Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.03.01
Current Song - Couldn't Get it Right (Climax Blues Band)
I just picked up a shift at the Shell station on Franklin Grove Road in Dixon. I'm working Tuesday from 10:30 to 5:00. There's a possible Sunday afternoon in store too. I'm only doing three days at my store next week: Friday mid, and the weekend nights at 4.
Because I picked up this extra shift, I had to make some more adjustments.
I will NOT be at the Somonauk Volleyball Regional final on Saturday afternoon. I'm going to use Saturday afternoon as time to get the Film paper put together. Hopefully I can get that settled early and start working on the Round 1 Obs piece early.
Wednesday figures to be another off day. Thursday will be spent at a Volleyball Sectional: either Eastland, Oregon or Rochelle depending on who's actually there. Friday night will have to be spent at a somewhat close football game.
Saturday afternoon will be the same as well, but I have a bad feeling there's not going to be much around. I work at 4. The best hope is for Rockford Christian to beat Oregon, and Newman to beat Sherrard - which makes a Newman home game for 1:00 usually. An Oregon-Sherrard rematch may also work, but will be cutting it close. If EPC beats Downs Tri-Valley, they'll host Morrison. If the game is in Lanark, that may also work. These are the only scanerios for Saturday.
Friday's scenarios look dim.
At least I'm getting some hours.
I hope I pass the audition!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Next Great Debate
Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.92.01
Current Song - Break my Stride (Matthew Wilder)
In the turn of this century, there was much talk about the expansion of football classes. It was the first hot topic discussed on Illinois high school sports message boards, I'm sure.
Then a couple of years later, there was an even greater hot topic. Many message boards even laid out rules regarding the public-private debate, which included such things as the Multiplier.
A couple of years later, another hot topic was debated. However, the class expansion wave didn't generate as much talk as the public-private debate did.
I'm predicting a pattern here. Whatever is the next great debate may be as big as public-private.
I believe Geographical Competition will be the next biggest thing to debate. Included in this are sectional complexes, and the ever-growing call for 1-32 seeding in football.
---
It's Wednesday, so that means I'm trying to plan my week.
I'm getting more money at work. At first I thought I was going to need new shoes, but they are okay at the moment. My shoes got torn up while walking along the muddy Rock Falls football sideline this past Friday. I'm aiming for 28.5 hours this week. I work tomorrow afternoon, Friday afternoon, and the weekend nights. That's another $200 to put in safe keeping. I think it'll be the richest I've ever been when I get next week's paycheck.
I'm going to write the F5 when I get home from work tomorrow afternoon. Friday afternoon will be work, and then straight to the Sterling-LP game that I'm covering. I will be in the press box for this one, that way I can try to improve my stat keeping.
Hopefully I can make it to the Somonauk VB Regional on Saturday, and cover it. I'll be passing out candy for Halloween while at work. That leaves Round 1 Observations left to do.
I'm actually going to postpone Round 1 Observations until Tuesday morning. That's because I have this all-important two-page paper to write about a film we saw in class. The film is called "Bicycle Thieves," which is an Italian film often called one of the best ever made. I'm going to spend all day Sunday and all day Monday working on it. Luckilly I found a complete print on YouTube.
That leaves a column and a blog proposal on the backburner for now. I'm going to have to cancel an appearance at the PJStar Message Board get-together. That is, unless I can rush through the F5 and have time to start the Film paper. Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. I'm also going to have to register for my Sauk classes for spring.
Current Song - Break my Stride (Matthew Wilder)
In the turn of this century, there was much talk about the expansion of football classes. It was the first hot topic discussed on Illinois high school sports message boards, I'm sure.
Then a couple of years later, there was an even greater hot topic. Many message boards even laid out rules regarding the public-private debate, which included such things as the Multiplier.
A couple of years later, another hot topic was debated. However, the class expansion wave didn't generate as much talk as the public-private debate did.
I'm predicting a pattern here. Whatever is the next great debate may be as big as public-private.
I believe Geographical Competition will be the next biggest thing to debate. Included in this are sectional complexes, and the ever-growing call for 1-32 seeding in football.
---
It's Wednesday, so that means I'm trying to plan my week.
