Good Question

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Good Question.

It's what I've been thinking about a lot lately, and it has nothing to do with Jason DeRusha and Joe Berglove who do the great GQ question on WCCO.   I've been thinking about the question presented to me across the desk of a television executive recently.  

The question came when I was interviewing for a job out west, closer to the place I come from.   It was a great city, a great station, and a great job.   Oh yeah, and the people who flew me out there couldn't have been nicer.   I liked each an every person I met during my visit, and felt a great connection to those I managed to have some one-one-one time with.  It was a perfect fit.   It gets even better...they offered me the job.

It should have been a no-brainer and I should likely be packing my bags and putting the house on the market.   But here I sit, writing a blog at a coffee shop in the Twin Cities and I won't get a dime for it.   What the heck am I thinking?    I'm thinking about that good question I was asked.

It went like this:  "What is it Jeanette Trompeter wants?"   Simple question, really.   And yet not.   I suppose we all spend a fair amount of time thinking about what we want, dreaming about it probably.   I do.   But I for one, have often let reality get in the way.   You gotta make a living, right?
(I was always taught the answer to that question is yes.)  From my first exposure to the industry, I wanted to be a journalist.   For many years I couldn't believe I got paid to do the job (and truthfully, I barely was getting paid to do it for the first half of my career.)   But at some point, I realized I needed to make a living, and I wasn't giving up journalism, so I gave up my hometown in California instead.   I packed up my worldly possessions in my little Toyota and headed for Des Moines, Iowa.   

I didn't move to Des Moines because it's where I wanted to live.   I moved there because I got a great job offer.   And I stayed because I got another...a raise that made buying furniture and settling in some seem like a reasonable thing to do.   I made friends, discovered the magic of fireflies, the sweet goodness of Iowa sweetcorn, and became an Iowa Cyclone fan.   I got a dog. and for the most part, I had a great time there.   But I was working nights, again.   And when I took a job with Better Homes and Gardens Television, I was working weekends, and vacations too.  I have no complaints.    It helped me dig myself out of the debt built up during those early low-paying years.   I bought a house.  I bought a new car.  I even discovered what "disposable income" was.   That's fulfilling in and of itself for a girl who wasn't used to being financially comfortable.

And then a bigger and better offer came from the Twin Cities.  Wrong direction.  I had always planned on heading back home for the next gig.  But this was a great opportunity.  Intentional or not, I had planted some roots in Iowa, and painful as it was, I ripped them up and headed north.   You just can't pass up certain opportunities for growth.   But it always comes with growing pains.   I didn't know a soul when I moved here, and though I was smitten with the beauty of the Twin Cities, and the entertainment opportunities, I had only Madelyn (my dog) to help me explore it all.  My first year in Minnesota was a lonely one.    

Of course it changed.  I once again made friends, bought a house, and began to find my place in this new environment.   I loved my job, my co-workers and my life here.  I still love my life here.    But you gotta make a living, right?   So when I lost my job, my agent and I began the immediate search for a new one.   And I've been fortunate to land some interviews.   There has been very little downtime during my stint "on the beach", and that is a mixed blessing.

Because when the question was uttered "What is it Jeanette Trompeter wants", I was unprepared with a solid answer.    And in the days that followed, I realized this was a time in my life I really wanted to take some time to figure that out.   So I took a leap of faith, and passed on a dream job out west and am opting to take a closer look at what I want my dream life to look like. 

So that is what I'm up to these days.   I can't take too long to figure it out, but I am fortunate enough to be able to buy a little time.   And while losing my job was heartbreaking, I do feel grateful for this chance to hit pause, and quite literally explore my options.  It doesn't come without anxiety, but I do feel like this is a magic time in my life, and I'm confident it will all work out.   And maybe the next time I'm asked a really good question, I'll be better prepared with a really honest and well-thought out answer.

