The End

Words cannot describe how much I have grown in the past four months, but since that is the point of this evaluation, I guess I need to find them. I never thought in the 23 years that I have existed that I would find an occupation I would love, enjoy, care for, and feel enthusiastic about. After a series of unfortunate events—namely, choosing the wrong major and suffering as a result—I have found it, and I can say that it extremely rewarding to know that I am doing something I love. And because I am doing something I love, I believe the work I do benefits as a result. I ultimately believe, therefore, that my performance during this internship can be considered strong, and I can be reassured that I am going into a field that suits me.

I can admit that I was a little unsure of myself when I began this internship, mostly because I had just come out of an experience that made it seem like it was a sin to be an English major. When I worked for the Daily Vidette, it was fairly obvious that my editors were uncomfortable with the fact that I had not taken any reporting classes, and did not seem to have much faith in me as an employee because of that. Drawing from that experience, I went into UMC with a few doubts about my ability to write evocative, accurate, and informative articles; interview subjects to get good quotes; and compile adequate research. But as I developed relationships with the people who work there—namely, Susan, Kate, and Steve—I found that very few differences exist between the Videtters and myself. Because of that realization, I believe I was able to overcome any doubts I had about my ability to perform the duties that were expected of me. The faith and trust my coworkers and superiors had in me also helped me overcome any insecurities I felt about my work.

The relationships I built with the people at UMC were very harmonious, malleable, nurturing, and understanding. UMC had a stronger sense of teamwork and camaraderie than the other places I have worked. If I ever had a question, I did not have to hesitate about knocking on a person’s door so I could answer the question. In any other situation, I would have felt less comfortable about doing this because of the way my colleagues and superiors reacted when I needed to interrupt them. Since I was in an environment where I felt comfortable collaborating with my colleagues and superiors, I think I did a much better job than I would have in an environment that was less communicative, deadline-oriented, and mellifluous.

I flourished as a writer and editor during my time at UMC. Even though I had a background in writing and editing prior to this internship, it was not as solid or complete as it could have been. English 244 and English 254 were an excellent foundation for my internship, mainly because they both guided me through the basics of grammar, editing, communicating with printers, using a style guide to check errors, and finding resources that will help me ensure that the documents I write or edit are accurate, grammatical, and clearly stated. The only thing I wish they could have included was working with different style manuals. Working with the CMS was a wonderful and even enjoyable experience, but I would have liked to get a better taste of other manuals like the American Medical Association Style Guide, the Associated Press Style Guide, or even Illinois State University’s style guide. Despite the fact that hundreds and hundreds of these things exist, I think it would be helpful to take guides that are mainstays in different industries and compare them to one another so students can understand the differences between them. If students learn the differences between the guides and can apply them practically, they will go into their internships with a stronger understanding of what they want to do. Knowing different styles can also give them a competitive advantage over students from other publishing programs. In any event, I thought these two classes helped me segue into my internship better, giving me the ability to perform the work that was expected of me.

As far as my writing is concerned, I think I can owe most of that to my work as a news reporter. As much as I disliked it, working for the Daily Vidette helped me pare down my writing so it could deliver a stronger message to the reader. I learned to ask questions, look for things that would compel and grab readers, and deliver new information that had not already been repeated. I got a stronger sense of this at UMC, but the most helpful thing about my internship was that I had to do all the original research and work—I was not relying on a single article for my information. I had guidelines to work with, but I also had the freedom to create an angle that would communicate effectively to readers. I had to learn how to step outside of myself, look at things objectively, and determine what the main points of the article were. Because of this, I think I really came into my own as a writer, but as always, I know I still need to improve before I can “throw in the towel”. 

The best part of this internship was the feedback I got from everyone. Although writing was the primary focus of my internship, I was able to gain some valuable editing experience by editing documents for Susan and Steve. Whenever I had free time away from the articles I was writing, Steve would give me something to edit, proofread, or fact check; and when I was done, he would read it over and give me feedback about the work I had done. By doing this, I could learn where my strong and weak points were as an editor, and I would ultimately strive to overcome those weak points. I have learned many valuable lessons through this experience, and I think there are many more to come.

Although I am still learning, I can really see myself coming into my own as an editor. Working for UMC was probably one of the best decisions I had made, and I wish I could stay, as I have learned so much from these people. Since I was placed in such a positive environment, I think I did a fantastic job. I enjoyed coming to work every day, seeing the same people, and working on something that really mattered to me. Even though many people are pulling their hair out about the fate of the publishing industry, I do not regret a minute of doing something I love, something I’m good at, and something that will be rewarding in the long-run.

Destination Kate

Ogonna's article is finally tightened, and I hope Kate likes it!

