Happy 4th
I know I missed yesterday. I'm not going to apologize for that. It was the 4th of July. I worked half a day. I knocked off all the writing I could. I didn't even try to reach anyone. When I finished, I left and found some fireworks to watch.
I have to say, this town does 4th of July right. I've been to more impressive fireworks before—bigger budgets, bigger booms, but I don't think I've ever enjoyed a 4th like this. I arrived at the field and found probably 15,000 people sitting on the grass and watching the high school band play the classics. The band director M.C.ed his way through a few jokes. I found myself a spot in a baseball field, and the fireworks started. When they did, I scrambled for a better spot in the grass.
I've never been that close to such big fireworks before. I've been close to fireworks, small ones, but this was different. The weeping willow streams fell directly toward me. They filled the whole sky. At times, I had to turn my head to catch the edges of things.
Overall, a great show. Driving back afterward sucked, but nothing's perfect.
Today, I stalled again. I polished my stories and shipped them out. I kept gathering at the welfare story, though the details of that swiftly change. It seems that I was looking at an old copy of the laws. A newer version might let towns off the hook, but the new federal laws will cut a lot of people off from support. I'm not going to get into politics here. I have my ideas on how things should run, but hundreds or thousands of people suddenly getting their plugs pulled is a story.
But I sent out an email on that around 11. I finished polishing my stories around 12, and then I sat. The other reporter plugged away. He's been around long enough that the stories come to him. As a newcomer, I don't have that advantage, and I'm not working in a city where there's ALWAYS enough news to go around.
The editor fed me a couple ideas. They flopped, mostly. I asked if I could do a profile one of the office workers suggested, and the editor said okay. I idled for another hour, and then I went to meet the subject of the interview, take some pictures for the paper, and sit in on a meeting. Not much to report there, but I do have a funny anecdote.
I made some calls for one of the story ideas the editor fed me. I couldn't get my hands on anyone, and then a call came in. The receptionist took it, and transferred it to me. The other reporter was in the bathroom. The woman gave her name. I couldn't remember calling her, but she called form an organization one of the people I was trying to contact was in, so it was possible I called her and forgot. I asked her a few questions. She gave me a phone number and the call ended. The other reporter came out of the bathroom. I don't remember how it came out, but I mentioned the woman's name. It turned out the other reporter had called her simply to check the spelling of her name. The fact that she was associated with someone I was looking for was a complete coincidence.
On another note, I changed the site. Enjoy.
I have to say, this town does 4th of July right. I've been to more impressive fireworks before—bigger budgets, bigger booms, but I don't think I've ever enjoyed a 4th like this. I arrived at the field and found probably 15,000 people sitting on the grass and watching the high school band play the classics. The band director M.C.ed his way through a few jokes. I found myself a spot in a baseball field, and the fireworks started. When they did, I scrambled for a better spot in the grass.
I've never been that close to such big fireworks before. I've been close to fireworks, small ones, but this was different. The weeping willow streams fell directly toward me. They filled the whole sky. At times, I had to turn my head to catch the edges of things.
Overall, a great show. Driving back afterward sucked, but nothing's perfect.
Today, I stalled again. I polished my stories and shipped them out. I kept gathering at the welfare story, though the details of that swiftly change. It seems that I was looking at an old copy of the laws. A newer version might let towns off the hook, but the new federal laws will cut a lot of people off from support. I'm not going to get into politics here. I have my ideas on how things should run, but hundreds or thousands of people suddenly getting their plugs pulled is a story.
But I sent out an email on that around 11. I finished polishing my stories around 12, and then I sat. The other reporter plugged away. He's been around long enough that the stories come to him. As a newcomer, I don't have that advantage, and I'm not working in a city where there's ALWAYS enough news to go around.
The editor fed me a couple ideas. They flopped, mostly. I asked if I could do a profile one of the office workers suggested, and the editor said okay. I idled for another hour, and then I went to meet the subject of the interview, take some pictures for the paper, and sit in on a meeting. Not much to report there, but I do have a funny anecdote.
I made some calls for one of the story ideas the editor fed me. I couldn't get my hands on anyone, and then a call came in. The receptionist took it, and transferred it to me. The other reporter was in the bathroom. The woman gave her name. I couldn't remember calling her, but she called form an organization one of the people I was trying to contact was in, so it was possible I called her and forgot. I asked her a few questions. She gave me a phone number and the call ended. The other reporter came out of the bathroom. I don't remember how it came out, but I mentioned the woman's name. It turned out the other reporter had called her simply to check the spelling of her name. The fact that she was associated with someone I was looking for was a complete coincidence.
On another note, I changed the site. Enjoy.
posted by Matt Casey at 10:17 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home