top 10

Top 10 reasons I like my new job:

1. the view (my desk is by a big window with a great view of Abravenel Hall. Too bad it will go away as soon as the church build's a condo tower)

2. working 9 to 5

3. not working on holidays

4. getting the whole week off between Christmas and New Year's (are we seeing a trend here?)

5. watching "The Office" in the conference room once a week during lunch

6. friendly co-workers who immediately welcomed me on the team (one even went to the temple with me after work)

7. positive reinforcement (the marketing director is constantly giving praise, and consistently plans lunches and things to incentivize the staff to work hard)

8. Diet Coke (the marketing director reminds me to bring a Diet Coke to some of the long, boring staff meetings)

9. free books

10. working for "the Dew."

soda pop wars

Yeah remember that whole crazy "I'm giving up Diet Coke" post not too long ago. Yeah let's act like I never wrote it.

Really, what's the point of giving up Diet Coke? Yes I can see the point in giving up soda altogether, but I only said I'd giving up Diet Coke. Then I noticed my soda intake went up for other beverages, namely Sprite. In the end, Diet Coke has less sugar. So really I should dump Sprite and only drink Diet Coke.

Basically I'm trying to say I'm not giving up Diet Coke until I'm ready to give up soda altogether. And I'm not ready yet.

The end.

soccer stadium

The D'News Farewell Tour kept rolling on Thursday, as I toured Real Salt Lake's new soccer stadium today.

This stadium was the bane of my existence for a few years running there, as I swear I wrote a story every day for about two years about the funding issues related to the stadium.

I didn't think I'd ever get the behind the scenes tour, since I'm leaving the paper before it opens. But luckily Mayor Peter Corroon had a scheduled tour today, so I tagged along.


The stadium is really nice. Mayor Corroon described it in one word: "Luxurious." It made me wish I could afford the fancy club seats. Folks rich enough to buy those seats get a private lounge, a private entrance, cushy seats in a special section, and they get to walk out onto the field every game through the player tunnel. Jealous.

I was snapping pictures of myself in random spots throughout the stadium, but this one is by far my favorite. The mayor popped in and made the picture.

To end the tour, we walked all the way up to the cat walk in the canopy pictured below. They tell us the governor was too chicken to do it, but we did it!


It was fun to see the finished product of a concept I've been writing about for years.

defection

Some of you have been asking me how my superiors at the D'News have been taking my pending departure.

Here's from an all-staff e-mail from a boss:

"Friends of City Desk...Just to let you know that (Mr. Cool New Unnamed on Leigh's Blog Guy) has agreed to join us full time in the wake of Leigh Dethman’s defection to God’s Bookstore, where she will be undertaking the Devil’s mission of publicity."

Ah yes, I'm on a mission. The Devil's mission of publicity.


I'm sure going to miss the witty banter of reporters and editors.

In all reality, everyone has been really nice. It's been a hard week saying goodbye to sources, and I'm sure Friday will be rough saying goodbye to everyone else. At least I'll only be working a block away.

missile blunt palin

Flash back to 1981 -- the year I was born. But instead of having the amazing mother named Gayle, let's imagine Sarah Palin is my mother.

Apparently she never would have named me Leigh. Instead, she'd pick Missile Blunt Palin.

Oh yeah, little Missle Blunt. No joke, she named her kids Track, Trig, Bristol, Willow and Piper. Yeah, not sure where those names came from. I feel the worst for her son, Trig. I hated Trig. Worst class ever. All those proofs. Ew.

So, do you ever wonder what your name would be if Sarah Palin was your mother? Click here.

headline of the day

Courtesy of CNN.com

That's right. "Bush lands in Texas; Residents urged to leave."

I guess we know which way CNN leans.

The headline has since changed to, "Bush heads to Texas as Galvestonians urged to leave." Doesn't that just roll off the tongue. Galvestonians. Nice.

two weeks notice

I quit my job today.

I can't believe I just wrote those words. I always imagined myself as a career woman at the Deseret News. I figured I'd work there for life, or at least until I got married and hopefully didn't have to work anymore.