I'm getting more money at work. At first I thought I was going to need new shoes, but they are okay at the moment. My shoes got torn up while walking along the muddy Rock Falls football sideline this past Friday. I'm aiming for 28.5 hours this week. I work tomorrow afternoon, Friday afternoon, and the weekend nights. That's another $200 to put in safe keeping. I think it'll be the richest I've ever been when I get next week's paycheck.
I'm going to write the F5 when I get home from work tomorrow afternoon. Friday afternoon will be work, and then straight to the Sterling-LP game that I'm covering. I will be in the press box for this one, that way I can try to improve my stat keeping.
Hopefully I can make it to the Somonauk VB Regional on Saturday, and cover it. I'll be passing out candy for Halloween while at work. That leaves Round 1 Observations left to do.
I'm actually going to postpone Round 1 Observations until Tuesday morning. That's because I have this all-important two-page paper to write about a film we saw in class. The film is called "Bicycle Thieves," which is an Italian film often called one of the best ever made. I'm going to spend all day Sunday and all day Monday working on it. Luckilly I found a complete print on YouTube.
That leaves a column and a blog proposal on the backburner for now. I'm going to have to cancel an appearance at the PJStar Message Board get-together. That is, unless I can rush through the F5 and have time to start the Film paper. Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. I'm also going to have to register for my Sauk classes for spring.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
More Site Talk
Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.82.9002
Current Song - Don't Sleep in the Subway (Petula Clark)
When I started the site, the message board began with many NCIprep holdovers. The posters were from bits and pieces from all over the place. Many retired, except for the ones closer to Sterling. They helped bring in many new message board posters from around their area.
Many times I had tried to think of a way to get more posters on the message board. I tried flyers, and even tried mailing letters to each school. Nothing really brought people to the boards. It just had to take some time. Now, I think I've pinpointed the general area of the board's popularity.
Current Song - Don't Sleep in the Subway (Petula Clark)
When I started the site, the message board began with many NCIprep holdovers. The posters were from bits and pieces from all over the place. Many retired, except for the ones closer to Sterling. They helped bring in many new message board posters from around their area.
Many times I had tried to think of a way to get more posters on the message board. I tried flyers, and even tried mailing letters to each school. Nothing really brought people to the boards. It just had to take some time. Now, I think I've pinpointed the general area of the board's popularity.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Free days
Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.12.90
Current Song - Shattered Dreams (Johnny Hates Jazz)
Now that I'm working a little more often, I find myself excited at the opportunity of getting a Free Day. A free day means no work and no classes. Today is a free day. A free day is fun until the end, where you have to plan the rest of the week until your next free day.
I have the pressure of two exams and two pieces of homework lifted from me. I've got things on the website done. Now what?
I've got to get my paycheck, make my monthly car insurance payment, and put a portion of that in my savings.
I work on Thursday night, Friday afternoon, and the weekend nights. There's nothing real good going on tonight. I'm going to Rock Falls-Rockridge on Friday night, and can't really go anywhere else until next Wednesday, and it's going to be the usual nothing. I'm also going to be at work for Pairings Night, too, which is a big disappointment.
As far as the first round of the playoffs goes, I think I'm going to find a good Friday night football game and cover a Volleyball Regional on Saturday afternoon. All that plus the usual written banter on NISB.
I wouldn't be surprised to see next week's post look just like this one.
Current Song - Shattered Dreams (Johnny Hates Jazz)
Now that I'm working a little more often, I find myself excited at the opportunity of getting a Free Day. A free day means no work and no classes. Today is a free day. A free day is fun until the end, where you have to plan the rest of the week until your next free day.
I have the pressure of two exams and two pieces of homework lifted from me. I've got things on the website done. Now what?
I've got to get my paycheck, make my monthly car insurance payment, and put a portion of that in my savings.
I work on Thursday night, Friday afternoon, and the weekend nights. There's nothing real good going on tonight. I'm going to Rock Falls-Rockridge on Friday night, and can't really go anywhere else until next Wednesday, and it's going to be the usual nothing. I'm also going to be at work for Pairings Night, too, which is a big disappointment.
As far as the first round of the playoffs goes, I think I'm going to find a good Friday night football game and cover a Volleyball Regional on Saturday afternoon. All that plus the usual written banter on NISB.
I wouldn't be surprised to see next week's post look just like this one.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Hours!
Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.41.01
Current Song - Everybody Everybody (Black Box)
I got more hours at work, but it was due to a very unfortunate circumstance. One of the women there, who is really good at what she does, was let go. We're trying to fill in her hours, and I'm going to work Thursday night, Friday afternoon, and my usual weekend. The paycheck is going to double, and that should work out well for my school/insurance payments. However, I still can't believe she is gone.
With my Thursday plans (Moline-Quincy VB) cancelled, I tried to find the best Wednesday event. Turns out a volleyball game between Freeport and Rockford East was the best one, as the two teams were 1-2 seeds at their Regional tournament. The match didn't turn out to be a good one, as Freeport stomped on East. I ended up just posting a score on the message board.
Hopefully I can get out of work at a decent time to make it up to the Alden-Hebron/Rockford Christian game. If I can't get that far, then the crosstown showdown between the two Belvidere schools will do.
The coming days are going to be VERY hectic. I've got an essay to do for the film class. I've got a math test to study for, and a film mid-term as well. The football article, Friday 5 and Weekly observations piece too. Plus work. In fact, I forgot to do the Fake Polls for last week. I think I can try to see what I can get done tonight before passing out.
Current Song - Everybody Everybody (Black Box)
I got more hours at work, but it was due to a very unfortunate circumstance. One of the women there, who is really good at what she does, was let go. We're trying to fill in her hours, and I'm going to work Thursday night, Friday afternoon, and my usual weekend. The paycheck is going to double, and that should work out well for my school/insurance payments. However, I still can't believe she is gone.
With my Thursday plans (Moline-Quincy VB) cancelled, I tried to find the best Wednesday event. Turns out a volleyball game between Freeport and Rockford East was the best one, as the two teams were 1-2 seeds at their Regional tournament. The match didn't turn out to be a good one, as Freeport stomped on East. I ended up just posting a score on the message board.
Hopefully I can get out of work at a decent time to make it up to the Alden-Hebron/Rockford Christian game. If I can't get that far, then the crosstown showdown between the two Belvidere schools will do.
The coming days are going to be VERY hectic. I've got an essay to do for the film class. I've got a math test to study for, and a film mid-term as well. The football article, Friday 5 and Weekly observations piece too. Plus work. In fact, I forgot to do the Fake Polls for last week. I think I can try to see what I can get done tonight before passing out.
There's always time
Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.41.01
Current Song - Easy Lover (Phil Collins/Philip Bailey)
I frequent the SportsJournalists.com message board. I usually go there for tips on how to improve myself as a high school sportswriter.
I'm not in a serious job hunt at this time, but today's tip came from a topic calling for a writer at the Quincy Herald-Whig.
It was about what to put in a portfolio.
I think most good-sized papers ask for a portfolio of five pieces. The advice was to not put all gamers in it, or even four gamers out of the five. I should put a variety of pieces in it.
I haven't inquired at a newspaper since leaving Sauk Valley Newspapers five years ago. I only flirted with openings at the BCR and QC Times, and even those were longshots. Even though I know darn well not to fill it up with gamers, it did make me think about exactly what to put together.
So what's out there? There's game stories, feature articles and columns. That's three. I figure I should get my best game story, my best feature story and my best column. I should put them together with the two ICCJA award-winning pieces (a gamer and a feature).
1. "Not So Fast" - a men's basketball gamer written for the SVCC Voyager in 2007 between Sauk and Black Hawk East. This won second place for best gamer. However, after looking at it one more time the lead looks real crappy.
2. "Young, But Determined" - a volleyball feature written for the Highland Chronicle in 2008 as a team preview. This got honorable mention in 2009.
After that, I'm real weary about putting any piece from NISB in my portfolio. So I have to look deep into the SVN vault. Hopefully spring/summer 2004 isn't too old.
3. "Oh, What a Season!: It was the stuff dreams were made of" - My 100-plus-inch feature on Rock Falls Softball's season and fourth-place finish at the Class A State Tournament in 2004. And yes, it DID run. It may have been the first wrap-around in the sports section in quite some time. The paper does this a lot now.
4. "Sterling's Chiu wins one to write home about" - A gamer of the NCIC boy's tennis meet. Exchange student Koon Chiu was a part of the winning No. 1 Doubles team. Its my best non-Rock Falls and non-softball gamer. The portfolio is supposed to be diverse, right?
