online class metablogger (simplified) copy

Come celebrate with the Trax Crew @ Circuit this Saturday! The...

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:32:55 -0700

Come celebrate with the Trax Crew @ Circuit this Saturday! The 25th Anniversary concert will be a smash! See you all there!

Need to dust this off a bit

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:01:34 -0700

I’ve been neglecting my blog. Sorry blog. Miss me?

I’ve been busy working for free at this record label and non-profit organization. I know. I know. I need to get paid, but I can’t just drop my boss on her ass so I’m gonna try to be wonder woman and find someone to take mybplace or find a way to help her get me paid.

We’ve got the Trax 25th Anniversary event coming up so hopefully we make some money on this event. If you are reading this please come out and have a good time with us on October 3! Okay there’s my plug for our event.

Now I can go on my tyrade on how I hate money. It won’t be long. I’m content with what I’m doing at my job, but I hate the weight of an empty bank account. Well, at least I have Woodmans, but I need to start working there more. No one else is going to pay me as much as they do part-time.

Oh well…we shall see…

On a side note a really nice lady on the train just offered to help a man who doesn’t speak great English get off at the right stop. So life isn’t all that bad…so long as money has nothing to do with it.

If only kindness could be currency…

From Telegraph to Twitter: The Language of the Short Form

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:00:00 -0700

From Telegraph to Twitter: The Language of the Short Form

szymon: In Case of Vampire

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:53:33 -0700

szymon:

In Case of Vampire

If only I had a MAC… sticker via

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:20:09 -0700

If only I had a MAC…

sticker via

"Maybe that’s what life is… a wink of the eye and winking stars. -Jack Kerouac"

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:52:06 -0700

“Maybe that’s what life is… a wink of the eye and winking stars. -Jack Kerouac”

Yay for grasshopper mating season! These two were doing the...

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 06:09:15 -0700

Yay for grasshopper mating season! These two were doing the dirty right by the glass. Basically the whole case was engaging in a grasshopper sex party. Quite the spectacle!

Conversations with my cousins in cars

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 06:04:20 -0700

Rosanna:....and I have this syndrome...
Me: What kind of syndrome?
Vicky: (without pause) Stupod Baby Syndrome!!! (Zing!)
(commence hysterical laughter)
Rosanna: We are not related tomorrow...

Got'a have it

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:57:25 -0700

Saved by the Bill

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:39:43 -0700

Euna Lee and Laura Ling are finally freed thanks to Bill Clinton and a huge team of civil servents....

Video

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:39:38 -0700

Donate/Buy My Music

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:08:25 -0700

Donate/Buy My Music

That dark feeling when you've lost everything you've worked hard to create

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 01:25:10 -0700

Last week I lost everything I had been working on for Trax Records and Youth Communication Chicago. My folder for those two organizations got deleted somehow on my computer. Probably in the midst of cleaning my desktop, it was unknowingly selected and added to the trash. Of course without checking, I emptied the trash. It was a very dark day indeed when that file ceased to exist.

There was a lot I had lost, but some I was able to salvage due to sent emails. I retrieved what I could, but that loss really affected me for some reason. It hit me harder than I expected, but while dealing with the loss, I regained a more optimistic mentality. I realized that I could recreated and even make better some of the projects I had been working on. It gave me a clean slate in a way.

And it also taught me to constantly back up my files on my external hard drive AND my jump drive. Despite the new creativity loss brings, I can’t always keep recreating things or else nothing would ever be useful.

Video

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:45:00 -0700

Where did the time go?

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:18:44 -0700

It’s the fourth of July weekend, and I feel as if nothing has been accomplished this summer. I had a few projects in mind that I wanted to create, but unfortunately I haven’t done anything yet. This new internship is a great opportunity since I get to do and learn new things, but I feel like I’ve been neglecting some of the plans I promised myself I would follow through.

For one, I planned to keep up this blog even after my online journalism class was over. I think this is the first text post I’ve had since then that I’ve actually completed. All the other story/blog ideas I’ve had are in the draft folder still waiting to be completed–that is due to my own need to research my topics and make sure I know what I’m talking about.

The past few weeks have been busy, but I feel like I should be doing more–staying up late and working on my projects or doing more for my new job, but once the little one is put to sleep…so am I. I’m trying to develop more of a schedule for myself and include working out in that schedule since working out gave me more energy.

I never realized how much energy gets sucked out of me with working, trying to be a mom and figuring out what to do with my life. I just have to piece myself apart and try not to stretch myself too thin.

Now if only I could create more time in a day……

At the stained glass exhibit display at Navy Pier–a tribute to...

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:01:39 -0700

At the stained glass exhibit display at Navy Pier–a tribute to historical printers.

Thanks to YouTube’s freeze-frame play button, you probably...

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:15:00 -0700

Thanks to YouTube’s freeze-frame play button, you probably know what this video is ACTUALLY about, but what does it remind you of?

Mickey Mouse gas mask.

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:43:38 -0700

Mickey Mouse gas mask.

Come check out these legends of Chicago House music!!!

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:20:48 -0700

Come check out these legends of Chicago House music!!!

ED MCMAHON IS DEAD?! This is what happens when you don’t have a computer for 2 days, you guys....

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0700

ED MCMAHON IS DEAD?!

This is what happens when you don’t have a computer for 2 days, you guys. If I did, I would have known about it in the A.M. like everyone else! I really am addicted to this whole instantaneous information thing.

theflyingmexican: Via Deadspin, via KSK, this is amazing....

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:57:25 -0700

theflyingmexican:

Via Deadspin, via KSK, this is amazing. Sublime. Awesome. Jake Fox approves.

Including awesome football coach outbursts. 5 stars!

Baseball game elitists

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:40:19 -0700

Baseball game elitists:

Guest commentary over at The Flying Mexican.

CROSSTOWN: ROUND 2!

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:15:57 -0700

CROSSTOWN: ROUND 2!

Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World Crosstown...

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:10:00 -0700

Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Crosstown playlist. Song 1!

"I wouldn’t know a steroid from a reefer."

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:24:40 -0700

“I wouldn’t know a steroid from a reefer.”

- Lou Piniella when asked to comment on news that Sosa tested positive for steroids in ‘03

Photo

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:12:58 -0700

Hahahaha. via Jezebel

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:52:00 -0700

Hahahaha.

via Jezebel

I bought American Psycho today, but when I was looking for...

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:46:00 -0700

I bought American Psycho today, but when I was looking for prices online, I found this audio clip of Bateman…I mean Christian Bale…freaking out on the set of Terminator:Salvation.

Talk about reprising an old role…

Thoughts from a fan

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 07:32:31 -0700

It really bothers me that the only women WGN seems to show when they cut to the stands are blonde. They also like babies, but that’s not really worth writing about as much as this.

The Flying Mexican really got me thinking about females in the ballpark. More specifically, he asked me about female stereotypes at a game.

I’m fairly self-aware as a girl (woman, my women’s college cohorts would object). I think it’s worth exploring in its entirety, so soon enough, you’ll see me on the blog venting my thoughts. (I said venting, not bitching!)

Keep your eyes peeled for the real thing. This is more of a heads-up.

sds: Posted without comment.

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 05:27:06 -0700

sds:

Posted without comment.

"I don’t like it. It sounds different. It’s not the toilet I grew up with!"

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:30:21 -0700

““I don’t like it. It sounds different. It’s not the toilet I grew up with!””

- Alex, my 16-year-old brother, after seeing that a new toilet had been installed to replace one in our house that had been there since the ’70s.

“Bits of whale rain across the beach. Then the pieces...

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:23:37 -0700

“Bits of whale rain across the beach. Then the pieces reach the crowd. Onlookers realize the tiny pieces are not so tiny…”

—from Destroyed in Seconds, Discovery Channel.

Photo

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:48:00 -0700

Section 13

Thu, 28 May 2009 17:55:00 -0700

(Note: This interview took place on February 20, 2009. I figured I should post it from my other blog site: http://agoldenworld.vox.com/ since I introduced this situation earlier on this site.)

In Canada, freedom of speech is an unknown luxury because of a law called Section13. Section 13 began in the early ‘80’s by the CHRCs (Canadian Human Rights Commissions) in order to censor hate speech as they put it. This is defined in Section 13 as anything “likely to expose a person or persons to hatred or contempt.” Hate speech is a crime, like the novel, 1984, called a thought crime. It’s a complicated law that protects certain groups of people such as Muslims, but not Christians. And gays, but not straight people.

Kathy Shaidle is a Canadian blogger and a published writer who has been speaking out against Section 13 through her book, “The Tyranny of Nice: How Canada Crushes Freedom in the Name of Human Rights” and she recently wrote an article explaining the complicated history of Section 13 on FrontPage Magazine here: http://frontpagemag.com/articles/Read.aspx?GUID=95F30557-369D-47BA-AC6E-99C0CB173C43

I recently spoke to Shaidle via e-mail about her life as a writer in a country where you can’t say anything you want and how she believes this threat may be crossing over into America.

Q: How long have you been blogging?

A: I started blogging in 2000, so this is my ninth year.

Q: What got you into blogging?

I fell in love with proto-blogs like RobotWisdom, Arts & Letters Daily and PopCultureJunkMail. When I heard about the free Blogger platform, I started using it as a handy way to keep track of all the weird religion news stories I saw on the net. I was writing a Toronto Star religion column at the time and blogging helped me keep column ideas ‘front of mind’. Eventually others started reading the blog. I don’t write for the Star any more but I’m still blogging.

Q: What do you blog about?

A: I write about religion, politics and culture from a conservative/libertarian, VERY politically incorrect perspective.

Q: Would I be able to have a link to your blog?

A: Sure:
http://www.FiveFeetOfFury.com

Q: Have you written for any publication?

A: I’ve written for all kinds of print publications since I became a professional writer: along with Canada’s major daily papers, I’ve written for the Dallas Morning News, Catholic World Report, the American Spectator and many other publications. I also write for online publications like FrontPageMag.com, PajamasMedia.com and other sites.

Q: How active of a role do you play against section 13?

A: I’ve been blogging about the abuses of the Canadian Human Rights Commissions and about Section 13 since Ezra Levant and Mark Steyn were charged with “hate speech.” This led to my co-authoring a book about the topic called The Tyranny of Nice: how Canada crushes freedom in the name of human rights, and why it matters to Americans.
Along with Ezra Levant and a number of other Canadian bloggers, I am being sued by ex-Human Rights Commission employee Richard Warman, for criticizing some of his methods when he was working there. Here is an example of what he admits to doing, under oath:
http://ezralevant.com/2008/05/chrc-bigoted-comment-of-the-da-1.html

I make a point of violating Section 13 on my blog every day. It is hard for anyone NOT to because of the “likely” clause in wording of the law. :-) Political correctness is a grave threat to our culture and I try to do my part to undermine it. The CHRC operates outside of the real Canadian justice system; it is like the real justice system is the Mayo Clinic, and the CHRC is Lucy’s sidewalk psychiatry booth in Peanuts.

Q: Do you feel things are getting better or worse with this fight
to stop it?

A: I feel things are improving in Canada slightly, but disintegrating elsewhere. American politicians are pondering the reintroduction of the Fairness Doctrine, Geert Wilders was barred from entering the UK. Few nations can rival England for their descent into politically correct censorship:
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/6199/
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/3789

Q: In your article in FrontPage Magazine, you say these commissions that enforce section 13 “aren’t ‘real’ courts. They operate outside the criminal justice system in an Orwellian world of their own.” When I first heard of section 13, 1984 immediately popped into my head. Have you heard a lot of people in Canada comparing the book to section 13?

A: Absolutely. But, as Dennis Miller says, he never expected the bad guys in 1984 to be on the Left! My coauthor feels the comparison to Brave New World is more apt:
http://www.twoorthree.net/2008/10/the-tyranny-of-nice-how-canada-crushes-freedom-in-the-name-of-human-rights.html

Q: There is obviously a strong protest against section 13 in Canada, but are there a decent amount of citizens who support it? Have you met one and debated about it? If so, what has been their reasoning?

A: The reasoning behind it is that laws against ‘hate speech’ will ‘prevent the next Holocaust’.
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/05/21/mark-freiman-makes-the-case-for-censoring-hate.aspx
http://ezralevant.com/2009/02/two-ottawa-speeches.html
however, those sorts of laws didn’t prevent the FIRST one, so:
http://www.macleans.ca/canada/opinions/article.jsp?content=20080423_31672_31672

Q: How do you personally try to undermine section 13 everyday?

A: If you look at my blog, you’ll see that I discuss racial, political, religious etc issues in politically incorrect ways. I insult everyone, from the Amish to Zulus. What I write wouldn’t actually be considered that odd if I were saying it from the stage of a comedy club. However, most of my enemies don’t get out much.

Q: If you undermine section 13 everyday, how are you getting away with it and others are not?

A: Because no one has brought an HRC case against me — yet. That may be about to change :-)
http://www.fivefeetoffury.com/:entry:fivefeet-2009-02-17-0001/

Q: Your friend that referred me to you was at first very cautious to talk to me, and apologized for seeming so paranoid. What convinced he/she to talk to me was when I gave my school e-mail address. If I got in touch with you at first, would you have been just as cautious? Why or why not?

A: Yes, I would have because people who work at the HRC use the internet to entrap people all the time:
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/canada%E2%80%99s-human-rights-kangaroo-court/

A sticker on the wall at Ogilvie station

Mon, 25 May 2009 10:39:00 -0700

A sticker on the wall at Ogilvie station

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."

Tue, 19 May 2009 20:31:30 -0700

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Billy Joel - Vienna I’m feeling blue.

Mon, 18 May 2009 21:03:31 -0700

Billy Joel - Vienna

I’m feeling blue.

So many experiences in one weekend!!! Where to start?

Mon, 18 May 2009 12:11:00 -0700

It’s amazing how some weekends feel like they’ve gone by too fast, while others feel as if you have done so much in just two days. This isn’t going to be a formal post, but more of a reminder for me so I can touch on subjects later because I can only cover so many topics in a certain amount of time (Plus I don’t think people would appreciate a long post about five billion different things–things might not make sense after a while :))

Things to blog about:

-Review of Mary Poppins show at Cadillac Theatre

-Bachelorette Parties are fun! (Now if only we could find some way to cut out the drama?)

-Graduation Day!!! (In a nutshell: easy going ceremony, great music and performances, AMAZING speakers-Ray Bradbury, and a speedy presentation of diplomas-in depth details to follow)

Okay, so three topics may not seem like a lot, but there is a lot I have to reflect on so they may turn into massive ponderings. Just a warning.

You mean, I can talk to people while I'm on the go?

Sat, 16 May 2009 09:15:27 -0700

The very first cellphone ad:

Our last bus ride of the semester :( good times ad always!

Fri, 15 May 2009 15:46:18 -0700

Our last bus ride of the semester :( good times ad always!

We did it! Online Journalism ‘09 final site presentations...

Thu, 14 May 2009 15:21:58 -0700

We did it!

Online Journalism ‘09 final site presentations at Tribune Interactive. Sites hosted by the J-Incubator.

Spring 2009 (Thursday)
F Major
Comedy Doctor
Chi Charity
Healthy Budget Chi

Spring 2009 (Friday)
Uke Chicago
Find Yourself Columbia
Bar Underground

I hate season finales with a passion...

Wed, 13 May 2009 20:17:23 -0700

Ok, so let me preface this by first say this:

…season finales tend to be the best-written, most shocking, well-acted and game-changing episodes of television in a given series show.

That said, I hate them.

Let me repeat: I hate them, I hate them, I hate them.

Just because a season is over, doesn’t mean you have to needlessly kill of a character (I’m looking at you, Lost! Seriously…why do you have to destroy my soul?!), make characters do completely un-characteristic actions (Bones wanting to bone Booth. COME ON!) or re-tread already played out storyline conclusions (having Jack have to bust out the bad guys for the zillionth time on 24…seriously?).

I should stop watching television and just focus on books.

Books, books, books.

