Monday, June 30, 2008

Suggestions

Hey guys its Arms. Just thought I'd ask if anyone has any suggestions on where and when to all hang out. Other than the beach or downtown, im outta ideas, so if you have any post em up!

~Arms

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Oh my

It's good to be home. It's nice to sleep in until 8 a.m. when my kitten starts to meow from the bathroom and pampering my other cats as well. But that's about all the perk of being home include.
Being home is boring, at least it is for me. I spend all day catering to my cats which isn't bad, just a little boring after a while. Yesterday, i wrote an entire song. There's no guitar music or anything, just lyrics. But I can hear how the guitar would sound in the background. That sounds so band-geekish and lame. oh well. Here it is i guess.

-By my side-

I've packed my bags and i'm ready to go.
Ready to hit that open road and just fly away.
You watched me as I grew up out of dolls and curls into something more.
Well now I know it's time for me to say good-bye

Chorus
'Cause I've set my goals and I'm willin' to try.
Try as I might to touch the sky.
And if I don't make it, I know, You'll still be,
By my side.

Remember that time you said congratulaions?
I couldn't have been happier.
You couldn't have been more proud.
That was a night to remember.
But now I've got to say good-bye

Chorus

Oh and one day you'll cry again as I walk down the isle,
Draped in the white of winter snow.
You'll whisper congratulations and curl my hair.
But until then i've got to say not good-bye,
But farewell

Chorus x2

And that's it. The end. I'm going to post it on my myspace blog as well. myspace.com/kateiscrazy.

Talk to you all soon!

~Kate M.

The Response



Guess what that is a picture of...


Yes. I rode my bicycle. I rode it where I liked.
(and for the record annie i CAN ride my horse with no handlebars :) )


That is an example of one of the many things (including sleeping) that I can do now that I'm not at J-camp.


But I'll say that even though I've hung out with my friends, I'm still terribly lonely for kids who know what a lede is. I MISS YOU ALL SO MUCH!! YOU TOO BROADCAST AND RADIO KIDS!! Instructors too, even joe. I would say nice things about each of you like everyone else has, but I'll just stick to generalities. You all know why I'll never forget you.


Because we signed up to be sleep deprived. Because we survived karaoke. Because we are now programmed to eat at 7, 12 and 5 on the dot. Because we forgot how to make our own food. Because our idea of a good time is going to 7/11 or watching old men play basketball. Because we lived near the sea, but never actually saw it. Because we suck at games, except 10 fingers. Because we think screen doors are invisible. Because we share a common dislike for small children who live off pizza, ice cream and soda. Because everything is legit, especially the Jesus statue. But mainly because WE ROCK!


Miss you all!
-Kate, Veronika, Big Bird

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Its an Arms thing...

Hey guys! So I was looking at the phone numbers I got from all of you and Ive realized that I missed a few numbers..probably due to the un-obvious fact that I have no arms and couldnt type fast enough on my phone. :)

So if you guys could list the numbers of everyone, that would be awesome.

Thanks!

Friday, June 27, 2008

home already?

heyheyeyeyheyey this is annie
so even though im kind of tired due to the lack of sleep that ive gotten over the past 14 days, i read all of the previous blogs and got all emotional. so yeaaaaaaaa
we are amazing. camp was amazing. good times talking in circles and eating in squares and reading the paper and wondering what game to play as we sat on the cement curb and getting up at six and riding in cars with random advisors and finally coming together to observe our amazing products. even though i dont want to be too sappy, i like the truth box-esque idea that has been going in the past two posts.so here goes....
ashley: yeay im glad i got to get to know you better...next year we will crack the whip on mccarter. good times reminicing about life back in a town and school in jtown
christina i love your side pony tail and your great laugh and our 711 trips. we should have EIC heart to hearts next year. good job laying out with joe
elizabeth you were always so happy, we should meet in east county sometime. i love your silver headband
eirene your dresses are so amazing, along with your curly hair and your cool sandals. we must meet up in san fran
casey yay music. good times in the room. ah certain annoying phrases. ill be @SC, so maybe ill see you near cuyamaca some day. i love your dresses
teja: girl you were so amazing on the current. it was fun rooming with you and leezel (ha). i love your hair
luis: i didnt talk to you much, but i loved your little puns on the broadcast. classic.
ethan: dude you are really cool. thanks for keeping the mood light in the layout room
kate: AH kate thanks for being my cool buddy in the newsroom, have fun at davis. maybe youll be able to ride your horse with no handlebars.
lizbet: yay ill see you at mt sac. you are so sweet
amanda wow i loved rooming with you. you are so nice and intense and i know you will do great at middlebury. your voice sounded good on the radio recording too. you inspired me to raise the standards at my paper next year
chelea you are so funny and awesome. maybe ill come see you in the WNBA one day, ill wear a maternity shirt. good times in G
jessica you are so fashionable, you clothes were so cute everyday. i will see you at rhor and mt carmel, cause you are amazing
katie i love your striped shoes and your cool attitude. we had some interesting convos out on the picnic table that one night with the pizza, before we realized that everyone left
jose dude you are so nice. seriously, you were so intense, but also so sweet. i know that you will be successful
sam you have talent as a photographer. and you have a good sense of humor too
courtni wow girl you and your energy drink. you were so nice and always did your own thing. thanks for keepin it legit
kate (with the braids) girl i loved you and your intensity. you were so persistent trying to get interviews, and would never put up with the little christian kids
connor wow ten fingers. you are a funny guy

