Just a few more days in the semester everybody. Come on, we got this.
We can do it.
YOU can do it.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
The Edge of My Seat Isn't Very Comfortable
First, I was a kid with an idea.
Then, I was a kid with a dream.
Then, I was a kid with a pen.
Then I was a do-it-all reporter for a small-town newspaper with a staff that could all fit comfortably into a VW Bug. With the back seat taken out.
Then, I was (and still am) a staff writer for a weekly college newspaper that was named one of the best in the country.
I want to take the next step.
A couple weeks ago, I submitted my application to be the sports editor of The Sojourn for the 2011-2012 school year. 21 days, one interview, and countless hours of worrying and overthinking later, and today was the day that I was to find out if my superiors thought I could fill the shoes required to take that step.
Being the cool, level-headed person that I am, throughout the day I only checked my email for the notification when the hand on the clock hit 30 and 60. The second hand, that is.
A little after two o'clock this afternoon, I received an email from next year's editor-in-chief. But to my dismay, the headline of "hold your horses" informed me that the decision would not come today.
So I wait.
And I write.
And I hold my breath until I find out if I move one step closer to my idea, my dream; the thing I've wanted to do since I was just a kid with a pen.
Then, I was a kid with a dream.
Then, I was a kid with a pen.
Then I was a do-it-all reporter for a small-town newspaper with a staff that could all fit comfortably into a VW Bug. With the back seat taken out.
Then, I was (and still am) a staff writer for a weekly college newspaper that was named one of the best in the country.
I want to take the next step.
A couple weeks ago, I submitted my application to be the sports editor of The Sojourn for the 2011-2012 school year. 21 days, one interview, and countless hours of worrying and overthinking later, and today was the day that I was to find out if my superiors thought I could fill the shoes required to take that step.
Being the cool, level-headed person that I am, throughout the day I only checked my email for the notification when the hand on the clock hit 30 and 60. The second hand, that is.
A little after two o'clock this afternoon, I received an email from next year's editor-in-chief. But to my dismay, the headline of "hold your horses" informed me that the decision would not come today.
So I wait.
And I write.
And I hold my breath until I find out if I move one step closer to my idea, my dream; the thing I've wanted to do since I was just a kid with a pen.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Heading for Home
For decades, legendary radio baseball announcer Joe Nuxhall was welcomed into the homes of sports fans. He is remembered for his famous signoff phrase: “This is the old left-hander, rounding third and heading for home.” That's what myself and countless other college students are going through right now. Finals weeks everywhere are approaching like a freight train, and I have that freshman-in-the-headlights look in my eyes.
It's not that I haven't done this before. The same thing happened last semester. However, classes have stepped up their collective game this semester, so I must do the same. The last couple months have been the most challenging of my life. Both classes, work, and the combination of the two.
As hard as it's been, I'm glad for this tough semester. It's forced me to become better as a writer, student, worker, and person. Now, instead of just writing and turning it in, I question myself and try to make my writing better.
For Indiana Wesleyan University students, this is the last full week of classes before finals, Easter Break, more finals, and then finally the sweet release of death... I mean summer break.
But we all still have to make it through this week. One more week. A week to learn. A week to grow. A week to study. A week to work.
A week to round third...
and head for home.
It's not that I haven't done this before. The same thing happened last semester. However, classes have stepped up their collective game this semester, so I must do the same. The last couple months have been the most challenging of my life. Both classes, work, and the combination of the two.
As hard as it's been, I'm glad for this tough semester. It's forced me to become better as a writer, student, worker, and person. Now, instead of just writing and turning it in, I question myself and try to make my writing better.
For Indiana Wesleyan University students, this is the last full week of classes before finals, Easter Break, more finals, and then finally the sweet release of death... I mean summer break.
But we all still have to make it through this week. One more week. A week to learn. A week to grow. A week to study. A week to work.
A week to round third...
and head for home.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Left Out
They say that if you try to please everyone, you will end up not pleasing anyone. Well I'm going to stretch this phrase to cover college. There are only 24 hours in the day, so between work, classes, and homework, something is bound to get left out, or at the very least, half-heartedly done.
And this is coming from a double major with three jobs.