And while I wait, I get to edit some more. This time I got to take care of a document for the Department of Education, which was fairly easy to work with. And according to Steve, I'm getting better at finding things.

So far, work is not stressful at all, but the closer I get to graduation, the more I bemoan the fact that I don't have a job lined up. I know that there are a ton of factors that influence an employer's choice to hire someone, but it's extremely frustrating to work as hard as I have to hear, "sorry, we're not interested in you."

For why? I really want to work for you, and if it helps, I'll work for free for a while to show you how much I want to work for you. I am not one to stand idly by, so something like this is a little disheartening. Oh job fairy, where art thou?

Ogonna, Ogonna, Ogonna

I am not the type to be a superfan of anyone, but I ate, slept, and breathed Ogonna Nnamani's world this week.

The most important thing, though, is coming up with a good lead. This is where I fumble a bit, because I always have so much to say.

I decided to take a literary approach to the story, tying in how Jackie-Joyner Kersee influenced Ogonna. It's a bit messy right now, but I'll tighten it up when I have a chance. I just have to get it done before I leave! 

Limbo (March 30- April 4)

The JHCC article IS DONE, AND IT LOOKS FABULOUS.

Now, onto more writing.

The only thing I dislike about writing is the beginning path. I started Ogonna's article on Wednesday, but so far I'm finding that I can take so many routes. This is not good, as I can be fairly indecisive at times.

So, when in doubt, edit, edit, edit. This week I had a chance to look at a few things for the different departments on-campus, and once again find myself in awe of how someone can get a doctoral degree, but not have the ability to compose a clear, well-stated thought. Despite this fact, I find myself to be very happy in these moments when I am alone in my office--which is dark, of course--and I'm working to make a document as stellar as it can possibly be. I have no idea why this makes me happy, but in any case, every moment I save for editing is worth a moment away from I-don't-know-what-to-write.

Everyone is an editor (3/23-3/27)

One thing that has always fascinated me is that everyone, no matter who they are, wants to have a piece of the editor pie, meaning that they have an opinion about everything.

Now, I respect everyone's opinions, but I have a very low tolerance for pickiness. This stems from sending the final and finished article out to all the people I interviewed at JHCC, and getting responses stating that everything was great, but they weren't comfortable with the word "stop". while I respect being uncomfortable with something, I do think you can take things a little too far.

But needless to say, I had to give up a little bit of myself and practice tact to satisfy the subject. The most interesting thing about editing and publishing is that it involves a lot of humility and maturity, which I find even more interesting. So, instead of rolling my eyes and ignoring it, I changed it so it would satisfy all four subjects, sent it back, and got great reviews.

I had a chance to interview Ogonna again. By all means, she is a ray of sunshine, an inspiration, and an excellent interview. I'm going to start working on her story next week, and hopefully I will have it done by mid-April.

I also gained some Web writing and editing experience this week. The University Advancement Web site is set for release next week, and it was my job to go through everything, make sure it was to style, and make sure it all made sense. So, I did, and I got a great response back from Steve.

interviewing (3/16-3/21)

Spring break was wonderful much-needed.

I began my first day back with an interview with Jamie, one of the JHCC interns. It was really good to talk with her again, and by this point, I had a better sense of how to interview her. I think one thing that mystifies me as a writer-perfectionist is the ability to come up with the questions that will bring the most informative and most compelling answers. This may very well be an unrealistic expectation, but needless to say, I often find myself with questions after I have already asked a series of questions.

This particular interview was the one that answered all my questions and left me with some amazing, insightful quotes that I never would have gotten if we had chosen to make this a shorter, more immediate piece in the May issue.

I also had a chance to touch pace with Kim, who had started working in the school-aged medical surgical burn unit. I got some really good quotes out of her, but I also had a chance to get a feel for what a CCLS really does.

Overall, both girls were extremely helpful, and I think the article will turn out great.

 **Still no luck on the job search**

Where in hootnanny have I been?

**sarcasm** This semester is a killer, I tell you **sarcasm**

I actually have absolutely nothing to do, which is strange when you compare my life now to the way my life has been for the past couple of years (I've been a ball of stress since my sophomore year). It's both good and bad–– good because I get to focus on bettering myself as a person, bad because I am bored stiff.

My only complaint about UMC is that there is a lot of waiting involved (I love it otherwise). I was able to get my hands dirty with a new document that came in, but aside from that, work is as still as night. Sure, I've got three projects to work on, but those three projects are waiting for responses from the interviewees, and I've done all I could to work on them, correct them, and get them ready for more writing. I've asked for more things to do, but no such luck.