david thanks for driving us to 7-11 and being so happy and supportive during crunch time
lisel thanks for helping me with the video, you are the best mojo i know
photographers: you are amazing, your work never failed to inspire me
jen i never got to tell you that you reminded me so much of juno, which is a good thing. you were so cool and chill and really helped make the paper layout pretty
alex wow. thanks for being such an intense editor, hot dog maker, and person
leo you never failed to amaze me
leonel you were always so nice and caring.
claudia your how i beacame a journalist speech was so inspiring
feldy you are amazing. thanks for staying happy and humorous
karen thanks for being there to help us
jose you were such a great advisor, you run a great program. i really enjoyed reporting with you
ok well more to come later
watch out for the rise of the kinematics (sounds like some robot or something)
keep it cool wherever you are
and keep blogging like the deranged writers that we all are
its a small world, and even though some of us might not get into the wonderful life that is journalism, the memories of camp will live on
yay

home

hi everyone
(Its Elisabeth)
i would have said goodbye to all of you last night but i would have been too sad. i had a lot of fun these past two weeks and i already miss all of you. i really enjoyed the time we all spent together laying in the grass and having random conversations! they were hilarious. i loved all our nicknames and watching anchorman and the office.

annie-youre so cool and fun to be with-too bad we never took that pic with the statue
christina-i had fun with you at the fair and got a good hair straightening idea from you
katie-you were always so sweet and i enjoyed rooming with you
kate m-you made me laugh a lot and introduced me to food from 7/11 that ive never heard of before
eirenne-i loved your laugh and the strawberry puffs you got me hooked on
chelsea-you always made me laugh, anchorwoman
teja-i enjoyed your company during the second week
ethan-you were really funny (i have to confess, i used your wheelchair when you werent looking)
connor-you were really fun to be around and i loved hearing your stories about duane
amanda-happy bday! you were so sweet
kate z- i had a ton of fun running with you
ashley-you were really fun to hang out with. one day we'll go ice skating and then go to france and avoid all hardware stores haha
luis-i didnt really get to know you but you were always smiling
samuel-all i know is you love dogs
courtni-i love the video we made (awesome!!!)
casey-you were really cool and i enjoyed your company
jose-you always seemed to get lost it was hilarious
jessica-i loved all your outfits you were a really sweet girl
lizbet-you did a really good job on your news video!

we really should all get together and go to the beach sometime
thanks everyone for making my time so much fun
(and i did convince my mom to let me get a bunny)

~Elisabeth

So long, Farewell...Good-bye

So i know i didn't particularly get close to many of you, but i will miss you regardless. Here is what i will miss about each and every one of you.