The final piece in the portfolio is a column. I only wrote a handful of columns for SVN, but I shouldn't include a third piece from 2004. At the same time I hate digging through the NISB archive, but I think I have no choice.
5. "The Trial of Steve Sandholm" - Yes, THAT one. A copy of it sits somewhere in Sandholm's lawyer's file cabinet.
If there's any other suggestions, or general suggestions, feel free to let me know.
---
Another suggestion from the message board topic was to have some sort of background in design. The only layout I currently do is with a website. Of the five semesters I have worked with a college newspaper, I had design experience in two of them. It was with Quark, and I think most papers have transitioned to InDesign - which I have no experience with at all. InDesign costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $500. Do I really have to cough up that much just to toy with it on my own?
It's like the job interview I once had for being a pizza delivery driver (before working at gas stations). "Have you ever held cash?" Well, where do I start???
Have I ever worked with InDesign? No. But how do I start?
Current Song - Easy Lover (Phil Collins/Philip Bailey)
I frequent the SportsJournalists.com message board. I usually go there for tips on how to improve myself as a high school sportswriter.
I'm not in a serious job hunt at this time, but today's tip came from a topic calling for a writer at the Quincy Herald-Whig.
It was about what to put in a portfolio.
I think most good-sized papers ask for a portfolio of five pieces. The advice was to not put all gamers in it, or even four gamers out of the five. I should put a variety of pieces in it.
I haven't inquired at a newspaper since leaving Sauk Valley Newspapers five years ago. I only flirted with openings at the BCR and QC Times, and even those were longshots. Even though I know darn well not to fill it up with gamers, it did make me think about exactly what to put together.
So what's out there? There's game stories, feature articles and columns. That's three. I figure I should get my best game story, my best feature story and my best column. I should put them together with the two ICCJA award-winning pieces (a gamer and a feature).
1. "Not So Fast" - a men's basketball gamer written for the SVCC Voyager in 2007 between Sauk and Black Hawk East. This won second place for best gamer. However, after looking at it one more time the lead looks real crappy.
2. "Young, But Determined" - a volleyball feature written for the Highland Chronicle in 2008 as a team preview. This got honorable mention in 2009.
After that, I'm real weary about putting any piece from NISB in my portfolio. So I have to look deep into the SVN vault. Hopefully spring/summer 2004 isn't too old.
3. "Oh, What a Season!: It was the stuff dreams were made of" - My 100-plus-inch feature on Rock Falls Softball's season and fourth-place finish at the Class A State Tournament in 2004. And yes, it DID run. It may have been the first wrap-around in the sports section in quite some time. The paper does this a lot now.
4. "Sterling's Chiu wins one to write home about" - A gamer of the NCIC boy's tennis meet. Exchange student Koon Chiu was a part of the winning No. 1 Doubles team. Its my best non-Rock Falls and non-softball gamer. The portfolio is supposed to be diverse, right?
The final piece in the portfolio is a column. I only wrote a handful of columns for SVN, but I shouldn't include a third piece from 2004. At the same time I hate digging through the NISB archive, but I think I have no choice.
5. "The Trial of Steve Sandholm" - Yes, THAT one. A copy of it sits somewhere in Sandholm's lawyer's file cabinet.
If there's any other suggestions, or general suggestions, feel free to let me know.
---
Another suggestion from the message board topic was to have some sort of background in design. The only layout I currently do is with a website. Of the five semesters I have worked with a college newspaper, I had design experience in two of them. It was with Quark, and I think most papers have transitioned to InDesign - which I have no experience with at all. InDesign costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $500. Do I really have to cough up that much just to toy with it on my own?
It's like the job interview I once had for being a pizza delivery driver (before working at gas stations). "Have you ever held cash?" Well, where do I start???
Have I ever worked with InDesign? No. But how do I start?
Monday, October 12, 2009
Crap!
Cutter’s Log – Stardate 9002.21.01
Current Song – Get Down (Gilbert O’Sullivan)
The computer got H1N1, or something like that.
My computer was offset by a virus on Friday, which seemed to come out of nowhere. I had to take the computer down to the shop to get repaired. It’s still there as of this write. I’m working at the SVCC Computer Lab at the moment, where the internet was down for quite a while. It’s up now.