I guess I function better in a faster–paced environment, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. As said before, I function better when I'm a little stressed, so perhaps I should look for a job where there is a steady flow of work and plenty to do. The slow pace is fine for learning, but I'm ready to pick it up a bit.

Update on the job search: no luck yet. I've applied to about 10 positions and I'm waiting to hear back from them.

Be the change you want the world [industry] to be

Lunch time at UMC is a little bit like that one scene from Fantasia in which the creatures of the night take over after the world goes to sleep, except there aren't any devils or dead things involved in this overtaking.

I'm not very fond of those things anyway.

As usual, my office is dark with only three light sources: my laptop, the computer provided by UMC, and the light that hangs below my bookshelf (I learned early on that I write better in the dark).

The only audible sounds in my office are the rapid twitter of the keys on my laptop and the electr0-industrial trance station I chose from Pandora.com (online radio station).

I just finished transcribing a 45 minute interview with one of the Child Life interns at Johns Hopkins and I'm feeling inspired by her desire to give back to the community/ do good.

I am also inspired to do good for the community and make the world a better place, so I'm going to make today's theme something that I've always believed in, but hope to apply to my time here and to my career: be the change you want the world to be.

I first saw this on a necklace in a clothing catalog when I was visiting my best friend during Winter Break. I identified with it because I understood that its message was to encourage people to become active members of the world community/ encourage them to do instead of think about doing. When I was a freshman in in high school, I became involved in activities that gave back to different communities and provided some sort of positive change to our state of being. Since then, I have come to believe that the only way for there to be change in the world is for its citizens to get up and make a difference in some large or small aspect.

What does community service have to to with journalism and editing? Quite a bit, actually. Journalists and editors influence/ reflect the thoughts, motives, desires, and actions of an institution or society; therefore, it is my job to engage others through valuable content. But so much of the industry is focused on getting better abs or talking about scandalous photographs of Michael Phelps; very few are focused on the things that really matter. What sort of rhetorical argument(s) are we making with articles like the Phelps articles? What does this mean to the world community?

Who profits intrinsically from making scandals? I don't think anyone does. I don't think a story is a good story unless it talks about a relevant, pressing issue (celebrity scandals don't fit into that category); gives you an itch to learn more; or makes you say, "whoa" at the end.

And like most Americans, my abs are in much need of improvement, so I don't think I would make a credible author for a fitness magazine. In the meantime, I 'm going to find other stories that are timely and worth the read.

It's what I do (literally).

Will work for food, money, and hugs

Instead of going to work on Wednesday, I chose/ was encouraged to go to the ISU Career Fair. It was a pretty disappointing endeavor because there was only one table out of 112 that wanted someone like me in their company. The rest of the tables were geared toward IT, business, criminal justice, and education majors.

I understand that you can only get so many people to RSVP, but there was a serious lack of diversity there. Forgive me for saying this, but the humanities get very little appreciation or notice in these venues, and it showed at the Career Fair. A lot of faces changed after I walked up to a recruitment table, shook the recruiter's hand, talked about my skills, and said I was an English major. It makes me wonder what people really know about English majors (It isn't all Beckett and Shakespeare).

One good thing came out of going to the career fair: I got my confidence and drive back. I had my resume looked at by someone in the Career Center, I tightened my cover letter writing abilities, and I'm going to work on interviewing. My cover letters to companies X, Y, and Z will go out on Wednesday, and I must say that I am VERY excited about that.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Hope is the name of the game.

Not a lot happened on Monday. I actually went home early because I had very little material to work with, and it didn't feel right to sit in my office and pretend to work. I did get the SYP article over to Kate, and she loved it. She said it was exactly what she needed, even if we didn't have the rapper. I'm sure we'll get him or her eventually, but it also makes me happy that I got it right after one return/ commentary from Kate (Communcations Specialist) and Brian (UMC Director).

I e-mailed Ogonna; hopefully I will hear back from her. I've got a lot of really good material from her, but I want to make her story more narrative. She had this cool experience in which she hit a home run in kickball in the fifth grade, and I think it would be flippin' sweet to open up the story with something like, "The sun boiled down on Ogonna Nnamani as she stepped up to the plate, awaiting the pitch..." We'll see where that goes.

If I were to take everything into perspective now/ evaluate how the internship is going, I would probably say that things are going well. I love the people I work with, I love what I do, and I actually get a little bummed when I have to leave for class. I'm in my element when I'm there, but I feel a little shred of sadness when I think about how slow the job market is for editors and writers.

This is the primary reason why I can't sleep at night. Most of the jobs are in New York, and though I've got the gumption to move somewhere else and start all over again, I really want to save it for when I can afford to move somewhere else.