I wonder where this leads to…

Wed, 13 May 2009 09:22:16 -0700

I wonder where this leads to…

I get by with a little help from my friends (and family)

Mon, 11 May 2009 21:09:44 -0700

Since I don’t work at the Chronicle anymore, I did not get a chance to write the end of college /thank you/senior reflection that some of my former co-workers got to write for the final issue. So I figured I would take advantage of my online j blog and do it here.

My time at Columbia has been amazing. It’s been stressful and frustrating, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I’ve had some great teachers and I’ve met some incredible people. I’ve had great opportunities and I made friends who mean the world to me.

Words do not seem strong enough to say thank you or tell you how much you mean to me, but they are all I have, so here goes:

Mom and Dad - you guys are amazing and words cannot express how much I love your or how grateful I am for everything you have done for me. Thank you so much for supporting me and giving me the chance to do what I needed to do.

Miss - you are the best sister and partner in crime that anyone could ask for. Thank you for always being there and being able to make me laugh like no one else. I love you and I can’t wait for you to be home again. We’re going to have all kinds of fun.

Tara - you will always be my bff even though our crazy lives only let us talk once in a blue moon. Thank you for always listening to me rant and being supportive. I love you and maybe now that I’m done with school, we can actually see each other once in awhile.

Avis, Aunt Deb and Uncle Ron - thank you guys for being my back-up parents and for being my friends. Your love and support means a lot to me.

Katy and Kathy - thank you both for being my long distance support systems. I love you both and can’t wait to see pictures of your little ones.

Suzanne - thank you for always being there. You were a great advisor and teacher and Elections will always be my favorite class. Thank you for all of the opportunities and the guidance.

Jess, Brett, Sara and Chris - thank you for giving me a chance to be part of the Chronicle. It’s an experience I will never forget. Good luck to all of you and Chris, thanks for always being willing to listen.

John Lendman, Tim, Kelly, Thomas and Bethany - thanks for being awesome and making it easier to get through those long days and nights at the Chron and during classes too. We had a lot of fun amid the craziness.

Meha - we had some good times, girl! We’ll always have St. Louis. And Panera. And Cafecito. This semester hasn’t been as much fun without you at Columbia.

Angie, Miles, Laura and George - even though I just met you guys this semester, I feel like we’ve been friends forever. Thanks for all the good times and all the fun we’re still going to have.

Jessi - it’s been a crazy year and it’s been fun getting through it with you. I love you and I can’t wait to see what kind of trouble we’re going to get into now that we won’t have school to hold us back.

Jonny - you are my best friend at Columbia and I could not have gotten through this past year without you. Thank you for always being there and putting up with my craziness. I love you and I’m looking forward to continuing the burger quest.

Finally!

Fri, 08 May 2009 10:19:12 -0700

Finally! Scumbag, I mean former police sergeant, Drew Peterson, has been taken into custody. He has been charged with murdering his third ex wife.

It is about time. The death looked suspicious from the beginning, but nothing happened until his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, disappeared. An autopsy was conducted on the third ex wife’s body and accidental death became murder.

Stacy is still missing. She has been gone for over a year and a half. Peterson maintains she left him for another man. Her family says she would never leave her young children. Now that Peterson is being held, maybe answers will come.

I believe Peterson is a lying sack of you-know-what. I hope that he gets what he deserves, which is a conviction and a long, slow, painful death - perhaps even at the hands of another inmate. Yes, this might be cruel, but the man is convicted of killing one woman and being married to another who has disappeared. The state should not pay for him to sit and rot away, waiting for either his natural death or the death penalty. This cocky piece of dirt, once found guilty, of course, needs to leave.

I am sick of hearing about him in the media, and I hope his new fiance takes this to heart and leaves him. She needs something to happen - she doesn’t seem to be very bright. Hopefully this is her chance to find someone else and remain alive for as long as she possibly can.

Goodbye Peterson. I hope you get what you deserve, and then some.

So, so soon

Fri, 08 May 2009 10:09:59 -0700

Less than one week and I am done with classes for the semester. Being a transfer student, I have many senior semesters under my belt. At the end of this one, I’ll have four, to be exact.

I like school, I enjoy learning, but I cannot wait to graduate in December. I have my dreams and aspirations, and they can’t come true without that little piece of paper. I haven’t been this close to graduating before. My first senior semester, I knew I was going to transfer. I knew that would be the first of many senior semesters.

Well, here I am. About to go onto my truly final senior semester. I have potential jobs and sources lined up already. It is wonderful. I just have those four classes to get through first.

Bring it, fifth and final senior semester. Bring it on.

"The chances of a prince going to Columbia are slim…unless he is the prince of darkness."

Fri, 08 May 2009 09:37:35 -0700

“The chances of a prince going to Columbia are slim…unless he is the prince of darkness.”

- Emily Capdevielle

The end is (allegedly) in sight

Wed, 06 May 2009 12:41:25 -0700

Graduation is less than two weeks away. I’ve got seven more classes to go to and then I will be finished with college forever. So why does it seem like there’s not enough time in the day to get everything done? I’ve had a rough semester and I expected it with the heavy load of journalism classes I signed up for. But every time I think I’ve dug myself out of a hole, I remember a million other things I was supposed to do. I’ve always been good at working hard under pressure, but I feel like the pressure should have eased up by now. I just want to curl up with a book or go outside and take a walk by the lake, but I can’t because I have too much homework to do. Everyone I know is stressed out. I woke up at 2 a.m. and couldn’t go back to sleep so I got online and a bunch of people were on Facebook and AIM because they were awake, desperately trying to finish homework assignments. It’s not right. Shouldn’t we be enjoying our last two weeks as college students? The real world is going to be stressful enough without burning ourselves out on last minute projects and articles. May 17 is 11 days away, but it might as well be light years from now.

Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao

Sat, 02 May 2009 21:35:45 -0700

I’ve never been into boxing, but since Pacquiao came into the ring and became the pride of the Philippines, I’m more intruigued. I’m pretty much a fairweather fan when it comes to sports, except for tennis, tennis will always be my favorite. But back to Pacquiao…

Tonight, I watched him knock down, and eventually knock out Ricky Hatton from Manchester, England in under 3 minutes (2:59 to be exact). I do feel bad for Hatton, seeing him lying on the canvas not moving and probably still in shock from the left-hook blow. It’s interesting seeing the victor hoisted on people’s shoulders while the defeated lay on the ground surrounded by medical staff. The camera and announcers pointed out Hatton’s family, showing his mother concerned for her son’s condition, and that made me feel more sympathetic towards the guy.

Leading up to the fight there was plenty of smack talk, mostly by the trainers of each of these fighters. There was a lot of expectation for Hatton, at least people thought he’d last until the later rounds of the fight; unfortunately they underestimated Pacquiao, or overestimated Hatton. De la Hoya commented on DogHouseBoxing.com, “When I fought Floyd it was a competitve fight. When I fought Pacquiao he stopped me. When Pacquiao fought Marquez, Marquez beat him. I don’t care what people say. Don’t believe that the bigger man is always going to win.”

Pacquiao has been a great inspiration for the Philippines. I believe Pacquiao is able to stay focused amidst the publicity and his rise to stardom because he knows where he comes from. When interviewed in the ring he answers the interviewer to the best of his abilities, not always answering the question directly and also with broken English. My uncle told my dad once that apparently, Pacquiao used to park his car when they would go out to some place in Manila. I don’t know if it is true, but I wouldn’t doubt his simple upbringing.

When people like Pacquiao come out of the Philippines and bring my heritage into the spotlight in a positive way, of course it’s only natural I feel a deep pride. Despite being born in America, I still feel a connection to my cultural background because of my parents. They still speak the language at home, even though I don’t understand it, and of course, my father watches Filipino programming almost daily (it’s a talent/game show called “Wowowowee”…I kid you not). However, I, like my father and mother, feel like the Philippines has lost its identity as a nation and culture…but that is a topic I plan to blog about on a later date.

Until then, let me relish in the pride I feel for my family’s country. Way to go Pacquiao!!!!

Chicago Slaughter postgame interviews after the Slaughter...

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:20:23 -0700

Chicago Slaughter postgame interviews after the Slaughter defeated the Milwaukee Bonecrushers 78-25 on April 25, 2009.

Jaeden likes to make faces. This is his James Dean look as...

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:33:04 -0700

Jaeden likes to make faces. This is his James Dean look as grandpa likes to say. The big blue orb attacking his head is a window BTW. :)

Britney Spears’ Circus tour - April 28, 2009 at the...

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:05:00 -0700

Britney Spears’ Circus tour - April 28, 2009 at the Allstate Arena (A friend who had 3rd row seats took this picture. My sister and I had decent seats, but nowhere near as good as these). The concert was awesome. We had a great time. Even if she does lip-sync, Britney puts on a fantastic show.

Now is a time for creation and telling stories

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:40:49 -0700

Today surprisingly was a deep dive (haha, yay for online lingo) for me into the professional journalism world. It’s fitting that in the morning Tony Merevick and I talked with high school students about the new age of convergence and the new tools they have to use in journalism at the NISPA conference. They asked good questions, one stood out in particular. We were talking about the future of journalism and I asked if any one had questions about journalism school.

One student seemed particularly interested and asked, “Do you have a job lined up?” I chuckled and said, “No, but I am looking.” He then asked, “Is the competition hard?” Thinking about it I responded, “Actually, I haven’t really thought about competition. I try to focus on my work. I see my classmates more like collegues than competition; we’re all working for the same thing, we just have to keep looking for the opportunities for ourselves.”

“So you’re confident then?” he asked.

“Yes, yes I am,” I replied. And I can honestly say that I am confident regardless of everything going on.

It is very sad that so many people have lost their jobs at the Sun Times and the Tribune and all over the country. Rob Elder was supposed to have a speaking session today at NISPA, but did not show because he was laid off on Wednesday along with the others.

Key note speakers Rick Kogan from WGN radio’s “Sunday Paper” and Charles Osgood, Tribune photographer and photojournalism professor at Columbia, spoke about their column “Sidewalks,” in which they tell the stories of ordinary people in Chicago.

Kogan and Osgood were lively, entertaining speakers, and Kogan has a great sense of storytelling. He’s been in the business since he was 16 years old, and I feel honored to have met such a great man. Tony and I chatted with Rick and Charlie before they spoke and helped them by walking their big cardboard photos around to show everyone. Really great guys. They reminded me that everyone has a story, no matter how small it may be, and the only way to find those stories is to look for them myself. No editor is going to tell me what to write, maybe occasionally, but a real journalist “says “hello” to everyone,” as Kogan and Osgoodo said, because their may just be a story to come with that “hello.”

Then tonight, I attended the 32nd annual Peter Lisagor Awards hosted by the Chicago Headline Club. It was a great experience for me, and I think it went really well considering it was my first real networking experience. I found myself slightly “starstruck” when meeting some of these big time journalists, but as the night went on, I realized that they were just ordinary people who love what they do and work hard at it. There were moments when the past layoffs were a bit over emphasized, but it had to be said. However, I still feel there was a sense of hope and encouragement that things will turn around one way or another for journalists. Don Hayner, editor-in-chief of the Chicago Sun Times and Jane Hirt, managing editor of the Chicago Tribune, both spoke on where they think the future of journalism is headed. Hirt acknowledged the shift in media platforms and spoke about adapting to the change, and while Hayner did not try to hide his disdain for the internet, he made a great point that the soul of journalism will never die. Reporters will always need to report and regardless of the news medium, journalists need to maintain their integrity of finding the facts, reporting, writing and getting the story right.

It was interesting that Hayner talked about that because I had made the same point to the high school students I was speaking to this morning. I said to them that just because the internet is another outlet for journalists to write and present their work, it doesn’t mean journalistic ethics go out the window. Reporters still need to find the facts and verify their stories. Social media, multimedia—these are merely tools for reporters to use, and I think they help journalists do their jobs more effectively. As idealistic as this may sound, I still believe that is what separates reporters from mindless bloggers who rant about society, but don’t do the research to back up their arguments. Reporters should have a sense of integrity, and they should want to change and show the world they can adapt with the times while still reporting the news as objectively and accurately as possible.

This is why I am still confident: because I will always have the ability to create something even if I don’t have a job. The opportunities are endless if you can see past all the roadblocks. It’s the spirit of a journalist to keep looking for the story and looking for opportunity. When people stop asking qustions and stop seeking, then there will be the end of journalism.

"We can’t afford to be innocent, Stand up and face the enemy. It’s a do or die..."

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:06:20 -0700

““We can’t afford to be innocent,
Stand up and face the enemy.
It’s a do or die situation.
We will be invincible!!!””

- Pat Benatar, “Invincible”

This is a video my friend Jessi and I made for our Reporting and...

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:05:00 -0700

This is a video my friend Jessi and I made for our Reporting and Writing II class about the Crosstown Classic last summer. It was the first time I’d ever shot and edited video, so it’s pretty rough.

Commuting in Chicago

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 06:05:28 -0700

Commuting in Chicago

Sheridan Drive #147 at 4 pm

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:33:52 -0700

Sheridan Drive

#147 at 4 pm

If you give a mouse some poison

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:35:00 -0700

Recently I acquired a roomate. He’s clean (well, sort of), he eats well, he’s quiet and he doesn’t make a mess.

The only problem: he’s furry, has a tail and nibbles at my hoodies.

Sound weird? Well, it’s not that weird — it’s a mouse. A tiny, little, fuzzy mouse. The first time I saw him he was scurrying across my kitchen floor and I was about three gags from puking. I just couldn’t accept that I, Kaylee King, have a “mouse issue.” Yuck.

So, after numourous failed attempts at catching the little guy I went to the grocery store to buy some poison trays. I bought four of them and placed them in various “high-traffiked” areas in my apartment.

It took a couple days, but before I knew it Mr. Mouse had taken the bait. So I thought, “Yes this is it, my mouse problem is done. This thing has eaten the poison and I’ll find a furry, lifeless mouse carcus under my fridge.”

Boy was I wrong.

Since then (a week ago), my mouse friend has devoured all four trays of poison and just today I saw him run out from behind my stove to get under my dishwasher unphased, looking healthy as ever. In fact, right now I can hear it running around.

But after poisoning the shit out of it and seeing that it survived, I’m starting to feel bad for the mouse and am accepting him taking up residence in the cave behind my dishwasher. I know this is bad but the thought of buying a trap makes me want to cry.

I think it is time, however, to get a trap. I’m dreading it, but I can’t live with a mouse. So farewell Mr. Mouse your death day is coming… tragic for both of us.

Computer illustration by Rachel Stapinski

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:35:27 -0700

Computer illustration by Rachel Stapinski

Chicago's Favorite MC is Coming to Town

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:11:00 -0700

MC Chris is playing the Beat Kitchen Friday, April 24. If you don’t know Chris, you are...

Oh the Slaughter

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:21:16 -0700

This Saturday marked the first and only lengthy road trip with the Chicago Slaughter pro indoor football team. I intern with the team, and on April 18, we took the team bus to play in Fort Wayne, Ind.

I’m not sure how long the road trip actually was. The bus driver first took the wrong way to pick up players from Hammond, Ind., so we had to backtrack a few miles. Then, there is that pesky one hour time change. We also stopped at a “Golden Corral” buffet for lunch, and stayed for around 45 minutes.

Upon finally arriving at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, we had watched two full movies, Step Brothers and Grandma’s Boy. That gauges the trip somewhat.

Inside, I was the only Slaughter media to attend the game. I spent the pregame getting notes together and interviewing Slaughter players. During the game, I sat up in the press box with the coaches and players who didn’t dress for the game.

Post game, I had to scramble to write the game summary, send it out to the media, and make the necessary phone calls to get our scores read on the nightly news. It was kind of overwhelming!

The ride back was fun as well. The team won so they were loud and rowdy, which made for a seemingly quicker ride home. Movies played but few watched them. We got home around 2:30 a.m.

I noticed the story I wrote was posted, unedited, on the team website. That made me feel good. I am trusted enough to not only be sent as the only media to an away game, but that they posted my story.

I feel as though I’m on my way!

