VLOGGING 101

Hi everyone! I've entered the world of VLOGGING aka video blogging. Let me know your thoughts at Ryan@wnep.com. I admit...the first one isn't the best. But hey...I'm new to the whole VLOG thing.

UPDATE! STAY TUNED....WE'RE TROUBLE SHOOTING WHY THE VIDEO WON'T POST. Check back again! :-)

Here we go again....

It's back to the blog time and Leckey's going to let the pictures tell the tale. I recently returned from a visit with my mom in sunny Bradenton, Florida and thought I'd share some photos from the trip. I hadn't seen my mom since July so it was good to regroup, take a trek to the ocean, and hit up a few fun places like Disney along the way. I've been there before and each time I go, I realize that I truly have the attention span of a nat sometimes. Especially when there are shiny objects and amusement park rides around every corner. :-) Okay..enjoy your Thursday and try to stay dry. I'm about to donn my Smurf rain suit again to make another dash into the wet weather. Oh... before I go, a huge shout out to the hospitable people in Honesdale. Every time we turned around this morning ...folks kept showing up at the live truck offering photographer Dave Jones and me coffee and food...even a stuffed penguin. Not sure what that was all about, but hey...as my grandmother would say, "enjoy it...it's free....F-R-E-E...free!" She would literally spell it out just like that! Anyways....look for us in your town! :-) No food needed...just a simple HOLLER will work! :-) Have a rockin' Thursday!

Whoops!

-RL-

Down, but not out!

When it comes to LIVE TV...you just never what will happen. Proof of that came at 7:25 this morning on Newswatch 16 during a live cut-in in Good Morning America. I was doing a live shot on the overnight snowfall from the Bear Creek area. Then...all of sudden, BAM! Leckey went down. I totally wiped out and everything went into slow motion. I fell and knew I was live, but it seemed like it took me forever to get back up and get the words out to continue the shot. I recreated the incident in today's picture in case you missed it. If you did see the real deal, I hope you got a chuckle out of it. I know my coworker, Photographer Dave Jones, was laughing out loud. I was like, "Hello? Man down here!!" I'm just scared to see what the morning team does with that video, especially Joe.

My Hometown...

It's almost the weekend and you know what that means. No...not dance party. It's "SANTA PARADE TIME!" Mark your calendars for this Saturday. The annual Greater Scranton Jaycees Santa Parade steps off around 9 a.m. It'll be carried LIVE on WNEP-TV. If you take a trek to downtown Scranton, you'll see yours truly strollling the streets. I'll be once again bringing live hits from the sidelines along with co-hosts Marisa Burke and Norm Jones. If you're there, flag me down and say hello. Or hand a turbo coffee my way! :-)


Okay, now to today's pictures. I went back to my hometown of Johnstown, PA last weekend and thought I'd share some of the visit with you. I'm proud of that place! You can take the boy out of the small town but you can't take the small town out of the boy. Or something like that. :-)The pictures tell the tale. Have a great Thursday! --the Leckenator

Kick the Habit

If you caught today's a.m. show, you probably saw how Tom and Mindi let Leckey run loose in the Poconos. I had a ball!! I previewed an event happening tomorrow that's focused on helping people stop smoking. The Pocono Association of Nurse Practitioners is putting on the event from 5 to 7 p.m. They're a great group!! If you're interested in attending...just show up to the Pocono Medical Center's Learning Institute along Storm Street in Stroudsburg on Thursday.

As always, if you know of something wild or an event benefiting a great cause happening in your neighborhood...let me know about it. Email me at Ryan@wnep.com. See you in the morning!
-RL-

New Place to Play

Congratulations to Scranton on opening the city's newest park in 30 years. The place dubbed "Mayor Jim Connors Park" replaces the old South Scranton Post Office. The green is a welcomed sight compared to the old, empty building. Once the swing sets are in place, it should be a fun place to play for families. Too bad it wasn't Spring.
-RL-

Random Thought

Just received an email that I had to share. It was regarding my Halloween costume question. Someone said I should go as the off her rocker rock star Amy Whinehouse. YIKES! That is scary, but funny. By the way, I figured out how to update my blog from my BlackBerry so that's why I can now update this thing more often. Well...the light just turned green...better get back to driving. Joke! Don't panic. Not even close to a car. ;-) See you Wednesday!
-RL-

It's here!