What's a girl to do? Considering how tight the market is, I can exhaust my options very quickly (especially in Chicago). I'm not going to choke up because there is no point in choking up over something that is absolutely necessary. Perhaps the best option is getting my materials together, going to the Career Center, and making sure that I've crossed all my Ts and dotted all my Is before I put myself out there.

I'm going to look for jobs and I'm going to make it happen.

I believe in me.

I found the DJ, the rockers, and I'm waiting on a rapper. I'm surprised at how much of my day was consumed by phone calls, e-mails, and so on. And even though I should be used to it by now, it still astonishes me how quickly time flies when I'm doing my work.

I didn't complete everything I had set out to finish today--finish Ogonna's article, follow up with her, and edit the SYP article to style--but since everything is still on schedule, it's okay. I got a lot of material from the DJ and the Drummer I found through the people at WZND, our campus radio station. I also got in touch with the people I needed to get more details out of for the SYP article, which is grrrrreat for progress. I think today's lesson is that nothing is impossible no matter the challenges, especially if you're all coughy and stuffy like I've been for the past few days.

I think the other lesson of today is that no matter how ordinary we may be, we can all do extraordinary things despite our physical, mental, or situational limitations. I'm terrible at math; but writing, drawing, creating, reasoning/ logic, empathizing, memorizing, engineering, invention, and the ability to see past the surface of things are my extraordinary capabilities. The people I interviewed also have their own individual talents: Laroyce Hawkins has self-expression, Ben Swarz has music, and Brady Sullivan has emotional intelligence. It may not sound like much, but if you knew that Laroyce wants to act for a living, Ben wants to be a radio DJ, and Brady wants to help couples make the most of their lives together, it makes all the sense in the world.

I've been thinking a lot lately about what my hopes are for my own career, and I think I want to go with feature writing/ editing, educational publishing, B2B, or custom media. I don't mind doing news--I love to learn and talk about new innovations--but there's something more fulfilling in talking about or appealing to the human interest. B2B and custom media have that element too, but it's also very client-based, which is another one of my loves and individual talents. I really like geting in touch with people and see what they're about, what their likes and dislikes are, and eventually create a close enough bond to the point where they say, "Hey, why not?"

I got a lot of really good interviews that way, and I've also made some pretty big sales in my retail jobs. My [clothing retail] managers didn't like that I was chatting with the customers, but they were also the type of people who felt that the associates should do nothing but "sell" in a false and impersonal way--the same way that some people expect to get a good interview by simply asking questions, demanding answers, and not making their subject feel comfortable. Meeting your quota is important, but if you create a positive rapport with someone and really connect with them, then you create a higher chance of a) making a bigger sale b) creating repeat customers or even a) getting better quotes and b) building a better relationship with the world around you.

I'm pretty confident that journalism, customer service, and sales hold similar qualities. They're all trying to get at something--the headline, the dirt, the sale, or the satisfaction--and I think you can create the biggest difference/ best results by making people feel comfortable through the creation of a genuine rapport. If they think you're there just to sell or get the job done and have no rapport, they won't feel as comfortable and they certainly won't want to work with you. So instead of having a battery list of questions and a rigid agenda, I treat my interviews like conversations.

I started this approach a few months back when I was working for the Vidette. I noticed that a lot of people weren't comfortable with answering point-blank questions, so I started to talk to them like I was getting to know them casually. It worked: the interviews became more interesting and the articles got better. The only part I have to work on now is asking better questions--the kind of questions that cut deep into the mind and bleed buckets of information.

I am a better writer/ interviewer than I was 6 months ago. If you told me in June of last year, "Joanna, you're going to be interviewing people for articles your entire senior year," I would have told you that I didn't know the first thing about journalism. Quite frankly, everyone know a thing or two about journalism, and to put it in its own unattainable echelon is a mistake. Journalism is psychology, research, timeliness, strategy, networking, and following your intuition--all things I have done in previous positions or practice from day to day. I've picked up journo books from the library to become a better journalist, but a lot of them talk about things I already know, which is why I don't understand why the news editors at the Vidette create the perception that non-J students can't write articles as well as J students (one of the many reasons why I left).

Asking questions, failing, and learning from my failures/ accepting them are what have helped me get to where I am. This isn't to say that I haven't considered Medill, Syracuse, NYU, Columbia, U of IN, Goldsmiths, U of IL, Laval, or Stanford for grad, but I will argue that the foundations are better learned and understood through real experiences rather than classrooms (that's how I learned to reformat a computer, remove viruses, install hardware, and create a dual partition).