4/20 and how I can't fit text with photos and videos the right way

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:53:00 -0700

This year, the “holiday”, 4/20 felt noticed. When I logged on facebook around 11 in the morning, I saw eight people that referred to 4/20 in their statuses. I was shocked by some of the people that decided to recognize the sub-culture holiday. Maybe it’s because in the past year there has been such overwhelming support to legalize marijuana that even Glenn Beck from Fox News believes it should happen: Maybe it’s because when President Obama scoffed at the idea of marijuana legalization, donations to NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) quadrupled in less than 24 hours: And NORML also launched 7,770 of these ads promoting marijuana legalization the day before 4/20 as well: Whether you’re for it or not…for future reference, these aren’t menthols:

Just because you're paranoid, don't mean they're not after you.

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 11:49:00 -0700

So, I put in my zipcode on www.everyblock.com to check out what’s happening around the neighborhood I sleep in and this is what came up for crimes:

Assault
- 1700 block N. Milwaukee Ave Aggravated assault: Handgun

Place: Street. Reported at 6:15 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

- 2700 block N. Hamlin Ave Aggravated assault: Knife/cutting instrument

Place: Residential yard (front / back). Reported at 12:30 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

- 3300 block W. Fullerton Ave Simple assault: Simple assault

Place: Parking lot / garage (non-residential). Reported at 7:30 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

- 3900 block W. Fullerton Ave Simple assault: Simple assault

Place: Street. Reported at 11:45 a.m. on April 9, 2009.

Battery
- 3800 block W. Wrightwood Ave Simple battery: Domestic battery: simple

Place: Apartment. Reported at 11:15 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

- 1700 block N. Spaulding Ave Simple battery: Domestic battery: simple

Place: Apartment. Reported at 8:30 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

- 2300 block N. Avers Ave Simple battery: Simple

Place: Residential yard (front / back). Reported at 4 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

- 2500 block N. Milwaukee Ave Simple battery: Simple

Place: Sidewalk. Reported at 2:25 a.m. on April 9, 2009.

- 2500 block W. Cortland St Simple battery: Simple

Place: Street. Reported at 1:30 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

- 1800 block N. Washtenaw Ave Simple battery: Simple

Place: Residence (porch/hallway). Reported at 7:05 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

- 2700 block N. Central Park Ave Simple battery: Simple

Place: Residence. Reported at 7 p.m. on January 13, 2009.

Burglary
- 3800 block W. North Ave Burglary: Forcible entry

Place: Other. Reported at 8 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

- 2400 block N. Ridgeway Ave Burglary: Forcible entry

Place: Apartment. Reported at 4:45 a.m. on April 9, 2009.

Criminal damage
- 1700 block N. St Louis Ave Vandalism: Criminal damage to property

Place: Street. Reported at midnight on April 9, 2009.

- 1600 block N. Whipple St Vandalism: Criminal damage to vehicle

Place: Vehicle (non-commercial). Reported at 6 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

- 2400 block N. Albany Ave Vandalism: Criminal damage to vehicle

Place: Vehicle (non-commercial). Reported at 8 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

Deceptive practice
- 3200 block W. Armitage Ave Deceptive practice: Bogus check

Place: Currency exchange. Reported at 4 p.m. on January 13, 2009.

- 2600 block W. Armitage Ave Deceptive practice: Credit card fraud

Place: Residence. Reported at noon on April 9, 2009.

- 2500 block N. Elston Ave Deceptive practice: Fraud or confidence game

Place: Warehouse. Reported at 6:45 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

Narcotics
- 2100 block N. Kimball Ave Narcotics: Possession of cannabis, 30 grams or less

Place: Sidewalk. Reported at 3:49 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

- 2900 block W. Fullerton Ave Narcotics: Possession of cocaine

Place: Street. Reported at 2:34 a.m. on April 9, 2009.

Non-criminal
- 2100 block N. Stave St Other offense: Missing person

Place: Residence. Reported at 10 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

Theft
- 2600 block N. Troy St Theft: $300 and under

Place: Street. Reported at 3 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

- 3100 block W. Lyndale St Theft: $300 and under

Place: Residential yard (front / back). Reported at 8 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

- 2300 block W. Shakespeare Ave Theft: From building

Place: Residence (garage). Reported at 7 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

- 2300 block W. North Ave Theft: Over $300

Place: CTA bus. Reported at 3:20 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

- 2300 block N. Kimball Ave Theft: Over $300

Place: Street. Reported at 3:10 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

- 3100 block W. Logan Blvd Theft: Over $300

Place: Small retail store. Reported at 4:30 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

Weapons violation
- 3500 block W. Dickens Ave Weapons violation: Unlawful possession of handgun

Place: Sidewalk. Reported at 8:26 p.m. on April 9, 2009.

Now, this site is great and I bet it will be expanding to the suburbs very soon, but I’m f**king freaked out at all the crimes. It’s a great tool to get people aware of where they live and what’s happening, but I personally don’t know if I want to know all this. I guess it’s sort of the “red pill or blue pill” analogy of the Matrix.

This could be a useful tool to combat crime I believe. If a decent amount of people saw a list like I copied and pasted above, there may be more of a community tactic to prevent future crimes from happening. (Sorry, I’m still on time travel mode from my post below). The only negative thing I can think about this site is it may cause severe paranoia.

I can only hope to travel back to this life in the next life now

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 11:17:00 -0700

I’m 23 now and I know I will never be able to do the one thing I’ve always wanted to do before I die. I’m not dying. I think I’m in good health, (I really wish I checked to see if I had a piece of wood around me to knock on before I typed that.) but as I get older and supposedly wiser, I realize the possibility of traveling through time will never come to fruition while I’m alive.

My infatuation with the idea of time travel came before my attraction to girls and I believe that’s what got me into writing.

One of the first movies I remember watching was Back to the Future two. The idea of going back in time, seeing younger versions of people you know, seeing “your other self”, the ripple effects of subtle actions that changed the past – all of it! It’s intense and basically an awesome story idea.

When I first started writing incoherent short stories in first grade, they all involved time travel. I learned more about narrative storytelling through Back to the Future compared to any English class I took in school. The idea of time travel is story. It made me pay attention to what was happening to the characters I was creating.

My passion for this imaginary idea wasn’t hidden. I even declared to my mom in grade school, “Before I die, I’m going to travel back in time”. And like the good parent she was to me, my mom found several movies that involved time travel for me to watch. I saw Timecop, The Time Machine, Terminator 1 & 2, and yes – even the Christopher Reeve movie Somewhere in Time. It was Superman travelling through time. Don’t judge.

As I grew up, I began to accept the fact that time travel isn’t possible. We broke up. It wasn’t working. I couldn’t keep thinking it would happen and things would change. But like the tease it is, I began to wonder all over again when I was in eighth grade and I heard about John Titor.

I don’t remember exact details of his future situation, but Titor claimed to be from the future and came to the past in the ‘90s to find something. My memory is incredibly vague, but he ended up leaving less than a year later claiming he found what he was looking for. There were Q&A threads on his site to answer people’s questions about the future. I believed his logic and what he said. I was quick to fall back in love.

A lesson I learned far too young because of time travel is, “love is blind”. As the year approached when Titor said all these global events would take place and they didn’t, that was when I lost hope.

I’ll look back on the false optimism and frustration I had on the possibility of time travel like a one night stand that could’ve been so much more between us.

Now, shitty movies like Butterfly Effect, Frequency, and The Lake House are who she’s with now, but I’ll always cherish what we had.

Podcasts: When you have so much to say that videos, links, blogs, twitter, and facebook aren't enough

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 09:45:00 -0700

I’m not a fan of talk radio. It’s my personal opinion. I don’t like it for the same reason I don’t like sitting through a lecture. It’s hard for me to follow one voice for an extended period of time.

From what I can tell, podcasts are nothing but talk radio – just people droning on about things. I could be wrong; I’m just basing this off of what little exposure I had to podcasts. In fact, the only podcast I listened to more than once by the same person was Dane Cook.

I don’t like Dane Cook and I really can’t recall in detail how this happened, but I accidently clicked on something that gave me this free subscription to his podcasts. This happened around the time George Carlin died. I know this because the first podcast I accidently listened to in my “Recently Added” list was Dane Cook talking for fifteen minutes about how much of a fan he was of George Carlin on the day he died. He was a fan. He didn’t know him. He was simply a comedian that wanted to talk about how much he loved another comedian…for 15 minutes.

I obviously didn’t get the best first impression to podcasts and I’m sure there are some good ones out there.

I do think there is a lot of potential for podcasts. It helps people reach their audience in a convenient way. When I accidently got that Dane Cook podcast, I was put on a subscription and my iTunes automatically downloaded his podcasts. It took about a minute at most for me to obliviously download it on to my iPod as well.

This all took so little time and effort and I can see that being very beneficial for people hosting websites, or simply anyone trying to reach their audience. Podcasts are a great multimedia tool for everyone and I predict it will only get bigger.

Website Re-Design, Hell Ya!

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:16:17 -0700

Anyone who has a website knows how big of a task it is to get it just the way you want it. And I finally did it!

I’m pumped, and ready to self promote. After all I do graduate in EXACTLY one month.

So check it out: my ready-to-go website.

CRIME and HOODIES in Logan Square

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:11:15 -0700

Was the title dramatic enough?

It was? Good.

I everyblock my block a lot, just to see if the crime in Logan Square rumors are true. Well, turns out they are… and it’s AWESOME.

After sifting through the criminal defacement, pocket-picking theft, missing persons, and simple battery charges I found a positive uptick on my block. Someone found my “Sacred City Roller Girls” hoodie on Milwaukee and Sawyer.

OK, so it was really mine. But I thought it was an awesome find a mere half a block from my front door.

I do love everyblock though, my favorite part is looking at the homes/condos for sale in Logan Square from Trulia. It fuels my inner longing to buy a house, like, tomorrow. So thanks everyblock, for turning me into the ultimate girl.

Everyblock

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:55:00 -0700

I don’t live in the city, but I spend a considerable amount of time in the South Loop, specifically in the journalism department in the 33 E. Congress building.

I pulled up the neighborhood on everyblock.com and read about what was happening in the area. I have very little interest in the real estate listings or the foreclosures because I barely have enough money to commute to school every day, let alone think about actually moving to the city.

The crime statistics are the most interesting thing on everyblock for someone like me who is going to the city on a regular basis. There were a lot of thefts in the area, in stores, on the street and on campus. There were also several cases of domestic violence and even a report of child abuse.

I think everyblock.com is a great site for people to get know the various city neighborhoods. One of the founders came to talk to our Community News class a few weeks ago and it was really interesting to hear what went into the site.

Every Block you are my b*tch lover!

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:51:58 -0700

Pseudo-Wedding Crashers quote aside, Everyblock and I have a tortured relationship (much like my agonizing on-again, off-again relationship with Twitter). At first, when previous classes forced me to use this website, I found it difficult to figure out how to use it or incorporate it into a story. This year, it has been a completely different experience (and perhaps that is more because of the story matter that I’ve covered this year). I’m writing a lot more crime stories and as such, crimes are posted from every city block (yes, the obviousness of that sentence sometimes alludes me, given the title of the website) and that helps the information-gathering process like you wouldn’t believe.

Everyblock has proven useful, and the model for the site is really ingenious. The information has always been there, waiting for someone to come up with an easy way of disseminating it, but Holovaty took the bull by the horns and did it.

Personally, I prefer the easier interface of Everyblock than the sometimes confusing, sometimes completely offline, Chicago Police website, Clearpath.

I am a diehard Sox fan, but I had a blast in Wrigleyville for...

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:59:31 -0700

I am a diehard Sox fan, but I had a blast in Wrigleyville for Cubs Opening Day this year…even though it was raining and freezing and I might have had a little too much to drink. Still, good times.

EveryBlock

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:25:01 -0700

I currently live in the suburbs, but last year I had my own place in the city. I looked up my former zip code, 60625, to see what I could come up with.

Less than one block from my former apartment, I found an aggravated assault crime report. That floored me! The case was domestic, which sadly makes me feel better, but that was such a quiet little mixed neighborhood, complete with young families and elderly grandparents. Assault with a knife/cutting instrument in my former neighborhood still shocks me.

Thankfully, along with the assault charge, I found a domestic battery charge. At least the victim did something about the attack. In this day and age, too many victims are taking back their attackers. I don’t know anything more about the case, but at least this victim took the necessary steps to make life safer.

Otherwise, all I could really find in my former area were simple property transfers or restaurant reviews. Looking at this site made me miss my old apartment.

Chicago Slaughter

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:09:51 -0700

Well, as many of you know, I intern with the Chicago Slaughter pro indoor football team in Hoffman Estates. I spend all day Tuesday in the office, along with Thursday mornings and the occasional Saturday, provided the team doesn’t have a game.

Game days are my favorite. Gee, I wonder why?! I plan to devote my post-college life writing about sporting events and players, so attending games and having nearly unlimited access to players is incredible.

The team is 5-0 thus far, although it seems everyone in the league is out to get us. Our league is the Continental Indoor Football League. It isn’t as high as the Arena Football League or the Arena 2 League (AF2). Usually, players cut from AFL or AF2 come to the CIFL. This year, the AFL is not in existence. Now, the Slaughter is the only indoor football team in Chicago. Players from the AFL team the Chicago Rush have signed with us. We have the best team in the league, by far.

After winning the first game by 60 points, we have noticed other teams have taken quite a few cheap shots at us, or have hit us after the play is dead. This is somewhat uncalled for.

Most recently, our quarterback, former Rush QB Russ Michna, had one record taken away. Keep in mind this is his first year in this league, during the fifth game, Michna tied a league record by throwing eight touchdown passes and passing for 305 yards.

Now, the league is saying he only threw seven passes - one touchdown pass was in fact a lateral. This also takes away two passing yards. While Michna still holds the league record with passing yards at 303, I quite honestly think the league only reviewed his touchdown passes because we are the Slaughter.

We are the best team in the league. We now hold two league records (Kicker Chris Nendick holds the record for most PAT kicks with 12), and are well on our way to breaking or at least tying many more.

The league can’t hold us back. As much as they try, and as unfair as it may seem to other teams, the Rush stars came to us. When the AFL folded, the CIFL teams should have made a stronger push for their local AFL players. The cheap shots are unnecessary. With the Rush players taking a pay cut to play for the Slaughter, injury is the last thing they want. They are clearly playing for the love of the game.

I end my rambling with this… The Slaughter has not played well away. This weekend, they play at Fort Wayne, where I will be the only Slaughter media personnel in attendance. I need the good luck wishes just as much as the team does. I’m finally living my dream, and to be honest, I’m quite nervous!

Importance of Every Block

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:59:00 -0700

My “work” is moving to a different neighborhood, so I am using this project as an...

Just Thought I'd Share

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:31:00 -0700

Yesterday I recieved a letter from my future grad school (thanks) reminding me to place a deposit on...

The Sound of Young America: Podcast Panel on "Online Branding"

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:39:00 -0700

I listened to this podcast because it seemed relevant to class, and I was right. Even though Jesse...

Podcasts

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 07:39:15 -0700

To be quite honest, I’ve never listened to a podcast on my own. At Illinois State a few years ago, one of my classes involved us listening to “This American Life.”

The class was an introductory course to journalism. It was an elective just to see if i enjoyed journalism and if I should completely change my major from education.

It was over 18 months ago that I took this intro course. I don’t remember exactly which episodes we listened to, but we listened to around five during the semester. Once again, I remember why we listened to them either, just standard for the course.

I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to podcasts. I enjoy listening to music and not so much people talking. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a fine art to a podcast, but it just doesn’t appeal to me.

I suppose I would find some sort of sports podcasts and listen to those. ESPN Fantasy Focus Baseball or EPSN Daily Radio podcasts sound interesting to me, and if I begin listening to podcasts, I would start with something along those lines.

What’s so bad about big families? I got this e-mail today...

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 07:10:00 -0700

What’s so bad about big families?