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Not Fair March 5th, 2010 My phone started wringing in the early hours this morning.   The first time I assumed it might be a friend out too late who wanted to leave me a funny message of some sort.   But then the calls kept coming, I knew something was wrong.   I was right.  I just didn't expect this. One of my best friends died in her sleep last night.  She was 47.   It's not fair.  Nothing was fair in my book about Darcy's life, and now her death has left me feeling the same way.  I'm still in shock.  I don't really believe it yet.     Read More Try Try Again Wednesdy, February 24th, 2010 Sometimes when you take on a big project, you don't always succeed in seeing it to the finish.   It's kind of how I felt when I left Iowa to take a job in Minneapolis without getting legislation passed there to crack down on Puppy Mills.  I started a foundation with a friend and attorney there where we had a tip line people could call with information on suspected mills.  We would pay an investigator to go out and look into it.   But when I left Iowa, the foundation, and my efforts in that state kind of went by the wayside.     Read More If You Only Knew Wednesday, February 22nd, 2010 I like to think if people really knew what their passion for trendy pets leads to, they'd head to the local shelter instead of the local paper or their computers to find their dogs. Last week the Hollywood City Council adopted an ordinance to prohibit the sale of dogs in pet stores.  It's a move that comes with controversy, but unfortunately, restrictions like this can be needed in some communities to keep pet retailers honest.    History has shown too many have chosen to get their supply of dogs from "breeders" who run less-than-ethical operations. How do I know this?  Read More Pismo Beach Therapy Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  If that's true, and I was to share all the images I carry with me from this past Saturday afternoon, this is going to be one long blog.    I'll try to widdle it down. Read More Now I Know February 15, 2010 About a month.  Now I know.  If you read my blog a month ago  I was wondering as I entered back into the work-a-day-world how long it would take for me to lose the balance I had seemed to find during my soul searching of the previous few months.  I lost my balance immediately as far as I tried to get a footing in a new job, with new co-workers, new duties, and new ways of doing just about everything.   But I'm talking about a different kind of balance.   The kind that keeps you sane.   Read More Small World Thursday, February 11th, 2010 So I'm kind of fired up about the Olympics starting tomorrow.  Especially because I work for an NBC affiliate now, so I can kind of get paid to watch them.  I'm looking forward to the opening ceremonies tomorrow night.  And while I don't have any real local ties (well any ties really) to any of the athletes, I'm still excited I'm going to have some friends there for all the pomp and circumstance.  Read More Rediscovery Friday, January 5, 2010 Phew, it's been a week.  But it's been full of good.   Just a little busy.    I moved.  Again.   I had been in temporary housing and made the move Monday to a less-short-term place.   I still don't know where I'll be living long-term, until I know if my house back in Minneapolis will sell.    But at least I can settle in a bit and that's nice.  Read More With a Little Help From my Friends Tuesday, January 26, 2010 Okay, I'm feeling better today.   I'm starting to get over the Vikings painful loss over the weekend.  It helps I guess that all my colleagues are loving bringing it up over and over...to the point it gets funny.   And then I have these wonderful viewers who can't resist the jokes going around.  Jim Eaton sent me one I couldn't resist passing on today.   I'm doing so with love and respect for my friends back in Minne-SOH-tah:   Part of my heart will always be there.  You betcha.  Read More One of Those Days Monday, January 25th, 2010 Sometimes the best of intentions can't overcome a day that just wasn't meant to go down as a one of your best. I tried this morning.  But it wasn't easy when the first thing I thought of when I woke up was last night's Viking's game.  It wasn't a dream.  Dammit.  It was more of a nightmare...at least in the final seconds of the 4th quarter. It's not that I am against the Saint's going to the Superbowl, it's just that I really wanted it to be the Vikings. Read More Be Gone With You Thursday, January 21, 2010 I'm over it.  I'm seriously over it.  No, I'm not talking about the weather.  Of course I'm eager for sunshine and 70's again.   But you have to remember, I've been living in places where that wouldn't happen for months yet.  So I can wait a few weeks while these storms pass.   Read More Weathering the Storm Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 Whoever said it never rains in California didn't spent much time here during El Nino years.   Much of the state is getting hit with a series of storms this week and the Central Coast is no exception.    When I got up this morning, there wasn't much time for coffee.   I could hear the winds blowing the patio furniture around on my roof, so up I went in my pajamas in the hopes of beating the rain to batten down the hatches. (I'm guessing my neighbors are getting used to me wandering outside in my jammies after my morning sunrise runs and this morning's antics.)   