Casey- you are so laid back. i'll miss your calm. cool, and collective funny personality
Eirene- your laugh is to die for. Whenever i heard your laugh i busted out laughing too. i'm so glad i got to share a room with you. See you in Frisco...a lot. =]
Teja- miss professional anchor-woman. you are amazing. our livingroom sleepover was a success!
Sam- you little potty mouth. hahaha. you are just funny to listen to =]
Courtni-Unabomber! Oh wow. how i'll miss you throwing random stuff at our ceiling. hahaahaa good luck at illinois
Kate Z.- aka veronica, tree hugger, and big bird. i'll never forget how many nicknames we had for you. See you up north at Davis or Frisco
Jessica- i don't think i ever saw you without a smile on your face (or wearing an outfit that didn't match) You are wonderful
Ashley- Your turd ice cream cone was the funniest thing ever and totally going in the photobucket album once my computer decides to be nice to me.
Annie- you seemed so bohemian and that is awesome. you also were never frowning. =]
Christina- you iron your hair with an actual iron?? I had never heard of that before, but hey whatever works right? =]
Jose- i had fun working with you on the border story. you are so smart. good luck in Dallas, i know you'll do well
Ethan- Oh geez Ethan. You surprised me everyday. And made me nervous every time you walked down the stairs. You are one-of-a-kind, grade-A, jokester, amazing.
Katie- miss producer lady, you are so nice and sweet it makes sugar sour. i loved having you for a roommate.
Elisabeth- I'll never forget how badly you wanted that little bunny rabbit. You should totally go back and get it next wednesday at the street fair. and you were fun to share an apartment with.
Connor- Carefree Connor. You always had a smile on your face and was Dwayne's biggest fan.
Chelsey- You are the most random, funniest, anchor-woman ever. You are awesome
Lizbet- I didn't get to know you that much, but you seem really outgoing
Luis- i didn't get to know you that well either, but i think you are funny as well. i don't recall you ever not smiling.
Amanda- so soft spoken. it must've been really fun to have your birthday at J-camp. Good luck at Millburry this fall.

P.S. I am totally going to post another little thank you blog for the advisors but my computer is being mean to me right now so that will have to come at a later time, but it WILL come. I promise.

~Kate Monroe
so i know i didn't say goodbye to a lot of people last night i kinda left quickly. that's because i would have got wayyyy too emotional and i would have looked like a big loser. well because of that i wanted to say an unofficial bye to all of you guys now (because were definitely going to see each other soon)but its only been a day but i already miss all of you. its weird how well we got to know each other over the past two weeks but i think that's because we all had something in common and that was journalism. journalism boot camp would have been so horrible if all of you weren't there to make it a really fun, really great experience. thanks to all of you and i really do miss you guys. love you all!!

-Christina

Everybody

So I agree with Ashley. Everyone who was at the camp really made it awesome. We all got along really great and I dont regret any of it either

I like the idea of getting together for football games, that would be wayyy cool.

I realized last night that I didnt get a chance to say goodbye to everyone. So I'm doing it now. GOODBYE ANNIE, ELISABETH, CHRISTINA, CASEY, SAM, AND COURTNI.

And by the way, Elisabeth's idea of a once-a-month beach get together would be AWESOME. Everyone should definitely keep blogging and stuff.

~Arms

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Ya-I'm a dork for posting 2 hrs after we're done

Just in fair warning...this is very much a self-gratifying closure thing-so it might get sappy ;)

Wow guys. We have made it through Journalism boot camp and are going back to the real world.

I can only say that this has been the hardest, most intense, best, most amazing experience of my life. Though it was really insane, and truly a boot camp (who knew they were serious about that?!), I don't regret it for one second.

The things I learned were so helpful and I plan on bringing back to my school paper with Annie.

The people I met I hope to keep in touch with for as long as i can.

A quick word to my roommates: I am so glad that they stuck us all together. We are all so different, but ended up coming together and getting pretty close. I love how well we all got along and our endless hours of random talk and strange video watching! Courtni, Kate, Jessica, Christina-stay in touch: I miss you already :)

To keep this from turning into a ridiculously long blog- I'm just going to say thanks. Thanks to all the people that made this experience what it was. Its been fun. (Oh I just realized we should definitely go to each others football games when we play each other). Any way, thats all for now. -Ashley W

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Mc Check it numero tres

You all knew it was coming. Its the third installment of the Mc Check it series.

Ok so I just finished my sports pages, came out really good after like ten tries to get it signed off. As for the rest of the paper, its coming together really fast. For some of the people putting the paper together, its the first time theyve used In Design CS3. Pretty freakin amazing.

Anyways tomorrow is the party at the beach!!!! Wohoooooooooooooo. Im excited.

So I have come to the conclusion that Im gunna miss everyone. Its lame getting up at 6:30, but at the same time theres something I look forward to every morning. Maybe its the hashbrowns that taste like soy sauce. :)

ell this might be my last blog so i so this whole thing has been a lot of fun. Glad to have met everyone and experienced this whole journalism thing.

~Arms

Layout

Its awesome. The paper is coming together really fast, and it looks really nice so far. Everyones working their @$$ off but i think people are liking it anyways.

~Arms

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

While you were out



While you were out I put worms in your bed.

Just kidding.
I wrote headlines instead.