I got this e-mail today from my dad that included the photo above. It is an image of my Sitty (grandma) and Zhiddy’s (grandpa) wedding party at my Sit-Sitty’s (great-grandmother) house.

My Sit-Sitty had 21 children and the people in this photo are all members of this family and relatives of mine. My dad has five siblings.

Whether it’s 21 kids or five, I don’t see why people have decided to have less and less children. So many of my memories stem from hilarious times with the rediculousness of the large family that my father’s side has. We cook huge meals and have great discussions over dinner about funny stories, our lives and other random things that would otherwise be boring if there were only a few of us to talk about them. This photo proves this.

I hope that the idea of the big family will become mainstream again because I cannot say enough about how wonderful a large family is.

p.s. if you were wondering, we’re Lebanese

Podcasts!

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 07:02:26 -0700

I love podcasts… in fact I’m a little obsessed with them. I listen to news podcasts (BBC Global News), music (BBC Radio 1, Colin Murray is the best) and if bands have podcasts I will subscribe to them. Radiohead and the Hives both have podcasts that update listeners with band news, funny sound clips and trivial facts about the groups.

When I interned with NBC5 here in Chicago I used to do podcasts with guests that would come in the office. Most memorable was a podcast that I did with sex and relationship expert Dr. Laura Berman, she knew a ton and it was fun to discuss that content with such a well-known person.

I do, however, think that podcasting is popular in a niche population. I think there is a big group of people that listen to podcasts but in the greater scheme of people I don’t think it’s that many. I think people sometimes forget about podcasting and how awesome it really is. Anything that is free and good content, like a lot of podcasts are, is a really great tool.

Podcasting

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:27:26 -0700

I’m going to be honest…I don’t listen to podcasts. I’ve tried a few different ones, and it’s just not my thing. Listening to someone talk and not having anything visual to go along with it is boring to me. I don’t think I could have survived back in the day when people only had radios and no televisions. Like any good journalism student, I’ve listened to This American Life on NPR. Some of the shows are interesting, but I find myself easily distracted by other things and then I stop paying attention and give up halfway through. I also listened to some of the Sound of Young America podcasts after Jesse Thorn talked to our class last week. I think I found his stuff more interesting because I had a sense of who he was after talking to him via video chat in class. I think it’s pretty cool that he does everything from his apartment.

Manifest: Come and Get It

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:43:00 -0700

What is it about free stuff that drives us all crazy? My favorite part of spring semester is going...

Interning

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:07:38 -0700

I intern with the Chicago Slaughter indoor football team, based out of Hoffman Estates. I am a sports writing and reporting major, and I intern in the media department. It’s pretty much perfect.

The internship is extremely time consuming. I spend about 15 hours per week in the front office. On game days, I spend about seven hours at the arena covering games and doing whatever media-related “stuff” needs to be done.

I have learned quite a bit so far. It is a very eye-opening experience. I had some good and some bad experiences. On a trip up to Madison, I saw how terrible some arenas and situations are. For example, the home team didn’t supply a stats person, the arena was in terrible condition, workers didn’t know what was going on and no one was helpful.

The field was clearly borrowed from another team because the logo was spray painted out in each end zone. The sponsors from the one team were simply taped over, even if the ad was in the middle of the field. I am absolutely shocked that there were no ankle injuries that game.

However, everything I am learning will be applied in the very near future. I graduate in December and hope to get a job as soon as I can. And I would love to work with a pro sports team. I just hope that by the time the season is over, I take away even more from the team and have had a chance to build my portfolio.

When it rains, it pours

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:46:39 -0700

I truly hate that expression. It’s right up there with “everything happens for a reason” and “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” None of these are helpful things to say to a person going through a rough time. A lot of bad things have happened this semester, most of them within a three-week span. Things have gotten progressively worse to the point that I am convinced I’ve given myself an ulcer. (Logically, I know ulcers are not stress related, but something is eating at my stomach and making me nauseous 24/7). It’s not just me. Bad things seem to be happening to a lot of my friends too. Is it because we’re graduating soon and going into a world with zero job prospects? Did we do something horribly wrong in a past life that the universe is punishing us for? If so, I’m really sorry, please make it stop.

Spring break??

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:20:15 -0700

Today marks my official end to spring break. I feel as though I have accomplished nothing.

I spent the first weekend of break on the road with the football team I intern with. The team played up in Madison, Wisc., so I took the team bus up to the game. The game was quite an experience, and not necessarily in a good way. That is a whole different story though.

During the week, I worked at both my part time job and had office hours at my internship. I had another football game at the end of spring break, but luckily it was a home game. The downside of the game being at home was that I had to be at the arena six hours early to help prep the field and arena.

Free time? Break time? It was nearly nonexistent. It was supposed to be my time to catch up on homework. Much to my luck, my one day with absolutely no work or office hours happened to be the day I was home alone and my cable and internet went out. I ended up spending most of the day on the phone trying to get everything fixed. It was a bit of a pain.

Now, I head to class tonight. I feel still slightly behind in most classes - definitely more in some than in others. I am hoping this first week is relatively easy. I still have a lot to do and I hope I can get it done.

Actions always speak louder than words

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:25:00 -0700

Like most things in the world right now, the presidential debates have become more than just debates. When I say more, I don’t mean that in a positive way.

The point of presidential debates is to see which individual is most qualified to lead the country. As technology as grown, it’s become more about appeal. It all started when the debates were first televised between Nixon and Kennedy, and Nixon lost due to his uneasy manner in front of the camera. Since then, it’s all gone downhill from there. It hasn’t been as much about the ideas as it has been about competition.

When President Obama was running for office, he said he would post every non-emergency bill online days before it was passed, which he recently went back on when signing a bill for equal pay for men and women. I, and I’m sure most people already agree with this bill, but in the end, it still goes back on President Obama’s promise.

I like President Obama overall and he’s not the problem – the tradition of presidential debates are. Promises made by president-elects that are later contradicted when they are commander-in-chief have been committed by several people. The people that break these promises should be charged of breaching an oral contract. People who don’t even pay close attention to politics still vote because of one or two ideas one presidential-elect believes in compared to the other. When a sitting president goes back on what they say, that could completely undermine the reason some people voted for him.

If presidents had to legally abide by the promises they make when they were running for office, who knows how different things would be. American citizens are meant to choose their leader off of what they personally believe. How is that justified when sitting presidents have the freedom to do what they want and not follow through with what they promised?

It says in The Gettysburg address, “…that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Oops.

My computer hates me

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:51:51 -0700

My laptop is nearly five years old, which is pretty ancient in technology standards. But for the most part, it does what I need it to do and that’s all I can ask for. Lately, it seems to be on a mission to make my life a living hell. I discovered it’s best not to turn it off on a regular basis because it does not like to be restarted. (Which takes the “portable” out of the equation). So I leave it on all the time and hope the power doesn’t go out. Once every 10 days or so, it likes to reboot itself in the middle of the night (which always wakes me up, usually around 3:00 in the morning). But as long as it comes back on, I’m okay with it. On Thursday, I realized I hadn’t restarted it in over two weeks. (I knew how long it had been because I had been signed into my instant messanger for almost 15 days straight). Anyway, I decided I would shut the computer off for awhile and see what happened. I came home and turned it back on and it took over 10 minutes to start up again. Once it did, there was no volume. The control had disappeared. So I had to turn it off and restart it four times before it finally brought the volume back. Then I went to watch a video on YouTube and it told me I needed the latest version of Adobe Flash Player. I went to download it and did so - about 20 times - to no avail. I gave up and decided to worry about it in a few days. Well, now it’s Sunday and I have to watch a YouTube video for my Business Beat class. I asked my dad to look at it and after two hours of reconfiguring things, he got the Flash Player to download and YouTube to work again. But then I tried to sign into AIM and it wouldn’t let me. Awesome. I managed to get that working again (I think it was an AOL problem, not my computer), but after restarting the computer multiple times, the volume had disappeared again. I figured I might as well go for broke and downloaded the latest version of Itunes. Five restarts later and I had volume again. But the screen keeps flashing on and off like a bad strobe light. If a close the top a few times, I can usually make it stop, but at that point, I already feel like I’m having a seizure. I’m pretty sure this is my computer’s way of warning me that its days are numbered and I need to prepare myself. I don’t have money to buy a new computer. The best I can hope for is that this one will at least make it through the last seven weeks of the semester.

Hillary-ous

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:51:00 -0700

computer illustration by Rachel Stapinski

Legalize It!?

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:12:00 -0700

The internet community congregated to ask President Obama many burning questions during the online...

The Price of Print: Global Implications and the SGC

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:43:00 -0700

Everyone knows the old adage, “Think globally and act locally.” Global Implications is...

Now what?!?!

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:57:15 -0700

One of my friends has a countdown to graduation on her Facebook page: 55 days. In 55 days, I will be a college graduate. I will be done with school and I will have a degree and a mountain of debt that I need to pay off. But how am I supposed to do that? My parents are already starting to pressure me about finding a job. I’ve made the mistake of making off-hand remarks about some of my friends and their internships. Why don’t I have an internship, my parents ask. Have I started looking for one? No. I haven’t done anything I’m “supposed” to do. I haven’t started a portfolio. I haven’t updated my resume. I haven’t even started looking for jobs because the pressure is too much for me to handle. I’m not even passing all my classes at the moment, so that whole graduating thing is slightly in jeopardy. I’ve been putting off thinking about this because it scares me to death. But 55 days is nothing and May will be here in the blink of an eye. Part of me (most of me) wants to just hide under the covers and pretend this isn’t happening. But it’s too late for that. So instead, I’m going to do what I do best: dive head first into pure, anxiety-ridden panic.

Twitter, why have you forsaken me?!

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:36:03 -0700

A Letter to My Love, Twitter, On A Sad and Lonely Night Without…

(Otherwise known as last Tuesday, when I was without Twitter capability)

Dear Love,

Why have you forsaken me this night? My internet shows full connectivity. I just browsed Yahoo! for close to an hour. Yet every time I click your link…I’m met with a window that says you’re too busy.

Have you become too busy for even me? I thought what we had was special…

I remember when I first met you, and you sent me two emails…in a minute. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to go back to those days, when you would send me alerts when people had direct messaged me or for new followers. Oh, Twitter, how close we used to be.

I’m still trying, you know. I spend most days just tweeting all hours, in hopes that you might want to talk to me. I even tweet those to which I hardly know…just to get some sort of rise out of you.

But my efforts are for naught. You simply don’t care. Have you moved on to someone else? Do you not find me beautiful anymore? I can lose more weight…I can even start dressing nicer and recruit more people to come on and tweet with me.

Just come back to me. Please twitter. I miss you.

Love always,

Jon

Trying to find a job is uttely depressing.

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:29:43 -0700

So I graduate in May, which while being a good thing because it means I won’t be digging my debt hole any bigger, is also terrifying as there are absolutely (or at least seemingly) no jobs available…in any market.

After perusing Monster.com one night, I actually found myself considering prostitution. Yes…and really, how much money could that yeild for a man of my facial construction? My nose is so big, birds stand on it like perch.

And what do career fairs yield? Well, if I’m interested in un-paid internships that won’t lead to even a chance at hiring once that internship ends…well, then I’m actually bombarded with opportunity.

Oh, happy happy day.

Multimedia: Is there any other kind?

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:39:00 -0700

Photographs, video, sound, text, animations, illustrations, maps, graphs, charts, and links. A...

Sometimes I Do Cool Stuff

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:20:38 -0700

I would just like to note that this is a re-post from my personal blog, Film, Tape, and Steel Strings. I just felt that it was mildly appropriate)

Every now and then I have days where I consider just deleting all of my stuff off of the internet, and going back to Boston to lock myself away and write for eternity. (Ok, that might be a stretch, but whatever.) But then I go and do things that are so cool, that they remind me why my Twitter addiction is awesome. Saturday was one of those such days.

I woke up early, took a shower, through some equipment on my back, and headed over to The Printed Blog offices. First off, let me just say that if you haven’t heard of The Printed Blog, go check out their site, and download the first couple of issues cause they are doing some really awesome work. So I shot some footage of the founder, Josh, and I am in the process of editing that together. Now you say, that really isn’t a big deal; and I’d usually agree, except that when I’m done (if it’s good) it will be going to a conference in Austria. Never did I think something that I’m doing now would be shown in Austria. Hell, I didn’t think ANYTHING I’d ever do would be shown in Austria (frankly, I wasn’t sure if Austria was even a country anymore, but that’s besides the point)

So after that I just kinda hung around for the afternoon, and around 4pm, I started seeing more and more tweets about Sleepover 2.0. I had kinda heard about it before, so I decided to click over and check it out. I’m not going to try and go into any depth about what it was, but basically? 9 really cool women, in a hotel suite, having an 18 hour sleep over….live streaming to the internet. But go to their website and check it out for yourself. So I sat around watching that, being involved really just in the chat, and the SxSW/ScottFMurphy drinking game. Then at like 4am, I was in the kitchen making some food, when I heard my name, and when I got back, I had a few IMs telling me to take my ukulele and show up at the Hotel. Well, I did. And then Scott convinced me that I should take over the technical back end from him. So I did. And it was just a really cool experience all around, and I got to hang out with some really cool people!

Also, two of the participants, @LeahJones and The Local Tourist are both raising money for charity, check out their sites and see how you can help them out, they are both great people.

I mean, along with this, Twitter and Blogging and this whole ‘transparent on the internet thing’ have allowed me to just meet some of the coolest people I’ve ever met, and if nothing else, that is the most rewarding part. And I know every now and then I go on these…well what do you call a rant that’s happy? No, nevermind. But yeah. I just need to remind myself every now and then.

Multi doesn't even begin to describe it.

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:13:00 -0700

I like doing lots of things. LOTS of things. I write, I make music, I shoot photos, I paint, make video, dance. Anything that I can do, I try and do. And the internet has made it that much easier. I can go out and spend a whole day shooting photos around Chicago, and within an hour of me being back at my apartment, 100 people could have looked at them. On the last job interview I was on, the employer wasn’t asking me for a physical copy of my reel, he was wondering where he could get a link to it on Youtube! It’s great.

The internet in general has allowed me to do some of the coolest things, that I would have not been able to do had I not been on Twitter, or been a member of this blog group. Going places, meeting people that I consider heroes…I mean the little nerdy kid in me jumps every time! The internet is fun!

“UN” March 14 2009 Produced and Composed by...

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 23:04:00 -0700

“UN”

March 14 2009

Produced and Composed by Miles Vance

I Need a Break

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:42:07 -0700

Wow, what a semester this has been. I realize now, a little too late, that I’ve taken on way too much.

Well, I didn’t choose for it to be this way. I could have changed it. I could have dropped a class.

My advisor put me into a class and I didn’t know. I could have and probably should have said no, but oh well. Live and learn.

I have 15 credit hours - though I believe I should get credit for commuting because that’s two and a half hours to three hours each day as well. Plus, I have a part time job and a 15-plus hours per week internship. Yea - way more than I can chew.

Add that to the only two surgeries I’ve had in my life coming within two and a half weeks of each other during the semester, and look at that, I’m suddenly behind in a few classes.

Speaking of being behind, I’m in a class that has prerequisites. It’s for broadcast majors. I’ve never taken a broadcast class in my life and suddenly I was put into a class where we’re making packages?! Ohhh man. That has been a rough class too. Luckily, someone is lobbying behind me and I’m getting the help I need to survive.

After all that… wow I’m glad it’s spring break!

Videos: Annoying, but amazing.

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:06:30 -0700

I don’t know if I’m the only one who finds videos in news stories a little annoying.

For me, videos can be really distracting but once I play them they tend to be more interesting, or add more to the story that I didn’t expect. For some reason though it takes a really big effort from me to actually click they play button.

I think it’s probably the ads that play before the video that I just don’t have patience for. I often will turn the video off entirely if there is an ad before it — they just annoy me!

