notes on the new job

The most amazing thing about a professional internship is that you're doing far less work, but sitting at a desk logging about double the amount of actual work hours.

Is this why so many people are bored with their jobs?

I'm currently assigned 5 or 6 stories, which sounds like a lot, except I only have 1 or 2 due a week, with my nearest deadline at the end of next week. Made all my first contacts - Ok, so what do you want me to do now? Calender listings. Sweet.

Today I overheard an editor complaining about an intern: "She started making calls Thursday night. Her story was due Monday! Great." Oh, yes. I am all too familiar. New place, same problems. (Not that I'm exempt...) Apparently the intern only turned in 4 inches. Her editor: "Yeah, I wrote the last couple inches because it was so short." Someone else: "I can't believe she even turned it in like that."

All of my fellow journalism readers - I'm sure you can feel me on this one.

In other but related news, Zach gave me a sweet recorder for graduation! It's pretty and red and holds 1 gig and has a USB port and is super cool. You'd all be jealous.

I work downtown, and it's definitely.... urban. A construction worker hollered at me today. Nice. I was also told that if I'd be leaving the office after dark I would be advised to get a security escort to my car. Earlier this week a man was stabbed in the eye by a group of men. (gang related I suspect?) Police are currently undergoing a county-wide search for 28 known drug dealers. Yeah. When I asked my editor about the crime in the city she said her 17-year-old son doesn't come downtown because he, "says he doesn't want to get shot," but she assured me that it wasn't like that. Most violence is drug related, not random muggings or anything. Good.

Another lifestyles reporter, a local veteran, was teaching me how to write cutlines. I listened attentively and tried not to let on that I already knew. She must have figured it out though, because afterward she said, "Oh, I always forget that you've worked at a paper before, sorry. A lot of the past interns haven't." Hm. Interesting.

Oh! And I was told today by a native Pennsylvanian lady I interviewed that I had no trace of a Texan accent. Also interesting.

I need some coffee. The 3:00 nap lull is coming!

ketchup

get it??

So, for those of you who don't know (JSTU! Thanks for the kudos!), I'm in Reading, PA for the summer doing an internship in the newsroom of The Reading Eagle. I'm the features intern, which means I get to write mostly for the lifestyle section, and sometimes for the weekend (A&E) and religion sections. Exciting!



















(photo courtesy of travel.webshots.com)

I'll just go chronologically since there's so much.

Zach and I headed out of Norman Sunday morning at 10:30. (We were pretty exhausted from John and Lisa's wedding, which by the way, was oodles of fun, a little bit stressful, but all together a wonderful time - congrats Mr. and Mrs. Stewart!). The beginning of our trip wasn't bad, we were entertaining each other with new music, chit chat, etc. It actually seemed to be going by pretty fast.

We stop for gas and snacks in Springfield, and hit the road again. But, weird, the air vents seem to not be blowing as hard as they usually do. Maybe we're just imagining it, we think. Then... wait, this feels not so cold anymore... within 10 minutes we were sweating with windows down. Busted AC. AWESOME. This is going to make for a great trip.

So, we use the iPhone to look up a Mazda dealership in Springfield, only to realize when we get there that it's Sunday. After some calling and google mapping, we find an open Firestone. THANK GOD FOR FIRESTONE! We drive there, and Zach hits the AC button, just one more try for good measure. It works PERFECTLY! Ice cold, rushing winds of air. I never thought I'd love wind so much. We get it checked out anyway, just in case it's possessed with secret AC problems (the kind that crop up on brand new cars, apparently), and we don't want it going out again on Memorial Day. They look at it and say there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Strange. So, we continue on, never another AC problem. Good, but weird.

Zach almost missed St. Louis due to an unplanned nap, but woke up in time to snap a couple arch photos...




























It's Lauren and the arch! (The trip is already wearing me down...)



















The trip really wasn't so bad - we played the alphabet/celebrity name game (does it have a real name?) and developed a point system that added some serious competition. We find a place to stay in Columbus, OH, but decide to drive through the night instead. The last leg across PA was brutal, we switched drivers about every hour and fought just to keep our eyes open. We caved and took a nap in the car for an hour on the side of the road. But we finally made it!

The most immediately apparent differences in PA were:
1. trees
2. lots of green
3. no open space
4. hills

We get to the dorm and get our rooms (The college I'm living at, Alvernia, a small private school in Reading, comped Zach a room on the boy's floor for the week, sweet!) and my room doesn't suck!! It's a triple room, so three beds, desks and wardrobes, and it's a corner room so it's a little bigger.

View upon entrance:




















Food nook:




















Front door:




















Back corner:




















Look how big it is!! (That's what she said!)





















Hey good lookin'





















Alright, that last one was just for fun.

After a MONSTER nap, we woke up and ran some errands. First on the list, find a Walmart. Achieved. It's no Super, 24-hour Walmart, but it'll do. Second, drive to work - super easy. Hooray!