Am I saying that I do this? I try my hardest not to, ever. When at work, I do everything on my schedule that day. When in class, I listen and participate and all that good stuff that gets you a gold star. When doing homework, I stay focused and put real effort into my projects and papers. But still, sometimes things slip through the cracks.
Maybe I'm tired and overlook something at work. Maybe I'm tired and I doze off a little in class. Or maybe I'm tired and I choose to go to bed at 2 in the morning instead of pulling an all-nighter to write a paper.
Notice a trend? Once again, there are only so many hours in a day. And there is a new law in Indiana that says for every hour students spend in class, professors should assign two hours of homework. Let's think about this. Really?
I'm not one of those people who hate school and homework and all the likes. Actually, I genuinely enjoy school, and I embrace the work head on because guess what? I'm here to learn. My only concern is that sometimes administration (not just at my school) forget that we're people too. We're workers, family members, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, and many other things. I understand that college is supposed to be tough and that time management, while not a class, is the thing we learn the most about. I just think that sometimes, it can be too much.
As I type this, I can think of four projects (oh wait- five) that I could do right now. Guess I should get to working on them so I can go to bed before 2am.
And this is coming from a double major with three jobs.
Am I saying that I do this? I try my hardest not to, ever. When at work, I do everything on my schedule that day. When in class, I listen and participate and all that good stuff that gets you a gold star. When doing homework, I stay focused and put real effort into my projects and papers. But still, sometimes things slip through the cracks.
Maybe I'm tired and overlook something at work. Maybe I'm tired and I doze off a little in class. Or maybe I'm tired and I choose to go to bed at 2 in the morning instead of pulling an all-nighter to write a paper.
Notice a trend? Once again, there are only so many hours in a day. And there is a new law in Indiana that says for every hour students spend in class, professors should assign two hours of homework. Let's think about this. Really?
I'm not one of those people who hate school and homework and all the likes. Actually, I genuinely enjoy school, and I embrace the work head on because guess what? I'm here to learn. My only concern is that sometimes administration (not just at my school) forget that we're people too. We're workers, family members, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, and many other things. I understand that college is supposed to be tough and that time management, while not a class, is the thing we learn the most about. I just think that sometimes, it can be too much.
As I type this, I can think of four projects (oh wait- five) that I could do right now. Guess I should get to working on them so I can go to bed before 2am.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Freedom in the Press
I like to call myself a journalism purist. And what I mean by that is I like journalism. Not the bells and whistles or all the hoops through which writers have to jump. I just like writing. It's something that comes naturally to people. Sure, some people work on it and get good, but overall it's a gift that you either have or you don't.
This stance is something that I've had to forget about to a certain extent in my time at college. Taking many classes that force (allow?) you to write everyday tends to water down the creative aspect of writing and make you focus on the structured, formulaic side of it.
I'm not saying that people who have that gift of writing should just sit down at their typewriter and start blindly churning out words in whatever intoxicated state they're in (whether it be caffeinated or otherwise. we are, after all, journalists). But people who have that gift should be able to just sit down and write a good article.
Rules have their place. Structure has its place. Editors have their place. But sometimes, good writing can be good writing, for no other reason than it just is. Maybe it broke a rule or two, maybe the lead was too long, maybe a couple sentences were passive; maybe there were only two sources. But even though a piece broke a couple of those "rules" we must abide by in class, it made for a good read. Because the quality of writing cannot be judged by yes or no questions or hard-and-fast rules. Because, like art, the quality is determined by each individual who sees it.
This stance is something that I've had to forget about to a certain extent in my time at college. Taking many classes that force (allow?) you to write everyday tends to water down the creative aspect of writing and make you focus on the structured, formulaic side of it.
I'm not saying that people who have that gift of writing should just sit down at their typewriter and start blindly churning out words in whatever intoxicated state they're in (whether it be caffeinated or otherwise. we are, after all, journalists). But people who have that gift should be able to just sit down and write a good article.
Rules have their place. Structure has its place. Editors have their place. But sometimes, good writing can be good writing, for no other reason than it just is. Maybe it broke a rule or two, maybe the lead was too long, maybe a couple sentences were passive; maybe there were only two sources. But even though a piece broke a couple of those "rules" we must abide by in class, it made for a good read. Because the quality of writing cannot be judged by yes or no questions or hard-and-fast rules. Because, like art, the quality is determined by each individual who sees it.
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