Special Presentation for Mega News - Angel En Queens

Here's a Press Release from Mega TV (the first for me!) about a special presentation this Thursday & Friday October 29 & 30 at 5:30 p.m. (ET), 2:30 p.m. (PT), and 10:30 p.m. (ET), 11:30 (PT y Puerto Rico) on Mega News. Hope you can catch it!

Sent: Monday, October 26, 2009 11:12 AM
Subject: MEGA NEWS PRESENTA REPORTAJE ESPECIAL: ANGEL EN QUEENS

MEGA NEWS PRESENTA REPORTAJE ESPECIAL:

ANGEL EN QUEENS

-DESDE LA CIUDAD DE NUEVA YORK, MARIA SANTANA REPORTARÁ UNA HISTORIA QUE DEJARÁ PERPLEJA A LA AUDIENCIA-



Maria Santana



Qué: La corresponsal de Mega News para la ciudad de Nueva York, Maria Santana reportará una inolvidable historia “Angel en Queens” en la que ella misma acompaña a un hombre colombiano que se dedica a ayudar a las personas desamparadas después de su trabajo. Cada noche en un vecindario de Queens, Nueva York, más de cien personas esperan la llegada del llamado “Angel De Queens”, un hombre con un gran corazón que se ha dedicado a calmar el hambre a las personas necesitadas. Después de un largo día de trabajo, el colombiano Jorge Muñoz se dedica a cocinar y distribuir comida a inmigrantes y desamparados, sin esperar nada a cambio, solo la satisfacción de saber que desde una humilde cocina le está cambiando la vida cientos de personas.

Cómo: De la mano Maria Santana, Camilo Egaña, Fernando del Rincón, y Maria Regina Bustamante, periodistas de gran capacidad en el manejo de temas de relevancia de la comunidad por lo que deleitan cada día a la audiencia.

Cuando: Este jueves 29 y viernes 30 de octubre a las 5:30 p.m. (ET), 2:30 p.m. (PT), y a las 10:30 p.m. (ET), 11:30 (PT y Puerto Rico) solo en Mega News.

Dónde: Mega TV su canal favorito. Mega TV puede verse en el canal 22 en Miami, el canal 57 de West Palm Beach, el canal 32 de Las Vegas, el Canal 169 de DirecTV en Puerto Rico, el canal 30 de Puerto Rico, el canal canal 38.2 en Orlando, el canal 36.2 en Tampa, Florida, el canal 40.2 en Charleston, el canal 19.2 en Palm Springs CA y el Canal 405 de DirecTV Más en las principales ciudades de los Estados Unidos.

Sobre Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc.
Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. es la mayor empresa del mundo del espectáculo y de medios de comunicación de los EE.UU., públicamente controlada por hispanos. SBS es propietaria y/u operadora de 21 radioemisoras situadas en los principales mercados hispanos de Nueva York, Los Ángeles, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco y Puerto Rico, incluyendo la primera estación radial de habla hispana en los Estados Unidos, WSKQ-FM en la ciudad de Nueva York, como también 4 de las 8 emisoras radiales más sintonizadas en los géneros tropical, mexicano regional, adulto contemporáneo en español y formato urbano. Así mismo, SBS opera y es propietaria de Mega TV, una estación de televisión que le sirve a los mercados del sur de la Florida y Puerto Rico con distribución a nivel nacional a través de DIRECTV Más (Canal 405) y de otras afiliadas.SBS también produce conciertos en vivo y eventos a lo largo de Estados Unidos, y Puerto Rico. Además, la compañía opera http://www.lamusica.com/, un portal bilingüe de Internet que provee contenidos de música latina, entretenimiento, noticias y cultura. La página Web corporativa de la empresa se puede visitar en http://www.spanishbroadcasting.com/

http://www.mega.tv/


http://www.spanishbroadcasting.com/


Isabel Bucaram-MontanaSpanish Broadcasting SystemDirector of Marketing and Communications
imontana@sbscorporate.com
7007 NW 77 Avenue
Miami, Florida 33166
Tel: 305. 644.4800 x 1156
Direct line: 786.470.1656

Juanes Opens Up To Me in NY about His Cuba Concert

If you have seen Mega TV this past week, you've noticed that we were "All Polito, all the time," making the most of our two day concert last week where we honored Polito Vega, a Latin radio pioneer and member of the SBS family. As I mentioned before, I worked the green room during the concerts, doing interviews and recording promos and personal messages to Polito from the celebrities.

