Where is Reporter66?

[Sir Toose]

Gone AWOL again, apparently.

Vote here if you think I should try to reign him in.

[LordSlaytan]

Bring 'em home Toose, bring 'm home. :yup:

[Aniko]

Use your rope Wolfman and reign him in. R66 needs to come home.


Then we need to grill him on where he's been. Maybe Linderelly would have some good grilling tips. :D

[Caitlyn]

Definitely Sir Toosie… it’s not the same around here without him… :nope:

[Piddzilla]

Maybe he's in a hole somewhere shedding skin and transforming into Reporter67.

:dizzy:

[Sir Toose]

I sent him an email

[Yoda]

Me want he come back.

[Austruck]

Hey, I grill up a wicked pork chop or BBQ chicken, but a reporter? Dunno. Sounds like it'd end up a little tough. Pleh.

Maybe he was waiting for Yoda to get back. Nahh, wait, that was me.

Never mind.

Lindarelly (off to fire up the grill for some steaks later)

[Aniko]

Oooo...nice roping skills Toosie. ;)

Fire up the grill Lindarelly! I see r66 on. I think if we rub him down with the right spices he could be nicely tender and sweet.

r66...where have you been?
Are you doing ok?

[Austruck]

Aniko, the only person I'm legally allowed to rub down with spices is my husband.

And he prefers that I use whipped cream anyway....

(cough cough, is it hot in here?)

[r3port3r66]

Oh, you guys. This is really nice. I'm very touched, thanks. And I promise from now on I won't leave for long periods without letting you know.

I hate to bore you with details about my life, but for those of you who are interested here goes(for those of you who are not, please skip to the last 2 lines of this reply):

After high school, I joined the Army. After 2 years there, I was kicked out because in 1987 the "Don't ask don't tell" policy was not around.

I moved back to my hometown: San Francisco, where I was discovered by a modeling agent. I modeled for him, traveling around the country--sometimes abroad--doing fashion shows(mostly runway). Then I got into print modeling. I signed a contract with a major fashion designer, then got "discovered" by a TV show producer who wanted me to participate in his San Francisco TV news show as a fashion reporter. Well, I did that for a while, becoming the travel reporter too while I was there. Suddenly I realized that I wanted to go to college. I decided that journalism was a good major because I had already been doing it
for 5 years (sort of like putting the internship before the education, if you get my drift). Well, in school I discovered print journalism--not as flashy, but hey, I'd be writing--another one of my passions. So I was doing 3 things; going to school, doing a TV show, and writing for a journal under the guidence of the editor of the Oakland Tribune.
Okay--Bored Yet?--So, I'm doing all of this stuff--keep in mind I'm still under contract with my agent--and suddenly a young film director wants me to play a small part in his Indy film. I couldn't pass up the opportunity so I do it. Whew!!!!

Anyway, to make a loooooooooong story short, I wasn't really following my heart. Sure, I made plenty of money. I was partying with people in Hollywood, I was getting recognized when I went places in San Francisco, but what I really wanted to do was---okay here it comes---work with animals!!
I bought a house in San Diego, left my life in San Francisco behind. I rent out my home (a historic cottage) to people during the summer and (used to) freelance for a local paper.
Well last month I decided to go back to school to get that veteranary technician degree I always wanted. I'll be starting school in the fall. But since I have no real experience with animals I decided to take a job at the local PETsMART as a cashier/stocker and get to know things about animals and their owners(doing the whole personal internship thing again).
So, last month I quit my job. Signed up for school. Got another job--and you know what? I'm having the time of my life!!
So anyway, that's my whole life changing story. You can choose to believe me or not. Some people think I'm bragging when I tell them all of that, unless they know me of course. To them, I just say, " Hey, you asked."

You guys have become like family to me here. I look forward to your support while I'm in school again. Imagine, 35 and in college!!!

Lots of love to all of you, and thanks again.

[Austruck]

35 and in college sounds like a total blast, frankly. I'm 42 and only got halfway done with my writing degree from Carnegie-Mellon (and had a hankering to switch majors to directing anyway), but started having babies (a.k.a. Yoda et al.) and never got around to going back.

At this point, a writing degree would do me less good than just writing, and I'm nothing if not pragmatic about spending money, so I doubt I'll ever finish. More's the pity: My folks would have burst with pride if I had gotten a college degree.

Maybe someday ... just not now. :(

Again, congrats.

Linda
(who, despite the above, is having the time of her life too!)

[Sir Toose]

The prodigal son has returned!

We missed you, sir. Perhaps you'll do us the honor of documenting your trials and tribulations as a 35 year old student?

Good to see you back!

[Caitlyn]

Ah… there you are… welcome back r66! You were missed around here... That’s a great story and I am very happy for you… :yup: So how do you like Pet Smart so far? I take my "beasties" to the one here all the time… :D

[Yoda]

I'm with Toose: I'd like to hear more of this story. You've my interest...as well as my admiration for what seems to be a remarkable ability to embrace change.