Read More Haiti Help Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 If you are like me and feeling helpless watching all the devestation in Haiti, and wishing you could do more, I have an easy one for you.   The power of a lot of people doing just a little is evident in the Red Cross's texting campaign. Anyone with a mobile phone and an account with a major wireless carrier can text the phrase “Haiti” to the number 90999 and donate $10 to the Red Cross. That amount is charged to the donor’s cellphone bill.  And according to New York Times bloggers, the campaign has already raised $1.2 million dollars!   It's nice to have a story like this to report on when the news coming out of Haiti is so sad.  Read More Catchin' Up Tuesday, January 12, 2010 Hi Friends.   Well, I'm beginning to catch my breath.   And I'm beginning the process of catching up.   I've almost caught up with the schedule of news updates, script deadlines, and promo shoots for each day at KSBY.  I still haven't figured out my voice mail at work.  And I'm having trouble with my new company cell phone.  It does more than my computer, and I can't even figure out how to unlock it, so I'm thinking it's going to be awhile until I'm using it much.  I'll have to add reading the instructions to my "to do" list. Read More When Everything Old is New Again January 6th, 2010 I've heard it said, if you're not growing, you're dying...or something like that.  Well at least I know I'm not dying.   I know that because I'm experiencing growing pains.  Again.   You'd think you reach a point in life where they kind of stop, or at least subside some.   Not for me.  Not right now.     Read More School Night January 3rd, 2010 Well it's been a glorious start to the new year.   The weekend was full of sun, sand and relaxation, but I'm dealing with feelings I haven't had in a few months; the feelings that come with the reality of a school night after a great weekend like this one.    And it's bigger than that really.  It's more like the one before the first day of school every fall.  I'm going to be in a whole new classroom, with a new teacher, new classmates...heck I'm even going to a new school.  Okay, it's not really a new school.  I've gone to classes here before but things have changed since then.  It's exciting and a bit anxiety producing as well.  After all, it's been a long summer break for JT.   For instance, I've been dressing casually so long, I realized as I looked through my closet tonight I failed to pack a lot of the things I'm going to be needing in the coming weeks.   Read More Livin' the Dream December 31, 2009 Beware of dreams come true.   You've probably heard that before, but it probably came in the form of "Be careful what you wish for".   We've all experienced the peril of ignoring that warning at some point or another.   We've dreamt about the handsome guy across the office only to discover he's really sort of a nightmare once you get to know him.   Or we've wished for that new fancy car, only to find out it's upkeep costs more than your monthly mortgage payments.  Or how about this one: we've dreamt of more free time to write that book or take that vacation we've thought about so many times, only to find ourselves with a pink slip, or a failed investment.   Suddenly we have too much time on our hands and too little money in our bank accounts to think about anything but our worries and woes.   Like I said, be careful what you wish for.  Beware of dreams come true.  Read More Goodbyes are Never Easy December 22, 2009 It's time. It's time to say so-long. I feel like the last few months have been full of too many good-byes. So I don't want to dwell on it. But I couldn't leave without acknowledging it. I left Minneapolis last Thursday and am in California for the holidays   It still hasn't quite sunk in that I won't be getting on a plane to head back to the mid-west after all the celebrations have ended. As regular readers know (and the rest of you can catch up on by reading back a few blogs) I'm staying here in California to take a job at KSBY-TV and be near family.  Read More Transitions and Time Monday, December 1st, 2009 Game on.  The big move to California is in the works.  I've put the house here in Minneapolis on the market, found temporary housing out west.  I've scheduled some good-bye lunches, brunches and such, and have begun going through my life.    I've moved a lot in the last 20 years.   I did a mental scan today and I counted 15 of them since I headed off to college.     The biggest was probably when I loaded what little possessions I had and headed to Iowa to take my first anchor job.   That began my extended stay in the Midwest.  .  Read More Full Circle  can't believe it's really happening.   It's always been a quiet longing, but now it's really happening.   I'm coming home to the Central Coast of California.  It was hard leaving this place years ago, but the quest for upward movement in my career had me packing my bags, saying tearful goodbyes to family and friends, and heading east.  I learned what mid-west winters where like, and what wonderful mid-west people people are like.   