What I did not expect, and what I jumped into, fingers crossed, eyes closed, was the opportunity to conduct an in depth interview with Latin music's top artist, Juanes, regarding one of the most controversial issues currently making headlines in Spanish media. For background on the controversy surrounding Juanes' planned Sept 20th Paz Sin Fronteras(Peace Without Borders)concert in Cuba , see here for different perspectives. Suffice to say an interview with Juanes was "THE MUST GET INTERVIEW" of the moment.

So what happened? Well, Juanes was in the green room, ready to record the requisite material, and as I waitied for my turn to ask him a few questions, I was warned NOT to bring up his Cuba concert. If I did, he would walk out on Polito's event.

Finally, my turn came up and there I was facing a huge dilemma. I started asking him about his feelings for Polito, his decision to be a part of this concert, his incessant use of twitter, all the while debating what to do in my head. Would I heed the warning, would I really be the reporter, standing in front of Juanes, mic in hand, who let him walk away after a few trivial questions? Or should I ask about Cuba and run the risk of ruining Polito's concert?

But, as both of us relaxed, after about the third question, he just did not strike me as the type of person who would cancel such an important appearance because of a simple inquiry. Plus, in life I learned that the worst anyone can ever tell you is "no" or "no comment" and walk away.... So I had to do this! I started with, "So how are the preparations for your Cuba concert coming along?" His answer was very calm, very honest and his feet seemed planted on the ground- he didn't seem to be going anywhere! So I continued asking him questions about this Peace Without Borders concert, his opinions on the reactions, his plans to remedy his reputation among upset Cuban-Americans, and his overall philosophy of why he thought this was important.

And perhaps it was because of the tone of my questions, or maybe he was just ready to share and I caught him at the perfect time, but something very surreal happened. His answers became increasingly heartfelt and genuine. About mid way through the interview, we both noticed that the entire green room, full of dozens of artists and handlers had gotten absolutely silent- everyone paying attention to what we all realized was an important moment happening right then and there. The air became electrified and tense...and when it was all over and Juanes finally did walk away, I let out the biggest sigh of relief I think I ever have after an interview... I literally felt exhausted!

But at the same time, I felt very proud to have had the courage to ask the tough questions, even after I was told by someone in Juanes' entourage not to. The idea that I would have caused Juanes to not participate in the NYC concert scared me to death, but when we spoke, I felt that he wanted to open up. I also think he felt comfortable with the situation, speaking in NY rather than Miami, to someone who isn't Cuban-American and may not have the bias of other journalists. And he was of course a complete professional about it, despite how personal this issue was to him.

After the interview and his performance, I ran up to tell him how nervous I was during the interview, and he responded that he too was nervous, and that he hoped I wouldn't get flak for talking to him. He was more concerned about negatively affecting my career than anything. But those worries were unfounded, as the Mega TV family loved the interview, and I made the rounds on most of the shows discussing the experience. This 20 minute clip created lots of late nights of work, but it was all worth it. In the end, success comes to you once you learn to get out of your own way!

Here is the interview in two parts, which was broadcast on Maria Elvira Live on Mega TV.

Behind the scenes at the Polito Vega Concerts - What you didn't get to see on Stage!

Last week, I had the wondeful opportunity to work backstage during one of the biggest Latin music events in New York City history!

The concerts were to honor Polito Vega, a pioneer in Spanish radio. They spanned two days with the top names in Latin pop, rock, salsa, merengue and bachata performing for a sold out crowd.

I worked the green room those two nights, interviewing artists as they prepared for their sets, and getting them to do "saludos" for Polito and for Mega TV.

Some spectacular moments happened during those two nights which I'll dedtail in another entry, including a game-changing interview with JUANES! But for now, I wanted to share with you some of the clips from the evening, they were a lot of fun, and totally provided me with my fill of stars for a lifetime. These clips were on the lamusica.com website, but they "mysteriously" disappeared, hence why I need to post them here. This is a bit of skunkworks on the html stuff, so please bare with me. (Try to open the links in a new tab/browser or click the back button to get back here) Enjoy!