Day one of internship (subhead)

Woke up early, what a shocker! Decided not to go with my new light gray suit and lavender button up because I want to look nice but I also want to blend in. I keep the lavender shirt and switch for brown pants. The wonderful boyfriend drops me off after buying me some McDonald's breakfast (what more can a girl ask for?). I read the paper while eating my breakfast burrito - I have fears of being quizzed on the news my first day. Too much school in my past.

Get there at exactly 8:45 (perfect!) and come in to meet the editor. He's nice, older white guy, seems conservative, pretty much what you'd expect in a family-owned newspaper editor. We try to make small talk for 10 minutes while we wait for the other intern (Vikram from UT) gets there to start orientation. We have some awkward small talk, but both seem relieved when we find we have something in common - he's a Dallas Cowboys fan!

Vikram arrives and we're sent to test our urine! Woo! We quickly bond over the stress of being able to produce enough to fill the cup. The urine tester ladies are Nazis! We come back, attend the morning meeting (which, strangely, isn't as different as you'd expect from Daily budget meetings, in some ways...) and go to lunch with our editors; mine is Kathy, the lifestyles section editor, and his, the design editor. It's nice to have a lunch plan since no one ever knows what they're doing for lunch on the first day.

We talk about the city, the paper, and they give us some helpful information. Kathy is really really nice and super helpful, which is great.

The newsroom setup is exactly what you'd expect - a huge room, all on one level, where everyone can see each other. It's awkwardly quiet.

After lots of paperwork, email and phone setup, and "tech" training (they just made the big switch over to InCopy and InDesign from Word and Quark, so I'm all set there...) we are sent to our respective sections. I'm taught how to enter weekly entertainment listings, one of my more tedious intern duties, and then I'm given some assignments! Hooray! I will list them.

1. a weekend story about three generations of family members performing in one community theatre show (oh my!)
2. a fitness profile - Q&A with a nominated local person with a commitment to fitness.
3. a feature on bridge (the card game)
4. a religion story on a pastor who is also a magician (yep)

... I think that's it. For now. Excitement.

My editor informs me that she's not too hard on hours - as long as she knows where I am and if I'll be late, and mostly, as long as I get all my work in, it's all good in the hood. So that's cool.

Nothing else too exciting, really. Today I just sat at my computer, emailed a couple sources, called a few (which is horrible in front of lots of people), checked my email a lot, asked a couple dumb questions, went to lunch with Zach and peaced out at 4:30. Niice.

I really like it so far. Hopefully I get a good amount of clips.

I feel like this is way too long, so I'll wrap it up.

Anyone know anything about The Tennessean, Nashville's paper? They posted a job I really want! That's all for now.

PEACE... FROM THE NORTHEAST.

inspired! motivated! oh my

So a couple friends of mine have been having a little blog-war this semester, and they're using their blogs now, more or less, to update each other while having separate summer plans. Somehow this has really motivated me to jump on the same wagon.

I'm really wanting to keep up with everybody - it's sad that too often when plans change and everyone leaves, I'm horrible at staying it touch. So maybe this will help.

Anyway, I got really excited there for a moment.

I'm about to make the trip to Reading, PA for the summer which means a 22-hour drive is in my near future. Gross. But, luckily, I know this guy named Zach, who is like, the coolest and nicest person ever, and is going to make that looooong trip with me. :) How lucky am I?

I have no idea what to expect, to be honest. Should be an adventure...

On a completely different note, I found this photo today while cleaning my computer, look how freaking cute that dog is! I want one.

moonroof

campus sunset

all grown up

i like this kid

song for you

So today I wrote a song for you
'Cause a day can get so long
And I know its hard to make it through
When you say there's something wrong

So I'm trying to put it right
Cause I want to love you with my heart
All this trying has made me tight
And I don't know even where to start

Maybe that's a start

For you know it's a simple game
That you play filling up your head with rain
And you know you've been hiding from your pain
In the way, in the way you say your name

And I see you
Hiding your face in your hands
Flying so you won't land
You think no one understands
No one understands

So you hunch your shoulders and you shake your head
And your throat is aching but you swear
No one hurts you, nothing could be sad
Anyway you're not here enough to care

And you're so tired you don't sleep at night
As your heart is trying to mend
You keep it quiet but you think you might
Disappear before the end

And it's strange that you cannot find
Any strength to even try
To find a voice to speak your mind
When you do, all you wanna do is cry

Well maybe you should cry

And I see you hiding your face in your hands
Talking bout far-away lands
You think no one understands
Listen to my hands

And all of this life
Moves around you
For all that you claim
You're standing still
You are moving too
You are moving too
You are moving too
I will move with you

(Alexi Murdoch)

later fools

Ok, so I lied. School and pending graduation has taken over my life. New photos do exist, but they have yet to be posted...

Readers be patient! Actually, I think there's only one of you. Thanks for reading, babe!

Will return from hiatus, just not sure when.