My day has been a wet mess from the get go. Can you relate? Holy snow Batman! I've been cruising all over NEPA and much of it looked like today's picture. AKA a winter wonderland. The downfall this morning was a slew of major technical problems with our satellite truck. I swear if this vehicle could talk it would yell..."It's too soon for snow!!!" On much happier note, I scored some tasty coffee inside Joe's Kwik Mart in Hamlin this morning. Say hi to Stephanie if you're ever in there. Okay, it's time to attempt another live shot. Fingers crossed!
-RL-

Pondering on the Pumpkins

I think today's picture might say it all. I'm stumped what to sport as my Halloween costume this year. How do you top a Klingon from Star Trek?!? No joke! I rocked that look one year. I thought about going as Joe Snedeker but trying to look like that hot mess of a morning meteorologist would take a lot more than just Oprah Winfrey's make up crew. Plus, that wild weave of his. How do you replicate that? So throw me a bone here! Any ideas? SIDEBAR: Also in your email, let me know if you too crack up when someone says puNkin instead of pumpkin. Mum-Mum aka my craft fair fanatic grandmother used to call me that when I was a tiny tot. What a hoot! Anyways, send the emails to Ryan@wnep.com.

OH! (that's the caffeine talking)... Don't forget about the ghoulish good time planned for tomorrow's morning show. That is...barring major breaking news overnight. Members with the Pennsylvania Paranormal Association are going to help us go after some ghosts in what some describe as an old time haunted insane asylum. See you in the a.m.!

Back again....

Before you start tossing tomatoes at me, know that I totally fell off the wagon when it came to this blog thing. Sometimes...I honestly have thoughts that pop into my head and think..."I need to write about that on the blog." That's also when something happens in the news world and I have to make a mad dash out the door. Notice how I didn't start buy writing a paragraph about how sorry I was for not writing. I am sorry, but the reason I didn't start it that way is because my news director, Erik Schrader, was busting on me yesterday saying...."Leckey, you only blog to apologize for not blogging. What's up with that?" So instead of excuses why I haven't been here...I'll just get back on the horse and give this blog my best. Truth is...Erik, the boss man, told me he'd get me a web cam if I blogged often. My goal is to VLOG...aka a video blog. It would be easier to yap than to try to type out all of my crazy thoughts. Fingers crossed...I'll get a web cam! Until then...keep on reading.

Ok, first to today's picture. It's of Dr. Bobby Dodd and me. Remember him? He's the creator of the "Power Chi Workout." I introduced you to the Scranton man on Newswatch 16 This Morning during our "Slim Down For Summer" segments. If you need a refresher on his workout...check out the videos by click on the following link. http://www.wnep.com/Global/category.asp?C=139380

The reason I'm mentioning this... is because over the past several months, many of you have stopped me to say "Hey! How's that new workout going you've been doing?" That...or "Lay off the coffee Leckey." :-) In any case, I thought today's visit back to the blog could be a good time to update my progress on the "Power Chi Workout." I've been doing it for several months now and I found it to be the best fat blasting, challenging, and boredom free programs I have ever done. I dropped more weight and got in better shape with Bobby's fitness regiment than I did training for marathons. So why I'm I spilling the beans? My motto is to share the wealth to help people no matter what their age...shed the pounds. Remember, when I started at WNEP three years ago I weighed in at 205. Now...Leckey hovers around 165. So I figure, if I can point people to a place I feel will get them results...I'm all for it! If you want more info. on the workout in addition to the videos posted at wnep.com...check out http://www.drbobbydodd.com/. I also have been taking Dr. Dodd's own organic super greens which has helped balance my body's PH levels and has erased any sign of acid reflux disease. No more heart burn meds for me anymore! Seriously...I used to take Prilosec OTC every morning to prevent heart burn, now...just a shot of the organic greens in the a.m. and I'm good to go. As always, before beginning any new workout program...consult your doctor! That was me using lawyer lingo. :-)

Ok, here's a sneak peak of what I'm working on for Thursday's and Friday's morning show...barring big breaking news overnight.