Intro - Maria Santana - Can you tell I'm just happy to be there?

Cynthia Hudson, Chief Creative Officer, Mega TV - My boss, who I got on video saying she approved of my work...raise, anyone?

David Bisbal - Dreamboat eh? And check out the kisses he plants on yours truly!

Flex - A really fun guy, and its always great to be serenaded.


Milly Quezada - I was totally honored to sit with a legend. AND she reveals some surprising stuff about the secret of her youthful look...


Christian Castro - We start out laughing because Christian had to be reminded why he was actually here...


Luis Fonsi - I've interviewed him a few times now, and this time things got a little tense...I asked about his wife and his manager cut the interview short...hmmm.


Enrique Iglesias - Yes, that is me begging for besitos. Wouldn't you?

Olga Tanon - I've got more on this interview for later, but I just love her look!

Alex Acha - He had to give me a tutorial of who he was...I was embarrassed but then again - he's never performed in New York!


DJ Reyis - My Friend and DJ at 93.1 Amor FM. I guest co-host a segment with him a few times a week. Check out what he reveals about the man of honor - Polito Vega!

I'm Coming Out...over the web!

July was a busy month, but I think it can be best described as my "coming out party" over the world wide web.

Throughout June/July, I was featured on a Latino Gossip Site called Guanabee, in their Hottest Latino Journalist Contest.

It was entertaining, though at times, intense. It was hilarious the way my friends and family campaigned urging their friends and families to vote for me despite some serious competition. I was up against some very well known (and probably favored) journalists. I actually won the contest, and along with a really cool music journalist from Texas named Paul Saucido, was named Guanabee's Hottest Latino Journalist 2009. I'm still waiting for my trophie ;-), but in any case, I love the picture with the princess crown.

Later that month, the wonderful people at tikitikiblog.com asked me to guest write a piece on interviewing Latino celebrities. I was honored to do so. Their site is really great, and speaks to a lot of issues I myself can relate to.

I wrote about what I've experienced with celebrities like Aventura, Gael Garcia Bernal and Sofia Vergara. They even featured one of my videos on their site.

I love working with other Latino sites and blogs. There are some really good ones out there in alternative media. I especially like crossing over into "Latinos in English" sites because I don't get to do so on Mega TV, which is all in Spanish.

I think the future of Latino media will be somewhere in the middle, where websites, blogs, and television converge. Right now they are merging on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. The Latino community is taking advantage of this medium very well.

I've already interviewed people I've met via twitter, like Cristina Mella, who presented her Judge Sonia Sotomayor inspired product line of apparel and things like buttons and coffee mugs.




These are exciting times for reporters and journalists who take full advantage of the multi-media strategy. The internet, social networking, and easy distribution channels allow people like me to interact and coordinate with a whole new host of individuals. Look out web-world - I'm coming out!

Remembering Michael Jackson - From an Unlikely Place...

We will all remember where we were when we heard the news that the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson passed away on Thursday June 25th 2009.

I was in Puerto Rico, attending the annual convention for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ). I had taken time off to attend this convention, and was in the middle of a workshop series when I was called the next day (Friday). Mega TV wanted me to comment on the people’s reaction to the news.

Normally, that’s exactly the kind of story I love to do, go out into the streets, get people’s reactions, put together the story. It’s great. Except there was one problem. I cover New York City. In New York, I’ve got a camera man, I know all the best places to get comments from street corners, I can even find an impersonator or two, and of course, easy access to Harlem where there was already a crowd gathered. Instead I was thousands of miles away, in Puerto Rico, where I am for all intents and purposes, a foreigner. Not to mention I was there for a convention as a participant, and wasn't anticipating going into "reporter" mode till I got back. I might as well have been on Mars, it seemed so random...

But these are times when you have to get creative. So I put my iPhone into overdrive researching any connection between MJ and Puerto Rico, and started to literally ask for reactions from anyone at arms distance, the taxi driver on the way to Mega’s studio in San Juan, the people in the lobby, even the people who worked in the Mega TV office (who I was also meeting for the first time).

In the end, I felt that I was able to add some interesting color to the story, from this island away from home. Should I consider this my first foreign assignment? (Just FYI, there were also some technical issues with the live link, so please bear with the clip...;-) )

RIP Michael. You will be missed. I know I have a red zipper jacket I wore as a little girl somewhere hidden in my mother's closet. I think I'll try to dig it out....

