The Write Way to Make it Through

Here at Indiana Wesleyan University, we have a running joke that everybody's in on. Actually, we have a few of them. Like the one about the tree in front of our communications building that produces berries that smell like vomit. Or how the food in our cafeteria is ALWAYS better on visit days. But, the biggest one of all (even bigger than the puke tree) is called World Changers.

World Changers is a class that all freshman and transfer students have to take their first semester on campus. And you have to pass it to graduate. Don't get me wrong, it's not a hard class by any means. But some might make a feasible argument that it's less than practical.

A nice way to say pointless.

Let's look at the evidence, shall we? I took it. Passed it. Got an A as well. And do I know how to change the world like the name of the class implies? Not really. And if I do, I don't think it's because I did 10 hours of community service or watched The Book of Eli like was required in the syllabus.

As far as I can tell, that class did nearly nothing for me other than help to raise my GPA. And you know what? I'm OK with that right now. Because I need every single ounce of the 4.0 credit I got from that class. Why? Because college is stepping up its game. Classes are harder and it's not as easy to pull an A as it was first semester.

But first semester did help me prepare for second semester. Much more so than high school prepared for college. That's something that ticked me off after I took a step back and intensively evaluated America's educational system over Christmas break (kind of). I had no clue what I was doing first semester, and high school should have given me a clue. I'm not the only person I know who thinks that.

So I try. And I try. And I try to figure out how to do this crazy college thing some more. I've learned how to write so that professors will like it (whether it's how I really want to do it or not), I've learned when I have to read for a class and when I don't, and I've learned how to write a paper for one class while sitting in another. It took some bad grades, some sleepless nights; some redone papers, but I think I have a decent idea of how not to flunk out of college.

No thanks to World Changers.

Holding onto Hope

This blog post started out with good intentions. I was going to make a list of the top ten things football fans can do on Sunday afternoons this Fall if the player's union and the owners don't come to an agreement in time to play games. Here's the depressing part: I don't think they're going to get anything done. Honestly, it seems like both sides are ok with playing a very dangerous game of chicken. One that will end up in a crash that leaves nobody happy and everyone hurt.

So yeah, a top 10 list of funny things to do to pass time might be useful. Especially if that list includes seeing how many Snuggie infomercials you can watch before you cave in and buy one, and catching up on all the episodes of Fear Factor that you missed in the '90s when you were doing useful things instead.

But then I actually started typing said list. I actually put myself in the frame of mind where there was no football on Sundays, Sunday nights, Mondays, Thursdays, and whatever other nights NFL Network decides to deem an appropriate "football night." I started thinking about what it would be like if there was no breakdown of all the craziness that happened the day before on Mondays. I started wondering what it would be like if we didn't obsess over fantasy stats all throughout the week, and start mentally picking our lineups on Wednesday afternoon.

I didn't like those thoughts. Honestly, they scared me.

Sure, it might sound dumb or melodramatic, but guess what? I guarantee I'm not the only one thinking these things. You don't want the NFL to cease playing games either, because even if you're not someone who shudders at the thought of football-less Sunday afternoons, you know someone who is, and they're not gonna stop complaining about it until they hear Gus Johnson's sweet voice calling CBS's B-games.

So forgive me if I don't churn out yet another top-10 list; another distraction from a NFL-less world; an attempt in vain to do something other than think about football, or a lack thereof.

I'm not gonna think about it until I absolutely have to.

An Unfortunate Ending

Some people say that they're destined to die by fire, drowning, spiders, or some other irrational fear. Not me. Because I know that midterms are going to be the death of me.

I am literally in the process of getting over the flu and bronchitis, and now I have to get ready for several tests, papers, and projects, all while balancing the everyday life of a college communications student. And yes, in case you were wondering, it's a lot harder to be a comm major than just a regular student.

First of all, I have a Twitter to keep updated (@jeremysharpie, follow me), next I have a blog that I'm trying to stay up to date with and get hits on (thank you, by the way for being a statistic toward my goal of 300 hits this month). Also, as a journalism student, I have to keep tabs on any new releases about new rules by the AP Style book. Next, I check Fox News every morning for a list of things I should hate. And finally, it is my duty as a communication student to self-promote myself as much as possible, so here goes...