But life changes, goals shift and I found myself feeling like I needed to try something new. The newspaper industry is a scary business right now, and I felt like I had to go out there and learn a new skill.

Luckily, another company decided to let me develop these new skills. I am now the newest publicist at Deseret Book. I got the job offer yesterday, and officially accepted the position today. I never imagined this life change, but I welcome it. It feels right.

I'm excited for for something new, yet hesitant to leave a company and co-workers who have become a second family to me. I've been at the Deseret News for five-and-a-half years now. They hired me as an intern two months before I graduated from BYU. I quickly signed on in a full-time role a few months later.

I was quickly thrown into some big stories, like this one below, when a local girl was murdered by her husband and the national media came in throngs. (Can you spot me?)

I've done a little bit of everything in my time at the News. I've experienced things most people will never get to do. I'll never forget the sight of those tired, weary people lined up outside the New Orleans airport seeking shelter from Hurricane Katrina. Or the people lined up with one injury after another in the baggage claim area (which was transformed into a triage area).

I'll never forget meeting Iraqi Marines in the middle of the Persian Gulf. Majad, who waved incessantly at me whenever saw each other. Or the other guy, who swore I spoke and read Arabic, and finally started writing in my notebook to get me to understand (sorry, still can't read Arabic). Oh and I can't forget the one who insisted I was Martina Hingis.

I'll never forget the thrill of watching an F-15 land on the USS Teddy Roosevelt while I stood on the deck, or the uncertainty of sitting in a plane actually landing on the aircraft carrier (and hoping the hook attached to the wire).


And who can say they stood next to the head of the famous toppled Saddam Hussein statue.


But really I'll never forget the many people, friends, sources and co-workers I have met in my time at the Deseret News. I hope I won't lose that going into this new adventure.

My official start date at Deseret Book is Sept. 22. I will relish my last two weeks at the Deseret News.

diet coke

I've decided to give up Diet Coke. Call it a crazy "I'm 27 now and need a goal" type of move. I drink way too much of it, anyway. I don't need all that caffeine in my body. And I know I don't drink enough water.

Diet Coke and I have a long history. The story goes that "Coke" was one of my first words (that, along with "fries" and "shub-up, Bossy" were all early vocabulary staples as a young child). Blame my mother. I swear, we would go to the drive through every day to get a Diet Coke.

Sadly the rest of my family has moved onto Diet Pepsi. I have yet to understand this phenomenon. It doesn't taste better. It just makes me burp more. Betsy gave up the drink last year, and is off and on, so props to her. My goal is to not drink a drop of Diet cola of any kind all year. Rough, I know.

So farewell, Diet Coke. You truly are the nectar of the Gods.

birthday girl

I am now recovering from the best birthday week ever. My 27th birthday will be hard to top.

It started Thursday night, two days before my birthday. My awesome friends/roommates threw a great party for me at our house. So many people came, and I was amazing at the kindness of my amazing friends.

Shout out to Kelly for the most creative birthday cake ever given to me.

In case you can't read it, it says "WRITE HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEIGH (IN ALL CAPS)." I recently mentioned to Kelly that she should check out one of my favorite blogs, Cake Wrecks. This blog makes fun of professional bakeries/grocery stores for bad cakes, grammar mistakes, etc. I love it. So to see this on my cake was awesome. I love when people get creative.



We ended the night rockin' out to Rock Band. Clint brought up his Wii, and several folks stayed over til midnight. I was SO tired at work the next day.



I spent my actual birthday in Lake Havasu with my friend, Arron. I'd post pics, but we didn't take any. Sad, I know. But really, when all you do is lay by the pool or chill on the boat, there really isn't an opportunity to take pics (and who wants to see a swimsuit shot, anyway).

UPDATE: The party and the Havasu trip was in addition to my awesome weekend in Vegas with Betsy and Louise last weekend. Oh and Betsy wrote a sweet to me on her blog for my birthday. Thanks, Boss.

Thanks to everyone for making my 27th birthday AMAZING!