The GMFS Dinner Party

I think that "The GMFS Dinner Party" would be a perfect description for the show we did on Wednesday as added some class to the proceedings. First, there was the wonderful music from the Youth Orchestra of the Four States. They didn't have much room to work with, but their director told us they've performed in a living room before, so it wasn't much of an issue. Just a brief snippet from their upcoming performance this Friday & Saturday, March 27 & 28.





Then there was Damien in the kitchen, courtesy of Chatter's. While Shannon and Alan both enjoy cooking, I seriously doubt they could move through the kitchen as gracefully as Damien. Alan is constantly amazed at the speed in which he works.



And when Damien finished, he created a delicious blackened tilapia with shrimp and rice. The dish had a slight kick to it, but the spice didn't over-power the fish. As can be expected, Shannon stayed away from the tilapia and picked the beans out of the rice dish. The only things missing: a rich dessert and maybe some wine.

KODE Vehicle Collector Pictures! Collect all Four!

OK. Everyone has their own taste in cars. Some go for flashy, others speed, and some are lucky if their car makes it to work on a daily basis. However, there is one KODE employee who has the benefit of chosing a vehicle that suits his mood.

Meet the many modes of transportation of Dan Greer. We know of at least four vehicles that he has at his disposal. And like a box of chocolates, ya never know what you're going to get. So, we're going to take pictures!

Vehicle #1: Not his normal mode of transportation. In fact, this was the first time we've seen this ginormous van. We had to stand in the middle of the field behind KODE to get the whole thing in the shot. I guess the only question is... How many KODE Clowns can fit in this thing?




Be on the lookout for the ever-elusive TRUCK-A-SAURUS!

Conversational Ping-Pong

You've probably heard us mention this several times during the program; about how our conversations off-camera go all over the spectrum. Our guests are usually entertained by how we bounce from one topic to another in a relatively short span of time. It's hard to explain it during the course of the program because these discussions don't always follow a logical path.
This morning, and I don't remember what started it, we got on a tangent about school computers. Shannon remembers having the old computers with the bright green screens while Alan was too old to have a computer in the classroom. Then suddenly Shannon began talking about a piece of PE equipment that amounted to a wooden square with wheels attached it. Alan vaguely remembered those items from school, but in high school, they got to play floor hockey, which provided a different set of dangers.
The conversation veered into school playground equipment. When Alan was in elementary school, they once put a mound of dirt behind the school, which the kids would play on. And all that took place in a two-minute span.
Later in the show, the off-camera topic was a philosophical discussion on zombies. Do all zombies eat brains? Why don't zombies eat other zombies? Why do zombies move so slow and would they be faster if they were cheetah zombies? Why are they called the "undead"?


Keep in mind, we do talk to our guests about the event they're here to promote, so it's not all crazy talk. But sometimes our guests do join in. Others sit quietly, either amused by the banter or thinking we're insane. I often fear the latter.

March Barbecue Winner

For the month of March, Shannon and Alan traveled to Cottey College in Nevada. Alan hadn't really spent much time in Nevada, stopping there once for gas on a return trip from a Chiefs game. Shannon, on the other hand, used to report in the area and oddly knew all the rest stops. You can tell there was a good crowd, but for some reason, Alan always takes the "Crowd at Table" photo at the same angle.
Richard always likes to bring a few extra surprises with him, and this particular time, it was macaroni & cheese as well as a tray of meatballs.



Cottey College was actually on Spring Break and several of the faculty and students were off in Italy. Those remaining on campus were determined to have fun and apparently had some sort of sculpture contest. Since we like food, here's a Leaning Tower of Pizza.




Richard gets really excited about barbecue and loves to talk about it. We don't blame him because the food is quite good. All of our winners would agree. Here is Richard preaching the gospel of barbecue.

Chili Good!

On Saturday night, Shannon and Alan were judges at the 6th Annual Chili Cook-Off taking place at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Webb City. 15 different kinds of chili were tasted, which provided a challenge for Shannon because each type of chili had beans and well... she hates beans. However, that didn't stop her from judging duties as she rated for aroma and color while drafting some help on taste.

The judges were taken to a room away from the serving area so that the anonymity of the chili could remain. However, those in the dining facility could see who was serving up the chili, so presentation played a part.

Of course, one contestant was calling on a higher power, after telling his congregation that he would win.

Mooooo!

As if pictures of the cow aren't enough, here's video of him helping Alan with the weather!!

Cow Invasion

It's always fun to have the Chick-fil-A cow on the show because you never know what will occur. He does some dancing during the weather forecast, maybe point at a few numbers and that usually provides several laughs. However, this morning we got an added bonus, with another cow (Junior Cow?) joining in.

Random Shot

This is Matt (L) and Andy (R), our camera operators. Since the guys are stuck in the studio, they have to hear all the crazy conversation that goes on between Shannon and Alan. It's a wonder that they're still sane.

Controlled Chaos

Shannon and Alan have two radically different ways of managing their desks. In the previous post, you see how Shannon's desk is in a continual state of chaos. Alan, on the other hand, prefers a more controlled chaos. With his desk, you can always tell where he is in the day by the amount of clutter.

Here is a look at how Alan's desk starts the day.



A few things scattered about, but overall everything seems to have a place. However, there is one pile of paper that has seemingly been part of the desk forever. They look important, so Alan just leaves them there. Now we observe the state of his desk right after the show.



The mess has grown a bit. The final picture is Alan's desk at about 9:30 a.m. Several projects going, and sometimes the desk is worse, all depending on the day.




You'll notice the open drawer in the far left corner of the photo. It's usually full of tapes and sometimes functions as a shelf during the day. From here, the mess begins to go in the opposite direction, until it's time to go home and the desk has returned to the state of the first photo. It's a daily process that is carried out like clockwork.

Organized Chaos

It's often the subject of ridicule in the newsroom....Shannon's desk. Look closely, it's there somewhere. Hidden under the piles of jewelry, phone books, tapes, papers, makeup and lunches, there's a large desk made of some kind of wood-product. There's even stuff on the walls and underneath.

But don't try to "tidy up." Shannon won't be able to find a thing.