact he only passed away three years ago at the age of 98.

Many years ago he introduced our family to Marie Gookin. She lost her spouse like my Grandad, and quickly became part of our family. She would attend birthday parties, holidays, and family events. She moved to Northridge at the same time as Grandad and then on to the nursing home around the same time.

I always liked having her around, she would never be able to replace my Great Grandmother, but she was very Grandmother-like. She only had one child which died young, and very few other family members. I think she liked being around our extended family.

This past weekend after 94 years of life, 10 of which have been in a nursing home Marie passed away with dignity.

I know she is somewhere looking after her beloved husband once again and seeing all the friends and family she has lost over the years.

God Bless you Marie, I was so glad to know you!

Marie Gookin Obituary

R.I.P - P.O.S.

At about 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 2nd, my beloved P.O.S. (Piece of Shit) took what might be its last breath. The beauty of a machine decided its transmission was ready for die. I was headed home on Interstate 80, just west of Des Moines, when she decided it was over.

I bought the P.O.S. when I moved back from Australia, almost 5 years ago. Previously, my cousin was its proud owner. It was meant to get me around and it did that well.

Its paint has been chipping, the air conditioner no longer worked, and it constantly made crazy sounds and smells. But I was proud of it, it was paid for, and it did its job.

People thought I was crazy for having such a car. They didn't feel it was safe. They thought it was ugly. They thought I could do better. But the savings I have realized on this P.O.S. helped me to save lots of money for all the travel I have done the last few years.

While, my life is going to be changing greatly over the next two weeks, it is something of the past I might have to leave behind. It is wonderful relic.

R.I.P - P.O.S. I will probably miss you.

NOTE: The exact issue might not be diagnosed yet. I am not sure if it will go to the salvage yard, or might be easily fixed. Pray for the mighty machine.

AWAKEN

AWAKAN TODAY...THIS IS GREAT

Happy Birthday!

Airline Snobs...

There is a new website for travelers to post their flights. It is an interesting concept to keep track of how many miles have been traveled and where you are going to. Flight Memory was fully launched last week, and has been popular on the travel blogs. I haven't tried to put my flights in, I think it would take way too much time, and I don't want to brag too much. One of the cool features is the ability to add not only flights, but to create a map to show where you have been.

There is also another site that links together lots of airline prices. With the huge rise in tickets, we can all use every site imaginable. Air Ninja helps you find flights in your country and in a very simple way. One of the great features is the ability to search for flights on discount airlines around the world. I will be adding it to my blogroll on the right side of the blog.

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer (in the Northern Hemisphere) and winter (in the Southern Hemisphere).

I Hit My Goal....

This was a busy weekend for me. I have been training for the last 18 weeks for the 2nd Annual Hy-Vee Triathlon. This year was full of drama, it started with a flood, a different location, a triathlon, a duathlon, a triathlon. This happened in the matter of a week. The drama was not only difficult for the triathlon organizers, but also the athletes, we had worked so hard on a goal, and it might slip away.

Thankfully, the flood waters receded, and the bacterial levels dropped so it was time for triathlon. I decided my goal for the race would be to finish the olympic distance in 2 hours, 50 minutes.

The new course was more difficult than I expected. It was especially difficult to get through the run, but I did, in a time of 2:50:10 right at my goal!

My Results
Overall Place: 625 out of 1252
Division Place: 70 out of 112
Gender Place: 507 out of 856
Overall Time: 2:50:10
Swim: 29:11
Transition 1: 2:03
Bike: 1:21:05
Transition 2: 2:21
Run: 55:31

Change from 2007
Overall Time: -3:41
Swim: -:40
Transition 1: -1:05
Bike: -3:41
Transition 2: +:20
Run: +1:14

I am very excited about my results...I am hoping to be less sore soon!

More Flooding...

Flooding in Des Moines

Randomness...

Tips from the Air
This article has several tips on how to navigate the airline system. The industry is one large game that you should know how to play. This helps.

Lonely Planet...A Fraud
One of the writers from Lonely Planet wrote about Colombia from his place in San Francisco. If you can't write something authentic, don't write it at all. I still love the books.

Are We Crazy
A flight attendant that writes a regular column for MSNBC has some interesting requests from customers. Are we really that dumb? No wonder the world thinks we are snotty, self centered, and don't have a clue.

Triathlon
I think I had a personal record a bit over a week ago in a 5 mile race. It felt great. So far, the training I have been doing has been going so well. I look forward to breaking more personal records. I was 91st overall, 17th in my age group, and had a mile split of 7:36.

91 17 M25 Nicholas Irving, 28, West Des Moines, IA 37:45 7:36

Ledger...

I was very upset about the death of Heath Ledger. He was the same age as me. He loved Perth, Australia (as do I). I loved several of his movies like Brokeback Mountain and Ned Kelly. He lived the life that more actors should - a love of the art of making a film and not living to extremes. A friend that lives in New York went past his home this weekend and snapped this interesting picture.



Rest in peace Heath.

Dad's Tribute to Ledger Touches Stars
Timeline of Ledger's Life
Heath Ledger's Career

Its Sunday...Here is a bit of politics...

If you don't want to hear a bit of something about politics, then skip this over.