[Sir Toose]

Originally posted by Caitlyn
I take my "beasties" to the one here all the time… :D

If you show me yours, I'll show you mine...

[LordSlaytan]

It's a relief to see you're coming back, man. This place certainly would not be the same without you. I'm also really happy for you that you've been grounded enough to realize what's really important to you, and do it.

[r3port3r66]

It feels really good to "hear" all of your voices again. Sure, I'll keep you posted as to my adventures, well, the ones that are interesting of course.

So far Cait' PETsMART, is actually fun. I'm learning that working in retail is slightly less stressful than that of a newsroom--way less money too! I think of my co-workers, especially the one's with families, and wonder how they survive on $7.00 an hour. You'd think I would be surrounded by teenagers working their way through school, or taking a crack at their first job, but surprisingly, there are a lot of people in their 30's doing it as their primary source of income. Between us, I don't tell them about my situation because I don't want there to be any resentment toward me.

I'm also surprised at how much people love their pets. People will do just about anything for them. Including buying them expensive things such as food, toys and beds. What concerns me since I've been there(about a month now), is that some customers think that they can find inexpensive cures or remedies for their pets problems. Instead of shelling out the pricey fee of a vet visitation, they think that PETsMART associates can answer all their concerns. I sympathize with them. My dog's last visit to the vet cost me $300!! Hah! The funny thing here is that I'm still close to my last boss. He thinks a story about people and their pets would make a great story for the paper! I told him I'd think about it.

[Sexy Celebrity]

Originally posted by Austruck
Aniko, the only person I'm legally allowed to rub down with spices is my husband.

And he prefers that I use whipped cream anyway....

(cough cough, is it hot in here?)

Well, now that we've heard Reporter's story, let's hear hers.

And Reporter, what was this independent film you were in? Can we find it anywhere?

[Sexy Celebrity]

My sister used to dress up her dog (often he was crossdressed) Buster, a pomeranian, and take him with her to her public access TV show that she used to do. Not to mention take the endless amount of professional photos of him in costume (all for free). However, Buster is near death now. She has another dog, Tony, and she's getting a new poodle puppy soon, a girl. So am I -- mine will be a boy, a little red poodle. What should I name him?

And does anyone want a ferret? I am trying to find a nice home for this ferret we found last year in our backyard, on the loose! I call him Freddy.

[r3port3r66]

Yes Jason. It's about time I came out about my past huh?

Here is the IMDb link:
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0230265

Yes, notice that my name is not listed in the IMDb credits(I am in the movie's credits though). Wanna know why? Well, at the time the movie posters were being produced, I was in Spain for a modeling job. I also had some...er...problems with the director which I won't go into here--or anywhere else. But, I am in the movie throughout and despite my absence from the IMDb listing my part is usually the one that people ask about, or remember. We won alot of Indy awards with this film. It toured in Italy, Germany and the US, winning several audience awards. I personally don't own a copy yet, but if anyone out there watches it, let me know what you think. WARNING: "Gypsy Boys" is a tale of the night life in San Francisco, and the strains it can put on men trying to find other men to love for the rest of there lives. There is no nudity, but plenty of drug references language and kissing. It is a sweet film, really.

[Sexy Celebrity]

Oh my GAWD.

I have heard of that movie. In fact, it's in my gay & lesbian movie catalog -- tlavideo.com You can order it from there, people! TLAVIDEO.COM! I know I will get it. It's described as a wonderfully SEXY, campy (good), romantic comedy about a group of San Francisco guys all looking for Mr. Right! This indie flick was a hit on the gay film fest circuit and features a great dance music soundtrack, wonderfully sexy fantasy scenes and a bevy of radiant men (REPORTER66!!!). It's on DVD & VHS. Go get it!

I don't like the comment about it being like a sequel to "Broken Hearts Club" though. That movie bored me.... even Timothy Olyphant as a gay man didn't save it. :(

[Piddzilla]

Hey R66! Welcome back! I think you're a cool person doing what you're doing. When I think to myself what I would have studied if I could do my disastrous university-time all over again, I always think political science or zoology. I love animals too...

You've had and are having a pretty interesting life, sir. Maybe you're the next Crocodile Hunter! :yup:

7 bucks/hour is a hell of a crappy salary... Is that legal?? :furious:

[Aniko]

Hi r66. I'm glad you came back here. You've been missed around here. :yup:

Thanks for sharing what you've been doing with us. I'm glad to hear everything is working out for you. I think it's great that you are able to changing careers now. It takes alot of guts to start fresh.

Will you stay at Pet Smart when school begins in the fall?



Originally posted by Austruck
Aniko, the only person I'm legally allowed to rub down with spices is my husband.

And he prefers that I use whipped cream anyway....

(cough cough, is it hot in here?)

Cool Whip or Rediwhip? :licklips: :D

[Austruck]

Rediwip. The chocolate kind. Not the lite crap. Pleh.

Okay, now I'm hungry too. Sheesh.