The Summer has officially begun!

While Sunday is the official first day of summer, for many in NY, it officially started LAST Sunday at the Puerto Rican Day Parade.

I've been covering it for a few years now, and it never ceases to amaze me the amount of people of all different ages, types, and characters that are on the sidelines as well as marching down 5th Avenue. 52 Years old, this parade is the biggest in NYC.

I try very hard to make sure that in my stories I include not only the politicians and the celebrities, but also the Batuteras (kid marching bands) , the urban and latin dance clubs, and the people in various typical costumes and floats. This is after all, a people's parade.

Now, some may think that covering parades isn't "real" news, and I have noticed some reporters hauling themselves up and down the avenue as if they didn't want to be there, but when its about showcasing the best about mi gente (meaning Latinos of all cultures), it's news to me.

I run up and down the street dragging my poor cameraman all over the place to get a great shot, interview great people, and show the city (and the rest of the world) one of the best summer events in NYC.

Here are some pictures from the parade. Normally I'd post video, but I think this captures a bit more.

As Local as Local Gets! Covering the Cuban Parade in My Backyard

With all the big news events happening at the beginning of this week - plane crashes, murders, bankruptcies etc. I find my job especially gratifying when I can diversify the news space with local news of the positive variety. This weekend I covered the New Jersey Cuban Parade, and was able to interview such local legends as Radio DJ Polito Vega (He's Puerto Rican, but was honored at the parade), Cuban Singer Albita, and Salsa legends La Sonora Matancera.

It so happens that the parade literally is up the street from my home, so I was able to make a family afternoon of it (even including my two loves in a b-roll shot). I was able to connect with some of my colleagues from other networks who also came as guests of the parade, and take some great pictures (if you haven't seen them, follow me on twitter!). Parade season has officially begun in the metro area, and I love covering them, talking with the people and seeing the best of Latin culture and music. It may be local news, but it's as international as it gets!

My own Mini-me!

In Febuary, I covered the 2009 American International Toy fair, where I saw some great toys being introduced to the public. Here's the piece I did for Mega News:

While covering the event, I met the guys from ModelWorks® , who were marketing their "Smash me Bernie" dolls as potential gift ideas for your favorite recessionista. We had a great conversation (I even made their website!), and they offered to make a My-Mini-Me® doll of...me! They took a picture, and just yesterday, I got the doll. Check this out!



Now, I did have mixed reactions to whether the doll is the best interpretation of me - kind of like when you get those cartoon drawings of yourself done in Times Square. But it is pretty cool. What do you think?

Umm...You're Welcome?

From the files of "Is this a good or a bad thing..."

These last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity for me. New York is in "celebrity season" with new movies, albums, etc being released and marketed, which means there are lots of events and interviews for me to provide for Mega TV's various shows. In addition to "farandula," I also try my best to keep our Mega TV programs abreast of the major news happening in the Northeast, from swine flu to the recent university shootings, to the war's effect on families in our area. I consider myself a reporter first, but I do find it fun to sit and talk with famous people every once in awhile. I also understand that famous names often attract viewers and readers, especially online, so I try my best to help the channel get eyeballs and exposure.

When I am about to cover an event, or interview a celebrity, I treat it the same as if I were reporting on a major city announcement or investigating a story. I do my research ahead of the event, and take special care to try and ask questions with some substance, and not just the typical "What are you wearing" and "How does it feel.." type questions that they've probably heard a thousands of times.

This usually results in a lot more interview time than what is often allocated to someone of my current status in the Spanish media world. I can usually get pretty good engagement from my interview subjects, even while their PR agents are buzzing around trying to get them to the more "major" outlets. My subjects appreciate that I've put effort into their interview, and usually provide me some great sound bytes for my pieces.

So imagine my surprise when quotes from two events I recently covered - an interview with Sofia Vergara, and my recent covering of the red carpet event for People en Espanol, found their way onto the pages of some more established media websites.

I recently found this article in Latina Magazine mentioning Sofia Vergara's new role in Broadway's musical Chicago. In it they give my interview some credit for the major quote in the article.