So I’m trying to find a way to access the website. I tried at my grandmother's house, but her computer is too slow. So I'm at SVCC. I have to download a plugin to my traveldrive, and from there end up downloading the site tools from the Internet onto the computer's desktop. I have to be sure to erase my things once i leave the computer. The next day I'll have to do the downloading over again.
Therefore, I had to cancel my plans to cover the Riverdale-St. Bede game on Friday night. It turned out to be a very good game as Riverdale won 23-22. I also had to cancel plans to take pictures of the Dixon VB Invite, and cover the Sterling Boys Golf Sectional, which is going on right now. I haven’t event written the Observations piece yet, or tallied up the Pick’ems yet.
I had to find out some scores the old fashioned way – by reading the newspaper. That’s how I found out Rock Falls defeated Hall. In the short time I read the weekend’s activity on the boards, I am surprised that this huge upset did not generate more talk than the ONE post. There were many posts on the expected Sterling blowout of Streator. It baffles me a bit. With the win, Rock Falls moves to 3-4 on the season. They play winless Kewanee this week, and could very well be 4-4 heading into the final week. This hasn’t happened since 2003, and I clearly remember this talk.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Sterling alum. I like the Sterling talk on there. There doesn’t need to be less of it. I just wish there were other schools and fans of these other schools that would make their voices heard as much as Sterling fans do.
I know where I’m going for Week 9!
Current Song – Get Down (Gilbert O’Sullivan)
The computer got H1N1, or something like that.
My computer was offset by a virus on Friday, which seemed to come out of nowhere. I had to take the computer down to the shop to get repaired. It’s still there as of this write. I’m working at the SVCC Computer Lab at the moment, where the internet was down for quite a while. It’s up now.
So I’m trying to find a way to access the website. I tried at my grandmother's house, but her computer is too slow. So I'm at SVCC. I have to download a plugin to my traveldrive, and from there end up downloading the site tools from the Internet onto the computer's desktop. I have to be sure to erase my things once i leave the computer. The next day I'll have to do the downloading over again.
Therefore, I had to cancel my plans to cover the Riverdale-St. Bede game on Friday night. It turned out to be a very good game as Riverdale won 23-22. I also had to cancel plans to take pictures of the Dixon VB Invite, and cover the Sterling Boys Golf Sectional, which is going on right now. I haven’t event written the Observations piece yet, or tallied up the Pick’ems yet.
I had to find out some scores the old fashioned way – by reading the newspaper. That’s how I found out Rock Falls defeated Hall. In the short time I read the weekend’s activity on the boards, I am surprised that this huge upset did not generate more talk than the ONE post. There were many posts on the expected Sterling blowout of Streator. It baffles me a bit. With the win, Rock Falls moves to 3-4 on the season. They play winless Kewanee this week, and could very well be 4-4 heading into the final week. This hasn’t happened since 2003, and I clearly remember this talk.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Sterling alum. I like the Sterling talk on there. There doesn’t need to be less of it. I just wish there were other schools and fans of these other schools that would make their voices heard as much as Sterling fans do.
I know where I’m going for Week 9!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Digital Camera on last leg
Current Song - Stardate 9002.90.01
Current Song - Grease (Frankie Valli)
I was covering the AFC-Orangeville volleyball meet tonight, and had my digital camera with me. Earlier in the year I thought it would be good to take a couple of pictures of the events I cover.
The camera is a Canon Powershot A95. I got it from my grandparents on my high school graduation. I graduated in May of 2005, so it's probably five years old. In fact, I know it's old because the flashcard that came with it is one that is not sold in stores anymore.
It worked real well when I was taking pictures for the site early on. It still works well for still images. It just can't muster any action shots anymore. The pictures keep getting blurry and the zoom sucks. It's like I need to be a few feet away in order to have a chance at a good shot. I can't really do that while I'm covering a game.
Maybe it was this double-duty thing that made the pics look bad. I'll try the camera one more time, when I head for the Dixon VB Invitational on Saturday afternoon. If it doesn't work out, then who knows what I'll be doing.
It's not a piece of junk just yet. Like I said, it does well for stand-alone shots and works well for Glory Days trips and vacations.