Thursday: I'll be giving you the low down on an upcoming Triathlon in Luzerne County that's fun for the whole family. And guess what? No swim is involved. Check that out tomorrow.

And Friday morning...who's in the mood a spooktacular time? Be sure to tune into the a.m. show on Oct 24. I'm scheduled to meet up with a Paranormal Investigation group to tour what some describe as an old haunted insane asylum. The group that's meeting us is pretty cool and could be new aged ghost busters. Should be a blast! Ok, that's all for now! See you in the a.m.!

-the Leckenator-

Road Trip

HOLLER! Long time, no chat. Just thought I'd touch base to say hello. I'm on the road right now... on my way back from Pittsburgh as I write this blog. Hi...sleep deprived...table of one. Okay, so I never realized how hard it is to steer, pay attention to traffic, and type on a laptop all at the same time. Don't mind my swerving. JOKE! I'm not driving and typing. Don't worry. Only kidding. No one panic and post something on Talkback 16 about the 'Leckenator' typing and driving. I'm not behind the wheel. WNEP-TV Photographer Dave Jones is behind the helm. Poor guy: he's on vacation from work this week and found himself trapped in a truck with me for 10 hours. We went to the Steel City to pick up some furniture for my apartment. A black leather living suit is about to land itself in my crib and it didn't cost me a dime! Loves me some hand-me-downs. Thanks for the couches mom!!! Ok, it's almost time to unload all of this stuff. Have an awesome weekend!!!! P.S. Stay tuned for future blogs. Topics I hope to tackle include: cleaning out the clutter, The Power Chi Workout, and my Hulk Hogan Energy drink withdraw.

Quote of the day: "If it's FREE...I'll take THREE." ---WNEP-TV Photographer Mike Erat

Rock on everyone!

-Ryan

POTTS-VEGAS

It'll be a short blog filled with a shout to my peeps in Pottsville. A huge thanks to the cool crew in Schuylkill County who invited me down on Friday to preview the Great Pottsville Cruise. As you can see from the picture, a good time was had by all...especially by me in the yellow Corvette. :-) HOLLER! How was I supposed to know it could go from zero to 80 so fast? But you know the saying...what happens in Potts-Vegas... stays in Potts-Vegas. :-) -RL-

My bad...and I'm owning it!

Ok first, let me just say I get the "bad friend award" for not blogging in more than two months. I'm owning it! Although this is my first time back in a bit, this blog may be short and sweet. Let me cut right to the chase about where I've been. The reason I haven't been on here is because "the Leckenator" has been using any and every free minute to get out and enjoy the summer. It's been a blast so far! The minute I get out of work, I hit the gym and then head outside. I usually find myself infront of a grill preparing a big boy meal to feast upon. I guess that kind of defeats the whole gym purpose, but hey...maybe it'll all even out. In any case, I hope your summer has rocked as well.

As you have seen over the past two months, yours truly has found himself in a variety of places during the morning show. From festivals to fairs, I've been all jacked up on Java doing whatever it took to have fun on the job and let you in on some community happenings. With that being said, any and all fundraiser ideas and festivals happening where you live...please fly me an email to Ryan@wnep.com. I can't make any promises for coverage, but I'll do my best to at least write back to let you know what can and can't be done to promote the event.