There was an article in the Des Moines Register this morning about the gay couple that was married last year here in Polk County. I really appreciate them because they aren't they type of gay couple you see in the media. Homosexuals are in all parts of society they love theater, they love sports, they love the gym, they love music, they work in office building, they work in schools, they work in churches, they work on construction sites. They are in all parts of our culture. Homosexuals are less of a threat than the US government. They don't diminish society, they only enhance it. Homosexuals force the entire country to open their minds and realize homosexually wasn't created by an up-bringing or the devil. As long as we are going to have benefits for married couples we need gay marriages.

Anyway, enjoy the article...

Pair Reflects on Months as Married Couple

Enough politics...enjoy the weekend...Go Patriots!

Random Thoughts...

- I am happy today because my man Obama won my caucus.
- I am so tired because of my addiction to political news coverage. It was totally worth it today.
- I haven't been traveling for work. It is a bummer. I feel the itch.
- I am excited about our upcoming trip to Munich. I still need to find a place to stay.

This Town is Buzzing...

Des Moines is buzzing. There are 2500 members of the media here. Big satellite trucks. Celebrities. Politicians.

I was downtown today and there was a huge area where CNN is doing the "Ballot Bowl." Interesting, and slightly boring.

I used to be heavily involved in politics. In 2000 and 2004 I saw all the candidates and in the caucus. I have also caucused for both parties. This year is different. We have dynasty candidates. Celebrity candidates. Rich candidates. Outspoken candidates. But nobody really wows me. They are all worried about the little things. The media focuses on small mix ups. We are BARRAGED with coverage and commericals. I am ready for January 3rd to be gone. I am tired. I am ready to cast my vote in the caucus and be finished with it. I am ready for our lives to get back to normal. I want Hy-Vee commericals back.

Although I don't see candidates I totally believe in I will caucus. I want everyone out there to get out and do the right thing. I want the candidates to act less like politicians and more like people. I am ready for normalcy.

Good Luck Candidates.

2007....2008.....Beyond

There are a few things that are cheesy about New Years. This morning on the news I heard the meteorologist say "See you next year!" Very dorky. I read about resolutions that people make on the new year to do specific things. Dumb.

I am not against resolutions, or life changes, but why do they have to start on 01/01 of each year? I work part time at a fitness facility. I know that tomorrow when I go for my normal workout there will be tons of new members (or members restarting). They stick with it until about February 15th. When I was in high school and dealing with being overweight I knew it was time to change everything. I lost weight. I have fluctuated, but I have almost always tried to do some type of workout. I wish the people doing specific resolutions would keep with it!

One thing I do love about New Years is the reflection we all have. Most of us have time off to think about how life has progressed over the last 365 days. The good. The bad. The fun. The exciting.

For me, 2007 was a big transition year. I started a healthy relationship with a great guy. I was able to travel to Belize, Canada (2 times), complete a road trip with my best friend, and travel around the east coast and Iowa for work.

I had some physical triumphs. I completed and reached my goal in the Hy-Vee Triathlon while having a job where I traveled. I had my first real surgery as an adult (darn hernia). I completed Farrell's Extreme Body sculpting doubling my sit-ups and push-ups, finishing 1st in the 1.3 mile run all 3 times, and lost a few inches. I did have some down points. I gained weight during the surgery recovery. My irregular heartbeat (bradycardia) is back and there is a chance I might have a pacemaker installed.

With work, I spent more hours at my part time gig. I lost my main gig (thank goodness). I got a better job, but with less travel. I really had some time to think about my direction and save money.

2007 with friends and family have been great. I have a new nephew, new cousins, a very supportive family. I have left some friendships that were unhealthy, reconnected with old friends, and spent more quality time with everyone around me.

2008 is looking exciting. I have a HUGE announcement tentatively schedule for October 1st (some of you may already know about it). Kevin and I have trips planned to Europe, Canada, and Minnesota. We are going on more camping excursions (we finally purchased a camping mattress. I am planning to do 3 triathlons (reducing my time by 10 minutes, 3-6 runs, with more yoga and strength training. My friend Max has asked me to do a crazy oil protest in June. I am so excited about what is to come.

Thank you for your support of this blog. I look forward to a great year!

Its New Years Somewhere...

Well, it has been 2008 in Australia for about 2 hours and 15 minutes now...And in New Zealand about 4 hours and 15 minutes...I remember New Years 2002-2003 when I was living in Australia. I had to work until about 10:00 p.m. at the Four Seasons Hotel and then was going to meet my friends to watch the fireworks and party. I couldn't find my friends, mobile phones weren't working, and there were 1 million people watching the AMAZING fireworks in in Sydney Harbour. Although, I didn't get to meet up with my friends it was still a memorable experience.

Where I was working the night of New Years...


Here are the photos from the Sydney Harbour New Years Festivities.

Happy Holidays

I want to wish all the travelers a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy New Year...

Here is what is happening...

The blog posts have been a bit sparse lately....So I have some reasons why:

1. The New Job...I have been working quite a bit trying to understand the new job. The scope is bigger, more knowledge is required, and the schedule varies a lot.

2. Health...My good ole irregular heartbeat is back. Tomorrow I have to go back in and wear an event monitor for 30 days. YEAH. There is a chance that a pacemaker could be required.

3. Holidays...Well there are lots of family events going on and they are taking a lot of time.

4. Car...My car is giving me fits. Darn fuel filter.

So...I have something big that will soon happen. I found my old journal from when I lived in Australia. I have a great story about a trip to Port Stephens where I got to know a man that has become one of my best friends and an experience that defies words...