Always with the changes

We're almost done, done with the last issue of the semester. While waiting for my last stories as News editor to come in and avoiding my poli sci paper due tomorrow, I cheated and read the senior columns in jetset. Individually, none of them really got to me, but collectively, they made me feel sad. I know it's probably much harder on the seniors, since they're the ones actually leaving, but I too am sad to see them go.

I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm worried about being lost without their guidance. I'm scared about not being ready to fill the shoes they're leaving. And most of all, I'm concerned about how much I'm going to miss them. And worst of all, there's nothing I can do about it.

This is why I hate change.

Another series of fires

It is frustrating being a student journalist. This is something I've pointed out before. I mention it again because it continues to be true. Remember the fires in Pullman last November? I got an early morning phone call about the fire, skipped my first class, and spent the morning covering the fire with Lisa and Victor.

Last night, or early this morning if you prefer, I got a phone call from a photographer at 2 a.m. Apparently, a series of small fires had been set around campus. I got out of bed, don't even change out of my pajamas, and headed to the largest residence hall on campus, which had been evacuated. On the way I call Lisa and Victor and they head to campus to help.

I needed to find out what happened exactly, but the firefighters were busy. Unwilling to give up, I waited outside the residence hall until 3:30 to speak to the Fire Captain on the scene. I got my information, went back to the office, wrote an online story which went up at 4:11 a.m. and returned to my bed by 4:30. I spent the next hour lying awake trying to thaw from my exposure to the elements.

I share all this not to complain. Sure it was difficult, but breaking news is the kind of stuff journalists live for. I was simply disappointed because all my effort wasn't enough. I came into the office this morning at around 8:30 only to discover that an arrest in relation to the fires had been made. A couple hours sleep and we were already behind on the story again, and rather than updating the web version, I had to go to class. There was no skipping possibility this time.

Luckily, Lisa was able to work on the story all day. In the end, I think we made up for the late morning update, but I still wish we hadn't had the gap in our coverage. I ended up having to cancel my news meeting in the afternoon so I could go to the courthouse for the first court appearance of the suspects.

Lisa and I shared a byline for the November fire article and we'll share another in tomorrow's paper. Victor has also been on scene with us both times. He's great for moral support and is always a back up notetaker and helps edit online updates. Apparently we have become quite the reporting trio when it comes to arson coverage.

Portland Part Three

Sunday morning we returned to Pullman. The drive was long and Mother Nature apparently hates Washtucna. Snow/hail/sleet caused the car in front of us to spin off the road. Dan and Victor pushed the car back onto the road and the young driver followed behind us until the Colfax turn off. The rest of the highway 26 had similar bursts of awfulness followed by completely normal stretches.

We made it to Pullman in time for budget and worked to put out Monday's paper. After a couple hours at work, Pullman looked like it was December, not March.

I was going to take photos from my phone to document the trip, but I forgot. All I got was a photo of a dirty van at a rest stop, Victor driving, and a blurry train. I failed to get a photo of a sign for the town Rufus.

Portland Part Two

We woke up Saturday morning and Victor's adorable parents had prepared a breakfast spread for everyone. We returned to the conference, just missing the keynote speaker. Some of the sessions were good, others were boring and useless. One in particular, where the speaker and member of the audience bonded over having awful childhoods, was odd and uncomfortable. We spent the last session of the day sitting in the back of the room working on the Tony Bennett story. This post and this post were written during the session.

When the conference ended, the group of us sought food. While waiting to be seated, Mel and I went to the Nordstrom rack that was right across the street from the restaurant. We bought shoes, as did Dan, but they unfortunately gave him two right ones. Once fed, we returned to Victor's house and I tried to snuggle with his cat which would have none of it. But it adored Victor.

Portland Part One

One week ago today, a group of us at the Evergreen headed to Portland for the regional Society of Professional Journalists conference.

Part One: Friday

The journey began early in the morning with three staffers each in two cars. The drive was long and not particularly pleasant. I have nothing else to say about it.

The other car arrived at Victor's house (where we were staying) first. My driver got a bit lost and we arrived about a half an hour later. We changed our clothes and Brian hogged the iron. We then headed to the awards banquet. The Evergreen picked up seven awards, 3 for columns, 3 for photos, and one for breaking news reporting. Much my horror, The Daily from UW won best student newspaper.

Conference organizers tried to get the 30 people or so at the banquet to mingle, but we would have none of it. We left after the awards and walked to the mall so Melanie and I could take advantage of no sales tax. We both bought dresses. When the boys had enough, we returned to Victor's.

I'd hoped for a smile ...

Yesterday, I was elected to be The Daily Evergeen's editor-in-chief for fall 2008. The experience was surprising. I became more nervous than I thought I would be and I didn't feel at all like I thought I would when I heard I had won.

I thought long and hard about the decision to run. The paper has become my life. As I noted in my presentation, this past year I've spent more time in the newsroom than out of it. I ran for editor-in-chief because I believed it was the best thing I could do for the paper I care about so much.

More experience would always be nice, but I know myself well enough not to do something I'm not ready for. Reactions were not what I expected, but at the end of the day I'm looking forward to next fall.