Alrighty....let's talk about today's picture and how Joe Snedeker let my morning energy secret out of the bag. In addition to just being nutty enough at 2a.m., the rest of my "ready to rock-n-roll" before the sunrise attitude can be blamed on the dirt cheap, sugar-free Hulk Hogan Energy drink. Like most addicts, I have a dealer. He's WNEP-TV Photographer Dave Jones. He's my partner in crime in the morning and ironically is the same guy who panics when I have too much coffee...yet he keeps providing the caffeinated beverages. It's like he's the man who goes to the zoo... sees that sign that says "Don't Feed the Bears" and then tosses a pot of honey into the cage. So when I'm wound for sound and he's like "calm down, you're bouncing off the walls," I simply turn and say "Not my problem." It's like feeding a baby a bottle. You know the end result could make a mess.

Ok, that's all for now. Happy Thursday! Have a great weekend if I don't catch you before hand and I'll do my best not to let too much time pass before another update. -RL-

Memorial Day

What a weekend!

Time to shoot the breeze with my peeps aka YOU ALL! Holler! Today's slide show comes courtesy of Kurt Aaron's backyard B.B.Q. on Memorial Day. Some interesting points were highlighted in the slide show. Kurt caught a garden snake that was planning to take a slithery swim...or eat my cheeseburger. Either way...it was a lose lose. Then...the nice guy that he is...released the creature into the wild. And by wild...I mean he put it near a few pine trees and said 'go on, be free!' The other photo is of my homegirl Mindi "Melinda" Ramsey and her baby girl. I thought I was a good eater, wow! Little Ms. Macey Jade can pack it down.

Backing up a bit to Saturday and Sunday...I worked. One of the funniest/most embarrassing parts of my weekend came on Sunday when I took a trek to TCBY on Montage Mountain. So I got a small blizzard type thingy and the total was $4.12. The cashier told me the price and I whipped out my wallet. I had four ones and a five dollar bill. I thought...'hmmmm, why break my five when there is change right in front of me.' So here's me thinking I hit the jackpot finding a quarter in the 'give a penny-take a penny' jar/tray thing....or at least that's what I thought it was. I was excited...I didn't have to break my five. So I grabbed the quarter out and handed it to the clerk along with my four ones. That's when I got an odd glare. While he was ringing me up...I went to grab a spoon and said 'just put the change back in that tray thing.' I got my spoon...went to the other side of the counter to get napkins and that's when a big "MY BAD" moment hit me. Turns out that dish with the change...said "TIP JAR" real big on the side of it. I paniced, apologized over and over, and then whipped about my wallet and shoved whatever cash I had back into the container trying to make up for my big whoops! Others got a kick out of it. I felt like I had just made change in the offering plate at church. It was that bad. Ok...so not one of my best moments but something I had to share. Have a great day and remember, before you reach for what looks like spare change that's fair game...make sure it's not a TIP JAR! :-)

Pocono Marathon

As promised, I'm sharing some pics from the Pocono Marathon on May 4.

Back to the Blog

Leckey has bounced back onto the blog!

Happy Friday! So I know...I've been dawging it as far as updating this thing. I still need to tinker around with this new blogging system to get as good as Andy Palumbo. GO APAL GO!



So what's shakin'? The month of May has been a busy one, but a blast. I ran the Pocono Marathon on May 4. It was a great time. I hope to share more pictures of that event in the future. I also just returned from a short vacation. I visited my mom in Florida for a few days. Hence today's picture. We had a blast! She took me to a lot of cool restaurants where I ate like it was my job. So much good food!!! I would've brought home leftovers if I could've fit them in my carry on. That's where I have a bit of my grandmother in me. Always thinking about the next meal...hehe. :-)


Ok...that's all for now. Leckey has to jet. I'm off to Wilkes-Barre for a story. Have an awesome weekend!

Everything old is new again...

Hi all! I just wanted to drop you a line to say hello. We're going to be trying out a new layout for the blogs. I plan to post more down the road. This is just a heads up and a test run.

Rock on!

---the Leckenator