Twitter: @jeremysharpie
Facebook: Jeremiah Sharp
Blog: theanonymoussource.blogspot.com (but you already know that, obviously)
Work: www.iwusojourn.com

Read all of them and comment. Please and thank you and have a nice day :)

Taking a Sojourn

I have the fly. First time in my life I can say that. Awesome, I can officially cross it off my bucket list. To make things better, I also have bronchitis. And as a result of all this, I decided to take the week off of working for the newspaper. Believe me, I didn't want to. Especially since I didn't write anything for the paper last week because my story fell through. After appearing in The Sojourn nearly every week all throughout my freshman year, going two straight weeks without a byline is not going to be fun.

And it gets even better.

Spring break is coming up, next week actually. So after two straight weeks of not writing for the paper, we get a week off of school. No paper then either. So I'm going to go almost a full month without writing like I always have. The way it's in my blood. The way that's second nature to me.

At first, I was embarrassed of myself; ashamed that I was letting this happen. But then, I realized that I might really need this break. I've been talking (complaining?) about how I feel my writing has gotten a little stale. What better way to fix that problem than take a mental break from what can be a strenuous job.

So there you go. That's my plan. I'm going to take a break. Give my mind a rest; give my notepad a break. And when I come back, I'm going to be healthy, relaxed, refreshed, and better than ever.

Bouncing Back

The last week has been worse than terrible. I was just informed that I have had the flu and bronchitis for about 10 days straight. This has made working (working well, more specifically) much harder than normal. I was dismissed from a meeting at work because I was sick. This week will most likely be the second straight week I've contributed absolutely nothing to The Sojourn, partially because a story fell through, and now because I'm under the weather. Two days ago, I submitted what was probably the worst draft of a paper I have ever done. So I get to rewrite it entirely tonight and a storyboard to go along with it by my 7:50 morning class tomorrow.

But guess what? I'm going to get it all done. I'm going to bounce back. I'm going to finish that paper and that storyboard all tonight after my night class. I'm going to rock that test I have tomorrow, and the one I have on Thursday. I'm going to write the best article I ever have for The Sojourn when I start up again.

Why? Not because I think I can. Not because I think I will. But because I have to.

Down, But Not Out

Say anything you want about the Cincinnati Bearcats teams over the last ten years or so. They're sloppy. They're lazy. There've been some thugs. But you can't say that they're not fighters. Granted, there have been some second halfs and closing minutes that I would like to have wiped from my memory, and that's one of the reasons the 'Cats haven't gone dancing since 2005. But overall, these have been teams that fight just like a Bearcat should.

This year is no different.

Even after starting 17-0, no one believed Cincinnati was anything. A rough 3-5 patch followed, and everyone jumped off the bandwagon. Here we go again, the Kenyon Martin curse, the season is over.

But these are fighters, remember?

The Bearcats have bounced back by playing four straight good games, and most importantly, winning three of them. Add it all up, and Cincinnati is 21-6 overall (8-6 in the Big East, tied for eighth in the standings) and their overall mark is as good or better than five teams ahead of the 'Cats in the conference.

The season isn't over yet, and they undoubtedly need a couple more wins to possibly punch a ticket to the big dance. Cincinnati will get several opportunities to prove itself in the closing four games of the season. Next up for the Bearcats is a huge road test versus ninth-ranked Georgetown, then a home game against #12 Connecticut. Following that is an away game against a beatable, but respectable Marquette team, and the Bearcats close out the regular season on March 5 against Georgetown once again.

The absolute least it will take to make the tournament is beating Marquette and Georgetown in the closing two games of the season. But it will most likely take wins in the final three contests.

Here's the encouraging part though: If Cincinnati finds a way to win all four games, they're practically a lock for the tournament. And with just two weeks left in the season, if that's not another small step in the right direction for a program that has been in total disarray, I don't know what is. At the very least, it will make each game worth watching.

There's Really Nothing Good to Title This One

They say that the average college student changes their major about three times. When I first heard this statistic in my preliminary college visits during high school, I thought this was ludacris. No way I would ever change from journalism to anything else. As I stand here today, I still haven't changes my major. I realize that this is probably a letdown considering how I started this piece, but what I have done is add a major.

After starting out as strictly a journalism major, I added a media communications major about three quarters of the way into my first semester. And I love it. Yeah, it's more work and I'm really gonna have to haul butt to graduate in four years (hello, Mayterms) but I know it's going to be worth it.

The best part is that I'm learning new skills that are already making me a better journalist as a whole. Things like writing radio spots no longer seem like a foreign concept to me. And with journalists having to be skilled in more and more areas in order to succeed these days, I can hang my hat on the fact that I have a diverse skill set and at any given time, I can crank out about 216 words on basically any topic.