By myself. Alone. Solo.

It took forever...
By the way...
Thanks for abandoning me Arms! =[

Oh if you don't like your headline, too bad.

Suck it up crybabies.
Boo-hoo.

Get over it.

The end.

Sorry if I just sounded mean but it's the truth. Sorry. =]

You are all still fun people! =]

~Kate M.

insert snappy headline here

I am sooo tired. I think im hallucinating. Well, thats a total lie. I know I'm not it just sounds good. I'm not sure why I'm writing. Im sick of writing right now. I just want to screw around. but I'm too tired. My fingers hurt I'm so tired.

in other news... I'm big bird.

In other other news... I'm still tired.

I like the video Annie showed me. It was fantastic.
-Big Bird

Workshop story

Its done. It was actually harder than it sounds because youre speaking for EVERYONE. Kind of intimidating to be honest....

Well anyways I hope everyone likes it and if you dont, please consider before you push me down some stairs. :)

~Arms

heyheyeyeeyeye

hey its annie. sorry this isn't punctuated very well, i type much more efficiently without worrying about capitalization and all of that. so yesterday i wrote this wonderfully long and detailed blog entry, but then it did not go through for some reason. so im def going to copy this one before i post it. let me just say that while i appreciate and enjoy writing like a journalist, i often find myself drifting towards more of a stream of conciousness style. so here goes.
ive done three stories for this workshop, which has been amazing. its interesting, usually i can just crank out words onto a page without any trouble, but in this intense, professional setting i felt that i thought about my words a lot more. my first story was about olympic hopeful akeeba mckinney, which was interesting to pursue. me and jose drove up in his BMW while discussing castle park and siblings, and then we saw the olympic training center and met an 18 year old archer who left high school in pursuit of the 2012 games. seems like a long time away to me. but i guess not really. then i began on my death cab for cutie story. i was always a fan of the band's radio hits (soul meets body, etc) but it was interesting to find that they have some seven albums to their name. lees and alex and i headed away from the cool point loma air to SDSU, where we bought the $37, non press pass tickets. then we chilled at alex's apartment, where we ate leftover cupcakes, hotdogs, and microwaved french fries with peanut butter. quite a delicious combination, actually. the concert was...interesting. read my review for more.
then today i began work on an opinion piece. for my paper at school i was quite the opinion enthusiast (i didnt really do news very much at all), but i found it hard to develop my thoughts for this article. my story is being editied right now, i think. alex looks kind of busy.
ok well enough of that. let me just say that this has been an amazing experience. the conversations we have had (bums, chickens, riding bikes, mile high club, ten fingers, plastic surgery), all of the crazy religous camp kids, those fateful three meals a day, going on assignment with one of the professional if not hilarious reporters, that first night with karaoke, the UT tour with feldman, rolling out of bed at 6am. AH good times. while we have worked hard, and while the work is not done yet, i know i will always remember this "boot camp" as more than just a place of work. it has been so interesting talking to all of the professional journalists, i found it particularly intriguing that although journalistic writing is very simple, one can beef it up as they become more experienced. i also found it interesting that some journalists can also become lawyers and the like. well anyone who is still reading, congratulations. i could go longer, but ill spare you.
for now, im out like a journalist on assignment
casey (sp?) thanks for coldplay, amazing
kate i can ride my bike with no handlebars
ps i agree with arms on the nickname thing. we shall discuss at dinner
pss is this the last day in the newsroom? darn. jk. but not really.
psss previous post "end of week 1" was me

RadioActive - more on radio!

Forgive the horrible pun. Blame Joe. But we have been quite active here.

So I'm sitting here in some sort of "control" room (I can't remember what it's called) at KPBS. The performance studio is across from me so I can see it through a little window - that's where Dwayne and his co-host Maureen record Morning Edition at 4 a.m. every day. It's quite a posh place to be blogging.

I just finished putting all of my sound together for my feature on Adobe Audition (which is pretty amazing I must say), so now all I have left to do for my feature is help Tim, the engineer, incorporate all of my "natsound." Connor and I are going to do this tomorrow morning with Dwayne.

Natsound is "natural sound" which radio reporters use to add flavor to news stories. My favorite example of natsound I've heard on NPR was when a reporter recorded chickens being raised in a city apartment, making chicken-y noises.