I learned how the presidential race starts at least two (or three!) years beforehand when you live in the city that hosts the first presidential contest in the nation, the Iowa Caucus.   And I learned people really do set up fishing houses on frozen lakes and fish in the dead of winter in Minnesota.   And I learned how fun college football can be to watch when you're sitting a sea of Cyclone, Hawkeye, Gopher, or Badgers fans.  Read More Sentimental Journey My Last Walk with Madelyn Friday, November 6th, 2009 I have this belief.   I have this belief that when someone you love died, there is a moment when they give you a sign they are okay, that they are where they are supposed to be.   That they've made it there, crossed over, are resting in peace.   You never know what it's going to be, and maybe not everyone experiences it, but I have had it with every person close to me I've lost.   It's hard to trust that moment will come in the middle of your grief, and it doesn't come immediately.   But at some point, something happens: and you just know.   I believe it's their spirit telling you it's okay.  They're okay.   And you will be okay soon too.   I got that message from Madelyn this week.  Read More Time Flies November 3rd, 2009 Wow, how did that happen?    It's true.  Time flies...when you're having fun, and when you're a bit stressed out.   I feel like I can blame both for the absence of blogs lately.    My apologies to those of you who kindly stop by now and then to see what the heck I'm up to, and my thanks to those who leave me gentle reminders it's been awhile since I've posted.  Read More It Aint Over Until its Over Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 I'm actually been grateful I'm unemployed the last few days.   That's because there's too much fun stuff going on around the Twin Cities to have a JOB to throw into the mix.   I'm talking the Vikings.   I'm talking the Twins.  I'm talking the Wild.   Minnesota sports have given us reason to cheer during what has otherwise been a kind of dreary, cold and wet early Fall.   We've learned how true the saying is: "It ain't over 'till it's over!" Read More Its a Wrap Sunday, October 4th, 2009 Well, there's no doubt about it.   Fall is here.   And it isn't being well-received by Yours Truly.   I went for a run this weekend and was not too excited about having to put gloves on.   I was even less thrilled to figure out about half-way through, I should have been wearing a stocking cap too.   Seriously.   Frozen ears on October 2nd?   I'm just not ready. Thankfully, our professional sports teams are heating things up this week and making the chill of this early fall tolerable.  Read More Mixed Emotions September 27, 2009 I wasn't going to go.  When I heard a few weeks ago I was nominated for an Emmy award for my work at WCCO, I couldn't imagine how being there for the awards ceremony would be a ton of fun.   I mean, it just felt weird for all kinds of reasons.   But after some nudging from a few supportive friends, and the vision of getting together with some of my former colleagues not only from WCCO, but other stations in the Cities and Iowa, I changed my mind.   I'm glad I did.  Read More Winding Down September 24th, 2009 It always happens.   We even got the last blast of summer I was hoping for, and it eased the sting a bit.   But try as we might, the transition is well underway.   Fall is pushing the summer of 09 into the history books.   And as I often do, I'm finding myself feeling melancholy.   I found myself singing the worlds to Don Henley's "Boys of Summer" song as I was trying to soak up one of our recent wonderfully warm mid-September days: Read More Sweet Condolences Tuesday, September 16th, 2009 You are all so wonderful...all of you who have sent me messages of support and empathy through facebook and e-mail regarding the loss of Madelyn.   I assure all of you who have not heard back from me personally I have read every single one.   And while to a certain degree there is nothing that can take away the pain or fill the void right now, your words have support have been soothing.    You need to know they stick with me.   Little things that some of you wrote when I first talked about Madelyn's cancer came to me last week, helping me through the process.   Read More Missing Madelyn Tuesday, September 9th, 2009 I knew the time was coming.  I knew it would be the right thing to do.  I knew it would hurt.   I knew I'd be a mess.  None of that knowledge made this day any easier.   I'm more than a mess.  I'm kind of a wreck and though I know intellectually it will get better, I'm having a hard time believing that in this particular moment.  Read More Give it a Break Wednesday, Sept 2nd, 2009 I can't believe summer is winding down.   I hate this time of year.  I mean, I love it, but it's such melancholy time of year.   Especially this year when summer has been cool and short in Minnesota.   I love fall, but I just haven't had enough of summer.   And even if we had a long hot summer, I think I'd still feel this way.      Read More Words of Wisdom Tuesday, August 26th, 2009 Today is my dad's birthday.  (Happy Birthday Dad!)   He's getting older and loves to talk about that a lot these days.   Actually, he's talked about it for most of my adult life.  He is not a man who has trouble letting go of his youth.   I think, rather, that he's enjoyed the perks that come with age.  