Simply the Best

During one of my classes, I sit next to a diehard Chicago Cubs fan. There are actually a lot of those here at Indiana Wesleyan University. Not really sure how that works, but hey, that's the midwest for you.

Anyway, this guy is awesome. One of the coolest people I know. But he spends a decent amount of time surfing the web during lectures. To each his own. Actually, the stuff he looks up is usually pretty legit, so I'll occasionally indulge myself and look over. Most of the time, he browses through sports articles, basketball shoes, and hats. Oh, so many hats. But sometimes it's literally the only chance I get to catch up on the latest news around the NFL, NBA, and MLB.

Today was different though. Normally I have to read between the lines of articles that bias heavily towards the Cubs, Bulls, and DA BEARS for real news and information. However, during that certain class today, something different caught my eye: This guy, a Cubs fan through and through, was reading an article about Ken Griffey Jr.

Junior? Really? One of the most beloved Cincinnati Reds of all time (although you could definitely win an argument that he's more famous for his play in Seattle) being adored by a Cubs fan?

Why not?

Ken Griffey Jr. unquestionably did it the right way. No matter how you feel about (dead horse alert) the steroid drama baseball and baseball fans endured for a decade, you can't deny that Junior kept his nose and his posterior clean of performance-enhancing drugs. Even better, he was a good guy. Better still, he didn't flaunt the fact that he is a good guy.

(cough) *ASTERISK* Barry Bonds (cough)

So yeah, I believe that Junior could have fans (not necessarily huge fans) all across the the NL Central, MLB, and country. And my friend with the sweet hats proved that.

For the Love of the Game

Here we are, Valentine's Day, 2011. If you haven't gotten your significant other a gift by now, you're basically screwed, so you might as well save the money and accept the fact that you are going to die alone.

I kid.

Personally, I'm not in a position to really be giving much of a gift this Valentine's Day. I know what you're thinking: What girl isn't dying to be with a twig-like sports journalist who spends all his time trying to get followers on Twitter? (it's @jeremysharpie, by the way) The truth is... not many.

I've gotten over this fact many times, and who knows? I may have to again. But until then, I'm going to look at "a few of my favorite things" in the world of sports and writing that I love... and will never hurt me (haha).

First of all, let me just say that I love football. High school, college, pro: it's all good. Something I don't love is the fact that greedy owners and players not being able to come to an agreement on nickels and dimes (albeit, a LOT of nickels and dimes) may take the NFL away from me and countless other fans until further notice. Now THAT would break my heart.

I also love writing about sports. Just something about the informal formality of sports makes writing a feature piece so much more fun. I have more freedom to use the words that I like, and take the creative direction I want. There's nothing like it.

Something else that I'm finding I enjoy more and more is non-sports writing. I was brought in at The Sojourn to cover mostly athletics, but as opportunities pop up to write general news stories, I find that I like going outside of my comfort zone. The best part has been writing stories like the one about the line of natural fruit smoothies being banned and then a follow-up article about their return to the university.

What else? I absolutely love going to sporting events here at Indiana Wesleyan University. Sure, it's not Tennessee or Florida or Ohio State, but there's still nothing like the sight and sound of the student body coming together and cheering for our fellow classmates, while verbally ripping the competition to tiny little pieces.

It doesn't get much better than this when it comes to life as an undergraduate sports journalist. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Because I really do love it.

TGIF?

I had an idea. It was a good one. I was going to do a whole blog post about writing and the weekend and Friday and motivation (or lack thereof). And the best part? It was going to be set to the meter of "Twas the Night Before Christmas."

Yeah, I know what you're thinking: awesome.

Insert line here about the best laid plans, because I failed miserably on them. I only got as far as "Twas the night before Friday, and all through the school..."

Then I held backspace until all that was left was a blinking cursor... taunting me and my ineptness.

The worst part is, I started this article last night and didn't even have the motivation to finish it until now... in my Mass Communication class. I don't know what's coming over me. I have three jobs and two majors, but I never thought my passion for journalism would fade.

And it's not, believe me, I still get that same feeling when I finish a story, and I pump my fist when I make the front page. I just wish that I had more time to dedicate to my articles.

But hey, welcome to college, right?

Time for a Change

Hold on one second. Take a look around. Enjoy the view of the new look to my blog. If you're a regular reader of The Anonymous Source, then you probably noticed that I changed up the design and added some resources.

First of all, let me know what you think, add a comment and say what you think of the white on gray instead of black. I'm told it's easier to read and I just think it looks better.