I really like videos that stand alone, with minimal text (almost like a caption). For example: Underwater volcano erupts off Tonga or India struggles with hunger

Another multimedia pet peeve of mine is links. Perhaps it’s the way I read the stories, but links are extremely distracting to me… especially if there is no target=”blank” tag in the HTML, so a new window doesn’t pop up — the current one, the one you are reading, turns into the link you clicked… so annoying! Is it better to read the entire story and then go to the links or are we being asked to spend an hour reading one story?

My 'mental' obsession

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 07:20:59 -0700

Something about screwed up stuff like this really gets me going. I’ve been obsessing over this trial.

Austrian Fritzl sentenced to life

What a whack job. But a mental institution, really?! How about hardcore prison for this guy??? Clearly he is messed up in the head but at the institution he’ll be doped up and playing badmitton with his other mental buddies.

Multi-media journalism

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 23:14:30 -0700

We’ve all been told the future of journalism is multi-media. It’s not enough to write a fantastic story anymore. Now, journalists need to have podcasts or video footage or a great audio clip to go with the story to make it more interesting to readers and more appealing to people who want to view the story on the internet. On the surface, multi-media is great. Video and audio clips really do enhance the story and give people a different perspective. But it also makes it more complicated for the journalist. It’s not enough to be a good reporter and a good writer. Now, we have to learn how to use video cameras and make better use of our tape recorders. Personally, the only thing I really like about multi-media is editing. We did a lot of work with Flip video and audio in my Reporting and Writing II class. I never really got the hang of using the camera, but I loved editing the footage together and finding the right clips and setting up the audio and music in the background of the clips. That was probably my favorite part of the whole class.

No rhyme or reason

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 02:08:00 -0700

I never had any interest in writing poetry. I always thought it was kind of lame and I really never understood why some people got so into it. Instead, I like to use random song lyrics to express what’s going on in my mind. Here are some of my current favorites: “So give me something to believe Cause I am living just to breathe And I need something more To keep on breathing for So give me something to believe” - The Bravery “Believe” “My heart’s crippled by the vein that I keep on closing You cut me open And I keep bleeding, keep bleeding love” - Leona Lewis “Bleeding Love” “It’s a thief in the night to come and grab you It can creep up inside and consume you A disease of the mind, it can control you It’s too close for comfort” - Rihianna “Disturbia” “How did I end up like this The broken one Your greatest takedown You take me down You take me down” - Yellowcard - “The Takedown”

It Has Been a While

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:35:39 -0700

It Has Been a While

Finally

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 10:48:38 -0700

Thursday, I went back to that same doctor who made me wait over an hour for my appointment. Apparently I left an impression because when I walked in, the nurse recognized me and I only waited 15 minutes this time. I was even called back before others who had been waiting longer than I had been.

So I got back into the room and got ready to get cut open. The doctor came in about 10 minutes later. He took a piece of paper towel-looking stuff and covered my skin minus the area to be cut. He put some stuff on it, and we were ready to go.

He gave me the old “this will burn” as he shot a numbing agent into me. Sure enough, it did. He did this three more times, or at least that’s all I could feel.

Then, he said, can you feel this? as he presumably made the first incision. I said no, and off we went. I was numb, laying on the table just listening to music as the doctor made more cuts and incisions and snips.

After about 15 minutes of listening to the snipping of surgical scissors, the nurse said “well that was easy,” and then asked if I wanted to see this lump that had been under my skin for the past year.

Of course, I said yes. It looked like a large, misshapen Jell-O marble. It was put into a container and shipped off to pathology while I was stitched up.

I was glad I was numb because the burning smell of my skin indicated it wouldn’t have felt good as he stitched me.

Now, here I am, with three bandaids covering my stitches. I look like I got shot. I’m just kind of hoping I get a cool scar from this!!

Ukulele Club

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:45:00 -0700

I never played an instrument in my life, at least not very well. I had no idea what to expect when...

Free Parking

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:36:00 -0700

For the past six months or so I noticed that a busy sliver of the Lakeview neighborhood has...

I hate 90% of Bosses.

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 08:31:56 -0700

rant

I don’t know about most people, but if someone is doing really complex work for me for free, I probably wouldn’t give them crap about it.

And if I was going to make things about one hundred times more complicated than they needed to be, I’d try and be understanding.

It seems whenever I get jobs in the field that I like (TV) it is working for people who don’t understand it at all, and just want me to do exactly what they want, despite it not being possible.

I don’t want to come off as if I’m complaining, I just had to rant about this, and didn’t want to put it on my main blog where this boss could possibly see it. All I volunteered to do is make a 5 minute video for a friend, and it has lead to me having a massive panic attack and being way too stressed out for my own good. Thank god for Uke Chicago being awesome and giving me something else to work on.

/rant

This show makes me happy.

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:58:26 -0700

This show makes me happy.

Look on the bright side

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:52:39 -0700

I’ve never been one of those glass-half-full people. I don’t really think of myself as a pessimist, per se, but a realist. But lately, I have been really down and anxious and getting to the point where it’s hard to get out of bed. It’s depressing to be around me…and I am me, so I can only imagine what my friends and family are thinking. So on the advice of one of my awesome friends, I said I would try being optimistic. I’ll be honest, it’s not easy. It’s much easier to dwell on all the bad things that are going on than try and find something good. But I am trying because I really need to snap out of this funk and get back on track before I fail out of school and have something to really be depressed about. Here’s to optimism!

A message as repetitive as its subject

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 07:47:00 -0700

To start this off bluntly: All world news channels on TV should go. Seriously. Every one of them. CNN, MSNBC, Fox News (Well, I’m sure most of us thought this.), and so on. Why? There is no need for them.

There are way too many things going on in the world today that deserve to be reported. Serious issues are happening simultaneously, but when I flipped through the news channels, these were the top stories: Why Rihanna stayed with Chris Brown, the Feud between Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer, and my favorite, Deer Make a Beer Run. In between these stories they commented that the economy is getting worse.

Sure, these are interesting stories to some people, and these different stations are businesses, but they should just go. I know the definition for news is anything that is a current or recent event, but these channels are out to entertain people first, then inform them.

What I’m saying may sound as old as the Chris Brown story right now, but you’d think channels that broadcast news stories 24/7 would cover a whole range of stories instead of reporting them on a repetitively like an oldies radio station.

Real news and events can be found online in more detail. All we may need is our local news broadcast. It seems those half hours shows have more to say than the ones that run all day everyday.

So close, yet so far

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:09:00 -0700

The appeal of online social networks seems to be a double edged sword. Now more than ever, everyone seems to be myspace and especially facebook.

There is so much private information exposed that people would be fine to show to some, but not to others. I, personally, have not had any elder relatives try to “friend me” on facebook, but I’ve ran into too many people that ended up scrambling to rearrange their privacy settings on their account when their aunts, uncles, or parents “friend them” on facebook.

Social network sites are nice. They really are. They connect you with people you haven’t talked to in years and you learn things about people that haven’t been brought up in conversation. The thing about the internet is that more people are becoming more accustomed to it, which leads to more people connecting with each other.

No matter who you are, there is always a fine line on what you want to be exposed about you to certain people. Outside of just social network sites, it seems the internet has a huge amount of trouble adjusting to creating those fine lines that shouldn’t be crossed.

Holy Crap I Messed Up

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:50:22 -0700

So I am an idiot.

Like…the biggest moron in the history of the free world.

I thought for the longest time that posts from my main blog, @ AndyHannon.com were posting here in their entirety. I now realize that is not the case, and I am working on making that work. All else fails I’ll just start copying and pasting it twice. This was a really foolish mistake on my part.

Also, I know at least two people tried to comment and it didnt work. I redid the code and it should be working now. Speaking of code!

Dont ever try and code your own Wordpress theme when you are taking 5 classes and working on other projects. It just doesnt work out. I finally caved and threw up a theme I found online. I’m going to be messing around with it for the next couple weeks while we prep things. I mean I have to geek out a little bit over this thing right?

Sometimes a Fantasy

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:51:14 -0700

Sometimes a Fantasy:

For all of Billy Joel’s successes this one is simply a bomb. But hot damn the video is epic.

I Sometimes Do Cool Stuff

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 09:17:32 -0700

I Sometimes Do Cool Stuff

Who Watches Zack Snyder

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:01:00 -0800

Who Watches Zack Snyder

Social Media. Boom.

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 10:32:30 -0800

I have to admit that social media isn’t always the easiest thing for me to embrace or gain a knowledge of. It took me forever to really understand the simple Facebook format, and don’t even get me started on Myspace.

However, since being forced to twitter…I find myself strangely addicted. It’s like smoking…only not as bad for your lungs, but equally as bad for the rest of you.

Where are you finding this stuff?

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:48:01 -0800

I got that exact response on Twitter from a video clip about the Kool-Aid man last night. He busts into a store, wrecks havock and doesn’t spill a drop.

Alright, so maybe you don’t think the Kool-Aid man is that great, but some people do. And that is the beauty of the social web. If you’re browsing websites and find something that is really interesting to you, odds are it’s probably interesting to someone else.

That’s why sites like Twitter or Facebook or Digg are great because you can share what you’ve seen and agrigate interests or conversations.

Sometimes people aren’t really into what you post and you get negetive feedback, but not everybody’s posts will be interesting either.

The other wonderful thing about the social web is it is a great tool to get breaking news out. I’ve learned that via the newsroom. When something breaks, people deserve to know and if you have the content before anyone else, they’ll keep coming back to you.

Spring tease

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:45:52 -0800

60 degrees two days in a row? In March? In Chicago? Awesome. It’s really funny how the weather can affetct someone’s mood. Normally, Thursdays kind of suck as a general rule, but not this week. Sunshine, warm temperatures and no icy wind and I was a happy girl. I’ve lived here all my life, so I know the gorgeous weather won’t last, but I will take what I can get.

A box full of octopus

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:33:24 -0800

While perusing the web last night I came upon this story about a 7-foot-long, 30-pound octopus at the New England Aquarium named Truman.

Truman managed to finagle himself a 14-inch square acrylic box in search of food. Um, is somebody feeding Truman regularily? Why was this big guy so damn hungry?

For the whole story check out the Boston Globe.

I hope that's a roll of quarters in your pocket. Otherwise...that's just sad.

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:25:20 -0800

There are some great things about going to school in Chicago.

For one, it’s beautiful when it snows. Though, other than that, its really awful in winter.

But spring and summer make up for it, because there just is no better place around that is as fun or pretty as Chicago in the warm months. The lake is gorgeous, baseball is in full-swing in the north and south sides (and hopefully this year, a June hockey-run on the west side), and festivals flooding the parks.

However, one decidely bad thing about the city is parking prices, which as of late, have gone up considerably.

I live in the ‘burbs, and having to shell out $12 a day on average is just plain torture. Mass transit, like the Metra, unfortunately isn’t always an option, and as of late, has been just as expensive (usually around $10 for a round-trip). Meters are up to what, $2 for 2 hours, or something like that? Probably less.

Yet, I’m bleeding money with the garages and self-parks in the South Loop, so meter parking (a rip-off) is starting to become my only means of staying in the city to go to class.

There’s just something nauseating about carrying around a roll of quarters around, and then leaving the meter with nearly half of it gone, knowing you’ve just spent an unreasonable amount of money for six minutes of parking.

When you swipe a card through a slot, it just seems so much cheaper and affordable. Maybe that’s because you don’t see just how much money you’re spending until later when you check your account balance.

I guess I can only hope that parking rates don’t go up again this spring, because if they do…Jonny is going to have to start finding other methods of travel. Like bicycling the thirty miles.

And no one looks good in those tight yellow biking suits.

Social web

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:22:00 -0800

My experience on the social web is pretty much Facebook and Twitter. Facebook is a huge waste of time, but I like it because I am really good at wasting time. It’s fun to read my friends’ status updates and see what’s going on with people I don’t get to talk to that often. I started using Twitter last semester in my Elections class. We would “Twitter” back and forth during the debates. Of course, we spent more time mocking Sarah Palin and trading jokes than we did using it for the “serious” journalism purposes Suzanne had in mind when she had us set up the accounts. After the class was over, I didn’t really update my own Twitter very often, but I still followed other people’s updates. It really is great for getting news across. Or for having a late night conversations about Starbucks and alcohol.

ANTS! Run for your life!

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:12:40 -0800

So thanks to a disregarded box of lemonheads, left upon my father’s desk while he was away in Tampa all week, ants have invaded my living space. Worse, they aren’t the giant ants that travel in small groups. No, its those damn tiny ants that seem to multiply faster than rabbits.

I don’t think you fully grasp the frightening reality of having an invasion of ants in your home. It’s not the mere fact that that is gross. No, you ever try sleeping when you know that ants could be all around you, swarming…ready to crawl all over your blankets and pillows in a direct route to your face?

Well, as you can imagine, I didn’t get much sleep last night. Little tiny ant armies have me terrified of my room, and terrified that while I type this blog entry out, they will crawl out of my keyboard and turn my hands into a black moving object.

…I’m creeping myself out.

Anytime is TV Time

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 22:09:00 -0800

I have the hardest time sticking to a schedule when it comes to my favorite shows. The commercials...

Stan's the Man

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:56:00 -0800

Flat Stanley is an adorable children’s book character and beloved networking tool for...

Twitter

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 20:04:30 -0800

I’m still not sure what to make of Twitter. I’m not even sure I am replying to people’s posts correctly. I haven’t really been able to mess with it, as this has been week No. 2 from Hell for me.

I’ll be able to better judge the site when I can play with it more… whenever that may be.

Right now, it just seems like it’s kind of a waste. I’m on facebook, so I can update my status, view other’s updated statuses, and comment on them as well. It is a bit of a pain to have to check another website.

But, that may all change shortly. Once I am able to explore Twitter. Until then, it’s just a facebook wanna-be.

Some People..

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:59:52 -0800

So I’ve got this bump thingy (cyst or lymphnode or something) near my collar bone. It’s been there for a while and has slowly gotten bigger. I know I shouldn’t have abnormal growths on me, so I finally went to my doctor. He told me he wasn’t positive what it was, but referred me to someone who would remove it.

Well, today was the day to get it removed. When I called to make the appointment, I specifically had said that the appointment wasn’t a consultation, it was a removal. The secretary said OK.

Back to today. I have to leave class early to get to the office. I get to the office about 10 minutes before my appointment, and my paperwork is already filled out. I sit and wait. And wait. And wait some more. Finally, more than an hour after my appointment time passes, I get called back.

I wait a few minutes and the doctor comes in and checks it out. We talk for maybe five minutes, and he tells me to make an appointment to get it removed.

Ummm… hi. Yea. I didn’t leave class an hour early to have you tell me the same thing my doctor told me a week ago. I throw somewhat of a fit because now I’m livid. I did not sit in the waiting room for over an hour when I clearly could have stayed for the rest of class and not missed an in-class assignment, to be told I had to make another appointment.

So I walk out to the secretary to make my next appointment. Guess what?! He’s only in this office all day Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. I have class all day Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. After more crankiness, I decide to make an appointment for next Thursday. And yes, I have to leave class early again. Or maybe I won’t. Maybe I’ll stay the whole time and show up late to the appointment. They made me wait. Karma’s a bitch sometimes.

Sorry, still bitter. Anywho, the secretary also needs a copay. $40 to sit in a waiting room for 70 minutes and inside his office for under 10 minutes. Great. The bill is $250 total. Thanks, insurance, for paying them so I can sit and read the latest on the world of celebrities.

I’m still furious. It is bogus. It’s not MY fault you were running an hour late with your patients so you couldn’t fit me in to remove this thing. Oh yea. The entire procedure should take no more than 30 minutes. Really?! Stupid doctor couldn’t take 30 minutes. He was already an hour late with everyone else. Another half hour is nothing.

I can’t wait to get this damn thing removed. And then never, ever show my face in that office again.

Hypocrisy on Campus

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:10:00 -0800

I was really excited that Columbia decided to host African Heritage Month instead of Black History...

Worst Group Experience

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:38:03 -0800

A few years ago, I was a student at Illinois State University. I was in the process of leaving the school - it was my last semester. I was still in the education program at the school. For one of my classes I was required to work in a team-teaching group.

