Well it's official: my girlfriend got the job. She's now the news director at WHNS in Greenville, South Carolina. She's definitly the right person for the job, and has worked hard to get where she is. Yay! Congrats!
Oh wait...that's in South Carolina?

[ take a moment to let that sink in ]

Yeah. I know.

That's far.

Well, with much consideration, the LLR is moving to South Carolina (which is still weird to say). However, the decision is a no brainer for me. I love my gal and I'm really proud of her, and if that means giving up my little job here (and my fucking super rad wide angle lens) and moving to the South - well then I'll do it.

That's how it goes in TV news if you want to climb up the "ladder of success" (or was it the "stairs of opportunity?" I forget). If you want your career to grow, you gotta do the bounce from market-to-bigger-market-thing. Usually the spouses have to drop everything, move, and start over somewhere else. But, since I work in TV and know the routine, I'm able to roll with it a little easier.

I'm going to miss my station terribly. I feel like Morgan Freeman in the Shawshank Redemption, and how he felt all "institutionalized." I went to KPTV six years ago when I was just a punk kid, and now I'm leaving as an old seasoned photog. I think I'm going take a knife and carve "JL was here" on the ceiling somewhere - just like Morgan Freeman did at the end of the movie - it'll probably be in the "photog ready room" at the station. I'll finally get to use that Leatherman knife-thing that I always carry around on my belt (just so I can take it off at a court house or airport every day).

Anyway, I've been breaking the news to everyone for the last few days and it hasn't been easy. Most people are kinda like "oh wow! You're leaving?" but when I get to the South Carolina part, they get all wierded out and say "WHAT?" and I can see them trying to wrap their minds around it as I continue to talk, but they don't hear anything I've said because then they say, "WHAT?...... SOUTH CAROLINA?"

The the hardest part of all this: leaving the friends and family. I have the best of both, and it'll be hard to eventually say goodbye without crying like I did in Stanford's at happy hour the other day . I'm also leaving the greatest city on the planet, Portland, Oregon. But, we just got a new mayor, so maybe now is a good time to leave - in case it gets all different and screwed up (no offense Potter, I'm sure you'll do a lovely job).

What does this mean for my blog?

Well, you'll get to see the part of my job I haven't covered yet: quitting it. That's sure to be entertaining. And then there'll be the whole series of "news photographer seeking a new job" posts (that'll be shortly after the inevitable " the water tastes funny here" post). I have so much crazy stuff going on in the next two weeks that it'll probably be the best thing that's ever happened to much -neglected blog. I'm also hoping to get one of those Colonel Sanders outfits to wear when I get there - Hasser told me they're everywhere.

Whatever the case. I got to go to work today and give notice - and then get those resume tapes in the mail.

I can't believe this is all happening so fast!

South Carolina, prepare to have your faces rocked.