I don't regret being an English major in the slightest bit, and it shows in what I do every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at UMC. If I had chosen Journalism over English, I don't think I would have had the same sense of diversity, empathy, collaborativeness, gumption, or exposure that the English major gave me. I would have missed out on the 80 page paper I did for Dr. Justice's senior seminar (65 of those pages consisted of research and collation); I would have never learned how to become a better rhetorician; and I would have never refined my web/ graphics skills. All of these things have contributed to how well I do my job, so being an English major was beneficial.

But I also welcome suggestions from my superiors who were Journo majors. Kate and Susan have taught me a lot of techniques in the time I've been there, and I'm going to give them my all in return. I've already accepted that I am forever a student with the career path I am choosing, which is perfectly fine by me.

I'm sure it was well worth it when your boss tells you during a one-on-one Monday meeting, "Out of all the interns we've hired, you are the most confident and the most ready, and that's why we're putting you in the magazine."

That really means a lot in terms of where I am and where I want to be.

I love editing <3

I'm a real dish in Simpsons form, aren't I?

Yesterday was dominated by editing my first major major document since November (I edited my best friend's novel). Like a lot of things that come through our office, it was loaded with errors, misuses, and inconsistencies, but that's what copyeditors are for, right?

My favorite thing about editing is that I get to play detective and use strategy to polish a text into a priceless gem; and while most of the texts I edit are dry, riddled with errors, and limited to a small audience, they all hold the same importance as a document that is going to be seen by millions of people. I take a lot of pride in making things shiny, presentable, understandable, and interesting.

The FD brochure was a nice test of all the skills I've acquired from being an English major. I don't think I've used my CMS, my AP manual, or my dictionary as many times as I did yesterday, but it served as a nice refresher to the things I am supposed to know. The challenge also lay within the errors themselves: instead of being large, glaring issues of fact, spelling, and circumstance, they were things that you could easily miss if you had read the text more than once. There were also a few sentences that were too long, unreadable, unnecessary, or ungrammatical, but my purple pen made everything better.

Even though I've only done about 5 outgoing documents for UMC, I'm getting better at adjusting how heavily I edit a document. When I look back to that moment in March 2007 when I first posted my ads on the bathroom doors of Jeff4--or when I first began to write for a non-academic forum—I can see how much I have grown. I'm less afraid to ask questions, I work more efficiently, I use a lighter hand (unless the document has so many errors that I have to change it dramatically or send it back to the author to fix), I know what to look for, and I've learned how to edit/ write according to a style.

Going from AP to CMS to University style—Web site (ISU) instead of web site (AP) or website (general usage)—is still challenging since the changes are so slight, but it's absolutely necessary given that each corporation/ house has its own subjective style rules (though I wish everyone could use the CMS. It's a lot more informative and organized than the AP manual). Going from style to style also helps you realize that language and grammar are subjective, but style is style. If a set criteria didn't exist, I think it would be more difficult to communicate our needs with others, especially in the written form.

The latter half of the day was spent reworking my articles on Ogonna and the "State Your Passion" campaign. Ogonna is coming along well, but the SYP article is..well..interesting. Since I turned it in, I learned that our director wants me to get a comment from a rapper, a mix master, someone in a rock band, and an athlete. I can smell a rock band from a mile away, but I have no idea where I am going to find a mix master in rural IL. It’s pretty bizarre, but I’m still going to deliver.

Mojo Jo Jo and the celebrity interview

Mojo Jo Jo is a nickname I gained when I babysat a girl who was obsessed with the Powerpuff Girls. The name suits me well when I write, but the character--an evil genius--does not (even though I sometimes joke about being an evil genius).

The term "finding your mojo" was something that came with the PPG, went away, passed with Austin Powers, and somehow rediscovered when I had my first class with Gabe Gudding (a.k.a one of the coolest profs I have had). In Gabe's terms, "finding your mojo" means finding that spark that will inspire you to write voraciously and ingeniously, kind of like a muse. It can be extremely difficult to find unless I'm in an unusual place where I am without a pen & piece of paper or a computer.

As a natural communicator, my mojo is the center of my work, so it is extremely important for me to have it when I need it.

What is fascinating is how subjective this 'mojo' thing is and how different people find it. How do you find yours? Do you sit upside down in a chair and stare at an inanimate object until it comes to you? I run, take a shower, have a long nap, or write garbage sentences until I come up with what I want to say. It really depends on what type of environment I am in, but writing garbage sentences is usually how I do it.

It's somewhat difficult to process things when I'm writing about someone like Elie Wiesel because he is such a complete, rich person, but he is extremely humble. When Dr. Wiesel came to campus in October, I was elated to have the chance to write about him and even sit 10 feet away from him (he even brushed up against my chair on his way in O_O). I felt inspired the entire time I was taking notes during the small group discussion and wanted to write all 80 lines right then and there, but when I sat down in the newsroom with my editor, I choked. What did I have to say about someone who is so revered, but has remained so humble despite his accomplishments? Is it fair to write, "S/he is just a (wo)man"?