I explained to the professor that I was no longer interested in teaching. I was in the class because I had to take it. I was leaving the school at the end of the semester, and it was too late to drop the course.

The professor insisted I work with other students anyways, instead of giving me an alternative assignment.

Somehow, I was paired with the two most enthusiastic future teachers. They wanted to meet all the time and had these excellent ideas. To make matters worse, they looked down on me because I did not want to teach anymore. When dividing up the work, they gave me the crappy assignments.

They were responsible for teaching the lessons, and I was in charge of review sessions. At this point, the junior high students knew what was being taught and were looking to move on. The worksheets we made were very redundant and almost childish.

I learned nothing from the experience except that I truly did not want to teach, and I hope those two classmates of mine did not get teaching jobs because they treated me terribly simply because I had changed my mind but was forced to work in their group.

Abnormal Psychology

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:29:17 -0800

Group projects are never something I look forward to. Sure it’s fun to socailize with the people in your group, but normally you get stuck with some bum who never shows up, never has any ideas when he is there and sits there while everyone else works. We’ve all experienced that kind of group partner and I’ll never forget the time I busted a guy because I wasn’t about to let him take advantage of all the hard work I had produced.

It was in my Abnormal Psychology course back at Oakton Community College. The class was small so everyone knew this kid was lazy and good for nothing. There was no attendance rule at Oakton so I think he came to class twice (just to take the tests), that’s fine and there’s nothing wrong with that and I’m sure I would do the same thing BUT if you are paired with a group to work on a project you better make sure to pull your weight.

I was in this group with 4 other people including him and each person had to come up with a 15 minute presentation because we were working on different parts of a disorder. Well, nobody could get ahold of this guy when it came to the time we had to do the presentation. The night before I had to stress out and prepare his part of the presentation for him.

The next day he strolled in expecting us to have done his portion for him. I laughed in his face and told him to leave. I don’t like to be a nark, but that guy was bogus. He failed the course, and I’m glad. Peace out group projects.

Maybe I should think of a career in singing?

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:24:46 -0800

My friend Todd and I usually get together every now and then, listen to music drink some wine and he plays the guitar and sings. Last night we did the same thing but for whatever reason I decided to join in. Now, I’m a very outgoing person as you all might have noticed, but I’m totally shy when it comes to singing infront of people.

I seem to think I’m pretty good. My singing voice is very similar to Sheryl Crow and also Fiona Apple. I’ve learned to mold my voice to mimic others. I’ve never sang for anyone before, just based on the simple fact that I get all shy about it.

Well, last night the wine was flowing and my confidence was up so when Todd heard me singing along with him to Champagne Supernova he stopped dead in his tracks to listen to me finish out the chorus. His eyes kind of bulged out of his head. He goes, “you sing? I’ve known you for this long and I haven’t heard you sing? This a problem.”

Then we proceeded to pull up lyrics and chords for Sheryl Crow songs and we were jamming the night away. I got a text from him this morning telling me once again how stunned he was with my singing ability. He plays in a band with his friends and maybe we could have one of those chick bands like Paramore or Flyleaf. Hey, dreams can happen. Maybe I should just put this writing thing to the side. Kidding. But I think it would be fun to do some open mic nights. That sounds like something fun for the upcoming weekends. I’m totally down. You can get my autograph now folks..before I’m famous =)

A disturbing read I found today

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:12:20 -0800

When I was at work today at the elementary school I do morning care at, I came across a book in the library that was available for the kids to read, and it disturbed me.

The book, one of those diary/journals in the Dear America series, was on a boy who was in the Donner Party…as in group of travelers trapped and forced to feed on one another to survive Donner Party.

If that wasn’t enough to make me think that maybe this wasn’t a journal that kids should necessarily be reading this young (its kindergarten to fifth grade for Christ’s sake), then I felt the need to read a few entries, just to see if my suspicions were founded.

I turned to one of the back pages, and read something along the lines of…”I woke up and ate some of the forbidden meat. I look weak, and I could see the others looking at me with hungry eyes. I’m going to run and hide in the forest to die, so that they don’t feast on me.”

…Dude…

…weak.

Worst group experience

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:07:33 -0800

I think my worst experience working in a group came when I was a freshman in college at Illinois State University. It was for Biology, and we had to come up with an argument and presentation on an assigned topic. Not knowing anyone in the class, I was paired up with a guy that sat near me the first two weeks of class.

We had basically two months to work on this project, an argument repudiating assisted-suicides (you know…something real biological…), but of course, as true college students, no one in the class did any work until the last month. However, I started noticing that my partner was showing up less and less to class.

Eventually, he stopped coming altogether.

Finally, a week before it is due, he shows up and says he’s ready to start working. I had already done the majority of the legwork, but was a nice guy and told him we’d meet up at the library and do the rest together.

Dude never showed up.

Moreover, he broke his arm the day we presented and didn’t show up there either. To this day, I’m sure that he broke that damn arm on purpose to get out of showing up.

Thankfully, my TA noticed that the dude never showed up to anything and took pity on me, giving me a B on the assignment, which figured into 30 percent of our total grade in the class.

February Rain

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:18:06 -0800

I feel like I should start off by saying I am so glad it is raining and not snowing. Logically, I know the weather could be a lot worse. With that said… Today’s rain was ridiculous. It was like being in a hurricane. The streets flooded almost instantly and I had to trudge through knee-deep water to get to my car. I was completely soaked and freezing and it really didn’t do much for my already depressed state of mind. As I drove home, barely passing 30 mph, the rain start coming down even harder and it was impossible to see out my windows. I pretty much just guessed where I was at and hoped for the best. So even though I am happy and grateful that it is rain and not snow, I still find it incredibly depressing and wish it would go away. Praying for sunshine…

Don't act surprised

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:03:00 -0800

In an interview with the Associated Press a little over a month ago, when former Vice President Dick Cheney was still in office, he said repeatedly that no one saw our present financial crisis coming before it hit us.

There are a few people who are credited now for predicting our current economic crisis. The most noted prediction was when Nouriel Roubini, an economics professor at New York University, stood before an audience of dismissive economists in 2006 to explain the impending threat. Other noted predictions from people were made around the same time as well, but not too many people are familiar that Lyndon Larouche, an economist and former presidential candidate, predicted all of this since the ‘70s.

Here is a ten minute video containing clips of Larouche warning the public throughout the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and our current decade (saying 2000s still looks/sounds weird to me). Despite overdramatic graphics in the beginning, this video should be looked at seriously: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdEh-7NPn-Y

After watching that video, it should be noted that when former Vice President Cheney was asked in the interview with The Associated Press why no one in the administration saw the financial crisis coming, he said, “I suppose because nobody anywhere was smart enough to figure that out.”

Well said, Dick.

Source of the interview between The Associated Press and Dick Cheney: http://thinkprogress.org/2009/01/09/cheney-911-economy/

Silent Partner

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:59:00 -0800

Working as a group is always challenging. Meshing people and ideas together and trying to get everyone on the same page is often a difficult task. But there are times when it is down right impossible.

I took Reporting and Writing II over the summer and we had a small class - only 11 people - so we did a lot of work in partners. I always worked with the same girl and we became a really good team. But for the last multi-media project, we had to have a third girl in our group, who I’m going to call K. K usually worked with a different group, but they didn’t want her in their group anymore so we said she could be in ours.

Unfortunately, K was painfully shy. Actually, shy seems like too tame of a word. She did not like to talk to anyone. (How and why she chose to be a journalism major is beyond me). Anyway, we were working on a piece about the travel industry so we wanted to go to Midway Airport to shoot some B roll for our broadcast. K and I took the orange line to Midway and she did not say ONE word the entire 30 minute trip. Even if I asked her a direct question like “Where do you think we should film these shots?” Once we got to the airport, she was no better. I had to film the footage and conduct interviews.

The same thing happened when we went to the travel agency, the hotels and other places around the city. My original partner and I would do everything - shoot the footage, do the interviews, call the places to see if we could shoot there. K did absolutely nothing and never really said a word. We were annoyed, but we were still getting things done, so we dealt with it.

Then it came time to edit the footage. We put the whole reel together, including the notes for the broadcast and all of a sudden K found her voice and started complaining! She didn’t like the length. She didn’t like the order. She wasn’t sure if we chose the right song to play over the B-roll.

There was nearly a murder.

What a Pain in the...Tooth

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:12:53 -0800

This week is quite possibly one of my busiest weeks. I had to rearrange my internship, my work schedule and my homework schedule because some of my best friends from all over the place are coming to the city for the weekend. I’m not complaining at all. In fact, I’m thrilled to see some of them because I miss them dearly and don’t see them nearly enough.

This past Friday was a normal day of class and work, followed by going out with friends. Saturday morning I woke up to find my lower left cheek and jaw swollen. I’ve had a wisdom tooth coming in for quite some time, but it never gave me problems before. I thought I’d be one of the few lucky ones who didn’t have to get theirs removed.

I took Tylenol and iced it, but that only helped so much. Sunday morning, same thing, only I was in a little bit more pain. I’m usually a trooper and can usually tough it out, but by Sunday night I was basically chewing my food just enough so I could swallow it as whole as possible to decrease the pain.

Monday morning came and the dentist’s office finally reopened. I called at 9 a.m. on the dot. Lucky me, they thought this was an emergency and that I should come in immediately. Instead of heading to work for my three hour weekly shift of minimum wage, I was going to the dentist. Yipee.

As it turns out, that tooth was infected. An x-ray showed that all of my wisdom teeth were on the brink of becoming exposed, so I should get them all out right then and there.

Two hours, laughing gas, an IV and some surgery later, the pain and my teeth were gone and my cheeks were quite puffy. I was under directions to pop three strong pills with lunch, dinner and before bed and to ice my cheeks so the swelling goes down.

I was feeling quite well for a while. As the night went on, the pills and my liquid diet weren’t getting along. I didn’t want to take my pills too close, so I took them right after eating. Whoops. Not the best idea. For the next week or so, I’ve got to time my “meals,” which consist of smoothies, yogurt, soup (once I can handle warm foods), applesauce and, I kid you not, baby food. I don’t have time to plan my meals! I barely have time for meals anymore period!

To go along with that busy theme and back to the start of the blog - my friends from out of town. They expect to go downtown and eat yummy Chicago pizza and hot dogs and all that other stuff they can’t get anywhere but here. And I have to sit and watch them eat it. Maybe the restaurant will throw it into a blender for me?! Umm gross. Plus, they happen to love Chicago beer. Which, coincidentally, doesn’t mix with my medication.

Seriously, this week?! Really!? Come on body, work with me here!

To ease my coding problems… and as a necesarry watch...

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:37:00 -0800

To ease my coding problems… and as a necesarry watch everday, I’m sharing this video with you that a friend found.

Hope you enjoy the brilance of it as much as I do.

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:34:48 -0800

Apparently I’m sidebar-impared…

3 hours later, still no sidebar.

AHHH CODING!

The Internet... where would I be without you?!

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 06:59:40 -0800

I used to be such a little active child. I would definitely consider myself a tomboy back then. Even still, I definitely have my tomboy tendencies. Boys in the neighborhood used to ring my doorbell and ask me to play football, baseball, basketball… you name it, boys were asking me to play.

My poor little, uncoordinated brother. He sat inside while I played with the boys. I couldn’t help it. I was pretty good at sports. Most sports I could pick up by the time the day was over. In most cases, I was never the last kid picked. And I grew up in a time where kids weren’t asked to play if they were bad. You knew who was good and who wasn’t, and the bad kids were picked last. Feelings got hurt and you got over it. Boo hoo, it’s part of life. Yet again, that’s a whole different story.

Then, came junior high. My parents got this thing called America OnLine. I used to have the telephone number memorized. I would come home from school and talk to friends for hours on end. I used to get yelled at constantly because my being online would tie up our phone lines.

I found things to do, games to play online. Even now, a decade (and then some) later, I still find the Internet as a great procrastination tool. I’ll come online, see a friend on AIM I haven’t talked to in a while, begin a conversation, and the next thing I know, it’s two full hours later. Oops. I was supposed to start dinner an hour ago. Crap.

While the Internet is an absolutely amazing tool, I use it far too much for recreation. It has turned me into someone who sits inside talking to people online rather than being active or doing things I’m supposed to do. Silly, silly Internet. Or is it silly, silly me?! Hmm, maybe a little bit of both…

Free time...

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 06:50:04 -0800

Or, in my case, the lack thereof. My life is revolving around school, work and my internship. I have virtually no free time anymore. I used to have a life and a schedule that included this little three letter word… f.u.n. Now, not so much.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining about it. It’s pretty much my fault that I don’t have free time anyways. My internship requires I am at the office Tuesday and Saturday all day and Thursday mornings. The promo events, team practice and scrimmages are all volunteer.

Ok, so let’s backtrack. My internship is with the Chicago Slaughter Pro Indoor Football Team. Who? Yes, exactly. The Slaughter are not the Rush. The Rush’s league, AFL, completely folder for the season. The Slaughter’s league, CIFL, have the same concept as the AFL, with minor adjustments. For example, the CIFL is seven on seven, while AFL was eight on eight. Not a huge adjustment.

Back to my free time. Promo events are necessary because the team, in its third season, is not known. I attend because I get media relations experience this way. Practices are held out in West Chicago, about a 30 minute hike from my house. I attend these because my dream job is to be a sideline reporter for a professional sports team. I have learned that in order to be successful, one must create relationships. So, I am attending practices twice per week to meet players and coaches and get to know everyone while showing them I am dedicated to the team.

My internship lasts all semester. Conveniently, the final regular season game is on the last day of class. I didn’t even mention the most important part yet: the team is still in the preseason! Once games begin, I’ll have so much more work on my hands. Plus, many of the away games are played within a four hour radius. I may be traveling with the team as well. Buh-bye to what little free time I currently have.

This may be the opportunity of my little college lifetime. You can all bet your butts I’m going to make the most of it. See you all outside of class in June (after playoffs, of course), once my life gets back to normal!

Pork Rinds. In the same catagory as Spam...

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:34:38 -0800

Have you ever seen anyone eating Pork Rinds? When riding the bus this afternoon, I witnessed an actual person consuming them. There are several myths about how the ingredients react to the human body so I thought I would do a little hunting to find out some dirt on this mysterious snack.

Pork Rinds, known to the English as pork scratchings and pork crackle in Australia are made from the skins of pigs. Isn’t there something really odd about that? Yuck.

I can imagine the dialogue right now:

“What are you eating?”

“Well, I’m consuming the skin of a pig”

That’s real appetizing…

As if that’s not bad enough, apparently, any fat that is attached to the skin is cooked right in with everything else. So basically what these Rinds are is 100% fat which means 100% clogged arteries. Not only are these Pork Rinds sold as a snack, in the form of a crispy chip, but I guess you can serve them warm as well. Interesting.

When George H. W. Bush was president, he once said Pork Rinds were his favorite snack. He must have been a real healthy man. Maybe that’s part of the reason why his son turned out to be such a bumbling idiot.

No, in all honesty here, I know that most everything these days will give us cancer or some crazy disease. We are constantly being told, this is bad for you, this will give you cancer, this will lower your fertility rate, you might go blind from eating that.

There are just some foods out there that are just too gross to even look at. We consume enough sickening food here in the United States, lets just take Pork Rinds out of the picture, along with Spam. Done and done.

Internet!! Obsess much?

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:28:54 -0800

I’ll never forget the day I found out that people used this thing on their computers called the World Wide Web. What is this? I wondered. At first, I was totally addicted to downloading music online. I couldn’t believe this was possible! The idea of not having to download the entire album was seriously amazing. Sitting in front of my computer for 30 minutes just waiting for one song to finish downloading was like a living hell. I was insanely addicted to AOL and talking to my friends online.

My obsession got so bad that I would wake up in the middle of the night and sneak online (since I was only allowed 30 minutes a day). My parents actually had to take the internet away once because they thought it was the devil. They didn’t understand why anyone would need to do anything online. E-Mail? You can just send things through the mail Nicki! Instant messaging? Call them!! This was of course before texting and all of those other things that take over my life now.