I know I can do it, and not just because I have to. I wouldn't have run otherwise. I'm glad to be editor-in-chief. I've had great examples to learn from and I hope to be as successful as the editors before me.

On catching my attention

As News editor I get 20 to 50 e-mails a day, depending on the day of the week. I am annoyed by most of them and delete at least half. Others I flag to return to at a later time and the handful of useful ones I print and add to my clipboard.

Today I got a cute little card in my real mailbox about the College of Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition. "I guess I'll send a reporter to this," I said to Lisa. She in turn pointed out how this is a perfect example of contradictions in my character.

"If you had been e-mailed the same information, you would have deleted it," she said. "But because they sent an actual invitation, you're going to send a reporter."

This is true. Had it been an e-mail, I would have ignored it and the student body would never hear about the poster competition. But because the College of Sciences put in the extra effort to make me feel like they really wanted the Evergreen to be there, I'm more willing to comply with their request.

I should note that telling me in an e-mail that a story is VERY NEWSWORTHY does not count as putting in extra effort to catch my attention. When I receive 50 e-mails a day, if you want coverage your event better actually be newsworthy or you should do something to make me like you better. Cute cards are apparently effective, though nothing can make up for a story that has no relevance to our readers.

WSU Elections

We made it through ASWSU elections last night. It didn't feel as stressful as I remember last year being, but perhaps that was because I was on the other side of things. It may also have been because I was not as enraged by the results.

I know exactly how Jimmy felt as he sat at the computer frantically flipping through his notes. The ASWSU reporter, Alex, was surprising calm. Rikki and I both covered elections night last year. One year later, we're both in editor positions. It seems like a fast transition and it makes me nervous to think where I'll be another year from now.

I made it back to my room at around 11:20 p.m. and I discovered that the Elections Board did not call senators who won. A write-in candidate was stressing out in my suite and thought he'd have to wait until tomorrow to find out the results. I told him that he had won and said I was surprised no one had called him. "How were they supposed to get my number?" he asked.

I thought it was funny that people unfamiliar with tracking down contact information for individuals don't realize how usually, it's pretty easy.

Journalism and College

Yesterday, I did something I haven't really be able to do in a while. I wrote an update to the fraternity in trouble story the Evergreen broke on Thursday.

In the middle of my day of reporting, making phone calls and waiting for people to return them, I had to go to COM 295 (the news writing class), where I was supposed to learn to do exactly what I was already doing. It was speech writing day, so I had to listen to a speaker for 30 minutes. All I could think about was how my time could be used much more beneficially elsewhere. I had my article for the class finished before the speaker was done talking. I waited for him to finish before I turned it in, but the prof still gave me a very skeptical look for being done so quickly. At the time, I didn't care. I had more important things to care about.

This is part of the difficulty of being a student journalist. We try to do everything any other newspaper would do, but we have to fit classes in each day also.

In the evening, I moderated The Daily Evergreen ASWSU Presidential Debate. Brian was the timer. Afterward, I had another rare experience. Someone interviewed me for his broadcast class. I didn't want to, but in the end, decided to help him out. It was weird to be on the other end of the questions.

A Newsroom Experiment

For the entertainment section, MiX, the newsroom staff has decided we will each try "Fad diets" for a week. I have volunteered to try the Special K diet where I replace two meals a day with cereal and get to have a normal third meal. I am into day one, and hungry, but I suspect most of the hunger is probably in my head at this point.

My first complaint:

Part of the appeal of the Special K diet is that although you are eating cereal for two meals a day, there are a variety of cereal flavors. I do not like fruit in my cereal, so that eliminated many of the options for me, but I had high hopes for their Chocolatey Delight flavor. Unfortunately, it was not in the two stores I looked and I am now bitter about it. This means it'll be Original and Vanilla Almond for the next week. I was, however, able to find Chocolatey Delight Special K cereal bars. I get two snacks a day.

More complaints will follow in the coming week.

Other diets staffers are trying include a raw diet, a red, green, or white diet excluding food from countries with flags of those colors, and a grapefruit diet.

By the end of the week the staff is going to be very crabby.

Not a morning person

I am not skilled when it comes to technology. I am not a morning person. Thus, I am even less skilled with technology in the morning. I am even less of a morning person before coffee.

Now that these premises are established, the following story hopefully sounds a bit less mean.

When I came to the office before class this morning, a reporter was trying to get in. I unlocked the door and went to check my e-mail and drink my coffee. The reporter need to print something.

"The printer is not working," he said. "It cut off the page. Can you fix it?"

This reporter knows I do not do technology.

I gave him a blank look, which soon became a silent glare. He left my desk, which was my goal all along.

Don't worry though, the glare impact will not be long lasting. He'll be back soon enough.