I'm learning more and more about writing as my days in college begin to grow in number. And one thing that has made itself apparent above all else is that no matter what you write, it has too look good. That's why I have a new look to this blog: I could be writing stuff that is just plain gold here on The Anonymous Source, but if the old, dark, black format looked bad, then no one will read it.

This really comes into play for newspapers, such as the one I work for, The Sojourn. Because not only do we have to worry about the look of the page layout on the hard copy edition, but we have to consider how the paper looks online. That's something I'm trying to start doing here.

So that's my writing tidbit for the day, I hope you like the new layout. Let me know any suggestions for the blog, I'd love to hear some feedback to improve my writing.

A Fresh Perspective

I walked into the office of the Vice President of Indiana Wesleyan University. I was instantly greeted by a "Packer fans, wipe your cleats here" floor mat. Then, I glanced over to the wall opposite his desk and I saw an entire bookcase full of Packer memorabilia.

This was the office of former Green Bay Packers TE Michael Moffitt. Even though he only played one season in the NFL, registering 4 receptions for 87 yards in 1986, once a Packer, always a Packer.

But this Packer has a dirty little secret.

Buried somewhere deep in that Green Bay bookcase might be a Pittsburgh Steelers banner, because even though Moffitt bleeds green and yellow (cue the song), he grew up a fan of the Steel Curtain, idolizing John Stallworth.

Needless to say, that made Moffitt's rooting interest in Sunday's Super Bowl a bit difficult.

Just a bit.

After listing many family members who were pulling for Pittsburgh, Moffit paused for a second and then said quietly that Green Bay was still his team.

To add to his story, when Moffitt was a free agent rookie out of Fresno State, the first team that called him about a contract was the Steelers... and Stallworth was still on the team at the time.

"It just felt right," Moffitt said. But then the Packers came calling, and they offered more money which he needed to pay off his student loans.

While he still roots for both teams, Moffitt proudly wore a cheesehead to work on Friday, and when I first saw him on Monday, he simply walked up to me with his joyous smile, turned his coffee mug so I could see the infamous Packer logo, and said a simple, but cheerful "good morning!"

It was a great day to be great... baby.

Jealously

So.... the Steelers are in the Super Bowl. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this. I was born and raised a die hard Cincinnati Bengals fan. And we're supposed to hate the Steelers with everything we've got. And I've been faithful to that hatred ever since Kemo Von Olhoffen took out Carson Palmer's knee in Cincinnati's first playoff game in 15 years.

I faced the same dilemma a few years ago, when the Steelers made it to the big game versus the Cardinals. But I remember Carson Palmer saying in a press conference after the Super Bowl that he was p*ssed that the Steelers won it all. And I am the kind that backs up the people on the team for which I root.

But whether or not Palmer is loyal to the team or not is to be determined.

The bottom line is that I dislike the Steelers. So since I am apathetic towards the Packers, my rooting loyalties automatically go to the green and yellow.

It's not like in college ball. I've heard many people who subscribe to the point of view that you should cheer for the other teams in your squad's conference when they're not playing you because it makes your team look better.

Yeah, I'm sure there were countless Ohio State fans who were heartbroken when Michigan lost to Appalachian State. And as a Wolverine fan myself, I make it a point to be happy when the Buckeyes lose.

So for Sunday, and only Sunday, Who Dey means Go Packers.

Oops, I did it again

Just when I thought that I had learned all the kind of writings I would have to do in my collegiate career, my Radio Broadcasting professor said that all the students in the class would have to go on air on the radio station and write one-minute segments where we, and only we, would speak.

These "jock talks" are the epitome of nerve-racking writing. Not only do we have to speak them, but they have to fit into a specific time frame. Imagine sitting behind a microphone, with who-knows-how-many-people listening (and I really don't have a clue) while you try to read through a page of double-spaced type without stumbling through any of it and sounding like you're not even reading but just talking to someone.

(take a deep breath)

It's not as easy as it sounds. There's something about that mic turning on that resembles the little red blinky thing from Men In Black (I heard they're making another one, by the way). Your mind just goes blank and words that you are so used to coming to you easily are the furthest thing from your mind.

When i write my jock talks, I usually just type the words that come to my mind, because they have to be as conversational as possible.

And for a guy who's used to writing newspaper stories, this is quite a jump. Even with as conversational as I try to make my stories.

I'm getting better at this radio thing, but it's still a work in progress. Stay tuned.