While I was at the international mariachi conference last week with education reporter Ana Tintocalis, I recorded WAY TOO MUCH natsound. The place was teeming with it - folkloric dancing, violins, harps, armonias (little guitars), trumpets, Spanish instruction from teachers, crowded hallways...a reporter's dream. A little bit less than a dream, however, when you're stuck listening to all three hours of it and trying to pick out the best 10 second bites for your 3:30 minute feature.

All Connor and I have left to do today is the fun stuff - deciding how we want to introduce ourselves, recording our teasers, and recording our thank-yous and outros.

Connor's been quite distracted by the fact that NFL players have been stopping by the station all day long. I would say that it's annoying, but my Death Cab encounter (a.k.a. spasm) was quite an exercise in starstruck-dom as well.

The hardest part about all this has been learning how to write for radio. I'm a print addict. I love my school's newspaper, and I had an amazing journalism teacher. But THIS excerpt from my feature script is like nothing I've EVER written for The Nexus:

Sweetwater is one of a few districts to offer such a program. Many teens like Joseph say they like mariachi because it's a part of their heritage. He even likes it better than hip hop or rock.

It sounds so weird when you read it, but it's actually almost a mouthful if you say it out loud. Dwayne has been helping me grasp this concept. Overall, that has been the hardest part to adjust to. Wearing heels every day and pronouncing names like Sergio Caratachea come at a close second, however.

-Amanda

Fun fact of the day numero dos.

rBST is a cow steroid that, in turn, results in puss being in your milk. Digg it.

~Arms

Fun fact of the day.

Chickens lay white, brown, and green eggs. Digg it.

~Arms

VOX POP - Radio update

I feel like Connor and I have completely abandoned the blog, but it's been a crazy whirlwind of sound and lost files and awesome celebrity encounters here at KPBS. We're about to go to lunch, but we just finished tracking (recording) our feature stories. We're excited to edit all of our sound together and polish our show. More later!

-Amanda

Journalism

Before I had entered this workshop, I had been primarily a features writer. Some how the two stories I did ended up being news stories. Though they were a bit of a challenge to write since I'm used to more light and fluffy stuff, it was fun to do.

The longer I'm here the more i realize how broad the world of journalism truly is. You can go in so many different directions and do so many different things. The journalists that I have encountered here all have their own little niche that they fit into, and are all very different. One unifying concept that I have observed about this sect of writers though, is that they all seem to undeniably love their craft.

Yes they may gripe about their pay, or the slowing of print, or any other hindrances they face in their field, but none can truthfully say that they dislike their job. I am pretty sure that this is because of the people that journalism attracts.

While, like I said, they are all very different, journalists seem to all have this profound love for writing about the public for the public. They go into communities and businesses and find out what strikes people as interesting and report about it.

A journalist has a huge responsibility to uphold to the people. They have the obligation to report accurately, objectively, and regularly. The press is the source that the general public gets their information and shapes their opinions around. Essentially, media is the mass outlet in which the populace is informed of things they would otherwise be unaware of.

Forgive me if this kind of turned into a little monolauge, but I have some free time right now.

-Ashley Williams

Mc Check it numero dos.

Ok so I just realized that my last blog didnt have my name. its Arms/Ethan. Just handed in my revised copy of the workshop article. Hope its better than the last one, it had LOTS of red ink.

Basically im Mc chillin right now waiting for my story to come back to me. So Ashley said something about nicknames? Dibs on Arms. I think we should all get nicknames. sounds fun/under cover.

Its rather loud and busy in here at the moment. I kinda like it. Sounds like an actual newsroom minus the phones ringing.

OK so I cant think of anything more to say, so im going to think about it and maybe there will be a Mc Check it numero tres.

~Arms

Mc Check it.

So I just handed in my third story to Jose number 3. I just looke over and I'm seeing A LOT of red. :( Thats what editing is for right?

Anyways this morning i ignored my alarm, and Sam and I got to sleep an extra 15 minutes. (We're so bad.) Breakfast was good, but my hashbrowns tasted like soy sauce. -_-

Yesterday was good. I handed in my opinionated story on why the Chargers arent gunna be in SD after this season. :)

And here comes the editor...peace!

The Waiting Game

I finished both my articles, and turned them in. So now all I can do is wait for the PR woman for the Immigration museum to call me back. I'm going to do some more research on the museum, but so far I've just read the same information from five different sources on the Web. I seriously mean THE SAME, the words are identical, just copied and plastered on various Web attachments. I'm less worried about this interview, but I'm still not really excited. I'm just not sure that I can write an article in my waning time frame... I guess I'll see. But I'm glad that it's getting close to crunch time, because I want to put the newspaper together and see the final product. And I want to say that the entire group of reporters is doing a fabulous job cranking out stories.