If you read my Wiesel article and were searching for star power, you won't get anything out of it. I hope those who read it realized that the point of the article is to show that people are people, and no matter who you are, you can also be extraordinary in your own unique way (and you don't even have to be famous).

I don't believe in celebrity; I just think some people are more well-known than others. This is really difficult for our society to accept, but we all age, we all learn, and in the end, we all die. The only difference that lays between us is what we choose to do with the time that we are allotted. Those choices can help us gain mass recognition if we know where to look and how to do it, so it's up to us to decide whether we want it or not.

For Ogonna, the difficulty lays in reflecting her down-to-earth, ultra determined personality and putting away my own personal excitement that such a person exists. For the past three weeks I have been sitting down at my desk--in the dark of course--and writing out sentences that sound great in theory, but are garbled when I see them on the screen. Maybe I should take a walk around the building when these things happen.

The writing process can be extremely painful, but I enjoy the challenge and the strategy of it. I love the conception, the burn to write, the challenge of making it new and inspiring, and seeing the tangible, finished project in a publication or in a professor's hand.

In truth, writing this blog is a part of finding my mojo and easing the pain of the writing process, so pay no attention to paragraph structure, punctuation, or any of the things that I even consider to be "important". Instead, think about the thoughts and other things that have come to be after I have finished sitting in the College of Business, about to brave the cold, rainy night for a plate of pot stickers.

Working from home

I had to take care of a few things in Chicago this morning, so I am working from my parents' house today. It's a different since I'm leaning on a 130 lb dog and I have a 19 year old cat wrapped up in the top half of my bathrobe (his favorite place) while I'm writing my article. It brings a new definition to multitasking.

The article is a profile on a grad student who is leading the Peru Project, a program that takes students to Peru, teaches them about the culture, and gives them an opportunity to help people. The cool thing about the project is that they get to go to my dream destination, Micu Picu, at the end of the project O_O . If I had the cash to go, I would be there in a second because a) I love doing community service and b) I looooooooove ancient ruins and anthropology.

Honestly, I feel like St. Francis of Assissi and Kurt Vonnegut in pajamas. It's comfortable because I get to work in sweatpants and an old t-shirt, but it's also a little uncomfortable because I've got two animals pleading for attention, pets, and snuggles (and it's really hard to pass up something cute and fuzzy...ieeeee!).

Feeling crotchety

I haven't had a full night's rest since Sunday, and it's really starting to affect my performance at work.

The problem is that I'm not sleeping enough, and it's not because I am incapable of getting to bed at a reasonable hour--I'm exhausted by 11:30--it's because my roommate watches TV like it's her full-time job (literally).

I'm one of those people who believes that there are better things to do with her time than seeking entertainment from a glowing box (even though I loooooove Family Guy and House). If I do watch TV, it's usually because I can't find anything better to do. I would rather take a nap or go for a run.

In our little corner of Hewett Hall, the TV is on from 7:30 a.m. until about 2:00 a.m. the next morning, which makes it extremely difficult for me to work, sleep, and reflect (and I can't turn it off or ask her to go into the other room because it will turn into a bigger ordeal than it really is). This means that my clothes get to spend more time in my room than I do.

I found it extremely difficult to focus today because I had only gotten about 3 hours last night, 4 the night before, and 6 the night before that. That, of course, sets me behind in work, which doesn't reflect so well upon me as an employee. It isn't any good because it contradicts my personality--I am not lazy by any means--and it's a real downer knowing that I can do so much better if I could just get a few more hours of sleep.

I asked my roommate once if we could turn off the TV when we go to bed. She fumed, scoffed, tore her sheets off her bed, and stomped out of the room. All I said was, "Is it okay if we turn the TV off when we go to bed?" I never said anything mean or meant harm.

Why does it have to be such a big deal to make such a small compromise? We have three TVs in three of the four rooms in our tiny apartment. The world is not going to explode if we turn the thing off by 11:00 p.m.

Fortunately, work comes to the rescue. I am happiest when I am editing a document or writing an article. It was very soothing to be at work today, but since I haven't slept much this past week, I did hit a brick wall about five minutes before I was supposed to leave.

Channeling Barry White

I don't even know where the time went! I began my day with an interview with Chika Nnamani. Words can't describe how cool awesome he is and how his awesomeness rained down onto his daughter, which is a bit of a problem considering that it is my job to describe how amazing this family is. I'm sure I'll find a way to show it, but that will probably be at 1:00 a.m. when I am laying awake and scribbling down all the cool ideas I have for my article.