It seems with every year he adds to his resume, he feels free to let go of something.     Read More No Place Like Home Saturday, August 15th, 2009 I believe Dorothy had it right.  I really do.  When I get back to California, and I put my feet in the Pacific, it feels like home.  I am reminded of a million other times I've waded, ran, sat and surfed in the chilly salty water as it hits the shoreline.   There is a sense of release in the next breath that I exhale.  I'm home.  Everything is alright.   I feel grounded instantly.   No matter how long I've been away, it always feels the same to me.   And for so many years, the feeling I get when I'm here, came with an ache to get back.  I'm realizing this trip, though, there is some confusion in that word....home Read More Ding Dong August 6th, 2009 The Rumors are true.  I have found a new gig.  Don't be turning on the T.V to see where I've landed.   It's not that kind of gig.   It's the kind of gig that prompts a few giggles from a lot of folks I know and love, and I'm sure many I don't know, or do know and don't particularly love.  I've thrown caution to the wind and signed on as an Arbonne consultant.  http://arbonne.com/   Think Avon Lady, the next generation.  If you haven't heard of Arbonne, it's a company that sells botanically based skin care and health and wellness products.  (And since I'm officially a "consultant", if you haven't hear of it, we should probably talk...)  Read More Timing is Everything August 3rd, 2009 We're all learning a lot about timing these days.  We're feeling the pain of not guessing it right...in business, in housing, in job opportunities that are or aren't there all due to the timing.    It seems I'm weighing the timing factor a lot lately.   And it's all stressful because, of course, timing is a guessing game.  It's difficult to know for sure when the timing is right.   And even if we think it might be, are we ready to acknowledge it and make a move?    And what if we're not?     Read More Counting the Losses July 29th, 2009 It's everywhere.  I'm talking about the news reports, and friends telling friends the stories, and first hand accounts of people like me "losing their jobs".   Much of the coverage and talk is about the economic impacts...on those of us who find ourselves out of work, and the economy overall.   If we can't spend or pay our mortgages, well, it has impacts.   So I get why it gets so much attention. Read More Big Brother Monday, July 20th, 2009 I'm not talking about the T.V. show that airs on the network I once worked for.   I'm talking about the real deal.   Big Brother watching your every move.   I know it's the world we live in and technology makes it ever so easy to do, but does that mean we should be?  Read More The Power of Prayer July 17, 2009 I'm about to break a cardinal rule of The Big J (Journalism), and talk about something I likely wouldn't be allowed to if I had a job.  Maybe so, as this is a blog, and viewers/readers are becoming increasing hip the fact journalists are real people with real beliefs, faiths and thoughts.  Even so, I'm not going to go so far as to share all my beliefs with you, but I am going to talk about something I do put a lot of stock in.  I'm talking about prayer. Read More Little voices Monday, July 13th, 2009 I live next to the cutest little family.   The only thing missing is a white picket fence, and maybe a dog.  But they kind of have Madelyn part-time.   Apparently when I thought Madelyn was just stepping off the back porch to do her business on early winter mornings and cold winter nights, I was wrong.   She was slipping down the street, or across the street and saying hi to the neighbors.    It wasn't until this spring that the perfect little family  let me know how often Madelyn just comes and hangs with them.   Most of the time she returned home before I realized she was gone.  Read More Good Question 7/9/09 It's what I've been thinking about a lot lately, and it has nothing to do with Jason DeRusha and Joe Berglove who do the great GQ question on WCCO.   I've been thinking about the question presented to me across the desk of a television executive recently.  Read More Beach Party 7/6/09 You know, there is a heck of a gathering happening on the beach today, and it has nothing to do with the 4th of July, or even summertime.   I knew it was happening, but I had no idea how big of a party it was until I was officially invited.  Trust me, you don't need to feel left out if you haven't received your invitation.   In fact, you probably want to feel pretty grateful about it. Read More Happy Birthday America 7/3/09 That's what my silly friend has been going around saying to everyone all weekend.  It's the truth, but it sounds funny when she says it.   It's 4th of July weekend, Independence Day, the high point of summer.   Whatever you want to call it, it's one of my favorite weekends of the year, but it comes with mixed emotions.  Read More Hello Friends 7/1/09 So, welcome to jeanettetrompeter.com.   I'm not sure what exactly it is, or will be, but we will start with it as a place for me to start blogging again.   I am flattered and appreciative of those of you who have visited my facebook page and let me know you actually read the one I did for WCCO and that you kind of miss it.   Read More