If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t have believed my eyes. The fact that I seem to spend the entire day online is kind of scary. There’s always something to learn, something to read, something to laugh at. Of course I spend a huge amount of my income on downloading music off ITunes, but everyone has their vice right? Anything I would ever want to know I can find out in a matter of seconds and a click of the mouse. Needless to say I don’t talk to my friends online anymore through instant messenger and even Facebook is starting to get old but I love the internet. When I’m not at home on my computer, I’m on my Blackberry on the internet. It’s rather sad.

In a lot of ways, I think the internet has made us lazy. I read novels sure, but when I need to look up information I rarely use books anymore. Sure, there’s a lot of faulty information out there on the web, but you just have to know what’s useful and what’s not. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those people who just locks themselves in their rooms. I spend a lot of time doing other things too. Sheesh, it’s not that big of a problem, but the first thing I do when I get home is jump on the computer. There I said it. Internet, I love you.

The internet has turned my compulsions into an addiction

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:12:25 -0800

I know a decade seems like a long time ago, but it really isn’t. A decade ago, I was 11 years old. The thing I did the most was play games and such with my friends. Whether it was soccer or the occassional made-up game, that was more or less what our free time away from school or other obligations was spent on.

Then, right along the time we started junior high, the internet became not only readily available, but cheaper and faster.

Goodbye 56K dial-up. Hello DSL!

And then the crap hit the fan.

I turned 13 and was given my very own desktop computer for my room (to do school work and stuff, of course).

I’m fairly certain you can go back, if you’re a scholar or historian, and pinpoint that moment in time as the point where any compulsions or small fidgety habits I had at that point would blow up and turn into full fledged addictions.

Some of my friends became obsessed with World of Warcraft, an online roleplaying game. Others with downloading music, so much so that half the stuff they downloaded wasn’t even for consumption, it was just to build up their massive libraries. Really, it could’ve been anything.

My poison? That evil sultry siren known as electronic mail.

It started as one email account that maybe three people knew the address to.

But then I started being online more…so I subscribed to newsletters and jokes of the day…to cooking recipe generators…book news…sports news…art news…really, any kind of news.

I started checking my email once every hour I was awake, and not in school (but soon even that became false).

How bad has this email-checking-addiction gotten? I bought a more-expensive phone than I can afford so I can constantly check my email every two minutes if I so desire. I got the browser so I can view multiple accounts. I got the mobile email inbox for my phone so even with the browser, text messages will start alerting me if a new piece of mail arrives.

I need AA, but not for any sort of admission of a drinking problem.

No, I need AA and a Big Book for my none-too-idle hands, and their incessant need to check for that newest piece of spam.

Now if you’ll excuse me…three different Nigerian princes are waiting for me to read their emails, and I have a feeling this might just be my lucky day!

Oh, Gasoline...a haiku, for you

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:59:00 -0800

Gas how you kill me

Oil going down, gas rising

Pain in my wallet.

That second line might not be seven syllables, but I’m confident in the first and third being five syllables each.

And by writing a haiku about rising gas prices (yet again) even in the midst of lowering crude oil prices, I hope my anger is that much more expressed.

Cause seriously…who writes a haiku anymore?

Made by Milton Bradley: Warning, could result in explosive fits of anger!

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:53:40 -0800

Let me start this by saying my heart resides in the outfield of Wrigley (a shocker, I’m sure).

There. Now that that is out in the open…

If I hear another fan on sports radio talk about how they have concerns about new right fielder Milton Bradley, formerly of the Texas Rangers, I will punch my radio.

That or just turn it off. The second option seems less painful (but more therapeutic).

The concerns aren’t baseless, as anytime when a player during a game walks up to the press box and confronts an opposing team’s radio analyst, that shows a lack of control most people would find unnerving. I’m not saying that it isn’t fair to question Bradley’s mental stability, especially when a couple of seasons before his latest episode, he injured himself while arguing with an umpire over an out-at-first call so hard that his own coach pushed him.

These are justifiable reasons to be wary…but do they need to be said for the two-thousandth and first time? Do we really find our journalists or our fellow fans that dumb that we need to keep repeating the same sentiment over and over and over and over…and over and over (much like the text we copy and paste in our practice HTML sites)?

And if Bradley goes out and knocks in 30 homeruns, 100 RBI, and hits over .300, are we going to suddenly feel he is a changed man, and say sayonara to all those mental capacity concerns? You’re gosh darn right, we will.

Truly, we could care less if Bradley is a psychopath that might run up to the booth and beat Len Kasper to death with one of Ron Santo’s cubbie legs…so long as Bradley hits a homerun after Brenly and the rest of the press box scramble to save Kasper.

Results are all that truly matter to us anymore.

Semantics are for the bleeding hearts. I want more. I want a National League pennant. I want a World Series banner hanging from Wrigley, much like the one I see every day when I pass by Comiskey on 90 94.

So if Bradley is the reincarnation of Atilla the Hun, I don’t care.

And I have a sneaking suspicion that I’m not the only Cub fan who feels this way.

So please, a favor…put down the cellphone, lower your dial, and switch over to FM.

Cause like Milton Bradley, you could use a little smooth jazz in your life.

Internet love

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:16:23 -0800

I am addicted to the Internet. The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I do before I go to sleep is log onto the Internet. I check my email, Facebook, Twitter, news sites, entertainment sites and anything else that seems the least bit interesting. I also do this while I’m watching TV, attempting to do homework and now that I have a Blackberry - when I’m on the train, in class or basically whenever I feel like it. It’s hard to remember what it was like before the Internet. I vaguely remember having to actually go to the library and flip through encyclepedias instead of just typing something into Google search when I had to do research papers. I also remember having to call people on the phone instead of instant messaging them or starting a Facebook chat. But those are distant memories. The Internet is amazing. I can find information on anything in a matter of minutes. If I’m bored, there’s always a funny video to watch on YouTube or a blog I can read. Facebook is great for keeping in touch with people I hardly ever get to see (or the ones I see everyday) and when I’m wide awake at 2 in the morning, there’s usually someone (Hi Jon!) I can chat with on AIM. Of course, there is a downside. I waste A LOT of time. I would be a much more efficient person if I focused on what I was supposed to be doing (i.e. homework) instead of surfing the web for something more interesting to do. Logically, I know I should turn off AIM, stay off Facebook and ignore my emails until I finish my assignments. But where’s the fun in that?

Facebook in real life…

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:29:36 -0800

Facebook in real life…

Illegal Drugs in Sports

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:44:45 -0800

This seems to be a common theme of the week. Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod, A-Fraud or now A-Roid) has admitted that he used performance enhancers during the years 2001 and 2003. His name was slipped from the list, and he came clean. As for those other 103 names on the list, no one knows who they are. How is it fair that names keep “accidentally” slipping out?! Either the list should go public, or people need to keep their big mouths shut.

Miguel Tejada may lose his residency in the United States because he lied about steriod use, and that violates the terms of his visa.

The past is the past. Performance enhancers were banned in 2004. The trouble now is to decide whether the records that have been set or may be broken by these players should be wiped clean. A-Rod did some great things in his career after the 2003 season. Should those be wiped clean?

I am torn in this debate. Sports are my passion, and I can think of reasons to support both sides. I suppose I will just sit and watch how this plays out.

Michael Phelps was photographed with a marijuana bong. This again is a big deal. He lost sponsorships and, in turn, millions of dollars. Again, I’m not sure what side to be on. The man never had a childhood, never had a chance to party and let loose. He shouldn’t be stupid though. Once again, I suppose I will be sitting back and watching this one play out as well.

The Best Day of 2009 Yet...

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:37:05 -0800

I can now say that I had an incredible day. Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009, was the best day of 2009 thus far. I woke up ridiculously tired and not wanting to get out of bed. I dragged my butt out of bed, got ready for the day, and left for the front office of the Chicago Slaughter Pro Indoor Football team, where I have my internship.

I began the morning by transcribing interviews of two new players recently acquired from the Chicago Rush and of head coach Steve McMichael.

Steve Arch, the man in charge of the media of the team, then came to the office and gave me another assignment. I was given information on the team’s new offensive line coach Bob McMillen. I had to write a piece on him, and this piece is going to be put into the game day program that all of the fans receive at the game! Something I write will be seen by hundreds, if not thousands, of fans, media personel and the like!

Because I am going to be helping with game day media as well, I was given cell phone numbers of two former Chicago Bears players! My dream job, the reason I chose to become a sports journalism major, is to be a sideline reporter for the Bears! This may be my way in!

After leaving the office, I had to face I-90 to get to school. The only problem I encountered was the traffic back up (traffic on 90… never!) beginning at the exit I had to get off at. I found free parking, and even made it to class on time.

I am not a morning person. So for this incredible stuff to happen before noon just blows my mind. Nothing could bring me down on Feb. 12!

I'm so over the cowardly lion. Let's move on...

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 07:28:36 -0800

Drew Peterson feeds off all of the attention the media is giving him so we need to take the spotlight off him. He wants the interviews, he wants the stories, he wants the cameras in his face! NBC did an exclusive interview with both Peterson and his current 24-year-old fiance. Stacy Peterson has still not be found so I don’t see why this young woman would put her life in danger by being with this man. There’s something wrong here. I think the whole situation is fishy and the girl is a complete ditz. She can’t even give solid examples of why she thinks Drew is innocent. I believe a lot of the instances that have occured since Stacy Peterson has gone missing have been publicity stunts.

First of all I find something wrong with a 24-year-old being with someone who could be their father, but that’s a whole other story. Last week the big story was that her father helped her move out of Peterson’s home and now this week she has moved back in. Nobody supports this relationship so why would she still consider to date this man?

She describes him as caring, loving and sweet. It’s always the psychopaths who are able to fool everyone into thinking they are the nice guy. Look out there little lady or else you’ll end up in a body bag. Nobody wants that.

Hearts and such

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 07:09:19 -0800

I always enjoy holidays. They give me a reason to act silly, dress silly and just plain have fun. Valentines Day is no exception to this rule. I think I’ve had an actual “Valentine” once out of all my years on planet earth. Having a Valentine is not what makes Valentines Day special, I think it’s just being around people who you love.

I like hearts, I like drawing them, and I enjoy the color scheme. I will wear heart beads to work this weekend and I’m sure everyone will be jealous. The one thing that bothers me about Valentines Day is the fact that I always get asked by at least a handful of random people, do I have a Valentine? Who cares! Half the time I want to smack that stupid smirk right off their faces when they ask me, but that would be mean right?

This year, my dog Minnie is my valentine, so why don’t I just take a picture of her, cut it out and paste it to my shirt with a pink heart around it so people stop asking useless questions. That sounds like the perfect plan.

If you really want to know how I feel about the actual idea behind Valentines Day then I will tell you. I think it’s an ungenuine time of the year when people who are in a relationship are forced to go along with society and pamper their significant other. Every day should be Valentines Day when people are in relationships because every day should be special. If the bum you’re dating isn’t doing anything special for you all year round then why be with the shmuck? Sure, VDay is a chance for all these men to redeem themselves, but it’s one day out of the year!

I will give you all an example that I feel suits this arguement very well. My roommate and her boyfriend. I have the unfortunate pleasure to live with both my roommate and her boyfriend..actually, they live with me, but that’s neither here nor there. So, they have been dating for close to 3 years now and I think he’s a total loser. Of course she thinks he’s great and I keep asking her to give me examples of why she feels this way. All they do is lay around the house together. Apparantly that constitutes a good time. Whatever. He never does anything fun with her, or suprises her with flowers or little things or takes her out to dinner. He just doesn’t try. For Valentines Day he goes all out though, and I know it’s to shut her up for all the things he “doesn’t” do throughout the year. There are so many red and pink nic nacs around the apartment right now it makes me want to vomit. She has been raving to me all week about how he sent her flowers at work. Big deal! Why don’t you tell him to treat you right all-year-round and forget all the stupid shit on Valentines Day. At least that way I wont have to look at all this clutter everywhere.

Bottom line, I think of Valentines Day as more a fun holiday. I get to make heart shaped cookies, wear pink things and cut hearts out of colored construction paper and hang them on the walls. Oh yes, and Minnie is wearing a pink heart sweater right now. Priceless.

Twitter beat CNN, bitch

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 06:45:00 -0800

OK, so maybe the headline was a bit much.

But! Last night when I received the breaking news word that there had been a plane crash in New York - I immediately hit Twitter.

Even with finding out pretty quickly, the LA Times had hit the Twitter-lines with news of the crash. Then I hit it, and then other news agencies were to follow. Regardless of who came first, what we all recognized last night was that all of us on Twitter came first before CNN picked it up on TV.

I just thought that was so cool. The great thing about Twitter is that you don’t have to wait for anything. When someone comes up w/ material and shares it then it’s there for everyone to check out. There is no waiting for editors to produce a package or anchors to get their shit together - it’s there. And, in 140 words or less.

Way to go Tweeters.

The economy is mugging my neighborhood

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 06:35:00 -0800

When I told my parents, namely my dad, that I would be working downtown from six to midnight Monday through Friday his first question was, “And do you plan on taking the train home at night?”

What did he mean? Of course I was going to take the train home. I take it home from school at night, what’s the difference?

After a discussion (a.k.a. a lecture) regarding my safety, he obliged to paying for a nightly cab ride for me. And, until a couple days ago I thought it was completely excessive.

But then I read an article about a couple walking in the Logan Square train station at 1 a.m. They were attacked and the boyfriend was badly pistol-whipped, even after surrendering their money. Along with this story, there have been over three muggings late at night within the last week only steps from my apartment. On top of that, the McDonald’s across the street from my boyfriend’s apt. was robbed (granted it was with a stick, but still) and to cap it all off there were two people shot five blocks from my apartment a couple weeks ago.

When I moved in to Logan Square there was definitely not this much criminal activity going on. During summer nights I felt OK walking around late at night, even by myself. But I have noticed that since the economy has started to tank, so has the safety of my neighborhood. And I feel that if the crime rate continues to soar, there will be no chance for the developing neighborhood that many are hoping for.

Movies for the blind

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:33:58 -0800

I believe I’m stating the obvious when I say nothing in Hollywood is original. There are too many unneeded horror movie remakes, awkward sequels to movie franchises from 10 or 20 years ago, and the majority of Oscar nominated films this year are based off of novels.

I just don’t get it. There are several screenwriters out there who I know have good ideas. I know this because of the consistent originality of independent films. I know screenplays have been pitched to several studios, they all rejected them, and then the film was made independently and became a hit by word of mouth. This scenario has happened more than a couple of times in the past few years, but studios still have yet to acknowledge it. People don’t want the same gift with an added feature; they want a new gift whether it’s good or bad.

I will admit some hypocrisy because I was excited for the fourth Indiana Jones movie. No matter how bad the reviews were, I was bound to see it anyway because I loved the original trilogy. I ended up hating the movie, but I realized that studios don’t care if the audience hates or loves the movie. They know people will see it anyway simply for nostalgic purposes. They are immune to bad reviews and that’s why there are more and more of these rehashed stories. It’s a trend that I refuse to keep following. When the next “long awaited sequel” comes out, judge the trailer for the movie itself and not because you’re familiar with the characters. Remember that you liked the original because it was good movie and ask yourself if the rehashed story looks good even if you didn’t see the original.

Mother of octuplets wants strangers to pay child support

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:32:28 -0800

Nadya Suleman had six children from a sperm donor while she was living on food stamps. Most recently, she gave birth to octuplets from the same sperm donor while still living off of food stamps. Now, with 14 children, she’s asking for online donations to help take care of her children.

There is no problem with people wanting to have as many children as they please, but one incentive to having children is they should be supported by the parents. Suleman, on the other hand, intentionally had several children when she knew for a fact she couldn’t support them. There was no sudden layoff or any surprise financial dip she experienced. She was living on food stamps before she conceived the octuplets and she’s still living on them after they were born.

