We've had another mix of weather today, starting with beautiful sunshine, but it never really warmed up and then we got more snow. Not much, but enough to keep things clean and bright. I intended to go out to measure the total snow depth, but instead I got involved on the computer and never made it outside. Tomorrow. On WCAX they reported tonight that Walden has 32 in. on the ground. I'd be surprised if we have that much, but I'll see tomorrow.

I haven't heard much about our back roads lately, probably because they're pretty well frozen. I guess that could help the drying-out process some, but there is still a lot of frost and if we get rain, we will still probably have a sea of mud to travel.

Jane Larrabee got in touch today to let me know there's an article in GQ (Gentlemen's Quarterly) magazine that mentions our Ice-Out Contest. I had not seen this magazine - I long ago gave up reading any magazines except occasionally Vermont Life and my National Geographics I try but fail to keep up with - so was surprised at all the young "hunks" in the numerous ads. Abs ads, you might say. I don't see much of that in either Vt. Live or NG. I think it's called eye candy, so I was surprised there would be a story having anything to do with our contest.

The story was by a young GQ reporter, Raha Naddaf, who was doing a piece on career opportunities and visited WCAX last year. She wanted to experience what it would be like to have a career as a TV reporter, and news director Anson Tebbetts sent her with the WCAX crew to Joe's Pond to report on our Ice-Out contest. She writes in detail about the experience - her impressions upon meeting the people at the TV station, how Anson helped her write a script and the tips she got to help her feel at ease in front of the camera. She was sure it would be a snap. Then, standing on the windy shore at the boat access, with camera rolling, she froze. Not because it was that cold, but because she suddenly realized she was talking to thousands of people. First she flubbed her lines, then she drew a blank, forgetting the lines she'd rehearsed and thought she had memorized.

However, the story she wrote is worth reading. It gives a great insight to what goes into putting together a newscast, from the initial interviews and photo shot planning to the final live broadcast, and she concluded it isn't as easy as it looks, by any means. If you get a chance, pick up the April issue and read her story. Don't skip the ads, though. You'll learn a lot about men's current fashions . . .