Best Presidents' Day by far

Over 800 miles in four days
In a wet and moldy car
With a friend I see every day
To visit a friend we haven't seen in a while

The CD player was annoying
Lisa read aloud from Unreasonable Behaviour
I tried to turn up her volume
It did not work

I had Irish cream
But not in coffee
To celebrate St. Paddy's Day
He is better than St. Valentine

After grilled cheese, we visited the ocean
Played in the waves and on the rocks
Then looked at Tom Cruise while eating burritos
Before learning where the blood will be

We ate ice cream at Billy's
And felt like small children
But we beat Oregon
And later mocked a stupid truck

I visited home
To de-mold my car
So my friends could visit my farm
Where a goat skull greeted us

Later there were guns and a goose
Thumbless emus and a green egg
We visited the bone yard
My father offered Jacob a cow pelvis

We began our return early
Got giant pancakes at The Rusty Tractor
Lisa took someone's drink (by accident)
Adventure over, we made it back in time for work

Two days till the weekend

The snow has not killed me but this week of 16 hour days just might. I learned in my economics class that currently I am functioning outside of my Productions Possibilities Frontier. The feat is possible, but not sustainable. After I get into a routine of newspaper and classes again I expect things to calm down. Until then, this has been a long week. I don't have the energy for a review of my classes. Also, my computer is mildly malfunctioning so more tomorrow.

Another semester begins

Newspaper training has actually kept me a bit busier than usual. Posts from over winter break will arrive shortly.

I had training on Thursday and Friday and today I came into the newsroom to clean the newsroom's fish bowl. Woodstein should be a happy fish now.

I have the same position as last semester, but everyone else is in new positions. I thought my job would be easier this semester since I've done it before, but I think in reality it will be about as difficult, just different. I'm trying to bring back a strong beat system and it's going to take me a while, I've discovered, to adjust to the managing editor and editor-in-chief.

My classes start on Monday and there was finally an opening in the class I wanted to take so my schedule should be quite manageable. I'm expecting more homework than I had last semester, but that's not saying much since I didn't have any homework last semester.

My suitemates are beginning to arrive and the dining centers are finally open. Everything is becoming routine again and the newness of my return is beginning to wear off.

Staff Awards again (Toot Toot)

I am still not above telling others about my accomplishments. Expect a post like this once a semester until I leave the paper. My Fall 2007 staff awards:

Most likely to achieve future Evergreen glory

Newsroom dweller (apparently me living in the newsroom hasn't gone unnoticed)

Most helpful

Outstanding underclassman

Most likely to find her phone dead in a ditch (I always leave my phone in the newsroom while I'm at class and everybody hates my ring tone)

Also, I am returning next semester as News editor. It's unusual to hold the same position two semesters in a row, but not really that unusual for me since I'm not a fan of change.

Last semester's awards here

A Tired Look

As I was leaving my residence hall this morning, someone else was trying to enter. He was on the phone so I paid him no mind. I opened the door and exited, but then I heard, "You look tired." I thought he must be talking to the person on the phone. He was a complete stranger I had never even seen before. He couldn't possibly be talking to me. Still the sound of his voice made me look up. His phone was off to the side of his face. He had indeed been talking to me.

I was tired. Former editors can into town Wednesday so a group of us stayed up rather late catching up with them. I then got up and went to class at 9:00. Yesterday night was the Evergreen Christmas Party so I was up late again. I woke up this morning feeling tired, it's true. But I don't want to be told I look it, especially by a stranger.

Because I was in fact quite tired, I was more appalled than I would have been otherwise. I turned and just stared at this mouthy stranger. After a few seconds, "What," he sheepishly asked. "I was just making an observation."

I turned and left. But who does that? Why would you tell a stranger they look tired?

Fire in Pullman

I got a call at 5:30 a.m. this morning. This is what I dealt with for the next four hours.

Another newsroom insight

The Managing Editor and I wait to hear the Russell verdict. The jury found him guilty on all counts. More Evergreen coverage of the case can be found here.

You are what you eat

I went on a food run with most of the ed board to Safeway yesterday evening. It was a chance to get something to eat other than dining center food. I went with a loaf of sourdough bread and several cheese sticks. I also got two giant cream puffs.

The bread and cheese lasted me through Sunday dinner and today's lunch and dinner. Similarly, I had one cream puff yesterday and one today. I bring all of this up only because I only just finished eating the last cream puff. They really were giant size and difficult to eat. The plastic fork wasn't cutting it, literally. I suppose I should also have picked up a plastic knife.

The puffs were filled with chocolate cream and had chocolate on top. I ate today's while wearing a white jacket. I managed not to get any chocolate on myself, a rare event, so kudos to me.

As we left Safeway, we discussed what our food options say about us. I was teased for having a bourgeoisie dessert while the copy chief's organic cream cheese was deemed elitist imperialistic oppression food.

I am fond of saying my character is full of contradictions. If what was said about my dessert is true, then even my food options contradict one another. The cream puffs may have been bourgeoisie, but bread and cheese is the meal of a peasant.

So much for a break

A fire broke out near a couple apartment complexes around 3:30. The editor, managing editor, and I happened to be in the newsroom when the call came in on the scanner and drove to the scene. There were several natural fire breaks so only about an acre of field was burned. In the photo I'm waiting to talk to the head firefighter. I had already interviewed several people watching.