Current Song - Grease (Frankie Valli)
I was covering the AFC-Orangeville volleyball meet tonight, and had my digital camera with me. Earlier in the year I thought it would be good to take a couple of pictures of the events I cover.
The camera is a Canon Powershot A95. I got it from my grandparents on my high school graduation. I graduated in May of 2005, so it's probably five years old. In fact, I know it's old because the flashcard that came with it is one that is not sold in stores anymore.
It worked real well when I was taking pictures for the site early on. It still works well for still images. It just can't muster any action shots anymore. The pictures keep getting blurry and the zoom sucks. It's like I need to be a few feet away in order to have a chance at a good shot. I can't really do that while I'm covering a game.
Maybe it was this double-duty thing that made the pics look bad. I'll try the camera one more time, when I head for the Dixon VB Invitational on Saturday afternoon. If it doesn't work out, then who knows what I'll be doing.
It's not a piece of junk just yet. Like I said, it does well for stand-alone shots and works well for Glory Days trips and vacations.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Found a few?
Cutter's Log - Supplemental
I made a search for weekly newspapers from around the SV area. I found the Fulton Journal, the Carroll County Mirror-Democrat, the Carroll County Reporter and the Savanna Times-Journal. I also got a Polo paper today. I have read the Amboy and Ashton papers online.
Fulton has two high schools: Fulton and Unity. Carroll County has three: Eastland, Milledgeville and West Carroll. Polo just has Polo. Amboy just has Amboy and Ashton just has AFC.
Each will hear from me.
I made a search for weekly newspapers from around the SV area. I found the Fulton Journal, the Carroll County Mirror-Democrat, the Carroll County Reporter and the Savanna Times-Journal. I also got a Polo paper today. I have read the Amboy and Ashton papers online.
Fulton has two high schools: Fulton and Unity. Carroll County has three: Eastland, Milledgeville and West Carroll. Polo just has Polo. Amboy just has Amboy and Ashton just has AFC.
Each will hear from me.
Payday
Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.70.01
Current Song - Smiling Faces (The Undisputed Truth)
Today is payday - so I'm getting my meager $120ish. I have my final college payment coming in 10 days, and hopefully I won't have to w/d anything from my savings to cover for it.
I was digging through my desk a couple of days ago and found an uncashed birthday check from April. It's still good, and it's more money that came from nowhere. If only life could work like that ... lol.
I drove to Erie to buy an Erie Review. It seems as if Riverdale sports are well-covered because an athlete from each team is writing the stories. Didn't see anything on Riverdale football, or any of Erie sports (save EP football). It's a great concept, really. However, if I were to fill in the missing blanks, it may bring a writing style/philos conflict that I don't want to occur. If anything, I would like to encourage Erie students to do the same thing as Riverdale does.
So call my aspirations for the Erie Review dead in the water, too. I'm going to try Fulton, Amboy and Ashton. I think there's also a Polo and/or Mt. Carroll paper?
Current Song - Smiling Faces (The Undisputed Truth)
Today is payday - so I'm getting my meager $120ish. I have my final college payment coming in 10 days, and hopefully I won't have to w/d anything from my savings to cover for it.
I was digging through my desk a couple of days ago and found an uncashed birthday check from April. It's still good, and it's more money that came from nowhere. If only life could work like that ... lol.
I drove to Erie to buy an Erie Review. It seems as if Riverdale sports are well-covered because an athlete from each team is writing the stories. Didn't see anything on Riverdale football, or any of Erie sports (save EP football). It's a great concept, really. However, if I were to fill in the missing blanks, it may bring a writing style/philos conflict that I don't want to occur. If anything, I would like to encourage Erie students to do the same thing as Riverdale does.
So call my aspirations for the Erie Review dead in the water, too. I'm going to try Fulton, Amboy and Ashton. I think there's also a Polo and/or Mt. Carroll paper?
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Work Update
Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.60.01
Current Song - I Can Dream About You (Dan Hartman)
I can pretty much call the Rt. 30 thing stuck in the water. They rehired someone, a former night worker, who is known for her flexability. She even helped out at my station a few times. This is coupled with the if-the-new-girl-doesn't-work-out backup plan.
I have thought about getting a Monday-thru-Friday (or Thursday) first-shift job somewhere. That would make Shell the part-time gig. But where could I get that first-shift thing?