“I’ve sung in my house,” she told Mega TV, “but I had never stood on a stage.” Vergara, who only had two weeks to rehearse for the show, has a deep bellowing voice that catches audiences by surprise. Best part: She’s turned the cellblock warden into a Latina by peppering her lines with some Spanish phrases. “They said, Do it however you want—being Latina, being a young woman, sexy—we won’t change you,'” she has said.

I'm very grateful that they gave Mega TV the credit for the quotation.

From another perspective, last week, I covered a red carpet event for People en Espanol. I was able to get some pretty good sound bytes from the celebrities attending, mostly because I researched their latest projects (and in some cases, latest gossip) and created index cards with individualized questions for each attendee. It took me a quite a bit of time to put all this together (being a staff of only 1) but it was worth it, because I got great stuff which I included in my piece.

I then saw that some of the quoted answers showed up in print in a recent Associated Press article, which is circulated to hundreds of other websites and newspapers, as is the nature of their distribution. I remembered there was an AP person next to me with a tape recorder, so I figured that was where the quotes came from. To be clear, there is nothing wrong with using any of the answers I solicited during the event, because events like these are basically press conferences, where anything being said by those interviewed in public can be used by all media attending. But I'm pretty confident that the quotations referenced in the article were provided from my questions because they were pretty unique vs. what was being given to the other people on the carpet line. Check out the article here, and then my piece on the event below.

I guess I should be flattered that my work is helping other media with their articles. That the information one gets makes its way to other outlets is usually a good thing for a reporter, even if it's "just" entertainment stuff. I hope it proves that I am taking what I do seriously, and not just celebrity chasing or trying to get camera time. So, to Latina Magazine and the Associated Press - Thank you and...you're welcome?

(Updated) Reporting a Tragedy at Wesleyan, My Alma Mater

Today I reported on the tragic murder of a student at Wesleyan University. Johanna Justin-Jinich ,a junior at the University, was killed by a gunman yesterday at her job at the Red and Black Café which is a common student destination and employer. The suspect is a man by the name of Stephen Morgan who seemed to have known the victim and targeted her directly. However, investigators also found a journal in which Morgan made threats against the school and its Jewish students in particular.

This is especially personal to me because I graduated from Wesleyan and know the campus and the community well. The campus is very open and students have always felt absolutely safe.

I found it a little disappointing that there wasn't much about this in the Spanish media, despite it being a national story. I found very few articles online as I was preparing my package, and saw only one mention today. There is a good population of Latinos on Campus as well as in Middletown CT, and informing them of the details around this incident may have helped capture the suspect, or keep them safe.

With that in mind, I'm giving you an update on this story since my broadcast - according to the University, they are re-opening parts of campus slowly, and holding a vigil for Johanna. Also, Below are updated photos of Stephen Morgan. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Middletown Police Department at (860 344-3200).

UPDATE 10:30PM : It appears Stephen Morgan has turned himself in to authorities in Connecticut. I also learned that Johanna was in fact Latina, with Mexican parentage. Regardless of her ethnicity, more must be done to stop violence against women.

Sofia Vergara habla sobre su nuevo rol en el musical de Broadway "Chicago"

I had the pleasure of interviewing Sofia Vergara last week on her broadway debut. She is amazingly down to earth and I found myself laughing with her throughout the interview. It's funny how she seems almost surprised that she is in such a major role in a huge broadway musical like Chicago. Sofia Vergara, singing in English on Broadway, shows how Latin artists continue to make inroads in American theater. Not so funny is how, as thin as she is (though very "proporcionada") she seemed nervous about looking fat on TV. I know the feeling...

My First Presentation on Paparazzi TV Sensacional

Last week I was asked to answer questions regarding the H1N1 Virus (AKA swine flu) on Paparazzi TV Sensacional. This was the first time I've been asked to give an update on that show and I was delighted to give it a try. The show, with a new host and format, is beginning to integrate more "sensational" news items along with their daily diet of celebrity gossip. It's a much different format than Mega TV (I did a package for them as well) in that it was more a question/answer session than a straight presentation. I was nervous because I've never worked with the new host, or the co-hosts for that matter, and they've never worked with me. I think I did ok for my first time. As with everything, practice makes perfect...what do you think?

My Day with the (ex) Barrio Boyz!

