A Day at Great American Ballpark

Being a video producer means you sometimes get to go to interesting places where others might not have the opportunity to visit. Whether it’s a factory floor, the executive suite or backstage at the Schuster Center, my curious side revels in having special access by virtue of a video camera.

Today was one of those opportunities. We arrived at the home of the Cincinnati Reds and checked in with security at the press gate. The security folks were extremely friendly and helpful (this is not typical at other venues). We were at the stadium to videotape an interview with UD alumnus Rob Butcher, Director of Media Relations for the Reds. Rob was very accommodating, and the interview went great.

After the interview, we walked through the dugout and up to Rob’s office to get some video of him pretending to work (not that he doesn’t work there, but it’s kind of hard to get much work done with a camera in your face and the director saying, “OK, pick up the phone… look at your computer… now write something on that pad… now hang up the phone…”). We were too early to see any ball players, but I did enjoy seeing the facilities under the stadium.

I’m not one who is easily star-struck by athletes or executives or celebrities. I usually have a job to do, and my focus is on that. But I always enjoy the perks of seeing interesting places and meeting interesting people.

Life

Saturday night my 6-year-old son started complaining that his stomach was hurting. In typical dad fashion, I said, “Come on, you’re a tough guy; you’ll be OK.” But after a while, it became clear that he was in a lot of pain. The doctor sent us to the emergency room. Turns out the little guy had appendicitis. He had an appendectomy Sunday, and is doing well. In fact, as I write this on Monday, the hard part is trying to keep him from hopping back on his bike.

Times like these remind me about what is most important in my life. Achieving a healthy balance between work and home life is always difficult. Especially with a dual career family and a demanding job. I’ll admit, I’m a recovering workaholic (the recovering part might be debatable, but this is my blog, so I can write whatever I want). I demand a lot from myself and always try to exceed customer expectations. But I think the key to having a life outside of work is to focus on the high-priority tasks while at work and use my time efficiently. Then I can focus on what’s truly important to me – my family – when I’m not at work.

That doesn’t mean I always get it right, but spending a little time at Children’s Hospital reminded me about what I truly value in life.