Fill-in

I had to fill-in anchor tonight. A few awkward moments...

Katie Tschopp, my producer for the evening

Special Delivery

It's 1:00 AM. I just got home from work. Long day... ecstasy lab story in Ocala. Check it out here (disregard mic issues in the beginning).

12.22.11

Before work, my former intern Chris Gilmore and I drove to High Springs and delivered presents to Mrs. Williams. Her daughters were at their grandma's house so we were able to sneak in and hide everything. Mrs. Williams said she'd take pictures of the girls opening the gifts on Christmas morning. Can't wait to see them.

Mrs. Williams is a trip! She had me PEEING in my pants talking about my co-workers and I. She said we all need to have a drink before we go on air. In our defense, I explained the challenges of one-man-banding. She listened, making jokes along the way.

Mrs. Williams had something to say about every A-block story we did in the past month- the woman had our rundowns memorized!

People really do watch. The stories we bust our asses filming, writing, and editing are affecting people. Yeah, we're the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed reporters making no money in market 160, (the bottom of the barrel according to Nielsen market estimates) but we're still touching people.

Sometimes it takes stepping out from the daily grind and doing something for a stranger to realize the true worth of your work.

We left Mrs. William's house with a piece of rum cake and encouragement to take on the world.

Fixin our rum cake :)

Chris Gilmore and Mrs. Williams

Hello again...

I haven't blogged in a year.

Why did I stop? No idea... it kind of just happened. I guess I could blame my friend Quan. He gave me a fancy leather journal and it seemed like a crime leaving it blank.


Random thoughts, overheard quotes, secrets, to-do lists, cartoons... the journal is now well worn, and believe it or not my second also has no vacancy. But before I can start a third, blogging has been laid back on my heart.


Today I produced a story on "layaway angels," people who are stopping in retail stores and asking to pay off the layaways of complete strangers.

Click here to see the story.

After the show I wrapped presents my friends and I gathered for two girls in High Springs. I met them when I interviewed their mother last month. They live on the other side of the tracks in the city's "poor" neighborhood. Great people, but just struggling like so many of us.

Whether or not you have a big family or lots of friends, there's always someone to give a gift to...and most of the time, it's not something you can wrap.

8 priceless words...

It was my mom's birthday on January 18.  I sent her gift around 1:00 AM, (January 19). I know, Tardy Tammy, but it took a few hours to put together... Happy Birthday Mommy on YouTube.

I guess the good thing about being in an "overworked and underpaid" season of my life, (particularly during celebrations like my mother's birth) is: I have no choice but to search my heart for a gift without a price tag. 

Eight words I'll never forget, spoken by my mother on January 19, 2011: "this is the best gift I ever got." 

I guess ballin' on a budget aint so baddd... 

Bound by Haiti

Check out Jon and Roman's website, BOUND BY HAITI.

My way...

As I sit and enjoy the last ten minutes of my birthday, I'm listening to Frank Sinatra's, "My Way."

Ol' Blue Eyes would have been 95 today; a man with "many sides" as described by Bill Gallo, in the NY Daily News,

"He was brash, good-natured, shallow, deep and poignant, angry, happy, funny, classy, unpredictable, steady and always on time, a slang-talking street guy, with diction so precise and clear that it complimented the English language."

Frank Sinatra is a legend. His songs are timeless. His voice is "The Voice." I can only dream of leaving such a legacy on the world.

I do hope that when I reach the end of the road, I can confidently say, "I faced it all and I stood tall; and did it my way."

How we live defines who we are and how we're remembered.

No one is perfect. We're all messed up, and we're living in a world that's just as screwed up as we are. But no matter what life throws our way, we must stay true to ourselves, never compromising what we believe in.

In the end, it's not the fall that makes us an inspiration to others, but our faith during the fight to get back up.

So, say the things you truly feel and show the world your "many sides." As Sinatra once said, "dare to wear the foolish clown face."

Birthday card from the parents

12.12.10

Living the dream

CBS News Correspondent Kelly Cobiella 

Miami, FL

12.10.10

Life's full of inspiring moments...

                   watching someone 

live their dream 

is one of them. 

good things come in small packages...

"This is a school, not a corporation"

UF Rally Against Block Tuition 11.17.10

Photo by: Diana Moreno 

On the steps of Tigert Hall, a large group of students protested block tuition, which is most likely going to be a reality at the University of Florida come Fall 2011. 

After a UF administrator addressed the crowd, one kid screamed out, "this is a school, not a corporation!" and for some reason his words stuck with me... 

Some of the images I tweeted from the protest:

Seeing Ester and Murray

Grandpa Murray and I

Giulia Lewis Memorial Dinner

11.5.10

Giulia was an adventurous child. I remember when were ten-years-old, her grandparents took us to a church carnival. Giulia begged me to go on "The Zipper," which, if you've never heard of it, is the WORST carnival ride ever invented- a small cage... of death. I still to this day, get sick just looking at. Anyways, she convinced me to suck it up, and go on.

I remember trembling as the ride operator strapped us in. I looked over at Giulia and she was smiling from ear to ear, swinging her feet in excitement. As soon as the ride started, it took about five seconds for me to start screaming bloody murder. After two minutes of hell, the operator let me off. I ran to the back of the ferris wheel, and puked my brains out. The funny part about it was, Giulia was cracking up.... just laughing the entire time. 

This past weekend at Giulia's memorial dinner, her grandpa Murray started talking about that night at the carnival. I've blogged about Giulia's grandparents before, and keep in touch with them through letters and phone calls, but this past weekend was the first time I've seen them in seven years.

As much as we need to move on from tragedies that have touched our lives, we must not let time erase those memories that keep who, or what we've lost... alive.

I'm comforted to know that Giulia's grandparents can still hear her laughing behind the ferris wheel... because if I close my eyes, and go back to that night, I can too.

Ester and Murray 

11.5.10

Awkward Kristin

My friend Andi decided to advertise one of my most awkward moments on Facebook and YouTube. You would think a stunt like the one captured above was done on purpose--but as the girl in the Florida sweatshirt behind the printer, I, Kristin Giannas, can promise you... this was real life. I'm really just that awkward.

So on the day of the above video, I was in the basement of Weimer Hall, and had locked myself in a dark, cold, editing cave to work on a project for one of my TV classes. Judging by the fact that I look like the Crypt Keeper, I hadn't seen the light of day for some time.

Make a long story short, in my zombie-state I left the edit bay and moseyed over to the printer to pick up some papers. I remember staring into a bright light.... and it took me a few seconds to realize that light was atop a camera feeding a newsroom live segment INTO OU NEWSCAST! Once this all clicked, I had seconds to make a decision and, being so quick and smooth on my feet, I decided it was a good idea to, elevator-style, drop it like its hot behind the printer.

I'm jealous that David can blame the dentist.

15 C

I just boarded the plane that's taking me to New York for Giulia's memorial dinner, and I'm sitting in seat 15C.

Giulia was killed seven November 5th's ago.

She was 15.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm not a fan of the number 5.