-Kate Z.

Woo-Hoo


I am officially done with my second article. Yayness! I got so much done yesterday. I can't believe I pretty much wrote an entire article in two days. That was fun! Plus the article was like 623 words long. That's the longes atricle I've written since the anorexia story and investigative piece I did at my school. I'm happy. I found myself skipping through the newsroom just now and jumping off the little step at the front of the room. Now I feel like me. I feel like a journalist. YUM. =] =] =] =] =]


-Kate Monroe


Monday, June 23, 2008

I'm almost done!!!

I just finished my second article. It is now 3: 23 pm on Monday and I am waiting to see if I will be writing another article. Because I wrote an article about over the counter drug abuse and because the nickname for people addicted to cough syrup is "syrup heads" Joe is calling me "syrup head." I don't know how I feel about that but I do laugh a little every time he says it.

Last week was fun, all the people are so funny, even the quiet ones (Sam).

I look forward to another week of excitement and the picnic on Thursday is bound to be a hoot. The scenery is beyond amazing, that is when the fog clears up. For now, I am going to enjoy the 80 degree weather and be thankful I'm not stuck in 100 degree Valley Center.
-Eirene

The Campus

The campus is really pretty when we're lining up against the wall like criminals and there is no fog...









Queen 2

Totally by Queen Kate Z.

You are correct.

=]

They rock my socks.

Hahaha.

=]

~Kate M.

Queen

I relize I just did a post, but I have nothing better to do right now while I wait to get my article back. So, let me say....

I want to ride my bicycle.
I want to ride my bike.
I want to ride my bicycle.
I want to ride it where I like.

I'm pretty sure thats a song by Queen. But thats about what I'm thinking right now. Genius.

The Second Try

I just finished the first draft of my second article, and I'm really excited about it. It's a commentary on Studying abroad and I found a ton of information to support my opinions. I love doing research, which seems weird I know, but that’s my favorite part of writing. I think I like making connections. Its like networking, only with facts instead of people. I guess that makes me really lame but that’s Ok

In other news, I went jogging with Annie yesterday and now my legs hurt. Every time I go down the stairs I can feel my legs giving out on me.

In other, other news today is Jose's birthday. Happy Birthday Jose! I put that he was turning 42 on my news quiz. Apparently that was really low. I'm just horrible at guessing ages.

In other, other, other news, our room is the party room. We have a sweet setup with munchies and videos. Everyone comes to hang out with us and watch Courtni's scrubs dvd's on my computer, while eating Christina and Jessica's food. It was a collaborative effort. Ashley brought tape. I'm sure we will find a super awesome use for that later. Stay tuned for an update on that front.

Anyway, the workshop is amazing, the people are amazing, and I met a random guy who has a lip ring and lives on the Point Loma cliffs. He is like a bum only better.

-Kate

Back from the weekend

So we're back from the day and a half break we had. I am sick of seeing the inside of my car now. I've been in it now for a total of about 8 hours for this workshop. Though I am glad to be away from the heat. It's 118 where I live so 80 degrees feels like heaven to me. :) I guess I'm glad I got to go home for a day, but the long drive (nor the heat) was so not worth it. I can't believe how much my vicious little kitten grew in the week that I was gone. He's so big and fat now. He jumps like a jack rabbit and runs like a horse. I got a whole new set of scratches for this weeks festivities. :-p
So the 7-11 run last night was pretty fun and interesting. At o ne point the car smelled like crayons, then it smelled like dead skunk. That was pretty gross. The poor cashiers were swamped when we all walked in and pretty much ravaged the store. On the way back though I got to be made into a sandwich. Yay! :) I like sandwiches. Hahaha.
Well that's all. For now. Bye.
~Katherine Monroe

Friday, June 20, 2008

Last day: Week 1

As I write we are aproaching the end of our first week. WOW it definately smells like skunk right now. Christina thinks there's one in the vent-we've obviously been in the news room for a long time.

I must say that this week has gone both fast and slow. Individual tedious tasks seemed to last an eternity, but the week as a whole seems to have flown by. This experience has truly shown that once you live with someone, you really get to know them. It feels like I have known my roomates much longer then 6 days.

Oh if you weren't at lunch we decided that we need nicknames. Post sugestions!-Ashley


So Far:

Kate: Tree Hugger
Christina: Flipper

Before the weekend


Ethan, Annie, Ashley, Christina, Kate Z, and Elizabeth relaxing in the shade.