I've been trying to find out why I love what I do, and I don't think I have come to a definitive point yet. It may not even exist, but since I am a journalist, I'm going to get down to the bottom of this. I can say that one of my favorite things is being able to learn about new and interesting people/ events and tell stories about them. It's very rewarding.

Love and heartbreaks

I never thought that I would have a job I wouldn't mind doing--I just thought adulthood was about doing things I had to do. I may have found a loophole, and it's a fantastic feeling.

Love isn't perfect, though. It comes with heartbreaks and frustrations. My heartbreak is leaving work and waiting two days to get back to it. My other heartbreak is not being able to edit as much as I would like to (if I overedit, I may insult the client). My frustration is non compliant people, e.g. trying to get information from the Johns Hopkins interns and JHU Media Relations.

It was understandable at first: both girls were going through orientation, learning about their roles at JHCC, and getting settled in to their responsibilities. This game that one of the girls is playing--the "I'm too busy to set aside ten minutes for something I agreed to" game-- is silly. I'm not taking it personally, but I am also very busy with rush, classes, work, internship, and personal stuff; and when I agree to do something, you can be sure that I will commit myself to finishing the job. Is it so hard to take ten minutes out of a one hour lunch break just to chat?

On the brighter side of things, It has been a joy and a challenge to do the Ogonna Nnamani and the Vicki Hall stories. I arranged an interview with Ogonna's dad to get the other half of the story--coming from Nigeria to the US and watching Ogonna grow-- which I think will make this a full, beautiful, warm, and inspiring story.

Vicki Hall's story is coming out quite well. I just passed it over to Susan to look at, so hopefully we can get it over to design sometime soon.

I've got another story in the mix, which features what students are passionate about ISU. It isn't surprising, but a lot of people I spoke with said their favorite thing about the University was either a) the warmth and camaraderie you feel when you're on campus b) the quality of the professors/ classes here and c) the number of opportunities you have to grow and succeed. I've got the warm fuzzies, oh yes I do.

Steve has also been giving me stories and documents to copy edit. I just finished a ten page document yesterday that I had to hand edit about four times to make it "acceptable". The thing was loaded with grammatical errors, inconsistencies in pacing and register, unnecessary sentences/ spaces, and other forms of "editor candy". It was a challenging document to work with, but I need a challenge (how else will I be able to improve?). I hope the client understands my corrections, changes, and suggestions.

Writing/ editing makes my heart pound (in a good way). I love the pressure/ rush of a deadline, the self expression, communicating with people, and working with a team to deliver one final and tangible goal: the publication.

The Odd Couple

Yesterday was fantastic.

I began my day with the easiest task (calling people), seasoned it with some brief editing exercises, and finished it with solid reflection/ writing.

The JHU story may be the most difficult story that's been assigned to me. It isn't due until April 1, but it's still a little unnerving not to get a comment from anyone after two weeks. I made a few calls to JHU Children's Hospital, dealt with Media Relations, and called a few more people here at ISU. I know the interns won't get back to me for a while, which was agreed upon, but I'm running out of things to do :-(.

Strangely, the story I thought would be the most challenging turned out to be the easiest. I called Ogonna, she answered, and she was delighted to speak with me. I was freaking out the night before the interview because I wasn't sure what to ask an Olympic Athlete, but then it dawned on me: so many people talk about Ogonna Nnamani the athlete and her achievements; people never talk about how she got from being a child who wasn't allowed to participate in sports (she has severe asthma) to a two-time Olympic athlete (and she's training for another one! O.o).

She's a real eye-opener, that Ogonna. She's humble, friendly, extremely nice, and loves to chat. I could say so much more about her, but you're going to have to wait for the actual article for that ;-).

Steve handed me another assignment for one of our departments. The only downer I've found with Business to Business editing at a university is that I can't fully do my job as an editor. As far as I understand it, the job of the editor is to bring the text to the best possible state. If the submission is poorly written by the organization/ client, we can't rewrite the content for them (it's perceived as an insult to the writer of the piece). Instead, we can only make minimal changes to sentence structure and major changes to formatting and punctuation, which is difficult when you're working on something that is loaded with errors.

I'm not trying to be insulting by any means. I guess the most important thing I have to learn is how to accept imperfection (within reason). I don't feel comfortable with it because I am a perfectionist, but I have an inkling that it will be a large part of what I plan on doing for the rest of my life.

Channeling Oscar and Felix...