Actually, the biggest question is 'am i up to it?' It would involve getting up at 6:00 a.m. and getting off sometime around 5:00. I would still have time for high school sports on Wednesday-Friday nights, that is if I'm not falling flat when I come home. Well, pizza delivery? Erie Review?
Current Song - I Can Dream About You (Dan Hartman)
I can pretty much call the Rt. 30 thing stuck in the water. They rehired someone, a former night worker, who is known for her flexability. She even helped out at my station a few times. This is coupled with the if-the-new-girl-doesn't-work-out backup plan.
I have thought about getting a Monday-thru-Friday (or Thursday) first-shift job somewhere. That would make Shell the part-time gig. But where could I get that first-shift thing?
Actually, the biggest question is 'am i up to it?' It would involve getting up at 6:00 a.m. and getting off sometime around 5:00. I would still have time for high school sports on Wednesday-Friday nights, that is if I'm not falling flat when I come home. Well, pizza delivery? Erie Review?
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Silver
Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.40.01
Current Song - Jack and Jill (Raydio)
I've recently become interested in finding silver coins.
So I guess that's another one minute of time wasted at the gas station. The price of silver as of this entry is $16.65/ounce. I've got $1.25 face value, which translates to a minimum asking price of $14.87. I'm going to keep the Peace Dollar I have, so the $0.25 I've actually garnered translates into $2.92.
Current Song - Jack and Jill (Raydio)
I've recently become interested in finding silver coins.
So I guess that's another one minute of time wasted at the gas station. The price of silver as of this entry is $16.65/ounce. I've got $1.25 face value, which translates to a minimum asking price of $14.87. I'm going to keep the Peace Dollar I have, so the $0.25 I've actually garnered translates into $2.92.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
At the tip of the tongue - crap I can't talk!
Cutter's Log - Stardate 9002.30.01
Current Song - The Best Is Yet To Come (Frank Sinatra)
I had a career-changing, if not life-changing, experience at the Sterling-Morris football game on Friday night.
In 5 of my 7 years of high school sportswriting I had been writing articles that had some sort of quoted matter in them. Only for 1/4 of these five years had I actually found the courage to strike up a conversation to get quotes. That 1/4 was when I was working at the newspaper. The rest of the time while running NISB I have just sat back and let the newspaper reporters do their thing. After all, they are on a deadline and I don't want to distrupt their train of thought.
They think I just stand there with a recorder just to get some free information. I just don't want to distrupt the writer.
However, there are a lot of times when my social ineffectiveness kicks in. It really did at this football game. I WANTED to talk, but I COULDN'T.
If I want to keep going in this career goal to be a high school sportswriter, conducting an interview is one of the things I have to excel at. I can't just sit back and tune in anymore, but at the same time I don't want to interfere with the other writers' mindset.
I need to find good games/meets that are less likely to be covered by a newspaper reporter, and cover them myself. The problem is, where? And how will this effect the following on NISB?
I've got one football game in mind for next week. Hopefully all will go well there. Hopefully laying off the real big games will help bring a more diverse audience to NISB.
Current Song - The Best Is Yet To Come (Frank Sinatra)
I had a career-changing, if not life-changing, experience at the Sterling-Morris football game on Friday night.
In 5 of my 7 years of high school sportswriting I had been writing articles that had some sort of quoted matter in them. Only for 1/4 of these five years had I actually found the courage to strike up a conversation to get quotes. That 1/4 was when I was working at the newspaper. The rest of the time while running NISB I have just sat back and let the newspaper reporters do their thing. After all, they are on a deadline and I don't want to distrupt their train of thought.
They think I just stand there with a recorder just to get some free information. I just don't want to distrupt the writer.
However, there are a lot of times when my social ineffectiveness kicks in. It really did at this football game. I WANTED to talk, but I COULDN'T.
If I want to keep going in this career goal to be a high school sportswriter, conducting an interview is one of the things I have to excel at. I can't just sit back and tune in anymore, but at the same time I don't want to interfere with the other writers' mindset.
I need to find good games/meets that are less likely to be covered by a newspaper reporter, and cover them myself. The problem is, where? And how will this effect the following on NISB?
I've got one football game in mind for next week. Hopefully all will go well there. Hopefully laying off the real big games will help bring a more diverse audience to NISB.
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