Asley's deformed ice cream cone

Mr. Feldman chillaxin'

Jose trying to take a picture of Casey, Courtni, and Eirene

~Posted by Kate Monroe~












On assignment

Check out Jose Healy interviewing Mike Mc Coy at the Estuary down by the border. Please excuse the bad sound. It was extremely windy that day. Enjoy!
Look what Courtni and elisabeth did!!!!

Friday...







Today has been really fun as you can see from the pictures...

The Life of a Pennyless Writer

I just finished the first draft of my article on recycling and eco-fashion. The article is a little over 800 words. Apparently is a long article by journalism standards, but in my opinion it’s rather short. Then again, I'm used to writing 10 page papers. I guess I should start by saying that I consider myself a writer, but by no means do I consider myself a Journalist. I've written an article on horse slaughter for my freshman English class, and an article about rebuilding after the fires for my senior English class. But that’s it. On the interview front I have done two e-mail interviews, and one phone interview. But that was the extent of my skills.


That was then. This is now. Not that I've actually done that much more. I wrote another article, did another phone interview, and interviewed about five strangers in OB. But it would be a lie to say that I haven’t learned anything. The Workshop has been an excellent crash course and immersion into journalism. I'm excited to learn a new type of writing, and I have the greatest respect for journalists. It's been extremely interesting to see "how it’s done" in journalism. I'd come to think of the media as something of a grumpy old man, constructed of newspapers, radios, computers and televisions. Well, that doesn’t make much sense does it? What I mean is I thought of the media as one faceless entity, invisible, omniscient, with naught but a name: The Press.


I had no idea how the press got their information, but I did know that they were really good at it. When my house burned down there was one extremely inconspicuous photographer. He was a portly older gent, with salt and pepper hair and exciting yellow overalls that were probably meant to keep his clothes clean and protect him from the intense heat of the post-fire rubble. He was nice enough. He asked our names, took a few pictures and left. So imagine my surprise when people from Nor. Cal. And other states sent me messages saying they saw a picture of me standing in front of my burned down house on the front page of their local newspapers. My picture was plastered throughout the net (I heard it even made it on Al Jazeera, the Arabic news channel). Hmm. I realize now that I went off on an extreme bird walking expedition, but I guess that’s all.


-Kate

Pretty Awesome!!!!


All i have to say right now is that i am pretty legit and that i am excited to have finally figured out how to do this darn thing. This whole week has been a great learning experience for me and I will def. miss all of my friends who I hang out with over the weekend!!!!
Until next time... this is Courtni Powers you stay classy San Diego!!!

End of Week 1

I have just finished my final draft of my first story, about elite long-jumper Akeeba McKinney. It was an interesting process, I visited the Olympic training center in Chula Vista, and interviewed her in person. Usually, at my high school paper, my interviews are conducted in informal situations. Most of the students on staff seem to simply clamor for one sustainable quote instead of actually looking out for some meaningful ideas when they interview others. I realize from all that I have learned here from the various professionals that the world of high-school Journalism and real-world Journalism is very different. The ethics involved, the sources you need, the connections you can make, the photos you can integrate, it is all amazing. I find it funny that almost all of the Journalists that I have talked to warn me not to go into their field. However, the college lecture that we had kept my hopes up. The professor from Pt. Loma Nazarene assured us that there will always be a need for storytellers,and that a degree in Journalism is also a good basis for other careers such as law or politics. The campus here is amazing, I am not looking foward to going home to the 100 degree heat. And it has been fun having access to the cafeteria buffet every day, it seems like all we do here is eat, write and socialize, which is fine with me. The Union Tribune tour was fascinating, I never knew that they still printed the paper the old-fashioned way. All of the reporters working seemed confused by our presence, but it was cool seeing their reaction to our tour guide, Mr. Feldman, who worked on staff for 30 years. And I must say, this is one of the best keyboards that I have ever had the pleasure of working with. My fingers seem to fly over the keys with more ease than ever before. I am going to the Death Cab for Cutie concert tonight at SDSU, and will write a review for my second story. It will be interesting to compare the final printed copy of The Lighthose with my school newspaper, and analyze how good editing and professional photography will enhance the final product. It has been fun comparing journalistic experiences with the other students, and I look foward to another week of fun.
PS the dungeon was not as menacing as it sounds

