All That Racquet

Don't call it a comeback!

I think I'm finally ready to do athletic things again. As of this writing, it's been 2 years, 8 months, and 2 days since I had surgery to repair damaged cartilage in my left knee (pre-op photo attached). Now, I'm not saying I had athletic prowess before the injury, but I was fairly active. That may have been my downfall; it was during a game of baseball that I suffered the injury.

Since the surgery, I've put very little stress on the bum knee. No basketball, no baseball, no tennis... one company game of kickball stands out, but that's a bunch of reporters playing, so how much stress could it really be?

Today, I stepped out on the tennis court for the first time in years to take on John Nolan-- at his own game, no less-- and put that knee to the test.

Surprisingly, it passed! Now all I need to do is remember how to serve and volley, and I'll be golden.

Next up, basketball? Anyone?

Props to Nance from a Viewer

We received this very nice e-mail from a viewer that I wanted to pass along. It's the type of note that's sure to make Nance's day!

I am a HUGE Fan your news station... In fact you are the only news station i am willing to watch!! I was a little disapointed the other morning when everyone gave Sam Nichols all the credit for Easter Sundays Weather Forecast when the storms came thru the Big Country. When in fact Nance Burgin was there in the studio when it all started. She was amazing!!! You could understand every bit of her on what, when, where and why the weather was so random and crazy. She was great with the graphics zooming in and out without getting nauseous, her drawings where big enough and able to follow easily. At one point she was getting many updates with in seconds and was great at receiving them and informing the public. She was wonderful during the hole hour and a half she had stopped one time to get something to drink which she deserved and apologized for it. My family and I thought it was funny of her to apologize because she deserved a drink by then because she was so busy relaying all of the updates. Its not that we don't love and appreciate Sam Nichols because we do. We just thought that Nance Burgin did indeed deserve a big thanks and a big high five for what she had did for the public that day!!! She did an amazing job and i would like for her to get a little credit for being the one who started the weather announcements on Easter Sunday when the crazy storm formed out of nowhere, after all she was there and stayed on top of it like a pro!!! Way to Go Nance Burgin!!!

Big Fan of KTAB

To the viewer who sent this, thanks for sharing! We'll give her that hi-five on your behalf :)

Honoring the Veterans

This story of the World War Two veterans going to Washington, DC stirs some great personal memories. I was the Washington State representative for a national speech contest sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars back in 1976. The veterans paid for one high school student from each state to fly to Washington, stay in a nice hotel, eat heartily as teenagers do and visit the Memorials on the National Mall, The White House, The Capitol and other tourist and historical sites there. The old soldiers honored us. I was too young and immature to appreciate the irony. I was a high school student who had done nothing significant and they were honoring me for writing a three-minute speech and sending it in. The veterans had served in horribly difficult places like Normandy, Guadalcanal, North Africa and Meat Loaf Hill. And yet, they were honoring us. Now that I'm about the age they were then, I understand a little bit better. They just wanted to know that someone from the next generation would appreciate the freedoms they fought for. It's a sobering thought. Thank you veterans.