Capturing Humanism

The economy has made me a little afraid of the job market: there are fewer jobs and pickier employers. I've also had my fair share of graduation jitters--I've been asking myself whether I chose the right major, whether I'd be able to get a job, and so on. But working at UMC for a week has helped me realize that I love my job and I did choose the right major. And those graduation/ getting a job jitters? They're still there, but I won't let them get me down.

I love that my job requires me to sit down and think about how I can inspire people, wow them, draw them in, or even make their lives a little bit better. The point of the Alumni Magazine is to spread cheer, build pride, and so far, I think we're doing a pretty good job of it. On Wednesday, K--- assigned me to a 700- 1,000 word feature on Ogonna Nnemani, a Bloomington-Normal native who played volleyball in the 2004 and 2008 olympics. I'm really excited to speak with her. She has done so many things in her lifetime, yet she's only a few years older than me.

I spent most of Wednesday doing research on her, coming up with questions for her, and contacting her family for her information (she's in Istanbul at the moment).

I also spent most of my day coming up with interview questions for the JHCC interns and communicating back and forth with them. That story is also fascinating because it really puts Illinois State beyond the expectations of most people (a lot of people call ISU "I Screwed Up" because it isn't UIUC). I think it really says something about our university and deploys the myths about the caliber of our professors, students, and faculty. I personally chose to come to Illinois State because I knew that I wouldn't get the same individual attention or the same sense of community at U of I. Strangely enough, I gained a lot more out of my experience: I got awesome, talented professors, a close-knit group of friends, tons of opportunities to get involved, and a stellar education. If that's the case, I think I'll change the abbreviation of ISU or ISNU to IDNSU (I did not screw up).

One of my assignments is a short story on a lady who received a library scholarship that hasn't been given out to anyone for years. This is intriguing considering that she is the first recipient of the scholarship since the University axed the library science program. The research and pre-interview process has gone well so far, and we interview on Tuesday. I'm very excited.

Assignment the second is copyediting little bits and pieces of text for our copyeditor. Copyediting for UMC is a lot easier than it was for STSS--they follow a style/ communicate their needs for the content--and it certainly is a lot less stressful. I won't say that my internship with STSS was a total waste, but it was definitely more difficult to get it across that a certain sentence did not work either because it was too long, it was irrelevant, because it was a fragment, or because it was punctuated incorrectly (people were less willing to listen). It could have been a matter of specialization, but no bother. UMC's style is easy to follow, it's solid, and I'm relatively familiar with it (they follow AP mixed in with CMS).

Assignment the third: going through back issues and looking for content that will attract a collegiate audience. This is going to be interesting since it will be my first attempt at market research. So far I've thought about stories dealing with greek life, clubs, and on-campus activities, but I still have to go through the back issues and determine if that is what I want to do.

Looking back on it, I'm happy I had such a short stint at the Vidette. If I had stayed, I would have had five articles per week piled on top of schoolwork, research, fraternity stuff, and regular work. Part of me wishes I had stayed, but the other part of me thinks it's worth it to take it easy for once (I've been a ball of stress for the past few years. I need time to recharge my batteries before I hit the trenches again). I can say that working for the Vidette has made the idea of working for a publication more tangible and a little bit more excited. Shall I say, "Don't dream it, be it"?

If I go back even further, I am a completely different writer than I was a year ago. French certainly helped me expand my vocabulary and understand English linguistic structures, but writing for the news helped me peel away unnecessary words and other things that were taking away from my main point.

The new challenge is capturing "humanism". As a news reporter, I spent a semester talking about facts and using people as devices to deliver the facts. As a magazine writer and editor, I have to spend a semester writing about people in a factual yet creative manner, but also use them as devices to deliver the best story possible. A true test of my writing skills, but also a great opportunity to refine an unfinished sculpture. I'm excited.

HEY YOU GUYS

A lot has changed since I first embarked on my journey as an English major at ISU. I was able to gain a bit of experience by working at the Daily Vidette, so my writing skills should be pretty solid by about now. Interestingly enough, the director from my last internship called me in to help him fix a graphic I had created in my last internship, which was an easy fix.

After meeting the UMC team at the Alumni Center's annual NYE Chili cookoff, Susan and I got right down to business. She assigned me two articles: one on the Eunice H. Speer Scholarship winner and the other on two CAST graduate students who were selected for an internship at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center. Both are due the first week of February, which should be a breeze compared to having to write an article in 3 hours. The only tedious part is finding my interviewees when I need them. *Blesses self*

I also got a sneak peek of the February issue. It looks fabulous.

I know it was only my first day, but the atmosphere of UMC is very different than STSS. Everyone at STSS was pretty agreeable (save a few people) but the people here seem to be good-natured and really, really excited to be at work... and so am I!