A few weeks ago I got to spend an afternoon with Hans, Angel, Louie and David of the Boyz del Barrio, formerly known as the Barrio Boyz. 

If you don't remember them, they used to be the Latino answer to early 90's boy groups like Boyz II Men, NSync, and 98 degrees. They were able to combine smooth R&B with Latin beats and could sing in English and Spanish. Their most famous hit was a duet with Selena, titled "Donde Quiera Que Estes," which was a number one hit.

They're on the comeback trail now and I got the pleasure of interviewing them. Check out my report:

What is funny about this is that I first met Angel Ramirez when I was covering a film he did called "Sacred Game." The movie made it's way through the festival circuit if you missed its release. Afterwards we played phone tag for months in trying to get all the old Barrio Boyz together in one place for the interview.  We finally met up at their music directors home in Upstate, NY and I had a great time talking to them, listening to them reminisce about old times and talk about what they were planning to do in the future.

This is the era of boy band comebacks, I recently went to a NKOTB concert and those guys were better than ever. I hope they do well. Thanks for the interview!

End of An Era At Telemundo 47

Here is a group photo of me (and my baby daughter) with the Telemundo 47 weekend crew on my last day at Telemundo in 2007.

I bring this up because this past Friday was a bittersweet day for me. I was invited to drinks with many of my former colleagues from Telemundo's Noticiero 47, the Local spanish language news program where I started my career. It was great seeing many of the people I worked with, have some drinks, and dance to great music.

Unfortunately, we came together to mark the end of an era at Telemundo 47. They recently announced the elimination of the Morning, Midday and Weekend newscasts, and layoffs for everyone who supported those programs.

The reason of course is the economy. Telemundo, like most networks these days, is struggling to compete in this ever competitive marketplace for ratings and ad dollars vs it's peers and the new media model where people get their news from a lot of sources than just their TVs.

On top of that, Telemundo is affected by the unique position it has been in these last 8 years. NBC Universal, a subsidiary of General Electric bought Telemundo in 2001 for almost 2 billion dollars. These days, GE is struggling as a company, and the NBC divisions are all trying to deal with the changing media landscape. My husband, who follows business closely, once told me that Telemundo will always get the short end of any restructuring stick. If NBC is struggling to find revenue for their news programs on NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, it's various websites, as well as it's smaller cable affiliates, will they have any appetite left to spend money and energy trying to save Telemundo, which caters to what they consider the relatively small Spanish-speaking audience? In 2006 The National Association of Hispanic Broadcasters wrote a letter to NBC protesting the cuts announced then in Puerto Rico and elsewhere, and in 2001, the NAHB protested the original proposed purchase of Telemundo by NBC, expressing doubt of NBC's true commitment to the Hispanic Community.

Whatever the business or political reasons, it is always sad to see friends and former colleagues lose jobs. As someone still starting in this business, it does look scary to see the bigger news networks cutting while we are still trying to build.

But like true Latinos, we take these changes in stride. Despite such devastating news, my friends at Telemundo kept their heads up, supported each other, and ended the evening dancing and having a few drinks. Rather than wallow in the events of what happened, they celebrated what they had experienced together, and hoped for a better future.

I am sure I will stay close to all the people who worked with me at Telemundo 47. They gave me my start, showed me the ropes, and allowed me to imagine myself as a reporter. The bright spot of it all is that in this business, people tend to work with each other again and again. I look forward to that possibility.

Fashion Week in New York, and a Surprise Interview!

This week, I covered Fashion Week in New York, and had the pleasure of interviewing Custo Barcelona at his runway show. It was great seeing models behind the scenes (and without makeup -even more fun!) Custo is an eccentric Spanish designer who is getting lots of attention lately. Fashion week in New York is crazy, lots of people running around, people with headsets acting very important, but you have no idea who they are talking to. There are are so many people back stage that it took me 10 takes to do my intro because people were bumping me or walking into the shot. But we got a great interview (see below) and had a surprise guest.. Current Playboy cover girl Aubrey O'Day. Enjoy!

So bad at blogging

So I admit I'm bad at the blogging thing. But I have been busy. Here is my latest segment on the American International Toy Fair



Just like the rest of the world, I've been having to do more with less as the economy suffers and in particular, media outlets like mine are trying their best to stay above water. It's been hard, but I am optimistic we can weather the storm