The Dungeon

I'm a day behind on my blogs, but nothing interesting has happened today, so I'll tell you about my experience with the editing panel yesterday. I wrote up my hybrid story, and brought it to Leezel. There were a few things that she did, so I fixed them, brought it back, and actually did that proces I want to say....4 times. After I got my story signed off by Leezel, I went to Mr. Feldman, or Feldy, just not baldy or oldy. :) So the whole dungeon thing that Mr. Feldman says he brings you to isnt really that scary. Its like...three chairs that are lined up. Anyways we concluded that my lead was weak and stuff so we tweaked it around a lot. The bottom of my story ended up being at the top after we were through. By the time I was done, I had revised my story six times! Whatever it takes I guess, right? So then after dinner, we went on a tour of the Union-Tribune office in hotel circle. Those presses are MASSIVE. Mr. Feldman explained that they are seperate from the building because of the vibrations. Then there was an adventure down to the pasting room. Everyone (including me) went down like three flights of stairs. Definitely got my excersise in yesterday...

Today has been pretty uneventfull. Got up at 6, packed up everything, and ate breakfast. As of now, I'm taking a break from my sports commentary on why it is the last chance for the Chargers to win a Superbowl for a long time. Its hard because I am NOT A CHARGER FAN. Negative. Never. :P Trying to make it sound good but trying to keep it fair at the same time is really hard. Hopefully I'll be able to finish it on Sunday or Monday. ~Ethan

Video: Fried foods at the San Diego County Fair

With the blending of both and old media, today's journalists must know a little bit about everything -- taking photos, shooting and editing videos and writing stories. Here's a great example of trying something new from Lighthouse reporter Annie Shields. A good first crack at shooting and editing video. Great job Annie! Just remember: -Just like when you are interviewing a person for a print story, let the subjects finish their thoughts. Try not to interrupt during the interview. -Use a tripod when possible. If you're holding the camera, try not to shake it as much. -Use the rule of thirds - when talking to a subject, try to put them off-center and not in the middle of the frame.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

and the cycle continues

Tuesday was my first interview in the real world. I went to the Del Mar Fair where I tried to find people who would talk to me about ride safety. But, me being used to interviewing high school students who feel being in The Bull's Eye, our school paper, is like being on the Channel 7 news at prime time felt real rejection for the first time. And let me tell you, rejection hurts. Strangers felt intimidated being asked questions and wouldn't even answer a question about a silly ride. Most gave snappy remarks and quickly walked away. Others were suspicious of our intentions and would not allow their names to be printed, leaving us with nothing. After a tedious couple of hours walking around in painful shoes, I left feeling unconfident with the quotes i did received and how I could develop it into a story. Today though, my mood has changed and I am for the most part happy with the article I have scrapped together. tomorrow, I will begin my second journey into the world of interviewing as I start with another skeptic for my second article. Wish me luck! -Christina

Final Draft

I am on the verge of finishing my story.Technically I have it done and am just waiting for Professor Feldman to check it off. It is really exciting to reach the end of your piece, and be able to read the product of your hard work. Though I have taken a beginning journalism and spent a year on the paper, this has been an entirely different process. Having the benefit of professionals and professors editing my work is truly expanding my knowledge of journalistic writing. I love not just being told to add a few commas, but actually having my content improved. I am learning so much. One thing that bothers me about my article is that all the people I interviewed are in Ocean beach, so doing the sensory stuff is a bit difficult. I can't just say "said Joe Smith while walking on the boardwalk," for all of them. Hopefully I will be able to apply that to my next article.-Ashley

Wednesday, June 18, 2008



You'll find some interesting things here at the University.

Take a look at what the sign in the background says, then compare it to what the sign in the frontground says.

Laughable.

CCNMA Journalism Worskshop

There are many things to see here at Point Loma Nazarene University. From the view of the ocean and calming sunsets to the architechture and friendly kitchen staff, there is a lot to see but much more business to take care of first.

While the broadcast and radio students are out creating their news pieces and shows, we the print students take notes on interviewing styles, ethics, and journalistic rights as well as toss around story ideas. We've named the paper The Lighthouse. Appropriate? Definately.

Some people have gone out already to conduct interviews. Some topics that have been covered already have been: food content and ride safety at the Del Mar fair, same-sex marriages and the new fence going up at the boarder today. We are also recieving experience in photography, online news video, and online news slideshows.

The students all seem to be getting along at this point, but in time there'll probably be some tempers flaring. We're all here for the same experience and respect each others opinions and styles. Interviews seem to be the biggest obstacle at the moment, but we are treading through with smiles on our faces and warmth in our hearts.