There are suggestions that Suleman had all these children for monetary gain and I completely agree. It’s not as if her situation was out of her control. She was in control of the conception of every child she gave birth to. This was her decision and if she can’t support those 14 children, they should be given to adoptive care. It’s appalling that this woman is using her children to gain sympathy from people through donations. I understand people want children no matter what, despite their financial situation, but she went too far to get attention and sympathy.

In this economic crisis, Suleman has made a selfish ploy for donations from good-hearted people who would still donate money even if they’re not financially stable themselves.

Senate passes economic stimulus plan; next step is the House

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:29:59 -0800

Senate leaders passed President Obama’s economic stimulus plan today in a 61-37 vote. The plan called for over $800 billion and will next have to go through the House of Representatives.

Senate leaders are hoping that today’s result in the capitol will put pressure on the House to pass the bill too and be able to send it to the President’s desk by as early as Friday, as reported by Yahoo! News.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090210/pl_afp/useconomypoliticsobamacongress_20090210183741

She's a witch! Can we burn her!

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:58:22 -0800

I always find it funny when another athlete, particularly in baseball, gets busted for using HGH or other performance-enhancing drugs. Not because the player is from that moment on ridiculed, but rather because of the public outcry that it ushers forth.

Seriously, since when did we become the embodiment of morality as a group? Last time I checked, people still cheated on taxes, robbed banks, murdered people…etc.

So how is it that when a baseball player gets busted for cheating, suddenly he is all thats wrong with American society?

Now don’t mistake me: I don’t think steroids aren’t a big deal. I know they are, especially when they start leaking into High School locker rooms. But you can’t honestly tell me that Alex Rodruigez being linked to a failed HGH test is grounds for the end-all, be-all of human existence at a moment where the economy is the worst its been in decades, two wars are still being fought, and countless people are living without a home or food in our city.

Yet all I heard on the news today was about how A-Rod had destroyed the game, and how fans demanded these players to get banned from baseball and thrown in jail.

Again, seriously?

Apparently no one remembers that cheating has always existed in baseball? So corking a bat, putting superballs in a bat, putting gels on balls to get them to curve sharper or more unexpectedly, spit balls, betting and gambling on games, outright throwing games, and habitual use of amphetamines and other drugs…those were all just sweet nothings, in one ear and out the other?

I like to torture myself by listening to sports talk radio, and I want to seriously take all of those self-aggrandizing callers and shake them. Have you never once cheated in your life in some way or another? Have you lived such a pious life that we should send you to the Vatican to get sainted, even before death?

I think it’s high time for us to all stop being so hypocritical and holier-than-thou, especially when it comes to issues like this. This is nothing. This is an athlete making a grave mistake that should taint his reputation.

But let’s not burn the guy at the stake for doing something so many others in this life have been guilty of.

None of us are saints. Let’s not pretend we are.

This is my little Minnie Mouse. I love her to pieces!

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 08:57:10 -0800

This is my little Minnie Mouse. I love her to pieces!

Journalism

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:30:00 -0800

Journalism is heading in a completely new direction. Newspapers are folding left and right, while new websites and blogs are popping up out of no where. Recently, a Columbia College student stumbled upon something he didn’t like. Someone from a company was paying others to write good reviews about products from the given company. This student then blogged about it on his personal site. Suddenly, this is national news. This student broke open an investigation by simply writing his findings in his blog. Luckily, this student was right in his findings. If he had been wrong, it may have been no big deal.

But had this student been wrong and caused problems, who knows what may have happened. Sure, he is just a student, and didn’t like what he saw, but it may have upset someone. With everyone sue-happy these days, this student may have been sued and lost money for using the site or company name on his blog.

I am worried that people may try to take advantage of blogging. Someone will give journalists a bad name by claiming to be one and then blogging inappropriate or incorrect items. It will happen. Just as Jayson Blair created a bad name for print journalists by writing about places he never visited and fabricated his stories, some blogger will hurt online journalism before it has a chance to become stronger. I believe this is inevitable. Hopefully the truly great journalists and bloggers of our time will rise up. I think we have a chance.

What's the fate of journalism?

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 09:16:21 -0800

As the months go by I feel less and less inclined to take a job in the journalism field. The job cuts, the shrinking newspaper/magazine companies, the madness. Sure the economy is bad, but there are still jobs available. Jobs are shrinking in this field particularly though. I feel that journalism is changing. Now that people can get the news through their cell phones and on the web, most of them are opting out of newspaper subscriptions and purchases.

Big advertising companies who threw their money like it was nothing at these magazines and newspapers are now having to cut back drastically with their ad dollars in this state of economy. Ads are what drive income for publications. Do you know how much it costs to run a full page ad in Cosmopolitan? THOUSANDS of dollars.

With less ads, that means less revenue for publications, less money to pay their workers and less money for opportunity to grow. Job cuts means that the remaining employees are thrown an even larger workload and not compensated for it.

The good thing about this generation of journalists that will be emerging from college is that we are a group of people who know how to do many things. We are not only learning to write, but we are learning how to design websites, how to do HTML formatting, video among other things. We are more computer savvy.

In the future, there will still be magazines and newspapers, but I also see a huge majority of them moving to online only. That’s where I get all of my news anyway, but it will be strange to not hold a newspaper in your hands. At least it would be better for the trees.

Potty Training Is A Bitch

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 09:10:08 -0800

I have a Yorkie, Minnie, who is 7 months old and at this point I believe she’s out to ruin my life. Having a puppy is almost like having a child, maybe it’s even worse than that. For the past few months, I’ve been determined to help her master the skill of using the toilet outdoors.

This morning is the perfect example of why I might go insane and suffer from cardiac arrest by the age of 30. I’m sitting on my computer reading the news of the day, sipping my freshly brewed Starbucks Coffee out of my favorite pink heart mug when I see it. Minnie crouches down, and lets it loose. Tinkle.

I think to myself, WOAH…this can’t be happening!! I just let you out less than 15 minutes ago. What is wrong with this situation here?

It’s almost certain that I wont be getting my security deposit back from all the pee stains in the corner of my room by the door. The next apartment that I look for must have wood floors. That’s one the few requests that I have. I like to keep a tight ship, and clearly this furry little monster is throwing all that out the window for me. Shoot.

Potty training dogs is hard, I admit. Potty training “little dogs” is a task which is very hard to complete without pulling hair out of your head. Not only is her bladder smaller, but her attention span is close to zero. All she does is bounce around the room like she’s on crack. 24/7. It never stops.

I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself. Has she tried the puppy pads? YES. I have. She chose to use them once in awhile. When she felt like it. Yorkies are demanding and they seem to think they rule the house. Well, at least that’s what my mom tells me, (she seems to think of herself as a dog expert). She tells me, “Nicki, you must not be training that dog correctly. She’s just not learning!” Well mom, I have news for you. You should take my dog for a week and see how frustrating it is.

Do they make diapers for dogs?

Have no fear! The internet is here!

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 08:37:28 -0800

I could use all 10 fingers and all 10 toes and I still wouldn’t be able to count the number of times I’ve been told that journalism is “dieing.”

“Circulation is on a steady downward slope.”

“Good luck getting a job in journalism.”

“Anyone can be a journalist now.”

OK, first off. Yes, circulation is on a steady downward slope. Secondly, good luck getting a job in any industry, during the recession. And thirdly, not true.

Personally, I think a lot of instructors are telling us to fear for our jobs because they haven’t grown up with the presence of the Internet as an everyday necessity. We proved in the first day of class that yes, it is super simple to publish work online — but that doesn’t mean that everyone’s content is good. This is where I think journalists have a leg up.

But ultimately, I don’t think j-students should be scared. Unless they have their hearts set on becoming a beat reporter at a newspaper and only works with print, which I don’t know many that do, they-we-are going to be OK.

It’s up to each student to take it upon themselves to get training in online journalism. Not everyone is on board with the idea yet, so now is the perfect time to (cliche:) get our feet in the doors of publications nationwide.

The face of journalism is changing, but only in a vanity sense. The paper is turning to a screen. The multi-columned front pages are replaced with five-column-wide photographs with large font double-stacked headlines. But it’s alright. People are still going to get the content they always did… they’re just going to have to dig a little deeper.

Liking the Cubs is to Hate Feeling Good: The Steve Garvey Sadness

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:23:34 -0800

I don’t know if you ever wake up in the middle of the night cursing someone or some thing that has wronged you in the past. If you do, maybe its something evil like a boy who slighted you, or a girl who broke your heart. Maybe its a teacher who gets under your skin, a parent who has angered you, or a friend who has betrayed you.

Whatever the reason, its always painful.

For me, my nightmare is unhealthy.

I am a Chicago Cubs fan. A die-hard, actually. It’s really more of a lifestyle. I have the neon signs, the documentaries, a toothbrush, all their playoff games from the last decade on DVDs or VHS.

When you have actual sand from the infield of Wrigley and you refuse to let anyone near the plaque you keep it in…you know its a lifestyle.

Sadly for me, this means I have to endure pains that only other Cubs fans can attest to.

It also means that I am certifiably and devastatingly insane.

For one, I have to hate teams like the Florida Marlins. (Oh yes, it’s true.)

Red Sox hate Yankees, Bears hate Packers, Red Skins hate Cowboys…I hate…Marlins?

Yes…sadly.

When I wake up from a nightmare, its from seeing Alex Gonzalez bobble a routine double play ground ball in the eighth inning of game six of the NLCS in 2003. When I wake, its of seeing Mark Prior, the once-star-waiting-to-explode, fall apart and seeing the flood gates open as the Marlins score run after run until…finally…we lost.

I wake to memories of a blowout in game seven the next day. I wake to Manny Ramirez and James Loney destroying the Cubs in 2008; of a roster of no-name Diamondbacks cleaning the field with the 2007 team.

I dream of Steve Garvey, and that’s not healthy.

No one should hate that man. He’s Steve freaking Garvey. God allowed us facial hair so man could grow a mustache like his.

And no one should hate the Marlins. They’ve only been a team for like ten seconds! They’ve already beat the odds and won two world series with two average teams that had team salaries less than what Alfonso Soriano made over the last two years as a Cub.

Yet, those damn Marlins stole away what was supposed to be the greatest moment of my life: the Cubs in the World Series.

They stole it! Right from under me, leaving me on the floor of my room with a pain in my ass and a hole in my chest. I hate those Marlins! I hate them!

I hate that old wingbat Jack McKeon. I hate that HGH pumping Pudge terd. I hate Josh Beckett and how clutch his arm was (and still is).

And even though he’s a class act and a veteran Cub now, I hate the 2003 Derrek Lee.

I hate him like I hate that team, and I hate how I still vividly remember each game like it was still playing in my head to this day.

And that…that, my friends, is the Steve Garvey Sadness.

Became viral in 1984 and has continued to infect Cubs fans ever since.

Typical Fears from a Columbia J-Student

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:03:00 -0800

I think my biggest fears come from not knowing how the world is going to look in five months. Will newspapers continue their slow descent toward nonexistence, and what will that mean for someone who just spent four years going toward a newsprint and writing degree?

Teachers and experts all seem to be saying that in a few years newspapers won’t be around, or at least not what we know as newspapers. Hell, even the New York Times is pondering on whether to move to just an online edition.

So where does the next worry come in? What does endless space on the internet mean for writers coming out of school? Where will the jobs be? How do you even start to try and find one of those, and where do you look? Why should they hire me?

So biggest fear: what if there aren’t any day jobs for journalists now, and the market that was one there for a young journalist like myself shrinks to nothing?

Blame Canada!

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:48:00 -0800

I always thought Canada seemed like a peaceful country. In the movie, “Bowling for Columbine”, Michael Moore went door to door in Canada showing how safe it is there and no one bothers to lock their front doors. Compared to the violence and corruption of the United States, Canada seemed like an ideal country to me. That was until I got in touch with a blogger in Canada via e-mail that I’m going to be interviewing in a few days for my class, Global Blogging.

I assume the blogger is a woman based on the screen name, but she’s not willing to give up anymore information about herself because freedom of speech is under attack in Canada. When I introduced myself, she wanted to know who would read our interview, what school I go to and what my school e-mail address was so she can verify that I actually was a student. The blogger claims the Canada Human Rights Commission (CHRC) have visited her site daily to censor and watch over her blog. She knows this because there are a large amounts of visits on her site that are largely out of proportion to how long her blog has been running and the amount of entries on the blog.

Much like “1984”, Canada has a law called Section 13, which monitor “thought crimes” according to the blogger. This law has effected “writers, website owners, magazine publishers, Christians and participants on online message forums” according to the website, www.stopsection13.com. I guess not every country is perfect.

Journalism Observations

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:46:00 -0800

In May of 2009, I will be receiving a bachelor’s degree in journalism. A degree into a profession that I believe is chaotic right now. Aside from the global economic downturn, and aside from print going digital, journalism will always be needed in the world one way or another. I firmly believe that. The conversion of media to another format has been solved in the past, and from what I can tell, our economic problems will be solved eventually as they have been in the past. I believe the main problem with journalism that I believe will last a long time to figure out is the legitimacy of a journalist.

As I said before, I believe converting print journalism to the internet is a problem that will be solved soon. The conversion of different forms of media has almost always been short-lived problems, but what separates journalism from other forms of media is the reliance on hard facts. People are expected and should trust the journalist, but with journalism playing a big role on the internet, literally anyone can report the news. Sources, fact checking, and an unbiased look into the subject aren’t necessary. Anyone can write what they want and people can take that as a fact. Laws have been specifically passed giving journalists special rights, but with the internet, the definition of a journalist is blurred.

I know I have more skills than most bloggers due to what I learned in school, but the fact that there is a small line between being a blogger and being a journalist makes me wonder if all my schooling and money spent was worth the degree. Only after journalists become more comfortable with the internet, I believe that’s when the new laws will be proposed for journalists.

I went to school with a certain idea of journalism – only to see it transition as I go through schooling. There are problems that need to be solved before the legalities of being a journalist are addressed in the 21^st century, but I believe those legal issues will take a long time to come to fruition. Those legal rights of journalists are what make them reliable. I just hope I become a journalist and not just a blogger.

Never. Sacrifice. Heat You’ve seen it late at night when you...

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:59:00 -0800

Never. Sacrifice. Heat

You’ve seen it late at night when you can’t sleep. You’ve thought about it while daydreaming of being on your couch. And although you don’t really want to admit it, you would probably like it—but it might make you look lazy, sloppy, or stupid.

What the hell am I talking about? The Snuggie—the blanket with sleeves.

I’m not afraid to admit it, I want one—desperately. Seriously.

I would be OK if I only got a Snuggie and a burrito for Valentine’s Day… they’re just so awesome! I mean come on, how many times have you been all warm under your blanket on the couch when you drop the remote off your lap and have to expel your arms out from under that mini-oven and get all cold again? It is one of my pet-peeves and is super horrible for me.

Yes, I may end up looking like a wizard or an Ewok, but seriously who cares? In a blanket war I choose quality over vanity.

Lackluster at Best

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 09:47:19 -0800

Lackluster at Best

Community Online

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:27:01 -0800

One of my favorite sites online is Digg.com. The site does not work without a community, which I have always liked. Users submit content, and as other users read it, if they feel that it is valid, then they can ‘Digg’ it, and as stories receive more Diggs, they begin to hit the homepage and become even more popular.

Digg grabbed the ‘geek niche’ back when it was launched in 2004 by former TechTV host, Kevin Rose along with a few others. It has gradually picked up steam and become a very popular spot on the internet.

The community on Digg is (in)famous for sticking up for their comrades, one instance coming last year when user Jesse McFearson’s XBox360, Television, and Laptop were stolen, Digg users banded together and found the person who stole them. Some of the tactics were…questionable. But Jesse Got his things back, as seen on his blog here.

I’ve Been Creating

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 01:43:44 -0800

I’ve Been Creating

I’m a Pirate.

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:40:43 -0800

I’m a Pirate.

Fridays class

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:39:00 -0800

Learning new things.

test

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:40:03 -0800

Blog post - 1

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:39:36 -0800

Blog post - 1

Test Post

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:39:20 -0800

Testing Tumblr for my Online Journalism Class